Sugarprints Photography

 

Many of you have been requesting to see more photos of Emmit, the new addition to our family. I love taking photos but must admit that taking them of an energetic, 14-week old puppy is near impossible. So when my dear friend, Katie, of Sugarprints Photography, came to visit me recently, of course she brought her camera along. Check out her recent blog post with some photos of Emmit! She's incredibly talented and does amazing work. Such an inspiration! Thanks Katie!

The Dreaded 3 - Oh!

Oh crap. It's here. Today I officially mourn the loss of my twenties. I. AM. FREAKING. OUT. I have been dreading this b-day for a year and am pretty much in denial. But as depressing as turning 30 is, I look back on the last decade and am so grateful for what I have accomplished (while continuing to feel, and act, like I am still 16).

Though I still can't help but feel like life in the 'burbs is moving at warp-speed....slow down please!

I remember when I was growing up, my Grampy would never say how old he was on his birthday. He always phrased it like "I'm celebrating the 4th Anniversary of my 20th Birthday". I never understood that really until I got older. So today I am celebrating the 3rd Anniversary of my 10th Birthday!(Wait, is that even correct? I'm blond so if it doesn't, just let that one slide today, ok?) Once I get past this denial, I am really looking forward to what the next decade will bring. Cheer's to now being able to check the age 30-45 box on forms! Yikes! Oh, and here is my motto from now on...

Porch Makeover Project Completed!

  (BEFORE)

 

                       (AFTER!)

This weekend marked the completion of the porch makeover project!! As you can see in the (BEFORE) photo above, the screened in porch is off the side of the house, behind the carport. The hubs and I used it a TON last Spring/Summer and even into the Fall when the weather was nice. It's a great patio but we couldn't help but feel that is felt unfinished. It was just a bit dark and dingy and looked unfinished. The ceiling had exposed beams and you could see the plywood roof which was dirty as seen in the photo below...

The hubs and I talked about painting the porch and re-screening it because some screen was stretched out, old and needed some help. PLUS, during Snopacolypse 2010 a branch from a tree fell and sliced right through the screen. Nice. Now we knew this porch makeover project was pushed to the top of our "to do" list. 

We opted to tackle the demo of the old screen ourselves to save some money. 1 makeshift tool belt (for hubs), 1 hammer,  3 pairs of pliers, 9,345,201 staples later = sore hands and fingers. Check out all those staples...I wasn't kidding!

 

But thanks to several family members helping with the demo and one great handyman and MANY trips to Home Depot, we have a new porch!

(BEFORE)

 

                        (AFTER!)

Here is another picture of the back of the finished porch...

Now the porch seems to blend in with the house rather than stand out. We couldn't be more thrilled with the outcome. Just hope our resident squirrels stay off of the new screen! Next up is some landscaping around the porch. Yes, it's never ending!

Welcome To The Burbs!

Ok, so life in the burbs just got a whole lot busier! The hubs and I are proud to announce a new addition to our family....meet Emmit, our 11 week old beagle mix. We adopted him from a local animal rescue group. We officially welcomed him to our family this past weekend. I know it's only Tuesday, but what a whirl-wind the past 48 hours has been. Looking forward to sharing our adventures with Emmit with you all! (Photo courtesy of KT photography...thanks!)

PS-the porch makeover project has officially begun. We hope it's completed by the end of the week. Can't wait to share the before and after pictures! Stay tuned...