Taking Our Sweet Time: Picking Our New Roof

Way back in March as the first warm breezes blew, Hubby & I began the process of researching a new roof. When we purchased the house, we knew that the nearly 30 year old shingled roof was on its last leg. We hoped to buy ourselves some time & managed to weasel about 3 years out of it. Finally when we started to notice water spots on our master bedroom ceiling we knew it was time to bite the bullet.

We initially were leaning towards replacing the roof with cedar shake again. But the more we thought about it, and the more we had daily encounters with spiders & silverfish in our second story, the more we knew that an asphalt shingle is the route to go. As it was explained to us, cedar shake is an organic product and insects are drawn to it…remove the shake, remove the bugs. SOLD!

So now that the decision was done, it was a matter of shingle selection. We slapped up a few samples and couldn't stand them. First we tried GAF's Timberline shingle in Weatherwood as it is manufactured to mimic the look of shake. It did not.

The undertones were green and just made the whole house look nondescript. And when the sales rep said it was the most popular shingle, that put the nail in the coffin for me.  After all the work we put into our home to make it reflective of our individual family, the last thing we want to do was plop down some major coin for something we felt indifferent about and is on every other house in the subdivision. 

We went back to the shingle brochure and this time picked out Woodland Designer shingle (again GAF) in Cedarwood Abbey. Once the samples went up it was clear that this one wasn't it. The shingles lacked depth and even though they were an upgrade from the Timberline they looked cheaper. Plus the color was underwhelming.

Disheartened, I turned to pinterest and poured through my pins of  inspirational exteriors and discovered the common thread: light exteriors & dark roofs. Then serendipitously a YHL post documenting their new roof showed up in my bloglovin feed. Each and every time we looked throughout he GAF brochures, we never noticed the Camelot II because it was featured on the front interior cover and we just blew right past it…duh! Well you know what they say, third times a charm.

We negotiated back and forth with two different roofers and in the end opted to pay a bit more for a family owned business that does not use subcontractors. And after one day of work, I have to say it was  the right decision. The crew is pleasant, respectful & super tidy! Fingers crossed the rest of the job goes just as smoothly (it's a big one scheduled to be 4 full days). Can't wait to share the reveal with you all!

Putting the Labor in Day

Well summer is officially over around here and I'm back to work on the last items of our 2013 Home Goals: the Dining Room,  Kid's Bath and Roof.

Today I'm tackling painting the bath vanity (ugh I have very little patience for painting), having a seamstress come to quote slipcovers for a pair of Drexel club chairs in need of some TLC, and meeting with the carpenter to discuss the dining room wainscoting. Plus, the new roof is tentatively scheduled for next week.

I don't know about you all, but I say bring on the Fall!!! Enjoy the long weekend everyone.

4th of July Pretties

Yesterday Bear & I added some fourth flare to the outside. The boxwood pots are sporting flags to greet guests and the neighborhood dog walking gang. I feel in love with a bunting and pull down set for the front entry, but at $250.00 I'm hoping to catch it at a major off season discount. Coupled with my desire to let the paint cure this entire summer before hanging anything on the door; the front is a little toned down, but festive none the less.

 The new flag pillow adds a bright punch of patriotism over on the garage side of the house. It is holding up well…here's hoping it doesn't attract any birdie attention if you know what I mean.

Here is  shot of the whole front…what you hardly notice the decor because of the massive Hawthorn covering most of the house!?! Hubby has been insistent the tree come down since we moved in & now I think it is time. That's a whole different post though people…back to the fourth. 

My sweet lil helper…he loves the "vroom" and getting to "seep". Thanks to the grandparents hanging with the older two, I've been getting to spend lots of one-on-one time with my lil Bear. It is a sweet taste of what it would be like if Bear was our first. (Mommy note to Peanut & Belle: I wouldn't trade either of you for the world.)

Yes, yes back to the fourth….lots of rambling today I know. Out back the three herb boxes are adorned with stars & stripes. And before I start on yet another tangent I should just wrap this post up!  Happy 4th & God Bless the USA.

Project Curb Appeal Continues

Back when I was debating what color to paint the front door, several of you commented on carrying over the front door colors to the garage area. So over the weekend I got to work transforming an overgrown brier patch into a welcoming spot to rest and watch the kiddies play.

After quite a few clips with the hedge trimmers, I had room for a chair from our old patio set (painted to match the front door) along with two potted hydrangeas.

I relocated the stepping stones out from under the fast growing day lilies. Since the little ones venture out barefoot constantly, not having to walk on mulch will pamper those little tootsies. 

The former owners left these pots behind on moving day. They had been wasting away under the work bench in the basement until I dug them out and brightened them up with a new coat of paint to match the front door's accent color.

Since I had the paint leftover from the front door makeover this whole project only cost me $20 for two hydrangeas. And you gals were right, having this little vignette near the garage pulls your eye right across the house and I love having the opportunity to duplicate the charcoal, mint & peony pink color combo…. I am obsessed with it.

Next up,  deciding on a new roof and re-staining the garage door. Thankfully those are not DIY projects.

How does your Garden Grow?

Growing up, every Mother's Day weekend the whole family spent a day planting flowers as part of my Mom's gift. As a result, I feel an uncontrollable urge to carry on the Mother's Day planting tradition. Conveniently, on our 2013 home goals a vegetable garden & sustaining said garden were among the listed ambitions. So after Belle hopped off the bus on Friday Hubby, the kiddies and I headed out to pick some plants.



After scouring the aisles of Home Depot for every variety of white flowers for the deck (post coming soon once I can clean all the pollen off the deck) we moved on to the veggies. Despite numerous pleas for a plethora of veggies, we kept our first ever garden simple and low key by purchasing one plant of the following:

• tomato
• red pepper
• green pepper
• cucumber
• squash
• zucchini

Further research had me fearing our proposed garden plot was too close to a tree (tree roots are rumored to rob plants of their nutrients). So to buffer against planting in the wrong spot, I opted to do a container garden this year. This way, if need be, we can move the plants around the yard until the optimal location is determined.

The configuration of the garden is as follows. Tomato and cucumber plants each have their own pots. The peppers share a pot, as do the zucchini and squash. The trellis is constructed out of garden decorations that the prior owners left behind. My hope is that the cucumber and squashes will grow up and over to help conserve space. To help ward off any bunny bites Hubby wrapped the whole garden in chicken wire. 

One of the great pleasures of Summer is cooking with fresh herbs. To keep them accessible, we planted oregano and sweet basil in the deck boxes. I was thrilled to discover "boxwood basil". These delicate miniature leaves don't need to be chopped up like the large leaf variety and the plant grows in tight formation mimicking the boxwoods I love so much! I happily snatched up two of them for the pots flanking the deck steps.

So that is our veggie garden: small and manageable. Hopefully container gardening agrees with us and the plants flourish. I am a little worried because after it was all said and done I noticed the bag of organic soil we purchased said "not for container gardening"…..ugh fingers crossed my plants don't die! Anyone else grow a veggies out of pots? Any tips? Lessons you've learned over the years? I can use all the help you can offer.

Oh Monday!

I am dragging this morning! It is definitely a 2 cups of coffee morning. This weekend was jam packed and super productive.

When our lawn service didn't show on Saturday morning to do the spring clean up Hubby & I got down to work.

I also tackled the front door. It isn't quite done yet. I have the second top coat to apply, but I am completely in love already. I don't know why I was so scared to paint it.

Belle stepped up to help us out with clean up and earned herself $10 for pine cone duty. She collected 8 buckets full!




Sunday after church and lunch with YiaYia Terry & Papou Yianni,  it was more clean up and then paint detail.



We spent the rest of the day outdoors, playing with neighbors & dining alfresco.

As for home projects, the mudroom is complete, the door will be after today & we've decided on a patio dining set. Now I just need to get motivated to write up all these posts. Hope your Monday is off to a better start….back to the Keurig I go:)

Back to the drawing board

In February when we ordered our new patio sofa & rockers, I located these dining chairs on amazon.com.

They were a steal at $212 for the pair, but rather than snag them while I had the chance, I bookmarked them for future reference. Fast forward 2 months, I log onto my amazon account intending to purchase the chairs and see:

Strathwood Falkner Dining Arm Chairs, Set of 2

by Strathwood

4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)

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Currently unavailable. We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock.

I can not believe it! Now I am on the brink of warm weather and outdoor dining season without chairs. Our current dining set is a Crate & Barrel hand-me-down from Bestie B that was on it's last leg when we moved here 3 years ago. Not to mention that the table is too small to accommodate a family of 5 & the substantial wooden chairs much too heavy for little ones to maneuver.

I fell in love with this table the moment I saw it. I had hoped to have Hubby build it to pair with the chairs, but now I'm second guessing whether the combination even works. The table is intended for use with coordinating benches, yet we would be opting for chairs with their back support. I feel like benches are great for quick meals, but when entertaining they aren't an inviting place to lounge and linger.

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So now I'm on the hunt again.  Perhaps I should look into something like this, which appear to match our conversation set. 

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Two negatives though:

1. I was hoping to avoid a "set" appearance.

2. The chairs are solid and block my sight line of the backyard. I preferred the airy open back of the amazon.com chairs. I wouldn't completely rule this option out, but I'm not in love with them.

As the search continued, I was able to located these substitutes. The cushions are sea foam green rather than ivory though & I was hoping to stick to neutrals. Not necessarily a deal breaker, but something to consider.  

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And while I'm at it, do I just scrap the farm table (I can hear Hubby's cheers now) and purchase the "set" table?  Yes, I know two minutes ago I scuffed my nose at the idea of a "set", but I am brainstorming here folks. So continuing with this train of though, the deck furniture would be:

Dining

Conversation (3 person sofa & 2 club chair rockers)

I'm kind of leaning towards the iron "set". Perhaps I'm being swayed by the boxwoods and topiaries staged in the photo or just the ease of buying vs. building. Feel free to way in with your thoughts & I'll be sure to let you know what I decide. I'm an impatient thing so I'm sure the decision will be made before the weekend is over. Happy Friday!!!

Out Front

So it has begun. The boxwood invasion that is. After swooning over the boxwoods gardens at Epcot, I was delighted to I pick up these two beauties from Costco. And they were a steal at only $16 a piece!

My eventual goal is to have all the beds in the front & backyard lined with boxwoods. Seeing as how the only exterior yard project on our 2013 Home Goals is the garden, it might be awhile until I see things come to fruition.

So for now I'll just enjoy these little lovelies. If only the weather would stay dry so I could tackle the front door…fingers crossed for the weekend.

Front Door Color Combo…Cast Your Vote.

You may recall this post back in February where I mentioned the idea of painting the front door. Well now that the weather is warmer, it is time to take some action. Above is a shot of our current color scheme. I reviewed my pinterest exterior board and found that I gravitated towards simple tonal color schemes…pretty much the same as my interior. (Sorry for the grainy photo quality.)

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After some research, I narrowed my choice down to the following:

I stopped in to SW to grab samples since all I had seen to this point was online & this gorgeous color jumped out at me. 

It has just a hint of mint and I am obsessed. Can not get it out of my head. And the three of these together is pure heaven. I might even be in love enough to sandblast the brick shoji white in the relatively near future. 

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My current dilemma is what color combo to choose. Here is a close up of the current door:

Do I go dark with urban bronze trim & the comfort gray door? My concern there is that the brass of the door and mint tones in the grey might look even more 80's than the orange oak. 

Or do I stick with my original plan and paint the trim shoji white, door urban bronze & then incorporate comfort gray via pots/planters?

Let me know your thoughts. The weather is still too wet for painting so I've got a little bit of time to mull this one over. I certainly am chomping at the bit to get started though.