good fences make good neighbors

We already had pretty good neighbors, so the fence is really more to keep the kiddos inside and the random dogs (like the two pit bulls that came right up to us in the yard a few weeks ago or the crazed pug that chased my friend into a neighbor's yard this week) out.  It's one of those wonderful examples of DIY goodness--my parents, Brandon's parents, and my sister and her husband all turned out to share their miscellaneous knowledge and muscle power, and the result?  Better than we ever expected:

This shot shows the finished fence, including copper caps on the posts (and we added another one this weekend to the mailbox, to match).  We tried to stain it this weekend but it was too soon, and the wood wouldn't absorb the stain.

I like to call this one The View from Inside Baby Supermax.

We used the existing chain link fence poles on all the corners.  This weekend, we painted the metal posts brown with shiny copper caps.  Hopefully they'll match the cedar stain we picked out for the fence.

We had two estimates on having the fence done professionally and they ranged from $700-1400!  I've decided that nothing spurs me into physical labor like a free estimate.  The fence you see ended up costing approximately $335 and two days of manual labor.  The stain will probably add another $50 to the cost.

We managed to get a lot of work done on the house this weekend, although most were little jobs that we didn't want to do but that needed doing.  We put a latch on the gate to help make sure the girls can't escape so easily, and finished up the copper caps on the posts.  Brandon's mom came to visit and watched the girls while we climbed up in the attic to pull all of the insulation away from the eaves.  We got a ridgeline vent last summer with our new roof, and ever since the a/c unit can't seem to keep the house cool when it's very warm outside.  We realized part of the problem might be the fact that we shoved the insulation all the way to the edge of the roof, so we went up on Saturday morning to remedy it.  There was a lot of light showing around the edges (more than I remember before the new roof, hmm...), so I'm not sure what we did actually did a lot of good, but it did feel nice and cool in the house on this relatively warm weekend, so here's hoping.  We're not sure there are actually holes where the soffit vents are, so that might be the next step.  We're worried that the P.O. put vented siding over the eaves but that it's solid underneath!   We had a solar vent before the new roof and it worked just fine...the roof guy talked us into the ridgeline one and removed our solar vent (which we kept).  And now the house is hot.  Hmm.

We also noticed a spot where a support wasn't actually attached and the roof is sagging a little.  No idea how long it's been that way--2 weeks or 20 years--but we don't remember it being that way before, so we'll have to look into repairing it soon.

In other news, we've turned The Room of the Visiting Family Babysitter into an office again, with lots of bookshelves and the old futon.  We had a twin bed in there when Nana Reece and Aunt Kathy were so graciously helping out (we owe you forever!), but since I became a full time stay at home mom in January, we figure they can sleep on the futon when they visit.

And--you probably figured this one out already--in January I quit my job at the library and started staying home full-time with the girls.  It's been wonderful and I think it was definitely the right thing to do for us.  Much less stress...and much less money, but so far we seem to be doing okay.  Look for future posts on exciting things like menu planning, home made bread, and meatloaf recipes.  Woo hoo!  ;)

shameless plug for mother-in-law's mountain cabin rentals

If you're looking for a clean, quiet, affordable cabin in the north Georgia area, check out Brandon's mom's Rabun River Cabins located on the Tallulah River. (No, I don't know why they are called Rabun River when they are on the Tallulah River! But they are in Rabun County...).

There are two cabins, one large and one smaller. They are located right on the river, and convenient to lots of fun things to do (listed on the website and here, including the free and fun Tallulah Falls Bluegrass Opry every Saturday night).

Check it out!

a blog post with no name

It's been a busy, busy week since I last posted. Or two weeks, I guess it's been. We got back from Asheville with a rush schedule ahead of us to get the house ready for our first family event--a double baby shower for B's sister and cousin. There was some stress, some yelling, and some making up, but we managed to get most of it done in time. Other things (like the molding in the hallway that's just propped into place) will have to wait until we can get around to them.

We did get the bathroom finished, thanks to some trim painting help from my mother-in-law, who also came over to clean before the shower since I had to work. A million thanks for that, Patrice. The shower was a huge success and the day was the most gorgeous we've had in months here, so the girls ended up opening their gifts in the front yard since all the guests had all drifted out to the porch during the morning. We had maybe 40 guests and received numerous compliments on the house. Brandon's aunts and cousins did a fantastic job with the food and decorations, but I don't have any photos because my camera was in a cabinet behind all the gifts!

We've been looking through the Craigslist ads this week for doors and furniture, and may have a lead on an old Craftsman door. We also found this loveseat for $120, and the guy agreed to deliver it for another $20. It's not old, but we like the way it looks. We might re-cover it eventually, but for now the colors match the living room. Not sure yet if we're going to use it in the living room or move it back to the den. Obviously, it won't stay where it is in the middle of the room! You can also see that Gecko has already adopted it as his new home. Ha!

More photos are under the links to the right.

the gardens

Before and after:
















Well, okay, so it's really more like "the flower bed," but whatever. Here are some photos of the front and sides of the house. Brandon has been home for the last few weeks and has gotten a lot accomplished. He and his mom cleaned out the garage (remember, the one that apparently supplied rats to all the neighborhood cats at one time?) and it took two days just to clean it. They ripped out all the paneling inside and stripped it down to the studs and exterior siding, took out some of the shelving, moved one of the cabinets, and cut a window between the two interior rooms to let some light and air through. They also pressure washed it and then Brandon took another day to put everything back inside all neat and organized. Yay! Of course, I don't have any photos of that yet, but I'll try to remember to take some this weekend (and of the organized basement, too).


Patrice and Brandon also cut down some young pecan trees that were growing in a bad spot--right next to the house where the electrical wiring comes in. This photo was from our inspection before we bought the house, but the trees they cut down are the ones right under the back of the arrow, on the corner of the house.

I've been busy planting and mulching in the front yard and done some planting in the side by the driveway, as well. I hauled all the huge pine bark mulch out of the front flower beds, including lots of wood, shingles, and nails (messy contractors!) with our shiny new wheelbarrow and filled the beds back in with cypress mulch. On our first trip to Home Depot for this project we bought four bags of mulch. Then later we bought four more, I think. And then yesterday, I bought four more. We'll get the hang of this eventually, I guess ;)