I am so ashamed that it has been over eight months since our last blog post. I guess we never knew what a commitment blogging really is!
We've just crossed the one year mark in our home, so I thought it was appropriate to post an update on how far things have come. We've done a lot in the last year, so bear with me.
We've bought a lot of paint this year, and have painted all put one room inside the house. I'm now considering repainting a couple!
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| Here we are painting the hallway |
The backyard has also come a long way. Chad and Freeman tore out the scary, ugly greenhouse. Chad and Andy laid sod where there used to be nothing but weeds. Bodega promptly dug a giant hole in the sod, so now the sod is behind a fence! Chad also worked with my dad to build a beautiful redwood planter and I've been busy working on my green thumb growing flowers.
Chad has also done a lot that you can't really appreciate in photos, and I'm amazed at how much he has been able to figure out how to do. Here's just a short list of his accomplishments this year:
- Installed timed sprinkler systems
- Repaired rotting galvanized pipe
- Replaced old, energy draining, pool pump
- Repaired solar pool heater
- Installed two solar powered attic fans (thanks to my mom's boyfriend, Allan, for helping with these!)
- Replaced fan/light in guest bathroom
- Installed fan/light in master bathroom
- Installed ceiling fans and remote controls
- And he's crawled around under the house doing God only knows what, more times than I can count!
We also bought a boat this year and have been enjoying our summers out on the lake whenever we can. We mostly go out to Folsom Lake, since it's so close to home, but we've also taken it out on Eagle Lake and Jenkinson Lake. Chad's very modest about his wakeboarding skills, but truthfully he's awesome. He jumps the wake like it's nothing and is even experimenting with flips. I, on the other hand, am not nearly as skilled behind the boat, although I have figured out how to get up on the wakeboard, I'm still working up the courage to venture outside the wake. We're always looking for friends to go out with, so if you're interested, let us know!
It wasn't long after we bought the new boat, that we decided that we probably needed a new truck to tow it. The old Tacoma just didn't have the braking power to feel totally safe when towing the boat, and it lacked some power pulling the boat uphill. We fell victim to a very persuasive team of salespeople at Roseville Toyota and came home with a brand new 2011 Toyota Tundra. Chad promptly got to work fixing it up, and though we've only made two payments, she's already undergone a pretty huge transformation. Check out the before and afters below.
So that brings me back to the house. We've done a lot, but there's still plenty on our wish list for year 2.
- Paint the exterior
- Build a deck (or do something nice) in place of the old greenhouse
- Upgrade A/C unit
- Tear out nasty front "lawn" that's full of weeds and plant beautiful green lawn in its place
- Install wood flooring in living room and hallway; replace carpet in bedrooms
- Replace kitchen countertops
