Christmas Lights
Lots of lights for my looooong house.
I bought icicle lights on clearance last February, since I need 10 sets of them to run the long span of my house.
Thanksgiving Snow and Fallen Trees
New England weather packs a festive wallop.
This ice and heavy snow took out power from early in the morning until late evening... so many turkeys got grilled outside today.
The tree leaning over my fence snapped like a toothpick, and then crunched my fence.
Wallpaper Begone
Painful, and worth it.
Before
These photos are from the real estate listing when I bought the house.
In-the-Middle
So, these aren't really 'After' photos, but at least they show the wall paper gone. Look at that awesome 70s mustard color!
Dining Room Blinds and Ceiling Repair
Damage behind the blinds needed to be repaired before painting.
I took down the vertical blinds in preparation for getting rid of the wallpaper. This is when I realized that the ceiling had been popcorn-coated. And apparently when they scraped it off, they didn't bother to remove the blinds so they could scrape all the way to the edges. What a pain in the ass, since now I have to paint the entire ceiling over again. #JobDoneWrong
Fall at 70B
Getting to see foliage at my house for the first time.
I moved to New Hampshire at the end of October 2013, and even if the leaves hadn't already fallen, I'd have been too overwhelmed with house-buying logistics to notice them. This year I can use leisurely day tours to appreciate the beauty of the Granite State.
Workout Space
Fitness corner in my naturally cool basement.
I love having a space in my basement that stays naturally cool in the summer where I can work up a sweat without dying.
70B Dog Park
A small corner of the world to focus on my puppies.
The corner of the yard by the shed was mostly dirt, with roots from nearby trees creating a lumpy surface. My neighbor - a tree removal professional - generated a bunch of wood chips while clearing trees from his yard, so I used them to turn this corner of my yard into a dog playground.
Sadie is a champ at the weave poles, and Maddox loves to dig in the sandbox.
Provincetown
Beach time with the fur babies
Whale watching at Race Point Beach, Provincetown
Deck Paint
Painting the Trex to eliminate the faded striped look.
Before
Faded, striped, and pinkish... not the look I'm going for. Time for an update.
After
Pressure-washed and painted.... now clean, uniform, and neutral-colored.
The paint color is “TRX-10: Sahara”, but I can’t seem to find that exact color on Behr’s website. Hopefully the paint numbers from the can are sufficient to replicate the color when the time comes to re-coat.
Fire Table
Custom painted tile now adorns my fire table.
I found a fire table that can be used as a sort of coffee table when it's not being used to burn stuff. The color isn't my favorite, so I'm spray painting the tiles.
Fire Patio
I used a concrete mold to make a 10-foot non-combustible surface for my fire table.
In the City of Manchester, a residential fire permit allows a small, contained fire so long as it is located 25' from any combustible structure and sits above a 8-foot-across non-combustible surface. I had the fire chief visit my house to pre-approve my location. My neighbors (most of whom have fire pits) seemed perplexed... "You got a permit?" #LifeFreeOrDie
Sadie likes to be in the middle of the action.
Kids from the neighborhood are happy to help.
Materials:
Concrete mold: Quikrete Walk Maker
Quikrete Sand Topping Mix, since the regular concrete mix is too coarse
Behr Concrete Stain in Loden
Rex at 70B
This little furball loves to run out one dog door in and the other, finding all kinds of toys and leaves to chase along the way.
This little furball loves to run out one dog door in and the other, finding all kinds of toys and leaves to chase along the way.
Kitchen & Dining Ceiling Lights
Two ceiling lights - one pendant, one semi-flush mount - took the place of the oversized ceiling fans.
Two ceiling lights - one pendant, one semi-flush mount - took the place of the oversized ceiling fans.
First Fourth
Celebrating with a bang.
When I moved to New Hampshire, I was aware of the legality of fireworks. I didn’t expect a spectacular show visible from my bedroom. I worried that Maddox would react with the typical panicked panting, drooling, and vomiting.
As it turns out, the pops and fizzles that occur most weekends throughout the summer months have prepared her for handling the Independence Day show. I was armed with calming pheromone sprays and her ThunderShirt, but all she really wanted was to hunker down and sleep in the dark quiet of my walk-in closet. She handled this Fourth with enough grace and calm that I felt comfortable leaving her side… Sadie and I sat out on the curb to watch. Maybe one of these years I’ll wander down to the lake for a front-row seat.
Brick Landing Removed
Brick landing gone in favor of grass.
I removed the landing at the bottom of the stairs off the deck. The brick pavers were starting to crumble and cave in from the chipmunks tunneling underneath. The sod that got pulled up to make the fire patio filled in some of the area, and I've seeded the rest.