Brick Master

Progress on the inside often means messes on the outside, and that was definitely the case when removing the laundry room door and moving the window.  We've had a ginormous pile of bricks in the corner of our backyard since we moved here - and it has grown as we have done work on the back of the house. So now, it's time to put them to work!

The girls and I spent countless hours cleaning the bricks - chipping and drilling out old mortar, removing dirt and grime - so that James could get right to work when he came home each evening. Lucky him.

Even Darcy got in on the action...

He often worked into the night...

And then more the next day...

Weeks on end until...

the last row was in place. And pretty seamlessly, I might add.  

Next up was siding on the back wall.  Now if only I would get it painted...

 

Screen Time

We try not to spend much time watching TV, but it will be nice to have a better setup for it!  

And it fulfills all of my dreams - well, at least the one I've had for a while now, where I can watch football from the kitchen. Yes, I cried. Yes, I sent this picture to my mom and sis. Yes, I know it's silly. But YAY!

And another FB find: 

Next up, a TV for the schoolroom. LOL. We decided to celebrate its arrival with a Family Movie Night. Except I connected it to the wrong thing, and we spent our ENTIRE dinner time watching the loading bar slowly creep across the screen.  HILARIOUS. Eventually, in time for dessert, it finished and we got to watch a movie!

I sent this pic to James the next morning, while we watched a video for school.  It sure feels like an unnecessary luxury, but we are so grateful!

And another FB find, just right for the room!

 

Furniture?!

Time to FURNISH all of these new spaces!  Unbelievable! Thank you, FB Marketplace, for these great finds!

New leather sectional big enough for the whole family!

A new FREE desk for James' OFFICE(!)

which also means the file cabinets can go into the office. So it's time to make room for a new, smaller computer desk. Bye-bye, old friend - we bought this the year we got married, and it's been fabulous!

Darcy showing off the new setup in the dining room. 

And with the old desk gone, we can finally move the piano into the living room (Thank you, Colton!) for a much-prettier first impression. 

 

Next up, time to pick up this desk chair for James. 

The Last Room Begins

It's finally time to give the laundry room a little attention. And first up is taking out this rarely-used door and replacing the old window. 

Beautiful!

And after moving some outside plumbing in the wall, it's sheetrocked and ready for the next step!

The Schoolroom

For a while (ever), the plan has been to move these school shelves upstairs (with the long-term plan being built-ins).  But James (and Jeff) have both been quite skeptical about them fitting up the stairs. While I have remained quite optimistic. 

Turns out they were right.  

We tried - and lost - as evidenced by the dent in the wall. 

So James decided to deal with it in the fastest way possible.

The Sawzall. 

I couldn't stop laughing. But hey, we have shelves upstairs! 

Now to screw them back together and fill them up with all this stuff! 

Thank you, dear daughters, for all of your heavy lifting help.  It's taking shape!

And Darcy has a new spot. :-) 

She also loves being able to watch the trash truck. 

And, for the first time in a long time, we have a dining room again. 

We "repurposed" this dresser as a buffet (It was glad to be relieved of its changing table duties - so many punny possibilities in that sentence...)

Thanks to Charis for her styling, and to Lily for that gorgeous red velvet cake!  

 

One step backward???

Sometimes, there are some moments that make you want to scream.  This pretty textured and painted wall?  It had to be cut into. Ouch.  But it was all in the name of progress.  James is prepping the new mini-split units, and the drain line had to be installed.  So, we grin and bear it. 

For the record, he wasn't thrilled about the cutting either... :-) 
 

Darcy's Turn

Finally have this cute pink bedroom emptied out, cleaned up, and it's Darcy Time!

Sweet big sis Charis took on the job of painting this shelf (that came with the house and has been used in a closet for years!)

While Darcy and I disassembled and reassembled her crib (thanks to D for a pic!)

Toddler bed time!  

She's anxious to take a nap here - so VERY excited about her new spot!

Big sis Gwyn helps get the kitchen in order...

while Charis loads up the new toy/bookshelf.

And they quickly take advantage of the new spot to read a book.

 Add Christmas lights, and voila!  What an absolutely adorable space!