Outdoor Project: Deck Done! (pretty much)

This is where the hot tub used to be...now we have so much more space for entertaining!

New stairs...

New stairs...

The best feature of all...built in slide for the kids!  It's already been used a few times and they LOVE IT!

Henry's Room: Redone!!!

After much deliberation we've decided to hold off on switching Henry to a new room and bigger bed.  My parents will be coming back to visit when the baby is due and they plan to stay for 3-4 weeks.  Right now we don't have another space to put them in where they would be comfortable for that length of time.  So, for now, we're keeping the guest room as a guest room, Henry will stay in the nursery and Baby Girl W will sleep in our room for the first 2-3 months (just like Henry did).  We'll probably convert the crib to a toddler bed (which only means removing one side of the crib, and adding a bed rail), but for now it will stay in crib form.  We're running out of time to prepare for the baby and not having to worry about creating a comfortable space for my parents to stay has taken a lot of stress and pressure off of the situation.  

So, I decided to use most of the decorations that I had already purchased for Henry's new room to redo his current room.  I could definitely add some extra touches here and there, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

He has a ton of stuffed animals (that he doesn't really play with), so I thought about displaying them in this corner because it is lacking "something".  I thought about getting one of those mesh hammocks specifically for stuffed animals, but they aren't as easy to find as I thought they'd be.  

I moved this shelf cube over by his bedroom door to keep his toys and books easily accessible.  Before they were in a corner by his crib and it was difficult to reach all of the cubbies.

This corner is pretty much the same.  Eventually we'll move the rocker out of his room since we'll need it for Baby Girl, but it's fine where it is right now.

This shelf was in the other corner, so it was moved to this corner and I think it works pretty well there (not that it's much of a difference from the other corner).

AND, take notice of his new chair that I ordered from Potterybarn Kids.  He seemed pretty excited about it, but hasn't really used it much since.  But let's face it...it is just a chair and doesn't really do anything like his trucks and tractors do!  I think it's pretty nice, though!

Outdoor Project: Deck Progress

Removal of original deck boards

New boards in place

We removed the hot tub since we had one before and rarely used it, so now 

we have more surface area for entertaining.

Since we have small children we will be installing a railing around the perimeter of the deck to keep our kids from wandering off.  There will be 2 sets of stairs that will have locking gates to make sure the kids can't get out.  Not to mention we have 2 dogs, so when they want to get out of the house they can and we won't need to watch them to make sure they don't run off.  

Somewhere at the end of our deck we are planning on installing a plastic slide (one that you'd see on a regular swing set) for the kids to play on.  We'll also install a gate at the top of the slide so that the slide isn't used unsupervised.  Hopefully this plan works out for us because I think the kids will have a blast!

Past the deck (under the lowest tree branch in the picture) is a square shaped fire pit for those nice summer nights roasting marshmallows for s'mores.  I'd like to get some more outdoor furniture to provide some comfy seating, but we'll see.  Maybe we'll hit up the after season sales later this year!

Outdoor Project: Deck

My father in law built this deck about 20 years ago.  In the open space at the middle they used to have an above ground pool, but gave that away to the neighbor a number of years ago. 

This is the before picture taken about a week ago, before my husband got "dig everything up" happy.  I'm not complaining at all (it will be nice to have a somewhat fresh start), but it did surprise me a little.

This is the deck/back side of the house as it stands this morning. 

The view from our bedroom window.  Don't mind the glare, I didn't open the window. 

After lunchtime progress...

Mini Project: Closet Organization

Now that we've done all of my requested projects before Baby Girl W arrives, I have time to do my mini projects. Today I decided it was time to reorganize a few closet areas.

This is the cabinet next to our upstairs bathroom.  The top shelf and a half's contents belong to my father in law, which he left for us. 

I moved my father in law's belongings to another closet for the time being.  Things he left were some family photo albums, a projector, and some puzzles.  I am currently storing my wedding dress on the top shelf, so that it will be in a safe place. 

This is the closet next to our downstairs bathroom.  When we moved in I didn't do anything with it (i.e. clean, organize, etc.).  So, it really needed to be organized. 

It will store my father in law's belongings, lightbulbs, cleaning supplies, toilet paper, paper towels, games, etc...and whatever else needs a home behind doors. 

I also didn't do anything to the shelves in the laundry area when we moved in, so it was time that I tackled this area as well.

My father in law also left this recliner for us.  While it's not my style, it does provide a nice place to sit down to take shoes off or put them on.  I didn't really like it's location in the room, so I pushed it a few feet over to get it out from in front of the washer/dryer. 

Shelves cleaned and organized!  Some of the things on the top shelf also belong to my father in law.  Not sure what to do with them, yet, so for now they can stay there. 

More room in front of washer/dryer!  I also need to take down the plaid curtains, but the rod is not that easy to take off and this pregnant lady needs to rest.  Overall I'd say I had a pretty productive day (and it's only 1:30)!

Upstairs Bathroom: Done!

Well, we're pretty much done.  There are still a few minor details to finish...like a backsplash by the sink and around the top of the tub, wall art, hardware for hanging towels, etc...

The flooring isn't actually hardwood, it's a vinyl plank from Home Depot and looks great.  I was skeptical at first, but so far so good!

John built the vanity himself and I really like the way it turned out!