Not Paper Crafty, But Still Handmade!

Hello! If you came here looking for a card, scrapbook page, or any other type of paper craft, I am sorry to say that today's post won't help you at all!  However, this post does explain in part why I haven't been creating and blogging as much!  

About a year and a half ago, we decided to change our dream of building a home in the country to finding a dream just a bit more affordable to our future plans.  Neither DH nor I want to be working full time when we're 70; we'd much rather be finding fun adventures and just enjoying life.  So we started searching for a different home.  After several tours and lots of drive bys, DH suggested a home that had been in foreclosure and vacant for over 4 years.  I'll be honest, I drug my feet, and looking at the interior photos online didn't improve my viewpoint.  Finally, he convinced me to just drive by, and maybe get out and look around.  We had no sooner stepped out of the car when we were approached by the next door neighbor.  He was a co-worker and good friend!  We got the 'low down' on the house that we knew we wouldn't get from the real estate agent.  Things like 'are there any psycho neighbors', 'are there lawn and landscape police', 'is this house going to fall down around us', you know, the important stuff!  After talking to him and later touring the home, we decided to make an offer which was accepted.  Then began three backbreaking, mind numbing, very long months of remodeling and repairing to the interior so we could move in.  After living here a year, we decided to tackle the exterior.

The before picture: grime on the siding, grass covered driveway, 

dying lawn, out of control shrubbery, front door in need of replacing

After: power washed siding, a large covered porch added, 

shrubs moved/removed and new landscaping added.  

We poured the front part of the driveway when we built the porch. 

 This fall/next spring the rest will be finished.  

After the wood cures, we will be staining all of the woodwork.

My Mother's Day gift this year was a beautiful and very comfortable porch swing.  It's the perfect place for my morning coffee and a wonderful spot to sit and watch the rain fall!

We've also had a few hospitalization trips involving my parents that diverted my time, but I'm so thankful to still have both of them around!  Time well spent even if it wasn't always fun or happy!  So now you know why I haven't been here as much and hopefully will forgive any future absences! 

I'm still trying to figure out my craft studio and keep rearranging furniture to find the perfect layout.  If  When I get that accomplished I'll share some photos.  Have a wonderful day and thanks so much for stopping by!