As promised here are few photos of the transformation of our house through paint. When we bought the house the foundation was such a light, bright color, it really popped out, it made you notice the foundation. We selected a color that makes the foundation disappear. We also changed the front steps from the strange blue gray color to a nice terracotta/Georgia Clay brown. I’m really happy with the results.

Thanks to my parents for bringing down their paint sprayer and then actually doing all the work.

Atlanta prides itself on the number, size and diversity of trees within the city limits. I’ve been cutting back and cutting down the overabundance of magnolia trees trying valiantly to take over the yard. Meanwhile I’ve had my eye on two trees that I wish I had instead*. The Crepe Myrtle, with its showy flowers, peeling, textured bark and beautiful fall colors (see above) and at least one of the many varieties of Japaense Maples, with their careful shapes, precise leaves and bright fall colors. Maybe if I can cut down a few more trees in the stealthy cover of darkness** I will actually have room to plant these beauties.

* I honestly don’t have anything against magnolias, well, expect for their giant, plastic like leaves and giant, wood like seed pods, that completely cover the yard in fall. I think cutting back to two magnolias in our yard should be sufficient, not the 5 plus that we have now.

** Our county has strict ordinances on how many, how big and what type of trees you may remove on your own property. This is a law that I actually think is a great idea, but aren’t laws made to be broken?

I’m exhausted. My parents have worn me out, worn me down to a little lump on the couch, watching stupid Gray’s Anatomy*. Today was the day they had slated as “project day”.

As a house warming present they gave us a reverse osmosis water filtration system for our kitchen. While SB and my dad installed the new sink system, my mom and I prepped the foundation of the house for painting. This meant ripping off all the creeping vines and cutting down the decorative grass and applying organic weed killer to everything.

We spent the afternoon, painting the foundation with a special paint sprayer my parents brought down with them. After two trips to Lowes and two to Ace we ended with a fresh, dark brown foundation and tasty drinking water. (I’ll post a before and after photo tomorrow.)

Since there are so many more projects to be done, we are going to spend some of their additional vacation days working on things like pruning trees and painting trim. I’m glad to have them here, bringing their go for it attitude.

Now where’s my pillow?

*That show makes me cry everytime. I can’t explain it. Why do I keep watching it? Why can’t I see beyond their tear jerking tricks?

How do you follow a blog entry of such importance? By talking about your chimney, of course!

One of the many things I now own, as a result of this whole homeownership deal, is an original 1940s brick fireplace and chimney. The first time it rained after moving in, it rained inside our house, straight down the chimney. A look up revealed the sky. Since then we’ve been keeping a bucket in the fireplace. How attractive.

Yesterday we hired a chimney sweep to take care of our fireplace woes. To me the idea of a chimney sweep is very romantic, very Mary Poppins, singing dancing, all around good times, and especially covered in soot. Sadly, our chimney sweep could easily have been a plumber, electrician or any other handy-man type.

After inspection he told us that the inside of our chimney was in fantastic shape for its age, just beautiful and we should be really happy we don’t have squirrels or raccoons nesting inside. HOWEVER (and you knew this was coming) everything above our great new roof is crumbling to pieces. Bricks are coming loose, important items are missing, blah, blah, blah $4000.

Woah!!!! It turns out your are supposed to maintain a chimney much like a roof, with regular sealings and such. Ours had been neglected, much like the yard and crawlspace. We talked him down, scaled back the plan and then back some more. He figured out how to put on a lock-top damper system and left with a check for $400. Whew!

Now it will not rain inside our house and we can ponder what to do about re-pointing our bricks, replacing terracotta tiles and sealing the whole thing from the evils of moisture.

But what about how it looks from the living room? It is still all sooty and stained. The chimney sweep told me I could scrub all I wanted but it was not going to every look clean. He suggested we spray paint the inside. He likes black, but I’ve seen white and off-white and even purple fireplace hearths too.

I’m planning to get one of those in fireplace candelabras in black or silver. What color do you think I should paint the inside of the fireplace?

When I took over care of my newly purchased gardens, the rose bushes along the driveway were in sad shape. The attack was two-fold, giant masses of creeping vines and bugs, bugs, bugs. After a trip to my local organic garden shop for bug spray and advice on cutting things back, I spent an afternoon weeding and trimming. Then I waited.

Soon red buds popped out followed by fresh new stalks. My rose bushes are making a go of it. This week the first bush blossomed. They smell so sweet and look so hopeful, sticking up into the air. I’m taking it as a sign of good things to come.

On a note of good things, back in Madison this past weekend was wedding madness of the small lakeside variety. Best wishes to Claire Ann and Brad . Congratulations to Alyssa and Tom. Two couples who married for all the right reasons. I’m awaiting photos and stories.

Wednesday I will begin creating more photos and stories of my own, as I fly off to Alaska for a week with my brave girlfriend, who decided to relocate to the far north this past spring. I’m looking forward to amazing scenery and cool temperatures. I’m also expecting internet access, which means stories and photos from the road.