New Memories...4th of July 2014

 

All of our girls and their families were with us for the 4th.

 

 

All their girls too :)

 

 

 

 

Perfect!

 

 

We are 5 house away from Pickrell Park, Schertz Texas.

The 4th is our Holiday.

There's a BBQ competition that friends compete in...

 

 

Small town America parade...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Throw in a few extra kids and Ice Cream Cone cupcakes with chocolate frosting...

 

 

We are a family that has always appreciated what our military members have done for our country.

My husband retired as a Chief Master Sergeant after 27 years in the Air Force serving this country.

His dad served in the Korean conflict.

My dad and my uncle were/are (once a Marine, always a Marine) Marines in Viet Nam.

my dad served in 3 branches of the military...

My brother and his wife both retired after 20 years in the Air Force.

so...

Thank You

 

ann marie

 



Project House Next Door Progress Updates

Lots of things happening in the last week or so.

-new roof

-bathroom progress

-kitchen progress

How many hours are there in a day?

Here's where we're at now :)

 

 

before...

 

 

 

I planted some Plumbago, Lantana that is the same color as the front door :) and roses...

pink.

I also planted an Esperanza at the corner...

it should all anchor the house to the yard nicely...

and add a little color too.

 

 

 

 

 

before...

what you can't really see in the before pictures is that the toilet was just about falling through the floor!

 

 

 

White subway tile, light grey grout...my custom mix of 1/2 white & 1/2 grey :)

Removed the shower surround with a new bathtub.

Exterior galvanized lighting.

I'm still looking for a vanity...maybe something a little different?

We'll see...

 

 

 

 

 

before...

 

 

 

 

 

We're definitely not finished,

but the transformation of this little house is just

ridiculous!

In a really good way.

 

ann marie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Before....and During...and During

It's been crazy here over the last few weeks.

Good crazy.

We're not finished with the Next Door Project, but we're well on our way.

So, here are a few (ok, lots) before and during shots.

 

 

before...

 

 

during...

 

 

 

 

Here are a few shots inside...

 

 

sunroom...before...

 

 

during...

 

 

during...

 

 

blue room...before...

 

 

during...

 

 

during...

 

 

green room...before

 

 

during...

 

 

 

living/dining room...before...

 

 

 

during...

There's not much to report on the kitchen or bath...yet :)

 

ann marie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Let the Sun Shine!

We're making so much progress!

Most of the windows have been installed.

What a difference.

We can actually see through them...

what a concept!

 

 

I was very happy to see the window on the right go...

it went down like a guillotine a few times.

 

 

It's starting to look better on the outside too...

 

 

 

We're well on our way to bringing this little house

back to her former self :)

Maybe even better than she's ever been before :)

 

ann marie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



The Making of a Happy House

 

So this is where we started with the interior.

The first layer of carpeting...yes, there were two layers!

The first layer was authentic green/blue shag from the 70's.

Oh the memories that came flooding back to me...

the second layer was the brownish sculptured carpeting.

This is not for those of you with a weak stomach...sorry.

 

 

40 years of dogs peeing on it...be thankful this isn't smellavision.

I didn't even need a knife for most of this...

it was so deteriorated it just tore when I yanked on it.

Gloves and a facemask.

 

 

Overall, the floor is in reasonable shape.

The floors haven't been refinished before...the house was built in 1951.

My floor guy will sand them and then we'll decide on how dark a stain we'll use.

Next up was tackling the walls and ceilings in the Living Room, Kitchen and Sunroom.

 

 

Nicotine, tar and grease...40 years worth.

Once again, pretty disgusting...sorry.

 

 

Two full days of hot water and TSP...and a LOT of elbow grease...

Voila!

 

 

The beginning of a very Happy House :)

 

 

Same thing in the kitchen...

 

 

Before

 

 

 

After...we have a little sheetrock to repair/replace.

So, we are well on our way to making this little cottage happy once again.

 

ann marie