let's talk patio seating

Hooray! We sold our patio set on Craigslist and got an awesome price for it... let's just say we made some money on the deal ;)

Anyways, now there is nothing back there. We have big projects planned for the patio area this year. We are going to extend the surface area, build a pergola and add some privacy. We also need to figure out a seating situation.

I have been eyeing this beautiful table from Lowe's since it came out this season:

found here

After our patio table left us last night, we talked about how we really didn't use it and weren't sad to see it go. Was it because it wasn't comfortable? Was it because I don't like eating outside with the bugs? 

Maybe we don't want a table after all, rather just some comfy seats to relax.  We hope to enjoy our backyard  more once we finish planting trees and finish up with the patio. I envision us playing bags, having a bonfire and drinking a beer during the summer. 

So I started looking at more conversational seating. This is what I like:

Binkley Collection

Eastfield Collection

They look cozy in pictures... I will have to start browsing in the stores for comfort and durability.  We aren't looking to buy anything immediately. We first want to get the patio area done so we get a feel for the space and exactly what we want. Until then, it doesn't hurt to look :)

xo, Erin

floor prep

Before we can get to the fun part of the bathroom floors (tiling), we have to do the dirty work.  By we, I mean Greg.  He got to work last night pulling up the 527 staples that were left on the ground when we pulled the luan up here.

Let me explain something. The tiling part isn't necessarily 'fun', but seeing the dramatic change and knowing an end is in sight is very rewarding.  That is what I mean by fun.

Glad we got that cleared up... now back to pulling up staples. Greg used pliers to grab the staple and a crowbar to help lift it up.

He hammered a few of them down...

And here is a view of exactly how close the staples are to each other. They are everywhere!

Now you can see why tiling is so much more fun! Good thing I have the best husband ever to sit there and take care of all those staples.

xo, Erin

Easter Sunday... a little late

This was our first major holiday as husband and wife, that we weren't traveling to family and family wasn't coming to us.  Here is rundown of what our day looked like:

8:00 am- Easter Mass

9:30 am- Caribou Coffee

10:00 am- Mini family photo shoot

10:30am- Grout the shower floor. We promised ourselves no home improvement projects today, but this was a quick one ;)

12:00 pm- Egg salad sandwiches with our dyed eggs

1:30 pm- Bike ride to the park and played some baseball

3:30 pm- Begin cooking dinner while watering our new trees

5:30 pm- Easter dinner. Ham, potatoes and green bean casserole

7:00pm- Walk around the neighborhood to make room for dessert

8:00 pm- Eat banana pudding

This was a little after the fact, but just wanted to share how we celebrated Easter together. It was filled with memories and was nice to not have to travel for once.

xo, Erin

can't let a weekend go to waste

We got back from Michigan last night around 6:00. This gave us enough time to eat dinner, relax for a little, then get some work done around our own house.  Seeing everyone in Michigan was definitely fun, but that means little to nothing gets completed here.

Our next mission was to get the yucky linoleum ripped out of our bathroom.  Trash comes on Mondays so last night was the perfect time to get this done.

before

working on removing the vanity

vanity is gone

HGTV style.. on the roof throwing pieces of floor onto the lawn

after

The floor is out and is ready for Hardiebacker and tile. I can't wait to move forward and show everyone the tile we chose!

On a positive note, our shower got hardware installed and it's looking so pretty! We also tested out the water and checked our tile slope. So far, so good :)

Here's to a productive week... check back for updates.

xo, Erin

Anniversary Edition: My 5 favorite things

First week back to work after spring break and I am exhausted. We are headed to Michigan this afternoon to help my brother-in-law move into his new house, congrats Kev!  Looks like I will be running on empty until next week.

Like always, I am linking up with Lauren for High Five for Friday! Nothing too exciting happened these past couple days. Since this week was our special edition anniversary week, I thought I would share 5 of my favorite things about this house.

1. Our porch swing. We live on a cul-de-sac and it's nice to just sit and relax on our porch when it's nice out.

Side note: we got this swing from a garage sale for an amazing deal.. originally from Frontgate

2. Our kitchen floors. I can't say enough good things about this floor. The quality, color, differentiation and durability is superb. Murphy constantly goes chasing his toys and sliding on the floor, and we have yet to find a scratch.

3. Our fireplace. It's amazing how much we have used it. It's gas which makes it very convenient to turn on and off. We bought a fireplace fan to help us warm up the downstairs when we don't want to turn the heat on for those in between days.

4. The windows in the family room. They are large and let in a lot of natural light. 

5. The 2 boys I share this house with. It's never a dull moment and I wouldn't trade it for anything. 

Check out some funny pictures of them here

they snuggle

they road trip together

they play 'peter pan'

they watch ducks (at our old apartment)

Happy Friday, have a fabulous weekend!

xo, Erin