Summertime

Things have been busy this summer. I created a list of projects around the house I hoped to complete, which included a lot of painting!

Back in late May I painted two blue stripes in the hallway:

This is a view looking up from downstairs on the base floor; the following picture is a view from my bedroom. I think some sailing prints would look cute here...


Then I painted my desk chair a creamy white and put the name of one of my favorite places on the inside:

Here is a view from the back:

I also painted my plain white desk drawers using a stencil- I think the drawers POP now (what do you think?):

I painted chalkboard paint in my kitchen, so now there is a place for me to jot down an impromptu grocery list or an inspirational message:


My husband and I also had a fence installed in our backyard in late June, so we created a mini garden area with hydrangeas! They are small for now but will hopefully return next summer in full glory. We outlined the garden with some large pieces of wood, and nailed them in the ground. I also have a flamingo flower pot in the middle (a homage to my old neighborhood in Hampden).



There is also room for one of my other favorite things- the hammock! It can fit two people on a good day, but occasionally sinks to the ground. One person hammock-laying is one of my favorite summer pasttimes...

Sitting in the hammock also gives me a good view of my husband grilling. We love cooking together, but he is better at using the grill than I. On this particular night Greg made grilled chicken and asparagus, and we had leftover biscuits from a previous night! MMM MMM!

I also installed a new set of shelves in the bathroom closet. We bought plywood at Home Depot, then I painted them a crisp white. I also painted the closet white as well.


Before we bought our house, which was a little over a year ago, the furnace had exploded. Lucky for us: the current owners had to purchase a brand new furnace; unlucky for us: soot was everywhere. All over the walls, inside of closets. It was pretty awful. We have since painted every room in the house- ahem, this includes three bedrooms, hallways, a kitchen, family room, dining room, and basement. Pretty good for a year's work, right?! The last areas that are left are the closests. Here is a before picture (I had already emptied it)

Yellow and gross, right?
I painted the closet using ceiling paint (which is why it looks purple- it's the only white paint we had left); I think it should hold up alright. It only took one coat, which was nice because I felt pretty claustrophobic when standing inside!

And here is the end result- nice, neat, and best of all- ORGANIZED!


In other news, there have been lots of reasons to celebrate this summer, including my mom's birthday! Her birthday is actually in August, but I threw her a surprise lunch earlier in July. I also took her to get a massage. The pampering was worthwhile as she prepared for her 35th wedding anniversary! YES, I am one lucky girl- my parents have been together 35 years! They just vacationed at their honeymoon spot- Quebec. Here are some photos of my mom enjoying the day. I made sure to blindfold her so she didn't know where we were headed.



Greg and I also hosted a 4th of July party. Here are photos of our families:




The finale to my summer will take me to Block Island, Rhode Island for a week with my family; Newport for a few days of sight-seeing; and Busch Gardens, Williamsburg with friends. I am looking forward to sharing the fun times ahead with you!