Just feel like posting some front walk pics.....

This is just a temporary spot for the fountain. It will go in back, on the patio when the bricks and concrete are done. In the meantime, I'm enjoying the water noise right outside the front door.

We ripped up the carpet and painted the floor!

Yes, we painted the floor. We have hated the Berber carpet in our home since day 1. It seems to shed fine fibers that coat everything in the house in a thick layer of dust. Our walk-in closet seemed to be the worst place. So we have started there.

Ripping up the carpet and pad exposed the rough plywood underneath. Nothing special here. It was what we expected. Lots of staples and nails removed. Hubby made sure all the screws were screwed down under the surface.....



And LOTS of wood filler and sanding later.......



THEN it was finally time to paint. We choose Bear Rug by BEHR at Home Depot. Gave it 3 coats. The lines between the plywood sheets disappeared.


Then coated it with varnish for 5 more coats.....


We have to nail in the molding "shoe" as the finishing touch.

We love it! It feels smooth, like vinyl and it will be a cinch to clean. Yes, hardwood would look lovely.....but that may come later when the budget review committee approves it. ;-)

Next room is the master bedroom. That will be a big job! Will post pics as we get into it.

I'm linking up to Between Naps on the Porch's Met Monday. Click on the butterfly to see more "Before and After" posts from creative bloggers:

Fountain and Patio are coming together......

I've been searching Craigslist for the last several months for an outdoor fountain. Found 2, but both were cracked, so not good. Finally went to Lowes today to see if their's were on sale.

This one was originally around $300, marked down to $210, but they didn't have any left. Except the display. So I asked how much for that? Got it for $125! Bought an additional pump, since I know this one has been running all summer. Yes, it's dirty and needs a good cleaning - but I love a bargain!

Hubby is just about ready to pour concrete to enlarge our back patio.

That square is the spot for the fountain that will be filled with concrete. Hubby will be installing an electric box just behind that square for the fountain pump and for some landscape and Christmas lights. But I'm getting ahead of myself. A row of evergreens will be directly behind this patio edge to make a backdrop for the fountain. During the winter, when the fountain can't be ran, I'll have sparkly Christmas lights on the shrubs to brighten our view.


The corner piece is for the bbq grill....


The perimeter will be concrete and the interior will be vintage bricks.

More pics as this project gets further....