Window Box

This is where we left of with the shed update:


And as promised, we we added the window box (not as easy as it sounds)!

Went to Home Depot and picked out flowers that need FULL SUN.

Completed look from far away.

Going Green

In our house, we (forceably by neil) do our best to save energy. Less energy = less money, right? Well, I sometimes I feel like I would rather pay an extra dollar for convenience. But, when you get an electricity bill like this, I am very thankful for the forced savings.

Thats $33.76 for the month of May! Neil can calculate pretty accurately what we spend on electricity daily! Here or some of the cost saving things we have done this year:

1. No Christmas lights outside or inside :(

2. No AC except in the months of June, July, and Aug

3. Sleep with the windows open and fans on.

4. Installed Draft Gaurds on most doors and windows.

5. Changed out all lightbulbs for energy efficient bulbs.

6. Put timers on the modems and wireless network.

7. Put a timer on the closet light (that I always forget to turn off)

8. Installed a flow reduction shower head.

9. Built a porch!

and

10. Replaced our dryer with a clothesline.

This is Neil's latest contraption. It sits attatched to our back patio and naturally, it works well. We did about 10 loads of laundry on it. Neil put the clothes on the line, probably because he knows that if he doesn't I would just throw them in the dryer :/ He calculated the savings for 10 loads..... $0.40.

Just not worth the inconvience to me but since Neil is home for the summer, I think I can expect many more contraptions...including solar panels. I'll keep you updated.

Thanks for the savings, Neil :) One of us has got to do it.

Porch Phase 2

We finished phase 2 of the porch which involved putting up the columns and the ceiling. We scored the columns from the Habitat for Humanity ReStore for $12 each. I didn't actually realize how great a deal that was until a recent trip to Home Depot ($60). We can't decide whether or not to put porch rails up because we like the look already and we enjoy the uninterrupted view from our chairs. We also put up a raised ceiling with all the trimmings and a fan. In the mean time, we will continue work on priming and painting.

Here is a close up of the columns.

waco winter

yes, we have a winter....sometimes.

When most people think of winter, they think snow. I think 40 degrees! Sometimes we forget that there are parts of the country (i.e. Iowa) that have been shoveling snow for months but we always hope that it will snow here. Most kids that live in Texas have NEVER seen snow. I was one of them! Now that I am married, I get to see snow at least once a year, hopefully. I love the snow. Its still new to me. I can play for a couple of days and leave it in Iowa. Perfect. No shoveling. No driving.

Well, we were pleasantly surprised this week to get some snow...while the sun is up...that stuck!
It is a rarity but look how beautiful!

view from our front door

Its not IOWA snow but it was wonderful for WACO! Obviously everyone in town was excited, including me. It warranted a phone call to my parents, an email to my friend in Kansas, and pictures!

Cheapest Kitchen Redo

We are slowly working on the house and with my VERY open schedule, it has given me a lot of free time to .... PAINT! I started with the kitchen because I wanted to get rid of this wallpaper.


We decided on a not-so-common color.....BROWN. I really like it. I looks like CHOCOLATE! But then the counters didn't look so good. They were a blue laminate but since we don't want too spend too much money, I looked at other options and found paint to be a decent option. Mom Shanks mentioned that her in-laws painted hers and I found some helpful blogs so I went for it.

BEFORE

AFTER

I sponge painted the counter tops to look like granite and match the brown. It was then sealed with three layers of polyurethane. Here is a close up of the "granite"

It has held up so far. It's temporary and only cost about $75! Totally worth it.

Welcome to our humble abode

Welcome to our little home. I wanted to get BEFORE pictures up since we have already started making a few changes. I love decorating. Sometimes I even draw up plans for rooms I dont have. So needless to say, I am loving the decorating process. Three bedrooms, a living, a dinning room, a kitchen, and two bathrooms to spruce up. And thats just the inside!

of course, I try to make a great room for not a lot of money. Niel is VERY kind in letting be do what I want with the place. He is encouraging and very helpful....especially with anything involving height! The only thing he has requested is that I NOT use any animal print.....fair enough! So here is what we have to work with.

This is the Driveway up to our house. Isn't it cute!

see the little house? its there...keep looking.


This is the front of the house. First on the wish list: front porch.

These are the two sheds. Not much to do there.

Living room. Lots to be done there.

Dining room. Whats ours? Just the table. I don't even know where to start!


Master bedroom. right sideMaster Bedroom. Left side.

That's all for now. I have not taken any of the bathrooms or the bedrooms. I'll keep you updated on changes as they occur. Its a small place but I hope to add a lot of character.

Until next time, Happy decorating.

New Address

We finally did it. We finally moved into our new house. After a whole lot of trouble, we actually signed on the house. Because of the state of the economy and the rush to buy a house in time for the tax credit, it is taking extra long to process applications.

regardless, we are SOOOO excited. Going into the process we had a very short list of things that our house should have.
1. room for REXX to run around outside
2. not in a gated or suburb type community

Well we found it. It is exactly what we wanted.
Its a small cottage style home perfect for the two of us...and Rexx. Its only 1000 square feet but good things come in small packages. Very little needs to be done to it and it has 3 bedrooms! Not only that, it has three storage sheds, plenty of attic space and two bathrooms. There is a song that my mom likes to sing to me.

"A good ole boy and a pretty little girl Start all over in a little bitty world A little bitty plan and a little bitty dream It's all part of a little bitty scheme. Well, it's alright to be little bitty Little hometown or a big old city Might as well share, might as well smile Life goes on for a little bitty while..."
Once again, Mom is right. So introducing......the Shanks' residence!