Night Sky

We had some really pretty colors in the sky tonight as the sun set:
I started my new job this week - yay! My new co-workers quickly welcomed me with a boatload of harassment. I wouldn't expect anything less.....

Oh, and I am noting a prediction here: 5. We'll revisit this in the future!

Evening Clouds

We do get some pretty evening views out here:
One nice thing about living in the country....
And probably the only one I can think of right now.....

Bug of the Month

When I looked out the front door this morning, I noticed something sticking out of the side of the house by the garage. It looked like a leaf, but when I got closer, I found this:
One of the prettiest things I've seen (which is a nice surprise from all the nasty-ass bugs we've seen!).
I'll have to do some research and see if we can figure out just what it is.


Update 6/21. I think it is a Promethea Silkmoth:I found it here.

Ok, so maybe we don't *really* need these, but...

They are so cute!
We had an old leftover gift card from TJ Maxx for a long time, and we finally found time to actually go to one and use it. It only had about $8 left on it.

I chose these. Hahahaha!
Joe must really love me to put up with this!

Now we just need some corn so we can use them.

Interesting Combination

For all my welding AND beer needs!I wonder which one is the cash cow...

Watching The Storm Move In

A big storm passed through this evening. Following are pics as it approached. From the front of the house:
...and these from the back:

DONE!

We're finally DONE with the master bedroom/master bathroom project! YAY! It took 6 months, and I think we only finished because of the relocation and need to get the house sold. Ha ha. Oh well, at least we will get to enjoy it a little bit before we go.

I have some before and after pics that show what we did. I can't believe we undertook this, and I *really* can't believe it turned out so nice.

When we started the master bedroom was at the end of this hallway, on the right, and the 5th bedroom was on the left:
We took out the hallway wall:
...and made that the new entrance to the new master bedroom....
...by taking out the walls and closets between the master and the 5th bedroom:
And now we have a nice-sized master bedroom, with NO red paint!
The old master bedroom area and master bath is now the new master bathroom and walk-in closet area:
Here's a "Before" pic of this area:...and the "After":
We took out a wall in the tiny master bath, and made it twice as big...
...adding a double vanity, Italian porcelain floor, and fresh paint:
This is what the master bath looked like originally:

We also built a new walk-in closet that is about 6' x 7', and added closet organization shelves yesterday.
It feels HUGE compared to the 2' x 7' space we had originally. This shot is standing in front of the shower looking towards the closet:
With the exception of the electrical work and plumbing, we did it all ourselves. It took pretty much every weekend since Christmas, and lots of weeknights too. Ugh! And with the new carpeting, it finally feels like one nice, big, flowing area. YAY!

While I had the camera out and everything looked nice, I snapped this of the living room - we took out our entertainment center and rearranged the furniture to make it more inviting.
Notice the nice new (neutral) carpeting! Now we just need some lookers....

2 Steps Forward, 20 Back!

So! We went from everything looking in show condition (almost!) to this!!
Er...
Oh dear. The painter guy came yesterday and has been working on smoothing out the walls to fix my less-than-perfect drywalling. There's a reason why one hires professionals.....

He finished today, and it looks great! Now we are putting everything back together.

Meantime, we also had the carpet cleaners out to do the downstairs carpets:
This house will sparkle!

Almost Done!

We're putting the finishing touches on the master bedroom/bathroom, just in time to sell! Here's a sneak peek:The new master bedroom is twice as big as it was, and we brought in some nice neutral colors to the walls. We also put in new carpeting here (as well as the entire upper floor).

This little nook are is perfect for a small bookcase, or a small dresser:
The blue tape is because I have to paint the trim around all the doorways.

This is the view from the far end of the bedroom into the new master bath:
A long ways from this:

The drywall/painter will be here tomorrow to fix the ceilings and smooth out a few wall bumps, and paint the ceilings here and in the kitchen, living room, dining room and hallway. I just have no desire to do it myself, and am much happier leaving that to the professionals.

E-mail From Spike

So. 2 days and this is what I get from Spike:

Hi, We like it at Grandma's - she sneaks us table food, so does Harold...Miss Kitty hides. We don't like the big gray cat; he's mean and hisses alot. Munch came to visit yesterday, he's kind of a pain but we tried to at least be polite.

Max and I are very upset that you didn't send any treats for us. Max sat up for about an hour before Grandma figured out what he wanted....you know, the morning and 5:00 treat time. Grandma said "Too bad if you Dad didn't send them; you're out of luck." David however bought some beefy treats for us at tractor supply when he bought the new mower blades.

Dr. Young remembers me, Harold says I look much slimmer. Having a great time, don't miss you at all. Love Spike.

Hmph. Ungrateful beasts.....

I MISS MY BABIES!

Mom and David drove down today to pick up the pets - so Max, Spike and Kitty are living it up in PA, eating Pupperoni, staying up late watching TV.....and being spoiled by grandma!

I miss them already!