Lyle Family Reunion

Here in Rome we are sitting in a nasty storm, but we just got back from a beautiful weekend at Lake Oconee where we attended the annual Lyle Family Reunion. This is Blake's mom's side of the family which is really large considering she was one of 12 children. Family reunions are typically dreaded, but this one is so much fun and highly anticipated every year. We spend the weekend enjoying the lake, food, and one another.

The Meeks

Special Thanks!

I started this post and as if he was given a que Blake said "I love this house." And I love it too! I am officially a resident now and I know that this house will be my refuge when I'm off work. We have several family members and friends to thank for helping us get the house put together. Both of our sets of parents took time off of work and spent countless hours painting, cleaning, and organizing. Nathan braved the afternoon heat and cut our 1 acre yard, which was knee high in certain areas, with a push mower. We simply could not have done it without all of you!

Dad - the master painter (he basically painted the master bedroom and bathroom by himself)

Wanda - trimming extraordinaire

Nathan - chief grunt

I don't have a good picture of my Mom - Disinfect and Decide where it goes VP

Randy, Clutch handy-man.

And last but not least, my wonderful husband, who jumped in and didn't stop until it was done.

Beach Weekend

I had the pleasure of spending the weekend with two great friends, Amanda and Jenna, in the Gulf Shores area. It was wonderful! It had been way too long since I had relaxed on the beach. We enjoyed lazy mornings, spending all day with our toes in the sand, shopping, playing yahtzee, and going out to eat. I can't wait to go back!

This was at Lamberts, a home-style restuarant where they literally throw the rolls at you.

We went to the wharf and ate at Guy Harvey's

Mmmm, I want some more of these!

Kitchen

I finally got the kitchen straightened up enough to take photos. I love this room too, it is a cheery peach and very roomy. I didn't expect to put the desk in the kitchen, but it's growing on me and I think it will be very convenient. Also, you know you're old when you get super excited about your new refrigerator.

Before: khaki!

During:

After!:

The fish survived the move too!

Rotten

I think that Finn likes the new house but he sure has been clingy lately. He is a sweet pup and has always been willing to cuddle, but in the past, you had to call him over and he would only stay a few seconds. Recently, he has just been climbing in our laps or is no further than arms length away. And he is no lap dog - he weighs 45 pounds. I don't know if he's still a little anxious about the new place, or didn't like being left in Augusta for 5 days without us, or if he's just being extra loving. I'm not complaining, I'm just saying...

Weekend Warriors!

We've stayed busy this weekend and gotten a lot done! We are done painting! Woo Hoo! (Except for maybe brightening up some trim.) We just have some final cleaning and straightening and a few more pictures to hang and we are totally done!

Blake got everything outside pressure washed. He will hate me for this picture :)
Ugh, our poor yard...

Finished painting the hallway and guest bathroom.
Before (remember khaki ceilings):
During:
After - crisp and clean:

This was a scary section to paint. It is 2 stories high and you dangle over the stairs. Guess who got to do it - me. Well both of us, but I was the trimmer. We found out that I was the best at that job. Blake asked "do you have a steadier hand than me", I said "of course I do - I'm a doctor" :) No tape. All by hand baby.

Our realtor came by to pick up our SOLD sign and we had to quickly get our picture taken with it, we had looked to grungy before to stop and take a picture. Well this one didn't turn out very good, but it's all we got.

And the Winner Is....

Frog Tape!

We have been doing a lot of painting; we've painted the entire house (including ceilings) except for the three guest bedrooms. Before the move my dad advised me that there is a new painters tape called frog tape that is much better than the normal painters tape. I had seen this tape at home depot and knew that it was a few dollars more than other tape ($5 compared to $3). I was skeptical - how much difference could there really be? A lot. Other tapes let paint get in behind it, tear when you pull it off, and also take the paint off the wall. We had to cut the blue and beige tape off the wall. But the frog tape came off beautifully without leaving blemishes.

Frog Tape:

The Other Tape:

What "the other tape" makes you do

The result after an hour of painting trim

Looks good now but spend a few more bucks to save yourself a lot of time!

Another

I remembered that I have not one, but TWO rooms completed - the downstairs half bath is good to go. I painted the baseboards yesterday. It is off the kitchen and is the same light peach color. I LOVE my painting, it was given to me by my sister-in-law, Isa, and was painted by her sister.

Getting Ready

This week I picked up my white coat (a long one, not a short, student one) and my badge. We're getting closer to officially being a resident!

One Room Down

Several to go.....but we are sooo happy with our living room. We have slowed down on our house-work and now have a place to relax when we don't feel like painting, unpacking boxes, cleaning, putting up pictures, moving things around, etc.

I am in love with all of the paint colors I've picked out. They were basically all guesses picked from the swatches. I didn't get them all right, my mother-in-law advised me to tone down the kitchen color (great advice), and we also had to put a second coat of a duller blue in the bathroom, it would shock you awake in the morning. I really love the brown we chose for the living room.

Here is the transformation of the living room:

Before - very khaki

During - yay for white ceilings!

After - I'm in love!

Don't look up the stairs or into the kitchen, I told you, only one room done.

Finn has picked his favorite seat :)

Wish list items include: Curtains, hard wood floor, flat screen TV, and area rug - but hey, we will make do for now.