as if we needed a reminder that we haven't raked the leaves yet...

new year's resolutions

Okay, so maybe it's more like a to-do list...whatever.

• Install a trap door to the basement, so we don't have to go outside during a tornado warning just to get into the basement. It was hard enough when it was just us and the cat, but impossible when you add in two babies!
• Organize the basement--again!
• Plant grass in the front yard to replace the sod (installed--poorly--before we moved in) which has now converted entirely to weeds.
• Put up a gate across the driveway to keep the rugrats in (and scary dogs out).
• Figure out a way to keep said rugrats from crawling/rolling/walking/falling off the front porch.
• Finish installing the storm windows.
• Finish painting the exterior trim.
• Insulate under the back room. Brrr!
• Figure out where the small leak in the basement is coming from. It's under the kitchen, but the actual source has us baffled.
• Have the fireplace and chimney inspected.
• Replace the siding under the back room.
• Install a vent fan in the half bath.
• Move the girls' bedroom door to the hallway (where we think it was originally) so we can cook dinner without tip-toeing around!
• Many other things that I've forgotten and probably won't get done, anyway!

little pumpkins

We haven't had much time to work on the house lately, and even hired our neighbor Tony's lawn service to keep up with the yard for much of the summer.  We did manage to get a few veggies out of the garden, though, and Brandon found some time to decorate for Halloween.  Our living room resembles a daycare center most of the time.  We found a few minutes to rearrange the dining room last week in order to move an old cedar armoire into the room to serve as a make-do coat closet, since our house doesn't have an actual closet anywhere that's not in a bedroom.  We moved the clock (which also serves as the liquor cabinet) around twice, as well as the china cabinet, before we finally found a way that worked.  We'll need to attach the china cabinet to the wall before long, since we placed it in the corner and it looks like prime real estate for a baby to crawl under and hide behind.

Speaking of babies, the girls are now five months old and Emerson has her first tooth already!  They are rolling over and scooting backwards a lot, and the dreaded babyproofing stage has arrived.  I've moved around a few things in cabinets, to centralize the cleaning products in an attempt to lessen the number of cabinets we actually need to lock.  Thinking lots of baby gates are in our future and it will be here before we know it.

No pics of the house right now, but here are some of our little pumpkins, in one of their many Halloween outfits.  The yard looks pretty similar to last year, complete with zombie and graveyard.

the girls' first bargain

We took the girls to Scott Antique Market last month, and they found a great bargain on their first visit--a Craftsman-style library table! The asking price was $120 (not bad) but the girls (and Daddy) managed to talk them down to $90! Brandon's been working on it a little at a time, doing a few small repairs and sanding it down to restain and put a coat of polyurethane on it.

Here are a few photos mid-work:

Brandon's found a few minutes to work on our new front door. You might remember this one from many months ago...it's the new cedar door we bought. He's working to fill in a few big knotholes, and once we get glass for it and the hinges on...and a coat of poly...it will be good to go.

re-entry

Three days after my last post, we welcomed our two girls, Hadley and Emerson, into the world! Hadley is the blonde and weighed in just over 6 lbs, while Emerson, the brunette, was 5 lbs 4 oz. They've been keeping us busy and obviously, we haven't done much work on the house since they arrived. The girls are 11 weeks old this week and are growing like crazy. Hadley was almost 12 lbs at the last doctor visit, and Emerson was almost 9.5 lbs. We are all doing well and hope to find some time to work on our other projects again soon!