Working Visitors

When my parents come to visit, they also come to work.  Warning: this post may contain somewhat boring pictures for some of you.  For me though, they show the accomplishments of what can be done in only a few days!

Of course, the pink drapes.  This was my one project.  haha.  But my Dad actually put up the rod.

My dad secured the mirror with little nails so my fear of it falling off the mantle would not come true.

My dad put moldings where the fireplace bricks meet the the wall, making it look much more finished.

My dad also secured the bookcases in both our room and Landon's room to the wall.  This was another fear that the kids would climb up them only to have them tumble forward onto them.  No longer - they are fully secure with L-brackets now.

 He also put up a simple mirror that I had found at Goodwill to the back of our bedroom door.

He put up many many switch plates and covers that have been long-needed.

I also found this lovely oil painting at Goodwill for only $30 ($30!) and it now is hanging up in our living room (thanks to... you guessed it... my dad).

The moldings are now all painted thanks to my mom!  This is probably the biggest project we have been wanting done for over a year now.  Yep, one year that the moldings were half painted.  No longer.  Thanks mom!

Okay, I can't take all the credit - my mom ironed and ironed and ironed the drapes for me while I sewed.

My dad also put up this light fixture in our kitchen.  Much better than the old one.  This one was purchased from walmart.com and I am really impressed with the quality for the price.  It was just a little over $100 and this is a really good price from what I've found with my research for such a modern fixture - iron with a linen drum insert.  Of course, this wasn't put up without incident.  My dad and I couldn't get the old fixture off without breaking the glass, so being the crafty ones we are, we thought we would tape a garbage bag around the old fixture and then shatter it with a hammer, which we did.  I bet you could guess the outcome.  Crash went the fixture and all the glass went slicing through the garbage bag shattering all over the kitchen floor, leaving the garbage bag still hanging onto the ceiling.  Bad idea.  I couldn't help but laugh because all of us just started cleaning up, as if it were no big deal.  Job was done and now we could put up the new one.  Here it is...

Oh yeah, and he painted our kitchen door, something Lizzy and I missed when she helped me paint the kitchen a few months ago.

Of course now I realize we may have scared away any potential guests.  I promise, we will not make you work!  Only my parents.  :-)  Oh, and Lizzy, my sister's daughter (my niece) who helped so much right after Tosca was born, by helping me paint the kitchen and watching the baby.  Thanks Mom and Dad and Lizzy!

And because you endured me listing all my endless home improvement projects, I leave you with a cute picture of Etame.   Awww...