New windows...

It was time. John and I had been examining the possibility of getting new windows for well over a year now. Why new windows? Oh, let me count the ways...

1. Winter window condensation...so depressing.
2. Every window leaked like crazy. (Heat, cold, water, noise...it all got in).
3. The front window was supposed to open...but never did.
4. Henry's window had a huge crack in it.
5. Washing each individual pane of glass was a huge pain.
6. The windows developed an odd film on them, making them impossible to ever really get clean.
7. Nighttime feedings sitting next to a drafty window are no fun.
8. Rattling windows + hourly train passes = severe annoyance.
9. Energy savings.
10. And most importantly, Henry's room has been downright freezing this winter. Wood floors and drafty windows make for a most uncomfortable room in the middle of the night.

Now that we have our windows in, I'm kicking myself for even hesitating on the upgrade. Our house looks better, feels better, and sounds better than it ever has before. I think it was time to lay our 60-year old windows to rest. They had a good run.

That condensation drove me crazy...

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Painting the garage floor...

We are making great progress in our garage. John finished putting up the wallboard & puttying the holes 2 weeks ago. Then we primed the walls and painted them. After John finished the walls, my dad suggested that we paint the floor using some epoxy paint that he was given. Apparently, it is the same kind of paint that is used to paint aircraft carriers. Crazy. It took 3 coats, but now (half) of our garage floor looks just about as good as new...and that's saying something for a house built in the 50's!

The next step is to move everything to the completed portion of the garage and then work on the other side. My dad will finish the wiring, then the wallboarding, puttying, and painting will commence once again. I'll post pictures as we work.

Our Garage Project part 1...

Our garage project is well under way. Did I ever tell you about this garage project? Maybe I didn't, but check out our garage, it's pretty obvious isn't it? Something must be done...

Knowing that clutter makes me crazy I've pretty much refused to go in the garage for a very long time. I couldn't handle the mess. Thus begins our project.

So what does this project entail? Glad you asked...

• The addition of new wiring and electrical outlets. In it's current state, our garage only has one electrical outlet, and the garage door is plugged into one of the plugs. Not good. My dad is doing the wiring for us. He's really good at this. Ben helped too. Glad we have family members who know how to do this kind of stuff. John and I are learning a lot along the way.
• Insulation & Wallboard. This is necessary for two reasons. #1: This will hopefully keep our garage from getting insanely hot in the summers. This is important because. We're getting a FREEZER! Now I can bake and cook and freeze fruit and veggies with abandon. Yeah! #2: The insulation & wallboard will keep everything quite a bit cleaner, which means that all of Henry's outgrown toys and clothing will be stored in a more hospitable environment and will be ready for his little brother or sister someday.
• Lots of putty. Self-explanatory
• Paint
• Storage. Can't wait for this. We're going to pretty much use what we have and then buy more if necessary. My dad snagged me a hanging cupboard when his church (used to be my church, too) remodeled a Sunday School wing...it was headed for the dump, but my dad saved it for me. I can't wait to use it. That's my kind of storage!
• A small toolbench for John. My parents got him one for Christmas. It's been sitting in their garage until our garage project was complete. We can't wait to actually be able to use it.
• And, of course, my favorite part of the whole project is when I get to get in there and organize the entire thing!

We only have a one-car garage so organizing is crucial to meeting our storage needs. My goal is to be able to store, freeze, and park in there by Christmas. I think we can do it.

This is what we've done so far:

Dad cutting wallboard

Wallboard up

Insulation in

And yeah...it's still pretty messy, but we're getting there.

Laundry closet improvement...

John added two new shelves to our laundry closet this weekend...a much needed improvement.

Before (only one shelf...and it was too high to be particularly handy):

During:
After (we added a shelf below and above the original):

Up close:

So much better.