Discontent Breeds Projects

While doing laundry last Sunday, I decided that the laundry room cabinet was ugly and I couldn't stand it any longer. The remedy I figured was some black paint and new hardware (both of which we already had leftover from our kitchen cabinets).

Before:

I set about removing the old hardware.:

After I removed the hardware, Steve patched the holes left behind and roughed up the cabinet surface with sandpaper to allow the new paint to adhere. As I watched, I realized that the whole laundry room really needed to be painted; all the walls were still covered in primer. So I decided to paint the whole room as well as the cabinet. This is the classic "give a mouse a cookie" scenario that plays out in all home improvement projects.

My work schedule is pretty light right now, so I decided to tackle the painting myself. I did two coats of a warm white (leftover from the living room ceiling) on the walls, trim and ceiling. Even though the room is small, doing all the hand brush work took about 2 1/2 hours for each coat. At least the roller work went quickly. I then did three coats of black on the cabinet.

Steve attached the new hardware and... ta da!

So much better. I mentioned to Steve the other day that I wasn't happy with the trim in the bathroom... so he has something to look forward to this weekend.

Backyard Progress

Steve has worked really hard to clean up the backyard. I've been helping, but he's definitely taken charge and done bulk of the work. 

We have an absurdly showy rose bush in the backyard that is really happy after being well cared for:

Steve's prized tomato plants are coming along:

Steve hard at work (sanding a shelf) in the yard:

I love our little yard. We plan on working on improvements throughout the summer and it should be a great place to hang out before too long. 

Seventh Year Itch

Today's blog post title brought to you by the inevitable teasing that ensues when asked which anniversary Steve and I are celebrating this year. We've been together for almost thirteen years, but I guess only the married ones count toward the Marilyn Monroe related infidelity timeline. Anyway...

Steve celebrated our anniversary by going to work, and I celebrated by painting the laundry room since I had the day off. We did manage, however, to have a nice dinner at Laili.

All dressed up (and squinting into the sun):



















Steve got me a little gift. I appreciated the remodeler's special wrapping paper (painters tape and protective paper used in tiling projects):
























Ta da!



















Those are shark salt and pepper shakers. They are an awful lot of awesome in tiny ceramic form. The bottom of the box was amusing too:

Steve does a lot for me... he makes all my meals (including breakfast and lunch that he packs for me  to take to work), does the dishes, and gives the bunnies their breakfast (since I am so useless in the morning) to name just a few things. And on top of all that, he takes time to find gifts for me that really make me smile. I am beyond spoiled, and certainly don't deserve it, but am forever and always grateful.

I asked Steve for his assessment of marriage after seven years... he smiled broadly and said "good." That sums it up pretty well, I think.

Shark, In Photographs

Shark the rabbit's original name was "Ari," but I never felt it suited him all that well. After he bit me (to be fair, I probably deserved it, I was restraining him in order to trim his nails, very rude), my mom suggested "Sharky," and the name stuck. He cracks me up... he has a lot of attitude in a tiny, speckled package.

What do you want?

Seriously, what is your problem?

I'm warning you...

Faster than the eye, attack!

Learned your lesson? I thought so.

I admit, he wasn't actually attacking in the picture above... just moving hay around in his box since he never likes how I arrange it. I like the attacking story line better, though, and he was giving me very dissatisfied looks as I invaded his space. Sharky is a funny rabbit... he's very aloof, doesn't like being touched or petted, but he's not at all timid. He's absolutely fearless, in fact. And he gives the best disdainful looks. Definitely my rabbit.