For the past few months, we have been consumed with packing, moving, unpacking and trying to get settled in our new place. It's definitely taken us a lot longer than we expected to get things in order and it's been a lot harder to make this rental feel like home. One of the major projects we wanted to do was fix up the backyard so Lily would have a place to play outside. The previous renters had dogs that tore up both the front and backyards. Originally, the backyard was covered in all gravel and weeds (I'm so mad because I didn't get a before picture). We decided to push the gravel to the sides to make a border and put sod in the middle. The only problem was that there was a huge stump in the way of where we wanted to put the sod. So, Ian borrowed a friends chainsaw and with the help of our friend Matt, conquered the stump! I wasn't there to witness the victory so I don't have any pictures of that part but here are some pics of the rest of the process....
Another project I'm almost done with is refinishing a vintage metal glider and chair that I got on Craigslist. I had been looking for a metal glider since we moved into our place for our little porch in the front but they were either way too expensive because they had already been refinished or in really bad condition. For those of you who don't know, I am addicted to Craigslist. I can't tell you how many things I have bought and sold on Craigslist and I am a firm believer that if you have patience, eventually, you will find whatever you are looking for and for the price you are willing to pay. After months of looking, this set popped up and I was able to get it for a really good deal. As you can see, it had some surface rust that had not gone through the metal and I was able to sand it off, prime and paint it with no problem. The glider feet were super dirty but cleaned up easily. I just have to refinish the rocker chair and the set will be ready for some serious porch relaxing.
