Find a penny pick it up...

Amid all of the yard clean up I have come across pennies here and there. Here is the conversation inside my head everytime I come across one...

"Find a penny pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck. Is that really true? You aren't supposed to throw away a penny, and some people beg for pennies so I should put it aside and save it. Ugh, where do I put it? I have no pockets. It would be so much easier to throw it away along with all this trash i'm cleaning up. NO. I can't. Every penny counts. A penny saved is a penny earned. What is that story about the man who picked up every penny he ever found and was rich because of it? Ok ok... i'm picking it up!"

So I do pick up every penny I have come across because I have obviously have a complex if I throw it away. Just the other day I was raking up leaves and rubbish... found crumpled up at the top of the pile, as though it fell from the sky: A $20 bill. Unlike the penny, I did NOT hesitate to pick it up! I definitely think all those pennies brought me good luck in the form of a twenty dollar bill. :)

Stripping Paint: 101

We decided to strip the paint off our front door. After almost 100 years this door has held up well, but has been through its share of paint jobs!

So, while Ben was perched in our tree (scared silly i'm sure, but showing great bravery) cutting down a big ol' branch...




...I took on the job of the mighty door.




I started off by painting a thick coat of this citrus gel and letting it sit for a couple hours. After a couple hours it began to bubble and was ready (according to directions) to be scraped off with a plastic or metal scraper. However it turned out to be a lot tougher to strip the paint off than I had anticipated. So, I put on another thick coat of citrus gel, using the entire container for just the front of the door and let it sit... overnight.


In the morning I went at the door again and found that it was one of the MESSIEST jobs I've ever done. GOOP, everywhere!


I went by the hardware store to buy more of the citrus gel because still, after all that messy work, I needed more of it. The sweet shop worker suggested that I invest in a heat gun for stripping paint. A what? A gun? Turns out a heat gun is easier to use, less messy, and since we will be stripping a lot of paint throughout the house it would be a great investment. I was SOLD.

Of course when the door stripping job involved using a gun Ben jumped on board! Turns out that I wish we had used the gun from the very start.






Next step: Stripping the paint off of the window frames... who in the world chose the lime green paint? No thank you.

Powerhouse

Due to the fact that our home was built in 1918, it has had multiple tenants, who apparently all had different tastes in phone companies! There were AT&T, Bell South, and Charter junction boxes affixed to the back of our house. Each box was equiped with separate lines running through our back yard.

It was a mess.





Benjamin removed all but our main power line, and voila...

Timber!

We decided we want a cleaner slate, and so we removed many trees and shrubs from the front and back of the house... A project that was a lot harder than it looks!

Front yard before:


Back yard before:


Step 1:
Dig, jab, jump, and pull on the tree in an attempt to show it whose boss.



Step 2:
Realize your strength doesn't quite compare to the strength of your SUV. Link the SUV to the rope, and the rope to the tree, and ladies and gentlemen, start your engines!



Step 3:
Re-evaluate the rope you are using. Have a good laugh, and look on the brighter side... the roots are loosened up a bit!



Step 4:
Enlist your neighbor with a truck and a chain. Turns out he'd like to remove the trees on the fence line of the property anyway.





Step 5:
Chop up the wood into such a neat pile, and bundle the branches for pick-up.





Step 6:
Admire all your hardwork... you are steps closer to your vision!

Special thanks to Benjamin... He spent multiple days, and nights working on this, and did most of the work all on his own. I would drive in at midnight from a shift at the restaurant to find him working in the yard. He wanted to have something new done each time I arrived home. How sweet!

Thanks babes; all your blisters, scratches, and sore muscles are worth the beautiful yard you are creating for our home.

clean. crisp.

How I love a white couch... the ulitmate definition of clean and crisp. And... ultimately impractical. I can't help myself, and i've started dreaming up the decor and design of my sweet little bungalow.


How Lovely. I absolutely adore this room and the framed fabric on the wall. I wish I could cut and paste it in my sun room or living room... and voila. Dreamy.


Put together perfectly. I thoroughly appreciate the white on white with a dash of color here and there. I like how the staircase is very simple and I just might put one just like it in my dining room/kitchen when it comes time.


Cozy. I could just curl up on this couch and take a nap. I love a couch that says "sit on me, i'm comfy."

Sign me up

Ben attended the monthly Fairmount Association Membership Meeting the other night and lookey lookey what he brought home...







These old street signs from our neighborhood have been retired and a new design has been put up in their place. Ben managed to snag these two, and we have no clue as to what we'll do with them yet but i'm sure they will eventually find their place!

One mans trash... Another mans treasure

Bulk trash pick-up day!
Every third Monday of the month we are super lucky to have bulk trash pick up. The rules are that you cannot have the trash on your curb more than 3 days before pick up, and that it can be one pile the size of a Volkswagon Beetle.

The pile shown in this picture is spread out for better passerby viewing... and believe it or not this picture was taken after many items were already taken. The things people will take amazed me!

We had a disatrous front & back yard when we moved in... but Ben and I actually found it quite rewarding to get down and dirty cleaning it up. Here are the results so far:

Before:
In major need of raking, weeding, and trimming!


After:


Before:
The backyard was turned into a literal dump by the previous owners. This is the place where we came up with all the trash for the bulk pick-up. We trimmed shrubs, took down a chain link fence, dislodged beer bottle caps from the dirt, and the list goes on!




After:




We've had many bonfires in the backyard in order to burn tree trimmings, and other items that there just wasn't enough room in the trash for.


Now that the yard is cleaned up it is much less of an eye sore. Of course we will landscape it beautifully but that is not our next step. Next step: moving inside to clean it up and prep it for some major carpentry work. I'll keep you posted.

Operation: Restoration

How Ironic. We never knew at the time of taking these engagement pictures that we'd one day soon be weilding these same tools daily in a yard of our very own.


After only a month in Fort Worth our search for a home has already ended. We love historical homes and have always wanted a renovation project...and so we have found our ultimate project, and it sure is a big one! One that will take time, work, and a lot of heart to turn this house into our home.

Our house on Hurley Ave. is a 1918 charming Bungalow located in a small quaint community, the Fairmount Historic District. We wanted to purchase a house that not only we loved but one that is financially sound and could potentially accumulate equity quickly. Per our researched criteria, and a few "must haves" of our own, we found a house that fits that list perfectly.

• Located in an accredited historical community: The Fairmount National Historic District.
• Near a major metropolitan area: Minutes from downtown Fort Worth.
• Neighboring a major University: Texas Christian University (TCU).
• In close proximity to a Hospital: We have 4 hospitals within 2 miles, our area is actually called the Medical District.
• Near parks and recreation: Not only does Fairmount have its own park but there are many others surrounding and even lakes which we've already been sailing on. There are great biking and running trails as well.
• Sporting and Amusement: We are just 10 minutes away from the Rangers stadium, Cowboys stadium, and Six Flags, all which are located in Alrlington. Lets not forget what Texas is all about...the rodeos at the Fort Worth stock yards are just minutes from us.
• Close to great shopping and dining: Within Fairmount is a hip and eclectic street called Magnolia Ave. with great boutiques and restaurants.
• Near LDS meeting house. We are fortunate to have the church within walking distance of our home. (That is something we thought we could only get in Utah!)
• Located close to work: We both work within ten miles of our home. And thankfully traffic isn't bad.

Downtown Fort Worth is a clean, exciting, and beautiful city.


Fort Worth Theater...this place is breathtaking, especially when you see it at night. When I saw it I thought "holy moly what is that place...I wanna go inside!"

We have found that beyond the criteria we set there are so many more perks of living in this neighborhood...

It turns out to be not just a neighborhood but a small community with its own library, community garden, performing arts center, monthly newsletter, shopping and dining on Magnolia Avenue, and get togethers.

Fairmount was named in 10 best comeback neighborhood by Southern Living in the January 2010 issue. More and more folks are moving in and fixing up the homes. We are only one of the many houses on our block that is undergoing renovation. Fairmount has The Old Home Supply Store (which was once an old Piggly Wiggly,) it is the place to get all your vintage needs in order to restore your home to its original character.

Finally, what you really want to hear about...the house! We have a vision and can't wait for it to unfold. Here are some before pictures. Keep checking back to see how it progresses!

Front:

Left side:

Right side/driveway:

Back: