Moving the Shed  I admit, moving the shed was a touchy subject around my house. When we first bought and put it together, we did not have a fence. So Greg was worried about someone getting into it and he wanted the door visible from the house but he didn't want it in the back portion of the yard. It was a lengthy discussion, which I finally had to walk away because I was at the fork in the road. You know the fork. Get into a fight, or let it go. Within a month or two of installing the fence, I wanted it moved. Worried that it was going to be a "hire a crane operator" kind of project, didn't think my wish would stick to the wall. But it did and we finally gave up a weekend to get it done before our first major snowfall. We bought 4 x 4 fence posts that were square and also bought the cheap round ones that around here are usually used for cattle fencing. Above is a view of where it used to be. Below is what I see now and I am already making garden plans. I pulled everyt......

DIY a project I had the garage door replaced late this Summer and after the install I saw a few things around the garage that the new door was making look really dated and how long it had been since the trim around the door got a coat of paint. So, out came the brush and ladder before the temperature got too cold to paint. I put three coats of primer/paint on the trim and while doing this project, I got to thinking how happy I was that we paid someone else to do this job. You know, instead of us having to use our day off to do it? It occurred to me what a benefit that is. It also got me wondering are there jobs homeowners should or should not do, when it comes to home improvement projects? If I had my way, a lot of the projects that are done around here would be done by professionals. Like cutting in when you're painting. I hate that job. Or sanding drywall after it's been mudded. I hate that one too!  There are always pros and cons to why hire a pro. Greg and I talked about w......

I thought a tour of my kitchen would be appropriate before I completely change it with another small renovation to get it updated. Well, the first few pics are going to show you my kitchen before. In real life I am ready to start doing the long awaited paint process, but I am trying to decide if it would be easier to paint the cabinets first, then the walls or vice versa.  Notice the vent hood over the stove because down below you'll see we took it out. You can notice the ebony stained cabinets too, because pretty soon they will be a different color. I may buy new hardware too. Ok I know I am gong too, my current handles are underwhelming. Say goodbye to the wall color between the upper and lower cabinets. A new backsplash has been installed. I call these changes stage 1.  A easy and fairly quick way for do it yourselfer's to update the kitchen without spending a ton of money. We raised the cabinet above the stove to accommodate a new microwave vent hood combo. We took......

There is something about picking just the right paint color for a room that makes any hobby interior decorator feel like a million bucks. I wonder if anyone else laughs when the first color they pick turns out to be a lot more blue then grey. Not that, that is what happened to me. I'm asking for a friend. Ok, I did it I admit it. My 1st pick failed and I ran back to find a different one. I don't know if there is one color that is the most difficult to get a true color in almost any light or situation, but I am betting grey is a close second. I don't like the bluish undertones of some shades of grey, they don't work well with my decor or color scheme. They come across to prissy. If that makes sense, which it sounds funny when you're talking about color. You can take a brief look back at the cream color that used to be on the walls.  Don't let it fool you, the white balance in my camera or phone always washed it out to look better. In real life it's getting cl......

When you've seen one pot, you've seen them all. Maybe not! I saw this pot above featured in a video, (I'll put a link below) and it was custom made. The down side was it is not being sold in stores, the bigger down side was I wanted one. Ok two I wanted 2. So I got the hair brained idea for Greg to make me my own version, and he did! Using a cheap inexpensive pipe bender (found at Harbour Freight for fifteen bucks) rebar, salvaged tubing and two self watering pots found at a Big Box Garden Store, we got to work. Basically what he did was cut a circle out of steel plate for the pot to sit on and then started bending 14" long pieces of rebar into 90 degree angles and welded them at the bottom. Being mindful of the size of the pots I chose. I wanted plenty of clearance around the pots for the trailing vine I am going to plant inside. (note - a couple pics depict before our fence was installed) I had him keep one of the pipes super tall, that support the planters. He......