2 weeks and still loving it!

We have now been in the house for 2 weeks. It seems longer, in a good way. We are settled, and the cats have finished investigating the house and are now pushing the boundaries to see if the rules from the apartment (no going on counters, no going on table, etc.) still apply. After wonderful visits from both sets of parents, Jeff and I have refocused on work to prepare for the open house we are hosting in 2 weeks. Some might say this is ambitious. We know there is no way to have the house "finished" by then, but we have come so far and done so much we are excited to share our project with our friends. Jeff and I hope our guests will understand this is still a work in progress, and likely to always be that way.

The first project to post about is the first one I don't have a good before picture of. It is the ugly unfinished/capped edge of our tiled stairs in the side entryway. My dad was too zippy getting the trim up while mom and I were off cleaning the old apartment (that is a whole other story, and not appropriate for public forum, but ask Jeff or me about it and you will get an earful!). You will just have to imagine that the tile on the front of the step (rise) did not meet up with the tile on the top (tread) of the step showing the ugly side profile of the top tile, the grout under it, and the sub-flooring. Additionally, tile is not really a great material to have unfinished on a step. The wear and tear of people walking up and down had chipped the edges of the tile to an uneven line. Dad was handy enough to put a little oak trim piece on the front of each stair.

Ignore the painter's tape, that is so the sealant on the the wood doesn't get on the tiles. I will be sure to zoom in on the gaps before I put the caulk in the space. I can't wait to finish this one; it was one of my biggest pet peeves about the house!

I also repaired the hole in the wall where the stove fan came up leaving a 1/2 inch depression where years of paint had built up beyond where the fan was mounted. Here is a little before and after with one coat of grey paint left to go!

I'm pretty proud of the patch job!

I also finished up the patching around the new sink my dad put in the guest room. I will get you a better before and after picture, but I know you are desperate for some pictures after a whole week off!

The before is of our paint color, but I was going for a similar angle and a picture that showed the rough wall to the left of the sink and the rough and beige painted caulk along the back.

Once the tape and plastic are gone, smooth wall and caulk. Yay! Here is a before picture that makes the difference more noticible!
 

We have the dining room a bit more like a dining room. We ate Easter dinner in there on the table we got from my Granny! The table fits perfectly and even matches the wood trim! Thanks granny!

 This room had the least done, so the before and afters aren't too excited. Now that we have a lot of things put away in the house we can show you some before and afters with our furniture and things in them. Hope you look forward to them as much as we look forward to sharing them!