Demo Part 2: Clean And Clear

Hello!

I am writing a little late today..got sidetracked by a garage sale.  Now it wouldn't have been successful if I didn't buy something and of course I did for $1.  A really cool vase that I will show you in a later post : )

I want to continue the saga of our water issue in the basement.  If you just joined us you can check out how we had to tear out the floor and the process here.

We left off on how the pipe goes into a "Y" and it leads to my kitchen and to the laundry room.  To make sure that we didn't have any more blockage we called the city plumber and a regular plumber.  One to make sure the outside line is clear and the other to make sure the inner line is functioning fine.

Here he is snaking out the pipe..

The good thing is our pipes were not blocked.
 

Corey is digging and getting the dirt removed from the area surrounding the pipes.

It's a relief when you get to the source of an issue.  Putting a band-aid on the problem will only delay the inevitable.

We will show you how to get it all connected ...stay tuned.

Casual, Cool and Fiery

Hey everybody!  

This past weekend we had a bonfire for 60 people at our house and it was so much fun!  We prepared for this event for a week at the house and would like to share it with all of you : )

I hung glass jars of all different sizes around our tree line to add shimmer during the night.

Our homemade firepit that could easily fit a large number of people around to cook brats, hotdogs and smores (yum).

The back of our house..we put a little tent up (it was supposed to rain but thank God it didn't).  Had bean bag toss to keep adults and children happy.  

Some of the food..

People starting to come.

We had some of the kids come in and paint pumpkins..

These are my daughters..love the angry bird one..lol.

Some people saying their good-bye's for the night.  (BTW..my kitchen is not yet finished..)

Thank you for joining me for our night of fun and friends.  Hope your week is surrounded by people you love.

Side Note:  Thanks to Tina and Pilar for all your help

Demolition Part 1

Good Morning!  Today we are having a bonfire and have about 50 people coming.  It's going to be so much fun.  Will have to share some pics with you all : )

On Monday I shared about our dilemma in our basement that you can check out here.

The drain cleaner worked for a little bit but we were right back into water issues. 

Now we are into the fun part..demo.  I really wanted to get the root of the problem fixed asap because of the damage the water has been causing.

Here is Corey giving a tip on how to penetrate the concrete floor safely.

Look at what we discovered to be our problem..

We are into it now..

Will let you all know how this process goes : )

Rising Water

Hoping this Monday so far is all you hoped it would be (quote from the Mamas and the Papas..lol).

We have had some excitement here.  Our basement every time it rained would flood and the smell...well, let's not get into that.

This is minor compared to what we usually deal with it.  It has been so bad where it will cover 25% of my basement area.  Can I just say with big capital letters GROSS!

My hero husband comes to the rescue again: )

Can I say how much I love Shop-Vac!

We ended up putting a drain cleaner down the pipe to see if that would work.

Will keep you all posted to let you know...

Downtown Living and Fun

Good morning! 

Recently we had a little down time and got a chance to make some new friends at a backyard dinner party.

They own a wonderful loft downtown and we had the privilege to see some empty ones in their building.

I love the brick walls in the space!

The kitchen was beautiful with high end appliances.  I think the only thing I would change in the kitchen area is to add a backsplash instead of the red paint.

The flooring was really cool.  I am standing on cork flooring...may have to add that to my home.

Talking about some of the features of this loft.

Office area

Looking out through the doors of office area

We had such a great time with everyone that night.  It was awesome mixing relationship and design together.

Hope your weekend is full of things you love : )

Can It Be : Dining Room ( Finished)

Good Morning!  

The dining room is complete.. well, almost.  

Here is a recap from where we came from..

My husband put down Hickory flooring and painted walls

put dining table in space

And here we are now...

The tablescape..very simple.  

1. The pumpkins I bought from Hobby Lobby for $1 

2.  The table runner is from Crate and Barrel Outlet for $15 

3.  I use the wine bottles on the table to hold candles

The mirror we already had.

The bar we bought from Ikea about 7yrs ago.

The owl is from Hobby Lobby that I bought for $5 and it's on a piece of birch that came from my tree in the backyard.

Here is our view to our backyard.  The curtains are from Ikea.

It's good to see a room go from an empty space to a functioning one. Would love to hear your thoughts.

Have a great week all : )

Memories

I remember 10 years ago...the day we were forever changed.  

I was forever changed.

My first born daughter was a baby at the time and we were living in our first place, an apartment.  It was a beautiful morning here in the Midwest and as I always do and still do, I got up to watch the Today Show.  I was numb as I saw one of the Twin Towers hit and was shook to my core as I saw the second Tower hit live.  

I remember shaking and crying.  You see I am not just a fellow American that felt the pain of this crisis but I was born in New York.  Brooklyn to be exact,  and grew up in Jersey.  Visited New York almost every weekend to see my grandmother in Brooklyn (Bedford-Stuyvesant).  

(where my grandmother lived)

I began to think what kind of world my little girl would face. 

WE are a Strong Nation. 

We move forward

(image of what will be the One Trade Center)

while not forgetting those who have suffered..

(rendering) Memorial at Ground Zero.

Hug those you love a little tighter and have a great weekend everybody.

Labor Day Tips

Good Morning!  I was up early this morning because my husband and son are going to be filmed today and I had to get the little man prepared.  I am still a little bit sleepy.. I think I might just grab a coffee.

Are you all looking forward to this weekend?  Labor Day weekend is usually the last hurrah of summer so here are some tips to help you enjoy it.

Do as much as you can to plan ahead of time so there is no pressure when your guests arrive : )

image source here

We all don't like it when bugs try to come near our food.  Try using flower pots to cover your plates.

image source & info here

You can also use clay flowerpot saucers as serving dishes..

image source and info here

Make your tablescape natural and functional..

image and info here

But most of all my biggest tip - Have lots of fun!!  Have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend : )