Not Quite Extreme Makeover

While I love "before and after" comparisons, I couldn't find a ton of BEFORE pictures in recent years of our house. But you can tell above that we had vertical siding and what you might not see is that is was some type of wood that included holes and was prime territory for bees and wasps to make nests. Also note we had 2 lights on either side of the front door to serve as yard lights and that the trim around the windows and doors matched the light-colored siding.

While we pretty much stuck with the same color for our new "smart" siding we also agreed on a contrast color for the borders and as previously mentioned, our sexy soffits. Here's a few of the final results...

It's a clean horizontal siding look with some amazing accent frames around windows and doors that bring out the darker brick colors in the bottom half of the front of our house.

Maybe every builder is this meticulous, but I appreciate how everything lines up perfectly around every corner!

We did have two garage windows on the west side that never closed completely and were definitely not weather-proof by any means. Now we have siding on that full side of the garage but lighting x3 on the inside to make up for it. They thought of everything.

We not only have new siding on the backside of the house but new matching doors in the garage (at right) and on the deck door outside our living room. They are so much more "snug" to ward off the elements. We love them already!!

As for the sexy soffits and new lighting scheme... I can't love it enough. Wow. Makes our house seem way cooler than it is. And after living here 20+ years, we couldn't agree more! And we deserve it!

Side note of advice: If you're just THINKING about some home improvement project, get after it now. With all the tariffs and ones that might be coming, it's only get to get way more expensive. So do it now.

Second side note of advice: As we learned while remodeling our kitchen, don't just make improvements to improve the value when you want to sell your house – do them now so you can enjoy them and your house!

Weekend Plans

Before I get to the "weekend starts on Thursday" plans, be assured the Circus Trifle was a success today. As many called it their "favorite" to date. I also thought it was sweetly spectacular with an emphasis on super sweet!

Now for the weekend...

Our home is within hearing distance of the Wisconsin State Water Ski Show – which is 1.5 miles away as the crow flies. As I've shared in my excitement as the team Shermalot photographer, these performances are such a cool thing to see. Three days of non-stop shows, all with different themes and "tricks", etc. And it's all free. Park your lawn chair on Red Sands Beach (or anywhere around Lake Wazeecha) and catch some of the action. For me these are skills I have never had and never will, so it's just impressive.

For sure I'll be there Sunday shooting 📸 my team. But maybe I'll get there some on Friday and Saturday, too. We'll see.

My Friday is actually a vacation day tomorrow. I'm in the Royal Scramble (aka fundraising golf outing to benefit all Assumption Royals sports). If you can believe after my friend and I had battery operated fans to cool off in our golf cart on Tuesday night that tomorrow morning it will be a cool 57 degrees when my foursome has our shotgun start at 7 a.m. Wow. 

I don't even know what to wear. I have hot weather / nice weather gear and nothing below (lower temps). I might just power through until it hits mid-60s during our round! I'll let you know how it goes. Of course, the main thing as that I win one of the raffle baskets/prizes like last year. Gotta keep that streak going!

Other than that, if you're local, don't forget Rome has the ultimate Farmer's Market on Fridays. Amazing! Or get some pretty cheap and delicious crab rangoon at the Rapids Farmer's Market on Saturdays (the last booth at the south end of 1st street, ha).

Or if you're handy, help our builders finish siding tomorrow. Yes, it's THAT close. Yay! Before and After pictures to come. 😊

Inch-by-Inch Influencer

As a blogger, I was riding high this morning as I overheard members of our construction crew talk about my recently "published" label that our new soffits are sexy. I'm just lucky that one of my friends who reads my blog has a hubby on the crew.

Still, I'm like, "yes, they are!"

Naturally one of them installing soffits outside my office today shouted through the window "Are you sure it's the soffits or the crew?!" I promised to take photos and compare and let him know. But I never got out there while the guys were here. 

But I do have a few progress photos.

I mean you'll completely agree that even without the inset lights in the front side of the house, the soffit on the backside is still sexy, right?

And the progress on the east side of the house is why I heard pounding all day in my corner office (far right). No pain, no gain, I guess!

And the backside of the garage is looking so good! I love all the progress each day. I know there will be some hot weather coming in so we'll be grateful for whatever they can do without melting. But I prefer slow and meticulous and perfect to progress any day. Love this dedicated crew!

Getting Smarter by the Day

I don't know much about Smart Siding other than it's $mart $iding. But I am loving the look of the new siding and the contrasting frames/borders to go with it. 

Side note: The corner and window "frames/borders" match our sexy soffit! So I'm living the best life right now.

Working from home today was much quieter than Monday but they still made progress. The west side of the garage is done and they started on the front side. Getting excited. Now I just have to find some "before" pictures so you understand why.

Stay tuned for the Blue Jay Drive Extreme Makeover!

Oh My Sweet Soffits!

The joy of having a home improvement job being done while you're out of the house and in the office means you come home each to little sweet surprises. Today was the starting work on the soffits.

Did someone say soffits are sexy? Me, I just said it.

This is a "before" photo from the back side of the house, which hasn't been touched yet.

And the "after" (in progress) after electrical work yesterday to install these new lights along the front side of the house and today's start of soffit installation. As soon as hubby texted me a photo, I said, "Wow, we've got sexy soffits!"

If it's not a thing, it should be now!

Of course, now I understand why a "siding project" isn't just slapping on stuff in a day and calling it done. I am appreciating their thoroughness and care. And great ideas. Any new thing basically came from the builder dude. He's smart and creative. Am loving every step of this transformation. 

Who knew home improvement was the new language of love?

Just Another Manic (or Migraine) Monday

My plan today (before weekend plans changed) was to take today off in order to sleep in if we went to see our nephew race in Slinger last night. While we didn't end up going, I still looked forward to a restful night and day off.

Then 7:36 a.m. happened.

I was abruptly awakened by what sounded like a jackhammer outside my bedroom window. Though I know in reality that wouldn't be the case for a construction crew ready to prep our house for new siding. Needless to say, there was no sleep happening after that.

Though I did try so very hard! 

But today was destined to be the day they removed all the nails and trim that we could not reach – and wrap our home in love. Or whatever "HomeWrap" is.

I forgot they have to start with the soffit before they get into the siding. I realize every day I know less and less about construction and home improvement projects. Definitely just pay the experts!

The Dumpster keeps filling up with totally legal stuff. We haven't had time to declutter our home with suspicious items we can live without.

And at the end of the day we were pretty much surrounded by HomeWrap. This view of our garage's west side is encouraging. We had terrible windows that let in all the frigid air. We hope that by siding over that (and the addition of a new, snug door in the back), we actually will retain some heat this winter. I'll keep you posted.

Just a few spots left in the back for them to move onto step 2 – which of course I have no idea what that is.

Today, I'm just glad they not only uncovered one more bees nest (with Jim still in the house) and laid the foundation, so to speak, for our home makeover. 

Tomorrow through Thursday, I'll be on the road to the office in Point before they arrive. Looking forward to a week of pleasant surprises. Without the noise.

23 Years of Mr. and Mrs. Awesome

When you break down 23 years of marriage in a chart like this, it can seem a bit overwhelming. But when you wake up next to Mr. Awesome (or Austin, if you prefer) it seems like the blink of an eye.

We both had to work today so our only plan together was having Jim join me for 9 holes at SentryWorld.

Hey, it was golf league night. I couldn't promise or give him anything more than that. I definitely forget how spoiled we are to have this course for our work golf league. Glad he got to experience some of it!

The only ones trying to spoil our good time were those darn Canadian geese!

When people think of Canada, they always think hockey. I beg to differ. 

We had a fun round. Of course, Jim knows one of our golfers (Tom who we golfed with at Bullseye on Friday) and the other (Patrick) is so easy going that Ms. Overthinker Me didn't have anything to worry about.

When I got home, I realized Jim had a much more productive day than me. Looks like he and brother-in-law Baird pretty much finished ripping off the siding. As it happens, I am officially on vacation right now and leaving town in the morning, so maybe someone else can sign up for nail-removal duty!

We'll see how that plays out. For now, I'm just going to watch some baseball I don't care about on TV because that's what my favorite person is doing. You don't get to 23 years without some compromise. 💜 

Physical Labor for the Win

Last week, our Dumpster arrived. With hopes of us filling it with all of our siding. And maybe a few extra things we definitely could live without.

As luck and our schedules would have it, we got very little done while Mother Nature did not let up on the rain. Today was finally our full day home and brother-in-law Baird was available, too.

They worked outside my corner office windows and I didn't care. It was the sound of progress!

There was only one bee incident for hubby. The west side of the house/garage when they moved the kayaks out of the way. Uh-oh! Glad they spotted it before the bees found Jim!

Today after work I did my part, trying to pull as many nails as I could from the old siding, etc. I got a few rows of my height level but there is more to be done. I honestly didn't want to venture out on ladders with nobody home. 

Dang. You are so not used to mature Robyn making adult decisions, are you? Me neither! :)

Monday Sound Machine

If you count the times in the middle of the night I got up doing my Lamaze breathing for charlie horses in my leg and foot, then yes, this has been a full day of sound effects.

Of course my half-awake state solutions at 2 a.m. were trying to sleep on the recliner instead of the bed. Then laying at the end of the couch in case it would be better to elevate my legs. Nothing really worked. 

Was I surprised then that about lunch time I felt like my back had "gone out." Those of you with chronic back troubles know what I'm talking about. And figures, 2 days before my monthly chiro appointment!

I lay on the living room floor trying the foam roller and various stretches while saying to hubby, "I hate that this can happen these days with something as simple as sleeping wrong or reaching for the shampoo in the shower!" His response: "And you didn't even shower today."

Hey, it's work from home Monday. Why risk it?

So I spent the afternoon trying random stretches while working and trying to catch one deep breath that wasn't painful. And of course, stressing because I have a big week at work and I need to be mobile. Plus,  feeling bad that I couldn't help Jim prep the areas around our 3 doors and 2 windows that we're getting replaced tomorrow. I did some of that after work and that's when I found it by the closet next to the old deck door.

My Shiatsu Massage Seat Cushion that I "earned" for some work anniversary way back in my Iola days. 

If you're not familiar with Shiatsu Massage, let's just say it gives you a hardcore "rolling and kneading" massage. And if you're a mother, like I mentioned, Lamaze breathing techniques come in handy.

I gave it a good 5 minutes and had to take a breather. Uff da. Guess I'll be alternating between stretching and torture this evening. If you know, you know! Just hope things get loosened up enough for me to get out of bed in the morning and head to work. 

I send prayers to any of you, too, who deal with this all the time! Remember when we were young and nothing hurt? I don't remember either but I'm sure.... good times.

Roller Coaster Weekend

Not to sound like old hat, but I'd prefer a boring weekend with nothing to do and no place to go over a roller coaster of a ride through ups and downs and loops of emotions.

Saturday morning dawned sunny and warm – and about to get hot. 

My only mission was getting hanging flower baskets. I always wait until later in May, hoping to miss the risk of freezing temperatures.

I was not the only one with this line of thinking. Apparently hundreds of people – at one store alone – thought it was National Spend Too Much Money on Hanging Flower Baskets Day. I was happy with my purcha$e$. 😀 Got home, hung them up, mowed around the house, clipped the long grass close to the curb and front landscaping area, then took a shower. 

That was an "up" the roller coaster part.

Then it went "down." My twin called me and let me know that Mom had gone from the nursing home to the ER and had pneumonia. But it did not look good. Like "maybe you better drive up and see her" type of not good. 😟

Nothing like trying to make a 4-hour trip in less than 4 hours when there's road construction and detours! Two promising signs on my drive: 

These clouds were opening up like God was saying "I got you" when it comes to prayers for my mother, sister, and close friend with scary health issues. 

Then, as I was scanning channels, some song named LeRoy came on and I figured Dad was guiding my drive and watching over Mom, too!

Got there just before visiting hours ended to see Mom and see that thankfully their emergency administrations of oxygen and whatnot (not to diminish it, I just don't know) were helping her. She was able to communicate again. And though she had a tough cough, I was there when the tele-doctor was visiting her. 

When he asked her about what she thought might be bringing on her bouts of nausea, she answered, "I know one thing it's NOT. I'm not pregnant." The doctor got a good chuckle from that and said, "Marlys, if you're still making jokes, you're doing just fine."

That's my mom! 😀

After that, I called hubby to update him and learned that we got hail twice in the evening and the future state of my new flower$ was que$tionable. 😟

I slept at my sister Nell's place nearby and was able to get back to the hospital before 9 a.m. She just finished breakfast and was very tired. I offered her a chance to nap or play cards and she responded, "I think you know what I'd rather do." So I retrieved her cards from her nursing home room.

And she proceeded to kick my butt. (I'm embarrassed to show the score!) There's a fine line between luck and skill, but I haven't determined what that is yet. Her nurse said Mom has basically played cards against every nurse on every shift and even taught a few how to play. She's definitely not ready to give in and miss her play time!

On my way out of town, I had a quick lunch with my sister RoAnn, her son Travis and his family.

My great-niece is pretty much the cutest lunch date I could have! 😀

I managed to find a route home with minimal construction – thankfully! And was still an hour from home when Jim called me asking if I got a text. I said my phone dinged but I was waiting to stop at a gas station to check them.

Turns out I won the Assumption grand raffle of $5,000! Well that's something to end this roller coaster ride with! 😀 Before today: "I never win anything!" Now: "I might not beat Mom at cards but I can win something!" Based on all my "medical trips" to see family, I'll count this is gas money for now.

And maybe hail-damaged flower replacement. We'll see. 

Thanks for all your continued prayers. Let's all have a normal, even-keel week, shall we?

Life Detours

There's two seasons in Wisconsin – Blaze Orange and Orange Barrels. If you know, you know. 

Even though I'm facing a detour on my commute the next 7 months, I didn't realize we'd get simultaneous major detours in life. My family has had quite the orange barrel season the past month.

The good news is that my mom is out of the hospital. Yay! But she is going to the nursing home section of the same hospital. She's having a positive attitude, so that's good. It will be different to visit her where Dad was living in his last days. I hope that she's there much longer than Dad was.

The other good news is that my sister Rachel had some 8 hours in surgery today and she survived just fine. Hopefully, that means her left elbow and foot are fixed. The last of all those broken bones. Praise the Lord! 

I guess when we see how much work HAS to be done, we sometimes have to remember that we have to trust it will be done. Maybe not on the timeline we wish for, but it will be done. 

Thanks for all the prayers for my family. But we still need them. I can't imagine what it will be like when Rachel tries to take her first steps when both legs have injuries. Just like I can't imagine what Mom will go through the first time she wants to bake something or tend to all her African violets.

We'll need prayers for just a bit longer as we navigate these detours. Thank you!

Bridging the Gap

Well our question about whether our new stove would fit in the same spot was answered today. And the answer was "Uhm, kind of."

This afternoon, Jim texted me at work that the oven was delivered and fit the 30-inch wide space, but...

While our biggest concern was the 30-inch width for the new stove to fit, we didn't pay as much attention to the depth. The result? It was just too deep that our corner cupboard (pictured above) couldn't open. Gah!

Thankfully we have handy friends. Jim called  Todd over and while they considered "shaving off" that cupboard door, I'm so grateful Todd found a way to shift the cables behind the stove and move it back!

Now, we have micro millimeter gap but enough that the door opens and we don't need to re-order a new stove. Praise be! After all the time (and $$$) in the remodel, it would've been heartbreaking to have to re-do things to accommodate a new stove. Thanks goodness for smart friends!

And thank goodness, especially, that I can open the cupboard to my coffee K-cups tomorrow morning. Priorities, right?

The Big Reveal

Ok. So even though we aren't 100% done with redoing our kitchen, all the people we contracted with are. So it's time for our exciting big reveal! Just going to try and post BEFORE and AFTER pictures and hope they are about the same angle. 

BEFORE: If you recall, a huge part of this was also stripping wallpaper and painting the walls white. (Side note: I'll have a Lighthouse Liquidation Sale next spring!

AFTER: We replaced the white panel wainscoting with brushed metal panels and black framing. I hated to see those white boards go, but dang, I'm loving our new look! And yes, the wall decor has a long way to go, but we wanted to get it started before Christmas guests arrived.

BEFORE: All I can say for the remaining BEFORE pictures is that our cabinets were in good condition, just outdated. And for us, it's thrilling to see the AFTER! 

AFTER: Wow.

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

Very excited to turn that space into a pantry!

BEFORE

AFTER

And the backsplash which was just old wallpaper before and is a white subway tile look!

AFTER

We wanted our backsplash (formerly wallpaper) to be somewhat simple – but textured – by our concrete countertop. We love it! Some things are worth the wait!