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!

Beach Day

Spent several hours at the beach today. And didn't get into the water once! 

As I mentioned the other day, this was Wisconsin State Water Ski Show tournament weekend. And it all takes place a mile and a half away! Today was "my" team's turn to compete.

After seeing several of their Saturday evening shows this summer, I was amazed how far they've come with throwing a bunch of entertainment in with the already great skiing. They did amazing. After winning the Division 2 title a few years ago, they got bumped up into Division 1 so they're competing against some big cities like Madison. But our town of Rome crew held their own. They ended up taking 6th place. I didn't see all the competitors so I can't say why it wasn't a higher ranking. I was hoping for it, though!

Got home from there then spent the afternoon sifting through my 600 photos and editing about 240 to post online for the team. Not the best photos since the lake is small and I was getting people on the opposite shore in focus instead of our jumpers. Gah! Oh well. There were a few good ones if you want to check them out. I think this link will work even if you aren't on Facebook.

I got the pictures uploaded just in time for Jim and I to meet our friends Craig and Sara for a late-afternoon round at TriCity. I was actually exhausted before we even started. Too much eye strain, I think! Only got one par, but still it was fun of course. And the weather was pleasant. No melting!

The building is coming tomorrow to do a few finishing touches and then I'll hopefully have some "before and after" pictures to share. 

For now, I need to put in some weekend relaxation time before it's gone! Have a great week!

Went to a Garden Party...

Even a girl with two black thumbs appreciates a pretty garden – and creative yard decorations. Today, since we had friends showcasing their garden/yard, I embarked on my first Garden Walk sponsored by the Wood County Master Gardeners.

I'm 99% sure I can't duplicate anything I saw today, but it was inspiring nonetheless. And it wasn't just a garden tour. It was an art tour, too, with music and beauty. Here's a photo blog of some of the highlights for me, anyway...

I was so surprised at the first stop when I saw art on display with the garden. I'm sure it's not always like that with the weird unpredictable weather, but it was such a nice touch. I really enjoyed it!

Lots of water fountains of sorts with tiny ponds. I'm not sure we're engineers enough to pull this off.

Art on the deck? Nice touch!

This place had artwork for sale with some windows painted with some sponge-painting background a la 1998 that I connect with!

Lots of American flags whether part of the gardens or in the background added a nice touch.

When I saw the first bee "bonding" with a flower, I realized it was quite smart that my bee-allergic hubby didn't accompany me.

Loved that all the featured gardens had a 2025 Garden Walk stone on display.

Our friends Les and Pam had a "geranium tree."

I learned today that this funky spiky flower is called Bee Balm. Thus, the many bee visitors "hanging out" today.

Another fountain surrounded by prettiness.

This is the Assumption Royal Blue flower. I call it that, anyway.

And oh my, the first of many purple flowers you will have the purple pride pleasure (or not) to see.

Pam's niece and friends provided live music here. A few other "acts" had sets too.

For my friends with flower gardens, you are used to this. I just loved flowers that were pretty with lots of layers.

I have loved the different possible colors of hydrangeas since Jim's aunt grew them. Never tried, but I'd love some purple ones like this in our yard somewhere!

Gorgeous window display! 

What a great idea! Make some "flower rocks" to pay tribute to your lovely granddaughters!

I want to use this idea somewhere, somehow – even without granddaughters!

Another garden with art to accompany the colors. Love it.

I was impressed with how these people didn't necessarily find relaxing/sitting places, they created them. And it was beautiful.

Say hello to my favorite gate ever created. Hands down the most creative thing I saw all day – and there were a lot.

Live music here, too. It was fun to see and hear the variety.

What I call the Popcorn Ball flower!

What the cluck? The owner Bonnie definitely has creative ways to display her artwork.

I was fascinated by these stained glass type yard ornaments on a stick. Apparently I need to get to more garden stores. They were everywhere and I could use a few to class up my messy garden areas!

And so many cool decorations. I mean why not throw in a sun dial by some purple flowers?!

And the favorite thing I hope to grow in my garden – a Rocky Rococo pizza truck! Give me the seeds, man!

Just like our nearby farmer ladies, we don't need scary scarecrows to be, well, scary!

When I saw this, I thought, dang, we could've used our mother's old kitchenware to be creative after all!

Just a cool backyard setup.

Loved the attention to detail and seeing the lights there, I was bummed to view it during the day. Inspiring, though!

As a person with a milk can in front of her house to represent parts of both my hubby's and my heritage, I appreciated this display with all the tractor wheels and various gears. Very cool.

Unlikely a real rain barrel, but with the fountain there, it caught my eye.

And speaking of catching my eye... a pond with PURPLE flowers???

Beautiful, am I right?

As I saw throughout the day, there are so many cool planters and alternative metal methods of displaying flowers. This bird and 2 matching friends were awesome.

This place had a lovely gazebo on the pond with live music as well.

Me taking pictures of what I would call a Tiger Lily but have never seen in this pretty pink color. Don't correct me. I want to pretend I know one thing about flowers.

A country girl can't resist weather vanes among flowers...

Or on top of She Sheds.

Nice garden and flag stand display.

Another purple flower. You don't say?

Ope! Another one I can't name!

I could sit here and relax, couldn't you?

Not part of the official tour, but I guess this unique tree is a Variegated Maple.

The surprise at my last stop was that they combined the garden tour with a quilt show and it somehow worked.

And to my delight... more varieties of purple flowers!

And artwork? What a cool idea!! Love this!

Most creative She Shed interior.

Who wants to sit here and spend an afternoon with me? I told the owners this was my most captivating view all day. Wow.

And idea it you have a bunch of vintage heart-shaped cookie cutters. Seriously.

Again, what I think is a Tiger Lily but I have never seen this color combo. Pretty!

I should know this one, but I still appreciate and admire it even if it escapes me right now.

So many She Sheds.

Super idea for an old "stump"!

Love this. Old door with a few quilting squares and flowers.

And a few quilts on display with a bottle tree!

What a fun few hours admiring what people with green thumbs – and apparently lots of time on their hands – can create! Could I do the same? Nope. I admit I am too lazy to put in the time it would take for that. But I am inspired nonetheless. Hope you are too! 

Thanks for joining me for the garden party!