Before and After.....Grasshopper Wing...

Hello everyone,

Well, we've been busy putting "our" touches on the house....There are plenty of projects for us to do, and we have been trying to prioritize them. We've painted the walk-in closet and put up nice wire shelves, Hannalize painted the laundry room and it looks far, far better. She has also been very busy taking down wallpaper in the kitchen and dining room. As can be imagined, several layers of wallpaper can cover up some interesting "repairs" to the walls...It's very interesting what some people consider an acceptable repair job. Overall, the house is in very good shape, there are just a number of cosmetic things that we want to change.

Last weekend, Hannalize totally repainted the sitting room. It was a boring white with some old, dirty very frilly and lacy curtains. Since that wasn't really our style, Hannalize decided to do some work....You'll find some before and after pictures above. The new color is called "Grasshopper Wing"...It really has brought out the character of the living room. It should go very well with the colors for the dining room and kitchen. They will be painted "Buttercup" with maroon accessories. The house should be a lot more lively from now on.

This weekend has been quite busy. Friday night, we were both worn out from a very busy work week, so we just relaxed by the house. Saturday, we went into Coeur D'Alene and had a full day of shopping. We went to Lowe's, Sears, Wal-Mart, and Costco. For our friends and family in South Africa, Lowe's is a giant DIY center, Sears is a department store with the best appliances and the ultimate tool section. Wal-Mart is a giant discount store that carries everything for very cheap, and Costco is a warehouse store like Makro. We came back home with a car that was stacked full to the roof. Poor Roxy barely had any space to lay down in the back.

Hannalize leaves early Monday morning (she must be out of the house by 4:15 AM) for a trip to Springfield, Missouri. She'll be back on Wednesday afternoon.

We're really looking forward to Hannalize's parents arriving on October 5th. They will be here until October 28th. We have a ton of stuff planned for their visit. We're going to make a quick trip over to Oregon and see our old house, visit Joel's parents, and go to the cabin. Hannalize's dad and Joel will be busy doing lots of hunting, and we will do lots of sightseeing. We can hardly wait.

We are both very glad that Genevieve is doing well and is back home. Our thoughts and prayers have been with her and her family since Thursday and we're very thankful for her speedy recovery.

Until next time, keep well and God Bless....

Joel & Hannalize