Back in the Groove - some DIY around the house.

Okay, even though I haven't been posting any new blog posts, I have been busy around the house, in the kitchen and, most importantly, while wearing running shoes.  :)

My newest running streak is alive and well!  I completed day 17 yesterday and maybe today might even get a long run in.  I can hope!  So, what's been keeping my mileage down?  The house.  We have been so busy with little house projects here and there that I feel like there's little time (and sometimes energy) left over for any running adventures.  But I love, love, love working on my house and adding little touches here and there so it's all good.  Keeping fit and healthy is more important to me than racking up the miles anyway.  I'm happy and that's the important thing.

So, what have we done around the house lately?  Well, we added a new storm door.  And by we, I mean my father in law and my husband.  The day before my daughter's wedding.  The. Day.  Before.  So, no painting or finishing of any kind could be done by me and there was a ton of building out that had to be done to attach it.  Why do builders not allow for a space of any kind to add a door?  Anyway, so finally that job was done and all of the trim was repainted around the front door to match it all up.  Looks nice but geesh.  So, then, after the new door was put on and the painting was done, I noticed our light fixtures had turned from black to some sort of grayish blah.  I decided to buy new.  Well, I thought I had decided that.  After going to Lowe's and realizing we needed FIVE outdoor lights....I decided painting was the way to go.  Hubby took one down and I spray painted it copper (trying to be all trendy and all) and HATED it!  So we tried several different versions of metallic paints and settled on flat black.  LOL!  All the lights were redone and they look like new for the cost of a small can of rustoleum paint, $5.  And the cost of a few other non-winning metallic paints.  But all in all, cheaper than new lights.

And, I was really, really set on a rocker or some type of seat on the front porch.  I just couldn't bring myself to pay $100 for something that would never see use.  So, I decided to wait, figuring the right thing would come along.  And it did.  I was heading to the grocery store and noticed two wicker rockers along the road.  Hmmm.  I thought to myself I should stop and pick them up, but decided to wait and go to the grocery store first.  The hubby HATES when I pick up things like that, lol, and I wanted to be really, really sure I wanted them.  So, I went to the store and they were still there on my way home.  I stopped, turned on the flashers and managed to fit them both in.  I was rewarded with a splinter for trouble.  :(  I only needed one but when I put something out at the curb and someone doesn't take it all that frustrates me.  So, I dropped one off to my sister.  And then I casually mentioned I found a rocker to my hubby when I got home.  I got a head shake and a whatever, but I wasn't listening because I was already digging through my paint cans to paint it brown to match the front porch scheme.  Win for me!  And when a daycare family who was leaving my care brought me some beautiful flowers, it completed the look on the porch.  We did add a new doorbell that I love (who gets excited over a doorbell????  I guess me.) and the hubby tolerated me enough to put in. 

Other than those biggie things, I've just been cleaning, organizing and otherwise DIYing all types of things.  Sanding and staining where the puppy chewed the steps.  Staining where the dogs have scratched the wooden floors.  Making plans for the hubby to build me some deck furniture since I can't find what I'm looking for it seems...but this plan here looks promising.  We'll see.  The son's graduation party is in a few weeks and he'll probably want to build these with his dad that morning or something.  I'm kidding of course.  It will probably be the night before.  Our new sliding patio door arrives tomorrow and that will be his first project.  We practically stole that from Lowe's with the price we were given since it was a discontinued model.  I will be thrilled to have the awful atrium door gone!

And, this morning, I created something wonderful.  Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes.  I found a recipe for Cinnamon Roll cake here...and tweaked away.  I cut it in half, omitted the eggs and did it in cupcake liners instead of  a pan, and I didn't add the glaze.  I even cut the butter for the cinnamon crumb in half again and it was still a bit over the top I thought.  But they were delicious!

And, now, I'm off to take a shower and get this day started.  Time to rip off trim to get ready for the new door being delivered and do some cleaning since the rain is keeping me from finishing my deck staining duties. :(  Darn rain!  But I'm not complaining too loudly, because that rain keeps me from having to water all the new plants and my garden.

Hope you enjoyed all my adventures!

Sheri