Making This House, Our Home

We have already made so many changes to this house since we moved in. But it seems like a never-ending story. On the one hand, we are never bored. There is always a new project to enjoy, and sometimes hate, having to do. I enjoy the decorating. I hate the plumbing. I enjoy designing a fun yard, but hate the weed-pulling. See what I mean? A constant love/hate relationship. 

I love this new water RO (reverse osmosis) system we purchased. But I didn't enjoy the installment process. However, in this town of ours, the water is dangerous to drink. No, I'm quite serious. Arsenic has been higher than FDA levels allow for more than once. In addition to that, there is so much in the hard water from oil drilling and fracking that the first time I tasted the water, I described it as thick. How does thick water taste? Disgusting. Very disgusting. We have been buying up to 5 packs of water a week and gallons for cooking. Which has been way more than a single RO system would cost. 

It isn't so pretty, but  the kitchen is still a work in progress for us.

Lately, I have been getting to try out products that have helped us beautify the front and back yards, while the husband is working on fixing our electrical setup. 

First up, we have the Allen + Roth LED Mushroom Lights. I love them! I'm not usually into the mushroom motif, but these are made from glass and light up so beautifully, I can't help but love them!

My husband and I installed them without too much difficulty. We did have one of the stakes start to bend in the hard ground we have around here, but a little digging solved that issue.

We also got a heat shield from Coolaroo. It really does make a difference in the heat. The one I received is about $45 at Lowes.

We put it in between the back porch and the shed we built. Eventually, we really want this area to be more conducive for entertaining. 

There has been a lot going on. But I'll be planning to show more as the chance comes. Including a party pack... So thanks for sticking with me on this journey! 

The Tiny House Gets Upgrades!

It has officially been one year since we completed what we affectionately called the 'Tiny House' (TH for short). From plans that were meant for a shed, it has been turned into a more comfortable space that was utilized for housing extended family and their pets for a while. After they transitioned to their forever home, we began making changes again. And then had church family member move in! The adventure hasn't ended yet with this building of ours. 

Let's get started! 

First off, we finally got the chance and money to complete that path we had been wanting to add from our back porch to the doorstep. We purchased two boxes of these path tiles from Amazon. My husband leveled off the ground and used tent spikes to keep them in place.

It WAS too hot!

But we also changed that too. We have been working towards finally getting an air conditioning unit added to the TH. The goal was that eventually I would move all my crafting things and the doll houses to the TH. But the high heat we have here isn't good for dolls. And some of my crafting supplies. Sooooo.... we purchased a unit from Amazon. It was great once it was installed. However, if you are not good with electrical things and reading instructions that were translated to English by some... not so fluent speakers, then this is likely to truly frustrate you. As a matter of fact, it is supposed to be installed by a professional according to the instructions! My husband has electrical engineering in his training, so installing it was something he was more than capable of. We just had to follow difficult instructions. We also had to purchase fuses. But once it was in, it was a dream come true!

Can't show you the final touch, but we installed a closet organizer as well! Talk about quite the learning process. But it was quite the addition. And has proven to be immensely helpful.

Oh, I almost forgot! Another thing we finally managed to fix was the door. It would leak when it rained. Well, after talking to some guys from church, we learned of a way to make that a thing of the past. Almost. We did trim the door a little too much on one side. BUT! It's not flooding in when the rains pour and the hail hits hard. There is only a little water coming in, even during the worst thunderstorms. We had to install a new threshold. This one has a rubber bump along the middle. The door can go over it as it opens and closes, but water doesn't get through. Every thing we do is another learned lesson. But it makes us even prouder of what we have accomplished through this process. 

Later, I will need to take some time to go back and redo the drywall joints properly. We have learned that skipping the taping process was a terrible idea. 

So I've been watching videos and we got the things needed to patch these lines up. I'll share more updates when the time comes. This shed-like building has evolved in ways we hadn't thought possible. And shown itself to be useful for more than we imagined.