A few garden images ...

I have a few garden images I've been meaning to post. Now don't get excited, nothing special, but I liked them. The side garden shot is a fave mostly because I remember how overgrown it was. It took quite a bit to clear it all out (and we had to wait for a nest of baby bunnies to grow up and hop along). We're working on the other side (West) this fall. We cleared it, tilled it and have put down grass seed.

One thing we did do was take care of the several hundred daffodils growing on that side. They are a treasure from the previous owner. We also saved and moved one of our large viburnums that had gotten a bit out of hand. I'll put up before and afters eventually - haha!

The words I've been longing to hear!

Yesterday, while sitting on the front porch enjoying a beautiful evening with Tim, I heard the words I've been dreaming of for a year or so ... "Honey, I think we should start looking for an architect ... maybe start interviewing contractors, too?"

OH BABY! He made my day, week and year :)

I have been doodling plans and clipping ideas since we moved into the 1880's House, and though we have done some renovating - a bath here, new windows there - this is the big one. This reno will include the new kitchen, the master bedroom (master suite), a new mudroom on the main floor, (hopefully) a finished basement and a gorgeous new back porch. It will add about 800 - 1000 sqft because we will be enclosing the current back porches (we have one up and one down) and bumping the downstairs out a bit.

I am truly hopeful for a master on the main, so that would give us 3 up and 1 down. The house would stay a 4 bedroom, but I'd like 3.5 baths. A mudroom is hugely important to me as well. With so many kids running around, it would be soooo nice not to have to run basket after basket to the basement.

And speaking of basement, I'd like to finish it while we're at it.

My wish list isn't long, ya think? And on top of all this, we have to have it historically accurate (actually, I wouldn't have it any other way - that's why we bought here in the first place), so you can bet your sweet baboo that we'll be doing a good bit of contractor interviewing. And, when the time comes, we'll be working ourselves to get this right.

I'm so excited! It feels like Christmas :)))