This last week was a productive one!  We felt like we saw visible progress and that feels so good! We've been enjoying some gorgeous spring weather and on Monday night we grilled for the first time.  As I stood at the kitchen sink looking out the window into our backyard and onto the patio where Lee was grilling -- I just felt so happy! The moment was almost surreal, like I was at my parent's house -- but instead it was at OUR house with OUR backyard.  I loved it!  It is these little things that make living in a construction zone worth it!

As I looked through the pictures we took this week to document the progress - I realized just how much ground we covered:

• Textured the living room and hallway ceilings
• Sanded the master bedroom ceiling

• Designed a plan for the step into the living room
• Wiped down walls and prepped the living room for priming
• Primed the living room walls and ceiling (we bought a painting spray gun and it made the priming go SO much faster than it would have gone otherwise.  I did get nervous though about Lee's lungs when he was trapped in the room with all the toxic fumes that were visibly floating through the room.)

• Painted the first coat of the living room ceiling

• Painted three of the four living room walls - not much additional painting is required, but a few touch ups are necessary.

• Ordered living room lamps and hallway light fixtures

We had the Reams over for dinner on Friday night to thank them for the rose pruning lesson.  We have six rose bushes that were out of control!  After their tutorial and assistance, we've got them trimmed back and looking good!  I just can't wait for them to bloom.

Speaking of blooms- we also discovered with have three blossoming cherry trees.  (We think they are Taiwanese Blossoming Cherries).  There are a couple of blossoms already and the trees are going to be beautiful when the entire tree has blossomed.

It was a pretty successful week.  We have another busy one ahead of us.  We've got lots to accomplish in the living room before carpet is laid on Saturday!!!!  We can't begin to tell you how excited we are to think about having a functioning room in just a week!