Working on the Aesthetics

When purchasing and rehabbing a house with crazy amounts of termite damage, the yard and interior aesthetics doesn't exactly rise to the top of the list of priorities. However, these days, all the structural stuff has been dealt with, so we are free to focus on beautifying the property. So... here's a photo update.

Last fall, I went to the Netherlands on business. Since I was in the tulip capital of the world, I picked up some real, authentic Holland bulbs, and they did the yard proud this spring. (The magnolia tree didn't hurt, either. We had no idea we were getting a big, full, blooming magnolia when buying this place.) If I go back to Europe this fall, which is possible*, I will be buying plenty more. Tulips in the spring give the yard a lot of life.

Robyn and I share positive thoughts about stained glass windows. We bought a few on our honeymoon, and we hope to have a house full of them someday. I found the perfect one for "her" alcove on the 2nd floor. She painted the sitting room pink, decorated very appropriately, and now there's some stained glass to make the room just about perfect.
Also, there's no good way to capture this on film, but biggest deficiency left in the interior was the upstairs hallway. There is a lot of wall, and all of it was painted a yellow-ish cream with 17 years of fading and smoke. Robyn lightened it up. We've NEVER painted anything white, except for ceilings, so this surprised me. I'll try to get something to better show the transformation, but this at least shows a little bit of the in-process brightening.There is still much gardening to do. And we have a few other yard projects that may or may not happen this year. But give us a break, huh?! Robyn's the one with all the skill, and she's a third trimester prego. Lay off!

(Have I ever mentioned that I married up?)

*Is it wrong that I'd like to know, now, if my company plans on me spending a week in Europe this fall? I understand that business trips sometimes have to happen on short notice, but... with a 2-year-old and an infant-to-be, is it too much to ask to know these things months in advance?