Holy Guacamole It's Been Awhile!

Well, needless to say lots has happened since the last time I've been on here. First, we're no longer yinzers but are back to being our native buckeyes. The end of May David and I moved out of our home first home and headed back to Ohio. David's job was reworking the structure of their business to Houston and we decided we didn't want to go to Texas. We've always envisioned moving back to Ohio where a majority of both our families live, so now was the time.

Moving out of our first home was very bitter sweet. Most couples can probably remember their first home together, and ours was incredibly special. Too many memories, both good and bad, and funny and serious to write down. Our marriage grew stronger in that house, and living in Pennsylvania brought the opportunity to meet some very special people. You all know who you are, and David and I can't thank you enough for taking us in as one of your family, loving and supporting us through some pretty rough times, and sharing in endless laughs and inappropriate jokes.

We hope that the George Compound brings as many memories and great bonfires as it brought us to the new owners. Even the nightmarish winters on the driveway and lane created some of the most lasting memories that now we can look back and have quite a laugh about. We loved our home, our friends and family we made in Pennsylvania, but now we are back in Ohio and have started the next chapter.

The last 2 years my mom and her husband did a large renovation on their home and added a second separate living unit. It's similar to a small apartment and it's perfect for David and me while we're in transition. What we especially love is how the setting is similar to what we had in PA with the woods and wildlife and private. This is temporary as we look for a home, or land where we can build. We love being close to family and not having to drive 3 hours to spend the weekend together, or cram in seeing everyone while we're in town.

While it's only been a couple months since we've been in Ohio, we sure have done a lot. In the coming posts our share the AWESOME garden we've worked on, laying floor at my in-laws, demoing my step-fathers rental unit, Father's Day campout and more. It feels good to be back :o)

We access our place through the farthest garage door on the left

Back of their house, we live in the right side

My mom loves flowers!

Flat driveway, very refreshing

My step-father's man cave

Buckeye Cake is Back!

This time last year I made this cake for a friends 49th birthday. Well, one year lady that same old fart is turning 50 and it wouldn't be complete without some peanut buttery, chocolatey goodness! I definitely made some improvements from last year and learned a great tip for the drizzle to look so cute. I was also told it tasted as good as it looked :o)

FINISHED!!

It's official! Done, done and DONE!! Feels good to have this project over, especially because we get to use our entire new very mastery bathroom now. Our original plan was to install a glass door for the shower but due to a near future move and the price tag, we opted for the curtain. Obviously not ideal but it works like a charm. It's insane how much more space we now have to shower, not hard to do though when you're coming from a space only 30" x 30"! 

These first pictures are of the loft transformation which only really consisted of moving a wall and door access. I honestly don't know why they laid it out the original way. That small nook was difficult to utilize because you still needed some space to access the bedroom, and the turn is always difficult when moving furniture. Now it's just a straight shot! My favorite by far is the view we now have through our bedroom out to the large window in the front of the house. 

BEFORE

AFTER

Nursery complete

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

One of my favorite views in our home

Shelves and Grout

Let's just say many things are happening at the George Compound and grouting the shower was not one of them for the longest time, haha! For whatever reason, mainly laziness, we put off on grouting the tile for over a month. Maybe longer. But we finally bared down and just did it one Saturday morning. It wasn't difficult, just really messy and hard to maneuver the two of us in the small place with ease. But after probably 3 hours, didn't think it would take that long, it was complete! I love how it turned out. We caulked around the bottom and sides, attached the fixtures and VWALA!

I finished the shelves probably 2 months ago just never updated the blog. Tuned out alright, the stain on the shelf is way darker than I would have liked but oh well, definitely not loosing sleep over it. It's just nice to be able to store our towels in the bathroom for the first time now!

Livin' on a Farm

This past weekend David and I traveled to northeast Ohio where one of David's buddies lives. About 2 years ago he bought some property that had some farm land, a big barn, lots of out buildings, and a big farm house. It's definitely been a work in progress, and will continue to be for some time considering the size and condition of the place. Also, because he's decided to take on some livestock (goats, chickens and pigs) as well as bailing hay. Aaaaand, he's completely gutted the house and is working on fixing it up, all himself (and help from family). We wanted to visit him before winter so since we had the weekend free we hopped in the car and headed his way.

It was a fun weekend that mainly consisted of working on burying a water and electric line that connects from the house to the main barn. We also worked on installing insulation and hanging some drywall. It was good to experience some of the daily ins and outs of owning and running a farm. I'm not sure if David and I will ever go that route, but it's not completely off the table :o)

David really enjoyed the animals

Oh hey buddy

Heath had all females except this one male that he's hoping will get with the ladies to make babies ;o)

Trying to escape

Peek-a-boo, I see you

I'm not really a cat person but these farm cats were my buddies

My sidekick for the weekend

David trying to feed the young goats

Num num num! Sorry buddy, they're bullies

They're so funny how they perch on anything elevated

Trying to get in on the feeding, back off buddy, I need to get out!

Big boy!

PIGLETS! They were funny, so skiddish initially and then were all about you

A few chickens at the farm

12 more chickens at Heath's parents house

Work for the weekend

Assessing the situation. We also added a frostless faucet there at the end

I didn't get a picture but by the time we left on Sunday everything was buried and dirt back in its place. A successful weekend of work.

Loft Complete

Done and done! Second room in this renovation completely finished (lower bathroom is done, pics to come later)! I'll post before and after pictures once everything is complete (shower, trim and shelves left in the master bathroom). For now I think the loft turned out pretty nice and we're just working on rearranging furniture in it to make it a designated office space.

Drywall installed

Taped and mudded

2nd and 3rd coats

Primed

Painted

Outlet wired, covers on, trim installed!