Some Home Improvements...

One thing we really hated when we moved in was that the builder used small travertine tiles for the countertop in our upstairs bathroom and in the laundry room. Mike and I don't like the look of small tiles and I did not want to have to scrub grout when we have kids. Last year we were able to buy a piece of granite remnant from our friend Seth's dad and it was installed this week. We absolutely love it and if you are ever in need of a granite installer, let me know. Dustin Bowers is the best!

Upstairs bath before...

Upstairs bath after!

We also had this itty bitty countertop in the laundry room replaced. Normally I would have just left it but we had enough granite leftover and after talking to Miss Brittney, I decided I wanted to add a sink in there to make my life easier when we do have kids. I have heard enough poop explosion stories to realize a sink in the laundry room may be the best investment ever!

Here is the counter sans sink...

and here is the after!

The sink isn't hooked up yet because we still need to run water but I am so pleased with how it turned out! We found a perfect size sink from standard plumbing and I can't wait until it's useable. We unfortunately lost our drawer that sits underneath the counter but Mike had a great idea to turn it into a tip out, which I am excited about. Yeah for new countertops and a new sink!

Another big project Mike has been working on is getting our surround sound installed. For Christmas my incredibly generous parents bought us speakers and a receiver and Mike's been researching and tinkering with it ever since. I now have all bank holidays off so Mike took Martin Luther King Jr. off as well and spent the day running speaker wire with my uncle Bob. I had NO idea what a task it truly was to run wire and mount the speakers on the wall and they spent a good nine hours drilling holes and feeding wire. I was amazed they had the ability and know how to drill holes in the upstairs walls from the basement. Mike and I thought we were going to end up with a bunch of holes he was going to have to patch but thanks to Bob, they ended up with two perfect sized holes that the speaker mounts cover.

We are really loving our new media set up and I especially love that I can now listen to music anywhere in the house. Mike loves what movies now sound like. If you are in the market for new speakers or need help running wires, Mike is now your guy! Thanks uncle Bob for ALL of your help. It wouldn't have been possible without you!

And finally, this is our next project...

Putting a light on the deck so we can eat, sit or barbecue out there when summer comes. This wire was run the same day as the speakers and was the only wall accident they had (well Mike had). Now we just need to find a light but I think it will be one of our new favorite places to enjoy dinner!

Now if only I could get Mike to begin working on my cold storage in the basement...