Back Yard Love..Summer Edition

It's hot.  I cannot even describe how hot and give the heat justice.  We have had heat indexes from 109 to 115 degrees daily for the past few weeks. I try to not go outside at all unless I just have to.

The landlord promised years ago to remove a tree who's roots have grown almost to half the yard and into the foundation. Needless to say, these roots have killed and injured our mowers. Besides that, the brick that is laid to the side of the patio is next to impossible to remove and re-lay. Roots have grown under those bricks and all I can really do is keep it all 'tidy'.

Leaves have overcome the yard from the same tree

the landlord said he would remove. 

Yes, 2 BBQ pits. 

The UNEVEN brick-ness drives me crazy.

There it is, yall. 

  

A few months ago this was so pretty.

Thanks to the heat it looks like this.

I'm surprised they're even still alive!

My Snow White Carpet and Butterfly 'garden' is dead.

Unless I want a $600 a month water bill, something

had to go. 

Ugh.

It takes a lot of time to get rid of the leaves

from that tree. Sweeping and hosing the

bricks to at least make them appear nice

There's one dead mower the tree killed. 

Bathroom Love

The first thing I did in this bathroom was paint the walls.  When re-doing my girls' bathroom the first time, I just wanted the wallpaper wall gone.  It was peeling and bubbled and missing in some parts. I painted the walls originally the same brown, matched at Home Depot with their paint department. But white seems logical for how small the room is.

Then I painted the standard cabinets in white...which basically looked like THIS when we moved in. Instantly it made a wonderful difference. There were stains and chips and just worn down. So clean, so fresh.  And painted the baseboards...that were doo-doo as well.  I added hardware.  NOTHING in this rent house had hardware, which is awful for wear and tear on any cabinet or drawer.

Then I laid the floor.

So here's the first 'AFTER'..that's actually this posts 'BEFORE' :

We found a Yellow Submarine shower curtain.  I purchased it HERE.  Then I found a Beatles print at Walmart and framed it and put it up.

This is before I painted the walls white. 

Another view - doo-doo- brown. 

I want you to notice the door.  This is one door not painted since we moved in.  

Imagine the entire house like this, when we moved in.

This is the TYPICAL of each door in this house upon move-in.

And at the bottom of the door is all damaged from the 

prior tenants that I can only assumed

locked a pet in here. 

I spent the 4th of July painting that bathroom.

Hardware Love

I found the drill!!!  In my daughters room, of all places.

So with the drill found and charged I started to install the hardware in the kitchen.

This is what happens when my battery runs out on the drill.  Hahaha!

Dishwasher LOVE

....or should I say Dishwashergate?

Well, more like husband love.

The mister went and ordered it and it came this morning! After weeks of reminding the landlord we need a new one and him ignoring us, we had to take action.

You do not KNOW my excitement!

Soon I will have a new dishwasher and no longer have dishes all over my damn kitchen counter tops!

**UPDATE**

The Landlord said NO to the dishwasher we bought.
(Not sure if I mentioned this before - we have no written lease agreement...so he makes up things on a whim....like the first $75.oo of any repair is on us.)

He said he would get one and have it put in THIS weekend.  I won't hold my breath...as it's been over 4 weeks since we first told him of the problem.

So now...my pretty NEW dishwasher must be returned.

I'm trying REALLY hard today to have Rent House Love.






**6-20-2011 Update**
Yesterday was Father's Day.

The Landlord decided of all days - to bring over his dishwasher that he purchased.  So that meant, on Father's Day, my husband got to spend it under the sink, cleaning leaks, uninstalling and installing. Poor guy.

Dishwasher Hate...er I mean Love

It's been 3 weeks without a dishwasher.

The landlord says - more than once now - that he'll get one and my husband can go pick it up.

WHEN!?!?

The mister is texting him once more.

Remember the dishes all over the sink in the kitchen update?  Yeah.  Dishes by hand, everyday, makes me not want to cook.  And I love to cook.

Grrrrr


****Update on the dishwasher!!**** 

Yesterday (6-13-11) the mister went out and got a new dishwasher! Well, not 'got' per-say...purchased. It may be delivered this week.

I cannot tell you the relief I am feeling. The broken dishwasher is smelling up the kitchen even though it's emptied of dishes and water!  My kitchen counters are constantly filled with dirty or drying dishes and I'm OVER it!

Kitchen Love

When we first moved in, one of the first things I did was paint the kitchen cabinets.  They were the hugest victim of the yellowing and caked in gunk.  Gross.

They needed another coating this weekend.  I took some pics of the inside of the doors because I have to show what I worked with prior.

This is pretty much what the outside of the cabinets looked like.  

Greasy, yellowed, dirty.   

Painting away.

I painted the cabinets when we first moved in...but I am about to paint again.

No hardware came in the kitchen either. SO, I have hardware to install

after I'm done painting.  

This is the product of broken dishwasher (hence piles of dishes in the sink)

and an insane person painting.

Fireplace Love

Ugly brick. Dirty brick.

3 hours later I had this :

 We had the house to prepare for our friend's 60th birthday.  

It looked great!