Yes, the bathroom isn't finished.


But when a project seems endless, a girl needs to just to take out a can of spray paint, already.  The instant satisfaction of untouched to finished product in an afternoon (or in my schedule, over the course of two post-workout evenings) is just too much to resist sometimes.


This is the little metal bike I got on clearance several months ago that will eventually be made into an art piece in the guest bathroom.  You know - the one that doesn't currently have a toilet.  What's that, you say?  Pry-Or-It-Tees?  Don't think I'm familiar with the word.  But, sidenote?  Rustoleum's Ultra 2X is uh-mazing.  Like nooks-and-crannies-in-one-coat amazing (I'm still talking about the bike, folks).  And the yellow behind my makeshift spray booth is another indicator of a little more progress.  Specifically, these:


But alas, yard work beckons (or in my case, knee-high crabgrass and looks from the neighbors).  I think this weekend I'll spend a little more time outdoors thanks to some curb appeal inspiration.  Happy weekend!

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It seems like such an obvious thing to have mentioned before.  And I have, but I realized I've never actually shown you the pit in my back yard.

Thirty years ago, it was common practice for builders to bury materials rather than find a way of disposing of them properly... or so I found out when I bought this house.  It's not such a big deal at first, but over the course of thirty years, the materials decay.  And if there is enough of it buried in the ground, that decay results in this:


A sinkhole.  Luckily I knew what it was from when I bought the house, so it wasn't as scary as it looks.  The previous owner even brought in fill dirt to get rid of it.  I guess it wasn't enough - the weight of the dirt to fill in the hole only caused it to compress the remaining vacant pockets of decayed matter underneath.  It's as boring as it sounds.  Need a pretty picture instead?  Me too:


This practice was very common in the Atlanta area from about 1975 to 1991.  My house build date fits squarely between the two - as does the rest of my neighborhood.  There are many different types of sink holes, but mine was probably caused by the land debris from clearing the lot and laying the foundation - the most common type.  Many of my neighbors have filled theirs in over the years.  The previous owner of mine filled it in once, but according to most stories I've heard, you'd need a few passes to compact the dirt enough and fix it permanently.

Short-term (and more manageable in both time and expense), I plan to fill in the area as I clean up the rest of the yard.  Sure, it's basically piling on the problem of decaying debris with more debris - but this is at the very corner of the yard and meets the back yards of all of my neighbors.  The hole is nowhere near my house or the foundation of any other (which I hear many other homeowners in other neighborhoods may not have been so lucky), so it can probably sit here for a little while longer until I can address it.

My neighbor to the right is a professional landscaper, and luckily extremely kind (he even helped dig me out of a snow mound last year).  I have already spoken with him about hiring a few guys to help clear the back yard so I can get started on creating the larger patio I've been wanting.  We'll be making limited progress this summer, but maybe by the Fourth of July next year, I'll be able to celebrate our hard work with a simple barbecue.

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Just before leaving for the beach, I spent several hours adding to the bruises on my knees from Warrior Dash (which is a really great look in a bathing suit, by the way).  Apparently, moving a mattress onto a bed frame is going on the list of stuff I can't do without falling over at 5'2".


The guest bed is still an unstained finish, but for the Ugg-Duck, this is a huge step toward normalcy.  I am not sure if I'll wind up cutting my losses and just spray painting the frame, but even getting it assembled was a bit of a pain (Ikea, I love you to pieces, but if I find another warped board in a kit like this, you and I are going to have a serious talk).

The entire frame came together pretty easy (months ago) until I needed to add the central support for the slats under the mattress.  Once I realized the wood was too warped to use, I had to grab a new board from the hardware store, and then felt like an idiot when I realized I was still trying to put wood in my car through the window like I didn't just buy an SUV.  Back hatch, Sarah.  Back hatch.

But eventually, the frame came together, the slats went down, and I spent a good twenty minutes nearly falling around in my guest room like I was Dick Van Dyke on the Mary Poppins set (but without the obvious LSD hallucinations).  Mattresses are just too cumbersome for my low center of gravity.


Then came the sheets, a new duvet cover (from Urban Outfitters - no longer sold), and the remaining pillows I'd picked up on clearance from World Market (the spotted ones are from Ikea).  I plan to change them out when I find the right fabric to make covers.

You may also have noticed that I'm not showing you any wide shots of the room.  And that's because a bed is all I've got; the rest of the room is crammed full of stuff from the study-o that is still awaiting a proper storage solution.  But if a guest is willing to brave it, they at least have a comfy bed to sleep on!

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How was your Memorial Day weekend?  Mine included a much-needed break from the DIY world:  sun, sand, and a great book (okay, so technically I still had some connection to blogging - recognize the book I'm reading?).




You may have noticed a few of these pictures on Twitter - I'm hooked on Instagram (but in fairness, it may be one of the only ways you'll see pictures of my face regularly - far fewer floating hand tutorials).

One of the few times I'm dressed up and ready for a night out!  The seafood was fantastic.

But, of course, it wouldn't be fitting for my life if there wasn't a little bit of chaos along the way.  My friends and I all joked about getting T-shirts that read "Blown Away by Beryl" - the name of the tropical storm heading directly for us.  There was also some debate as to whether we've gotten more immature with age, or just stopped caring what people might say at our childish jokes.



But before I knew it, we were back in the car and heading home.  I am totally thrilled to have had such a wonderful break.  School starts up again this week, so I was able to squeeze in this trip just in time!

Be back tomorrow with some new home updates.  How did you enjoy the weekend?

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