Amazing what a lick o' paint will do, eh Gromit?

For those of you who have been waiting to see everything we've been doing and telling you about, and for those of you who didn't know we have been busy bees down here in Santaquin, your wait is finally over!  While we still have a few things to finish up, I decided to stop stressing you out and show you what we've done.  Keep in mind it looks a lot better in person (hint hint), and that we've been working ourselves to death to get these things done.  

What our house looked like when we bought it (paint chipping, wood warped, shudders falling off during wind storms, etc):

..........AND NOW!!!  

We didn't have enough money to completely replace the siding, so we just got some paint and repainted it.  Oh, and got new shutters that won't fall off.  I can't wait for spring (aka tax return) when we can landscape our yard, too!

 Oh yeah, we took out the fence, too...

...and put part of it here.  SO MUCH BETTER than that sliver-infested, rotting wood gate that used to be here.  I had to literally drag it every time I wanted to go to the back yard just to open it.  And we couldn't see back there, let alone Pooch see us.  We are all very happy now :)  

  (I still have to lay brick down in front of the gate before winter hits so we don't get all muddy, though)

Josh sold his motorcycle, and that gave us enough money to put in a new kitchen.  Woo hoo!  The cabinets came from Habitat for Humanity (originally at Lowe's, but got replaced by new ones, and then donated, and sold at 65% off!  I was really happy about that).

What the kitchen looked like when we bought it:

 eck

 *shudders*

Part-way through the process of making it prettier:

 (painted cabinets, torn down wall, new appliances, etc)

.........AND NOW!!!

 New cabinets (the old ones were falling apart, didn't hold half my kitchen, and were dark and gross)...

 finished half wall...

new microwave, over the range (to free up counter space, and bought on clearance), and one that works like magic!!! (the old one busted on us months ago, but we haven't been able to do anything about it)...

new tile backsplash (we still need to do the grout, but it's basically done)...

 Still plenty of room for our table and walking, yet more counter space, more cabinet space, and it just looks a heck of a lot better!  I actually WANT to cook now, AND I now have the space to do it :)

Quinn's room when we bought it:

 ...yellow and purple... not my boy's colors...

 Last time you saw it:

......AND NOW!!!   

I finished the stripes on his wall, and decorated a bit.  I love his room!

 

The pile of our trash from all this work:

 

 

We love making our home more beautiful!  With every finished project, our home is left with such a nice feeling.  Nothing is better than the satisfaction of working with your own two hands!