Elective Surgery

Our house was given a major face-lift this summer! We had the side painted (after some repairs), and our old deck was torn down and replaced with something much safer, much more inviting-looking. (Please forgive the lack-of-sunshine in some of the pictures. We've been having daily thunderstorms, and if I wait for a sunny day to take the picture it could take another month!)

It used to be this [ugly] brown-mustard color:

 (By the way, I had trouble finding a picture with the house in it. I hated the color so much that I would avoid putting it in the background of pictures whenever I could.)

This is a picture from when we bought the house, 5 years ago:

But, add a fresh coat of paint (in different, much lighter colors - we call it "banana cream"), and BAM:

I realize the difference is a little harder to see in pictures. Just know we are so much happier with the new look! (We also intend on painting the windows white to match the trim.)

Our deck was redone, too! 

Gone are the nail heads poking up, hurting your feet. Gone is the threat of splinters, the presence of rotting wood (and support beams), and now we have this fresh, lighter look. The girls LOVE to play out there now, a fact that is in part because the builders made a picnic table for them (from the old deck's wood)!

With all the changes we've made to this house, inside and out, we have definitely made our mark on it! The previous owners are in for a real shock if they ever drive by... ;)