Cave Progress

The downstairs living room is still far from done, but it is a much brighter and more enjoyable space than before. We finished painting the walls white in mid-March. I've been hesitant to post any pictures because it's still not a very pretty room, but it is what it is for now.

Like I said, still far from done. However, it's a huge improvement over where we started.

We considered painting the trim but decided to leave it for now. Neither of us is thrilled to take on the tedious task of painting the windows. We are hoping to paint or whitewash the fireplace, remove some extra furniture, add new window coverings, and potentially paint the ceiling. Given that 75% of the weekends over the next three months are already planned out, I'm not sure we'll be seeing any changes anytime soon....

Family Fun

Sheridan home improvements were put on hold for the last few weekends while we've focused on family. We spent Easter weekend with Alex's family in Maryland and then spent the following weekend with my sister, Jill's family in South Carolina.

We had a big crew for Easter:

Friday and Saturday included a trip to Alex's Dad's farm, lots of Settlers of Catan, a long stroll in Baltimore, and an annual crab dinner.

On Sunday morning 12 Easter baskets were found, bunny ears were modeled, and a delicious brunch was shared.

I don't have as much photographic evidence of our South Carolina trip, but it was equally as entertaining and exhausting. Alex and I always enjoy time with family, but Tad was especially happy. He loved being loved. We all do.

Talla's Black Thumb

Have you ever heard the term: "A green thumb"?  In case you have not, it means that you are good at gardening, or you have a way of making things grow.  Well... Talla has the opposite of that.

This week, I was in Austin and Dallas from Tuesday morning to Friday afternoon.  When I returned, the vegetables that I had been nurturing looked significantly different.

What my plants looked like before I left:

What they looked like when I returned yesterday:

Hopefully I can nurse them back to life, but more than likely, we are going to have to wait until October to get our tomatoes again.

Also, the English Ivy in front of the house has seen better days.

Spring, 2013: 

 As you can see, the Ivy is lush and green.

This is about the same time a year later.  You remember all that lush green ivy?  It's all dead now.  Not really sure what happened...  

Another picture of post ivy apocalypse.   You can see the white azalea about to bloom.