You call that scaffolding??

We had a very busy weekend! One of the highlights today (?) was the start of our siding project. Jeff is a siding snob (yes, there is such a thing) so we are removing the vinyl siding and will either replace with all new, or try to salvage (that's the technical term - see post on our newly accredited LEED professional) what is underneath. Things got a little tense when Jeff was trying to convince me that working 15 feet above the ground on a wacky jerky herky (a technical term, coined by accredited wives in distress) was safe and sane. Note he said it was both safe AND sane. Any way, after he broke out the climbing equipment and roped up, I felt better and the neighbors stopped staring. We still have a ton of work to do! Stay tuned for some more paint trauma...

I took a photo just in case I had to explain it to the life insurance agent.

This little guy sporting his safety glasses cheered us on.

2 down 12 to go

Our most recent house project has been to replace our windows. We have started just in time for the sunny weather and while we may have lost a little bit of charm, there were only two windows in the house that would actually open! So we have two out of the twelve installed and so far only minimal broken glass.

The handy man hard at work on the windows before.

The semi finished windows. Still working on the trim

and a bit of cleaning.

Savannah, Charleston & Hilton Head

We are back from a quick trip to Savannah for my step sister Jessica's wedding. It was a perfectly southern wedding and of course I forgot my camera and have not one picture of the beautiful bride or the gorgeous setting and the food (the reception was held at the Pink House - delicious!). We also spent a few days in Charleston (L-O-V-E-D it!), then ended the trip at Hilton Head to visit my Mom and Phil (a perfect ending because they spoiled us). Below are a few random pics of our trip. Enjoy!

We were able to catch some of the World Cup games, however the viewing experience was very different with a baby in tow

The heat was a bit much for Bear the first day, but he was such a trooper.

I could fill pages with random architecture, house pics and us lounging in the shady squares - I didn't want to bore you but still had to squeeze in one

We ate some fabulous food...again the experience was just very different with Abe along for the ride

Bear spent most of his time in restaurants flirting with the waitresses and other diners, which would have been great but he discovered his tongue...it was boarder line obscene.

The obligatory family pic

I was running out of sun light so these pics don't do it justice, but Bear LOVED the ocean.

Neither one of them wanted to get out of the water.

He passed!!!

Jeff has spent the last two months studying for his LEED certification test (I wont deny that I loved the short lived break from all of the major house remodeling). Jeff took the test this afternoon and passed! Jeff is officially a Leed Accredited Professional BD+C . I have no idea what that means but this website explains most of it: http://www.gbci.org/main-nav/professional-credentials/credentials.aspx. I could not be more happy for him or proud of him. Now we plan to celebrate!

The Accredited LEED Professional cramming for the test.

The Monster in the Basement

Jeff has been hard at work on the heating system. We had a very ancient monster of a furnance in the basement that we pulled out. It was huge and it made very scary noises (hence the nickname) and when we discovered the original plumbing permit tucked behind it from 1936 it pretty much confirmed the reason our gas bill so high. Until we figure out if radiant heating is an option, we needed some kind of heat source so Jeff is also working to retrofit our fireplace to gas. Here are a few pics:

Before/In Progress

The Monster

Jeff working his magic!

In bloom

We have been so busy, but still trying to take some time to smell the roses! Our garden is so out of control, I can't keep up - I am pulling things up, and cutting things down (not necessarily the right things all of the time) but fun to see what pops up and what doesn't! All of the pictures below are really out of my garden...amazing!!