Hit the Lights

 

Wanna see a couple outdoor lights that have seen better days?

Ok! Coming right up…

These guys are the outdoor lights that were on our house when we purchased it.  They are so worn from the sun and weather.

They are not horrible and may look a lot better with a nice coat of paint, but we also weren’t digging the style of them.  So we decided it was time to retire them and move on to something we are more jazzed about.

We took a stroll through both Home Depot and Lowes and settled on a couple of these guys…

They are the Allen + Roth Castine Rubbed Bronze Outdoor Wall Light from Lowes.  They were more our style, being rubbed bronze and the bubbled glass stole my heart.  Fo real!  They were pretty much middle ground for pricing considering there size, they are almost 21 inches tall.

Justin did his electrical thing, while I held them up to the house(that’s my helping when it comes to electrical) and we now have this…

Much better!

 

What do you think?

The above photo is the day we moved into our house on top, beginning of our first year in the middle and beginning of our second year(currently) on bottom.  Making progress.

Landscaping Phase #3

Last I showed you our backyard was looking pretty good…

Look at all that pretty green grass.

Anywho, there were a few more things Justin wanted to accomplish out here since the new drainage and landscaping were finished.  A few of the solar lights we had previously installed were broken.  So, Justin purchased some new outdoor lights for the garden beds back here.  He decided to go with regular electric lights.  He moved the remaining solar lights that were still trucking along to the front yard.  He purchased the new lights from lowes.  Once he got home he started installing them…

Since the sod was freshly laid, Justin was able to run the cords from one garden to another right under the top layer….

While he was burying the new cords he came across this little guy…

He was just sleeping under the mulch and Justin dug up his bedding!  So he buried the cord and then buried him under the mulch again.  We saw him later the same night once the sun went down, we’re all friends now.  Once Justin had finished installing all the lighting he added new mulch to all of the garden beds…

Charlie also helped…

This guy showed up too…

Isn’t he handsome?  Love these little lizards.

After hanging out with the lizard I got some photos of the freshly finished backyard…

And you know I can’t help but give you some before, middle and after photos…

Check out how much the plants by the patio have grown!

I don’t have a before photo from this angle, but here is the mid way point and after…

We also got to see the new lights in action that night…

Aren’t they pretty?

Char man also hung out to check out the lighting…

It was already past Zack’s bed time.

We are thrilled with our backyard now.  We may have some other ideas for the the fence and possibly another little garden. For now we are just happy to sit on the porch and enjoy the unflooded yard!  It’s a far cry from this…

Don’t you think?  PS the drainage works.   Here is a photo I took immediately after a down pour…

BOOM! Do you see a drainage issue?  I think not!

Bye Bye Chandelier

When you first enter our house you see some pretty phenomenal light fixtures.  This…

and of course this…

Unfortunately, I think it is time to part with both of them.  Justin went to Lowe’s and got this…

Then he went to town installing that bad boy…

I thought that we should put the fan in the dining room area to replace the chandelier, but Justin really wanted it in front of the door in the front foyer.   Since he is the installer he gets last say…

Turns out he was right.  I think it looks great there.  As you may have noticed on the box the fan did indeed come with a light.  Justin didn’t install the light because he said he “thought it would look ugly.” And that’s that.

I love the fan Justin chose.  It hangs about a foot down from the ceiling and it has mini fan blades.  Its the perfect size for that spot.  Justin then took down the chandelier and brought it to the curb.  It was gone within about half hour.   I guess someone else will be enjoying that stylish chandelier in their home.  Justin then replaced the chandelier with a good old boob light.

Want to see the light in action?

Boom! It works.  Here’s a shot with both lights…

I do miss the chandelier, but guess I’ll have to make due without.  We have almost rid the house of gold fixtures now. Woo hoo.