Weekend with the parents

T.'s parents were visiting over the weekend, so we started a lot of projects that will span a couple of weeks. His mom helped me clean and prime the front window boxes (I hope to paint them this weekend). We got some paint tinted to match what we think is the current white trim, but even just having a coat of primer to whiten the wood (the previous owners had done a quick coat of white over the gray-blue, and it didn't necessarily cover the color) made them look better. [Of course, now I want to paint all of the white trim to make it look fresh, but that's low on the project list.] She also got to try out our push mower (thanks, MIL!) and cleaned up an overgrown fern on the side of the house.

T's dad was busy inside and out...He dug up the irises and day lilies on the south side of the house, showed me how to trim the irises to make them healthier, and helped me replant the flowers back in the same space—clumps of one flower alternating with the other. He and T. also removed the ugly metal baseboard heaters from the living and dining rooms and tidied up the electrical cords with some junction boxes. By the colors of paint visible now that the heaters are gone, I know that at various times our living room has been painted bright yellow, turquoise, brick red, and pink. The turquoise makes sense because the fireplace tiles have that color in them, but I have no idea why someone would paint that room yellow.

I didn't take many photos since the work is still in progress, but here's one showing the living room after the baseboard heaters were removed. Our baseboards are taller than current standards (one of the features of this house we really like), so we need to do some research to find a replacement that will match.


Honestly, even with the unpainted wall showing, it looks so much better now that they're gone!