Well, this is it. Last day of staycation and I think it's the first day that I didn't wear yoga pants and have dust or dirt on my face. It's crazy to think that just two short weeks ago I was standing in the Union house wondering how this was all going to happen. Crazy!

Now that the demo is complete (yep, you read that right!) – it's really starting to come to life. We have been at the house after dark the past 3 days, so I plan to take pics of the latest progress when I water the flowers before work tomorrow.

Our biggest project must-have was the new stairs! Since our garage/entry to the house is through the basement, we needed a temporary set of stairs to get us by until we can make a decision on design/materials. Here is the finished framing looking up into the kitchen (will be cathedral) from the basement.

The other huge project we started was landscaping! My buddy Ali is a fantastic gardener and informed us of the huge plant sales that happen this time of year. As much as we wanted to wait until spring...we knew we could save some major dough and there is going to be a lot of "wait time" in the next few weeks between inspections that will allow us to pick away at it. Speaking of picking away, I REALLY wanted these bushed out of the front yard and started using a hedge trimmer and shovel before my dad showed up and showed me the easy way ;) Within 30 minutes, we had these all pulled out with the truck. And it was awesome.

On Friday morning, Ali and I drove out to Countryside Greenhouse and she gave me the confidence I needed to tackle this yard. I think my biggest complaint about the Union house was the yard because I always felt so defeated...it already had an established aesthetic that I didn't really care for and I had no idea what anything was or how to care for it. This place literally has no landscaping, so a blank canvas was really exciting.

So, 3 carts later....we had a mobile Jurassic Park in Ali's car as she drove down Lake Michigan Drive with plants in her lap!

I spent the weekend digging out grass (which was not a light job) and planted as I went. We had SO many compliments from the neighbors who have been excited to see all the changes. I'll have to post some pics tomorrow with these babies in the ground!

As my last day of staycation, I was happy to throw some real clothes on and attend my (half)niece(in-law), Laura's baby shower. She was stunning as usual and I can't wait to meet baby Elliot! I also spent time with all the wonderful women in the family and got to meet my great-nephew, Holden. He is SUCH a doll!

It was also my sister, Alicia's 24th birthday! We drove around in the convertible singing our faces off before landing at Uccello's for dinner.

So, that wraps up two weeks of moving and demolition! As productive as it has been, I really miss my job and co-workers and am looking forward to going back tomorrow! To keep the progress moving, we will be there every night after work, so stay tuned for more posts! I will try and do them daily, but forgive me if I skip a few ;)

TWO CRAZY WEEKS