Looking Back at 2011

2011 sure went by fast for me! In addition to all the home improvements that Jeff and I had done, I was busy with my paralegal classes plus my regular day job at Go Media. I’m happy to say that I only have two semesters of classes left, so I’m close to being done!

I thought I would take a look back on what improvements we did to our home in 2011, which was the second year we lived in this house. To start off 2011, we got the living room painted. The bland white room was transformed into a warm room with a red accent wall. To complete our living room makeover we put up a new curtain rod, new curtains, and various decorations to match the color scheme including art work, candles, a rug, and a clock. The final addition to the living room was a new sectional which we bought in May of 2011. The sectional is so comfortable! Jeff and I both have our own side where we can lay down and stretch out when we watch a movie.

Another new furniture item we got in 2011 was a futon for the spare bedroom. It’s been used several times for overnight guests, but I think it’s been used more by Jeff when he takes a nap! I am glad to have something available for guests to sleep on, instead of just an air mattress.

In January we also had to replace the water heater and in June we had to replace the sump pump. Not very exciting, but we had to do it.

I never posted about this on the blog, but we got new vinyl flooring and a new toilet in the half bathroom. The half bathroom was really in need of an update. I still want to get a new light fixture in that room, but it’s not a huge priority since that bathroom isn’t used a lot.

Another home improvement we did was getting part of the basement waterproofed. The basement already had an “interior system” done back in 1999 which was clearly not working right due to the efflorescence and crumbling block in one corner of the basement. The interior system is basically where they open the floor next to the outside walls, and drain tile is installed and a sump pump is put in. The company we hired, Ace Basement Waterproofing believes in treating the outside of the house in order to keep water out. Their process is explained on their website here. The waterproofing work took about 3 days and was completed in October. The work was expensive but I am glad we got it done.

Not exactly a home “improvement”, but an addition to our home in 2011 was a cat who we named Cookie. We adopted her from the Cleveland APL and she is very sweet and loveable. She is always waiting at the door for us when we come home. She follows us all around when we are home too. If I take laundry to the basement, Cookie comes down with me. If we are watching a movie, Cookie lays on the couch too. And when we eat dinner, Cookie sits on her post that we put right by the dining room table! She’s a real pal.

Looking ahead for this year, we don’t have too many home improvements planned. I think we have spent enough money on the house for a while! Jeff and I are planning to get a new faucet in the kitchen and get the air ducts cleaned. Right now I want to focus on getting rid of items that we no longer need and donating them to Goodwill. I already have a stack of clothes ready to go. What home improvements do you all have planned this year? Here’s to a great 2012!

New Bunny

Jeff and I have adopted a new bunny from the Cleveland APL!  We already had one bunny, named Cocoa, who I have had for about four years.  Cocoa is a boy and the new bunny is a girl.  We have not named her yet though.  She is already spayed, so I do not have to worry about her having babies!  Baby bunnies would be very cute but I don’t have space or time for more bunnies and I don’t think I know anyone who would want one either.  I would hate to contribute to the high pet population and overcrowding of animal shelters.

I have known for a while that I wanted a second bunny and now seemed like the right time to get one.  I found a great cage on Ebay and put that all together.  It’s a really big “condo” with two levels!  Check it out.

After it was all together, the cage almost did not fit in the office because it is so big.  We had to take the office door off in order to get it in!  It was a challenge but now the cage is set and hopefully we don’t have to move it for a while.  The office doesn’t even feel cramped with both my desk, Jeff’s desk, and two cages in here.  The room is a pretty good size.  Eventually we can put the two bunny cages next to eachother, but for now they are on opposite sides of the room.  Here is our new bun in her cage!

We brought the new bunny home and Cocoa did not notice for a couple hours because he was sleeping in his castle. When he finally came out and noticed the new bunny, he was frozen in place for several minutes just sitting and staring at her! Then all of a sudden he ran back into his castle and thumped for 5 minutes! In case you are not familiar with bunny language, thumping indicates unhappiness or danger. Cocoa sure was not giving the new lady a very warm welcome! Since that first day we brought her back, I think Cocoa is getting used to her. I have noticed many times they are both eating, sleeping, or drinking water at the same time! I hope eventually they will be good friends.