did you think we'd hung up our hats?

We haven't quit! We are still working hard and our hats are firmly atop our heads but as you'll see in a minute, we now have a place to hang them if we ever need a break! We have had some schedule changes lately and it's hard to get ourselves in front of a computer to update the blog but we miss it and have had people ask us what we are up to. Sooooooo we will start with the most recent update and work our way backwards. For those of you that really love timelines and neat and tidy progression, I am sorry! 

Weeks ago we had taken down our existing coat/hat rack in the side hallway to refurbish it/replace it. (Yes weeks, it's taking us a long time to get things done these days!) When we removed the rack we realized that it had been YEARS since anyone had taken it off the wall and that the people that lived here wayyy back when, really loved their splatter-esque paint (we also found the same paint in the bathroom and kitchen!) 

Once we decided that sanding and repainting this area would actually create more of an issue (read: we don't have the same color white and wouldn't that drive you nuts too!? and no we didn't want to repaint the whole stairwell right now) we decided to refinish the rack we already had instead of replacing for something a bit more updated. 

The before was a light wood, four hook rack that is mounted right on the wall. It's not too ugly, we just didn't like the light wood and how nothing else in the house matched. The original plan was to hang stand alone hooks but once we installed this doggy area in the basement we decided that the free hooks were better used there (they are to each side holding the leashes).

After the rack was taken apart by simply removing the screws and hooks, it was sanded and painted. To finish the wood and not leave it "rough," we spray-painted it with a clear matte spray so it was smooth to the touch but not shiny. 

After letting that dry it was just a matter of covering up the speckled wall by using the exact holes that had been used before with new, longer screws so everything would be secure! 

So, for zero money (our favorite price!), we think this is just the update that the hallway needed. A little more modern with the same functionality as before.

Still to come:
We've painted the kitchen!
The basement has carpet!
The living room has been rearranged again!
Baby room is starting to make some progress!
The garden is growing!

Thanks for peeking in, we hope to have another update soon!