I think the microwave's possessed

Hi there! Yes, it's me, I'm alive...just missing from the blog world for most of July. Oops. Work's been crazy busy, and then we've gone into full-on 'gotta fix up the condo' mode to get it ready to rent out when we move. I really didn't think we had that much to do... but somehow the list keeps multiplying, and although I've started like 10 different projects, barely anything has actually gotten checked off yet.

Today I thought I'd just do a quick post on something we weren't originally planning to update before moving - the microwave. All of our kitchen appliances were brand new when we moved in 7 years ago. They're boring, basic black appliances, but they all work fine and still look new(ish), so we hadn't planned on messing with them...until the microwave started turning on by itself. 

Three Ridges Hike

Like many Americans this year, we decided to take off July 5th so we could turn the 4th of July into a nice, long weekend. Like not so many Americans (or Virginians, at least), we decided to go hiking and camping - I say that because the route we took is supposed to be one of Virginia's most popular backpacking circuits and we barely saw anyone. At the campsite (which apparently gets pretty packed), I was shocked to find that we were the only tent! (Although it might've been the weather...)

Wannabe landscape designer

One of the drawbacks of new construction is that there's zero landscaping to start with - no patio, no deck, no gardens... just a whole lot of empty, ugly space. In our case, we've got trees in the backyard (which, as I've mentioned, is currently in 'jungle' status), and the remainder of the yard is bare dirt. It's a little overwhelming, and I've definitely been having trouble visualizing ideas for what we might want to do. Because the first floor is just a few feet above the ground, we knew we just wanted a patio rather than a deck in the back, but I couldn't picture at all what that patio might look like. And the front yard is massive (at least by DC area standards), so I had no idea what to do with that either.

But this weekend, I found a new time waster (not that I have to search too hard to find those...). I downloaded the free trial version of Realtime Landscaping Pro 2013. The full version is $100, and there is a 'Plus' version (instead of Pro) that is $80, but I found the free version suited my needs perfectly... this version was awesome for designing a general landscaping and hardscaping layout - to help me plan where we'd want a patio, walkways, mulch, etc. and to help me visualize what that layout might look like. If you've already got your basic layout and just want to plan more specific details like what kinds of plants you want, then this free version is not for you - the options for specific plants and materials are pretty limited in the trial.

Our virtual front yard

{House update} Sheetrocking 'n rolling

As I explained in my last post, the brick took a while to finish, but by mid-June, it was finally done! Another new update was the drywall - during this visit on the 19th, most of it was up, but there were still a few spots that needed it, and the family room was taken over by scaffolding. Also, we found a frog in our basement that day (the tiny pic in the bottom left)! I love all the little signs of wildlife...although hopefully we won't have many frogs hopping around inside the house when it's done!

{House update} Webs, tubs, bricks, puffiness, jungle, & a skull

My last house update was of our first time checking out the 2nd floor, after the stairs had been installed - that was basically the status of the house in early May, just before we left for vacation. When we returned, we found that they had been busy - plumbing, electrical, duct work, bathtubs... all that fun stuff had been installed. The intricate webs/spiders that go on behind the walls are pretty crazy looking (all the black ducts that connect in the center of the attic looked like a giant spider to me)! We also found that the brick had been delivered...

FMS Photo-A-Day May Wrap-up

Well I came very, very close to giving up on this challenge in May. I stopped just before we left for our 10 day vacation, then when we got home, I wasn't feeling very motivated to catch up. But once I got back in my usual groove I started to miss it, so I did finally get back up to speed (and now I'm very glad I did!). Here are my May photos with the prompt list below.

Learn more about the challenge here, and follow me on Instagram @jdeares!

{Recipe} Caprese Panini

We've been on a major caprese panini kick lately - we've had these a couple times a week for the past several weeks. I could totally go for one right now...

UK 2013, Part 4: Northumberland, York & London

After Edinburgh, we headed back to England for the final portion of the trip - this time traveling down the eastern portion of the country and stopping in Northumberland and York before returning to London for our last couple of nights.

UK 2013, Part 3: Edinburgh

On Wednesday morning, we had yet another big tasty meal with our hosts in the Lake District before making the two-hour drive to Edinburgh.

UK 2013, Part 2: London & the Lake District

I already talked about our Iceland layover, but I guess I should back up a little and mention what we were doing on this trip in the first place. One of my friends from high school recently moved in with her boyfriend in London, so another high school friend, my husband, and I decided to go visit them and do a road trip around the country. We had such an amazing time! Once we met up with them, the first part of the trip included some sightseeing in London followed by a visit to the Lake District in northern England.