Home ownership is a real treat. Like when things break. And you have to pay to fix them. Or get your hammer out and pretend you know what you’re doing and break things even worse.
Not that I’d ever do that.
A couple of years ago our concrete steps started to crumble. And yes, we’ve been living with them like that. For two years. It has been kind of exciting actually. Everyday that you’d step out onto them you didn’t know if that would be the time they’d finally just give way completely. A real adventure right outside my own front door!
As fun as the steps have been, we decided that being pregnant is adventure enough without the thrill of knowing the house could kill us any day now. So we decided new front steps were in order.
Now, I can’t build anything. Sometimes even Lincoln Logs were a challenge for me. So that’s the kind of skill I’m working with here. Ryan is actually pretty handy, but building front steps on his own was a bit daunting. So we put our heads together and decided we’d have to convince someone to come help us.
Enter Ryan’s parents. Who build houses and whatnot in their free time. I’m not kidding. So while they were here this weekend for a visit, they finally put our old steps out of their misery:
(good riddance!)
And gave us these instead:
(i feel like maybe these are an improvement)
We still have to paint or stain them, but just look at them. Those things aren’t going to kill me anytime soon. Though, I do think I’ll need to find a new adventure. Like finally cleaning out the crisper drawer in the fridge. You haven’t seen it. But trust me. The prospect of cleaning that out is more daunting than planning a climb up Everest.
I didn’t even know carrots could liquefy in such a grotesque manner.
Here’s my favorite gnome to help get that mental picture out of your head:
He is undeniably awesome. Yes? I thought so too.
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Well I’m glad your life is no longer on the line every time you step outside your house but what in the world will give you that rush of making it out live feeling now!? haha
Great job on the steps, they’re very cute. Also, that gnome, I want it.
My back steps are crumbling too. Want to send your in-laws in my direction?! Ha! The steps look great. 🙂
They look great Trish! I know you feel better having them. I can’t stop thinking about liquid carrots, that would make carrot juice,right? dawn suitcase vignettes xo
Carrots liquify? Ugh, gross. Good luck with that! 🙂
Ha ha! I play the waiting game with home repairs, too, sometimes (“maybe it was just a one off…”). Your new steps look great, though – worth the wait! And I love your gnome.
Love the new steps! They look great!! I’ve had liquified carrots in my fridge before too. Yuck!! That gnome is adorable!! I had two gnomes in my landscaping but the wind broke one of them 🙁 Time to get a new one I guess!
That’s my policy when it comes to home repair – pay someone or wait long enough for someone to help you. We are both so completely inept when it comes to home repair, naturally we bought a 100 year-old house. Brilliant! And the even worse news, I clean about as well as I do home repair, so I totally understand the liquified carrots!
I just recently discovered the carrot-liquifying trick as well. It might be the grossest thing I’ve ever seen.
On prettier news – those new steps look great! 🙂
The liquified carrots thing cracked me up!!! Boy have I been there? Not to mention potatoes when they start growing arms. 😉
How exciting you get your regular steps!
Handi-dandi relatives that work for free are awesome! Your steps look safe and fun. I love your gnome! Liquid carrots sound pretty scarey!
Nice. I like your little centrys.
They look so much better! What color are you going to paint or stain them?
Oh they look so much better! Love them!
I’m not very handy at all, but luckily my husband is. Some people are so good at stuff like that. You’ll see their house and then a few days later they’ll have added in a deck and a spare bedroom… after they work their eight hour days and put their babies to sleep, of course. Show offs.
LOL. That’s just too funny. And I really don’t want to know about the carrots. Oooh, cool gnome. *ahem* Moving on…
Hubs and I aren’t anywhere near home ownership yet (and silly me I have to have the occasional “keeping up with the Joneses” mentality at times) but he attempts to be Mr. Fix It in the apartment. He’s good at it but I still laugh at him. Men are hilarious at times. Me? You’re lucky I organized the pantry and cleaned my office. Martha Stewart I am not.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go cry as I pay the rent for this month. Haha.
I thought of you last weekend when I was up in Ames, Iowa, and saw Elwood, the World’s Largest Gnome. Wish I could show you a picture!
So glad your steps won’t kill you now!
We need new front steps at my house too! We just have those metal flimsy ones that come with the house… Boo! What awesome in laws you have by the way! 🙂 And an awesome gnome!
They look fantastic! And I love wood steps. I’ve actually often wished that our concrete steps would start to go wiggly so I’d have a reason to switch them out, but like the Energizer battery, they keep going and going! Which I suppose is just as well, since we have no in laws with housing building experience.
Can not stop giggling about the gnome butt 🙂