Before and After

We've been very busy around here lately, mainly trying to get well after a nasty stomach bug that put three out of four of us out of commission, one after the other.

But before all that started, we started some more changes to the house, inside and out.

Frédéric started with the dining room/entryway wall. We finally figured out what we wanted to do with it, so he started sawing.

It will have two pillars of sorts holding up the arches once he is done. (Let's not put a time frame on that, though, shall we?)

It makes the house feel SO much more open, but still gives us the separation to have the sitting area in the dining room, without the couch being right in the entryway. I love it! 

Also, Frédéric and our neighbor chopped down the hedge around the front of our yard. We've never liked the thing; we chopped down a good three feet off the top of it when we first moved in. It shades the yard and house too much, encouraging the moss to grow instead of grass, and makes it look like we want to live in our little fortress and never see our neighbors. Not to mention the time it takes every spring and fall to trim it.

So this is the front gate when we moved in.

And before chopping last week.

And after!

And the front hedge before we moved in.

And before chopping last week.

During...

And after!