Another post trumpeting my unpacking prowess

My mantra: open wallspace is a crime against humanity

Those ugly navy curtains have got to go ... after I finish the kitchen valance, and the master bedroom curtains, and the guest room curtains, and the guest room quilts ... looks like I'm going to have to learn to like them for at least a few months.

Not to be outdone, Jason has been busy in the basement and garage:

Yes, the garage still looks like a disaster, and I can't reach half of the things I need, but a lot of the boxes will clear out on trash day, and the rest of the clutter is garage sale stuff that needs to be organized once there's room to do so. Oh, and that chest-high pile of broken-down boxes? It's for sale, if you want any.

Finally, I've got the house finished enough inside that I finally got around to starting the garden. Nothing like a little red-and-white-annual action to draw the eye away from the enormous satellite tv dish we installed 10 feet away, smack in the middle of our front yard. The guy is coming on Wednesday to see if there's anyplace else in the yard or roof we can install it that is a) less of an eyesore, and b) not against our township's zoning laws (oops). We haven't heard any complaints yet, but I'm sure it's coming. Nothing says, "We're your gracious new neighbors!" like planting one of those in the front yard. If only we had a rusty car on cinderblocks to park next to it, or maybe one of those concrete lawn statues ... I'm thinking we hitch the concrete burro (and maybe concrete Mexican guy, too) to the dish, make it look useful. Then install some of those blackface stable boy statues at the end of the driveway, and maybe a Virgin Mary in a grotto praying to the dish. That should offend just about everyone in the neighborhood, right?