Home Improvements! (part 1 of many)

So my New Year's vacation at my house was very productive, I got a lot of decorating/repairs done.

First the decorating!

The first order of business was getting curtains for the dining and living room.

I got two red and cream and two cream curtains. The cream matches the carpet and walls and the red ties into the kitchen so I thought that would help keep the flow of the rooms. The red and cream are on the outside windows with the cream in the corner. My Mom and I discussed whether to alternate or do it this way. I think this worked nicely. It blocks some light from coming in, provides privacy, and helps to keep the hot air in the house (instead of escaping through the glass windows).

I moved the table a little closer to the kitchen and my plan is to put a couch across the room, at the end of area rug under my table,  and get a flat screen tv to mount above the fireplace. While we were there I sat on the floor where I would put the couch to make sure the tv wouldn't be to high. It seemed good to me. This way I will be able to see the tv from the kitchen. Then I think a nice two seater on the right side and an arm chair between the window and the corner.

Now for the large patio door and the side door I got a sheer red curtain. The rails at the top and bottom are magnetic which is nice because it means no holes in the door.

In order to keep them pinched at the center we bought napkin holders. They are silver with clear rings on them and will look very nice with the silver hardware of the doors.

The final bit of decorating was adding some storage to the downstairs bathroom. I went to the store thinking we were going to get a cabinet to stand over the toilet but then I saw a storage piece meant to fit around a pedestal sink.

Now to the repairs:
I mean some of it was pretty simple, like changing the batteries of every smoke detector so that they stop beeping and, you know . . . .work!

Also I found where the chime for the doorbell was and looked at it to see why that wasn't working. That also ended up being a simple fix of changing a battery.

I also changed a couple of lightbulbs to get my porch lights shining bright.

I was pleased to find that hooking up the water supply line for my fridge was much easier then I originally thought it would be. Thanks to the supply line having rubber washers in it I didn't even need to worry about plumbing tape.

Simple as it was it made me very happy to do this on my own.

Now when I bought the house the bank changed all the locks. I knew I was going to change them myself because they are brass and I prefer nickel. I also prefer handles over door knobs. However I thought they needed to be changed sooner rather than later because they are pretty crummy. One of the knobs broke while I was there. Luckily a few years ago at work I had to reset several door lock displays. As a result I know how to change locks. I changed two handles and a deadbolt. I have three handles and three deadbolts left to change. So when I am done it will be nine locks in total which saves me having to pay a locksmith!

my handiwork!

Now I am back to planning things to do :-)