so, what did you spend YOUR tax return on?

i vaguely remember the days when i could go out and spend my money on whatever i wanted, and my tax return was spent on that new thing i wanted for my car or my wardrobe or horses... but now, we have money together that we use to pay our mortgage and bills, and when we have money back on our taxes, we spend it on turning the water from orange to clear and fencing in the property to keep the dogs from running away. woohoo!

though not as exciting as the new dooney i want:

this fence is pretty fancy! [pics to be posted asap]

and though it took sort of a long time, and a few cut cables/gas lines, i'm happy with the end result. especially the cool livestock gate and latch that goes across the driveway.

the water filtration system is not as exciting to look at, but it does make my sinks and toilets look better. i'm sort of bummed that all the new stuff we got when we moved in is already a somewhat stained beyond repair, but i guess you can't win 'em all.

next on the list of repairs/renovations:
1. fix lawnmower/mow lawn
2. till garden beds/plant
3. finish wainscoting
4. paint upper half of dining room walls
5. finish flooring in upstairs closet
6. paint upstairs
7. put up window treatments in master bedroom
8. CLEAN!

future thoughts (waaayyyy down the road):
redo downstairs bathrooms
increase pass-thru between dining room and kitchen
unpack random boxes and clear out junk
renovate kitchen