We've Been Painting....

So, what do you think?? The yellow?? I swear, most peoples reaction, they either like it or they don't. After we painted, I wasn't sure if I even liked it. In my defense, the yellow was the first thing we did and it was hard to visualize what it would look like completed.

Not that it is completed. No, we still have plenty to do. As you can see, the floors still need work and the railing still needs completed. But, I did get my fall wreath up, isn't it pretty?? And I also planted some fall flowers. As I was putting up my fall/halloween decor I realized I didn't get to do this last year. We were working on our kitchen and living out of the basement/garage. I'm so glad that is done.

Lots of painting going on this week. The shop is getting painted tomorrow. All the doors inside our home and the basement trim was painted this last week. We have been without doors for a few days. Interesting....oh, and we should be getting the slate done on our porch this next week. I'm SO
excited for this, it means our porch will be finished, unless you consider the deck portion, which I'm not at the moment.

Anyway, one step at a time.

By the way, the only portion of the house that is painted is the portion that we worked on during the addition. The rest of the house still needs to be completed. Thought you might want to know. Baby steps.

Watching.

I really do love living in this place. Most of you know that if it were my choice I would have chosen a nice new/newer home with a good size backyard. Steve has always wanted land and found this place very appealing. I wasn't so excited about it at first and needed some convincing. I didn't want to deal with a fixer upper and found the property (1 1/2 acres) to be very overwhelming. Finally I agreed to take the plunge. Was their times that were really difficult as I struggled with having an ugly house and yard?? Yes!! Is it still difficult? At times, yes it is still difficult, but for the most part I have learned to appreciate what we have.

We have seen deer, raccoon, hawks, snails, snakes, a rabbit, bats, chipmunks, mice and shrews (sp?), and birds and squirrels are part of daily living. We live right in town but it feels like we are out in the country. The kids have so much room to play and love to be outside. I can do projects outside that I could never do in our townhome. The house is coming along, slowly, but it is moving in the right direction. There is so much potential and it will be beautiful when it is finished.

I have been amazed at peoples reaction when they have seen our home. They are so complementary. Where I see an overgrown yard, they see a wonderful place for the kids to play. Where I see an old porch and deck, they see a place to enjoy the view and our beautiful sunsets. Where I see an old house that needs so much work, they see an open floor plan for entertaining and the possibility to have the house just the way I want it. They have helped me see it. Now, for the most part, I have stopped apologizing for my home when people come to visit. I'm truly grateful for what we have and for the choices we have made. I'm far from perfect but I feel that I'm headed in the right direction. Photos like the one above help me to see why we chose what we chose and live where we live.

One Step At A Time

That is what I'm having to tell myself in regards to working on the house. We just got our subway tile backsplash put in this last week. Yes, our remodel was finish in December. Yes, we were planning to get the backsplash and potfiller done in January. Yes, we finally got it done the middle of April. Yes, I still have to order and have Steve install the potfiller. I would show you more of the kitchen but I'm saving it for when it is completly finished. A couple more finishing touches and it will be ready. Then we will move on to the outside porch and deck, buiding a fence, new siding, painting the house, converting the single car garage to a office/craft room, cleaning out the double car garage, landscaping, etc., etc., etc.,

Done . . . For Now.

I finally got the mantel and the bookcases filled. I still want to do so much more, I'm not totally satisfied. BUT, they are done and I'm happy with how they are right now. They are (and will continue to be) a work in progress and I'm sure they will change a lot over time. I already have a few ideas of things I want to do, which will include more baby blue, some frame profiles of my favorite people, etc.

I love having all the books close at hand. The kids are staying out of the books and only getting the ones that they should (for the most part.) It is great to get these things unpacked and feel settled into our home.

So Excited!!

Guess what we had installed this last weekend?? I'm so excited that my shelves and my mantel are in. I gave our carpenter a drawing of the shelves and I picture from a magazine of the mantel. I'm so excited at how these have turned out! (These pictures are terrible! My sister-in-law keeps trying to teach me how to use my camera. Maybe I should take her up on the offer?!) The one above is a crooked view of the shelves that face our dining room. The one below is a shot of the whole unit, the second set of shelves going down the hall to the bedrooms.

I'm very pleased with how the mantel turned out. Steve said that now that we have a shiny new mantel the brick looks old and worn. I quite like the contrast of the old and the new.

So, I have my work cut out for me trying to fill these spaces and make them ours. I have boxes of books to fill our shelves. I know that I will not fill them up with the amount of books I have, but that just means we have room to grow!

It feels so good to be getting these things done! Since last July I have been putting a lot of the moving in on hold. Now that these spaces are finished (kitchens, bookshelves, etc.) I can move everything in and really make our house a home.

2010 Word of the Year

I have finally decided to join many in choosing a word for this next year. My word is CHERISH. This next year I want to cherish all the moments that come my way and embrace, appreciate, and enjoy each new experience that I encounter. Cherish my family and friends. Cherish my talents and abilities. Cherish books. Cherish work, play, and rest. Cherish peace and calm. Cherish laughter and good times. Cherish all the good I have in my life on a daily basis.

I wanted to answer a couple of your questions you left in the comments.

Some of you asked what Karter was doing in the tub. So, if there is water in the tub Karter always tries to get in and he finally made it. Let me tell you that his diaper was oh so fun to change.

One of you asked where the microwave was in the kitchen. I didn't plan a microwave in our kitchen. I'm trying to not use one. Steve was not excited when he figured out we would not have a microwave. He decided he would make sure the cabinet under the stovetop did not have shelves so he could put the microwave in there. So, in answer to your question, our microwave is in the cupboard under the stovetop. Not a convenient place to have it, but I like that I didn't have to find a place for it somewhere else. Marcy, I'm impressed with how observant you are!

I love, love, love, love your comments!! Love this blog thing that keeps us all connected!! Thank you for all the sweet things you had to say about my kitchen.

Our Kitchen

I'm finally posting the pictures.

I love my Plumber!

I can't believe this is what the upstairs looked like a few weeks ago. These photos were taken on October 31st!! Steve is putting in the plumbing and I snapped a couple fun photos. As we speak the painters are finishing up the trim and the ceilings. The countertops are scheduled to go in tomorrow and the carpet will be installed on Thursday. There are still a few things that need to happen before it will be completely finished, but I will basically have my kitchen/upstairs back on Friday!! I'm so excitied! It really has turned out quite lovely and I'm completely inspired to work in my new space. I have held off taking pictures because I want you to be surprised/shocked with the completed kitchen.

Christmas feels like it has been put on hold in our home. We have been holding off on getting a tree and decorating, waiting for the insanity of the renovation to be over. I don't even have Christmas music playing. I feel a bit deprived! I'm working on doing all the busy work of the season (aka mailing Christmas Cards, buying gifts, wrapping presents, grocery shopping, etc.) so when we get our house back I relax with family and can focus on the spirit of the season. I plan to take Christmas into this next year, extending it out a couple more weeks then we usually do!

Oh, So Very Messy!

We are going on six weeks of remodeling. What a mess!! Lets start with the good news. We came home from Oregon to new hardwood floors and cabinets. The appliances came the next day. Baseboards and trim were finished being installed on Wednesday. Right now the all the living room furniture is packed into the dining room and the living room carpet has been removed. I'm so excited!!

We also came home to lots and lots (did I say lots???) of dust!! It was all over everything!! They had to level out the floors (lots of sanding) and put in and finish the new hardwood floors (more sanding.) Dust is caked onto everything!

But, I can see the light. It is getting close and it is looking oh so very good!! Worth the inconvenience!

Soft Shoes

These shoes a actually got for Karter this last year. They were a size 18 months and they were on clearance. I got them and he wore them last year and even though they were a bit big, they fit so well. Well, this year I pulled them out and they still fit well.

They go up the leg a bit, like a boot, and that keeps them on. I love how soft and comfy they are and how easy they are to just throw on his feet.

Karter has been playing outside a bit more. He loves to play in the dirt and make a mess. I'm so grateful that we have our big yard! I have been discouraged at times with deciding to get a home that needed a lot of work. Fixing up this house has been frustrating, but it was the only way we could get the big yard. It has been awesome to watch the kids enjoy just being outside and playing. The rest will come, but for now we have a yard to play in and appreciate.

Hardwood Floors

The hardwood floors started to go in this last week. This is what they got done the first day! They are staining them a dark espresso color this week!! Cabinents should be going in this next Monday, appliances coming on Tuesday. They will measure for countertops once the cabinents are in and then it will be 7-10 days before they will be installed!! So long to wait, but we are getting closer to a brand new kitchen!
I really do love the floors. We went with a 5 inch wide board! Our floor installer tried to convince us to go with a 4 inch board, he said it would hold up better, but I decided to go with the 5 inch. I'm glad I did.

Outdoors

Here is the outside of our home. We decided to get the hardiplank exterior and will paint it soon. We will eventually match up the rest of the home with the new exterior.