It’s definitely feeling like home!

It’s been two months since we’ve moved in to our new house and it is slowly starting to feel like “ours”. For a while just getting unpacked took up all of our free time. During that time, I was back and forth to Home Depot mixing up paint samples, painting them onto large poster boards and moving those around the house. About two weeks ago I finally settled on some colors for the downstairs living areas. Brian and I spent four late nights after the kids were in bed painting the living room, kitchen, entryway & dining room. My sweet boss, Debbie, came over this past Thursday to help me finish the dining room while Brian was out of town – so I guess it took five nights total. Whew. Painting is HARD WORK. It definitely makes a world of difference, especially since the previous owners decided to paint the western wall in EACH ROOM on the first floor this not-so-great coral/terra cotta color. Yay for getting those covered up! (Except for the guest bedroom – I haven’t gotten there yet, but it’s next in the queue.)

Anyway, it’s really fun to look at the MLS pictures & the ones we took before we purchased the home and compare them to how the house looks now. We have a LONG way to go (major things like saving for wood floors downstairs, and minor things like hanging pictures and curtains). I believe there are approximately 367 projects in the works, but things are moving in the right direction. I had way too much fun in Picasa last night making before/after collages. :)

The Entryway – we have plans to build a mantle with hooks over Pepé (Pepé the Pew) – hopefully before it’s time to hang Christmas stockings!

The Dining Room – it’s missing the obvious (a dining room table). For now it’s just more space for the kids to run around, wrestle, and be merry.

The Sitting Room – Also furniture-less. For now, Noah’s toys live here since he’s not so good at going up and down the stairs yet. (By “not so good” I mean that he would, if given the opportunity, simply leap from the top step and tumble down the full length of the stairs with very little regard for his personal safety). Eventually we’ll install Wainscoting (or Wayne’s Coating – as Brian calls it) on the walls in here, and create some fake built-ins with Ikea book cases. Some Ikea chairs and a DIY ottoman are also on the wish list.

The Living Room – this room is close to “done” for now. I am trying to figure out how to re-use my curtains from the old house. They match and they’re in great shape, but they’re too short for the higher ceilings in this house. Think. think. think.

The Kitchen – This is where our first “big” projects will take place. We (and by we, I mean Brian) are going to cut down the bar and turn it into an island. We bought two pieces of butcher block counter tops from IKEA. The amazing Jeremy McKissick joined the two pieces. (I couldn’t find the seam. Brian had to point it out to me. Jeremy seriously does GREAT WORK!)  He also routed the edges for us and did the sink cut-out. It’s now hanging out in the garage until Bri can stain it, seal it, and install it. I can’t wait – it’s just going to really open up the kitchen and increase my counter space!

We also plan on painting the cabinets white – but I’m still working up my nerve to tackle that one.

 

The Guest Room & Guest Bath - The guest room is the only bedroom downstairs, which is a feature I really like. It is definitely better for us to be upstairs and on the same floor as the kids (at least right now – I’ll probably be singing a different tune when they’re teenagers). I also like that guests have a space to themselves and a good bit of privacy. This room is also doubling as an office. I’m probably going to leave it alone for now because sometime in the next year or two we’ll play a fun game of musical beds and switch things around. The bathroom will probably get painted the same shade of yellow as the kitchen/living room and we’ll install bead board and either paint or re-stain the cabinets. My vision for this bathroom is VERY girly. A ruffly shower curtain is in the works.

The Play Room – This room sold me on the house. I love all of the space for the kiddos to spread out and play. Mr. Futon has been relocated up here. If we ever get an extra TV, we will rearrange and make a sitting area on one side (similar to what the previous owners did). There’s a great closet and a window not pictured on the back wall that will be my sewing/craft corner. When I figure out how, I’m going to make some roman shades for those back windows with some bright, fun fabric. On the half wall by the stairs I want to use magnetic sheeting and some chalkboard paint for the kids to draw on and hang up their creations. :)

Noah’s Room – I haven’t really touched this one at all. I’m not sure how much I’ll do in here since he and Grace will be swapping places sometime in the next couple of years. I probably won’t paint just yet – but it definitely needs some curtains and some colorful boy things to spruce up the walls.

Ben & Grace’s Room – It’s been fun creating a space for B&G to share. I made the little book slings a few weeks ago to go above their beds. I also have some plain white IKEA curtains that I’m going to spruce up.

I think I want to leave most of the room white and paint some horizontal stripes on the wall behind their beds. I also found a website that does custom vinyl lettering (any size, any font) for REALLY cheap! This is one of those projects where Brian thinks I’m a lot teeny bit crazy. What do you think?

I think it looks really fun! It’s only a little paint, right. If we hate it, we can easily change it. :)

The Kids’ Bath – this is pretty much the same as it was at the old house. It needs some paint and a frame around the mirror. I’m definitely keeping the shower curtain for now. It was my first ever sewing project and my feelings toward it are a little hoarder-esque.

The Master Bedroom and Bathroom - We pretty much just moved our furniture and bedding in here and called it a day.

I’m sort of in a holding pattern on our room/bathroom. My birthday present from last year was some fabric to make new king sized bedding for our room.

A year later, I’m still loving this fabric. A year later, it’s still sitting in my sewing closet because we don’t have a king bed. Ha ha. So, no big rush! A king bed is the next thing we’re saving for, but who knows how long that will take? Once we move these fabrics in, there is a list of things that we’ll do to really personalize these rooms.

- Install board & batten on the lower half of the bedroom walls and paint the top half – you guessed it – yellow!

- New window treatments

- If we’re feeling really brave/adventurous we’ll install a sliding barn door between the bedroom and bathroom. That long wall is perfect for it!

- Install board & batten or bead board in the bathroom and paint (yellow, blue, or grey).

- Frame out the mirror in the master and change out the light fixture.

- Curtains for the big window over the tub – probably more white IKEA Vivan curtains – I love how cheap light and airy they are.

So, there you have it. A little home tour of our new abode. We really appreciate everyone’s prayers during the selling/buying/moving process. It was a whirlwind experience that only God could have orchestrated. We are SOOOO blessed and grateful! It’s good to be home! :)