A goodbye to 2010

It's halfway through the month of January and I still can't believe 2010 is over!  A few days before the new year, I sent the following email to the Husband...

I’ve been reflecting lately on this past year… We have accomplished A LOT! 

 ·        Tore down wallpaper and painted the foyer during blizzard

·         Tore down wallpaper in yellow room and partially in hall bath

·         Updated wood stove to flow into main duct work

·         Destroyed front yard!  Removing pebble garden, sidewalk, retaining wall, flower bed

·         Laid so much dirt it’s ridiculous in that open space

·         Took down master bath door

·         Built workbench in garage and basement

·         Flower beds – weeding, moving bulbs and mulching

·         Seeded and fenced in front yard

·         Tore up carpet in living room and office (Happy Anniversary!)

·         Tore down basement drywall, studs, drop ceiling, dividing wall, cork closet walls

·         Painted office

·         Scraped laminate flooring in basement - here

·         Laid boards in attic

·    New Living Room window (plus a major headache) - read about that here with more to come

·         Moved kitchen cabinets, re-hung cabinets and range hood

·         Painted kitchen and dining room - here, here and here

·         New curtains - living room, office and dining room

WOW!  In the two years we have been in this house, this past year was crazy busy with projects.  It's amazing to look at pictures of the walk-thru vs. present day to see the changes.  Granted, most are cosmetic, but I feel they are the best since it makes this house our home.  I think we are almost there (even though the list on our fridge is double-sided!) – hopefully only tackling a few more large projects (outside of full demo), will get us through 2011.  Here's the top of my list...

·         Grind and stain concrete flooring in basement

·         Hardwood floors in living room and office

·         New roof and gutters

·         Seal basement concrete block

·         Yellow room with closet

·         Hall bath

·    Fenced in yard

·         Transplant flower bulbs

·         More mulch!!

Okay, so enough with the lists which I love!  Reflecting on this past year obviously makes me think of this coming year too and all the changes that will come with it…  It excites me to find out how the year will pan out – What will we get done at the house?  What will come of our jobs?  Where will we go on vacation?  New car?  New little person?  New animal?  All of it is unknown, which admittedly scares me a bit lot, but also reminds me that there is so much to look forward to! 

I'M READY FOR THE ROLLER COASTER OF 2011!  Bring it :)

Paint changes everything - Part 2

We finished painting the dining room today and were on a roll so added some color to our newly redesigned kitchen... It's a bit nautical and looks fabulous!  WE LOVE IT! 

  

 

 

From just the right angle it could be in a magazine :)  Don't you think??

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Kitchen redo

Over the last month, we have changed this house around ALOT!  Painting, rearranging, tearing apart the basement multiple times...one more big change to the kitchen and we might be taking a break for a while...

We did some demo upstairs this time :)  The kitchen overlooks the dining room I guess you'd say with the stove top, range hood and upper cabinets backing into the dining room.  Yes, that's a more accurate description.  We wanted a more open space, so Turkey Day weekend we tore some cabinets down and gave them a new home. 

Jay was ready to jump in (we aren't very patient people) when he came home from work Thursday evening at 11pm.  We had decided to take down the cabinets above the stove top in order to open up the space to the dining room.  About ten minutes after he was home, we tore into those cabinets and were able to take them down in one piece strategically.  The range hood came down too (nasty, dirty thing) which vented through the cabinets out of the side roof eave.  Once everything was down, we felt accomplished and exhausted so decided to get some sleep.  Given that our kitchen looked like a bomb blew up in it, I gave in to the fact that it would be more clean tomorrow and called it a night. 

Taking down the cabinet fronts (notice the dining room isn't done yet (post timing issue)

We both had Friday off work (yay!) and we jumped right in where we left off the evening before.  Maybe you're wondering where these cabinets now call home??  Our newly white/old ugly blue sponge wall is the perfect place!  Jay measured and created a 'third hand', I'm not sure what it's truly called, but was a 2x4 screwed into the wall to set the cabinets on.  While he did that, my kitchen OCD kicked in and I was cleaning behind us, straightening tools and throwing away scrap materials - hahaha!  I helped hold the cabinets up with all my might while he screwed them into the wall until they were secure enough for my tired arms to take a break.  It truly looks like the cabinets belong on that wall.  It gives the kitchen a more open feel and is such a better utilization of the space it's ridiculous!

Fabulous!

Unfortunately during this project, the Husband didn't feel so hot and decided to lay down now that the cabinets were up and in place.  He was burning up but felt cold, turns out he had a temperature of 100.5!!  Poor guy was fighting something nasty, so he grabbed a sweatshirt and I wrapped him in blankets for a much needed nap with Hunter curled up beside him (love that!)  While my boys were resting up, I was in heaven rearranging and organizing our new kitchen cabinets!!  Everything now makes much more sense on the walls - with coffee cups by the maker, not over the stove; the plates, bowls, cups and glasses all in one large cabinet; the cooking items by the oven and over the baking items.  It's fabulous!  In the 'new' cabinets I was able to fit all my wine glasses, which don't get used often yet I feel they need to be in reach (plus they are beautiful and I have a collection going); Hunter's treats; extra set of bowls; Magic Bullet and accessories.  I screwed the cabinet doors back on and wiped down the counters, OCD'ed myself into oblivion within my kitchen space.  It was such a relief to put it all back together.  The Husband woke up to not knowing where I single item in the kitchen was :) but feeling better than earlier.  We ordered Chinese in and relaxed for the rest of the evening, climbing into bed early. 

We still had the range hood to figure out, which Jay did excellent handyman work one morning while I was at work.  He was able to use leftover materials from other projects and hang the hood by chains over the stove top and created the duct work also!  I must admit, I was a bit apprehensive when he told me about the chains, but it turned out great.  He is so much better at seeing the picture in his head, whereas I have to literally see it in person (this is our largest difference and biggest challenge probably, but I trust his instincts).  Our last piece of the project is to add a counter under the 'new' cabinets.  We originally were going to use an old door from the basement, but it's hollow core so won't work very well.  My Dad might have some leftover Corian at his shop to help us out, but for now it's still open and Hunter's crate is using the space up nicely. 

The kitchen/dining room space has changed immensely in the last month!  It's fitting into our lifestyle and our wants...slowly but surely, it's coming together.

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Paint changes everything

It is true, paint changes the entire feel of a room or a piece of furniture! 

We have been stuck unable to agree on a color for the dining room.  I wanted a rich brown color but was afraid it would either be too dark or clash with whatever color we chose for the kitchen (since they are so open to each other now).  Jay wanted a maroon color to help with the fireplace and he's always liked the idea of a maroon dining room.  He is fabulous in truly letting me chose the colors for the house, even though I ask his opinion every time wanting him to enjoy the room too.  In the end, we were both in agreement that the peachy-pink color had to go!  My friend Virginia put it nicely when she said 'If they put that color in a paint can, it'd be called Old Lady'. HAHAHA!  So incredibly true.

How it looked when we bought the house

Gotta love the Old Lady walls and those dreadful curtain/drapes

With the snow that came this past week and my dentist appointment in town, I decided painting is how I would spend my free afternoon.  So I grabbed a gallon of beautiful brown, called Scented Clove, on the way home.  I taped off the edges, did the up and down trim work on the edges, ceiling and floor boards.  I accomplished painting the two main walls flanking the fireplace that evening.  At first I felt it was too contrast to the orange-ish brick and the thick cherry wood mantle, but the more I turned the corner or walked through the room, the more I loved it! 

Today Jay and I finished the room - yes, my Husband helped me paint :)  We two-teamed it...Jay trimmed and I rolled.  The entire room was done in less than two hours!  It is a gorgeous room now, very welcoming.  It gives the brick a darker, more brown coloring and warms up the room completely!  It feels lived in.  It feels relaxing. 

We've rearranged the room over the last week making it more functional.  Previously, the dining room table was the focal point of the room - making a fabulous dumping ground for anything and everything!  Plus, together we maybe sit at the dining room once or twice a week with our opposite schedules.  In rearranging, we created a little bistro by the large windows, it's intimate and still functional, along with not taking up the entire room's quirky space.  We added a throw rug in the middle of the space to settle everything.  Beside the kitchen, we have Heidi & Eric's papasan chair with a table and lamp - this is where I'm sitting now, yet the cats claim this space often.  We hung pictures up and curtains too (bought the rods yesterday and more of the old office curtains - we are just switching rooms with the curtains).  Sidenote:  Chase the Cat just curled up with me in the chair and Hunter the Dog is laying on the carpet chewing on his bone.  This scene makes me incredibly happy. 

I know you guys want to see pictures, so here you go...

OLD DINING ROOM

Our little Bistro all lit up

 You will have to come over for dinner sometime soon! 

Home Sweet Home

Our house if finally becoming our home in the truest sense of the word... 

The office is painted - finished Turkey Day weekend - and it turned out to be a beautiful color called Mushroom Bisque.  I would work in the evenings jamming out to Dave and painting around the furniture Jay would have moved for me earlier in the day.  I took a good week to get the whole room done.  I was rooting around for rollers in our basement 'paint section' and found a Blue Tape Applicator Tool...LOVE IT!  It is a fabulous invention and made painting go a lot faster than with the newspaper I had taped to the ceiling originally (hahaha!)  After the painting was done last Friday, Jay and I rearranged the room again on Saturday. 

Here is what it looked like before...

And now...

The color gives such a soft, warm feel to the room.  We moved the living room curtains to the office, which goes well.  I like how the window and door way pop with the white trim.  It's our first complete room in the house with paint, curtains and decorating... 

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Blue Sponge Paint

Do you like dark blue?  Yeah?  Me too! 
Do you like light blue?   Not pastel baby blue, but sky blue...sure.
Do you like white?  Same here.
Do you like peachy/pink?  No?  Me neither!

What about all four together?

  

Yeah, that was our kitchen about four hours ago... AND NOW....

WOW!  I kind of can't believe it used to be bright blue and sponge painted.  It's definitely WHITE and now a blank slate to better help us decide what color to paint the kitchen moving forward.  So incredibly glad this is done - finally! 

I was going to work on getting my dag-gone sewing machine to work, but changing the kitchen felt more accomplishing since I don't know what's wrong with the sewing machine (I don't seem to have the best patience for it right now).  I might bring it with me to the Mom's tomorrow to see if she can help since it used to be hers...

And if I don't jump on tomorrow...HAPPY TURKEY DAY TO EVERYONE!!


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Accomplished Sunday

I did not sleep well last night, so Jay let me sleep in until 9am this morning (lets me catch some extra Zs now since I won't get to when kiddos come)...just Hunter and I snoozing away.  I was awoken with a kiss and a 'Good Morning Sunshine' (best way to wake up!)  We chatted and made the bed then folded the laundry and put it away.  The Husband headed towards the living room...

I have been meaning to pack away my summer shirts and pull out the winter ones, so decided I should do it now while up and moving.  I always find I put away clothes that I don't wear that often, but never want to cut anything so just pack it up, telling myself I'll deal with it next season - which I never do.  My friend Melissa has a good trick that I have begun to utilize - turn all your hangers backwards and when you wear something and hang it back up, turn the hanger around the right way - make sense?  At the end of the season, any hangers that are still backwards are clothes you never wore, so toss them instead of packing them up again!  Easy peasy and makes sense.  I was able to get rid of twelve shirts!!  Very motivating.  I hung up my winter shirts and yelled to the Husband about my accomplishment.  He was very glad - always stating I have too many clothes, mentioned I could probably get rid of other clothes in my closet.  The challenge was on :)  I asked him if he'd help me...sure, I know what you have and haven't worn (with a smile on his face).  I pulled out my casual wear t-shirts on hangers (33 of them) - kept maybe one third of them!  Next were my folded t-shirts (picture five piles of 10 shirts each on an upper shelft) - kept maybe half of them!  Lastly were my dresses - fancy dresses, bridesmaid dresses and college slutty dresses (maybe 15 total), I tossed half of them and kept only the ones I'll wear.  I reorganized my scarves/belts/purses trading places and incorporating a new hook Jay screwed up for me.  We cut through his clothes too - his hanging shirts were cut in half easy!  After it was all said and done, we opened up half his closet, which now houses winter jackets and my dresses. 

From our bedroom, we ventured into the guest room - duh, duh duhhh - this is a catch all for anything and everything!  The closet was stuffed to the gills...we pulled out about ten pillows, two comforters, a never opened blanket, decorations, more clothes (most were tossed) and winter jackets (now housed in our bedroom closet).  We re-arranged things - the dresser had four empty drawers, so we filled it with pillowcases and extra sheets; moved the games from the upper shelf to the floor of the closet (easier for kids); pillows galore up top now; moved a small dresser (used to house pillow cases) into closet and filled it with my crafting fabric and topped it with comforters.  The room opens up now with a piece of furniture in the closet now. 

Moving to the living room (first time I left the bedrooms all morning!), we vacuumed.  I LOVE a vacuumed house!!  Jay connected the computer to the tv to see how that looks.  We are probably going to kill DirectTV and watch tv from our computer (hulu.com here we come!)  It's $80 to get the internet and another $80 for DirectTV - RIP OFF!  We are now watching the Raiders/Steelers game from the computer - not too shabby!  It's all about who you are able to stream from...aka Napster for TV.

Talk about an accomplished Sunday!

Switch!

This room I'm sitting in right now has evolved since we've lived here...  It originally started out as the dining room - easily decided when we first moved in with the only problem being we don't use the dining room much - I don't even have pictures of it being used as a dining room!  During the week with our opposite schedules, we fly solo for meals at home.  We needed a better use of the space...



After some rearranging of rooms last winter, it became our Office.  It was a nice bright alternative to the extra bedroom, which we turned into the playroom for Erin and Bailey.  This is when we first rearranged in February. 

Where did the dining room go, you ask?  We put it in the study (I guess that's what you'd call this room) off the kitchen.  It's now perfectly placed at arms reach to the kitchen.  Only downside is when the table is fully open, it's a tight squeeze to get around, which might even be an understatement!  We bought the chandelier you see in the picture above for the dining room table, so that was moved as well and a ceiling fan took it's place.  Here's a pic of the dining room...

Wow, this picture is OLD!  We now have the chandelier on the ceiling and a large armoire where the dresser is, which is a close matching set to the table.  And yes, the walls are that ugly peach pink!!  I need to paint it badly...

The office space is similar still, yet evolved to an even better situation - we added a library. :)  I absolutely love (love, love, love, love, love) the idea of floor to ceiling bookcases with so many books to get lost in!  Thanks to my friend Jacqui and her spending spree, I picked up four well-loved white bookcases she no longer needed.  I finally got my 'library'...

I like it best this way...eventually we might close off the door to the kitchen and add french doors between the office/library and the living room.  Paint is next...gotta pick a color...

Carpet Be Gone

Raise your hand if you spent your anniversary tearing apart your house....no one?  We did!

The carpet in our living room/office was nasty and that's an understatement!  We decided to tear out the nasty, stained, smelly carpet one morning thinking 'we can do this' and 'it will be so much better when done!'  Let me tell you, we were so right!!  We took out the carpet, padding tack strips and hammered any stub-worthy nails down. 

We are now living on the underlayment flooring (think this is what it's called) until we put down hard wood flooring, which will have to wait until after the holidays.  Plus, my mom passed along some throw rugs and they work perfectly in the space! 

Water and grass

The above puddle is the representation of ALOT of hard work!!  ALOT of unexpected work!!  This is our front yard obviously...  To make a long story short, each time it rained we would have this lovely frog swimming pool in our front yard.  Our clay soil (if you want to call it soil) is so rock solid that it wouldn't soak up any water, so the water would end up in our basement :)  Oh, joy!  Yep, within six months of buying the house we had water in the basement.  I still can't believe it.  When we knew the rain would come and we'd stand watch, checking the basement every so often; if water came in, we sopped it up with towels, sucked it up with the shop vac and squidgy the hell out of the lovely laminate tile flooring, always hoping it was the last time.  

In order to stop the issue, we gathered friends and family - you fabulous people know who you are - and we dug that shite up!  Jay had busted up one section of sidewalk to help October 2009 - Halloween day actually - and realized we needed more manpower.  So in June of this year, we recruited help in the nicest way...pretty please...  Jay and I got up early busting up the sidewalk and once help came the men tore that sidewalk apart getting out all their aggressions, while we dug up all the millions and millions of pebbles.  We used the dump cart and made a nice mound in the back beside the workshop to use for a future patio project.  In between trips to the dump - surprised we don't know them by name now - we'd stop and get a yard of dirt to fill in the vacant space.  Our plan was to regrade from the flower bed to the grass so the water wouldn't puddle and sit.  It was amazing that day and great to get good and sweaty being able to see our progress from the morning.  

Before Jay and I started that morning...

 After the sidewalk and good portion of pebbles are gone...

 

In the end, Jay and I tore out the flower bed also to grade from the house out.  We probably have about 8-10 yards of dirt (thank you Lee Highway Nursery) and tons of shoveling experience it's insane!  Now that it's level, I'm proud to say that we haven't had water in the basement since mid-summer... 

We planted grass in the dirt area almost a month ago.  The Husband meticulously researched the correct grass seed to buy and lay...we leveled the area (it looks like a magician's hat to me) and pulled all the weeds...bought just a bit more dirt and laid some seed.  It's growing - some places better than others but it's coming along. 

We are supposed to get a frost tonight, so this is what a Wife does for her Husband's love of his grass...

Yes, those the original curtains from our living room - glad they can be used for something!

We have fabulous friends that have helped along the way of this journey....truly magnificent friends and family! 

The extension of this front yard project is the basement...more on that later.

Like a picture frame

Written a few weeks ago...

Our new window is spectacular!  I love it...  Who knew one window would make such a huge change in our house.

This old house is filled with the (what we believe are) the original casement windows by Anderson.  In never having casement windows, I was intrigued by the cranks and the latches.  I love how they are long - almost floor to ceiling in length!  There are no internal 'grids' or the normal middle obstruction from a double hung window, letting lots of light in and giving a feeling of being closer to the outside.  They are old school; each having their own second pane of glass that snaps in or out, in addition to an individual screen too.  When we moved in we realized that not all the windows crank correctly - major drag but at least one, two or three in each sectional open.  In order to keep track of which work and which don't, we keep the top open/close latch in the open position.  We would love to replace all the windows in the house, yet there are far too many so we are prioritizing by energy efficiency and use.

Along those guidelines, the first and largest sectional to be replaced was the living room.  Originally being five separate casements with only two of them opening, we decided it was our best option with the sunshine beating in a good portion of the day.  To help with energy efficiency, we bought thick, insulating curtains from Wal-Mart to keep the heat out and the cool in during the summer months and vice versa during the winter months.

We originally wanted Thompson Creek to come out but we are outside their district.  Therefore, our next option was HD who sells Renewal by Anderson windows.  A rep came out and priced it all out for us...being crazy expensive, we settled on the living room first.  In replacing the five separate casements, we chose a three pane window - large middle 'bay' window with a casement on either end.  This would be perfect to remove the vertical obstructions and frame our Japanese Maple perfectly, yet still have the option to catch a breeze.

The window was installed on Sept 18th by sub-contractors we were told are legal and professional.  In preparation, we had 'fenced' off the hydrangea and two grasses in the front yard, took down the window treatments and moved all the furniture off that wall.  Two men arrived - a larger, younger man and a smaller, older man - neither spoke english very well.  Jay, Hunter and I sat on the couches and basically watched what they did...curious to see how it was all going to work and to make sure we understood what was happening.  I had the camera also to take pictures along the way and document the momentous event - in a covert manner. :)

Everything was going smoothly... they took the old window out and hauled it away... tore out the rotted wood bottom frame, which I thought was nice of them... they then proceeded to replace the rotted frame with a 2x4 piece of wood - makes sense, but seemed strange to us... next it was time to install the new window... they stood outside for about 20 mins just looking at it... tried to cut down a seam to see if would truly become 'sections'... they tried to carry it sideways, but it started to buckle at the connection points between the three windows and realized that wasn't going to work... Jay and I were wondering what they were doing (?!?!)... we walked outside to get the mail and a stray piece of trash that had drifted into the court... once out there, we stood talking to our neighbor and just watching the spectacle... finally we realized the smaller, older man could not lift his end of the window to carry it into the house!!!!  You have got to be kidding me!?!?  I asked Jay if he was going to help them, but he said no way because if something goes wrong, it's our problem then - makes sense but it was torture watching them.  Finally he used a rope for leverage on his end and carried it inside.  The larger, younger guy lifted his end into the empty frame and then they switched places - the smaller guy held it in the window while the larger guy hoisted the other end...the entire time the window is perched on the current sill!!  I am in shock that he couldn't lift the window - how ridiculous!!!  The window is in place and we head back inside to keep watch on the situation.  There obviously are gaps between the old frame and the new window; they filled the side gaps with thin packaging foam...  I am sure this is fine, but I was again in shock this was happening.  At this point, Jay started to look up online about replacement window installation...nothing too comprehensive online, but everything seemed legit.  They used shoe molding to hide the gaps and then caulked the seams on the inside.  The outside needed some coverage due to the 2x4 for a bottom frame and the gaps on the side and top.  They used brown metal which he bent and cut on site.  It turned out to match as well as can be expected.  Yes, there were times we had questions about what and why they were doing things, yet didn't ask questions for obvious reasons - they do this every day so they should know what and how to do this with their eyes closed.  At least that's what you would think...  In the end, we are happy with our end result - a beautiful picture window!!

Original five windows

Hunter keeping watch :)

Like a picture (try to ignore the ladder)

Torn in strips to fill the surrounding gaps after new window in place

2x4 as new base with no insulation stuffed in the cracks

Beautiful window!

From the outside

UPDATE
I am glad I documented all of this because there is are two unfortunate middle chapters.  1) The trim on the window sill had to be replaced due to the Chinese fire drill of putting the new window in the frame.  It was wrecked pretty bad, so I called and they replaced the bottom trim molding.  2) Now the window is leaking water into our house!!  The caulking looks to have pulled away or deteriorated from the outside of the window around the metal casing.  We noticed this Tuesday evening and realized it's probably been happening for a while.  There's water creating a small puddle in the living room and creeping along the wall edge, plus damage in the basement joists below the window.  Fun stuff!  I called HD again and someone was supposed to come today and is now coming in the morning - see below post.  Hopefully they will be accommodating because who knows what is happening behind the dry wall or above the basement joists (between the underlayment floor and sub flooring).  I will let you know how it goes...

In retrospect...

We are going thru a water issue (I hate water!) with our month old HD living room window as of Tuesday evening. 

I left work early today for an appointment with a field inspector to come check things out.  I pulled into my neighborhood and he calls saying he's going to be late - after dinner late - so we rescheduled for tomorrow morning!  Glad since Jay will now be home to stick it to him, but I had worked myself up to being mad and angry, to not take 'this is all we can do for you' as an answer...then he goes and reschedules - relief and frustration.  Completely let my fences down as I said goodbye and he came back with one more question...'where is the water coming from since we haven't had any rain lately?'  Stupid me answers, 'since we are trying to grow grass, we do have a sprinkler that hits the windows, yet there is extensive water damage in the basement, so since we just saw the puddle on Tuesday in the living room the water damage could be from previous rains.'  IDIOT!  I should have just said 'I'm not sure.' and left it at that but I opened my mouth....  I mean, he will be able to see the sprinkler set up towards the house when he arrives in person, but he hasn't even seen the window and I feel like I've blown it already.  I'm going to beat myself up about this for hours...

Our House

The below is from Feb 2009, an excerpt from a Shutterfly album after we bought the house...  I can hear my excitement as I read these words over a year later. 

Jay and I bought a house - WAHOO!! Signed and closed the deal on my birthday (which I really wouldn't recommend to many due to the stress and craziness)! It's a beautiful brick rancher that has amazing potential and wonderful bones sitting on an acre and a half of land - yep, all ours! Hunter is in heaven and the cats have warmed up to the echo sounds from the hardwood floors. It's a slow work in progress with our main focus on renting the Reston Condo, but it feels like home...even if we do pinch ourselves to make sure it's real!  We have a guest room now so the door is always open...just give a call and come on over!

We were determined to sleep in OUR house the first night we owned it, so we packed up as much as we could in our cars, along with the animals - they have been here since Day 1!  We had no furniture, just some cats toys, my beloved orange chair that has followed me everywhere and blankets galore.  We made a pallet of blankets and created a great memory seeing the cats get low with every echo and Hunter sniff the dickens out of every inch.  We woke up the next morning smiling and with a visitor already...

Yep, we've come to discover we have our very own wildlife sanctuary in our backyard!  Mr. Fox hung around for a while that morning and came back for a few days afterwards, but eventually stopped showing his face when Hunter became King of the Yard.  Since Mr. Fox found solace in the brush, we have daily visit from deer - lately two does and with their fawns - who love to nibble on the fruit trees.  Hunter will just sit and watch them or when he's feeling frisky will try to sneak up and then runs around with all his might thinking he can catch them.

And even the smaller kind of animal that catches a ride from a cat or two...bleh!  It's never a dull moment around here.

And just so I don't leave you with an unpleasant last image, here's a beauty for you...and I can never show just one :)

This house definitely has it's moments where you are in awe of the surroundings and definitely pinch yourself at times to make sure it's yours!  It's perfect.

All in the details...

Details...shmeatails...  I have a friend who is amazing at the details!  She can pull a room or party together and make it look effortless.  All the while, I'm matchy matchy all the way home.

I'm good with spreadsheet details...with finding an error amongst tens of thousands of lines of data...in making a process run more smoothly or efficiently.  I'm good with the black and white of it.

When it comes to decorating details, I'm a 'less is more' type of gal.  A simple is beautiful girl.  But there's no black and white about it...give me color!

I came to this thought process and keep touching on it because of the wall colors, flooring choices, crown and base molding choices (which are insanely expensive by the way!), furniture updates and fixtures changes that come with our evolving home.  I am easily overwhelmed by having to choose just one.  I think that comes mostly from being a visual, tangible (hahaha Megs) person that has a very hard time picturing it in her head!  My poor husband...so patient with me...

Some quick pics found online that I love...

The arch doorways are fabulous...find I like the more square look versus the rounded.

Love the bead board in this bathroom!

Bead board again...and open cabinet doors - forces tidiness

LOVE ME SOME ORGANIZATION!










For those of you making these types of decisions on a daily basis - fabulous - please come help me...

PS - These are NOT of my house :) I wish!