Come on In!

I have to chuckle at the two extreme titles of this post vs the last... oh, what a difference a week makes.

Though I still have so many things on want/ to do list, I feel ready to head back to work... tomorrow.  I would love to be able to take a week or two to really enjoy the house, but back to school we go.  The boys still have another week, but us teacher folks start tomorrow.

If you were to show up at my house right now, this is what you would see.  Some rooms are not done, other rooms are basically done.   As I complete rooms, I will post about them but here is what we have now.

I threw in a couple before pics (the small ones) just for a comparison.

If you were driving to our house, this is what you would see.

BEFORE

After

Love our long driveway.  Hunter says I back out "like a boss"  haha.

Side view

Walking to the front door.  This fall/ spring, I will get on the landscaping.. But short term, I trimmed bushes, yanked out dead stuff as well as that awful plastic stuff, and spread pine needles.

Door is open- some come on in!

Before it is ours...

Day 1 with us.

View from the front door.

The couch was a perfect fit... it is the only piece of furniture that will fit but it looks good.

View from the kitchen.  Paint color- Agreeable Grey

I love a good gallery wall and I think this one turned out pretty good.  This room was originally a formal dining room.  We decided to have a sitting area instead.  It also extends seating for tv watching and is a great reading nook. Paint color- Poised Taupe

This is not the kitchen of my dreams but, now that we are in the house, it is a lot better than I was expecting

Before.... bleh bleh bleh

Eat in dining- use the armoire as a pantry- Good idea mom!

One of my favorite features we added... a laundry shoot.  Just realized today that I forgot to paint the drywall section.. haha

The very messy garage... However, all that cardboard in the front is dump bound.  So, pretty soon at least one car will be able to be parked in the garage.

Our workout room.  We also have the desktop and the Wii is currently set up out here.  Still so surprised by how much I like this weird little room off the garage.

 Heading back inside...

Master Bedroom.  Still some stuff to do here but it could be awhile

The master bathroom is officially the only room that has not been painted yet.  I will get to it when I get to it....

And the last room on the 1st floor... Bennett's room.  I caved and let him pick out dinosaurs covers... I figured if it made it happy to have his own room (he still wanted to share) then it was worth.  Plus, I bought them from Wal Mart for under $35.   I have a few little touches to finish for his room but it is close to done

 Upstairs we go.

Shepherd in his art zone.  I have a lot of stuff to still hang up and he needs some new bedding.  He wants Minecraft and I said, "he!! no" (in my head) and "uh, no" (out loud).  We are looking for bedding with brighter colors and kind of block like.  I will know it when I see it.  But, for now, it is fully functional

The new upstairs den.  We still need some seating.  On the look out for something smallish as this room is not real big.

 And, the new section

Before the house was ours.

Part way through the process

This is worth the wait!  The new hallway.

Hunter's room.  Again, new bedding.  I hate these covers plus his sheets dont fit so lots of changes coming to this room in the coming months.  

Ashton's room.  Ashton actually has the largest room as the fusbol table had to go into a room.  Hunter really needs his get away time from his brothers so Ash was all to pleased to add the fusbol table and forego on some privacy.  Again, lots of changes coming to this room too.   He opted to stay in his twin bunk bed but add some seating underneath.  We got some clearance bedding at Target a month or ago... Figured this black and white check would blend with any sports stuff we add.

Boys bathroom upstairs.  More pics coming

 So, there is a quick tour.  I cant believe my summer is over.  It has been so busy.  With Chad working so much, I have had so many people step up to the plate to help out with the house and the boys.  So, thank you.  

GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!

This post is a total vent.  So, if you don't like vents or will think of me as whiny, then just skip it.

Before I vent, in the back of my head, I know these things to be true...

1- We are very blessed to have this house fall in our lap and to have the ability to add space to make it fit us better

2- This house basically had everything on my "want/ need" list

3- In the overall scheme of things, these weeks waiting on the rooms to be done is so small.

4- This time next year, this summer will be a memory.

We closed on the house June 6.  A week later the popcorn ceiling started coming down.  We were told after the popcorn was down, then completing the renovation of the two new rooms would be about 2-3 weeks.... this was June 22.  We are now at August 1.  Today the carpet is going in.  I am crossing my fingers that by Friday, we will be finished.  But, I am in full pessimist mode right now so lets be honest.  They will never be done.  I kid, I kid- I think.

I have spent countless hours with a paint brush in my hand.  My parents gave up another Saturday to help me.  I knew with the carpet coming today that I wanted to have 99% of the painting complete so I would not mess up the carpet.  Though I have some touch ups to do, the only painting left is my bathroom and the upstairs den and small hallway upstairs.

Hunt's room... this from about a week ago.  Coat of primer

This shows how Shoji White (in the crease) is really not a bright white... it is crazy because by itself it looks quite white.  I love paint- I am so odd!

I had the flourescent lights taken down in the kitchen and the master bath... Unfortunately, I had this taken down after the popcorn ceilings were already completed which left BIG sections unfinished.  I scraped them and then had the drywall guy, Mr Harold, mud it for me.  This is why I paid $2000 or someone else to scrape the popcorn.  It was easy to scrape but SOOOOO messy.

Yesterday, I did a little bit of yardwork... I am actually looking forward to really/ literally getting my hands dirty.  I took a couple before pics but let's wait for an after picture to make me feel better about the progress.

Moses has stayed at his co-owners (AKA- my parents... haha) house until the men are finished since he doesnt really love strangers.  I miss him terribly.  We visit mom and dads every couple of days to visit with him.  I so wish he was more friendly and less guard-dog like.

Chad is in football world.  As the athletic director as well, he works from 6am to 9 pm.  We live totally separate lives this time of year.

I head back to work August 10.  Though I like my job, I would be lying if I said I was excited about going back.  I am a loner at heart and long to retire... haha.

The boys get along most of the time, but there are days when they just fight and fight and fight.  We have not been able to unpack due to the rooms not being complete, so though are kind of on top of each other. We are all anxious to have our own spaces!

Ok, so this wasnt a total vent but let me just say again- I am sooo ready to have all this work done and to final settle in this house.

We are In!

It has been 5 days since we moved into our house... No, the renovations are not done but with school starting in less than a month, sports activities already in full swing and the need to start feeling settled, we went ahead and made the move.  The renovations are hopefully going to be done by the end of the next week.  It is quite a process and I am trying to be patient.  Until the rooms are done then are stuff (especially the boy's rooms) are going to be a hot mess.

I wish I took some pictures of all the help we had the day leading up to the move, the day of the move, and the day after the move but my mind was elsewhere.

My parents came over the day before and helped me get the house ready "to receive" (in the words of my mom) all the stuff.  Chad had 5 football players, his dad, Tommy, cousins and cousins in law, and Ashton and Shep's soccer coach and wife help in the unloading the storage unit.  Grandma kept the kids all day and then head dinner ready for us that evening.  My parents stayed back at their house and got all of our basement stuff packed up and ready for the moving kids to come over.  It was really a quick process considering how much stuff we have!  I enjoyed multiple cups of coffee and a couple glasses of wine and was happy as a lark!  The day after my parents came back over and dad hung blinds for me and mom continued to clean up.  Our first night in the house was Sunday.

 Pre Move....

All the doors, interior and exterior, are getting Iron Ore paint.  The closets have since received their coats of paint as well.  I adore this color!  More on the doors later!

Hunter helping me paint out Shepherd's room.  

This fire place will receive some more TLC over the next months but for now the inset got a couple coats of Iron Ore as well.

This is the weird little room in the garage (that is Air Conditioned... it was a beauty salon for the previous owner).  got a coat of leftover paint from the previous owner).  So many ideas for this little gem of a room.)

The first of may before and afters... this little half bathroom is not finished but... need to show some progress.

Before- the brown that was alllll over the entire house.

Trying to find a color... Mom and Bennett voted for the yellowy color on the far left.  Hunter voted for the one beside it.  Ashton and liked the middle, and Shep the blue one.  But, my vote is really the only one that matters so I added the one to the far right after I got their votes and went with it... It is called Contended... You all now that I pick paint colors based on their names. You also now that contentment has been my anthem over the last 7 years.  So, it seemed appropriate and it is quite the lovely color.

Here she is.  This bathroom doesnt even have a mirror in it yet. But the paint is done. :)

Post Move

Since the move, the sheetrock has been hung and the mudding is happening as I type.

Ashton's room

Hunt's room

Little sitting area littered with boxes

Bennett's room is currently wall to wall beds as we wait for the 2 extra rooms to be finished

My room.

There are also some little things that still need to be done... We had the big ol' flourescent lights taken out in the kitchen and the master bathroom.  Unfortunately, we did this after the popcorn ceilings were done.  So, our ol' Carlos has to come back out and touch up take the popcorn down where the lights were removed.  However, I am so happy to have the can lights!

Here is the little weird garage room again.  You can see a lighter tan color on the walls (which I will probably repaint in the next year).  Right now this space has our office desk, the Wii, and fusbol table.

The current state of the garage... this kind of stresses me out!

The mess of the storage room.  This needs some major organization... another room of stress.

View of the back of the house... look at those luscious Iron Ore doors... Love! 

And the perks of unpacking.  Finding all those sweet pictures that make you smile.... all my babies at 8 months!  

So, we are making progress.  I will feel so much better once the renovations are complete and I can get my house in order.  I have had a paint brush in my hand every day for the past week or more.  I believe I will be painting the 2 extra rooms once the guys are done with the finishing.  This week the boys have had VBS at Papa Hub and Grandma's church every evening where dinner served as well.  That, my friends, is a God-wink if I have ever had one.  It has been so nice to know the kids are being loved on while I have a few hours to work at the house.  Hub has taken Hunter to football practice for me while Grandma picks them up for VBS.  My dad kept the boys while I had a work event yesterday.  It truly takes a village and I so grateful.