Oh my gosh... I'm here! I'm here! Say hello to the queen slacker of blogging.
Since school started back up, Bennett and I are establishing our new routine and the ol' blog just took a backseat for a few weeks.
Not too much going on around the house, however my parents and my brother both had huge house renovations this summer. I thought that since not much has changed around my casa that I would share theirs.
Project 1- Mantis and Queenie's Basement
My parents did a huge basement renovation from late spring into early summer. It looks amazing!
Before
After
 |
| Kitchen |
 |
| This is how the kitchen looks now. An oven is the next purchase for this area. |
Before
After
 |
| Family room/ play room |
Before
After
 |
| Piano room/ hallway leading to bathroom |
Before
After
 |
| Eventually bedroom/ sitting room |
Before
After
 |
| Forgot to take an after pic so dad sent this one, but I love this bathroom... the shower is a Roman (I think) style- so no door, just walk in... it is huge and perfect to bath adults, kids, or dogs. |
Before
After
 |
| Main bedroom |
I took these pictures back in June... Mom (and dad) have moved furniture back to basement since then so it is furnished/ decorated as you can tell by the one kitchen pic and bathroom pic.
Looking forward to the whole family being able to crash at our "lake" house.
Project 2- Nolan's Kitchen
Nolan has an older brick ranch. His neighborhood is in a hot market right now with houses selling left and right. Since he bought the house, he has added a bathroom, painted every room, and is working on his landscaping (Riggs likes to destroy the landscaping about as quickly as he does it... more on Riggs and destruction in a minute.)
Anyway, Nol's kitchen was OUTDATED!
Before
After-
 |
| So pretty- awesome sink. Floors were stained to match existing hardwood and were pretty much a perfect match |
 |
| Coolest microwave ever- slides out like a shelf |
 |
| Adore this brick wall... they literally cut down pieces of brick into 1/2" slices. The huge glass door is going to replace that window and run down past the back door. |
I love everything about this re-do. Next month, he is also having a HUGE glass door (like 6-8 feet long) put in that will lead to screen porch. Good job Nolie.
Project 3- GrandmaDean' den
GrandmaDean did this last spring but I thought it turned out perfectly. She painted the everything herself as well as designing/ painting the "family tree." No before pics but here are the after.
 |
| Furniture was all reupholstered, new rug, fresh paint on walls. |
 |
| This is the statement piece in the room. |
 |
| She continued the tree theme running down the steps with her 9 great grankids each represented. |
She is already talking about which room to do next- living room or kitchen? Obviously, this re-do gene is a strong one.
Project 4- In the works
This is one project that I am holding my breath on. As mentioned above about Riggs, my dog nephew- he is
semi-destructive. He is 6 years old but acts like is 6 months. haha. We get to keep Riggs about once a month when Nolan is out of town. This past weekend we had him and he stayed a few extra days as the floors in his house were being stained. Monday afternoon I hear, "no Riggs, no Riggs, Oh no.... MOM!!!!"
Before I tell you what happened, let me tell you a story about me when I was a girl. I have always loved dogs, but most people dont know that I also equally loved pigs. While we lived in Germany, as a 5 year old, I saved up my money and bought a Steiff stuffed pig. Back in '87, she was $50 I think. So, not cheap. I LOVE this pig. Anytime I would get sent to my room crying, I would cry into this pig, any break up I went through, I would cry and hug this pig. Any fight with my parents, brothers, this pig was the sounding board. This pig, whom I named my first dog after, was/ is very dear to me. Molly Schwine and I are tight.
So, back to Riggs. Molly Schwine was left on the floor by boy #3 and boy #4 as they were trying to annoy boy #1 who likes to keep Molly Schwine on his bed. Riggs took that as an invitation to assault my pig. You guys, I broke down when Hunter brought Molly Schwine to me... like tears running down my face. If you know me, you know, I am not a crier. My boys have never seen me cry that hard--- they like disappeared. You can tell they were so uncomfortable with the whole situation.
During this whole thing, I am chastising myself for crying over a stuffed animal. Seriously... I am 34 years old, but I was soooo sad for the rest of the day. At the boys soccer practice that night, one of the coaches asked if I was all right and then I proceeded to tell him about the whole fiasco--- for the record, he also seemed uncomfortable. haha- I think men are just in general, uncomfortable when women get emotional (I did not cry in front of the coach though.)
 |
| I refuse to throw her away. She will be fixed in some capacity. |
Molly Schwine is currently at GrandmaDean's hospital for stuffed animals. During our weekly lunch date with G-Dean's we went by Mary Joe's and tried to find something that would help mend Molly Schwine. GrandmaDean is going to work her magic. I have full confidence that though she will not look the same, GrandmaDean will be able to save her.
To sum it up, well done family on all the renovations! I love them all. And, I will give an updated post on Molly Schwine once I know something. Until, then, I know you will be waiting on pins and needles.
