Settling into Home...

Well we are working to settle into the new house but I have decided it will take a while. I couldn't really describe my decor style...old world with a splash of whimsy and contemporary. Is that really a style? All I know is I know what I like when I see it. Also, I only want something if the price is more than right. Mark and I went to an antique auction a few weeks ago and had a blast. We picked up so many things for a song! I don't really care if things are in perfect condition. In fact, I prefer something that has lived a life and shows it. In the picture of the living room below you can see a bit of the 9' by 12' very worn wool rug we purchased at the auction for $30! The old rug looks right at home on my old wood floors. I still need to find the right piece of artwork for above the mantle. I tried a big mirror and I didn't like it at all. Suggestions...?Here are a few more of my bargain finds that I have or will scatter throughout the house.

These old pickle jars with lids painted black make great containers for my little baking station! I think I paid $5 for all three of them.
This matted great black and white photo: $1.99 at Goodwill
I scattered my fiesta in with these ADORABLE hand painted dishes I found on clearance at Target for a SONG!
More of my fiesta dishes I have collected over the years.
This is the best find BY FAR...this old SPECTACULAR desk chair for $15 at that little country Flea Market. Just gotta clean off that white paint splatter and hit the wheels with a little WD40 and it is PERFECT for our office.
My last find that I will share is probably my favorite simply because my Hubby and boys LOVED IT. My Steeler fans in Cowboy country loved my $5 Goodwill find. Who would have ever dreamed I would find such a thing? I will paint the frame black and hang it in Mason's room or the game room.

I still have a ton of stuff to do but I like doing it slowly and layering the house with great finds with character at a bargain. And just think...it is spring and neither of my boys wanted to play baseball this year. I can spend my Saturday mornings hunting Garage sales ;-)

Partial Home Reveal...

Notice the TV was the first thing to be installed. I need to have a cushion made for the window seat. Any of you local gals have a good seamstress to recommend? Also, I have never been a fan of curtains. I've always just done wood blinds. I hate to cover all of this great woodwork! I could do roman shades but Mark thinks they will be a dirty mess. Do they get dirty and dusty and you are unable to wash them? Help me out here!
This tub has been calling my name! The first soak in it was just wonderful. I am looking for some prints of pressed ferns to hang above the tub. I may have to make my own. I found a great tutorial that I will share if I get brave.
I love these pedestal sinks. I put an old nightstand between them to store our "beauty essentials" and it looks MADE FOR THE SPACE. I'll post new pics soon.
This shower is so simple with the subway tile all around. Still waiting for the shower doors to arrive so I decided to spare you the sad temporary dollar store shower curtain.
This is the old sink from the kitchen that we salvaged and used in the laundry room. I love it with my old style pull chain light fixture above it.
This is the old back door to the house complete with skeleton key to lock it. I love that the old wavy glass is still in it. That little face on the other side adds extra cuteness ;-)
Just shots of the kitchen with appliances installed, tile back splash complete and plumbing fixtures in


The front bath with the great claw foot tub and old style black and white tile. It is really white, good thing it isn't the boys bathroom!
I'll post more pics of the other rooms once whe have the furniture set up and the boxes out of the way. It will take me months to find all of the artwork and accessories so I will be asking for tips along the way. Thanks for keeping me company along this LONG journey. Your encouragement has helped in more ways than you know.

MOVED IN!

Sorry for the LONG DELAY in posting. We have been busy! WE HAVE MOVED INTO THE NEW HOUSE!!! Oh, the happy dance we are doing. It will still be a while before we are settled but it is so nice to be in the new space. I have some pics I will post of a few of the rooms just before we started moving. My little camera is on the fritz so I am returning it for repair and I don't have a wide angle lens on the big camera to give the full effect. I will post pics as I get rooms settled. I feel like I have a big blank canvas in front of me...the decorating will be fun.

Here are a few things I have learned with this move.

1. When moving to a new house and your husband says we have a few small details to finish, make sure one of those details isn't install toilet seats in all but the upstairs bath (thank goodness it has a seat!). For some reason, this is not a big issue for men. Maybe I will get a good butt workout going upstairs to use the bathroom until the others come in.

2. The intercom system in the new house is nice. I don't have to scream up the stairs to the boys when I need one of them. With this nice feature comes tattling IN STEREO! The boys know how to use the intercom so they use it to "inform" me of the other's wrongdoings. But Andrew did use the intercom to tell me he loves me yesterday so that makes it a keeper ;-)

3. You really can throw away at least 20% of everything you own and not miss it...if the rest of your family isn't looking.

4. The new front load washing machine was like introducing television to a primitive tribe. Everyone had to stand in front and watch it at some point to see how it worked. Yes, we are easily entertained...obviously.

5. That old house had good bones and Mark really made it beautiful, but putting the people I love inside makes it our home. Now I really adore it!

It's beginning to look a lot like...HOME!

Doesn't this kitchen look different now. Mark laughed at me when I said the cabinet hardware and faucets were like jewelry for the kitchen. I was thinking we may need to glaze the white cabinets to take away the starkness but now that the walls are painted I think I like it! Mark, you were right...but don't let it go to your head ;-).

One last shot of my FAVORITE room in any house! Floors, tile and appliances and this room will be ready for a party :-)

Here is the view of the den from the kitchen. The fireplace is looking great and the wood floors are coming along. I can see lots of good times and great memories being created in this family room.

This fireplace is a Mark H. original. I LOVE IT! If you look closely you can find a special design that will be a daily reminder to us of our GREATEST blessing.

Next I'll give you an update on the master bath and the front guest bath. They are both looking great. Thanks for having fun with all of this craziness with us. We can't wait to get this place ready to fill with the ones we love.

A little eye candy.

This is my favorite development from all of our weekend toils. We did something a little different in the dining room. Instead of a chandelier we went with these amber colored lanterns grouped together. We may need to tweak their arrangement after we move in to achieve this look when you view the dining room from the front door. Mark is a little frustrated when I say that since he hung each light twice already trying to please his little woman. I tried to take more pics but my camera died. I'll take more next week once the kitchen counter tops are in. Things are really coming together. Here is one more picture I was able to get today.
This gives you an idea of how all the woodwork looks now that it is done. Mark has a few trim out pieces to finish around the window seats. I just love how warm it all looks! We will have some beautiful marble tile surrounding this fireplace in a couple of weeks. If you really want a shocker, go back and look at this post with the slide show of before pics of the house. You will truly see we have a SICKNESS for old houses. Mark and I both agree that this restoration and addition has cured us! We won't be doing this again...for a few years ;-)

This Old House...

is beginning to feel like a home. The sheet rock is up and finished. Mark is working to complete the trim work now. This is a detailed process for anyone but especially for my man. He is very detailed and wants to make sure this step is done right since (in his words) he will have to look at it every day and does not want someone's sloppy job to drive him crazy. Let's just say that some subcontractors are not as committed to doing a job as well as he would like. The guy that did our cabinets is a definite exception. He did a wonderful job making these fabulous cabinets with inlaid doors.

Here are a few shots of the kitchen after the beautiful cabinets were installed. We plan to paint the wall cabinets white and finish the base cabinets and pantry a deep mahogany.

THE MICROWAVE WILL GO HERE UNDER THE COUNTER BESIDE A BANK OF DRAWERS CONTAINING EVERYDAY DISHES TO GIVE THE BOYS EASY ACCESS.

THIS IS JUST HALF OF MY WALL WITH THE BIG WINDOW. JUST PICTURE A FARM SINK AND THESE BEAUTIFUL COUNTER TOPS

THIS RANGE WILL GO ON THIS WALL WITH A SUBWAY TILE BACK SPLASH.


THIS REFRIGERATOR WILL GO NEXT TO THE PANTRY AND THE ISLAND WILL BE WHITE WITH A LITTLE PREP SINK AND HOPEFULLY A BUTCHER BLOCK TOP.

Can you tell the kitchen is my favorite part of any home. It is the heart of every home. I can't wait to cook our first big dinner in this new kitchen. I still need to pick out cabinet hardware. I am having second thought about these cabinet latches. Although I LOVE the look of them, I don't think they are very practical. It might get old having to twist the latch to open the cabinet all the time. Any ideas on an alternative? I just haven't found anything else I love.

So that's it for this episode of This Old House. Join us next time when the cabinets are finished, the trim & doors are painted and finished, and I take a week off from work to PAINT EVERY ROOM OF THE HOUSE! Yeah, that should be fun. I'll welcome anyone who wants to come join me. I'll even buy you a paint roller :-)

House Update

I know a house update is overdue, but hey, so is the completion of this house ;-) I will head to the house to take a few shots of the progress but I'll give you a little sneak peak

Andrew was helping me scrape the drywall mud off the floor so we can be ready for the floors to be put down in a few of weeks. Just take a peak at those BEAUTIFUL kitchen cabinets behind him! We will have them painted and stained in a couple of weeks as well. That reminds me of the move Money Pit when the workers tell them everything will take "two weeks". We should rent that movie to find our sense of humor as we finish up this project. I'll post more pics of the progress in a couple of days. I know, such a teaser I am!

UPDATE

Well, we have been hard at work at what was formerly known as the yucky house. We have been lovingly referring to it as "the barn" thanks to our sweet neighbor, Paul. The exposed studs have been visible for so long now that Paul says he will always call our house "the barn". By the end of this week we should have the sheet rock up and finished!! NO MORE BARN. It will actually have completed walls and look like a home. We will have to come up with a new name for this place once it looks like a home. Mark has been WORKING SO HARD to get things done and ready so the sheet rock guys can start this week. I seriously do not know how he is doing it! He goes to work every day at 7:30 and goes strait to "the barn" to work until 2 or 3 am! This has been going on for several weeks now. Please pray for him as he moves through the home stretch of this home renovation. I'll leave you with some photos of our cutest construction workers ;-)

These little guys have been such troopers as this labor of love has stretched on for so long. Mason has worked with his dad most evenings this summer and Andrew has been there some too when mom goes to work on the weekends. I hope they look back on this as a good experience when they are older. It has been hard, but not many kids can say they helped their dad build their house with their own two little hands.

I have to say this is my favorite decorative feature in the home. We tucked these little hand prints away in a storage area under the stairs.

Oh, to want...

Our intent with the new/old house has been to keep as much of the old charm as possible. Part of that old charm is the original light fixture in the dining room. It is a great old pendant style light but it just didn't have the kind of presence I wanted for the dining room. Mark wants to keep it in the dining room and I have wanted to find something else for the dining room and use the original dining room fixture in the hallway.

I was ready to concede because I just have not found anything I really like. I just couldn't find anything that fit without looking too "Tiffany craftsman" or more ornate than I like...until now! I LOVE this light fixture for the dining room! I don't know if Mark will agree with this look but it is so turn of the century with just a hint of an industrial look. Now that I have this image in my mind, nothing else looks good.

HOUSE UPDATE

Well, the progress on the inside continues but the exterior looks a lot more like a home. I know, I know, the dumpster and siding boxes really class up the place. Just look past that for now. I just love the red trimmed windows and garage doors.

Aren't the gable windows just the greatest!

The front door will be stained a dark Cherry type finish. Just picture a porch swing on the far left and some cute chairs and plants to the right of the front door. It just makes you want to come sit a spell and sip some sweet tea doesn't it?

THE WORK CONTINUES

I THOUGHT I WOULD GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON THE "YUCKY HOUSE" PROJECT. THE WAY THINGS ARE LOOKING, WE ARE GETTING TO THE POINT THAT WE MAY JUST NEED TO FIND ANOTHER NAME FOR THE HOUSE.

WE HAVE HAD THE WINDOWS INSTALLED AND IT IS ANOTHER STEP THAT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE TO HOW EVERYTHING LOOKS. I HAD TO POST SOME PICTURES OF THESE PRETTY CRAFTSMAN STYLE WINDOWS THAT KEEP THE LOOK WE WANT.

THE BRICK RED EXTERIOR COLOR IS KEEPING WITH THE 1900'S CRAFTSMAN STYLE.
AREN'T THOSE TWO LITTLE GABLE WINDOWS CUTE. THEY CRANK OUT TO LET IN A BREESE. THEY WILL COME IN HANDY WHEN WE HAVE TO AIR OUT THE GAME ROOM AFTER A STINKY LITTLE BOY SLEEP OVER!
THIS IS THE KITCHEN WINDOW FROM OUTSIDE. ISN'T THAT JUST GORGEOUS! IT WILL LET IN SO MUCH LIGHT OVER MY KITCHEN SINK! AND YES, LOWE'S SHOULD PAY US AN ADVERTISING FEE UNTIL THE SIDING GOES UP.

AS YOU CAN SEE, MARK CONTINUES TO WORK HARD TO MAKE THE "YUCKY HOUSE" A HOME. SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE...WE HOPE. THINGS ARE MOVING ALONG, JUST A LITTLE SLOWER THAN WE INITIALLY THOUGHT. MARK IS SO THOUROUGH AND REFUSES TO CUT CORNERS. THAT KIND OF QUALITY TAKES TIME AND MONEY AND WOULDN'T YOU KNOW, WE HAVE MORE OF THE FORMER THAN THE LATER SO WE WILL JUST CONTINUE ON. KEEP US IN YOUR PRAYERS AS WE ENJOY AND ENDURE THIS PROCESS. IT IS A LOT OF FUN BUT ALSO A LOT OF STRESS. I KEEP TELLING MYSELF THAT ALL OF THE WORK, WORRY, AND STRESS WILL SEEM MINISCULE WHEN WE ARE MOVED IN AND THE BOYS ENJOY THE SPACE THEY WILL HAVE WITH THEIR FRIENDS. I WANT THIS HOUSE TO BE A PLACE WHERE THE BOYS FRIENDS COME AND KNOW THEY WILL ALWAYS BE WELCOME, LOVED AND ENCOURAGED TO HAVE FUN. I CAN HEAR THE AIR HOCKEY GAMES BEING PLAYED UPSTAIRS RIGHT NOW!

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND!

WE HAD A GREAT TIME TOGETHER THIS WEEKEND. WE DID NOT DO ANY OF THE USUAL THINGS FOR THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND. WE STAYED HOME AND WORKED ON THE HOUSE.

MARK FRAMED THE KITCHEN WINDOW (LOVE IT!) AND BUILT THE FRAME FOR THE KITCHEN FLOOR TO EXTEND INTO THE ADDITION BEFORE YOU STEP DOWN INTO THE DEN.

I WORKED ON TEARING DOWN THE LAYERS OF PANELING AND OLD WALL PAPER FROM THE BACK GUEST BEDROOM...ABSOLUTELY GROSS! I HATE TO SOUND LIKE A PRIMA DONNA BUT THE DIRT AND MOLD WAS COVERING ME AFTER THAT JOB. EVEN WEARING A MASK I COULD SMELL IT. MARK HAS TO LAUGH AT ME BEING SO CAUTIOUS BECAUSE HE JUST JUMPS IN AND GETS THINGS DONE. I MAKE THE BOYS EVACUATE THE AREA, PUT ON MY MASK, PUT ON MY HAS MAT SUIT...JUST KIDDING ON THAT LAST ONE, BUT IF YOU KNOW WHERE I COULD GET SOME... ;-). THERE ARE NO PICTURES OF ME WORKING SINCE I AM THE OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE FAMILY.

THE BOYS ARE JUST THE BEST SPORTS ABOUT ALL OF THIS. BY MONDAY I COULD TELL THAT MASON AND ANDREW JUST WANTED TO STAY HOME AND VEG OUT. WE SLEPT IN A LITTLE AFTER MARK LEFT TO GET STARTED ON HIS WORK THEN GOT UP TO WATCH CARTOONS. BY 1:00pm I ASKED THE BOYS TO GET DRESSED AND WE WOULD GO SEE WHAT DAD WANTED FOR LUNCH AND HELP HIM FOR A LITTLE WHILE. THEY WERE BOTH A LITTLE WHINY BUT WENT ALONG WITH ME. INSTEAD OF COMPLAINING, THEY MADE SOME FUN FOR THEMSELVES.

WHAT DO YOU GET WHEN YOU COMBINE DIRT, ROCKS, SHINGLE NAILS AND TWO LITTLE BOYS "WORKING" WITH YOU ON A REMODEL PROJECT?

A ROCK TRAIN, OF COURSE!

THEY FURNISHED THEIR NEW BEDROOMS WITH FURNITURE BUILT FROM SCRAP LUMBER. ANDREW IS SITTING ON HIS "SOFA" WHILE MASON TAKES A NAP ON HIS "SEMI-TWIN BED".

EVERY GUY NEEDS A RADIO IN HIS NEW BACHELOR PAD!

AND OF COURSE, AN ALARM CLOCK TO GET UP IN TIME FOR SCHOOL. ALTHOUGH, IT MAY BE A LITTLE LATE FOR THAT!

AND THE CHICKS CAN'T RESIST WATCHING SPONGE BOB ON THIS COOL FLAT SCREEN TV!

I JUST LOVE HOW THEY CAN USE THEIR IMAGINATION SO VIVIDLY! SOMETIMES I WORRY THAT OUR "INSTANT GRATIFICATION" SOCIETY HAS STIFLED THIS IN OUR KIDS. THIS OLD HOUSE RESTORATION JUST GOES TO SHOW THAT KIDS ARE STILL KIDS. GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY THEIR LITTLE MINDS WILL AMAZE YOU. WHEN WE ARE AT THE "YUCKY HOUSE" WORKING THERE IS NO TV, VIDEO GAMES, COMPUTER, OR ELECTRONIC GADGETS. JUST A RADIO PLAYING, A FEW DUMP TRUCKS, HOT WHEEL CARS AND THEIR IMAGINATIONS. AS IT TURNS OUT, THEY ARE CHOOSING THE LATTER...AND I AM SO THRILLED!

VISIT MARY TO CHECK OUT WHAT THE OTHER KIDS HAVE BEEN UP TO ON THIS TINY TOT TUESDAY!

THE PROGRESSION...

WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO, BUT WHEN I LOOK BACK I REALIZE WE HAVE REALLY COME A LONG WAY.

HERE IS THE FRONT OF THE HOUSE BEFORE THE ADDTION.

HERE IT IS AFTER THE ADDITION.

HERE IS THE BACK OF THE HOUSE BEFORE THE CONCRETE WAS POURED FOR THE ADDITION.

AND HERE IS THE BACK WHEN THE FRAMING WAS ALMOST COMPLETE.

THINGS ARE REALLY MOVING ALONG AND I AM GETTING EVEN MORE EXCITED. WE ARE STILL RENOVATING THE OLD PART OF THE HOUSE AND THAT WILL TAKE SOME TIME AS WELL AS FINISHING THE INSIDE.

THERE ARE SO MANY DECISIONS TO BE MADE WITH THE INTERIOR! I WILL BE ASKING MY BLOG BUDDIES TO HELP WITH SUGGESTIONS AS I NARROW DOWN THE CHOICES. I WILL START WITH THE KITCHEN. I GET SO MANY GREAT IDEAS IN MY HEAD AND HAVE A HARD TIME PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER. I LOVE TO SEE EVERYONE'S DIFFERENT TASTES AND STYLES. THAT IS MY PROBLEM, I LOVE SO MANY DIFFERENT LOOKS. SO GET READY TO SHARE YOUR IDEAS WITH ME!