Dream House - Mudroom

This is a pretty small space but I can't even begin to tell you how much I love having a place to hang jackets and put away sneakers. In our first home you walked directly into the living room and both Matt and I grew up in houses where you walk directly into the kitchen. A mudroom was on my "must have" list for the dream house.

For my birthday I asked my super talented in-laws if they could make me a mail station with chalkboard. The end result is just perfect and I love it. With this one special feature completed I just had to paint and finish the rest of the space. I chose a sandy color for the walls, and then decided to paint the entire garage this color also. I had Dingle sand and poly a few pine 1x2s so that I could make two coat racks. So in love with the kids being able to hang their own coats! Lastly, I filled a few new frames with pictures of the kiddos. For once I think I can say that a project is 100% done!

This is the last of the house updates for now...but the bathrooms are calling my name! 

Dream House - Garage

As is par for the course I completely forgot to take a true "before" picture when we started our garage makeover. *sigh* You'd think one of these times I would remember, but apparently this was not it. In any case I do have a picture of what the garage looked like when we did our inspection. To be honest this is as good of a before picture as any...this just isn't our junk! 

The door opens into the mudroom which I will reveal tomorrow...spoiler alert, there are no before pictures of that either! 

Our house in MA was a perfect starter home in that it didn't need a lot of work, just a lot of updating. We painted and got our feet wet for slightly bigger projects like replacing electrical fixtures and tiling the kitchen. When I told Dingle that I would really love to have a deck in the garage I think his exact words were something like, "well, we've never done that before." "That" of course being really building anything from scratch, you know, like out of wood. We took measurements and priced out the project (in the end the materials cost us about 200 dollars including paint). Before sending him to the hardware store we watched a This Old House episode on how to build a small deck. I am not kidding, that was the entirety of our education. 

We got this!

First we removed the old stairs and saved them to reattach to the new deck. Next we built the frame and added the joists and brackets. Matt made all of the cuts, I wielded the hammer. A boy in a pair of butterfly wings acted as our site manager. 

After the first day of construction we had the entire deck built and all that was left to do was add the railing and attach the decking. 

I'm pretty sure it was at this point that I realized that the new deck was going to look so beautiful and the rest of the garage looked terrible. Obviously, I would need to paint the walls that surround the deck. And if I was going to paint the walls surrounding the deck then we should probably build a bench on the deck...and paint that as well. 

Oh hey...those wall surrounding the deck look amazing! Look how terrible the rest of garage looks!! Better paint those too...

Let's finish this project! Hang some hooks, organize the rest of the garage, and have a beer! 

So it's finally finished...well almost, I still need something for the wall to the right of the door (damn you last 2%, haha). It is SO nice. Now the kids have a place to take off their coats and kick off their muddy shoes. Dingle did an amazing job making my vision a reality. Of all the projects we have done, this one might be favorite! 

Dream House - Master Bedroom

We have been busy with a few house projects that were long overdue. I wanted to wait to reveal each project until it was 100% finished...it's always that last 2% that gets me! The walls in our house are a mix of split logs and drywall. When we moved in, every single wall that was not split log was white. We do not like white walls! It has taken us quite a while to get the ball rolling, but once again, I am a painting fool!

The new curtains for the master bedroom finally arrived last night (and I totally need to steam them, damn you last 2%).

I thought it would be fun to post the pictures of the house from our inspection...







and when we first moved in...



and before we started painting....

...and now that the room is finally us!

Lily's Bedroom Reveal!

This post is so long overdue, cheers to me for checking something off my "to post" list!

When we first moved into the dream house Matt and I both agreed that any and all major projects would have to wait. For one, we put our entire life savings down in order to make our offer the most desirable to the sellers and the bank, so putting money into the house right away just wasn't an option. (This was compounded by several thousand dollars in unforeseen expenses that come along with home ownership including but not limited to buying four dump trucks worth of gravel for the road.) Aside from not really having the money for big renovations we didn't have the time or the energy. Matt was still commuting to the city every two days and I was six months pregnant with two toddlers under foot all day.

After a couple of months in the house things settled down, Matt started working from home, and I finally stopped having heart palpitations every time I looked at our savings account balance (sort of). I had started to bug Matt about redoing the kids bedrooms but he didn't really seem all that eager. To satisfy my own itch I decided that I would make Lily's curtains and a matching comforter. I own a sewing machine but had only ever used it to hem skirts and other small tasks. Since there isn't anything you can't learn on youtube I decided to just go for it. I went to the fabric store and spent over an hour choosing "the world's most perfect pinks and purples" per Lily's request.

I used a couple of different websites for step by step instructions to make Lily's roman curtains but the one I found the most helpful was this one. I didn't take pictures of my progress as I went because there are so many great tutorials on pinterest. I am a novice seamstress at best but I have to give myself a pat on the back because I really do think they came out awesome.

After the curtains were finished I moved on to the comforter. I looked up the basic dimensions for a twin quilt but aside from that the design and pattern were made up on the fly. Again, I am not an expert seamstress and if you look carefully it shows...BUT I absolutely love this quilt. I am really proud that I made something so "Lily" from scratch. The quilt took me a loooong time and the learning curve was steep. Making the boys' quilts will hopefully go more quickly...with less cursing. I had enough scrap fabric left over to make two pillow shams too. What can I say, we are just that fancy!

The paint...ah the paint! Matt has a love/hate relationship with the colors I chose. For one they are very "Lily" but they are also very bright. He would have preferred I chose something that complimented the wood a little better but again, they are very Lily, and this is her room. We knew when we chose the paint that we were expecting a boy so it was okay to really just give the girl exactly what she wanted. The purple stripes were a little harder to keep straight and 'sharp' than we anticipated (read: never again are we painting stripes!), but in the end I was very happy!

My sister is so crafty and I am so not...but I am working on it. For her birthday Kate wanted to make Lily something for her room. For as long as any of us can remember Lily has had an elaborate bedtime routine. Every single night each person in attendance at bedtime must give her "a kiss, a hug, a big squeeze, and a snuggle." To immortalize this ritual Kate printed and framed these phrases to hang on her wall.

Last but certainly not least I wanted to add a little something to the empty wall space. I looked up a few ideas before deciding on growth charts for each of the kids' room. Kate and I did the projects from start (going to Lowes for wood) to finish (painting the numbers) in about 24 hours.

In the end I am just so excited that Lily has a bedroom that looks put together, is easy to clean and organize, and most importantly is a reflection of who she is at the magical age that is four!

Dream House - Inspected!

On Friday morning Matt and I met the home inspector and 7 other gentlemen at our future home.

We remember the inspection process from when we bought out first home so I came prepared with my camera, a notepad and pen, and a tape measure. At our first inspection it was just us and the inspector...and it was still overwhelming. On Friday there were SO MANY PEOPLE on the property. There were the septic tank guys, and the the air/water quality guys, the renter, the home inspector, the realtor, and us.

Of course everyone wanted to do their part and get on to their next project but it just wasn't possible to meet with everyone all at once. The home inspector was my top priority and I tried my best to stick close to him. Side note: The inspector is the dad of a high school classmate of mine who had done his homework and asked all about us prior to meeting us...it was adorable and he very much treated us as though we were his kids buying this house, which I found very reassuring. He took his time and answered every single question I had. He let me climb ladders, helped me take measurements, and tolerated me climbing into the crawl spaces. Overall the house looks great and there is nothing major that we should be worried about. The roof and other big ticket items are all in great condition which is a huge relief.

The renter was there when we first got there to let us know that a pipe had burst in the upstairs eave and had leaked down the wall and was dripping into the basement. Awesome. In reality it really isn't that big of a deal and most of the damage is just cosmetic. We are choosing not to press the issue and are giving them the benefit of the doubt that they will take care of the problem like they said they would. Hopefully our laid back attitude doesn't come back to bite us. The renter also offered us some helpful insight into the home, how to heat it, repairs he thinks he would make etc.

The septic tank guys were equally awesome. A father son duo that were just as nice as can be. They were knowledgeable and also took a lot of time with us making sure that we understood the hows and whys of maintaining a septic system. So now I know all about what happens to our waste, what a relief! Also there are no problems with the current system, so that is also a relief.

The air and water quality guys were last and this is the system that makes me the most nervous for sure. The water (pre-filters) tested positive for high levels of arsenic which obviously isn't safe. The water post filter is very safe to drink but the filtration system needs servicing and in the not too distant future will need some upgrading. We are asking the sellers for a credit to put towards the urgent servicing. The system itself is huge and sort of intimidating. Hopefully when the guys come back to do the service call the house will be less hectic and we can take a little more time to learn what all of the components do.

The only other significant finding was that there is radon in the basement. A remediation system will need to be installed and we are asking the sellers for a credit for this as well.

Other than that we are letting all of the small stuff go. The last thing I want to do is put a bad taste in the sellers' mouths because we are being too nit picky. We signed the purchase and sale today and now we just wait to see if the sellers counter or if they simply agree to our terms. We really do feel as though the two credits we are asking for would/will be issues with any buyer and that the sellers will handle them appropriately.

I did take a lot of new pictures and I will organize them and figure out a way to post them in a way that tells the story of the house. Most likely I will do some sort of before and after post as we complete our projects and add our person touches to this home. Decorating may be a challenge and a lot of our old furniture might not work in these spaces. I really won't know until we get it all in. Just like with any new house there will definitely be a transitional period before things are just how I would like them. The kitchen and bathrooms are in need of some updating and I would like to refinish the floors and replace the carpets. I can't wait to get started! My kids are going to be so so happy there.

This house literally makes my heart skip a beat.

Best moment of the week!

Yesterday was a not a fun day. I was very much looking forward to an extra day with Daddy home so that we could go out to lunch or some other special treat. Instead Ben threw up his breakfast all down the front of my pajamas, his pajamas, both of our blankies, the bedroom rug, the hallway floor and the bathroom shower. Of course it happened in the blink of an eye, baby throw up...I'm telling you, it will catch you off guard. He has never had a throw up type bug before so I am still learning his "tells". Unfortunately his only tell yesterday was wanting to be held, not much of a tell for those of you who know my son. So instead of a carefree fun day we had a code red sick day. On such days my children are confined to a sheet or blanket and only allowed teeny sips of water and dry toast. Lily is usually pretty agreeable to being treated like a prisoner of war, Ben was less than thrilled. It was a long day.

Around dinner time we decided that since it had been a few hours since last up chuck, it was probably safe to open the bedroom door and let Ben roam the house. Matt went out to pick up dinner and Lily and I snuggled on the bed watching TV. Neither of my kids wanted to eat a formal meal so when Matt got home I didn't even go out to the kitchen to see what he was up to. I just figured there wasn't any real rush on getting dinner on the table. After a few minutes Matt made his way back to the bedroom and he was shaking his head as he walked through the door. I looked at him and feared the worst, that Ben had thrown up on the living room rug or worse yet that Matt was feeling sick.

He told me he had just gotten off the phone with SS and my heart sank. Then he said four amazing words...

WE

GOT

THE

HOUSE!!!

Holy crap you guys! I immediately asked him to repeat himself and threatened him that if he was joking I was going to be furious. No joke, they accepted our offer. No counter, no back and forth, no added conditions.

Of course now you will all be subjected to countless posts about the details of our new house, the home inspection, closing, the move, and of course all of the little projects I have in mind. For tonight I will simply treat you to the pictures!

Dream House Update

This past Wednesday we met with our realtor (who going forth I will nickname SS) and a pool contractor at a new construction property to discuss the possibilities of putting in a swimming pool. While we were there I jumped around like an excited puppy and talked his face off causally made polite conversation about our dream house and how excited we were that it had been re-listed. I made it very clear that we wanted a showing as soon as possible.

As is usually the case we hadn't heard from SS on Friday evening even though we were fairly certain that we were doing showings on Saturday morning. Neither Matt nor I were particularly concerned, we have both been very laid back about the whole house hunting scene. Finally around 7pm on Friday he texted us with the address of the first place we were viewing and said we could discuss the full schedule in the morning. At no point did Matt and I assume that we were not seeing the dream house. 

We drove the kids over to my parents' early on Saturday morning and set off to meet up with SS. The first house we saw was beyond beautiful...and well out of our price range. It was perfect minus the hefty price tag. During the showing SS let us know that we would not be seeing the dream house. He had called the day before to set up a showing and the house was booked solid, no open appointments, for the whole day. My heart sank into my stomach and it was all I could do to not cry, thank you pregnancy hormones. I sort of walked around the house like a zombie fighting back tears as I thought about how certain I was that we are not going to get the dream house. 

In reality I am/was just angry with myself for falling in love with a house sight unseen and foolishly thinking that if we wanted it we could just make and offer and have it. The market here has been so slow and the house had been listed before with no luck. The owners hired a new realty company and clearly they had a strategy in mind. SS suspects, as do we, that they listed the house well under the appraised value in an attempt to draw in several interested parties, start a bidding war, and make a quick sell. 

SS was able to get us a showing today so at 11am I walked through the door of what truly is the house of my dreams. It is a log home with stunning 40 foot ceilings in the great room, a very nice open kitchen, wood stove, fireplace (that also has a opening in the master bedroom, crazy), four bedroom, a great loft for the kids to play, and a huge private yard. The interior is definitely a very particular style, but it is our style. This home is a forever house if ever there was one. There are a ton of little projects that I would love to do but nothing major or beyond our abilities. 

Long story short we braced ourselves for SS to tell us that the sellers had 6 offers or something equally ridiculous. So far, they only have one other offer on the table and tonight we officially threw our hat into the ring. We made the sellers a full price offer in hopes that at the very least they will counter us if the other offer is better. I know that SS doubts that our offer will be good enough, but at the same time with only one other competing offer it seemed rash of us to offer well over asking on the blind. The sellers are out of town and have asked that offers be good for 72 hours (24 is typical) so it could be several days before we hear anything. Waiting is always the worst part! 

I don't normally ask for things when I pray (other than for protection and health for my family) but today I made an exception and selfishly asked God to help us get this house. For the time being all we can do is wait and try not to obsess over the things that are out of control. I am really excited that today we may have made an offer on our future home without holding back. I've said it before, but it bears repeating, I am not going to be any less disappointed if the deal falls through if I try and keep from being excited. 

I'll keep you all posted!

In other news, pinterest is about to become a real problem in my life.