getting around to it...

We finally installed our new dining room light! wooohooo! 

We've had our eye on this light since we moved it, but never made the purchase.  So my Dad was a little sneaky and found out which light we wanted and gave it to us for Christmas! 

And the box has been sitting on our dining room floor since then.  

{I can't believe how busy we've been over the weekends!}

Sunday- we finally decided to complete some home projects- and this was on the list for sure! {also on the list- finishing the fence!! can we say AMEN!!}

First, we take down this ugliness.  This light was hung so low that we had to pin it up on the ceiling to keep it from hitting everyone in the head! Pretty sure it was original to the house...

 Then, we unwrapped everything, and started putting it together!

Looking better already!   {see my Valentines flowers! so sweet!}

 Let's just say it took us a little while to figure out how it was supposed to go!

{oh hello little snowman... 

 guess I forgot to grab you when we took down Christmas decorations!}

There was a lot of chain bending on this project.  Definitely annoying. 

yay! We got it hung- but wait, what about that huge hole in the ceiling? Yeah, we didn't think this through very well ;) Maybe we should have paid better attention to the directions...

Once we took the thing back apart, then hooked up the wires again and got it rehung- we were SO relieved to find that it WORKED! 

And of course, I didn't get any pictures of the entire light and dining room with my camera, but I did snap some on my phone!

Next up on the list- new dining room tables! Oh I can't wait for yard sale season- these guys are so ugly! 

 

We still have some work to do in here- but it looks a heck of a lot better than it did when we moved in...

 I love when we get these projects done! Everytime I walk into the room I can't help but smile- I mean flowers, and a new light! :D 

"Must Have" for new homes

As we are slowly working on getting the house updated, we are keeping in mind what we need to do to help the re-sale.  I found this article on the 10 Must Have Features for a New Home today.  What do you think- do you agree or disagree? What are some things you would look for when purchasing a home?


Buyers today want cost-effective architecture, plans that focus on spaces and not rooms and homes that are designed 'green' from the outset," she said. The key for home builders is "finding the balance between what buyers want and the price point."

For many buyers, their next house will be smaller than their current one, said Carol Lavender, president of the Lavender Design Group in San Antonio, Texas. Large kitchens that are open to the main family living area, old-fashioned bathrooms with clawfoot tubs and small spaces such as wine grottos are design features that will resonate today, she said. 

"What we're hearing is 'harvest' as a home theme -- the feeling of Thanksgiving. It's all about family togetherness -- casual living, entertaining and flexible spaces," Lavender said. 

Paul Cardis, CEO of AVID Ratings Co., which conducts an annual survey of home-buyer preferences, said there are 10 "must" features in new homes:

1. Large kitchens, with an island. "If you're going to spend design dollars, spend them where people want them -- spend them in the kitchen," McCune said. Granite countertops are a must for move-up buyers and buyers of custom homes, but for others "they are on the bubble," Cardis said. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Energy-efficient appliances, high-efficiency insulation and high window efficiency. Among the "green" features touted in homes, these are the ones buyers value most, he said. While large windows had been a major draw, energy concerns are giving customers pause on those, he said. The use of recycled or synthetic materials is only borderline desirable. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Home office/study. People would much rather have this space rather than, say, a formal dining room. "People are feeling like they can dine out again and so the dining room has become tradable," Cardis said. And the home theater may also be headed for the scrap heap, a casualty of the "shift from boom to correction," Cardis said. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Main-floor master suite. This is a must feature for empty-nesters and certain other buyers, and appears to be getting more popular in general, he said. That could help explain why demand for upstairs laundries is declining after several years of popularity gains. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Outdoor living room. The popularity of outdoor spaces continues to grow, even in Canada, Cardis said. And the idea of an outdoor room is even more popular than an outdoor cooking area, meaning people are willing to spend more time outside. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Ceiling fans.
   
   
   
   
    
   
7. Master suite soaker tubs. Whirlpools are still desirable for many home buyers, Cardis said, but "they clearly went down a notch," in the latest survey. Oversize showers with seating areas are also moving up in popularity. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
8. Stone and brick exteriors. Stucco and vinyl don't make the cut. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
9. Community landscaping, with walking paths and playgrounds. Forget about golf courses, swimming pools and clubhouses. Buyers in large planned developments prefer hiking among lush greenery. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
10. Two-car garages. A given at all levels; three-car garages, in which the third bay is more often than not used for additional storage and not automobiles, is desirable in the move-up and custom categories, Cardis said.

Painting Projects: shutters and awnings

I finally got around to pulling out the ladder and painting the shutters and front door awning.  Here's a before of when we bought the house and the ugly awnings were still up there:

We Michael unscrewed each awning down, and even pried some of the caulk off to get these things down.  Looking much better already!

Here's a little bit of black paint to the shutters and the front door awning.  Don't tell anyone, but I could only paint a very small portion of the red lines black due to me being short and scared of heights!

What do you think? Michael doesn't think the black goes with the roof and the coloring of the house, I think it looks a heck of a lot better and I think once I finally get some red paint on the front door, it will look awesome!




p.s. Don't you love how Linus has found his way into almost every picture! He loves the front door!

All moved in... well not so much, almost!! =)

Our work in progress so far :) With some of our furniture moved in. We have a lot of work to do, but as Michael reminded me, we are not trying to flip this house in 2 weeks!


Our Christmas Present from both set of parents! I have lived without a washer and dryer for over a year and a half! Even though it is in our basement, I am SO thankful for it!

Thanks again Mom and Dad =)
















Our living room with our couches in! We have since scraped the windows. Looks so much better!













My Mom and Latte' snuggling on the couch after many long days of painting, packing, cleaning, moving and unpacking.














A picture of me standing in the hallway. The dining room (behind me) is going to be our next project!

















Another shot of the living room! Again, the windows look SO much better, and some furniture has been rearranged.

















The puppies looking out the front door. they love their new house and yard! Latte' wants to go outside every chance she gets.
















My homemade Fall wreath on the front door!




















Looking down the hallway towards all our stuff in the living room.

















Guest Room! I got this tan color lightened, and am SO happy that I did. I love the colors, and the white furniture in here! Hopefully our guests will be happy in here too!

Moving on Up

As I mentioned in yesterday's short post, we had our moving day this past weekend! Here are some pictures of us moving things in, and the installation of our new fan in the master bedroom! We also updated the hallway light, and the kitchen light, I will get pictures for you shortly! Now on to those pictures (thanks to Momma Carter, aka paparazzi)



















My Dad carrying in the mattress! Also notice, I hung my adorable fall wreath I made on the door just to make the house look somewhat put together! I love it and don't want to take it down, but I am going to create on for Christmas! Details on those steps coming soon!














CJ came to help (thanks again CJ!!!) Here the boys are
moving in furniture in the master bedroom!




















Yet another headache! This ceiling fan took all 3 guys to install. They got it all hoooked up and the fan worked, but the lights refused. They had to take the entire thing down, return it to Lowes, and then install a new one. Good news, the new one looks awesome, and it works!

















Admiring the new light and fan! The added light in the room helped a lot!!












Meet Linus. He loves to oversee everything. Well, he actually just wants to be where the action is. He loves to lay down right where everyone needs to walk!

Progress!

I promised you progress pictures of the house- and you are actually going to be able to tell that progress was made these past 2 days! The small things are finally finished up, and now the part that I love, which is the painting the large walls! Makes such a huge difference!



The is the master bedroom The color is still wet here, so it will most likely be a couple shades different. I'm really love it. Michael is still a little hesitant about it. He will learn to love it too!










Another shot of the master. I love the white trim with this color. See I knew all those coats of paint and back aches would be worth it!
















The color looks so different here, but this shot is taken from the hallway.

















The hallway, with the brown coming in from the living room.


















The living room from the front door. Notice the dining room from hell in the background...













more shots of the living room! I love it!!














The big window in the living room. I love this color in this room, and the white trim!













Next, I will be working on the hallway and the guest room! Hopefully that will be completed tomorrow!

Closing Day!

We did it!

We closed on our first house today! The closing process was pretty easy, just signing our names a billion times, and then they handed over the keys! After a yummy lunch at La Carretta, we went to Lowes and spent a TON of money on paint and other necessities. We then got to work! We cleaned the kitchen and started painting the windows. Here's some of our progress so far...

Guest Room window- we started taping the windows and realizing that that was a pain in the you-know-what, we decided to just paint.





Both windows done in the guest room

Michael happy to be painting away!




I, on the other hand, was happy to get rid of these ugly curtains!

















































And, a little sneak peak into our Master Bedroom... I'm so excited for this room to be finished!





















I will continue to try and make updates as frequently as possible! We are having a painting party tomorrow evening and hopefully we will have a lot more progress to show!