New Year, New Goals

Here is to a great year, filled with happiness. Here is to the next year - may it bring you health, happiness, laughter, and smiles.

Around Christmas, we were discussing what we wanted to do to our house in the upcoming year. The basement was on top of our list. While it isn't fully finished, it is in a great state, and it is an area we enjoy spending time in! 

A few things stick out in my mind for 2015 and what I would like to accomplish throughout our house:

1. Clean / Organize our 4th Bedroom 
2. Clean / Organize Attic Space (Continue to buy bins that are holiday coordinated) 
3. Pull carpet going into basement on steps and refinish
4. New carpet runner throughout house (when #3 done)
5. Landscaping - Ongoing (When is it too early to buy more hosta?!)
6. Fence on North side of house (waiting on neighbor for height purposes)
7. 2nd Guest Room - Possibly paint, work on trim, and make more functional 
8. Wet Bar - Basement (Look at new IKEA cabinets in Feb. '15)
9. More DIY projects around the house 

I know there is more, but you get the idea. As of right now, we are at a point where many of the next projects (aside from paint, caulk, trim, etc) are more on the expensive end of the spectrum. Kitchens and baths are by far the most expensive, and I am already eyeballing kitchen ideas at IKEA as well as possible bathroom ideas for our guest bathroom. Those projects will be in the future, but it is fun to look and get ideas! 

Do you have any projects that you hope to accomplish in 2015? Here is to a great year!

Very Merry!

For those of you who are celebrating the end of Hanukkah or the beginning of Christmas Eve, I hope that each of you find time to eat, drink, & be cozy! May you find happiness, love, and laughter in these days and in the upcoming year!

From our family (and "farm") to yours! Cheers!

Winter Break To Do

Today was the first official full day of Winter break! A glorious time in which I have no work responsibilities. (Well, although they aren't all responsibilities I do have things that I need to do. Lesson planning, some grading, writing in plans... You get the idea.) Anyway, two weeks of time to get some things done! The next big break will not be until March. I will be craving Spring by that time and reminiscing on what we have done to our house in the second year of owning it. 

Back to this post. In the past week especially, we have been working on deep cleaning and tidying up some loose ends. Friday evening, we had Z's coworkers and friends over for a holiday celebration. I loved seeing our house filled with people! Our house is looking spectacular being so clean, and I must admit - it is a great feeling of that going into break. 

We did quite a few things to get prepared for the party, in terms of cleaning, and was able to get some tasks marked off my "winter break list." My new strategy to tackle the list is to do at least one thing on it each day that I am working on house things. If I feel motivated, I will do more. But, perhaps with this attitude, I will get more done! Here's what I hope to do:

1. Finish our Christmas Cards - this weekend! (They may arrive a day or two late, but whatever! It makes me happy to receive mail, and I hope it does with these people too!)
2. Organize our kitchen cabinets (mainly just a cabinet or two)
3. Organize our hallway linen closet
4. Organize our bathroom vanity *We purchased organizers from IKEA, so I hope to utilize those more. This one goes well with #3. 
5. Organize roll top desk in dining room.
6. Organize coat closet in entrance hallway.  DONE!

Not an extensive list, but things that I am really hoping to accomplish! I am hoping some tasks I can combine. Do you plan lists when you have time off to accomplish things? I am also hoping to snap some really good photos of our house in its clean state during the upcoming days, especially being decorated for Christmas. That is on the list somewhere, too.

And when not working on my list of things to do.... 

-E

Consistency

As I lay in our new bed, I have decided to attack the stack of magazines on my nightstand. It may look like a hoarding scheme, to be truthful! A enormous, large, splendid stack! Dating back from this month to countless months ago! How and why so? Two reasons, one excuse. I love free. When visiting my hometown I usually have the chance to grab a handful or so that were passed on from one to another after the selling date on the shelves. Secondly, I have only paid for one magazine subscription in the last... ummmm, maybe 3 years? I am fortunate to get many for free. So they pile up and on nights like tonight, I grab a drink and hit the stack. 

Currently browsing Better Homes & Gardens (September '13.) The picture and caption caught my eye. Recently, as in this week, we upgraded our bed size and made changes around in bedrooms bout discussion was focused on picking a new bed frame for us and our guest bedroom. Should we stick with consistency? Should we not? What should be the same? Different in rooms? 

We now have 2 out of 3 bed frames white. (Not original plan, but whatever.) My thought is - what is consistent at your residence? What stays the same throughout?,or does it? If'd love to hear and see your thoughts from you! 

To the next page.....

-E-

Hello, October!

Hello, October and Fall! I suppose we skipped over September entirely and a large portion of August.   House projects have continued during this time, but sadly, the posts have not! There is much to update you all on around our house. (I promise, I'm not pulling a YHL post.... I'm so sad!) The plans keep growing, the ideas run wild! In the meantime, we are prepping our house for Fall. We are slowly building an inventory of holiday decorations. 

For the past three years, we have ventured out to a local pumpkin patch that is like no other! I feel as though I could be a spokesman for this patch because I love it so much. What sets this one apart from patches that I visited as a child is that there is acres filled with a variety of pumpkins still on the vine. It is truly a "pick your own" type of place. It's fantastic! Today we headed out there to make our haul. Oh! And, they charge by the pound! For $0.45 per pound, you can pick pumpkins to your hearts delight. And, boy did we do just that! Here's the 2014 haul... Z thinks it keeps growing each year. (But, I can't resist the perfect pumpkins!)

Last year, we set these around our fire place for the perfect fall decoration. I loved it. We will see how things set up this year with our haul. We will put up some lights throughout the house, but it seems as though we tend to get things on clearance. Best time to pick up a few things that we had been eye balling at a discounted rate. I am already eyeballing this guy at Target. (I have been affectionally referring to him as tinsel mummy.) We will see what we find on November 1st, or on sale in the upcoming weeks. My mummy lights are a must to be hung up! Here's hoping to adding more mummies!

Speaking of holidays, I have been noticing that stores are already introducing Christmas and Winter decorations. I won't go into a long rant about that and how I feel like we should enjoy each holiday independently, except for the statement that yes, I have already bought a decoration. Yes, you may judge at this point. Each year, I debate when is it too early to decorate. With Christmas, I am on the fence this year. I typically wait until after Thanksgiving, but, I am tempted to do it earlier this year for various reasons. Anyway, when I do decorate, we will be adding to our collection this year. Last year, I admired a "holiday tinsel dachshund." With much sadness, they sold out quickly and did not bring them back due to some safety issues. Fast forward to October 2014 - Target is setting our Christmas things and tinsel dachshund 2.0 is back! Yes, I am that crazy person who bought a Christmas decoration this early. But, it's tinsel dachshund! How could I resist, especially after heartbreak last year?! You understand, right!? Yeah, it's ok to judge. :)

Do you have holiday traditions or celebrations that you plan and decorate for at your house? Would love to hear about what you do, or what you would like to do! (I still would LOVE to host a big Halloween party.... someday!)

Privacy Fence

YOU GUYS. I thought my happiness couldn't get any greater after Z jack hammered the concrete obstrocity. Apparently it was possible to get greater! 

Z designed and built a horizontal fence and gate that faced out to the main street where our house faces. Since we are the second house from the street and our neighbors do not have a fence up, we were lacking privacy in our backyard. Each time we were outside, it was not uncommon for someone on the street which our yard faced, to be looking at what we were up to next, or bluntly asking what we were up to. At the same time, they also gave compliments which was very sweet. But, we were craving a bit more privacy in our backyard without feeling like we were on the "Truman Show." 

I was out of town this past weekend, but Z and his mom assembled this part of the fence! It looks SO good. I was so impressed with the work that was put into it! The only thing that I helped out with was gathering lumber at Home Depot and helping to space some wood pieces. Not nearly as much as they did. 

I already am pinning ideas of what I may want to plant next year, picking out some hostas, and looking at ideas now that the fence is up! 

CORNER OF THE FENCE

FENCE BUILT

 

HANGING BRACKETS FOR BASKETS

Although this is the last night of my summer break, I still have a few projects that I hope to accomplish in the upcoming weeks... finishing painting our bed platform, organizing closets, touching up our bedroom and bathroom paint.I was hoping to have finished them over break, but sometimes, you just need some rest and relaxation! 

Jack Hammer!

Sadly, summer is rapidly coming to an end. I thought surely I would have updated more frequently, but, as noticed, that didn't happen. Instead, vacations, spending time with loved ones (pets included), gardening, and some small house projects took place. Our minds are running wild with what we will do in the upcoming months! 

Although I hadn't updated lately and there are so many pictures of our garden that I intend to share, I had to share this picture because it makes me OH SO HAPPY!

Long stories short. The previous owner said they would take care of things that they left prior to closing. They took everything except these lovely once-were basketball posts. (Cue sarcasm. I would have much prefered the basketball hoop but it seemed like it was gone years ago.) The reminets have been siting on the side of our house until today! TODAY! Z's work had rented a jack hammer for a project there. Coincidently, we were pricing rentals of those earlier this week. After using it at his work, he and two work friends decided to continue the fun and took a try at these hideous concrete spheres. A half hour later, it was broken up into much more manageable and movable pebbles. 

After living with this since we moved in, I am beyond excited to see this gone! And beyond thankful. I can't wait to get it moved out and start imagining what to plant there next year! 

With the week left of summer, I am going to be fully enjoying it. Hope you all enjoy your weeks, too, if summer is ending, ongoing, or maybe never truly started. 

-E

"Must Do!"

The "must do" on my summer list was to work on our master bedroom. When we purchased our house, all of the rooms with the exception of the kitchen and master bedroom, were painted a beige color. The kitchen was sponge painted with a yellow blend and the master bedroom was purple. As in, K-State purple. If you need a reminder, check out this post! I love purple. My bedroom at my parents' house was a shade of purple! However, this was a bit too much, and too dark. 

We had gone back and forth with what we wanted to do in this room. At first, my initial idea was a light gray because I have loved how it made our kitchen and lower living room look. Very calming. Although, as we worked on the master bathroom, we thought that making the rooms feel similar would be best. 

We tried two paint samples and decided on option #2. It was a grayish-green color that felt spa-like! Calming, sophisticated, and complimentary to our end look. 

We took off the doors in the bedroom that we knew we would be keeping. Two sets of doors (both to closets) were not installed correctly and the door jam was not installed correctly, either. Since we will eventually replace those, we did not bother painting them again. We used Valspar Ultra White on the primed doors. 

Z worked on patching the walls where previous cracks had been. 

There were many cracks near the windows.

A preview of the bathroom painted with the color we chose for the master bathroom & master bedroom!

In the last two weeks, we have:

• painted the master bathroom
• painted the master bedroom
• painted ceilings in master bathroom & bedroom
• installed crown molding in the master bedroom
• replaced 1/4 of the baseboards in the master bedroom
• started to paint our bed 

It's funny how my "must do" summer project is progressing so quickly! I am very happy about it, though! In a few weeks, my Mom has graciously offered to help with projects around the house. Hopefully final touches of painting will be done in our bedroom at that time! (Baseboards will be a piece here, piece there kind of project.)

 Next up? Man bathroom. Pictures to ensure of these projects soon.

Hope your June has been enjoyable thus far, whether you have the summer off, have the opportunity to travel, or are trying to beat the heat!

-E

May It Be May?!

Holy guacamole! We're half way through May and I'm long overdue on updating this blog! Although there has never been a set schedule, I do like to keep you all updated! 

With school winding down, I anticipate more of a true update. Until then, here's a quick glimpse of our month so far...

-E

Snapshot Sunday

Not a home update, but a snapshot at what I did this past weekend. A good friend from our hometown of St. Louis visited, so it was a great excuse to be a bit touristy and take in the gorgeous weather. Here's some of the snapshots that I took while we were out and about. The links for the shops that I could locate are listed below! Most are in Lawrence, Kansas - one of the most adorable college towns. Ever. 

The flowers are from our house! The one hundred plus bulbs we planted this past fall are blooming! Beautiful flowers! I cut many of them due to the possibility of severe weather this previous week. Enjoying their beauty from indoors! 

City Market   |   River Market Antiques   |   Ten Thousand Villages   |   Phoenix Gallery   |  unknown  |  Arizona Trading Co.  |   Sylas & Maddy's Ice Cream Parlor   |   The Oread   |   Made on Mass

Are there any towns or areas that you love to shop in? I love Lawrence because of the charm and handmade goodies to be found on Mass Street!

Anxious About Spring

I don't know about you all, but I am anxious for Spring. I love all of the distinctive seasons in the Midwest, but I am craving Spring. I find myself thinking this at about this time every year. I'm anxious to start planting in our yard, growing vegetables, and hanging out in our yard. 

To help combat my anxiousness of Spring, I looked at outside patio furniture and accessories. Here is what I was eyeballing and checking out. Hopefully my online shopping and wishing will bring spring here a little bit sooner! What are you most looking forward to this Spring?

1 Year

March 19, 2013was an exciting day for us. After a turbulent ordeal with the home buying process, we closed on our first home! With both of our cars packed to the rim, we drove to the office where we would sign paperwork and get our keys. Before we knew it, we spent the first night in our house - giddy with excitement and talks of the projects we would undertake! 

Yesterday marked one year that we have called our house ours. It has been an exciting, and at times, frustrating adventure in home ownership. But - it has been very rewarding! I don't know if you celebrate a house's "birthday" or "gotcha day" but we talked about what all we had done so far in the house and our dreams for the upcoming years in this house. 

Here's to the next year, and the many years to follow in this Midwest house of ours!

-E

Snow Day Craftivity - River Rock Boot Tray

Just when you think that winter may be over, it's not! Something I love about the Midwest is our four distinct seasons. I truly believe that if I were to move outside of the Midwest to a place that does not experience the four seasons, I would miss it! I find it ironic, as I wrote that last sentence, that I have always lived in the Midwest, despite calling three states home. I suppose that the Midwest is best! 

A luxury, to some (ME!), that comes with having four distinct seasons is the intensity of each season. I was beyond thankful to find out that I had a snow day this past Monday! It didn't snow in excessive amounts like it did in February, but, it was cold enough to send the wind chills into the negative twenties. Brrrrr. Considering the fact that I truly took advantage of the snow days, I attempted to be more productive on my last one. 

Below is one of the things that I was able to accomplish! Somewhere within my thousands of pins on Pinterest, I happened to pin this super easy and cute craftivity. All it consists of is "river rocks" and a boot tray. Uber easy & cute. I was worried about finding a boot tray since it was almost spring, but Target didn't let me down!

I bought this Mohawk boot tray at my local Target. I felt lucky enough to snag one of the last ones, as I wasn't sure if they would restock for the upcoming season! Next, I went to Dollar Tree and bought 11 bags of their river rock. Other tutorials suggested you could do less, but I wanted to have more than enough than not enough. I poured all of the bags into the tray and distributed evenly. That's it! 

In all, this cost me roughly $16. It is more eye appealing and an easy way to store my boots and shoes. Even though winter is (trying) to wrap up, I still think this will be a valuable accessory come Spring with the rain! Best thing is, if it gets dirty, all you have to do is rinse out the tray and rocks. Easy enough!

You can find more examples of what other people did at these sites, too:

• Apartment Therapy
• Dollar Store Crafts 
• Martha Stewart 

Have you done any home crafts lately? If so, I'd love to hear about it! And, if not, what is catching your eyes with crafts lately?

-E-

Sunday Snapshots

Weekend project progress! It was warm enough to cut tile outside yesterday, but today with a twenty degree drop, the garage is a bit warmer. Hope you are having a great weekend, too, doing whatever you may be doing!