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  • May After – The Yard

    May After – The Yard

    Well we did it, we got sod laid down in our backyard.  It’s so much nicer and easier to take the kids out back, or even just open the door and let them run.  I no longer have to worry that they’ll come in with dirt all over their heads, because let’s face it throwing dirt in the air is the funnest (hint of sarcasm here).
    Unfortunately you can tell we did this ourselves and on a limited budget.  We tried to flatten the ground as best we could, but it’s still pretty bumpy.  It’s also dieing in some spots, so we’ll be headed out for some grass feed this weekend to try and save it.  I think we’ll also need to readjust our sprinklers to make sure they reach this spot.
    On a happier note, Mark bought me flowers and tomato plants for mothers day. and they are looking good!
    The tomatos are starting to flower now too! I’m pretty excited for another good tomato year (so far they’re my most successful plant)

    The kids love the flowers too!
  • After (sort of) Kitchen

    After (sort of) Kitchen

    Ok I really really wanted to link this up last week, but I just kept hoping we would get the Kitchen done before the end of April. Well, it’s May now, and we’re still not quite done with the Kitchen. So I decided to show you anyways!

    Let’s take a quick look back at what we started with, shall we?

    ~Shudders~

    I am so happy to say, that even though it’s not done, my kitchen is finally a place I truly enjoy being in!  Check it out. I’ll try and point out everything we did for you.
    I gave these sneek peek photos on facebook.

    New cupboards from Ikea! We assembled them all ourselves (and I only messed up a few times, haha)

    We also bought this butcher block counter top from Ikea. I loved the blonde wood, but we stained it a little darker than this picture shows. Oh and see what’s under the counter? A DISHWASHER!!! I’ve been handwashing all our dishes for the past year. Having a dishwasher has been pretty nice.
    Are you ready to see it all together?
    really?
    ok here it is!

    Pretty much the whole kichen is brand new. I absolutely love the glass doors. It makes this otherwise cramped space feel more open and friendly.
    By bringing the door frame down we were also able to thread some electrical through the wall and put the lightswitch on the other side. The fridge is no longer in the way of it! 
    Speaking of the fridge, we also placed a water line in the sub flooring so our ice maker actually makes ice now, whodathunk!

    We still need to finish the backsplash, add the toe kick to the bottom of the cupboards, trim the  doorway and add a light over the sink. After that, it will be officially done.

    The biggest problem we ran into here was the plumbing.Nothing was up to code, and we’ve never worked with plumbing before.  Sadly the consequence to that is another flooded basement, and a call to the professional plumbers. They were great though and taught is some things for future DIY attempts.

    Now how about my other before project?  Baby Prince arrived 5 days after his due date, and at almost a month old this is how that project turned out

    At 10lbs 6oz now, and on a schedule. I couldn’t have asked for a better baby (fingers crossed that I don’t jinx it by continually bragging about him, but really I’ve never had this good of a kid!)

    TDC Before and After
  • Family Room – After

    Family Room – After

    Once again, I’m a bit late getting this posted. Things have just been so crazy around here!! We jumped from one remodeling project to another pretty quickly.  We didn’t get as much done in the Family Room as we had hoped, but we did get it cleaned out (only to be filled again), and painted. The ceiling still needs some work, we’re just on hold as we decide exactly what we want to do with it, and what we can afford to do with it.

  • The Nursery – After (almost)

    The Nursery – After (almost)

    Shine Your Light

    Although we’re not quite finished with this room, I wanted to get it linked up with Shine Your Light’s Before and After party. We spent a lot of time in the nursery this past month, and soon it’s probably where I’ll spend the majority of my time – day and night.

    First I got all of the stuff cleaned out of the room that didn’t belong. If you want to take a look at the before and just what a job that was you can view it here.  Once I had that finished up, Mark set to work painting. We had all the fun multicolors replaced with a soft baby blue in one weekend. From there it was just a matter of setting up the nursery.

    This beautiful rocking chair arrived by mail yesterday (thank you so much Grandma!). Oh and the drapes aren’t actually hung up yet. We’ve got to figure out the best way to get them to hang over the blinds without causing odd bumps.

    I bought the cute baskets on top of the dresser from The Foundary. The dresser was given to me from a lady in our neighborhood. We have big plans for this dresser!!

    And of course the essential crib. We’ve had this piece since Princess V was born and it has held up fantastically through all 3 girls! The car seat however is brand new.
    We still have a few things to add. Setting up the nursery was pretty easy, and didn’t take long at all. So why isn’t the room done yet you ask? Mark and I have been working on other projects for the nursery. The first and foremost was the puzzle. With each new addition to our family, Mark and I sit and put a puzzle together. We then glue it, get it framed and hang it on the wall. I just got the glueing done today, so we should have it hanging by next week.
    Mark has also been working on a model airplane that we will suspend from the ceiling. It’s still a work in progress though. 
  • Dining Room Recap

    Dining Room Recap

    I wanted to pull our Dining Room remodel into one recap post. It’s so neat to see the before and after shots next to each other!  For me, it just doesn’t even look like the same room anymore. I love our new Dining Room!
    It started out as a simple floor to ceiling pantry project.  Building this half wall up and into a pantry.
    It soon took over the whole Dining Room when Termites were found. Keep in mind I consider this lucky, since we found them before our roof caved in!
    Our simple project became a massive one. But we learned some cool things a long the way – like how to add temporary support beams to your ceiling.
    and how to remove layers of wallpaper and paint
    and how to tape and mud.
    Since I was mostly told to stay out of the kitchen at the end, due to all the chemicals from primer and paint, I got inspired by pinterest to make a hanging drum light.
    We took a special family trip to pick out this artwork. We wanted a Venetian feel, and I feel like we got that with the wall color, and this photo.
    And finally we were done! If I haven’t said it enough yet, I’ll say it again, I love our new Dining Room! I love the pantry that allows me to see what we actually have! I love that we can all fit around the table, and there’s enough light to see by!