pinterest made me do it.

i hate to say it and my husband surely hates that it's happening...but I'm in total beast NESTING MODE!!!! I'll be 32weeks in a few days and the list of things I'd like to have crossed off our To Do List is embarrassingly long. And by "I'd like to have crossed off"...I mean "what Jacob will be doing with all his spare time for the next 8-ish weeks";).

tonight while Jacob hung shelving in our soon-to-be Office and put some plastic on the windows in that room, I hung my sunglasses/fake reading glasses/prescription glasses (thankkkkkkk gawddddd I held onto those things!!!!;) onto a wire hanger. Whaaaaaa-fuckinggggg-LA! I have to admit. It turned out pretty amazing;)

i added the last 2 photos to show you that I wasn't justtttt playing with that hanger all night. While Jacob did do a TON tonight...I actually cleaned this small entry, moved that buffet into that room and cleaned the buffet out to utilize it more for storage...for now. BOOM.

i heart productivity:)

POINT: i found the hanger idea on Pinterest. Obviously. You can find it HERE. Kinda thinking that any Pinterest-Related-Creations will get filed under a new and hopefully, regular, post: Pinterest Made Me Do it

hung.

anyone else get a huge sense of accomplishment from putting ONE nail in the wall and hanging ONE photo?!

yes? Then you probably took a nap immediately after and didn't do shit the rest of the day. Anddddd we may have been separated at birth;)

ignore, if possible, the room itself. It's not been renovated. It knows not what it does.

here's to getting ONE thing done today:)

coffee table post:)

when we moved into our forever-dream-needs-a-lotta-work-but-we're-pumped-home we were lucky to find that a few gems were left behind!!

this table, which now serves as our coffee table, actually sat outside the house through an entire winter and spring. We roll all trailer-trash like that;) But once summer rolled around I was ready to try and salvage the little guy!

after tightening some screws on the legs, giving it a quick sand and then staining and varnishing...it was as good as new!!!:) And all that took only a good part of one afternoon! That's about all my attention span and patience has to give...so this was the perfect project for me!

as you can imagine...Homer was beyond helpful;) He mostly tested it's sturdiness:)

and here is the beautiful finished product!!! I really love how it turned out and it was completely free! My parents - RL - do custom cabinetry and so I used just a small amount of stain that they already had laying around and then my mom was nice enough to take a few minutes to varnish (which is why I didn't get any photos of that part of the project...oops:). 

SIDE NOTE: that area rug is also another freebie that came along with the house!!!:) AND that adorable yellow couch...another freebie that I found out on the curb while on one of our walks. The church was giving it away and Homer and I wanted it so badly that we sat on it until my mom came back with a truck;)

this place is coming together piece by piece:):)

your new home:)

as much fun as having 2 mortgages has been....we're pretty much over it;)

SO our contract is up with our Realtor in about a month, which means our home has been on the market for about 9 months. Eeeekkkkk! We've gone from "we're putting our house up for saleeeeeeeee! what's to come?!?!? sooooo exciting!!!!" to "it's never going to sell. this is our stressed-out life now. the end." 

welllllll, maybe not quiteeeeee so bad some days. maybe a weeeeee bit worse some days;)

point is...she's still for sale and she wants your love. Buy it. Live in it. Now:)

sorry for the super sad winter photos...but they'll have to do!:) 

the house has a great location! It's within walking distance to the schools - only about 2 blocks, churches - only about 4 blocks, and (for you locals) near Hwy13 - 1 block and Hwy29 - only about a mile or so.

the roof was redone about 3 years ago! A few new windows have been added. And a door was installed out of the kitchen that leads to a new and adorable little deck and patio that were added last summer:)

it also has air conditioning...OLD...but it is there and in working order:)

when you first enter the house you'll have the option of going up into the kitchen OR down into the basement. 

below is a peek at the remodeled area in the basement. Great for storage. Or a play room for kids. OR even a gaming room for 'dad' or the kids as they get older:)

*we actually used that area for a renter! Something to consider if you're single and questioning whether you could afford a whole house on your own.*

now onto the kitchen, which in my opinion is the best part about the entire house:) All woodwork was updated/done by R&L Woodworking:)

*all appliances will be included (fridge, stove/oven, washer/dryer)*

from the open concept kitchen/living room, you're able to step into a 4-seasons room at the front of the house. Here you will find more storage/closets.

off the living room are the 2 bedrooms. Master bedroom above, which has a ton of closet space and more than enough room for a king-sized bed (pictured) as well as a few other pieces of furniture, if you choose.

and then there's the spare bedroom, which we used as our baby room. This would also make a great office:)

between the Bedrooms is the Full Bathroom. Again, this was fully remodeled by R&L Custom Woodworking:)

i swear that mirror makes the entire room work and it only set me back $1 at a flea market! Just cleaned it up and spray painted it black!!!:)

*the bedrooms and living room are original hardwood floors. The bathroom has marble tile and the kitchen has laminate tile.*

now...you may be asking yourself "howwwww is this adorable, amazingly affordable gemmmmm still on the market????".

i ask myself that daily. It includes many more fbombs, though;)

* i honestly think size does matter....in this case;) It's only 2 bedrooms on the main (and really, only level). 

BUT it has ample room downstairs with that finished off back room.

* there's also only one FULL bathroom. 

BUT there is an area in the basement that a bathroom could be added (we've gotten quotes and it's a bit out of our price range at the moment - our price range being $0:)

BUT it's good to have the option for you ambitious ones

this house is in need of a young couple looking for a starter home! Maybe even thinking about starting a family here! It was great for my husband and I and our little boy! Had we not found our dream home in the midst of all this...we would have been completely comfortable having 2 kiddos in that house at some point!:)

this house would be amazing for a retiring couple, looking for a place that will be easy to take care of. Small enough to clean in an hour and local enough to take long walks but still jump in the car and get on the highway within a minute to go for a Sunday drive (something Jacob and I already do;).

i can't wait for this home to make someone else as happy as it's made Jacob and I!:)

17/52.

last night Jacob and I were able to get Homer to bed by 8PM and shared a pizza while watching some TV. I cried tears of joy;)

it also gave us a chance to really talk about the fact that we only have abouttt 29 days left in this house. A place I've called home for almost a decade! I actually got pretty emotional at the thought of leaving. It means change. Something I'm sure a lot of us struggle with.

this is the place we brought Homer home to. His first ever home:) Jacob proposed in our bedroom here - it's also where he gave me one too many watches and cameras insteaddddd of rings;) It's where we brought our first pet home, our cat Rosco. It's also where manyyyy fights were had and doors were slammed. Where break-ups happened and tears were shed. But it's where we always made-up and where we planned our future and got our shit together;)

it had also been a struggle. Financially...I almost lost this house many times in those first years. I was in over my head and it took a long time to dig myself out of my self-made hole. But I did it...but not without the help of my family and Jacob. This house has been a group effort:) 

i'm proud of how far it's come from the day we moved in and I want the best for it. I want a family/couple/person to move here and grow to love it like I did and especially, take care of it:)

i'm surely going to miss this place.

17/52

we haven't sold the house yet. We have been keeping our fingers crossed that this summer that will happen. Lots of big plans are riding on the sale of this house. But we have a very great renter moving in May 30th, so we're shooting to be out the weekend of May 25th!!!:)

home: living room

i started these 'house posts' as real.inspiration.hope posts. BUT I'm simplifying because my ideas can sometimes be a bit scattered...so lets just keep things as simple as possible up in here (up in herrrr. up in herrrr;).

this one is centered around the living room. It's a larger room, which means more...room;)...which has made it more difficult to nail down the exact direction I want to go in. For the most part, I do have a vision in mind of how I want this room to look. 

After HOURS...seriously...of putting stuff together...I finallyyyyy feel like I got it looking the way I had envisioned it!!! SO glad I went back and reworked things until it felt more 'US':)

we haven't had the time to do a lot with the house, in general. But in the living room we've taken down all the window treatments and pulled up the carpeting. We're hoping to start remodeling the living room ourselves in the next week or so. The plan is to try and fix any cracks on the walls, sand and re-stain the floors, clean the windows and then paint. Waaaaa LA!! Should look and feel like an entirely new room, especially when those floors get cleaned up:)

here's a short video of the room in its current state. I thought I'd try that cause I think it'd give you a better idea of the flow of the room:)

1

has anyone in their life spent $1000 on an area rug?!?! My god. I love this rug. I sure do. But I will be searching for the guy selling knock-offs of this rug in the trunk of his car;)

2 - unable to find source:(

we're not planning to paint the brick around the fireplace white...I liked this photo for several reasons: the books in those side nooks. The large photo (although, we think we'll be putting the TV in that spot). And plants. I want lots of green in our home:)

3

again, many things I'm crushing on in this photo as well:) Depending on what couch we decide on...I'd love to have some chairs with some pattern or a fun color...

And I also love the floor color with the white walls...books, plants...record player...I love how there can be a lot going on in a room and it all still comes together perfectly and comfortably:)

because the living room is so long/large, there's room to make a separate play/media area, especially for the kiddos:) I envision family movie nights once a week...cozied up on an over-sized love seat/day bed...popcorn in our laps...fire burning:):)

I'd also like to add some baskets for toys, even though we'll have a designated 'play room', I'd like to have some storage cause we all knowwww the toys will end up anywhere BUT the play room;)

1
this is the inspiration for the 'movie' area:)
Right now we've settled on just doing ALL off-white walls in the house. This will work perfectly for the projector...no need for a sheet, just a blank wall!!

2
just an example of an adorable, over-sized love seat/day bed. All we want is something cute and comfy...but sturdy and durable and kid-friendly...for that area:)

3
again...$800 for an area rug...BUT now that I've considered a $1000 one - see above - $800 is suddenly seeming like a steal;)

4

an example of a projector we're thinking of purchasing, eventually:)

5
i'm in SUPER love with these baskets. For real. True love! They're a bit out of my price range...and by bit...I mean entirely. BUT I want to do things right in this new house...right the first time, even if it does cost me a tad more than I hope. Although, in this case, I'll probably do some basket research before I pour $500 into 6 baskets;)

6
and we'll be putting our record player in this little area too! Thanks to mom for that amazing Christmas present - she found a super cool vintage one on Ebay for us:) - ALSO, if anyone knows someone that fixes record players...we need their name. 

1
we're still undecided about the furniture situation. This is one thing I REALLY want to do brand-new. I have soooo many vintage/flea market/2nd hand finds...and I love them - they also need a little TLC, like recovering and such but they will get utilized in the house at some point - BUT I really want our main furniture to be the good stuff:)

we're torn between getting a super awesome, cozy sectional with chaise OR a nice deep/long (that's what she said;) couch and over-sized chair with ottoman.... 

this is a decision we're going to wait on till after our current house sells. THEN we're going to take a little road trip and sit on furniture for hours and hoursssss;)

2
i love this wall of photos and frames. It reminds me of my family:) Big and lots of memories of many days spent together! I can't wait to just keep adding photos of our growing family:)
I'm hoping that we can do some shelves behind the couch (which would be on the wall to the left of the mantel - the North/West wall:).

3
i'd love to get this print! Me and Jacob's 'song' is Total Eclipse of the Heart - don't ask;) - The DAN BAND version is THE best...omg. So good;) - anyways...hoping to order this print soon and have it framed to put on the wall/mantel in the living room:)


there you have it folks! The LONGGGGG version of what I want our future living room to look like! I can see it already and it feels perfect and happy and cozy:) We can't WAIT!:)

real.inspiration.hope

sooooo...remember that amazing house we bought?!?! We still haven't moved in or anything. Not even close. BUT that doesn't mean a girl can't dream, right?!?:) SO this new post will be one of many over the next few weeks years months...and it'll include:

real: actual photos of the house - in it's current state

inspiration: photos/objects I've found that have inspired the future 'new' look of the room

hope: what I hope to make happen:)

first up...the Dining Room.

Both these photos are from the doorway of the kitchen. Straight ahead are the glass french doors (um, yes...SWOON!!!;) leading to the living room. And to your right is a built-in (um, SWOON...again;) that stretches across the entire South wall of the dining room. 

 jaquilynshumate - found via Instagram

i actually found this photo yesterday and immediately sent it to my mom who had suggested we consider putting paneling up in the dining room. When she first suggested this I wanted to punch her in the throat made a face...BUT once I had this visual...I knewwwww it's exactly what we needed to do:) Good call mother;)

below is a rough (VERY rough) example of the possible height of the paneling. I'd like to have it a bit higher - more like the inspiration photo - but the current built-in is a bit lower and we'd sort of have to follow with those lines. We shall see.

SIDE NOTE: the paneling would all be solid wood and stained. NOT painted. We are actually throwing around the idea of painting the kitchen cabinets - the kitchen is a bit small (think Galley style) and so my dad's thinking is that by painting it a lighter color (not white), it will brighten it up in there. 

POINT: i have been hesitant to consider painting the kitchen BUT with all this stained wood in the dining room...I feel like painting the kitchen may be a good possibility!

 1 The Animal Print Shop - Buffalo

i'd love to have that buffalo print propped up on the ledge of the paneling on the North wall of the dining room. Which is where our current round wooden table would also be placed.

2 Hygge & West - Bows

this wallpaper is an absolute MUST. My dad is not very supportive of 'wallpaper' but I'm gonna force him to help me make this happen;)

I think with the paneling coming up so far and only having the top portion of the room wallpaper-ed...it won't be SO "heyyyyyyyy...wall paper overload".

3 Pinterest inspired

Amazon suggestions: 1 - and no, we don't have $1500 in the budget for a drink cart;), 2, 3, 4 - my favorite out of the bunch

i've seen a lot of DIY drink carts lately and have fallen for them. I hope to jump on that bandwagon at some point. I'd rather find an old cart and fix it up, so that's been added to the Flea Market Wants List:)

so those are my thoughts...so far. And that's taken 1/2 the day to get down on this post and it still isn't PERFECT (notice the difference in color on that last photo...grrrr;). But I'm hoping to have all the kinks worked out by the time I move on to the next room!

SIDE NOTE: these are all justttttt ideas and I can promise you the finished product may look exactly opposite of this entire 'idea';)

be prepared to be bombarded with HOUSE posts as soon as we start the remodeling! You've been warned;)

sometimes we do things. big things.

a few months ago I went to an Estate Sale at a house that I've loved walking by for many years. I can, seriously, say that every time we walked by this house, Jacob and I would agree that, given the chance...we'd try to make that house our home.

today. right now. we own that house! It is ours and it brings tears to my eyes. I talk a lot about Jacob and our lives and I hope no one ever thinks I'm bragging or being an asshole when I say that things are good. Real good:) They are. But we've had our issues. Ew. They were not fun. But things are good now and settled and....right. 

the decision to get this house...felt right. Like all the other decisions Jacob and I have made, that have turned out to be the best things that have every happened to us (getting married, taking an amazing honeymoon, having Homer:), they always began by feeling right. Sounds ridiculous. But trusting our guts has not failed us yet. That's not to say that it's always been easy...some of those decisions (to have a babyyyyyyy, travel to a foreign country...alone) were scary. This was also a bit scary. We had NO plans to buy a house when the opportunity came up to buy this house. We already have a house. Yep. We still live in our current house and had put it up for sale only a month or so before we decided to buy this house! EEEEEEKKKK.

POINT: there are a lot of balls (why does that make me chuckle...ballsssss;) in the air right now. BUT I know it's going to work out. I know that this is exactly what's supposed to happen for us and we couldn't be happier:)

anyone in the market for an adorable little house!?!?!? We're willing to wheel and deal;)

we closed on the house Friday, December 28, 2012. We went to the house, armed with Chinese food, and ran walked around while records played in the back ground...

keep scrolling while I cry;')

 

we goofed around and talked about our future plans and the ideas we each have and picked our favorite rooms to take a photo in.

jacob loves the basement...his future play room:)

i love the master bedroom...my future nap room:)

what could be ordinary and everyday and maybe even...boring...is nothing short of an adventure because of this kid. As I'm typing, I can hear him downstairs giving our dog a hair cut. I won't leave the house with that dog for a month because of how ugly he will look after this 'hair cut'. Homer's fast asleep in his crib. And here I sit...smiling:)

 jacob was excited about the future baby-making that will be happening in the master bedroom;) NOT that we have sex or anything mommmmm;) Homer came from a stork's vagina;)

hardwood floors as far as the eye can see.

wide hallways.

the woodwork is in perfect condition.

(:sigh:)

the family who owned the house - actually, relatives of Jacob's - were nice enough to leave the record player and records for us. I am so excited to give it a modern paint job and spend most days with records playing:)

spinning and excited and happy and lucky:) 

this will be the only home Homer knows. The house we raise all our children in. Where Jacob and I will grow old together. It's an overwhelming feeling. Happy overwhelming:)

i know that this house meant so much to the family that left it. And I can imagine it's beyond hard to leave it and all those memories behind. We feel very honored to be taking on the task of bringing this house alive again. Filling it with children and celebrating holidays and birthdays and our milestones there. Making a lifetime of memories there. We're just so excited to have a home that was already filled with so much love:)

i will keep you all posted on the sale of our current house and moving to our new home and renovations. I can't wait to share this new chapter with you all:):)

another tid bit: we sold our car. Eeeeeek. We had this car and a little Jeep Cherokee (which we've kept). 

long story short. It is important to us to be debt free. And now:) We'll both be 30 this year. We have purchased our forever home. We want to be able to travel. And just...go when we want. And make bad decisions at Target;) And do bigger things for our families. Donate. Be less financially stressed. 

as of March 1, 2013, we will be debt-free, except for our Mortgage(s). And as soon as our current house sells...we will ONLY be paying for our home and everything else...will be extra:)
I couldn't be more excited for what this year has in store for us:)

cheers to 2013 and getting everything you've ever dreamed:)