Tired...

Just so you know, we have been very busy on the house, so I have not had time to update.  We have been taking pictures, which I will share with you later.

Painting and tiling are going on this week.  Next week, the hardwood floors are being redone. 

My mom, mother-in-law and father-in-law are pretty much the most amazing helpers I have ever met.  I am so thankful for them.

Will show pictures later.  It's looking amazing, if I do say so myself!

In Case You Didn't Know (Part 2)

Did you know that it really hurts if you hit yourself in the chin with the sharp end of a pry bar?  Did you know that it bleeds? A lot?  Did you also know that when you hit yourself on the chin it makes you dizzy and feel like you're going to pass out?

Renovation: Part 2 (Subtitled: In Case You Didn't Know)

Did you know that pulling up carpet is probably one of the most exhausting things ever?

Did you know that it really hurts when you slam your finger between the floor and the pry bar you're using to get a nail out of the floor?

Did you that dog and cat pee stay in carpet pads forever?  And did you also know that when the pads get wet, they mold and create black, moldy spots on the hardwood beneath?

Did you know that there are about 10,000 staples used when putting down carpet that have to be pulled up using needle-nose pliers?

Did you know that your hands get all red, burned-looking, and very painful when you don't wear gloves while using a pry bar and needle-nose pliers?

I'm not complaining.  I'm just explaining for those of you who didn't know all those things. :)

We are not done pulling up the carpet, but will be tonight so I will post pictures in the next couple days.

Also, we FINALLY found the tile for our kitchen.  $1.10 a square foot!

Renovation: Part 1

So, we're homeowners.  It's very exciting, but I have to be honest when I say that the actual "closing" is not as interesting as I thought it would be.  Maybe because I always romanticize things in my head (blame it on Jane Austen), I was a little disappointed when the guy who mediated the closing was extremely rude and then when we were done signing, they didn't even throw us a party or anything!! (Okay, I'm being a little overly dramatic on that last part.)  It just seemed a little anti-climactic.  I'm just being honest, remember?

But, any way you slice it, we are now homeowners!!  We could NOT be any more in love with our cute little house and the potential that it has.  So, last night, about 10 of us got together and did some work on the house.  I do not know what I would do without those friends and family members.  I mean, really.  They are amazing.

Step 1:  Sanding!  Because of aforementioned friends, we completed all the sanding last night. And I'm not just talking about having to sand one wall or something.  Every.single.thing. in the kitchen had to be sanded.  And all the trim in the hallway.  And all the trim in one of the bedrooms (the other two have been painted already, go figure).  There was lots to be done. 

Here are a couple pictures for your enjoyment.  This is early on in the sanding process, but you get the general idea.

Robert, my father-in-law,  my amazing husband, and my brother, Collin, all working the power sanders.

Me doing who knows what and Christy working so hard.  She definitely always wins the "happy helper" award in my book. **Sidenote:  no, I'm not pregnant, I just didn't have my shirt pulled down.  I was working hard, remember?**

Coming soon - Part 2: Etching and Priming. Or pulling up nasty carpet. (I'm not sure which we will do tonight, but I will keep you posted, I promise!)

Today...

I become a homeowner.

I am throwing a "sanding party" for our friends.  Which really means that our friends are coming over and sanding for us.  It's not really a party for our friends seeing as how it's really for us.

I am starting to take pictures of all the changes we are making.

I am thinking about how wonderful my community is. 

I am wishing that today's weather was as nice as it was yesterday.

I am missing one little girl more than anything.  Sweet Bella girl, you made the world a little less joyful when you left.

The Wait is Over!!

Okay.  I know I have been a horrible blogger recently.  I apologize.  Really.  I'm ready to start anew.

Now for the big news!  JD and I are now the owners (at least we will be on April 4th) of our very own atomic ranch!!!!!  We are so in love with our new home, you all have no idea!  But, our adorable place needs some major work (I mean there is awful wood paneling with about 50 layers of shellac all over the kitchen,  and  nasty dog-smelling carpet everywhere.).  All the work just means that we get to make the place our own.  So, we have spent the past week (after we found out for sure that we were getting the house) picking out paint colors, tile, granite, and appliances.  It's a bit overwhelming, but so exciting at the same time!

Coming VERY soon are some "before" pictures.  The only ones I have right now are of poor quality of the inside only.  I will give you one sneak peek, though, of the living room, just because I am so in love with our new fireplace. 

Isn't it so amazing?  Now, imagine it without that awful picture hanging on it, the carpet taken up (there's beautiful hardwood underneath), a bright, fun green on the walls, and the trim painted white.  Add our gray, green, and yellow furniture and beautiful drapes made by my mother-in-law, and voila! you have our new living room.

So, I plan to be updating this blog regularly with our progress on the house as well as the raised garden we're going to be doing in the back yard AND recipes in my brand-new, perfect-in-my-eyes kitchen (eventually, you know, once it is complete).

We're so excited. I hope you stay tuned to read about all our work on our atomic ranch.

Spring

Spring is almost here...

Things are just happier when spring is peeking its little head around the corner...

It just seems like everything is going to be alright. 

Then something awful happens like an earthquake in Japan, and I start to question again...




Stay tuned for some big news (with pictures)...I just can't post today.  Too much on my mind.