Monday, January 11, 2010

The Small Things

So we can't do a lot right now with cc's to pay off... but we shouldn't forget the small things... we have a small trip to Home Depot in our future... we need to fix the door to the crawlspace under the house -- seeing as we think that's how our little mouse "friends" have been getting in... we caught a 4th one! Out of sticky paper and traps... probably will need more.

And hubby wants to get some cabinet organizers for the kitchen and some wood to add one more shelf to the pantry. So a few small projects still going on at Tiffany Lane!

Friday, January 8, 2010

Before & After

We've been in our home 2 months now, so I think this warrants a home tour with some Before & After pictures.

Living Room
Before:


After:




Dining Room
Before:



After:



Kitchen:
Before:



After:






Family Room:
Before:



After:





Master Bedroom:
Before:


After (New pictures coming soon!):



Andrew's Room
Before:


After:







The Nursery (Ella's Room):
Before:


After:







Thursday, January 7, 2010

Since we can't spend right now, I can dream... Landscaping Ideas



So until we can afford to start back up again in March, I can dream... our backyard comes out a ways as flat, then dramatically slopes, big time... and then there's a flat area at the back, currently overrun by vegetation... we're only going to fence the flat part at the top, but sometime in the rather distant future (when I win the lottery), I'd like to terrace the hill with stone & steps and clear out the flat area at the bottom... possibly for a pool. ;) Here is some slope landscaping inspiration for your viewing pleasure...













We're On Hold...

So right now, home improvement is on hold. We're waiting on 2 things: my father-in-law is financing our fence, so we're waiting on him to give the go ahead there, which he had said after the New Year, but he's dealing with some medical issues right now, so we're being patient... and we are currently paying off balances on the Home Depot, Best Buy, and Big Lots credit cards from the move and Christmas... so once those are paid off (all same as cash deals!) we'll be back on track. So they'll be paid off no later than income tax season (so hopefully by March...) and then we'll be ready to tackle some of the big projects in the works this year... the two biggest of which are refinishing the basement & painting... LOTS of painting! So if you don't hear much from me on the home improvement and renovation side for a while, don't worry... I'll be back! I'll try to keep everyone posted with anything we do around the house, but it won't be anything big for at least 2 months... :(

Saturday, January 2, 2010

2009 in Review

So this past year was a big one! Ella turned 1 and Andrew turned 4. We got a new dob, Bubbles. I got a new job and we bought a new house. We moved and painted all in 2 days - it was a big job. Since moving in at the very end of October, we've painted 3 rooms, put in new carpet (which delayed us from really moving all the way in for an extra week...) We had to get a few new pieces of furniture to fill the much larger space we had acquired (kitchen nook, pantry, and some "new" living room furniture.) I managed to get us most of the way moved in by Christmas, which was a lot of work, but a goal well met.  And we have a lot planned for the year ahead!

 



 

Clear to say the last 2 months of 2009 were our biggest...
Oct 31: Moving Day/Painting Day #1 (3 bedrooms)
Nov 1: Painting Day #2
Nov 2: Touch up painting...
Nov 4: Attempted Paint removal (sink clog)
Nov 5: Carpet Installation (Living room & 3 bedrooms)
Nov 6 & 7: Finished moving all the way into the house since the carpet was in... put furniture in the right place, started unpacking boxes... Put up laundry room shelves. Hung curtains.
Nov 14 & 15: More unpacking... hung pictures.
Nov 23: Started Christmas decorating (We were pretty much all moved in!)
December: The last month, once we were basically unpacked (within a month, record  timing!) and decorated, was devoted to Christmas shopping, family, and a few more purchases towards our home, but no major improvements... Got our new nook & kitchen pantry (before Christmas... just in time for Christmas brunch with mine and hubby's family.) The goal was to have the house livable by Christmas (by my higher standard & definition...) and that's what happened!

Friday, January 1, 2010

Goals for the New Year: 2010

1. Finish Basement
2. Paint kitchen walls & cabinets/pantry
3. Paint bathroom walls & vanity (white) and replace sink
4. Paint living room all one color (currently 2 walls are one color, and the other two another...)
5. Fresh coat of paint in hallway & dining room
6. Fence the backyard
7. Fix up the yard/landscape
8. Fix up the back deck/buy new patio furniture & grill
9. Put up above ground pool & playground set for kids

Update: new Kitchen Nook & Pantry

So nothing in our kitchen matches (yet.) In the year ahead (after we finish the basement) I'd like to tackle the kitchen in painting the walls & cabinets/pantry. (See some of my inspiration here.)But for now I'm just glad that the nook and pantry both fit in the empty corner, and that we finally have our food out of boxes!