Sold!

It's official.  We are out of the house and into the rental.  I secretly hoped, but never expected things to move this quickly.  Rewind.... Adam came home in November and out of the blue said something that can be summarized as, "If you are still wanting to move, then we need to buy a lot tomorrow.  Here are the lots you can pick from, here's the budget, I need an office and a TV, but otherwise this is your project so get working and let's get it over with."  You don't have to tell me twice!  We purchased a lot on a cul-de-sac, lined up a builder, picked out a house plan, and put our house on the market in about five minutes.  We sold our house only a few days after putting it on the market, only to have the buyers back out when it came time to make a commitment.  Of course, I was bummed out since (mentally) I already had us moving into our new house.  The very next day we had another showing and another buyer--and a closing date six weeks away!  We've spent the last few weeks cleaning, repairing, writing checks to plumbers, electricians, landscapers, etc., filling a storage unit, moving to a rental, awaiting appraisals, and filling trash cans and the backs of our cars.  Add in parent teacher conferences, kids' activities, 5 basketball games every weekend, and our full time jobs that seem more than full time right now, and you have a very busy family!  I figured I would be sad to move from Laurel Point, but there just hasn't been time for that.  

It was a great house for us, and the location was unbeatable, but we were simply outgrowing it.  Leaving great neighbors was probably the hardest part (especially for Newman).  But I am excited to get started on the new house--can't wait to pull out my "house ideas" folder and Pinterest boards!  The kids are excited to be neighbors with some of their best friends.  And while I'd like to think Adam is looking forward to his new office space, in reality he's probably only thinking of the $$$!

Kitchen Redo

I finally talked Adam into a kitchen makeover.  No tearing down walls or building on, just a facelift.  I've always wanted a white kitchen, and figured it would be a good idea to do it in this house since we probably won't live here forever.  That way if I decide it was a mistake I'll know better when I get my "forever house."  It wasn't awful before (actually it had been updated shortly before we moved in five years ago), just not my taste.  It used to be sky blue, which I hated, and I was still in the red/brown phase in 2006, so red it became.  We did get a new stainless stove and fridge soon after moving in, but the old dishwasher (which I painted faux stainless), microwave and sink were still in use.  We also put in new windows and blinds.

Old kitchen (with some test paint).

Old kitchen workspace.

Old kitchen, bar side.

Old kitchen, plus high chair that has since found a new home at the Say's.

Here is the new and improved space:  lighter paint--of course, it is tan Sharla--throughout the upstairs (done by me), painted cabinets (thanks to Brad Ficke and his crew), new countertops (Home Depot), new sink (Adam's contribution), and backsplash (by Jake Zeka).  These were the "planned for" items.  We also ended up with all new plumbing and garbage disposal, dishwasher, and microwave.  I also found some covering for the sliding doors going to the deck.  Better late than never--wonder if our backyard neighbors will miss looking in???  And, I bought new bar stools (gift to myself for all the painting I did :) and made a new curtain.  

I'm on a home improvement spending freeze, so any remaining projects I come up with this summer will have to fall into the "free" category.

Projects Part 1

I didn't make a written summer "to do" list, but I've got it in my head.  I'm getting close to being able to show you my big kitchen reveal, but for now I'll start with the projects that fall into the categories of "undesirable" and "mostly free."  I made myself a deal (do you make deals with yourself too?) that if we made some upgrades and changes to our kitchen, then I'd get all of the other "undesirables" done too.  Here's project #1:  basement bathroom closet.  We (as in Jake Zeka) updated the bathroom this winter with new floor tile, sink, toilet, and light fixture.  We also added new white baseboards and I painted it to match the rest of the living space in the basement.  I did not paint the closet.  And while it's not that big of a deal, it bothered me.  Plus I didn't like how the stuff in there looked, but where else do you store a humidifier, first aide supplies and cleaning products?

Before

After

Here it is after a couple of hours of painting (with help from Miles) and fabric storage bins from Home Depot, $25.  Don't you like how the tan handles match the paint?  It doesn't happen very often, but occasionally HD will offer something I like better than Target.  Sorry Target.  What's in the baskets you wonder??  1.  First aide supplies.  2.  Travel bags and supplies like small toothpastes.  3.  Cleaning supplies.  4.  Hair cutting tools.  I like the look of soap and towels (minus the mismatched ones that moved onto rag status), so they got to stay out in the open.  Unfortunately I had to keep the humidifier and plunger, although I strongly considered throwing them out.  

Bad Idea

I really like(d) this rug from Pottery Barn. When it came, I even ordered a smaller size for the front door as well. So... they aren't exactly vacuum friendly (at least not our cheapo vacuum that tries to unravel the fibers) which wouldn't be that big of a deal (we could shake them out) IF the dogs didn't lay on them. The smell of the material combined with dog = yuck! Anyone have any recommendations for finding neat rugs?? May try ordering individual tiles to make one big rug??

Halloween Decor

The kids and I decorated the fireplace for Halloween last weekend. I'm not in love with our fireplace to begin with, so maybe I will leave this up all year.

I spray painted some branches to make black "trees"--I figured this was a good idea because A) it was much cheaper than buying them, and B) I can throw them away and avoid storing them. Note: the dogs have since ate 3 of these little pumpkins, so they've been moved.
I love these banners I've been seeing for holidays and birthdays. So easy and fast to make--just my style!

New (well not really NEW) Goods

These are the goods I bought last weekend that didn't exactly fit in the car. My mom and aunt brought them up in the truck this weekend. Originally the white cabinet was going to sit on the table (which is the look I've been trying to hunt down for a long time) but it was too overpowering for this house. But I love them separately as well. Thank you Mom and Aunt Nancy for helping me haul it in (had to wait till Adam left, it's much easier to accept new things when they are already in place and full :).

Owen used the table for his homework today.

Mac Love

We spent most of Friday in KC (on our way to the lake) and hit up the Apple store in Leewood. Our home computer has had some unresolved "issues" so we figured we were due for a new one and opted for a desktop this time--a BIG desktop.  I love it, but it forced me to clear everything else off the table.  

Owen figured out to play the Star Wars Legos computer game which meant one less kid to worry about destroying the store.
Size comparison.  We are still going to keep the other one.  Hopefully I can get it serviced at the Apple store in Omaha next week--we haven't had a lot of luck in town.