Life after the move

We moved. And it was a ton of work. And...the house needs more work than I originally thought. And...it's costing more money than I thought. And...taking more time than I thought.

Surprised??!!

After reading my last post pre-move, I think I was living in dream land where time is endless and money rains down from the money tree in our back yard. We have done some renovations, but it's definitely going to take more time and money than I had previously thought.

Here are a few of the painting projects we have tackled so far.

Interior Painting
We have painted the entire first floor living area/kitchen. That was a project that we hired out due to the size of the job. It would've taken us weeks to complete. The task included all the ceilings and walls. Here are some terrible before pictures (which reminds me I need to put together a pre-reno home tour)...

Can you see what we were dealing with?? Gold and brown walls and ceiling in the living area, forest green ceilings with maroon walls in the dining room and kitchen. Uff da (Minnesota thing). Our painter did a great job and completed the whole thing in 4 days...all-by-himself! One man. All by himself. It was amazing.

We love the new color. We went with Anew Gray from Sherwin Williams. It definitely feels more like us and brings modernizes it to the current decade. Here's a quick picture to show the huge transformation after...

Granted, the walls are not decorated and I haven't figured out a furniture layout. But the house is so much lighter, airier, and comfortable. I even like the oak trim better!!

I have to say this is the first time I've used Sherwin Williams and I love it. I used to go to the local large home improvement store and get the cheapest paint in order to save money. I was so wrong. Sherwin Williams paint might be a bit more expensive, but the quality is so much better and so is the color choices. I can't say enough great things about their paint.

Painting the Shutters

The siding is a light gray and the trim is white. And originally the shutters were also white. It was a lot of light colors. It basically looked like the same bland color. Nothing popped. (besides the ugly landscaping - a project for next summer). So my husband headed to Ace Hardware and picked up Rustoleum Ultra Cover primer and paint in semi-gloss black. After removing them, priming, painting, and re-installing, we had a whole new look! It adds a bit of class and updating.

We have also done some not exciting improvements including adding plexiglass window well covers, adding curtains and blinds to the main living area, and adding additional storage to the garage. On a more exciting note, we have also started painting the bedrooms and doing quite a bit of decorating.

Patience is not one of my stronger suits, but I'll definitely need it for this renovation! Pray for me...or more importantly, pray for my husband who has to help me with all of my big ideas!!

House #4 Tour

I thought I would give you a tour of our last house. This was the fourth house we've purchased and the third house we've designed. The shell was already there, but we selected all of the finishes. It is a bi-level with four bedrooms and four bathrooms.

Entry

The door to the side enters the garage and the wood doors on the right is a coat closet. The flooring is DuraCeramic; rug and bench are Ikea.

Living Room

The living room, 'dining room', and kitchen are all open to each other. Behind the half wall is the stairs coming from the entry.

Kitchen

Though this kitchen seems small, it was so well planned out. We had plenty of room for all of our stuff and the island was the perfect size. The tall cabinet on the left was the pantry. The hallway on the right leads to two bedrooms and a bathroom.

Dining Room

The patio door to the deck is off to the right. And this table and chairs are so dear to me. They were my grandma's grandparent's. So needless to say, I've very protective of them. You'll notice I love old pieces as you tour my home, especially family ones. They may not be 'modern' but they hold much more meaning and warmth than a store bought item.

Hallway

A lot of these items show part of our history. They are old family photos, currently family photos, my wedding invitation, postcards from our travels, old family frames. I love SO MUCH adding history into our house and looking at these things and thinking of my family. The hutch is also a family heirloom passed down to me. It's wonderful for display, especially during the holidays.

Master Bedroom

This bedroom was a labor of love for me. Most of this room was DIYed by myself. I saw this wall treatment in Emily's office of Jones Design Company. It took me most of a winter (thanks to several Minnesota blizzards), many cramped hands, and strong legs from climbing our step ladder...but I handpainted the entire 'wallpaper'. It had such a dramatic impact on this room. I used a dark navy for an impact wall behind the headboard. 

The headboard was also an easy DIY. It consisted of plywood, a foam mattress pad, fabric, and decorative nail heads. 

I also refinished both the night stands. One was from my husband's grandfather's house and the other was from his parent's house. I removed the bad finish and stained them darker colors. These two projects were very time consuming. 

The chandelier was a favorite of mine. I found it at a local antique market and fell in love the second I saw it. We even learned to hardwire it ourselves!

With such a neutral house, it was fun to jazz up this room a bit.

Upstairs Bathroom

Our upstairs bathroom was the main bath for the upstairs. It had two entry doors - one from the hallway and one from the master bedroom. It had no natural light (no windows) so it was a pretty dark room. We had thought about putting in a solar light, but never got around to it before selling. We installed the floating shelves above the toilet, as well as switching out the towel rack and finding a mirror at Hobby Lobby (so we wouldn't have to have stock builder grade mirrors - yuck). The shower curtain is from Pottery Barn.

Basement Living Room

So since this is a bi-level, the windows let in a crazy amount of light. The windows are basically level with the ground. Along with this being our main tv/sports watching area, it also housed all of the kids toys. I prefer the toys to be in one area versus in their rooms along with a 'toy room'. I was so thankful that this living room was so large. It made hanging out with our friends and our kids much more cohesive - i.e. husbands could watch football along with 'watching' their kids at the same time!

Basement Bathroom

This bathroom was pretty small, but served it's purpose. We added another store bought mirror versus using the standard building grade. I hung up a few pictures and called it good.

Kid's Bedroom #1

This is my oldest daughter's room. I made a circle stencil and spray painted silver sparkles on her headboard wall to add some fun! Most of the wares are HomeGoods, Ikea, and Target (obviously).

Kid's Room #2

This is my youngest daughter's room. She moved rooms shortly before we put our house on the market, so it isn't as fun and cute as a little girls room should be. I found that awesome octopus print at HomeGoods. I adore it. The bed was made from converting her crib into this full sized bed.

Outside

I'm not going to post outside photos of this home just for security reasons. But I wanted to share what we did. Obviously, since this was a new build, we were tasked with landscaping, grass, etc. Here's all that we did:

Installed a sprinkler system ourselves (it was a lot of work)

Planted grass (and picked LOTS of weeds until the grass was thick enough)

Created landscaping around the entire house and electrical boxes (paving stones, plants, mulch, etc)

This was an incredible amount of hard labor and work, but I think I was the most proud of this. I was proud because we did it all ourselves instead of hiring it out. The only thing we hired out was the grass which was hydroseeded. Maybe some day I'll add some of the landscaping photos.

So that's House Number 4. We put a lot of work into this home - both inside and outside - and I'm so proud of it. I was sad to leave, but so thankful of the wonderful memories we created there. It had been the longest we lived in one place! Amazing! I hope you enjoyed the short tour and come check out our new home and all that changes that brings!

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we bought a house

So do you remember a few posts back how our family was on a hunt for the 'right' house? Well, we finally found it...after 2 years of looking. Being patient pays off!

We haven't closed yet, but fingers crossed...we will be moving in mid-June. Our current house has also sold. The market is so hot here, we actually sold it in 24 hours. So needless to say, it was a crazy couple of weeks.

This new place is in a great location and has a nice layout, but definitely needs some updating. But I'm looking forward to that! Right away there will be new paint, light fixtures, and some outside work. In the next few years, our big goals are to remove a wall, put in a new kitchen, and new flooring. Wow...now that I write that down, it seems a little more extreme than in the happy place in my head. Well, in true form, I will avoid that until I'm forced to attack it head on.

I will post pictures of our current home soon, and then update while we fix up the new place!

This is our fifth house we've purchased and about our 10th move, so none of this is new to us. I always get energized to fix up a new space. I know it'll be lots of work, but it's work I'm looking forward to! (remind me of this quote in about a month!!)

cute girl room

My youngest daughter decided she wanted to be a big girl and sleep downstairs with her older sister. After having her sleeping upstairs with us of so long, I miss having her near to me!

But now that she's in a new room, I get to decorate a new space! (I'm working on my positive thinking!) Since she's the youngest child, she tends to get a lot of hand-me-downs, so I would like to give her something new just for her.

I've done a mock-up of what I'm hoping to accomplish.

These aren't exact items, but similar to things we already have and what we want to buy. Her bed frame is her old crib. It's a dark cherry color, which isn't my choice of stain but I work with what I have. We also already have a coral colored quilt and and a triptych octopus picture I picked up at HomeGoods. 

My next steps are picking out a paint color (I think gray), painting the existing nightstand (I think white), and picking up a few accessories. I would like to change out her light as well.

The only thing holding me back is this really long wall. I don't know what to do with it. I've been scouring Pinterest but haven't come up with anything yet. I know what I don't want (i.e. gallery wall, accent wall, or leave it blank).

I will take some before pictures of her room and do a post on that before I start painting and accessorizing. 

Do you have any ideas 'filling up' a long wall? 

what's your home list?

We have been on the lookout for a new house for about a year or so. We are looking for a specific area in our town and not many homes go up for sale in that division so we have had to be patient. I am content with the home we have now, but it's not where I really want to be. Ideally, I would love to build my 'dream' home, but my champagne tastes make me reevaluate that route. Also the lack of available building lots also puts a wrench in that plan. It could still become a reality, but I'm not boxing myself into one option.

So all this house hunting got me thinking...what is my 'list'? What are my must haves/really wants in my next place? Here is my list of rooms/things that I really want for my next house.

Keeping Room
Have you heard of this? This is #1 on my list. A keeping room is a side room off the kitchen. It's not a living room or dining room, but an additional small sitting room. Here is one example, but if you Google it, there are many variations to check out.

It just feels cozy and is an area for family and friends to hang out NEAR the kitchen, without actually being IN the the kitchen (one of my pet peeves). It keeps the cook in the conversation but also gives them their own space. When I picture my own keeping room, I see myself drinking my morning coffee there and my kids hanging out there after school or while I'm making dinner.

Large Yard
In our part of the country, our yards are okay sized. I grew up in the country, so it feels small to me. But to others it may seem large. We live in the prairie so there aren't many trees. So if I can find a full sized tree in a yard, that's a big bonus. Grown trees are an actual selling point in our area. I just want a safe space for our kids to run around and play. A large yard is a non-negotiable for me.

Master Bathroom
This isn't a necessity for me, but I would love to have my own bathroom. Right now, we all share one bathroom and it sure gets crowded in the morning! I'd love to get ready without someone using the toilet next to me (TMI??)!

via Pulp Design Studios

Wouldn't this bathroom be a dream! Check out that shower. I love the bathtub in the glass enclosure.

Entertaining Space
We enjoy having friends and family over to our home. I want an open area that allows everyone to fit. Right now, our home is spit into different levels and each level isn't large enough for everyone to hang out. I guess what I'm looking for is more space. A second space for all the kiddos to go would also be a bonus!


These are some of the things I would like in our new place. I know it's unlikely that I will get all these, but a girl can dream, right? It's hard to keep reality in check when Pinterest is slapping you in the face with the most put together and beautiful homes. Just keep in mind that fancy finishes don't make your home. Your special touches that represent you and your family make your house beautiful and comfortable. How's that for a pep talk??!!

I would love to hear what's on your list! Maybe I can make my list a little longer after hearing what you have to say!

operation home declutter

Who else is on the home decluttering/organizing/throw all the things away bandwagon? I always feel energized at the beginning of the New Year to organize. I think, for me, after putting all the Christmas decorations away and receiving many new gifts, I just want to get rid of everything. All the clutter makes my mind cluttered.

I've been working my way through my house and no room, closet, tupperware container, or under bed space is safe. Here are a few tips that work well for me. Cue 'The Final Countdown' theme music.

1. Start early in the morning.

I usually have more energy in the morning to get stuff done. I grab a cup of coffee, turn on a podcast or a good tv show, and start going through.

2. Give yourself a little treat/snack halfway through.

Everyone likes a little reward, right? Just don't sit down to eat your snack! That is my downfall. I'll sit down to grab a small snack, and then I keep sitting there. Take a bowl of popcorn (or your preferred snack) and bring it with you.

3. Get in the mood.

Get your mind out of the gutter. I only clean out closets when I'm in the mood for it. That specific day, I need to feel motivated, to not feel attached to anything, not feel sentimental, and be in a slightly crabby mood. No kidding. When I'm in a bad mood, I feel like cleaning and getting rid of stuff. I'm usually in a bad mood when there is too much stuff around the house, especially if they don't have a home spot. Don't push yourself. If you really don't feel like cleaning/organizing that particular day...don't do it.

4. Keep moving.

I tell myself over and over...the faster I do this, the sooner it'll get done. I know, I know. We say this to our kids over and over. But I find thinking this is motivating. Some people love organizing. I know I do. But...I don't want to organize all day long. Just keep at it and get it done!

5. Tackle every space.

Don't skip a single spot. For example, we had a trunk full of dress up accessories that our girls used to play with. This trunk was hidden in the closet under our stairs. It was out of sight, out of mind. But once we went through this, we got rid of 99% of everything in that trunk. So freeing! Find all those baskets, trunks, under bed spaces, backs of closets, nooks and crannies.

6. Do it while you're kids are out of the house.

This is the most important step. My kids want to keep every.single.scrap.of.paper. Ugh. I go through their rooms and toy areas while they are at school. I check every hiding space and you wouldn't believe the things I find! However, I'm not ruthless. If I know something is important to them (even if I think it's junk), I don't throw it. I set it out so they can find a better location for it (rather than under their bed). And 99% of the time, they never notice what I've thrown out. Once and a while, we will work on this together and explain that they are helping other children enjoy these toys. Sometimes they are generous, sometimes not. That's when you implement step 6.


Now, what to do with everything you aren't keeping? I do three things. First, I ask my friends with small children if they want/need anything. Second, I sell my kids' clothes and toys to a used children's boutique. Third, I donate. Whatever the children's boutique doesn't want, all other adult clothing, and home goods go to the local donation center.

Don't you just love clean and open spaces?! Clearing out the clutter really makes your house seem bigger, function better, and feel fresher. But the new goal for the year...don't fill your house back up with more stuff! Otherwise you have to do this over again!

tried and true recipes

I don't know about you, but when it comes to dinnertime around our house, I need to search out ideas for dinner. Otherwise, I tend to stick to the boring standards that my family is sick of. My favorite source is Pinterest (for basically everything, if I'm being honest). Usually, I have an idea what I already have on hand or what meat or veggies I want to serve that night and do a search based on that. And usually I end up with a decent dinner!

My requirements are that they are easy, no crazy ingredients my kids won't eat, are quick, and one that doesn't require me to do a last minute grocery store run. I love a good crockpot meal - especially with our busy evenings with kids' activities, and I love a good hotdish - because I'm a good Midwestern girl.

Here are some recipes I've found on Pinterest that have been big hits in our family. Most of them require a bit of preplanning as I don't usually buy some of the ingredients on my regular grocery runs. But if I know that I plan on making any of these recipes that week, the ingredients are easy enough to pick up.

Parmesan crusted pork chops from Lil' Luna. These are so stinking good. Pork chops can dry out really easily, but this recipe keeps them moist and chewable (i.e. not tough)! I can do at regular dinnertime, and then keep them warm in the oven until the rest of the family is home. I'll usually roast some broccoli that can stay in the warm oven as well.

Crock Pot sausage & cheese tortellini soup from Recipe. Oh my gosh. This is a new favorite. Super easy and super yummy. It also reheats well for lunch the next day. The noodles get a little softer, but we don't mind.

French Dip from Stockpiling Moms. This one was a surprise. I'm not a french dip person. I'd never actually had it before cooking this recipe. Also, I didn't think my kids would like it. But the loved it! Really loved it! I had made this into a freezer meal and then transferred into the crockpot. Delicious.

Skinny tomato soup with cheesy orzo from Picky Palate. Doesn't the word 'skinny' sound unappetizing? Not so for this recipe! It has so much flavor and a little spice! I used an immersion blender just to make things easier on myself. I usually make some grilled cheese sandwiches to go along with this.

Granola from Crumbs & Chaos. This is a really easy granola recipe. Plus, it makes lots. Meaning - I don't have to make it very often. We usually eat it on our yogurt, but my husband likes it plain with milk.

These are my latest favorites. I hope you give them a try! Let me know if you've tried them, or if you have any favorites that I should try! Happy cooking!