Life at home

It has been days since my best gals from college came to visit, and shamefully, months since I last wrote. Every fall the ladies and I reunite to catch up on a year's worth of life. We spend the time exploring our local scenery and enjoying the friendships we are so thankful to have. It was my honor to host this year's get-together at home, and a weekend I had planned for since we started moving in.

Once walls were painted, faucets, interior doors and hardware were installed. The garage was painted inside and out, and new utility pipes were trenched from the side of the house to the alley. I guess the one positive of a long, warm summer is that we had time to seed dirt with new grass before the first frost! As appliances were installed, the master closet put together, and dimmers put on light switches, the painters were touching up. In fact there were many days that I thought the painters might stay with us forever. I felt bad that their careful work was sometimes neglected by other subcontractors, but in the end, everyone's work shined through. The last component added to the house was audio/visual equipment and boy does it make entertaining fun! We have the power to control all audio zones from our phones and marvel at watching shows on a sleek, 3D TV. I am glad our security system is of equal design and intelligence!

We moved in mid-August with a caravan of friends hauling pieces of our apartment to the house. Many existing pieces of furniture were put up for sale and items no longer needed were thrown away. Clothes, one king bed frame and mattress, two occasional tables, kitchen items and a washer and dryer were the only items that made the cut. We have had fun picking out patio, living room and guest room furniture; and our dining table is a piece of art which beautifully accommodates up to 8 people. Tip: When picking furniture for a small area, look for light material or glass top surfaces that can reflect light and enhance the size of the room.

There is no feeling like being a home owner, and the pride you have for that space. Life at home is wonderful, and I am so happy to see family and friends around our table every weekend. And as I reflect on the visit from our first guests, I smile knowing that the bathroom mirror easily allows four women to do their hair and makeup at the same time; the grill and smoker cook delicious meals that can be enjoyed with Frank Sinatra playing on the outside speakers; and the kitchen can not only accommodate cooking and morning coffee but also serves as a mini nail salon.

front porch with my gals

my family in the new living room


cleaning the kitchen for move in

Becoming a home

Though it's been a month since I wrote, it has not been slow at our home. We are officially in the "finishes" stage which means the elements that we see and use are being installed. It began with a trip to one of our local tile manufacturers where the shower, floor and vanity tile were selected for the bathroom. Our exterior doors were installed shortly after that, and the hardwoods received the first of three coats of water-based, high traffic clear sealer. We liked the lightness of the floors because it continued to open up the rooms, verses a darker shade that would make this house seem smaller. Chad and I saw our beautiful floors for a few days before they were covered to install cabinets, add base boards and begin the painting process.

Color update - we selected Martha Stewart's "Sisal" for walls, doors and cabinets. Our ceiling will be designer white, and the two window walls in the guest room will be Martha's "Tea Olong."

The summer heat and drought has been tough on our yard so Chad and I have been spending weekends watering (and trying to keep ourselves cool). We cleaned the attic of debris to get ready for the cocoon insulation, and Chad has continued adding to our photography archive. Don't be surprised if you see a before and after slide show one day; it will be impressive!

back shower wall with glass tiles:


clear stain on the hardwood floors in dining and living:

Sisal on the living room walls:

our new kitchen cabinets:

kitchen island and pantry:

Tea Olong in the guest room:

It's a new house

I am very happy to share the latest addition - walls! It's an exciting time when you start to see your living quarters defined. Over the last two weeks, my home has been been packed with recycled insulation and perfectly applied sheet rock. Tip: There are many types of insulation and the most recognized is likely pink which loses its effectiveness over the years. We chose "cocoon" insulation because it it sprayed in to create an airtight seal around the house and keep a comfortable temperature inside.

Drywall has also been applied to the new walls, and we are ready for primer. We are now starting to add the noticeable finishes to the house. Paint and floor stains will need to be picked in the next week and window treatments are already being discussed. We have also started to visit local estate sales and pick up special decorations and utensils. Chad and I will be home sweet home very soon :)

A very special thank you to my Dad. I'm so fortunate to have him do what he does and give us this gift. Happy Father's Day!

in front of the fireplace:

living room:

kitchen:

hallway to guest room (credenza on the right):

master bedroom:

discussing the amazing master bedroom:

Anniversary

Chad and I celebrated our four year anniversary on June 2. I surprised him with a popcorn basket at work, and he gave me beautiful orange red roses on our way to mom's house. We ended the day with a delicious dinner with my parents and grandpa and some very special gifts. I bought him a chiminea for an outdoor, wood-burning fire during romantic dinners at home or nights entertaining family and friends. He gave me something dear to my heritage and a reminder of my favorite culture - an Italian cypress tree. We are very excited to move into our new home and enjoy our gifts!

The garage is straight?

The words muttered by Chad surprised all of us. Dad, Chad and I were so used to ignoring the garage's slanted stance, bowed door and low ceiling that we almost did not notice the improvements that May evening. It might not look like much in pictures, but the garage is fully functional again. With a new roof and proper restructuring, it can now cover my car and protect our tools and lawn equipment. We will soon complete our restoration project by painting inside and out; and although we have plans to build a new structure and access from the alley, we are proud to preserve the existing building for many more years of use.


original garage:


improved garage:

Colors, cabinets and chairs

I never understood why color selection was such a difficult decision....I now understand. Choosing the right color combination was a struggle. I searched through magazines, and Chad set up a method on the Sherwin Williams website to test colors on the house through pictures. I sat in the lawn and in the house stretching my arm out and holding samples. We met with our architect friend Bentley to review popular samples and asked for his thoughts by room. Although they were fun, these options did not produce any complete selection. What did help? The window selection made weeks prior. Dad and I were roaming the house and looking at the new windows when we realized the best selection was one that complimented existing colors of the house and its surroundings. I don't know the exact shade, but I can now confidentially say that the color scheme has been decided. It will be a combination of subtle sand, white and barkish-gray to warm up the house but not taking away it's natural openness and light.

We also made cabinet selections during this time. Kitchen, living room credenza and bathroom cabinets have been customized for our needs and hand-crafted. They will be paint grade verses wood with cabinet doors as the exterior finish. All drawers will fully-extend with self-closing hinges. I'm very excited to see the new additions that will be installed later this month!

Lastly, I wanted to introduce everyone to the first piece of furniture bought for the house - a zebra chair! Chad and I have decided to have a non-traditional living room with chairs and possibly a small loveseat. The room will comfortably fit 6 people and be light enough to move around and add to as needed. We will likely have a his and her recliner facing the fireplace; more details to come soon.

first piece for the new living room:

Sweat equity

The value of this house has largely increased due to the craftsmanship added on a weekly basis. However, it has also improved from the efforts of two, weekend worker bees and one dog overseeing their progress. Per the title of this blog, Chad and I frequently shop vacuum the house's nooks and crannies to keep it clean and dirt and bug free!

One project that we did not anticipate when buying the house was reviving the lawn. We were not afraid of the maintenance but did not realize the crabgrass that covered the lawn and begged us to attack it. We spent hours plucking weeds so the existing Bermuda and St. Augustine grass had a chance to grow this spring, and we had victorious smiles every time we grabbed one of the "big clusters." This will be an ongoing effort, but we have made significant progress. And, I'm happy to report that our crape myrtles are also growing well since our lawn care started . Tip: If you have a house, anticipate buying one or will attend a housewarming party in the future, buy something like this: http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202832533/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053. It's well worth the money and makes weed control so much more productive.

After purchasing my great weed puller, Chad split his time on another heavily layered project. We had a hexagon louvre in the front of the house with multiple coats of paint. It took two different products and three weekends for Chad to clean, but the result is a bare louvre ready for the paint of our choice!

Boyfriend is the supervisor:

shop-vacuuming the kitchen:

shop-vacuuming the living room:

fresh and clean louvre:

one of two blooming crape myrtles in the front yard: