Things to be Greatful For

Random Things That I am Thankful for...

Delicious Children Who, though they keep their room like this...



I love anyway.

My parents, who started feeling bad for us and our falling apart-barely painted table, so they gave us an early Christmas present.....

Pretty Killer, huh.

I have been wanting these wire, topiary, thingy's for EVER....

so....

I finally caved and bought two of them. I am in love....


With these ruffly-shabby chic drapes

They make our bedroom feel like a cloud.

And of course, the always gorgeous, oak armoire-

I am thankful for the heated, half-finished mess that is this house, and this life...

I am thankful for the right now.

I have been gone A While

I'll be the first to admit.
I had some serious aspirations for this blog.
When we started out renovating this house, and doing this blog, I was all full of optimism about what both could become. I had visions of those gorgeous shabby chic houses you see on every other blog site out there.
Then reality set in.
I haven't posted in months because I am burnt out, and totally over this house.
Literally everything that could have been wrong with this house was. We ripped the entire inside down to the studs out of necessity and started over again- strained our budget until there is literally nothing left- and still have an entire basement left to finish.
It snowed yesterday- and we have no furnace. Not even any heat ducting to blow hot air anywhere even if we did have the furnace.
So, here we sit, in sweatshirts and sweats, hovering over space-heaters.
And I am feeling crabby.
No new pictures to offer, no pretty nick-nacks, because I can't even afford to buy drapes, badly needed dressers, or a single rug at this point.
No new entries, because my life is not a vacation, and I have to work. All day. Every day.
Maybe, at some point,
I will get over this Edgar Allen Poe moment I am having
and write a happier post.
:)

Long time no see! We have been actively renovating and moving over the last two months or so, and here it is. Finally, the big reveal of our 1950s brick cottage.


The floors in our living room were stripped and refinished. Look how amazing they look after 50 years!

Here is the master bedroom complete with my "cloud" bed. I plan to keep with a white color scheme in this room to keep things looking heavenly.

This is the newly completed closet size bathroom. By the way, who knew that faucets would cost an arm and a leg??

Our beautiful tile work made of travertine with glass accent tiles.

This is the pantry in our new kitchen. We got the cabinets from lowes, painted them white and smeared a brown glaze over them. Delicious.

Here is the new kitchen nook. The art is my fav, I have been wanting this painting for a very long time, and now here it is in my first kitchen!

The kitchen cabinets are made of knotty alder and distressed in the same way that we did the pantry. I love love love these cabinets. But they were also painfully expensive. SO, no granite counter tops for us. The Formica is called ebony mocha, I was drawn to it because the name sounded like coffee, and you know how much I worship coffee.

This is my favorite part of the kitchen. I love the staggered cabinets and I love my new oven.

There is lots more to do around here. The new dishwasher comes on Wednesday. I am so excited after doing dishes by hand for two months.

I am going into full hunting and decorating mode, and will be dragging you along with me whenever I can.

Love,

Kristin

We are currently in the process of sheetrocking and mudding the entire first floor of our house this week. My husband, power tools, goopy mud, and me don't mix. So, I will be posting a new set of photos tomorrow when he is mostly done with the messy work. As for now, it is time for a kitchen update. The awesome kitchen table that I showed in an earlier post was sold not soon after. :( So, I have been on the hunt since for a different table. If you haven't already guessed, I love all things antique, old, and somewhat sad looking.
This table is for sale at Savvy Brothers Consignment in Logan. And I loove the detail in the legs. This table measures 42 inches wide, 30 high, and 30 deep. Even though it is quite small for a table, it still may too big for my tiny eat in kitchen. I will have to measure this week to see if it makes the cut.

Speaking of cuts. I currently have a dining room set, but it is far too big for my kitchen. I was thinking of cutting the table. Just take saw and cut a big chunk out of the middle and then glue the halves back together.

That could work right??

Dress it Up

I have been dreaming of antique dressers lately. Yes, dressers. I have a beautiful antique armoire with carved wood and beveled glass doors that I have been looking for a mate for, for a while. Somehow no dresser I have found lately seems to be good enough. Too big, too small, too much detail, not enough detail.




Then... This gorgeous hunk came up for sale on KSL, a Utah classifieds website, yesterday. It is absolutely perfect. I love the detail of the feet and the original wood knobs. Sadly, it is priced at 450 dollars. Ouch. My already over the budget, budget cannot afford it.

SO, here are a few other pictures of lovely antique dressers I have found lately.

Ahhh, if only....

A look at our beautiful, leaf free backyard. A few days ago, the backyard looked nothing like this. The previous owners hadn't raked this yard in years. There were three feet of leaves in parts of the yard, and it took us 25 gigantic black garbage bags to clear it all. It made for a fun weekend, and some very happy new neighbors.

The inside of the house is not so pretty right now. We have just finished the electric, a total rewire of the house was required. We initially did not plan to completely rewire, but when we found out that the garbage disposal was merely hot wired into an electric outlet, we thought we might need to take a look at the rest. Boy were we right.

Here is a look at the fantastic recessed lighting that has been newly wired into the kitchen.

And here is a look at the kitchen with new plumbing and wiring added. Sad to say, this level of dis-repair looks much better than the house did when we bought it.

And here is a look at the worlds most expensive light switch. Who knew light switches could cost 6 dollars a piece. About 25 throughout the house, and it adds up quick. (I won't add it for you, I am an English major)

My Mother in Law, Hollie, and I packing leaves into bags the size of me.

Don't let the pictures fool you. This is the one and only time I have done manual labor during this renovation. Thank you husband.

We are working on having the heating and air re-routed this weekend, and also having new doors installed this weekend. Goodbye 4 inch gap under all doors! We will also be having the cabinet maker come to make his final measurements for the kitchen this weekend. Hello American Debt! It should be a busy, interesting weekend.

Holding Pattern

My house is officially an empty shell. The floors are covered in dust, the walls are crumbled where they use to stand. Electric wire and exposed plumbing show through everywhere, and we are in a holding pattern. There isn't much for me to say about the house right now because there isn't much house. I can say that I am very appreciative of all of the help we have received. We have been lucky enough to have one dad who knows how to do the electric, framing, drywall, mudding, etc. and one dad who knows how to do everything else. So things are getting done, slowly but surely.

This week both of the dads are away on business trips. So the little house will get a much needed break from surgery.

I thought that I would share a few inspiring decorating photos with you.

Have a great day.

Inspiration

SO, because I am currently avoiding all things reno, I thought I would focus on some of the fun stuff that I am thinking about. This adorable little table is something I found in Salt Lake City. They call it a shabby farmhouse table, which is definitely my cup of tea. I am thinking about pairing it with the dining room chairs that I already have and painting them to match. The table that I currently own is far too big for the kitchen. This shabby one, is about half the size. My husband will hate this table, he says that antiques are what people call things when they want to sell a pile of crap for at least a thousand bucks. When this baby shows up in his kitchen, there will be hell to pay :)

I absolutely love this print from Pier One. The colors match perfectly with the color scheme I am thinking of for the kitchen. I will have to save up for the hefty price tag of 125$, when I do, I am planning on putting it over my new fantastic kitchen table.

We had a few cabinet estimates done this week. Basically, these are what the cabinets will look like, but on a much smaller scale, and with no granite of course. I am sadly not that rich. The cabinets and formica will come out to be a cool four grand. Ouch! Anyone want to donate to my house renovation?

Renovation stress

It has been a few weeks now, and the stress of renovation is setting in. Who knew you could spend a thousand bucks on things like linoleum scrapers, 2X4s, and power tools just to get the job started!

Lesson #1 in renovating: things will always take twice as long, be three times as expensive, and be a million times more stressful than you initially anticipate.

For example, when we ripped out the bathroom last week, we discovered that the tub had a leak. 2X4s will need to be replaced, and a plumber will have to be paid to fix the pipes. Also, because this is a 50 year old house, there are no grounded outlets in the bathroom (or anywhere in the house for that matter), an electrician will have to be paid. = lots of money we didn't budget for.

Because the tub had a leak, the ceiling in the basement was holding some kind of black sludge from the tub's pee-trap. When ceiling panel was removed in basement, to make room for new dry wall, black sludge poured down onto white carpet. Looks like the carpet I was planning on keeping to save money, will no longer be kept. = lots of money we didn't budget for.

If the pink counter and tile were not enough to induce gagging and wails of protest, the stench would be. This bathroom smelled like something died inside it, and then was buried under the floorboards. The linoleum had a life form growing on it, and every single surface had about an inch of grime and dust caked to it. This room was the first to go when we showed up to demolish on Saturday morning.

Demolition usually requires a muscled, good looking man for ambiance, and a crow bar and hammer.


Stir well, and this is the result you get.

We decided to leave the cast iron tub, it is the only thing that has survived the last 50 years, and is still in pretty good shape.

Now for electrical, plumbing, hardy backer, and tile galore.

Rome was built in a day right?

I hope so, because I already want to see the finished product.

The Barren Living Room

The Master Bedroom

The Dining Room/Bedroom

Let the Renovation Begin

Hello friends,

The wait is over. We finally closed on our 1950 brick cottage. The inside and outside are in rough shape and are going to need lots of love to get back to looking the way they should.

Tyson got home from his business conference on Friday night, and I literally shoved him right back in the car to pick up our keys from the realtor. After eight months of house hunting, our realtor Julie, was practically part of the family. Aiden even plays with her son Simon.

We met Julie, and she gave us our new house keys. Mine was a tinkerbell key and Tysons was a Hulk key. How weird is that?

After getting the keys, we drove straight to the house to have a look. I immediately pulled back a corner of the living room carpet to expose the woodfloors. They were beautiful, but seeing as it was about 9 at night, Tyson suggested we come back in the morning to tackle the rest.

Closing Day... Again

My realtor called this morning.
Our closing date is this Thursday at eleven a.m.
This could not have come at a worse time. Tyson is out of town this week, so even if we could move into the house after we close, we can't
because I have no muscle to help me.
So goes life I guess.

In the meantime,
I am creating a budget for beginning renovations.
after making a down payment on the house, we will have a little under 3,000 dollars for renovation.

The bathroom will be the first project, because it is simply un-useable in the state it is in.

Home Depot pricing:

New Toilet: 130$
New Vanity (found on KSL): 375$
Tile for the whole bathroom: 120$
New tub: 300$
New fixtures: 75$

Grand Total: 1000$

That leaves a little over 1700 dollars to renovate the hideous kitchen.
Stay tuned for next week, when we are finally in the house, and I show you some pictures of the terrifying before state of this house.

Inspection Day

Okay,
We had the inspection done on the house today. Third inspection on a house in six months, and I must say, this poor little house needs some love.
Every surface of the inside of this house is dirty. There are literally two inch thick spider webs in the corners of the kitchen, the bathroom is a science experiment, and the carpets are horrific.
I will be the first to admit that I am not the cleanest, most organized person in the world, but the dirtiness of this house is just wrong, even for me.
Somehow,
through all the grime, I am starting to grow attached to this little house.
I can see how I am going to change every little thing already,
OH NO!
here I go getting exciting again,
you would think I would have learned my lesson
the last three times.

This is It.

Well, here it is.

This 1950's brick cottage is ours.

We close in two weeks.

Wish us luck.

I think I am still getting over the last house we had the contract on. I loved that house, it was, literally the house of my dreams. But... I guess you aren't meant to have the house of your dreams for your first house right?

So, I guess I will be optimistic,

and let this house become the house of my dreams.

There is alot to do in this house,

ripping out carpet,

whole new kitchen,

whole new bathroom,

whole new life not living in my parents basement!

Ghostly Apparition

Those of you who know me, know that I whole heartedly believe in ghosts.
I have had "paranormal" experiences in nearly every house that I have lived in since I was a child, and over time, have simply decided that there must be something off about me
that attracts that kind of activity.
Since moving back in with my parents, I had not had any odd feelings or seen anything "odd"
until this past month.
My three year old, Aiden, was watching a movie in the basement during a particularly boring afternoon, when I went upstairs to do some laundry. Once I got the laundry loaded, and water boiling to make her lunch, I wandered back downstairs to find Aiden trying to un-lock the basement door.
I said "Aiden, what are you doing, you know that you aren't allowed to open doors unless Mommy says so."
"but Mommy," she says " there is a man at the door, he is asking to come inside."
Needless to say, I get creeped out.
Over the years, I have found that the best way to survive the constant feel of ghosts, or "weird" feelings, is to ignore them.
If I ignore the activity, rather than reacting to it, the negative energy usually disperses, and stays away for a while.
So, I decided to ignore it.
A little while later, I went back upstairs to change the laundry from the washer to the dryer.
When I came back about five minutes later,
there was Aiden, trying to open the door again.
Same thing.
"but Mommy, there is a man, who says he needs to come in."
I sat on the couch with her for the rest of the afternoon.
Nothing.
When my husband came home, I told him the story,
he checked the backyard for footprints.
Nothing.

That night, I woke up to a weird noise.
Our bedroom floor has wood floors, and Aiden's room is connected to ours through a doorway.
We have a heavy down comforter that we use during the winter, the sound I woke up to was like the down comforter was being dragged across the floor of our room--back and forth across the floor.

I was terrified. I looked down from the bed, and found the blanket pooled at the foot of our bed.
I poked my husband awake. We both sat in silence, when suddenly, from Aidens room we hear her say "won't you come in?"

Looks like whoever was trying to get my daughter to let them in that afternoon, succeeded.

Sorry

I must admit, I have been avoiding you.
I haven't wanted to work on my blog lately, because it hasn't started out being what I want it to be. When I started this blog, I had ideas of grandure about it. It was going to contain beautiful pictures of pretty things, it was going to give a beautiful little tidbit about what I was doing around my new house each day.
I haven't been able to do those things, and I am a little embarrassed about it.
We are in a holding pattern. Just waiting to find out which house will be ours, we still have two weeks until we find out which house we are moving into. Is it the beautiful, 1930s cottage, the house of my dreams?? Or is it the somewhat less loved 1950s cottage that I can make my own?? I have no idea.
So here I am, feeling that this whole situation is a bit like that melting, forgotten, february snow outside my window.
The luster of house hunting and house buying is gone.
I am ready for house owning.
So, I am here to say I am sorry.
As of now,
I am going to entertain you with stories of what is happening during the in between.
I hope you will stick with me until we get to the good parts.

An Open Window

So, after all the heartache of trying to buy the last house, we decided to go out and find some other options. This cute little thing showed up for sale just 18 days ago.

The yard is beautiful, and it is positioned at the top of the hill, so it is just a block away from some amazing walking and biking trails.

The inside is a bit of a different story. The bathroom and the kitchen have to go, there is carpet to rip out, lots and lots of wood paneling to rip down, and endless painting to be had.

Lots of experiences waiting.

I want that feeling you have when you have a place to call your own.
Something that says you belong here.
I want to fold arm loads of laundry,
soak mountains of dishes, and
hide love notes in secret places.
It has been a year since we last had a place that was our own.
And though it seems small, un-important,
to some,
I want to give my children a place that is theirs.
Not something borrowed.

I want to wake at night
in the locked stillness of a house,
and walk through each darkened room,
running my open palms
across the coolness of the walls,
in appreciation
for the things I have been given.

Choosing Happiness

I am, by nature, a pessimistic person. I am moody and volatile at times. I am sensitive and easily hurt, and deeply self-conscious.

And then I am passionate and loyal, trust worthy and sincere.

I often forget my better traits. I allow myself to dwell in negativity.

I had been dwelling in negativity for weeks, when I was so worried that this house may not be ours. When I was worrying over being stuck in my parent's basement for another daunting length of time.

I have, instead, decided to choose happiness. Happiness is a choice we make each day. And nothing so small as a house should change the happiness that I experience with my family.

I want to choose joy because when I do, it causes a ripple effect in my life. The power of smiling cannot be over estimated.

And in the last few weeks, I have not been cherishing the smiles of my beautiful daughter and son like I should be. I have not been smiling at my amazing husband enough.

So instead of fretting over this house, that my family does desperately need, but can go on living without, I am choosing happiness.

I am living in happiness,

regardless of where we live physically.

Sad but True

Short Sale.

These words have become the bane of my existence.

We started looking for a home over six months ago. Initially, we found a nice house in north Ogden that was for sale in a short sale situation. We got on-board, and we waded through a mountain of paper work with the bank to close on the house. The day of our close day came, and the bank had no papers for us to sign. Apparently, the branch of the bank that deals in short sales had not been communicating with the branch of the bank that deals in foreclosure.

The bank decided to push the house through to foreclosure, even though we had a contract to buy the house. We were out of luck. Nothing we could do. It was the little guy against the huge corporate bank.

Attempt two of house hunting led us to this fantastic house. It wasn't a short sale, it was a traditional, clean-cut, for sale house. Or so we thought. We were supposed to close on this house this week. Instead, the owner requested a private meeting. Turns out, he hadn't been exactly honest about his financial situation when he listed the house. He hadn't been paying his mortgage since last October. Therefore, there is a lien on the house that no-one knew about except for him, until this week.

Again, we find ourselves in a short sale situation.
I don't know if I can do this again. A house starts with all this possibility. You think, because your offer is accepted, and you have a legal contract, that it will all work out. That's not always true. Especially for us.

The seller now has two and a half weeks to get his financial ducks in a row, and sell this house to us.

February 17, 2010.

Pray for us that this works out. My family is exhausted. We love this house, and don't want to lose another one.

I love all the pretty details in this old house. You can't find these things anymore. I haven't even moved boxes in yet, and this house feels like a home. I can't wait to bring in all my old chipped furniture and antiques. They are going to be perfect in this house. Like they were always meant to be here. And after a year in storage, I am ready to see everything again

This is the front living room to our new house. It is pretty much a blank canvas. Once our boxes are unpacked, I will have plenty of options for decorating, and will likely be seeking lots of help. I can't wait to be able to light a fire in the fireplace and lounge around with the family.
For now, the previous owner converted the original wood burning fireplace into a gas fireplace. We will be doing some maintenance and getting the fireplace back to wood burning. We also want to remove the 70s stone that is currently covering the fireplace, and cover it with brick and a cute mantle.

I love the possibility.