Paint, Paint, and More Paint!

I've totally been a slacker this last month or so when it comes to the blog and keeping you all up to date on the house.  No worries though.  There is still much work being done and our house is finally starting to look more like a home.  In fact, it will be our new home in a little over a month!  Believe it or not...we will be moving into this place by the end of January.  Needless to say, changes will (and already have) start happening waaay faster now!

These pictures are a few weeks old but I want to make sure you all can see each step of progress that we have made.  With the gracious help of many friends, we got this ENTIRE house painted in ONE day.  It was incredible.  If you are reading this and were a part of making that happen...THANK YOU!  It would have taken us weeks to paint this on our own.  Without further ado, here are a few snap shots of the house with real walls and updated paint on them.

Living Room/Dining Room

Master Bedroom

Master Bath

Kitchen

Family Room

 Flooring has been laid in most of the house now but I want to wait just a little longer to post those pictures so that you can see it completely finished out.  They are beautiful and I cannot wait for you all to see them!  Trim is also getting under way and everything will start falling into place after that!  Check back soon for another update!

We Have Siding!

It's been a while!  I'd love to give a good excuse for why I haven't updated recently but all I can come up with is...life.  Our life has been a little (or a lot) hectic recently but the craziness has paid off because....this house is FINALLY starting to look better!  We've had several different companies over at the house working during the day and we've still been working at night as much as possible.  I have to say, I am so excited to share these long awaited pictures with you all! 

When we first bought the house we thought the window in the far left of this picture was damaged because it wouldn't close.  In reality, there was no damage at all.  Just a vine an inch thick growing in the seal keeping the window from shutting.  That said...a little clean up went a long way back here.  Here you can also see some of our new windows and siding going up! 

I think life hit me in the face and reminded me that I'm really a grown up now when I got so excited about new garage doors.  Can you blame me though?  They're pretty doors!  When our garage door guy came to put these in the old garage doors literally fell off the tracks.  So to say it was time for these to go up is an understatement.  

And FINALLY our house is starting to come together! On the outside at least.  If you don't remember what the "before" picture looked like its certainly worth going back and comparing the two.  There are still lots of little things to be done to the outside (shutters, gutters, front door, etc.) but this improvement is too good not to go ahead and share with you all.  

Tonight we're putting up sheet rock!  That means paint will be on the walls before we know it!!  I can't wait to show you all more pictures of the inside once it starts shaping up.  Check back soon for more updates!!

Baked Spaghetti and Four Layer Wallpaper

I think I've mentioned this once before but in case you missed it....I do not possess very many skills that come in handy when it comes to remodeling a house.  At least as far as actually doing the work is concerned.  I can pick out cabinets, countertops and paint colors all day long but when it comes to framing a wall or hanging sheetrock...you're better off finding help elsewhere.  It is true that I am not awesome at laying subfloor (ask my husband) but I do love to cook!  And all of our friends and family who have come to help us so much over the last several weeks deserve to at least have a little supper before the work starts.  Plus, everything is a little more fun when food is involved! With that being said...I am excited to share with you all some of the yummy meals that we have been having together recently.    

Last night we had a "wallpaper removing party"!  Doesn't it sound a lot more enjoyable when you call it a party?  Before the fun began we gathered around our "cute" little card table in the dining room and had some Baked Spaghetti.  This is a recipe that my mom and grandmother have been fixing for as long as I can remember but, sadly, I did not learn to appreciate its goodness until I was an adult.  This is not a "traditional" spaghetti dish with a meat sauce but there are lots of yummy veggies and cheese involved! 

Baked Spaghetti

Ingredients

1 tbsp butter

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

28oz can diced tomatoes (with liquid)

4oz can mushrooms

12oz spaghetti, cooked

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 can cream of mushroom

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

In a large skillet, saute onion and green pepper in butter until tender.  Add tomatoes and mushrooms.  Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.  Place 1/2 spaghetti in a greased 9x13inch baking dish.  Top with 1/2 vegetables and sprinkle with 1 cup of cheddar cheese.  Repeat layers.  Mix cream of mushroom soup with water and pour over casserole.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

This is an easy dish to add or subtract ingredients that you love or hate.   The original recipe actually included olives but they're not my favorite so I left them out.  If you're a meat lover you could easily add a pound of browned ground beef to the layers.  I love making recipes fit what my family prefers!

A special thanks to our faithful friends who endured a not-so-glamorous night of peeling off wallpaper that only wanted to come off in tiny strips.  To our kids who adapt to the crazy things we bring them into.  And to the previous home owners who somehow found one wallpaper made up of four layers of material. 

Bye Bye Brick!

It's been a while since we've given you all an update on what's been going on around the house!  Isaac and I were out of town last week so I took a little break from the blog too.  While we were gone there was still lots of activity going on over at our fixer upper.  Kyle is always hard at work even when I take breaks!  We're finally starting to see some "positive" progress.  All of the demo work is finally done and big things are happening!

Our most noticeable accomplishment to date is definitely getting the brick painted on the outside of the house!  Doesn't it look awesome?!  Our painter did a great job and got the job done insanely fast.  I can't wait to see the color in contrast to the white windows and doors.  Siding will be going up soon! 

Before the brick was painted we had to clean up the outside of the house a little more.  This meant removing the large shrubs and railing from the front of the porch.  When we planed on doing this I didn't expect the difference it would make.  The space looks so much more open and clean.  We'll have to replace the railing at some point but this space will be so much cuter that I expected it to be!

On the inside of the house we've got some progress going on too.  The framing for the laundry room and guest bathroom is officially done!  Dry wall will go up in these rooms soon and we'll really start seeing things come together.

In the kitchen we've finally gotten rid of that black and white checkered floor!  Along with the layer of subfloor that held an awful odor that a previous owner's pet left behind.  Be thankful that pictures don't come scented.

  

In the living room we have light!  Can lights to be exact.  Previously there were no ceiling lights at all in this room.  Thanks to an efficient electrician we will no longer be living in darkness.

And last but certainly not least...our appliances were delivered! Aren't they pretty?? :) I cannot wait until its time to open these beautiful boxes and see the new, clean appliances that I get to cook and clean with!  It will be a good day!

That's all for now!  Don't forget to check back soon to see what else is going on around the house!  I promise an update will come sooner this time!

We have running water!!

This week at the house we've been working on tying up some loose ends so that "big things" can start happening soon.  Though the pictures from one post to another don't look much different these days there is still a lot of progress being made.  Soon the changes will be a lot more visible and we will start seeing things come together to make our house look more like a home! 

One BIG task we've knocked off the list this week is the plumbing.  We officially have running water in the house!!  When we bought the house there was a pipe in the laundry room that had frozen and busted causing lots of damage to the surrounding area.  Because of this, the water to the entire house has been turned off for quite some time.  This week, Mr. Stan Reid came to the rescue and spent much time and effort helping Kyle repair the pipes so that the water could be turned back on.

The soffit in the kitchen also came down this week!  One step closer to those beautiful cabinets stretching all the way to the ceiling.  I know Kyle is especially excited about this feature in the kitchen as he will likely spend a lot of time getting things off the top shelves for me. ;)

More tack strip is coming up so that the floors are all ready for the pretty hardwood that will cover them soon.  We had some special helpers stop by this week just to work on this tedious task.  And they loved every minute of it! :)

Isaac found the work this week less than thrilling.  One day he will enjoy being at this house, I'm sure of it!  Until then he will spend most of his time there strapped to his momma's back and taking in the craziness.

Walls are coming down!

There are lots of things happening around the house these days.  I guess you could say it's quickly becoming our "home away from home" as we spend most of our nights, weekends and any other free time we can find there.  We even ate our first meal together in the dining room! It may have been take-out on a blanket in the floor with a milk carton for a table, but it was a fun memory for sure.  We have also been so very blessed with lots of friends who have given up time to come help us with some major projects going on.  So, for any of you (and your wives) reading this, THANK YOU!!  We absolutely could not do it without all of you!

Knocking out the paneling in the den was one of the very first things we did in the house.  A fairly simple task but what a difference it makes!  Even without walls the room feels bigger and cleaner.  We also took out the damaged drywall in the laundry room and bathroom and got rid of the toilet and vanity in the bathroom.

The "demo phase" continues upstairs in the master bathroom where we've taken out the vanity, shower, wall, and soffit, and added the framing for the new wall and door.  I'm super excited about how much these changes have opened up the bathroom!

Without a doubt, the most noticeable and exciting progress so far is this huge wall coming down!!  Now, I have to admit at this point that when I say "we" I usually actually mean "Kyle and friends".  I don't have many skills that are useful at this point other than cleaning up after things are torn down.  However, I did get to help knock out drywall in this room and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  After all of the drywall came off the walls, a large section had to be torn from the ceiling so that the beam could be put in the attic.  (The picture of Kyle is the aftermath of ceiling demo)  Once the ceiling was out, the beam was put up, the studs were removed, and the wall was completely gone!

Another major milestone that we hit was getting the cabinets and appliances taken out of the kitchen. The soffit still has to be taken out but even this progress makes it easier to envision what this area will eventually look like.  I love how open the space is without the overhead cabinets above the bar area!

Isaac came to check out his Daddy's work and wanted to help!  He even found a screwdriver that's nearly as big as him.  It won't be long before he's big enough to be Dad's helper.

We bought a fixer upper!!

Well...as of a few weeks ago we are officially first time home owners!  Our "new" house is a total fixer upper and we couldn't be more excited to make it our home.  I thought creating a blog would be a good way to document and share this fun experience with everyone and (for your all's sake) it will likely be more pictures than writing.  So, here are a few "before" pictures and a little preview of how we hope to fix it up!

The outside of the house is currently brick and some sort of stucco type finish.  Our plan is to give the exterior a total face lift with new windows and garage doors, shutters, painted brick, siding and lots of landscaping.

The house is a split level with (or at least what I'm calling) a main floor, upstairs and downstairs.  This is the living area on the main floor.  We're tearing down the wall to the left so that it will open up into the kitchen and dining room.

The dining room won't change a whole lot. We're losing the chair railing and wainscoting, repainting, putting down new floors and updating the lighting.

A total overhaul is in store for the kitchen and breakfast nook. And I have to say, this is the room that I am most excited about remodeling.  Everything that is currently in here is leaving! We'll have new cabinets that extend to the ceiling, new countertops, a tile backsplash, appliances, lighting, flooring and paint. 

Downstairs is this lovely den complete with paneling, a fully mirrored fireplace, and concrete floors.  The paneling will be replaced with drywall, something good will happen to the fireplace, we will put down new flooring, and the sliding door will be replaced with new (hopefully) french doors.

This half bath and laundry room are located just off the den downstairs.  Before we bought the house there was a pipe that busted in this area at some point.  Hence the missing walls.  Our plan for this part of the house is to separate the bath and laundry rooms by extending the wall between the two.  The bathroom will get new walls, vanity, toilet, and flooring.  For the laundry room, our plan is to replace the flooring, move some of the old cabinets from the kitchen down here for extra storage, and (obviously) add a washer and dryer.  I would really like to put in a laundry shoot from the master bath upstairs.  Basically a hole in the floor so I don't have to carry laundry downstairs.  We'll see if that actually happens.

The master bed and bath aren't in terrible shape but they will receive a little updating.  A wall will be put up to separate the bathroom and a door added.  The wall to the right of the vanity will be taken out as well as the soffit above the vanity.  The vanity and toilet will be replaced and we're taking out the fiberglass shower and laying tile instead.  Both rooms will receive new flooring, paint, and lighting. 

The other bedrooms are just in need of a little TLC.  After all of the wallpaper is taken down, these rooms will get some new paint, lighting and flooring.

 The guest bathroom upstairs will need some work too.  We'll remove the soffit above the vanity, replace the vanity and toilet, lay new floors and paint.

I think that's about all for now.  We're so excited to be starting this new adventure and happy to share it with everyone.  Thanks for taking the time to read (or maybe just look at the pictures) this long post.  More updates are to come soon!