Here's what our upstairs is looking like this week. It's feeling much more "done" lately and less stressful.
LIVING ROOM
BEFORE
Previous owners took this and put it on Trulia.com before they painted over it. I thought it was interesting enough to post even though the only "before" we saw were the 2 pictures below.
LIVING ROOM
NOW
When baby #2 arrives, we'll put her newborn picture on that far wall - on the opposite side of the TV from where Nathan's hangs. And Titus hopefully will come down from OH this fall to reside above our TV. "Titus" is Jacob's deer mount which is still at his parents' home in OH. But I need ideas on what kind of window coverings to get for the giant wall of windows. I love the light, but we need the privacy. Any thoughts???
I need decorators' help! What do I do with that big blank wall that is opposite the wall of windows???? I'm clueless.*******************************************************
FAMILY ROOM
(PLAYROOM/OFFICE)
BEFORE
FAMILY ROOM
(PLAYROOM/OFFICE)
NOW
It amazed me at how cluttered this room got so fast - it seemed so big - before we moved in! We'll have to move the slide outside this winter/spring when we give Nathan more of his toys that are hding in the basment (building toys, a train table, etc). And I'm not realy sure where his sisters' stuff will go! We'll work it out - I just LOVE having a play room though - the living room is a toddler escape :)
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BEFORE
NOW
The floor is still a disaster. So are the ugly tub surround tiles. Hopefully one day we can get the tub & tiles re-glazed to remove all those stains. But at least the gross door is gone (THANK YOU JOHNNY!!), and so are the dead bugs and filth that once covered the cabinets & drawers. Ick. We still need to hang another towel rack and find a shower curtain that won't clash with the *gorgeous* fake stone vanity counter top. But I have to brag... I hung the one towel rack - level on the first try! And it only took me two attempts at the TP holder... first time I installed it sideways. Oops. Can I blame pregnancy brain on that?
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MASTER BEDROOM
BEFORE
MASTER BEDROOM
NOW
Our neighbor has a street light (security light) in his backyard. Right at our bedroom window. So our make shift shades will have to do until we can get black-out shades/curtains. I'm well aware that could be 3 years from now, but I certainly hope not :) Athough, there are a couple advantages to the "security light" in our window. 1) we don't need bedside lamps - it never gets dark enough. So we can use our old lamps in the basement guest room. And 2) our yard gets just as lit up as our neighbor's. So we have no worries about one of our many elderly neighbors breaking in one night to steal our coveted window treatments!
Anyways, I need more decorators' opinions... what should we do with the space above the headboard - especially since it's off balance with that silly window?? Any suggestions?
I know... unpacked boxes. They're everywhere! Ahh! I wonder if I just burned them all, would we miss anything???
And there's our high-end master half-bath. Nothing's changed... except there's a plastic wrap "carpet" & window treatments, so when we eventually do get around to painting, the ugly floor won't get uglier. The only change in there so far has been my wonderful husband replacing the leaky faucet and fixing a broken pipe. I'm thinking the plastic wrap decor will come down around the same time the sheet/shades are replaced.
BEFORE
NURSERY
NOW
Although it's still a work in progress... it's more complete than any other room! That's only because it's Nathan's old nursery stuff. But it still works great :) Maybe our little girl will have shades and a name hanging over her crib before she's born. But considering none of our rooms have shades yet... and she is still nameless... I wouldn't count on it necessarily. At least she'll have a place to sleep - if Nathan moves out and into his own room!
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NATHAN'S ROOM
BEFORE
Well... technically this picture isn't his room... I never took a before pic.
But it looked something like the nursery did before...
NATHAN'S ROOM
NOW
I know... yikes. Still lots to do. His new-to-him crib (from OH) is still in the basement. And he'll inherit his Daddy's old dresser once we paint it. And then the walls... oh, I have plans! Now when will those plans come to fruition... that's another story. Why did I think I'd have it done by now??!?! What was I thinking... All I know is I have the stencils and the desire. And hopefully one day - before he outgrows it - I'll have the time and the energy. And then his room will look something like this:
A farm room - the perfect setting for Nathan. Along with his giant stuffed cow from Uncle Jr that he LOVES and the bouncy horse from Great Grandma! And maybe a few tractors - if Daddy learns to share those toys ;-)
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Yes... dead roaches... EVERYWHERE. They were smashed between the cabinet doors & the cabinet fronts. That was probably what made me want to throw up the most... no bug smashes himself like that. Some human had to have purposely done it... and then left it. And then did it 20 more times. Ick Ick Ick! I never took a picture of the doors before I sanded off the dead roach remains... it just disgusted me too much. I still cringe thinking about those bugs.
KITCHEN
NOW
New paint, new tile (great job, Jacob!), new-to-us fridge & stove. The roach graveyards are gone, the 3 tons of grease all but forgotten. But still sooooo much to do! My list is too long to share...
That's the one paint color in the house that I'm not crazy about... one day I'll repaint it the same color green as the other half of the kitchen. Probably around the same time we get shades in the bedrooms, paint in the master half-bath and farm animals painted on Nathan's walls....
Oh, so much to do! But at least it's a workable kitchen and I'm well aware that it may stay... ok will stay... in need of lots of work for a long while. Probably until we move. Homeownership is great - but boy is it discouraging that nothing ever gets finished. ************************************************************
Whew... its been a busy move! It's great to see we're actually making progress! And there are sooooooooo many people to thank for their help... I hope I don't leave anyone out... Jacob, my parents, Johnny & Janice, Mark & Sonya, Nicholas, Andy, Bob & Jill, Harlan & Sandy, David & Vickie, "Gomez" & his crew, John & Egie, and did I mention Jacob - my beyond wonderful husband?!?! :) THANK YOU ALL!!!
Not only am I thankful to friends, family & God for our house. But I've learned a lot this past month, too...
* I've learned it's a WHOLE LOT HARDER to move while pregnant with a crawler... wow.. so much harder!
* I've learned that there's really no such thing as "done" when it comes to homeownership.
* I've learned that I really have to stop my perfectionist tendancies - I was forced to cut back seriously when Nathan was born, and now I need to do it again.
* And I've learned that NOTHING ever goes as planned - everything takes 5-20 times longer than you think.
So what now? Besides all the things listed above and in my head??? Well, hopefully we can still tackle the guest bedroom & bathroom in the basement before baby comes. And eventually - as in before Nathan is a teenager - finish the rec room down there, too. But as I said, I've learned that may mean the year 2019... So I'm just so thankful for what we have accomplished so far! :)
2 comments:
Hey Kim! Looks so good! You have done a lot. In you bathroom, did you know that you can buy a special paint just for tile? That way you don't have to pay tons of money to replace/reglaze right away. Also, in the kitchen, we just got a sheet of metal that you can buy at Lowes specifically to cover the front of the dishwasher to change it to stainless! Also, I went to the discount fabric store beside unclaimed furniture and bought a few yards of fabric, used the no-sew (I just can't) tape to create seams...viola...curtains. Heavy blackout curtains I paid maybe $35 dollars for!!! Can you tell I am the queen of home improvement? We watch so much HGTV I am sure Emily if going to be a decorator!
Wow! You have been busy! You need a great big mirror for the blank wall across from the big window. It will reflect the light and make the room seem bigger too! Glad you are enjoying your new home!
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