On to the Den!

I really did have every intention of posting this yesterday, but it was a busy lesson day for me (and an exciting one at that because one of my little pitchers, Bre, pitched to batters for the first time at her practice later in the day and did awesome!).  Knowing it was going to be busy, I actually planned ahead and spent nap time preparing dinner in the Crockpot.  I got this recipe for Pesto Spinach Lasagna from Stephanie O'Dea's, A Year of Slow Cooking and since I had a mile of basil growing in the backyard, I thought I'd give it a try.  (And it turned out great!  Although way too much green for the skeptical Elizabeth Rose.)

I even woke up early to take pictures before the girls could do their damage...ha!  I love our den and it was a big selling point for us on the house.  Our rental house only provided a living room and dining room as far as living space and we really thought that one more room would be perfect for the girls to trash play in.  It has turned out to be a God-send and most of the toys stay in this room, leaving mostly books in the living room.  It has a high, vaulted ceiling with a wood beam and a wood burning fireplace that I can't wait to try out this winter.  What a blessing to know that we can still have heat if the power goes out!!

I feel like an idiot when it comes to decorating mantles and I wasn't really sure what to put up there.  I'm still not 100% thrilled with this - so start chunking suggestions and I'll switch it around.  The basket is full of "dog towels," as the door to the back yard is to the left here.  There is a wood parkay floor inlay that curves around the fireplace and the doors and then the rest is carpeted.  I didn't show it to you because it's filthy and I must retain SOME dignity, people!

My grandparents gave us this shelving unit and I absolutely love it.  My husband didn't love the moving process from Pennsylvania (which involves wonderful stories like having to take a elevator ceiling apart and getting the truck stuck in the mud), but that is an entirely different post!  It is wonderful storage for pictures and knick-knacks and it looks so good on that wall, I think. 

I love that we finally have a spot for our ridiculous collection of books...and this was after we weeded out the ones that we didn't want!

And of course, the girls have designated drawers...currently occupied by puzzles.  

And there is room on the top to display some family antiques.  Now, I must back up for a moment and explain to you that my husband is a minimalist.  He would have been fine with moving into the house with the girls, me and a backpack and called it a home.  Me?  Not so much.  I have had boxes of memories, pictures and little odds and ends packed away and waiting for the perfect home.  So just please realize that when you look at these pictures, you are seeing purely my decorating taste, as my husband would have been perfectly happy with just looking at empty, clean shelves.

He lets me do what I want though...so perhaps that's a secret to a happy marriage?? ha!

Another angle of the room.  The ottoman has toys in it and the room never looks like this.  In fact, you can rarely see the floor.  Well, except for the spot in front of the piano, which they keep clean so they can climb up on it and jump off.  The monkeys also love climbing on the outside of the staircase, so I tried to deter that by putting the baby bed and kitchen in front of them.  Three guesses on if that worked or not...and the first two don't count...

Our wonderful realtor, Susan, donated the toy bins to our cause and most of the kitchen food is located in the toybox on the other side of the sewing machine there.  Rachel loves the sewing machine, that was my Memaw's, and will open and SLAM the door shut, causing me to fly into a fit...which makes her laugh...

kids...!

Ok, there's the den!  Onward to the living room tomorrow and then I'll do the bedrooms all in one post.  Shew...house tours are exhausting!

On to the Dining Room!

It looks like a spaghetti bomb has gone off in my kitchen, so I need a short and sweet room today - and since the dining room needed disinfecting after my children got through with it at lunch anyway, I decided that today was the day for its feature.

We eat all our meals in here and I really love having a formal dining room - especially just off the kitchen.  It has a nice feeling to me - especially because we have it furnished with a dining room set my grandparents handed down to us.  It's the same table where my mom remembers eating, coloring and doing art projects as a little girl - and I just love that my girls are growing up around the same table.  

There is something so fundamental about family meals - something Scott and I never had as a couple-before-kids, because most of our dining was done in the living room in front of the news.  Or standing in the kitchen.  So much of our life was on the run then.

But after Elizabeth was born and was able to eat finger foods, we found ourselves gravitating around a table because it was easier with her in a high chair.  Scott began blessing our meals and it really became a way of life for us - so much so that now, the girls automatically link their hands together and both chorus a strong "Amen!" after his.  I swear, my heart overflows.

So you can see why this room is sentimental for me, even though we've been living here a couple months.

Susie (my MIL) and I found the new, awesome chandelier on sale at Lowes and I could have died when it was only $35.  It's a slight improvement on the old one, don't you think?  

I want to do all the curtain rods on the lower level in wrought iron to match it - plus I think that will go with the style of the house.  Well, and I just love Tiffany...even faux Tiffany...  The pictures on the wall are old ones of our families.  I have a handful more to frame, but I'm pretty anal about the frames matching - so they are waiting for my next trip to Michaels sans-little children.  (I have no idea why I don't want to take my offspring shopping for breakable things...silly, silly, silly...)

We're also looking for a matching buffet to go on this wall under the chair rail to hold the rest of the china we have still boxed in the garage (also from my grandparents).

I can hardly believe this china hutch is full - but again, we've been handed down so many antique crystal and sets...I was thankful to be able to pull some of these things out of boxes and give them a home. 

Of course, we won't need the wire rack once we find a buffet, but for now, I use these things so often, there's really no other place to store them.

 

Are we ready for a dinner party or what??  I love that everything is a mismatch between Scott's and my families.  Other things are wedding gifts that have been packed until now.  And then of course, you have the mug that my best friend Amanda and I painted (see far left top shelf) when we were visiting sometime after college and I love it because I still remember how much fun we had at that pottery shop and we just seemed so young then and ready for the next chapter of our lives.  It's filled with seashells from the beach trip when Scott proposed and his dried boutonniere from our wedding.  So what may look out of place, has a pretty high spot on my list.  

We have crown molding in almost all the downstairs rooms, which I didn't realize made such a difference until we had it.  It just puts such a nice touch on everything.  I don't like the carpeting in the dining room, but like I said yesterday...we're hoping to eventually hardwood the entire downstairs eventually, so it isn't a huge deal.

 

So there you have it folks...that's where we eat!  Still no curtains in there, as you can see.  I was thinking purple...suggestions? 

House tour - Day 2: The Kitchen

Just let me begin by saying that our house is sectioned into rooms.  I know that a lot of people are looking for an open concept right now - and we certainly weren't against one - but our budget came in first on our wish list and this house checked off in a lot of other areas.  So the kitchen isn't "open," but at the same time, it isn't small either.   Coming from the small, galley kitchen in our rental house, I was in no position to complain!

I actually don't mind this linoleum - it cleans up well and hides a lot of dirt.  Eventually, we'd like to put hardwoods through the entire downstairs, but that's very long term - as we're in the land of dogs and sippy cups now.  The wallpaper doesn't drive me up the walls (ha!), but we'll change it eventually.  It looks like they updated the light fixture too, but when we decide to make changes in here, we'll change that as well.

My dream would be to do white cabinets with black pulls and a copper colored counter top.  And then we'd like to find some sort of island that could also double as a bar to feed the girls when they get older.  That little chicken over the sink used to be in Chris's kitchen when I was growing up and it always makes me smile when I'm cooking.

This is about as clean as we get for a Monday afternoon...  I do love all the cabinet space and pretty much everything has it's place, which is wonderful.

Ugh...then there's this area.  I do like having a desk in the kitchen...HOWEVER, I am not the type of person that leaves her desk in a situation that appeals to company.  Those little nooks over the desk are nice but I still haven't found a good system for them and I'm so embarrassed by the cabinets above, I won't even open them for you to see.  We have our eye out to move this whole shootin' match upstairs to our bedroom.  The fridge is old but will go out in the garage when it kicks the bucket.  It is clean and has an ice maker, which is really nice. 

 

Pantry...small, but a lot handier than what we've known.  And yes, there is a knob missing in that top left hand desk drawer, because MY CHILDREN WILL NOT STOP TURNING KNOBS!!  They are driving me crazy with it, so I've just started a collection in a Ziploc bags of knobs they've removed with the screw...I dream of pulls...;)

And behind doors one and two??

The most awkward laundry layout ever...I've banged my noggin on that header so many times - but you can't move it because of the stairway.  So, we're hoping to plan for some sort of renovation here.

Laundry storage...

We have one half bath downstairs, which is really handy and it's off the kitchen.  It, too, is outdated and we'll eventually remove the wallpaper and update everything...but for right now, everything is functional and we're not really in the point of life that we can have nice things, so it really works out.  

What's next?  We'll see which room is the cleanest tomorrow to take pictures...thanks for caring, guys!!

Fair Play!

I just have to pause in the middle of my house tour here to show you some adorable adorable-ness.  This week is our county fair and it is just down the road from our house and Scott and I thought the girls might enjoy seeing some animals and just going through the whole fair experience.  I hadn't been to a fair since college and it had been a while for Scott too so we were really looking forward to it as well. 

I'm not sure who had a better time:  them or us witnessing them.

We got to see some animals and go walk through a little farm tour and eat fair food and ride rides and oh-my-goodness it was just a wonderful time!  Please enjoy these pictures.  I think Scott and I will never be able to erase the look of joy on their faces when they rode on the rides for the first time.  What a blessing this parenthood thing is!!

Brushing the sheep...it doesn't really matter which side of the comb I use, does it Dad?

At the cow milking station

So, let me get this straight...you want me to do WHAT with these things??

Family photo opp in front of the Hee Haw sign...too bad Rachel was too distracted with her basket!  This could have been the Christmas card!

Ok, Mama, I got it...walk behind, look through the hole...woah...

Seriously, Elizabeth...you've gotta try this.  Mom gets all excited when you do.

CHEEEEESE!!

Elizabeth took the first solo ride.  Scott and I didn't realize that Rachel was tall enough until a couple minutes later.

Oh, and did we ever feel horrible for little sister on that first, long ride.

Luckily, the second ride was manned by a gentleman who kindly pointed out that Rachel WAS tall enough and off she bounded to join big sis.  Can you hear her squeal of joy from this picture?  This moment is on my heart forever.

I cannot believe they did this ride, but they loved it as well.

Hi Mama!!  Can you see that little face peering down? 

Open House!

My parents used to send me care packages every weekend for the first few years in college.  Most of the time, my mom would wrap freshly baked cinnamon rolls in foil as they came out of the oven so you could almost smell them as I walked down the hallway with the box...or maybe you COULD smell them, as my friends always seemed to drift to the doorway when it was being opened.  Anyway, many times, my dad would stick a CD in the box for me and it was always classic rock.  The Eagles, America, CSNY...these were my favorites.

So just enjoy this one for a second...it's ok, I'll wait...maybe grab a cinnamon roll while you listen and take yourself back to 1997 with me...

I realize that we haven't posted pictures of the house yet, except for the request for help with the front windows, and that's pretty much due to my own vanity.  I just hate putting out unfinished documentation...I've always hated people to read my writings before they were unedited or see a project before it was finished...I would just rather wait until it is all done.

But, my friends, this house is FAR from being all done.

I told myself that I would post pictures after I had curtains hung.  Now, what may sound silly to you used to be a quite simple formality for me. 

In fact, I remember moving from Indianapolis to North Carolina with my mom and Robin and Danny (you know true friends when they help you move across several states!).  This was the last of many legs because I was too poor to be able to afford a U-Haul so we had to move over the course of a couple weekends.  On this last stretch, my mom and I spent the night at my new, little apartment and stayed up pretty late putting things away and hanging pictures and curtains.

The next morning, we met Robin and Danny for breakfast and I will never forget her face when we told her how late we stayed up the night before.  "You hung curtains already??" she said. 

I can recall similar events at pretty much every house we've lived in...until now.

Now, I am still curtain-less.

But my children and clothed and fed and the house is relatively clean, so I can't count myself a total loss - but this is what has been holding me back from posting pictures.  I know, I know...give it up, Annie.  I am.

So anyway...on to the house.  I was thinking of posting a different room every day so that you can see the whole shootin' match.   But first, let us prepare you just a little for what you are about to see...

The couple who lived here before us kept the house immaculate, albeit out of date...which we didn't mind because I think everyone moves into a house hoping to put his or her stamp on it (and I consider myself a little bit of an expert simply because we have watched every episode of House Hunters known to man). 

So we have made small improvement here and there when we moved in, but mostly, our plan is to live in it for about 6 months to realize what changes we truly want.  Plus, I think my husband would shoot me to ask him to make a change only to change it back to the original way later.  I'm not a furniture mover or repainter every year, so I kind of like to make permanent decisions.

And really, the only truly permanent change we've made to this house is hand and feet prints on the wall...

Oh yes, I said feet prints...

So your first peek is at Scott's pride and joy...the garage.  His goal over the first month was to get our mountain of junk and boxes stored away so that we could park at least one vehicle in the garage...and I am so thankful that he did.  Our life is so much easier, getting in and out of the car this way.  We have tons of storage and access to the attic is here as well.  He even moved the shelves over so we could tuck the deep freezer out of the way.

My hero, assembling shelves

Sorry for the blurriness...but there's the deep freezer and the shelves.  You get the idea.

We still don't have everything exactly the way that we want it and have a couple more trips to go to Goodwill, but this is certainly better than what it was. 

The girls' favorite feature would have to be the cat door.

Oh yes, I said cat door.

The owners before us had a cat and the litter box was in the garage - which is great for us, because there's really no lingering cat smell in the house.  But what it left was a kitty door in the door leading to the garage and also one in the garage door itself.  The girls love this little peek through to be able to call for Daddy when he's working outside or watch mama as she runs to get something out of the freezer.

Seriously, Rachel... I think you can fit.  Just try it!

Dada!!!  Are you out there??

Of course, I've also come home to find Butch's big doofus snout trying to push it's way through the door to see what's going on in the garage as well.  I think he can get through about to his eyes. 

And I will leave you with that image as I go back to emptying the dishwasher...

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Birthday Hangover

We're all moving a bit slow today in this house.  Maybe it was the carbo-loading at Mellow Mushroom last night, where we watched our youngest eat an entire piece of pizza and 3 pieces of cheese bread.  Maybe it was the insulin spike of birthday cake at 8 p.m.  Maybe it was the buzz kill of waking up and not having presents two days in a row.

Or maybe this is just life with a 3 year old??  I know...keep dreaming, mama.

So forgive me if I just share pictures with you today.  I am in dire need of a snooze...and I found 99 cent strawberries at Aldi today that need chopped and frozen for smoothies.  Oh, and I need to do the laundry and clean the house...and throw a chicken in the Crockpot...and I promised Elizabeth that we'd watch Sleeping Beauty (a present from Grandma) after naps.  So I need to get crackin'...enjoy the pictures!

Daddy surprised us with balloons at lunch time.  He even brought an Elmo balloon home for Rachel!  Everyone was extremely excited, except for the dogs, who growled and barked at them continuously...sketchy colorful, floaty things that they are...

Just to give you a glimpse of what I cook around...I am always stepping on these cookie cutters that they like to scatter and yelping in pain.  A smart person would put them some other place, but I continually put them back in the same drawer...I swear, children suck your brain right out of your head.

Enjoying the princess cake!  I think this was her only bite...then it was on to presents.  The appeal of wrapping paper was just too much for our curious little girl!

Rachel decided to nibble on a princess rather than her cake.  And no, the princesses weren't edible...

New books from Aunt Allison!

Our friends Julie and Mark joined us for the birthday celebration...Scott and I figured this was the last birthday we could really get away with inviting OUR friends.

A new baby doll from Grammy and Grampy.  Can you see Rachel's excitement too?  She really did so well with Elizabeth getting all the gifts.

Ah...the Juno Baby shirt from the Williams'.  Elizabeth actually opened this up and said, "Oh my goodness!"

Of course, someone else now wants a Juno shirt...I'll add that to my to-do list today. 

But the big winner of the evening?  The electric piano that Julie and Mark brought. 

With a microphone...and I thought we were friends!!  It plays different instruments, drum beats, and pre-set tunes.  Today, I fixed lunch to some mambo they had left on repeat.

Today?  We're back to our routine and life is getting somewhat close to normal and out of birthday mode.  Here is Rachel, scavenging for any leftover pieces of cheese sandwich that may have gone overboard during lunch.  Why yes, those ARE strawberries that also obviously made a run for it.

However, we still have some remnants of yesterday...the beautiful roses my husband brought me, the ever-popular balloons and the party hats that my daughter refused to wear because the elastic band freaked her out...happy birthday!