Good Food, A Baby and A Gift

We had a yummy lunch today! Jessica and Uber made Cornish Hens and grapes. It was gorgeous before, 

and after. Uber's parents were here too and between all of us cooking we had WAY too much just the right amount of food. There are even leftovers for tomorrow. 

I bought myself some lovely fall flowers.

I kissed this baby's face. Lots. 

I looked at this beautiful quilt as often as possible.  

This is my as yet undecided what to call it room. I'm not done in here yet, but it's coming along. I want the area above the fireplace to be a rotating art display. First up is this quilt, a gift from Kelly. I love it. LOVE. 

See the light fixture that features it so well? I'd been looking at something similar on Pottery Barn. During one of my many, many trips to Lowe's, Jess spotted this on the clearance shelf, $15.23. That find saved me $143.77. Maybe I should put that toward a fireplace makeover. A serious fireplace makeover. 

I love how the light makes this quilt glow!

Thanks Kelly, I may have said this already but I love it.

The Blue Door

 I love color. Who knew? When we moved to this house I knew I wanted the door to be blue. I just found out my sister is painting hers red. I may want a red door soon but for now, it's blue and I love it. I didn't realize until I started painting it that the tiles we hung in the entry are trimmed with almost the same blue. They were a gift from my parents in law heart, who carted them all the way from Spain to Germany. This might not seem like such a big deal but this is not a light weight peice! 

It's one of my favorite things. The door looks so much better than it did before. 

 Someone is smiling a lot and trying to tell me things.

Quilt Display

 Some of my beloved friends from Germany may recognize this display. Yes, it's part of the baby crib I bought at the second hand store and took apart for display at our shop. 

I was going to hang them in "my room" but You Know Who didn't think there was enough wall space. He decided they would look better in the hall. He was right. Don't tell him though. This wall and most of the hallway was thoughtfully painted by my sister. Seriously, without her and Jessica I still wouldn't be sewing. 

I was in my family room (the room that has no purpose and no real furniture yet) the other evening and turned to see this on my hallway wall. Have I told you all that I love my home? It is a home. I cannot remember having a place that feels like it belongs to me and my family as much as this place. It's kind of weird. I loved this and wanted to share it with you.

Slowly But Surely, Or Just Slowly.....

It's taken me just a bit longer to get settled than I was hoping. I keep forgetting that this blog is about my progress and not just the finished product. "Finished" will take me years. I love this house. It's completely comfortable and livable as it is. There are changes that would make it really awesome but those are going to take time. So, for now, it is just about the process. You might have to remind me of that sometimes.

First up is a simple project to help the guest bathroom. I still need to paint and get a new vanity, oh and a new floor.... See told you it is going to take years. It is interesting to see what a bit of fabric can do.

Go to this link to see the Before. I am loving the after. I wanted something fun. Does it work??

I got this rather bold fabric from Ikea before I left Germany. I added Kona cotton in espresso for the header and hem on the curtain. I used an eyelet stitch on my machine to make the holes for the hooks.  I was trying out carpets for the floor and couldn't find what I wanted. Per Jessica's suggestion I bought a towel (3.50 on clearance from Target) to use as a "carpet". After making the curtain I had just enough fabric left to put the trim onto the towel. A floor covering that can easily be thrown into the wash! Woot!

Home Ownership is Fun!

Especially when you let the lawn get overgrown. Thank goodness for self propelled mowers. I still nearly died.

Thank you Jess for bringing me water every ten minutes.

The Clean Up - More Wall Paper and Misc...

Thankfully the wall paper in the study was a quick fix. We wet it down and it practically fell off the walls! We only have one more room with paper on the walls now... the master bedroom... hopefully when we get to it, it will be this easy!

Just for laughs. Can you see our toilet grave yard? One of the first things we replaced were the two disgusting toilets. Courtesy of  favorite son-in law and Costco (for a total steal) (have I mentioned I love Costco?) I have one piece porcelain dual flush toilets that are BEAUTIFUL and don't leave anyone feeling like they're in a public restroom. Sadly no pictures but I am sure you will see them soon!

The Clean Up Begins - Painting Edition

 This is what a little bit of cleaning will do to improve a room!

Can you see the fire in the background? This was in December. No I am not crazy enough to have a fire now....

We painted the two front rooms a yummy brown color. Unfortunately none of the after photos show it off very well!

So far I love the color. Good news is, if or when I don't, it's only paint and I can change it, because it's my house!

That Wallpaper Has Got To Go

 I think this wall paper was as old as the house... which is really unappetizing in a kitchen!

Yes you can be this excited about a full size fridge! You Know Who made jokes about my lack of cooking.... Who would not be motivated by this appliance? Space = organization = happy creating. 

Of course I have yet to prove this theory....

What a huge improvement no wall paper and shiny appliances can make! Of course not everything goes as planned... Both of these appliances had to be replaced! The icemaker went out in the refrigerator and some last minute mind changing had me calling Lowe's for an upgrade on the stove... thank goodness! Have I mentioned I love Lowe's? It's definately a decision that I won't regret!

So much work to be done.....

Office and Craft Room

You Know Who gets to have an office all his own.

Don't worry, that wall paper is sooooo gone.

I get to have a craft room.

I'm kinda giddy about it.

Guest Room and Bath

The hole in the wall is gone now...  This is the room all ya'll will stay in when you come see me. One at time, okay? 

Closets thrill me. The whole being able to move your closets around is a novelty that quickly wears out.

The guest bath is a nice comfortable size.

You Know Who's Territory and Laundry Space

Unfortunately, the air, heating and hot water are located in his space. Apparently I am not allowed to put any of "my" stuff in here. 

The laundry space is just large enough for a nice new laundry set. I'm thinking a counter across the top for easy laundry folding.