Please help support A.skate!!!

Hey friends -  there is an AWESOME group out there doing Skateboarding events for kiddos with Autism.  Some cherished friends of mine have really been blessed by these folks.  It would mean the world to me if you could please go vote.  It only takes a moment to do and it’s FREE to vote.  If these folks stay in the top 10, they get 50,000 – yes, that much!!! – that will keep them in business.  Good people.  Salt of the earth.  Let’s help them out!!!! http://pep.si/qFDHaa

You can learn more about the A.skate foundation here.

The deed is done…it’s ours!!!

We closed on our house Friday!!! Everything went so smoothly, I could hardly believe it. We walked into the realtor’s office to meet the lawyer for closing and 23 minutes later, we had the keys. Crazy! HUGE shout out to Bernie Gallerani’s team – they rocked it out. Great folks.  We couldn’t be more pleased!

Note: you can click all of the photos to see a larger version!

So, we have a gianormous laundry list of things we want to do with this house.  Everything is pretty much builder-grade (except for the cabinets in the kitchen), so it’s a blank slate. I’ll add in some notes on our future plans, just for the fun of it.  The changes will, of course, take place over a few years…ha.  We have a blank slate, not a blank check. 

The house was/is stark white, flat paint in every. single. room.  If you know me, you that this will just not do.   I need COLOR, people!! We also plan to replace all of the hardware in the house with oil rubbed bronze hardware – I hate brass.  Hate.

With that in mind, what do you think we did this first weekend in our new home?  Why, we painted, of course!  Despite raging head colds that Troy and I picked up from Ethan (thank you, son), we managed to get my office (previously a dining room – ha) the entryway, and the living room painted.  The color in the pictures doesn’t represent well.  It’s actually lighter than this – a nice, warm caramel color.

Entryway

Missy’s Office (previously known as “The Dining Room”)

Missy's Office

We’re not fine dining sorts of people and there’s going to be a kitchen about 10 steps away, so we decided to make better use of this space.  We’ll eventually enclose the room (widening the foyer at the same time), add french doors, and make it a “real” den/office.

Future Plans:

• Board and Batten – sort of like this – hoping to do this one soon – it’s cheap
• Add concealed storage (built-ins, knock on wood) for scrapbooking supplies and office equipment
• Add a wall with glass french doors to enclose it
• Dark, wide plank wood floors – entire downstairs

The Man Cave

Troy's Office/"Man Cave"

Yes, that’s right.  I gave the spare room up without much of a fight.  Troy was lucky – I realized this weekend that my office (the dining room) has lovely natural light that is fabulous for scrapbooking.  It’s a room that makes me happy, that’s very inspirational!

Future Plans:

• Paint (surprise, surprise)
• Large work surface for Troy
• Reading Recliner – the ONLY room in which I will permit a recliner
• Payton Manning Shrine, preferably life-size

The Playroom

Ethan wanted to introduce you to his play room

Future Plans:

• Paint
• Lots and lots of storage
• Long desk for Ethan’s computer
• Lego table (stay tuned – DIY project I’ll probably do soon)

Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom

Could it be any more uninspiring?  But never fear, I (as usual) have plans for this room!  Our bed and small dresser will be slightly pitiful looking for a while…this room will swallow them up.  You can’t tell it from the picture, but the room is HUGE.

Future Plans:

• Paint the walls Buxton Blue by Pottery Barn (same color we had in our apartment – it matches our PB duvet – looooove it)
• Add a ceiling fan
• Add another dresser
• Add a comfy chair
• Add a tv (maybe, I have mixed feelings on having a TV in the bedroom)

The Cloffice v.2 – er, wait (see this cloffice of old)

No, I don’t expect anyone to be interested in our closet.  I wanted to share it because Troy said it would make a nice office for me.  Har, har.

Master Closet

Half bath downstairs

Half bath

Hmmmm……can we say fugly?  I hate this bathroom as is, but it has TONS of potential.  Here’s my inspiration room.

Future Plans:

• PAINT, oh please, can we paint it?  I’m half blind every time I leave that bathroom.
• New mirror and light fixture
• Beadboard 1/2 way up the wall
• Reclaim a piece of furniture to turn into a vanity/sink area – that pedestal sink is dinky
• Ceramic tile or hardwood

The Living Room

Living room

This is AFTER we painted this weekend.  The room was stark white with hideous curtains.  Gone!

Future Plans:

• Ditch the track lighting over the fireplace
• Curtains
• More furniture – we currently have a couch and a tv stand….which isn’t really a tv stand, it’s an Expedit bookshelf from IKEA
• Crown molding

The Kitchen

And now….the reason we chose this house over the others we looked at….the kitchen!!  Put on your sunglasses, folks, it’s WHITE!

The kitchen

No, it doesn’t look like much (but a sea of cabinets – HALLELUJAH!!), but oh it has so much potential.  I can’t wait to get started.

Future Plans:

• Get a fridge!  Ha – just kidding.  They’re delivering our new one in a few weeks
• Paint (we’re actually painting this room next weekend – already got the paint…Martha Stewart’s Shortbread – delicious!)
• Lose the vertical blinds – replace with drapes we can close for privacy
• Add oil rubbed bronze hardware to all the cabinets
• Replace pot rack with pendant lights (already picked up 2 for 30 bucks at a builder’s sale – woot woot)
• Work a little magic on the hanging light (in other words, spray paint it oil rubbed bronze)
• Remove cabinet doors on a few and add baskets to the open shelves it reveals (I think we need some texture there, hmmm?)
• Add beadboard to the ends of the cabinets
• Add crown molding to the top of the cabinets
• Replace pantry doors to non-sliding kind (I hate those sliders on a track) – just want them to swing open instead
• Replace counters with granite and/or butcher block (stained dark)
• White subway tile on backsplash
• Eventually hard wood floors that flow with the rest of the house

We also did some yard work (the grass was embarrassingly long – the previous owners have already moved out of town).  I hacked at the bushes a little, but we need to pull up some dead mums, trim back some scraggly bushes, and add in some color in the front.

And last, but not least….Ethan’s favorite new play area *cringe*

The stairs

Well, there’s the tour (well most of it, anyway).  I’m sure I’ll be blogging about our DIY adventures, so stay tuned! 

Protected: Go Fish!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Not Me Monday

Thought I’d give MckMama’s Not Me Monday a shot this week.

Looking back over the past week, I’m absolutely certain that it wasn’t me who let Ethan have several pj days last week…and today. And he most certainly did not have pizza for breakfast one day last week. And I definitely didn’t wait until 3pm today to start my housework…and shower.

Last, but not least, it wasn’t me who sat on the computer all morning trolling Facebook and Twitter for healthcare debates…nope, not me. Definitely not me…