Current House Renovations - Then and Now

I haven't updated on our home renovations in a while, so I thought I'd give a little shout out to the hard work my hubby's done on our beautiful house - he is, by the way, doing ALL the renovations with the help of his dad.

House before we purchased it

House 9 months after moving in (this past Christmas) - new front doors installed

Living room before

Living room after
(painted walls and updated drapes)

Kitchen before

Kitchen after
(Ok, ok, so nothing has changed in here, but I know exactly how it will look once we do change it!)

Dining room before

Dining room before

Dining room after
(painted walls and updated drapes)

Dining room after

Breakfast room before

Breakfast room after
(yeah, nothing has changed in here, either, except for the light fixture lamp shades)

Foyer before

Foyer after
(Painted walls and banister and cleaned grout)

Stella's room before

Stella's room after

Office/den before

Office/den after
(painted wood paneling and trim)

New baby's room before

New baby's room after
(painted walls and new chandelier)

master bedroom before

master bedroom after
(no changes here, either)

back porch before
 

back porch after
(totally new pitch roof with shingles instead of tar and new pet door - screen to be installed after we paint the house, I think:)

...we've also built a fence to enclose our backyard!!! It looks wonderful and Matt did it all by himself!!!

Kitchen reno is next on the list...lots of update to come!

More Renovations!!!

It's been C-R-A-Z-Y around here as we renovate/paint/fix up/repair parts of our house in time for Stella's first birthday party, which we idiotically decided to have at hour new home. Why did we do this?? We knew how much work it was going to take to get our house in mediocre condition for guests, but we said "hey, who doesn't like a little crazy, over-zealous project or twelve to accomplish in 2 months?!"

So, here we sit, knee-deep in saw dust and paint, trying to scramble to complete the projects already started. Let's go over some before and after shots, just because it makes me feel better:)

back porch before...

back porch during...

front entryway before...

front entry way after...

(front doors still have to be stained and sealed and our new awning and side porch lights still have to be added - yes, we are getting rid of the current light)
Side note on front doors - my husband found these at an antique store for $40 a piece. These are OLD, solid cyprus doors that probably came off an old church. My father-in-law, who is a magical craftsman and can build/refurnish/renovate ANYTHING, refinished these doors for us and made or refinished most of the hardware. All we have to do is pick our stain and seal it! He estimated have these custom doors made would cost us around $2500. I almost blacked out when he revealed this little bit of info. What are we doing? Winning. THAT'S what!

 foyer before...

foyer during...we still have to finish the wall paint and some day add wainscoting and new floors (that will be whitewashed hard wood:)

 Ahhhh...see, now I can breathe easier. Just looking at our progress makes me feel better:)

New House...Moving In's a Pain!

We've been so incredibly busy around that here I haven't posted an update in a while. First thing's first, we've officially moved into our new house!!! We love it here, we love the neighborhood, we love our neighbors, we love the space, we love everything! I say this now because as we were moving in I did NOT love everything. I had to clean...and clean...and clean...and clean. This house was vacant for a few years before it was put on the market after the owner died and the staged furniture did a great job at hiding how really filthy it was. In hindsight, we should have hired a professional cleaning crew (or requested that the seller hire a prof. cleaning crew) to clean from top to bottom before we moved in...but of course, we didn't think of that. So we moved in over a 2 day period and stuffed all our stuff in the living room while I cleaned the house (with the help of my mom and mother-in-law, without which our things would all still be in boxes!) and peeled contact paper off every cabinet in the kitchen. I think my fingers literally bled while I did this.

So, we've come a long way, cleaned up a ton, straightened up the yard and are finally feeling like this place is ours! We've got lots of interior painting to do, but we take it one room at a time. It's less overwhelming this way, and let's face it, I'm easily overwhelmed. Here's a picture of our new place before we moved in...

In other news, Stella is a big ole ball of deliciousness and just turned 9 months on March 1. I still cannot believe this baby is 3 month's shy of one year old.

We go to the doctor today for a follow-up (she had an ear infection last week and has been on antibiotics to clear it up) and her 9 month check up, so I'll post her stats later.

Big Things Ahead!!!

OMG could I be going through any more WONDERFUL things in my life right now?? I think not! Let's chat about 'em, eh?

First, we are MOVING! Yes, moving, yes, for the 5th time in 3 1/2 years. Apparently, we like to torture ourselves and move as much as we can in as few days as possible. Like now, for instance, we close on our new house this Friday and must be out of our rental by Monday at midnight. I'm quite certain Matt and I promised ourselves at least twice that "the next time we move we'll pay someone to do it for us"...are we doing that this time around? No. Of course not. BUT lucky us, Mattie's parents are coming in town with a big ole trailer to help us move. New house...could there be anything more exciting? It's a big old thing, custom built in the 60s with only 1 owner, so while we've got some pretty heavy cosmetic updating to do, the house itself is in wonderful condition. Take a look...

In other news, I'm undergoing certification to become a Pilates instructor! I couldn't be more in love with my career change. I've been into Pilates for over 10 years so now I get to do what I love and call it "work"! Is there anything better than getting to stay home with your little baby daily AND have a career that you love?? I'm gonna go with no. I'm lucky and blessed and happy and excited all at the same time. Certification goes from January to March then we reconvene to "test" anywhere from 2-4 months later. I'm teaching for my dear friend who owns Pilates Bodies in Covington, LA - her support over these last few months has been paramount and I could not have done this without her! Props to you, sweet friend! Here I am in arabasque on the reformer machine at Pilates Bodies...

...and Stella is still just as cute as ever! She's not yet 8 1/2 months old and has rolled over twice now (don't judge, we were a little slow) and is eating her weight in baby food. She LOVES peas...they are her favorite. Surprisingly, she loves prunes. We gave them to her one day to "help things along" and she devoured them, so now we give them to her every now and then. She loves peaches and pears but we are still working on avocados. She's a bit sick right now with a cold that sounds like it's moved to her chest, so I am weary that it may turn into RSV since that's going around. Fingers crossed this little cold passes...and passes soon. I'll update again after we've moved!! And just for kicks, here's Stell Belle...