Our first Christmas in the new house!

This is our third Christmas as a married couple.  The first two we used a small 4’ pre-lit Christmas tree and I was accused more than once of being a Grinch.

But I did get us stockings our first Christmas so I can’t be all that bad…

Well this year, I wouldn’t even recognize myself!  In my house, we always had a real tree.  I grew up in a home built in the late 1800’s with 11-12 ft ceilings throughout.  We always got MONSTER trees.

So, now that we have a house of our own with tall ceilings, I wanted to share the joy of real trees with Trey!  My main argument, however silly, was that real trees smell like Christmas.  Trey agreed and we went on a hunt (technically we went to one place where the trees were already cut and just pointed).  We ended up getting a beautiful 9 footer.  The guys at the place we bought it bagged it and tied it to the roof of Trey’s car and off we went. 

Once we got home, Trey manhandled the tree off his car and into the sunroom.  We got it steadied and straight in the tree stand before Trey cut the mesh bag off. 

Even Cooper helped out!

After it spread its glorious limbs, Trey agreed….it smelled like Christmas!

We decorated it with white lights, a collection of green, gold, copper, and silver metallic ornaments (from Sam’s – 100 shatter-proof ornaments for $35!), a gold-pearlescent star (from Target), and a couple of homemade treats. 

I couldn’t find gold garland that I liked at all so I bought this decorative mesh stuff from Sam’s ($12 for all of it) and wound it so that it looked like a mix between ribbon and non-fuzzy garland.  I feel that if I were craftier, it might have turned out a little better, but overall I like the look of it.  The tree skirt is another non-creation creation.  I purchased 2 yards of this really cozy looking fabric and “swaddled” the tree stand to make this skirt.  Again, I like the overall look even though it will be covered with presents soon.

Outside, we put a wreath (from Target) on the front door,

poinsettias (from Home Depot) on the front stairs,

and a Reindeer crossing sign in the front yard that Debbie gave us! 

In case you can't see, our names are on the bulbs and Cooper's is on the bone.  Doesn't the front of our house look festive?

Inside, we hung stockings (one of the few treasures I have from Pottery Barn) and garland (a steal at Michael's) on the mantle,

and put up a few other things around the house.  In the hall we put up some red votives (a gift from Debbie), a Christmas canvas from Celeste, and a small tree with my collection of snowflake ornaments - every year for Christmas my mom gets me a Swarovski crystal snowflake and my grandmother gets me a Lenox snowflake...it's like a Christmas tradition.

I'll leave you with the photo from our Christmas card.  Merry Christmas everyone!

Come on in!

I’ve been meaning to write this post for some time.  With Cooper and the holidays coming up, I’ve just been too busy!

I wrote in an earlier entry that the blank wall to your right as you enter my house needed something in order to make that area feel more like an official entryway.  Especially since the back of my love seat is facing that area.  So, we rummaged through the stuff we had and were able to come up with this cute little area for very little moolah!

 The gorgeous gold mirror was the $20 Craigslist find I posted about a few months ago.  I finally had somewhere to hang it, and with the yellow accents I’m trying to bring into the room, it just seemed perfect.

  

The antique table was a wedding gift from Aunt Donna McInnish and was the perfect size, height, and style for this nook.  I looked FOREVER in stores and online for a table that was, more or less, hip height that was narrow enough to fit between the door frames.  While Alexa was staying with us, she saw the table in one of the bedrooms and suggested we use it there.  Perfect fit, thanks Alexa!

The magnolia flower arrangement is not only a tribute to Sugar Magnolia (aka Maggie Canady) but was also a gift from my mother after it was used as decor at my wedding reception.  It is from NDI, which, if you don’t know, is this place in Brewton that sells fabulous artificial flower arrangements.  They look SO real.  I actually have another on my dining room table and another wrapped at my parents’ house as a Christmas gift!  Can’t wait to open that present!

The Domino book, which you have seen in an earlier post, just provided a bit of pretty color for the table and a little height for the flower arrangement.

The wrought iron and glass tray was also a wedding gift - from Terece Shehan.  It had been used as a catch-all in one of the bedrooms, but makes the perfect place for mail and/or keys.

So there you go…an entryway for less than $50 thanks to lots of wedding gifts and a few fab finds!

Project Dos Complete, sorta!

Ok, so I’m a little behind on my blogging these days.  We’ve only had a ton of stuff going on though (including the addition of our new little pup, Cooper)!

Last week we had the last of our appliances delivered and installed.  Behold our new over the stove microwave (with hidden vent system), and our new dishwasher.

We now almost have a fully functional kitchen!  A guy that I work with is coming out this weekend to finish up the ductwork for the microwave and then I’ll be able to cook till I drop!

So that’s about it for Project Dos, but while I have your attention, I’ll go ahead and talk more kitchen stuff!  You may have noticed that the new cabinets don’t match the old cabinets in color…after giving it some thought, I decided to paint all the new cabinets to match the old cabinets for several reasons.  1. I have to buy less paint that way.  I know, we’ve already put a lot of money into the kitchen, why not go ahead and paint it a brand new shade of bright white to accentuate the new appliances.  That brings me to point number 2 – I believe that cabinets being bright white may take away from the aged look of the room (aged architecturally, not as far as the appliances go).  I love our old house.  I love the fact that it looks old.  I’m trying to stay away from anything too modern, with the exception of appliances, to be consistent with the feel of the house.  The other rooms in the front of our house are relatively traditional and all the trim in the house is ivory, not white.  Which leads me to number 3 – I want to keep the overall color palette complimentary.  That’s not to say that white is not welcome in our home, but just like with my wedding dress selection (I really wanted white until I started trying them on), ivory is a much more warm and inviting color.  So, color dilemma solved, cabinets => ivory. 

Plus, ivory cabinets will match my small kitchen rug next to the sink.  I haven’t shown you a picture yet, but I got this rug from Home Depot recently that perfectly matches the colors in the kitchen thus far.

 

It feels super soft so it’s a great cushion when Trey and I choose to wash dishes by hand.

After reading about their soap holder over at younghouselove.com, I was obsessed with getting something similar!  It looks so much better than just a bottle of Dawn and hand soap sitting on the side of the sink.  I found this at Williams & Sonoma,

but at $40-$50, it wasn’t going to happen.  While walking around through Target, Trey and I spotted this beauty,

at only $20.  Honestly, purchasing all three of these types of products (hand soap, dish soap, and counter cleaner in a fresh grapefruit ginger scent) independently of each other probably would have been the same price, but now they all match and come in a cute carrier.  Plus, they have given me inspiration for the splashes of color I have wanted to add in my otherwise ivory, grey, and black kitchen – pale/bright (haven't figured out which yet) yellows!  I’m hoping to find a way to do that with the backsplash that we are going to wrap around most of the new quartz countertops that we are planning to having installed by the end of the year.

We're over halfway there getting this kitchen to where we want it to be and I can't wait to see what it will look like when we finish!

Another update for Project Dos

We are slowly adding pieces to our kitchen thanks to the generosity of Trey's parents, Jack and Debbie! 

Please continue to ignore the green walls, we plan on putting up a backsplash and painting eventually.

We got our new range earlier this week and I am loving it!  It's another LG appliance and the best thing about it, besides the warranties of course, is the front right eye which has both a small and large eye.  I know, I know...not really that big of a deal, but I've never had a stove like that before so I'm excited!

I actually baked a cake in it yesterday so I could make a dessert for Team 4 at work.  I haven't used the cook top yet though because we haven't installed our over-the-range microwave with a vent. 

Updates to come next week when we get our next appliance!

A sunny sun room

We painted the living room blue and the dining room green, now it's time to paint the sun room.  I'm trying to make the sun room a relaxing room to read.  There are lots of windows and natural light in this room so we thought, why not paint this room a pretty yellow color. 

We went to Home Depot and tried 6 different yellows!

And yes, all of those colors are some form of yellow (we clearly don't have a professional camera)!  We finally settled on this pale color called Yellowstone (the one on the bottom right) - again Behr ultra premium paint and primer.  Here's what it looked like on the wall.

I also picked out a jute/sea grass rug for the room.

I'd eventually like to get a day bed like this one from West Elm,



and a couple of slipper chairs similar to this one from Target. 

 
Or maybe something like these great seagrass chairs from Pottery Barn...

I'll keep you updated as changes progress!

Pumpkins and planters and mums, oh my!

I am really late with this post....oops!

Trey went to Home Depot and grabbed two pumpkins for us to make our front porch a little bit more decorative for the season.  He also placed the iron table and chair set on the front to fill in a bit of the extra space between the ferns which he has been ever so carefully caring for since we moved in. 

A few weekends ago we went to the pumpkin patch with Hayes, Kristin, David, and Debbie and grabbed two more pumpkins which we affectionately refer to as Charlie (the little one) and Albert (the larger one). 

Trey also picked out some lovely mums for the front which used to sit on the front corners of the porch, until Alexa got a hold of them! 

I couldn't find a set of planters that I liked at Home Depot, so I went to Hobby Lobby and found these sweet ceramic ones at 50% off!  Alexa separated one of the mums (4 different plants) in half and put each half into one of the new planters. 

We then placed them on the steps next to our Home Depot pumpkins and voila, we are ready for fall!

Tree Trimming

My hubby is such a stud.  We got a letter from our insurance company informing us that they were dropping our coverage because we had tree limbs that were touching the house.  They didn't call and say, "hey, you need to trim that tree or we are dropping you."  They just did it.  Someone came by and took pictures and couldn't even knock on the door to let us know that they were considering dropping us.  Ugh.

After Trey got over his initial stage of fury and rage, he went into action.  I'll let him say it in his own words...

So, long story, but we had some issues with our homeowner’s insurance auditor, and it was necessary to trim some trees around the house.  Instead of being one of those schmucks that calls a tree service professional at the first sign of trouble, I made the decision to man-up and do it myself.

First, I climbed the tree that is pictured below.  While straddling one branch, I was able to cut another with a chain-saw….all the while with Alexa—one of our best friends—pulling the limb I was cutting with a garden hose to keep it from falling through the roof.  (David, this should sound familiar to you!  So far, our technique is 2-for2!!)  Anyway, we were able to cut about a 30’ limb without damaging the roof.  So, mark that as “Sweet Victory #1.”

After that little warm-up, I decided to take my lumberjacking skills ON the roof—where the big boys play.  I’m sure most of you are aware that I am EXTREMELY scared of heights, but my frugality/cheapness overcame that fear!  A few minutes later I was dangling off the peak of our roof crushing the dreams of our popcorn tree with my battery-powered trimmer.  And, you can mark that down as “Sweet Victory #2!” 

Fun times were had by all.  I would like to send a special shout-out to my dad.  Thanks for loaning us the tools; without them, my overwhelming display of manliness would not have possible yesterday. :) Hope you enjoy the pics! 
Man points were awarded by Dover as follows:

+1 for using a chain saw, regardless of context (x2)
+1 for climbing on the roof (no bonus points awarded for overcoming fear)
+2 for climbing a tree
+3 for a roof-chain saw combo
+4 for a rarely used, often discouraged (by loved ones, health insurance providers, those opposed to violent death in general) tree-chain saw combo

In sum, we're looking at a good day in the man-point office. An even dozen.

Yay for a tree trimming adventure!

Project Dos - Update

George, our cabinet guy, came in earlier this week and replaced our old cabinets.  In one day, he ripped out two columns of cabinets (the ones containing a wall oven, the cooktop, and the hood) and installed the new cabinets he made so that we could install a free-standing range and over-the-range microwave with a vent.  Take a look!

Before...

In progress...

After...

Because the width of the range was wider than our existing lower cabinets, George added that decorative strip.  He also added a lazy susan cabinet in the lower section.  It really allows us to utilize every bit of that cabinet space which is great.

There's still a good bit of work to do before this project is complete.  We still have to hire an electrician to do a little bit of wiring work for the stove and microwave but fortunately I work at a manufacturing facility and happen to know a few people that do work like that. :)  We also will need to get someone to fab some ductwork to connect the new microwave outlet to the existing ductwork (I also know someone from work for that!).  Other than that we just have to paint the cabinets to match the existing ones, paint the bare patch on the ceiling, and patch a few spots on the now bare wall (showing green now) before we put in a backsplash.

So, once again, I'll keep you posted!

Our first dinner party!!

We got our china cabinet ready before our first dining room guests. 

When Alexa and Jesse came down to stay with us, the weekend before Jesse started work, we cooked a big Asian dinner and invited Nick over as well for our first official dinner party!  Alexa and I made pepper steak, vegetable lo mein, and edamame then Alexa took some pictures.  We set the table and everything! 

Nick brought desset - cheesecake - and we had a champagne toast to celebrate Jesse's new job!  Afterwards the boys took care of all the cleaning, double bonus!

Our newest addition

We would like to take this opportunity to announce the newest addition to our family...

LUCY!

We finally ditched the demon possessed fridge we had and went for the dream fridge, an LG french door model.  My decision was quite a tortured one, since I tend to really over-think large purchases.  I settled on a french door as opposed to a side-by-side because of the additional space available width-wise.  Also, we went for one without an ice maker in the door because 1. Trey and I have never really had an ice maker in the door so we were already used to having to go to the freezer and 2. it raised the price of the fridge by $600!  I'm sorry, but getting ice from your fridge door instead of the freezer is NOT worth $600!  I went with an LG because they have the best warranties.  Any other fridge and all you get is 1 year labor and parts.  Go with an LG and you get 1 year labor, 2 yrs parts, and 10 yrs on the compressor!

We will be replacing our other appliances in the near future, but for now, it's just Lucy!

Project Numero Tres - Out with the linoleum, in with the tile!

Who likes linoleum?  If you raised your hand or said, "I do," we probably aren't friends.  :)  I am not a fan of linoleum so I was glad to know that our kitchen was hardwood when we decided to buy this house.  However, the laundry room and pantry off the kitchen was linoleum. 

Yuck.

Luckily, we have some family friends (Brenda and Leslie) that are really good at lying (laying?) tile.  They came over and helped out getting the tile cut and placed.  Unfortunately, Ms. Brenda tore her rotator cuff while they were working...but she's doing ok now.  No surgery required, thankfully!

They were able to come back a week or so later and help us finish up.  After that, all that was left was the grout work.  That's when we enlisted our friend Nick!  He and Trey took care of the grout.

And here's the finished product!

Project Numero Tres - complete!  Special thanks to Kristin and David who provided the tile as a house warming gift!!