tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84865757853517609712024-03-13T12:26:08.374-07:00our humble abodeMindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12146459464266571125noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486575785351760971.post-26607559295928342042014-02-26T11:40:00.001-08:002014-02-26T11:42:17.686-08:00Marble Tile Fireplace Surround + Family Room Progress<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello there! I realize these updates are slow coming... I blog in fits and starts or not at all, and it's about all I can do these days. Life is busy and full, and happy, regardless of what the progress in the house decorating category is, but I've got a few quick pictures to share. </div>
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We finally finished our fireplace tile! We went with a carrera marble subway tile on the fireplace surround and a large carrera rectangle on the hearth. We love finally having it finished, it turned out just how we hoped it would! </div>
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Here's what it looked like before:</div>
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Whole Family Room Before:<br />
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In Progress (I have a hard time calling it an "after" When it's not finished): <br />
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We still have a long way to go, but I'm not feeling as impatient as the
"old me" would have. At this stage in my life, I'm learning to just
"let it be" a little more than I used to. I put the gallery wall up in January and it makes me so happy to have family pictures out again after spending almost a year in boxes! I'll share a close up after I get it completed, I'm waiting on some more prints and need a few more frames (I have some blank pieces of paper up as place holders in the mean time). <br />
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I have more updates to share, we painted the front living room, started searching for new countertops and have a few more things in the works too! Mindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12146459464266571125noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486575785351760971.post-75565865094696242122014-01-07T14:20:00.001-08:002014-01-07T14:20:41.818-08:00our new blank slate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We have been here for over 6 weeks now, and I'm finally getting a chance to share the pictures from the walk through! These were all taken 2 days before we closed on the house, there were still a few blue taped spots waiting to be perfected in some rooms. </div>
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And let me start off by saying how grateful I am for this roof over our heads. It's more than we need, it's a beautiful place to live and I never want us or our children to forget how blessed we are to have what we have. We have worked so very hard to get to the point where we could build what is essentially our dream home. We have made good investments on previous homes and remodeled them and sold them at good times. We live frugally and stay within our means, don't use credit, and try to teach our children to save and spend wisely. I will be sharing things we plan do to, such as little updates and improvements... that doesn't mean that I'm not grateful for this home or that I'm complaining about it, but there were many upgrades that we knew we could do more to our taste, and many we knew we could do for less than the builders cost on the upgrade list, so we opted to do some things over time. I'll walk you through and share what we did and why we did it, and what our plans are for the future with many of these spaces. </div>
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The Exterior:</div>
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We love our exterior! We had to fight for a custom color palate. The builder had certain paired accent colors with main colors and stone/brick choices. I put these choices together and pretty much told them it was a deal breaker for us. They were good to accommodate. We think it turned out very classic. I love white houses, and we wanted a little contrast with the white. The grey is Light Mist Hardi Plank and the white is Artic White. We went with the two car garage instead of three, because there was not a wide enough lot left to accommodate it. We're ok with that, we only have two cars and we have an attic and a large space under the foundation ( crawl space, but it's got a door large enough to walk through) for storage, so we are good with that. </div>
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They had very limited front door options, we don't really love the front door with the style of the house, and it's something we will eventually change. </div>
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It came with the landscaping, we will be adding to it little by little over the years. We have landscaped from bare dirt twice now, and this was a really exciting thing for us! So nice to already have grass and trees and plantings. </div>
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I didn't get pictures of the back of the house on the date I took the rest of these, but I did find some from the construction days. </div>
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Here's the back of the house, taken sometime in September, during construction. </div>
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Coming from the West to the East has been interesting. We are already missing our beautiful mountains dearly... the only thing that could make up for it is having TREES! Full grown, mature, amazing TREES! Our kids are in heaven. For the 9 months we have been here in North Carolina, our boys have loved exploring and playing in the "woods". Our wooded area here is not as big as the 2 acre lot we were on with the house we rented while this was being built, but are are very happy to have some space and nature in our own back yard. </div>
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The Entry </div>
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The entry is one of my most favorite things about this floor plan. This is the staircase of my dreams and I can't wait to hang some things on the walls! A few things about the inside of the house, they offered one paint color and finish. This is it. It's throughout the whole house. It looks good in some of these pictures and in some places I like it, but it has a tendency to pull really creamy-pink in certain light. We are mostly neutral paint people, so you can expect to see white, greys, griege and subtle blues once we paint, I don't hate this paint, but we do plan to slowly change it.</div>
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The other thing is light fixtures. It came with a few, but in most rooms, we opted to just to pre-wires so we can choose light fixtures for each space as we decorate. </div>
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We set out to build the craftsman home of our dreams, this house ended up much more traditional and classic than we initially intended, but I'm happy to let it be that way. A year ago, I would have chosen really chunky, square newel posts and banister pieces, but this is what they offered with this plan. I think it compliments the house well. This house has spoken to us, and it wishes to be traditional, with hints of youthful color accented throughout and nods to casual coastal influence. That is my goal. </div>
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We went with handscraped hickory flooring throughout. The heirloom finish ensures that dings and dents and scratches that happen over time blend in. They are very similar to the floors we put in when we renovated our last house, so it makes us feel right at home. </div>
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Anyway... the staircase... </div>
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Christmas morning was awesome, just as we had dreamed when the boys came running down the stairs. </div>
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I love the way it splits at the landing and leads to the front of the house, or to the back. </div>
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The Office:</div>
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Here's a quick phone picture of the office from my instagram. I made the window treatments on the front windows. The side windows will probably get roman shades. We are still working on a light for this room, but we have some strong contenders. </div>
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One of the perks of Scott's job is that he is able to work from home except for when he is traveling. One of the downsides of his job is that sometimes travel can be unexpected, and during certain times of the year it can mean I'm a temporary single parent. With him spending so much time working from home, we knew we needed a good work space for him, a place where he can close the door when he's on the phone, but not tucked so far away that he might as well be commuting and working in an office building. The boys are able to see him whenever they would like. We added extra windows on the sides, and it really makes it feel light and bright all day long. </div>
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Dining/Formal Living:</div>
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This plan is a classic center hall entry, with two rooms flanking the doorway and entry way. Opposite from the office is what the plan called the Formal Dining Room, but we are not formal folks, you'll see when I show you the "morning room" that it's really everything we need in a dining space, so we opted to use this room as a formal living area, we placed a sofa and a chair in here, and we will eventually put a modest sized piano in here. It will be a good quiet place for the boys to practice piano when they get to that point (yep, they don't really get to protest about that one) and I'm excited to be able to play again as well (it's been a long time, I'm sure I've forgotten a lot) We actually sit in here frequently. In the afternoon and evening, the sunlight is amazing in the front of the house, we find ourselves in here in the afternoon a lot. I hate the word "formal" because like I said, we are not. We are a home with three young boys. Our littlest one got a cozy coupe truck for Christmas and he drives it all around, it's often hanging out in here. Right now there are a couple of trucks on the couch, and no room is off limits to our sons, so it's really not a formal living room, it's just a front living room, I guess. </div>
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<a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/black_mindy012/DSC_1504_1_zpsdde7104d.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/black_mindy012/DSC_1504_1_zpsdde7104d.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
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Family Room: </div>
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We love this room. We added a coffered cieling, and went with a simple white mantle. We are in the process of tiling around the fireplace, but all of this time (even Christmas time) it just had drywall between the firebox and mantle. The builder offered some basic ceramic tile or black slate. The slate would have been fine, but we wanted to personalize some things and that was one of them. Scott likes to do tile, and I really love a little bit of marble around a fireplace. It's such a small space that it wasn't too expensive to buy materials, so we went for it. </div>
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Here's what it looked like on Christmas Eve, still a lot to do, but it's not the empty and barren space it was when we first moved in. </div>
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The Kitchen:</div>
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I had a lot of specifics when it came to the kitchen. We've remodeled a few times now. We've painted cabinets twice. I didn't want to go there again, we wanted to start out with at least that element the way we wanted. </div>
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The kitchen was almost a deal breaker. At first they didn't offer just pure white cabinets, they had a cream with rubbed edges and glaze, but I really wanted just a clean white. We ended up having to find out who the manufacturer was and then doing to footwork to see what they had. They ended up having this pure white, it cost a tiny bit more, but was worth not having to paint or change later. </div>
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The big concession that I made here was counter tops. They had maybe 5 colors of granite, all super dark- black, beige, brown, greenish. I love the look of marble, but with three young children and more to come marble would not be a smart choice. It's soft and brittle and porous, but my oh my, is it gorgeous! Our kids love the help in the kitchen, I call them my little sus chefs. They are amazing little helpers. I would hate to turn into crazy OCD mom every time someone spills a cup of juice or leaves something out. So we are looking at light quartz and there are several that have the look I'm going for without the maintenance.</div>
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We are going for something with an overall look like these:</div>
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corian rain cloud:</div>
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image:<a href="http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A0PDoKqX7q9RhWQAbIuJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3DRain%2BCloud%2Bin%2BCorian%26fr%3Dgreentree_ff1%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D13&w=600&h=600&imgurl=image.en.09635.com/2012-9/7/Corian-Rain-Cloud-Solid-Surface-Sheet-Grey-Veining-Solid-Surface-Material-228.jpg&rurl=http://en.09635.com/pd/5276423/Corian-Rain-Cloud-Solid-Surface-Sheet-Grey-Veining-Solid-Surface-Material.htm&size=80.7KB&name=%3Cb%3ECorian+Rain+Cloud+%3C/b%3ESolid+Surface+Sheet,+Grey+Veining+Solid+Surface+...&p=Rain+Cloud+in+Corian&oid=26e8c236ca9099596a92240d883e05fd&fr2=&fr=greentree_ff1&tt=%3Cb%3ECorian+Rain+Cloud+%3C/b%3ESolid+Surface+Sheet,+Grey+Veining+Solid+Surface+...&b=0&ni=240&no=13&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=13cmmhsd6&sigb=13nbr2evp&sigi=13dr7l7ak&.crumb=wwoPBcD9PGD&fr=greentree_ff1">here</a><br />
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<a href="http://cdn.decorpad.com/photos/2013/04/02/a3cad431ee2f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.decorpad.com/photos/2013/04/02/a3cad431ee2f.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
image: <a href="http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A0PDoKqX7q9RhWQAbIuJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3DRain%2BCloud%2Bin%2BCorian%26fr%3Dgreentree_ff1%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D13&w=600&h=600&imgurl=image.en.09635.com/2012-9/7/Corian-Rain-Cloud-Solid-Surface-Sheet-Grey-Veining-Solid-Surface-Material-228.jpg&rurl=http://en.09635.com/pd/5276423/Corian-Rain-Cloud-Solid-Surface-Sheet-Grey-Veining-Solid-Surface-Material.htm&size=80.7KB&name=%3Cb%3ECorian+Rain+Cloud+%3C/b%3ESolid+Surface+Sheet,+Grey+Veining+Solid+Surface+...&p=Rain+Cloud+in+Corian&oid=26e8c236ca9099596a92240d883e05fd&fr2=&fr=greentree_ff1&tt=%3Cb%3ECorian+Rain+Cloud+%3C/b%3ESolid+Surface+Sheet,+Grey+Veining+Solid+Surface+...&b=0&ni=240&no=13&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=13cmmhsd6&sigb=13nbr2evp&sigi=13dr7l7ak&.crumb=wwoPBcD9PGD&fr=greentree_ff1">here</a><br />
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image: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/65302263320830262/</div>
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Cambria Torquay </div>
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image: http://www.houzz.com/projects/35322/Bright-Kitchen</div>
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So rather than put in granite that I knew I wouldn't love, we opted to
down grade the countertops and put temporary laminate in. So temporary,
in fact, that the installers didn't caulk around the edges and were
careful that we won't have any cabinet damage when they come off. I plan
to donate them to habitat for humanity, since there are some very large
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So the kitchen is kind of half baked for now, and I'm okay with that.
I'm willing to be patient to get the end result I've been planning on
for a while now. The layout is wonderful and we have been shopping for the perfect quartz and tile, hopefully soon it will be looking like I have been imaging. In the mean time, it's still a functional and great place to cook and gather. </div>
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We really live in our kitchen! </div>
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Morning Room/ Dining Room:</div>
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And here is the progress we've made in there. Finally got a light after eating in the dark for about a month! I drove all the way (2 hours) to Richmond for the Shades of Light outlet to pick up this beautiful chandelier made from reclaimed wine barrel staves. </div>
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I fell in love with it months ago and went up once to look for one. They didn't have one, so I finally ordered one from the outlet store at full price plus 10% off. They called me the next day to let me know this one had come into the outlet, so I drove up to check it out. It ended up to be in pretty much perfect condition, and it was nearly half off! The only problem was when I got it home and Scott went to hang it, it had a plug instead of normal light wires. He pulled a McGuyver and rewired it for me quickly though, so it all worked out and I love it! </div>
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Here it is at Christmas, the only pictures I have so far. I plan to do some pretty fabric roman shades or curtains and either ship lap plank on the walls, or paint it white. Still thinking on that one. </div>
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There is also an extra room on the main level that the plan labeled as a "study" We plan to use it as a guest room. I love the transoms. </div>
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All of our family lives far away, so we wanted a space for visitors. I can't wait to get this set up and make it cozy for our family and friends who come to visit.</div>
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Downstairs bathroom:</div>
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Moving on to the upstairs...</div>
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The Playroom!</div>
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We are enjoying this space! It also still needs a light and window coverings, and paint, and a lot of decorating, but we are having a lot of fun playing in here! </div>
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Santa even brought one of these for Christmas, and as soon as Scott gets a chance to hang it up, I'm pretty certain it's going to be one of the favorite things about this room! </div>
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Down the hall is the Master Suite:</div>
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And probably one of my only complaints about the floor plan. On paper this master looked perfect, but it turned out to be a lot bigger than we envisioned. It's not needed. It's a nice luxury, but we feel it's kind of frivolous to be honest. Even with our bed and furniture in here, it still feels like a lot of unused space.It's beautiful, but in hindsight, we could have gone smaller and been just as happy with it. It has two big closets, and the bathroom is also very spacious, but not yet anything super special. </div>
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The cabinet choices were limited and we knew we wanted a painted finish. With all of the wood flooring in the house, and a lot of wood furniture we don't feel that we are lacking in natural wood tones, so we planned on a shade of gray for vanity paint. We chose the solid wood option, knowing we would be painting them. The tub is my favorite thing in the bathroom. It's very long and very deep. I've really enjoyed it so far and I'm excited to make this space more beautiful and relaxing, because it has the potential to be great. </div>
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This was the only tile they offered that I really liked. I would have loved marble tile, but it's a huge bathroom and it would have been very expensive and they didn't offer it anyway. This will do, and I really do like the border. It has little pieces of marble, blue glass and other coordinating light colors. </div>
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Kids rooms:</div>
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They are all sized just right. Not too big, not too small. Lots of light in all of the rooms, so they have a lot of potential and I'm really excited to set them up for the kids. </div>
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And the kids bathroom:</div>
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This is one of the areas we knew we would be upgrading later, so we went with simple.<br />
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And that is that. We are loving it. The neighbors are all amazing, the location is great. We are happy to drive only a few minutes to school, rather than the 20 minute commute we had in the home we were renting. We look forward to many happy memories being shared within these walls! <br />
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<br />Mindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12146459464266571125noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486575785351760971.post-58443582486569472102014-01-06T19:44:00.003-08:002014-01-07T06:44:34.249-08:00old house kitchen It was brought to my attention that I never posted final pictures of the kitchen in our last house! When I shared our whole upstairs post renovations we had a few loose ends left. Here's how it turned out!<br />
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Remember the before? <br />
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And the final product:<br />
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It was a lot of hard work, but we were thrilled with the results! I wish we could have enjoyed it for a little bit longer! We love the new house, but I do really miss our old home! </div>
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<br />Mindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12146459464266571125noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486575785351760971.post-51796211742618781332013-12-20T08:11:00.001-08:002013-12-20T08:11:27.429-08:00Fresh Pine Garland and Entry Way Tour<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Hello! We are still working on organizing ourselves and getting settled here, but we are loving the new house. We are so excited to spend our first Christmas here! </div>
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When we bought our Christmas Tree, A beautiful North Carolina Frasier Fir, the friendly man at the tree lot offered us all of the branches we could carry away. We brought two big bushels home in the back of our van, and I decided to make some fresh garlands out of them. We went back for more (he told us we could take all we wanted and to come back if we needed more) and we were greeted with a warm "Hey there, I remember y'all!" and he insisted on loading them up for me (the south is such a friendly place!) </div>
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It took a few hours, and made a huge mess in the process, but we enjoyed decking our halls with the Christmas-y smell that only live pine can bring! </div>
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Come on in and check it out! </div>
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I need to get a whole house shot some night when the window candles are lit up, it's fun. We are so busy with getting things out of boxes and setting rooms up that we just knew we couldn't tackle exterior Christmas lights this year, so we kept is simple with wreaths and candles. <br />
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I fully intend to share a full house tour soon. Life is just very busy these days! Stay tuned, but don't hold your breath! <br />
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Mindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12146459464266571125noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486575785351760971.post-78665510172965478242013-07-29T18:43:00.000-07:002013-07-29T19:12:00.418-07:00Closet Turned Built-In<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of my favorite details of the house we just left behind was the sweet little built-in bookshelf we made for the basement. </div>
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With everything we had going on, plus adding our third little fella into the mix, it took us longer than I care to admit to get 'er done. But get it done, we did. </div>
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It all started when we had the basement dry walled. We had planned for a closet in that spot, but seeing it all framed out and dry walled like that gave us an idea. It was the perfect spot for a built in, and we had plenty of unused closets down there, so why not use that space to make a statement and add some character to our home!</div>
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We did most of the finish work on our own, with the exception of the staircase, so the trim work and paint fell upon the hubby. He enjoys doing a bit of finish carpentry here and there, and we were under the gun to get the walls painted and the trims in and painted and caulked so the carpet could come. All of this fell around the time I was hospitalized and put on bed rest with little boy #3, so we did the bear minimum to make it work and put off finishing the built-in for a later date. </div>
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As you can see below, we placed the bead board on the back, and had made a few shelves for it, but didn't complete it for some time. </div>
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My original plan was just to paint the back white like the rest of the trim work, but on a whim I chose this pretty blue paint and it really helped bring some color into an otherwise neutral space. </div>
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Around the time we were prepping our home for selling, we finally rounded up the rest of the materials needed and put the remaining shelves in. I brought in some last minute accessories and we called it good. </div>
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I had intentions of filling these cute frames (all from target) with pictures of our <i>own</i> family, but when we sold the house on the first day, it was no longer a priority for me. Instead, we moved to boxing things up and packing up our life. </div>
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So, we only got to enjoy this shelf finished for about a month! Sometimes it's that last little push to finish a long project that just kills us. We always say it's usually the last 10% that we struggle with getting done. Please tell me we're not the only ones! I sure loved walking past it and admiring it for that short period of time though! </div>
Mindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12146459464266571125noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486575785351760971.post-57422317026684531712013-07-22T18:54:00.000-07:002013-07-22T18:54:20.252-07:00Our New House...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's not really "new" news anymore, but we're still pretty darn excited about it... We are building a house!<br />
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We
Went under contract toward the end of April, and since then we've been
busy gathering our selections and getting our permitting and financing.
It's been a lot of fun, but we can't wait for it to be finished! We are
targeting October for closing. It has been so rainy here this summer
(wettest on record from what we hear, totally abnormal) and it's really
messed things up with getting the foundations in, not just for us, but
for other houses going in near us. I'm hoping we will be in by
Halloween.<br />
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Here are some of the details: <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Vp3FmjPkRm8/Ue1xXRraR9I/AAAAAAAAEQ4/wqXTSFhOhxw/s1600/IMG_4160.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="616" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Vp3FmjPkRm8/Ue1xXRraR9I/AAAAAAAAEQ4/wqXTSFhOhxw/s640/IMG_4160.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PGfk1vXqKn8/Ue1xWUVdGCI/AAAAAAAAEQs/1LbcaF-8zpk/s1600/IMG_4143.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="454" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PGfk1vXqKn8/Ue1xWUVdGCI/AAAAAAAAEQs/1LbcaF-8zpk/s640/IMG_4143.jpg" width="640" /> </a><br />
The
brick is Edgewater, a nice red brick with some variation. I love it.
The siding choices are a light grey and arctic white. The only door
color I liked was this outer space, it will probably get painted later.
They had limited door colors, because it's not painted on site.<br />
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The floor plan: <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rW0CMOWl_gE/Ue1xkj2XRpI/AAAAAAAAESY/2lS-pHo-zZ0/s1600/mainfoor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="560" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rW0CMOWl_gE/Ue1xkj2XRpI/AAAAAAAAESY/2lS-pHo-zZ0/s640/mainfoor.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NqOs66bX284/Ue1xkCR8eXI/AAAAAAAAESQ/pMnkNXJEzJQ/s1600/floor2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="560" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NqOs66bX284/Ue1xkCR8eXI/AAAAAAAAESQ/pMnkNXJEzJQ/s640/floor2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
We
love the floor plan. It's exactly what we've dreamed of for a long time
now. We've walked through some similar and can't wait to walk into our
own!<br />
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Master bathroom tile choices:<br />
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We
didn't love any other tile at the design center, so we opted to put in
vinyl flooring in the kids bath, mudroom, laundry room areas and tile
ourselves. I've been dreaming of hex tile for the kids bath and we
couldn't see paying extra for something we knew we would just be ripping
out.<br />
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Same goes for counter tops. They had about 6
choices of dark and tan granites, I have something else in mind, so we
opted to downgrade to laminate for a credit and we will apply that
toward taking them out and putting in something we love after we move
in...<br />
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The cabinets:<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gh4DuOr1Ja4/Ue1xZYrWhYI/AAAAAAAAERI/xcJAQbkOQyw/s1600/IMG_4342.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gh4DuOr1Ja4/Ue1xZYrWhYI/AAAAAAAAERI/xcJAQbkOQyw/s640/IMG_4342.jpg" width="592" /></a><br />
I
love them! I had to fight for pure white. They offered creme with a
glaze, but I guess I'm a purist. I just wanted white. Having renovated three houses now, including white-ifying two of those kitchens, this was just a must. I told them it was a deal breaker, and we ended up going
through the sub contractor they use and tracking down the white ones on our own.
The funny thing about that was about two weeks later, they got this
sample in the showroom and the sales rep said they sent it right after I
ordered mine. So I guess white cabinet lovers everywhere can thank me for calling to
their attention they needed a white option. Ha ha ha. <br />
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The flooring:<br />
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Love
it as well. It's hickory, in a distressed finish, becuase it will get
that way anyway, might as well make it be on purpose and let the oopsies
blend in over time. <br />
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The Lot:<br />
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It's
bigger than 1/3 acre, smaller than 1/2. We originally wanted something
larger, but this neighborhood was just calling out to us. It is full of
kids, and we decided the yard will be plenty big enough, but the boys
have really missed having kids to play with close by. The house we are
renting has a huge yard and no neighbor kids, and while it's been fun,
in our stage of life we chose neighbors and friends for the boys over a
massive yard. It won't be tiny though, so we are happy. About the size
of our last yard, which was great, but tree-less, so we are very
excited about the amount of trees we will have here! </div>
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We
got to go through and choose which trees to keep and which ones to
clear to make room for the house. Our back yard will have lots of trees.
The boys can't wait to build a tree house, and we are looking forward to having a space for playing and entertaining. <br />
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The footings are poured! <br />
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And
I've been busily collecting my ideas for the interior. We ordered
pre-wires and no light fixtures so we could pick our own. It's an
overwhelming task picking light fixtures for an entire home, but it's so
much fun! Here are some of my ideas:</div>
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So much to do, but we are enjoying making it our own.<br />
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I'll hopefully be back sometime soon and share our house hunt. Although we are really excited to build this time around, there were a few really great houses that caught our eye and made us think twice. It would have been home reno #4 though, and though it's a lot of fun demolishing things and rebuilding, our hands are full with three boys 6 and under running around, so this option is good for us this time around! Mindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12146459464266571125noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486575785351760971.post-8552295112404751202013-05-15T19:16:00.000-07:002013-05-15T19:57:03.952-07:00DIY window seat <div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been so long since I've posted that I forgot my photobucket account log in! Ahhh! It's been a busy time in my life. Over the course of the past few months our family has had lots of changes. We sold our home, it sold quickly... quicker than we ever expected! Within 24 hours we had three solid offers and one verbal. Super exciting! We moved our little family from Utah to North Carolina, and now that the dust has settled, we have some projects from before the move to share!</div>
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This sweet little window seat was easy to put together and added some storage and upped the cute factor of our living room. </div>
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<a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/album4/windowseat_zps82d047a5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/album4/windowseat_zps82d047a5.jpg" /></a></div>
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Our little guy loved to perch on top and look outside at the kids going by on their bikes. <br />
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It started with the handy little base cabinets I found at Down East Home (a liquidator of clearance items from pottery barn and other stores and other places) <br />
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I did take a before picture, but can't find any of them at the moment. Here's the basic just of it: It's the <a href="http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/cameron-creativity-lower-storage-system/?cm_src=AutoSchRel">Cameron storage system</a>, they come in a variety of components. I ended up with two drawers and one open shelf. I picked them up for about $45 each, not too bad, considering the drawers slide nicely and are pretty large. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oZZaL0RAIRk/UZQ54udE9oI/AAAAAAAADxA/AiuaO29uONk/s1600/windowseat2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oZZaL0RAIRk/UZQ54udE9oI/AAAAAAAADxA/AiuaO29uONk/s1600/windowseat2.jpg" /></a></div>
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I ended up with two in a dark cherry finish and one in this oak finish. I primed them and painted them all white. I love the look of built-in shelving and a built-in window seats, this house didn't come with those details, so we decided to put a little something together on our own. The best part is, nothing was permanently attached, so we got to bring it all with us when we moved!</div>
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The shelves are just the Ikea Hemnes bookshelves in white. We measured everything twice before buying them to make sure it would fit just right. We got lucky and the size of our wall was about as perfect as it could have been for the pieces that we had. </div>
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This wasn't done for staging purposes, but it sure did help. That first day we were on the market, we had 11 or 12 showings. Many of them arrived with realtors at the same time I was exiting. When they stepped inside I heard several people ooing and ahhing over the window seat and wondering if it stayed with the house. We would have considered leaving it, but with multiple offers on the table, we didn't feel like we needed to throw in any extras. </div>
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And here's a WAAAY before picture of the room when we first saw the house. </div>
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<a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/album4/windowseat3_zps71a83c3a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/album4/windowseat3_zps71a83c3a.jpg" /></a></div>
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Adding that little window seat did a lot to help our bare bones living room out. </div>
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Looking at pictures of our home makes me miss it a lot! We are currently renting until October while we are building a home here. We are so excited to get settled again! </div>
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I have a handful of other little projects that I'm hoping to share soon!</div>
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Mindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12146459464266571125noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486575785351760971.post-67303840285743861832012-08-08T22:22:00.001-07:002014-01-06T19:41:17.523-08:00whole house update- upstairs reno complete! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've kind of quit this blog, slowly over the past year or so. Sorry blog, I can't keep up with you anymore. Here's an update from my family blog (which I also can't keep up with) that I've copied and pasted, a big update of all that we've completed on the main level recently. Add this to the basement we finished last year and we are calling it done. No more big stuff. Maybe a few tiny things... anyway, here it is! </div>
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We are
done! We finished the main floor renovations in May (there have been a
few pesky leftover tasks since then, a bit of caulk here, a piece of
trim there... but we finally checked it all off the list.) </div>
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Ready to see? </div>
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(most of the before pictures are from the mls listing, or were taken right before we moved in.) </div>
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Entry Before: </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qGb1JiPqaF4/UCM0jC73jsI/AAAAAAAAB_Y/98qs2AlzlRQ/s1600/IS145q2vvpkvxcz.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qGb1JiPqaF4/UCM0jC73jsI/AAAAAAAAB_Y/98qs2AlzlRQ/s640/IS145q2vvpkvxcz.jpg" height="478" width="640" /></a></div>
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Knocking
out that doorway going down the stairs did wonders to open the space
up, we like it a lot. The hardwood is hand scraped birch, we have liked
it a lot, so far it is holding up well to our active family. I like it a
whole lot better than the ceramic tile with white grout (that was never
white) and the old carpet that was there before it. I think hardwoods
really warm up a space. I like the way they feel underfoot, the way that
a unified flooring makes a home feel bigger, and the easy clean up. We
chose a floor that had some distressing to begin with. Little bumps and
dings and dents are going to happen, but they blend right in. We got a
screaming deal on the wood too. Nothing we have here is too precious for
our home of active little boys. <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lghLkRnA014/UCK71IzEG5I/AAAAAAAAB5U/UV3j8Kx-Wj4/s1600/DSC_5976.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lghLkRnA014/UCK71IzEG5I/AAAAAAAAB5U/UV3j8Kx-Wj4/s640/DSC_5976.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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With
the finishing of the basement, the office moved down stairs. The
"formal living room" was being used as an office area before, it sat
mostly empty after the office stuff moved downstairs, so we turned it
into a main floor playroom. We are not formal people, when friends or
family come over, we bring them right back into the heart of our home,
so for us a formal living room is a wasted space. The kids tend to play
where I am, so even though they had a big playroom downstairs, they were
often bringing all of the toys upstairs and dumping them in the entry
way. This works out a little better for all of us. <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XrlanYHHaeY/UCK74A4WviI/AAAAAAAAB6A/SlhyMNuzNnI/s1600/DSC_5989.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XrlanYHHaeY/UCK74A4WviI/AAAAAAAAB6A/SlhyMNuzNnI/s640/DSC_5989.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
And the family room...<br />
Before:<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-98El0aRIshs/UCM0DBzUELI/AAAAAAAAB_A/UfQYqu1PQAU/s1600/DSC_0389.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-98El0aRIshs/UCM0DBzUELI/AAAAAAAAB_A/UfQYqu1PQAU/s640/DSC_0389.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a><br />
After:<br />
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I have plans to update this wall of photos, it's missing one little man, I just need more time. :)<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mzpIr-UIjdA/UCK783uV9aI/AAAAAAAAB6g/LCCWkk2Sg98/s1600/DSC_5999.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mzpIr-UIjdA/UCK783uV9aI/AAAAAAAAB6g/LCCWkk2Sg98/s640/DSC_5999.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ot7Kjvgrnnc/UCK79lCtadI/AAAAAAAAB6o/o43Bt-B5xnk/s1600/DSC_6003.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ot7Kjvgrnnc/UCK79lCtadI/AAAAAAAAB6o/o43Bt-B5xnk/s640/DSC_6003.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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And onto the kitchen! <br />
<br />
Before:<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QSlZQK87qDc/UCM0CuFXK7I/AAAAAAAAB-4/QYX7Ll7ux4E/s1600/DSC_0388.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QSlZQK87qDc/UCM0CuFXK7I/AAAAAAAAB-4/QYX7Ll7ux4E/s640/DSC_0388.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C18JiuWwQro/UCM0DaQUL8I/AAAAAAAAB_I/LQXmcjUG5x4/s1600/DSC_0395.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C18JiuWwQro/UCM0DaQUL8I/AAAAAAAAB_I/LQXmcjUG5x4/s640/DSC_0395.jpg" height="640" width="424" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e2I2oZq550M/UCM0D0ED1iI/AAAAAAAAB_Q/hRxVOzGT7-Q/s1600/kitchen1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e2I2oZq550M/UCM0D0ED1iI/AAAAAAAAB_Q/hRxVOzGT7-Q/s640/kitchen1.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a><br />
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*This
is where I have to interject, that there is nothing wrong with this
kitchen. Nothing at all. It has good basics, everything in the house was
very neutral and liveable, it just wasn't our style. We enjoy house
projects, so we decided it would be fun to turn it into what we saw in
our minds it could be... I'm not hating on wood kitchens.*<br />
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Kitchen After: <br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cVgyk6xd3jk/UCK8H2CtXZI/AAAAAAAAB8M/58ILnp3N5zg/s1600/DSC_6023.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cVgyk6xd3jk/UCK8H2CtXZI/AAAAAAAAB8M/58ILnp3N5zg/s640/DSC_6023.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cOqm_C6ToYM/UCK8IuJPwKI/AAAAAAAAB8U/t5gBccBZRIs/s1600/DSC_6029.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cOqm_C6ToYM/UCK8IuJPwKI/AAAAAAAAB8U/t5gBccBZRIs/s640/DSC_6029.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BzC-d4sUexQ/UCK8Dg1dJFI/AAAAAAAAB7k/rPGdtvTgrcU/s1600/DSC_6012.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BzC-d4sUexQ/UCK8Dg1dJFI/AAAAAAAAB7k/rPGdtvTgrcU/s640/DSC_6012.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XSDmS6xRM4Y/UCK7_cmVt6I/AAAAAAAAB64/0QsdriifxGo/s1600/DSC_6006.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XSDmS6xRM4Y/UCK7_cmVt6I/AAAAAAAAB64/0QsdriifxGo/s640/DSC_6006.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z3eUFNmFESw/UCK8ApG8nHI/AAAAAAAAB7A/4DAI_207NbY/s1600/DSC_6007.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z3eUFNmFESw/UCK8ApG8nHI/AAAAAAAAB7A/4DAI_207NbY/s640/DSC_6007.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2-njA-NdN5s/UCK8XG2fTlI/AAAAAAAAB-Q/nVziU3muZeM/s1600/DSC_6096.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2-njA-NdN5s/UCK8XG2fTlI/AAAAAAAAB-Q/nVziU3muZeM/s640/DSC_6096.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YyLonOD7HoI/UCK8CGCQ-HI/AAAAAAAAB7Q/fZ55r-gd-dQ/s1600/DSC_6009.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YyLonOD7HoI/UCK8CGCQ-HI/AAAAAAAAB7Q/fZ55r-gd-dQ/s640/DSC_6009.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d5LyeuJu06U/UCK8C7bopvI/AAAAAAAAB7c/3MDke-fkqBw/s1600/DSC_6011.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d5LyeuJu06U/UCK8C7bopvI/AAAAAAAAB7c/3MDke-fkqBw/s640/DSC_6011.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iXcTdvyByKo/UCK8FEYal5I/AAAAAAAAB70/9oq_5eMWRbo/s1600/DSC_6016.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iXcTdvyByKo/UCK8FEYal5I/AAAAAAAAB70/9oq_5eMWRbo/s640/DSC_6016.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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*two
things missing- glass doors to replace the ones I removed (I like to
see some dishes, that's all) and a trim piece on the island that had to
be ordered. I knew if I waited until those things were done I might not
ever bother to take the pictures and post, so you get what you get.)<br />
<br />
This
was our second time down the kitchen white-ification road. We did it
in our first home as well. We had a hot mess on our hands for about a
week, as the doors where all off and things where in disarray, but it
was worth it. A lot of work, but worth it. <br />
<br />
I had
puttied over those knotty alder doors so many times in my mind, it felt
awesome to do it for real. I just prefer a nice clean white.<br />
<br />
We followed these basic steps for the finish:<br />
putty<br />
sand<br />
degloss<br />
primer<br />
paint (x2 coats)<br />
<br />
We
started the cabinets the first week of April, the garage and outside
were way too cold, so we worked inside. It was an interesting week. We
ate out a few times. It's not like you are working on them constantly,
because a lot of that time is spent drying between coats, so we worked
mostly when the kiddos were fast asleep. We had some nice late night
chats while painting away. I honestly think DIY renovations have made
our marriage what it is today. We work hard side by side, we laugh, we
talk, sometimes we debate, we go to bed exhausted. It's loads of fun!
I'm glad I married a man who likes improving things as much as I do, we
are a good pair. <br />
<br />
Of course the white cabinets are my
favorite thing, but a close runner up is the subway tile. It's fresh and
clean and classic. We almost didn't do it. It seemed like a pain to
tear out the beige tumbled whatever it was that was there in the first
place, there was nothing wrong with it, and I felt guilty taking it out
when it was perfectly fine, but we decided that we've come this far, and
just to finish the job. We are so glad we did it. It reflects a lot of
light and makes the kitchen seem brighter and happier. I know white
isn't everyone's thing, but we really like it. The subway tile was
Scott's little gift to me, he really wanted to just keep the old tile,
but he knew I was really really wanting to change it. He readily admits
it was one of our smartest moves, it changed the whole kitchen. <br />
<br />
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When
we tore into that old backsplash, one side came off so easily, the
other was a big mess. In the midst of the chaos, Scott and I looked at
each other and vowed we would never do this again. We've owned three
homes now, and done major work on all of them from kitchen reno (twice)
to basement finishing (twice) landscaping from bare dirt (twice) and of
course the little things like paint and easy face lifts. Life isn't as
simple as it once was, with three kids it takes a lot longer to get our
projects done, and we find we would rather just be playing with the boys
than working like busy bees. So, we promised each other... the next
house is one that we build, we make it how we want it, add a few small
things as years pass, but no more heavy renovations. Or so wa say...
Anyway, on with the tour, shall we?<br />
<br />
Master Bedroom Before: <br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dUlbqx6SLik/UCM0ja8zQ4I/AAAAAAAAB_c/Skf1OqPPK7w/s1600/IS145q2vznn41b7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dUlbqx6SLik/UCM0ja8zQ4I/AAAAAAAAB_c/Skf1OqPPK7w/s640/IS145q2vznn41b7.jpg" height="478" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
Master Bedroom After: <br />
<br />
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<br />
I vote for a pretty chandelier, he votes to keep the ceiling fan- since it's already there, he wins...<br />
<br />
I've
tweaked this space a few times, but I think this is it for a while. I'm
really liking how it feels right now. Yes, there were once curtains on
that rod, yes I shrunk them in the wash, and yes, I'm still showing
you... I haven't had time to even think about what I want there now, so
it will likely remain naked, and I'm ok with that. <br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />
For the kids rooms, imagine a before just like the master bedroom, minus the ceiling fan.<br />
<br />
Nursery:<br />
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<br />
It's
a happy little place, I love being in my babies room. I love rocking
him in the little eames rocker, It's a simple room, but I think it's
done. <br />
<br />
The Big Boy's Room:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-avk4kO_6_Wc/UCK7tcXaaEI/AAAAAAAAB4M/GPYGavGGBpI/s1600/DSC_5956.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-avk4kO_6_Wc/UCK7tcXaaEI/AAAAAAAAB4M/GPYGavGGBpI/s640/DSC_5956.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-REch8vdhGSE/UCK7uVkMJMI/AAAAAAAAB4U/LyA3fezszyk/s1600/DSC_5959.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-REch8vdhGSE/UCK7uVkMJMI/AAAAAAAAB4U/LyA3fezszyk/s640/DSC_5959.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UBtTvjFEJkI/UCK7vMMIozI/AAAAAAAAB4c/fZd600IInx8/s1600/DSC_5962.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UBtTvjFEJkI/UCK7vMMIozI/AAAAAAAAB4c/fZd600IInx8/s640/DSC_5962.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qk_abrJxCTI/UCK7wMAsYnI/AAAAAAAAB4k/Yt7RwDRgrxw/s1600/DSC_5964.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qk_abrJxCTI/UCK7wMAsYnI/AAAAAAAAB4k/Yt7RwDRgrxw/s640/DSC_5964.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rKxDPaGczE0/UCK7w7JynyI/AAAAAAAAB4s/e9OuEjP-CrM/s1600/DSC_5965.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rKxDPaGczE0/UCK7w7JynyI/AAAAAAAAB4s/e9OuEjP-CrM/s640/DSC_5965.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PbWr9HISvm0/UCK7xKh59FI/AAAAAAAAB40/9LSv0lSM0Es/s1600/DSC_5967.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PbWr9HISvm0/UCK7xKh59FI/AAAAAAAAB40/9LSv0lSM0Es/s640/DSC_5967.jpg" height="346" width="640" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YGGzJHOlg_I/UCK7yRJbs-I/AAAAAAAAB48/Gna71XOCprQ/s1600/DSC_5968.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YGGzJHOlg_I/UCK7yRJbs-I/AAAAAAAAB48/Gna71XOCprQ/s640/DSC_5968.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H19rZvKMtrU/UCK7zCiEZvI/AAAAAAAAB5E/heiUoRLDoTQ/s1600/DSC_5969.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H19rZvKMtrU/UCK7zCiEZvI/AAAAAAAAB5E/heiUoRLDoTQ/s640/DSC_5969.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qwam-4zXzn4/UCK8Vse-Y8I/AAAAAAAAB-I/pncmz6fa1Ac/s1600/DSC_6086.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qwam-4zXzn4/UCK8Vse-Y8I/AAAAAAAAB-I/pncmz6fa1Ac/s640/DSC_6086.jpg" height="640" width="426" /> </a><br />
<br />
And
we end with the garage hallway. We chose to keep the tile in the
laundry room and for the doorway entrance. That spot takes a beating.<br />
<br />
It
feels so good to be done! With our basement finishing of last year and
now this year's big kitchen and upstairs flooring project, we've done
all we ever planned on doing and more. We have more to do outside, but
the inside is DONE. We are enjoying it! <br />
<br />
July was a
milestone for us, we have been here over 2 years and 9 months, which was
our previous record for longest time spent in one home. We lived in our
Kearns house for exactly that, so this is now the house we've called
home for the longest amount of time. The time has gone fast, we have
loved living here, it's been a happy place to be, even before the
changes. We've always loved it, it's still the same house, it just looks
a little more like what we love.<br />
<br />
When we moved into
this house, Carter was just under three, Owen was about 15 months old.
Our family has grown up a little bit here, and it never mattered if the
floors were tile or hardwood or if the kitchen was knotty alder or
white. Maybe it's just the renovation weary crazy talkin' here, but I
think I'm learning that every single thing doesn't need to be
pretty-fied. I'm becoming content to just let it be a little bit more.
It's never 100% perfectly clean, it's often noisy and filled with little
boys toys, shoes and messes, but it's my favorite place to be. Not
because the cabinets are finally white, but because my family is here.
And that is the end of my blubbering.<br />
<br />
Thanks for
virtually stopping by, feel free to come over for real any time. Odds
are, I'll have a basket or two of laundry to fold sitting in the family
room and a pile of shoes at the door, but who doesn't? :)<br />
<br />
<br />
Update:<br />
<br />
Here are a few pictures of the finished kitchen!<br />
<br />
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<br />Mindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12146459464266571125noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486575785351760971.post-14404503313162131832012-03-01T07:00:00.003-08:002012-03-01T07:00:07.249-08:00birds in my bedroomI realize I've been a sporadic blogger ever since baby boy #3 came along (7 months ago!).<br /><br />It's not for lack of inspiration, the ideas and projects are still slowly coming to fruition, but things are busy around here... and I truly wouldn't have it any other way.<br /><br />I have been thinking a lot about our <a href="http://sohouse2home.blogspot.com/search/label/masterbedroom">master bedroom</a>. I had done a few accent pillow changes, but things have mostly been the same since adding the yellow and gray medallion comforter:<br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/DSC_5953.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 425px; height: 639px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/DSC_5953.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I <span style="font-weight: bold;">love</span> the pattern and colors of the comforter, but it wasn't feeling like "us", so I went in search of something else and ended up coming right back to the light blue coverlet that we had before the yellow and gray duvet.<br /><br />I also added more color with pillows, my favorite being my new bright bird pillow:<br /><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/DSC_4544.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 450px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/DSC_4544.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> (I went to peir1.com hoping to link it for you all, but it's no longer there. I just bought it two weeks ago, so you never know, there may still be some in stores.)<br /><br />I just realized I didn't get a close up of it, so here it is:<br /><a href="http://media.pier1.com/img/pier1com/productimages/2511496.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 240px;" src="http://media.pier1.com/img/pier1com/productimages/2511496.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.peir1.com/Catalog/HomeTextiles/tabid/980/CategoryId/144/ProductId/36855/ProductName/Beaded-Peacock-Pillow/language/en-US/Default.aspx">via </a><br /><br />Shout out to my hubby here. Our two oldest boys were at a birthday party on a Saturday morning, and HE suggested we go out looking for a new bedroom chair (our slipper chair that was previously there got moved down to the new office-still in progress.)<br /><br />When I saw this pillow I knew it was what I was looking for. When I asked if he liked it he said "I don't hate it... but I know you love it. It might end up on the floor a lot, but go ahead." What a man, eh? It has grown on him. How could it not? As my friend Holly said, it's "adding a little fiesta to the bedroom."<br /><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/DSC_4527.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 425px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/DSC_4527.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/DSC_4532.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 441px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/DSC_4532.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I spied this cute chair while online shopping a few months ago and we both liked it for the space:<br /><br /><a href="http://laurenleonardinteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/world-market-button-chair1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://laurenleonardinteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/world-market-button-chair1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.worldmarket.com/home/index.jsp?ab=header:logo">via </a><br /><br />Each button has a different pattern on it. The tufting is fabulous and the fabric is a nice neutral linen. LOVE.<br /><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/DSC_4540.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 530px; height: 639px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/DSC_4540.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/DSC_4539.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 441px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/DSC_4539.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The colors on the buttons pick up a little of the "fiesta" on the bed.<br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/DSC_4538.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 464px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/DSC_4538.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>It's still calming, still a quiet and restful room, but it needed a little "hello sunshine" and now it's got that. It fits us better.<br /><br />We are still plugging away on finishing some smaller projects and then it's onto the BIG fun one that we've been waiting for. The addition and hardwood flooring upstairs, the whitification of the kitchen, and some trim and paint stuff. I'VE WAITED 2 YEARS for this part! We've started the process with our contractor and we're waiting for a survey to verify just how far the dining bump out can go. Hopefully we'll get the ball rolling next month!Mindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12146459464266571125noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486575785351760971.post-23073561826522537112012-02-22T13:03:00.001-08:002012-02-22T13:07:11.662-08:00winner!Congratulations to Heidi! You are the winner of the My Memories Design Suite giveaway!<br /><br />Don't forget about the $10 off coupon for everyone else!<br /><br /><div style="display: block;" class="fb_content"><div id="banner_code2" style="width: 600px;"> <p style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><a href="http://www.mymemories.com/digital_scrapbooking_software"><img src="http://www.mymemories.com/images/stm/BestSoftware-180x300-BLINK.gif" alt="" width="180" border="0" height="300" /></a></p></div></div>Mindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12146459464266571125noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486575785351760971.post-14242401091278631342012-02-17T06:00:00.000-08:002012-02-17T06:00:02.568-08:00my memories design suite GIVEAWAY!<a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/mymemoriesgiveaway.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 168px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/mymemoriesgiveaway.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I'm so excited to share this with you! I was contacted <a href="https://www.mymemories.com/">My Memories</a> to host a great giveaway! We're giving away the My Memories Design Suite. What is My Memories, you may ask?<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style="font-family:MarkerFelt-Thin;"><br />It's an award winning digital scrapbook software that is extremely easy and fun to use. My Memories Suite is rated #1 by Amazon and TopTen Reviews. Using this software, anyone can create digital scrapbooks, photobooks, cards, calendars and gifts without having to buy expensive and complicated software programs.</span></b></span><br /><br />I'm especially excited about this, because I take LITERALLY <span style="font-weight: bold;">thousands </span>of photos every year of my kids, and I print less than 10% of the photos I take. I've made it a goal this year to get all of those photos printed into photobooks and scrapbooks so we can enjoy them!<br /><br />I decided to give it a whirl, and got right to work playing around with my copy of the software, and found it easy to use and versatile.<br /><br /> I made a photobook spread of some recent pictures I took of my baby Noah last week. (He's 6 months old already!)<br /><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/mymemoriespage.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 401px; height: 639px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/mymemoriespage.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>This is what I came up with while exploring the software in just a few minutes. It was fun! I can't wait to put the rest of the pictures in and actually PRINT them!<br /><br />They have lots and lots of background choices, embellishments, text, journaling options and layouts. It was fun and easy! And it's not just for scrapbooking... you can do so much more with this! It would be great to use for calendars and cards and anything else you can dream up!<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">So, here's the BEST PART!<br /><br />We are giving the <a href="https://www.mymemories.com/">My Memories suite</a> to one of you!<br /><br />Just head on over to <a href="https://www.mymemories.com/">My Memories</a> and take a gander at all of the good stuff they have to offer. Come back and let me know what you think of it! Tell me about your favorite paper pack or layout, or anything that you see and LOVE!<span style="font-style: italic;"> Leave a comment, and you're entered.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">*giveaway ends Tuesday, Feb 21, 12AM MST. Winner will be announced Wednesday morning! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Also, as</span><span style="text-indent:0px;letter-spacing:normal;font-variant:normal;text-align:-webkit-auto;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:normal;border-collapse:separate;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0pxfont-family:Georgia;font-size:130%;" ><span style="text-indent:0px;letter-spacing:normal;font-variant:normal;text-align:-webkit-auto;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:normal;border-collapse:separate;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0pxfont-family:Georgia;" > a special for all of my readers, they are giving a $10 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for the <a href="http://mymemories.com/" target="_blank">MyMemories.com</a> store!</span></span><table><tbody><tr><td class="b"><br /></td> <td class="body"> <div style="display: block;" class="fb_content"><div id="banner_code2" style="width: 600px;"> <p style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><a href="http://www.mymemories.com/digital_scrapbooking_software"><img src="http://www.mymemories.com/images/stm/BestSoftware-180x300-BLINK.gif" alt="" border="0" height="300" width="180" /></a></p></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table>Mindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12146459464266571125noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486575785351760971.post-12129717194251244942012-01-31T06:55:00.000-08:002012-01-31T06:55:00.142-08:00mister blue bird {bird mobile}I made some little friends for Noah to gaze at while he's falling asleep in his crib... or let's just admit it, I made this for me to look at when I nurse him in his room. :)<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/DSC_4245.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 425px; height: 639px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/DSC_4245.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I've been ogling bird mobiles for a few years now, and when I saw the pattern for these birds (<a href="http://www.spoolsewing.com/blog/2008/05/16/bird-mobile/">here</a>) I knew it was high time I get sewing.<br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/DSC_4249.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 425px; height: 639px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/DSC_4249.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/DSC_4247.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 425px; height: 639px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/DSC_4247.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I'm so happy with the way it turned out. The best part is, he actually likes it too. He likes to look up and "talk/sing" to them when he's having a diaper change or when he wakes up from a nap.<br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/DSC_4248.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 425px; height: 639px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/DSC_4248.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>As far as sewing projects go, this one was pretty simple. I was intimidated before I started... at first glance I didn't get how the two parts of the pattern where supposed to go together (did I ever mention that I really hate sewing from a pattern? My brain is backward. I'm so much better off If I just make it up on my own. It's a personal problem.)<br /><br />I pinned them together very "thoroughly"... I mean, seriously, you think I have enough pins here?<br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/DSC_4184.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 425px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/DSC_4184.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>You may laugh, but it helped me to keep it all where it needed to be. The funnest part was matching up the fabrics. Mis-matching might be a better term. I love them in their non matchi-ness.<br /><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/DSC_4187.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 335px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/DSC_4187.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The hardest part was probably deciding where to put the eyelet hooks, so that each branch would balance properly. I also used a swivel clasp (fishing paraphernalia thing, I am the daughter and granddaughter of avid fishermen, after all) to help them move and bob a little better, if I tap it they do, indeed, have a "swivel" action... not a rotate in a 360 degrees action, that would have taken a little more ingenuity. But we like it just the same.<br /><br />Little Mister seems to think it's pretty great.<br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/DSC_4255.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 425px; height: 639px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/DSC_4255.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>It's still in progress, but here's a peek at the other corner of the room:<br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/DSC_4259.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 462px; height: 639px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album3/DSC_4259.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I'm thinking I'll give the legs on this chair some love, but other than that, I love her as she is.<br /><br />I have a few more things in the works (painting the crib? gasp! curtains and wall art) and some ideas swirling around in the 'ol noggin that are not yet in the works, but soon this room will be done. I know, I'm slow. But it's not fair... bedrest from 24ish weeks on kind of foils plans, and now with three fellas five and under (and none in school yet) I'm a busy busy momma these days, my creative juices are having a hard time being concentrated on one task or project, but I'm happy and enjoying these simple days with my little ones. I'm a lucky momma! And maybe I'll actually get this room finished before the little guy is two, wouldn't that be amazing?<br /><br />Check out the free bird mobile pattern <a href="http://www.spoolsewing.com/blog/2008/05/16/bird-mobile/">HERE</a>.Mindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12146459464266571125noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486575785351760971.post-13830274940807241032011-11-20T21:50:00.000-08:002011-11-20T22:03:16.874-08:00Better Homes and Gardens Feature!<a href="http://sohouse2home.blogspot.com/2010/12/fresh-cranberry-wreath-aka-dumbest-idea.html">My Christmas Mantel from last year</a> was <a href="http://www.bhg.com/christmas/indoor-decorating/real-home-christmas-mantel-decorating/">featured on Better Homes and Garden's website</a>!<br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/DSC_7356.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 638px; height: 384px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/DSC_7356.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /> It's been up since April and I forgot to post about it until I was reminded of it yesterday! Thanks, Better Homes and Gardens for the honor, I'm flattered to be featured and flabbergasted to be in the company of some of my favorite home bloggers. I've always loved BHG, subscribed to the magazine for 7 years now and never imagined any of my projects would be BHG worthy. I'm just a mommy.<br /><br />This is me feeling awfully sheepish... :)<br /><br />I've had a lot of emails asking how it held up to being stored. Honest answer is: I didn't even attempt it. It was so dried out by the end of the season, it looked pretty sad by the time I took it down. I'm deciding if I want to attempt it again or do something entirely different this year. We do Christmas colorful at our house and the wheels are turning...<br /><br />I love Thanksgiving, and I think it deserves to be celebrated before busting the Christmas out, so I'll continue to enjoy the last of fall before a single light or wreath goes up, but that doesn't stop me from thinking about it!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.bhg.com/christmas/indoor-decorating/real-home-christmas-mantel-decorating/">Go check out the feature</a> for some gorgeous Christmas inspiration!Mindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12146459464266571125noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486575785351760971.post-79087772242268165382011-11-07T08:16:00.000-08:002011-11-07T08:35:35.091-08:00Enter to Win a FREE Seat at our photography workshop- A $150 Value!I tend to keep my photography business very separate from this blog, but thought I would let you all know that I'm teaching a photography workshop this month with my good friend Holly. We are doing a giveaway for a free spot, you've got about one hour to go over and enter for it <a href="http://mindyblackphotography.blogspot.com/2011/11/enter-to-win-free-seat-at-our.html"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">HERE</span></a>! I realize most of my readership is outside of Utah, but if you win and want to transfer it to someone who is in the area we are happy to do that!<br /><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/workshop-1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 457px; height: 640px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/workshop-1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Mindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12146459464266571125noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486575785351760971.post-69087531351235508302011-10-31T09:05:00.000-07:002011-11-02T17:55:16.907-07:00Monogram Button Art<a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_3077.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 425px; height: 639px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_3077.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I made a little goal for myself that the four hours a week when my oldest boys are at preschool, that I'll try really hard not to use that time for cleaning, or other household chores. I decided that I need to use that time for creating, since these days I don't get as much of that as I would like. The addition of our third little fella has been wonderful, I can't get enough of him, but I'm still working on achieving balance all over again.<br /><br />This is one of my little creations during preschool/momma project time.<br /><br />My favorite section is this little part with the little "n" that looks like a typewriter letter. See it down there?<br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_3079bc.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 432px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_3079bc.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_3067.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 408px; height: 639px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_3067.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_3070.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 322px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_3070.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Since I'm only working with a two hour time slot (they go for two hours on Tuesday and two hours on Thursdays) I didn't want to waste time taking pictures of the process, but here are the details:<br /><br />I started with:<br />* a big 16x20 piece of art board or mat board. It needs to be thick to hold the weight of the buttons and glue.<br />* glue. I think it was 3m project glue or something like that. I bought it at Target. It dries in less than a minute. Bonds paper, plastic metal, etc. Tacky glue would work. Maybe hot glue, although it would make a stringy mess.<br />* Buttons and brads. lots and lots of buttons. A few scrap book elements and brads to fill in and add depth and dimension, and a few glass beads for fun.<br /><br />I free handed a lower case "n" for my baby Noah. I just drew it on with pencil. Then I did a rough lay out of where the buttons should go. This took a while, but it was actually pretty therapeutic. Playing with bright colorful buttons is a great stress reducer!<br /><br />It was pretty easy, and I love the playful color it adds to his room. I'm pretty darn close to finishing up the odds and ends and calling his room finito.<br /><br />Idea from American Crafts, go <a href="http://americancrafts.typepad.com/studio/2011/02/element-monogram-tutorial-by-jen-jockisch.html">here</a> for more details.Mindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12146459464266571125noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486575785351760971.post-35467435268977339912011-10-29T22:32:00.000-07:002011-10-29T22:33:07.202-07:00Dresser Before and AfterA few years ago (right before we moved, actually) Scott's mom gave us this old dresser that belonged first to his Great Grandma Harris, and then he and his brother used it as kids. It even had red crayon marks to prove it, not sure if those are courtesy Scott or Michael, but it was funny to see that.<br /><br />I was really excited to aquire it for it's history and for it's curves. I love the serpentine design of the drawers. It's really a cute piece of furniture.<br />Before:<br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1768.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 425px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1768.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>After:<br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_3080.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 425px; height: 639px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_3080.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_3084.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 425px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_3084.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />It was in rough shape. Well built, but had seen better days, for sure. The drawer fronts where coming apart at the joints and some of the back supports where loose, causing the whole thing to shift and the drawers to not be able to slide in. One whole side was barely hanging on. I really wanted to save it. It took me this long to get around to it, and to know what to do with it, but I basically took it apart and reassembled it, banged on it with a hammer and eventually got it all put back together and working. I'm proud to say, the drawers now slide in and out with ease and it didn't fall apart when Scott and I packed it in the house and down the stairs. Let's just say, the thing was dang heavy. They just don't make 'em like they used to.<br /><br />I had to sand down the entire top to get around some water damage.<br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1766.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 425px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1766.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1763.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 425px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1763.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I then restained the top in a dark walnut and used the same white we have on all of our trims and wood work in the house. I think the white really made the hardware pop. I wouldn't dream of replacing those old tarnished brass knobs.<br /><br />The plan is to use this dresser in the new basement to house all of our games and puzzles. Perfect storage, and it gives the space a lot of character. It really needed something "old" to mix with all of the new.Mindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12146459464266571125noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486575785351760971.post-53675183018528817362011-09-28T15:19:00.000-07:002011-09-28T16:08:38.241-07:00stair gallery<a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_2091.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 409px; height: 639px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_2091.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />It took a few weeks, but I finally got it done. I've been dreaming of this since we decided to open up the stair case! I've been collecting and saving these frames for about two years now.<br /><br />Brace yourselves... and don't judge. I might be going for the world record in the category of "Number of Photos Displayed in a Single Dwelling". They're all over my house, but I like it that way.<br /><br />Let's call this the before:<br /><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1300.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 425px; height: 639px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1300.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />After:<a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_2091.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 409px; height: 639px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_2091.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />We love it!!! I love the way that photographs instantly personalize a space. I had some helpers, who were so excited to see the pictures of our family and some of their art work go up on the wall.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_2104.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 425px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_2104.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_2100.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 451px; height: 639px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_2100.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_2101.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 425px; height: 639px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_2101.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I heard my oldest boy (he's almost five) tell a buddy as they were headed down to play: "Hey! Look! I made that house! It's my house I made for my mom... and she HUNG IT UP!"<br /><br />It put a smile on my face to see him being so proud of something he made, and so pleased that it was on the wall for all of us to enjoy.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_2097.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_2095.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 425px; height: 639px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_2095.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_2102.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 425px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_2102.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I love the pictures, but this little set of three little hands is probably my favorite part right now.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_2092.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 446px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_2092.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_2093.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 425px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_2093.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Most of these pictures where already in the frames, just waiting for a spot to be displayed, although, as you can see, I have a few empty frames waiting for new pictures. I'll get to that soon (I hope) I have a few in mind.<br /><br />Gallery walls can be tricky. I kind of approached this in a haphazard way. I just dug all of my frames out of the closet where they were being stored and started playing with them on the floor. I made a newspaper template (a la young house love, what a great idea!) of each frame and then taped them to the wall before I drove in a single nail.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_2084.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 460px; height: 640px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_2084.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I ended up moving things around a little, but stuck with the initial placing I had come up with on my floor. The hardest part was starting (as usual) and once I got going it went up fairly quickly.<br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_2096.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 425px; height: 639px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_2096.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I love that it helps to tie the upstairs to the downstairs, it makes it feel a lot more inviting. Now I can't wait to get going on personalizing the basement.<br /><br />I was initially planning to paint all of the frames white, or a mix of white, green and blue frames. My hubby votes to keep the whites and mixed woods just as it is. So far a few of my friends who have also seen it vote to keep the mixed look. I could go either way. What do you think?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1300.jpg"><br /></a>Mindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12146459464266571125noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486575785351760971.post-14285135122783952962011-09-12T20:59:00.001-07:002011-09-28T15:53:07.883-07:00the basement!When I was hospitalized in April, we were really, really close to finishing the basement. By the time I came home in May, the carpet was in and most of the left over things were done. I've intended to show a little peek of the basement for a while now, but I've been on a bit of a blog hiatus of sorts. I just don't have time to sit at the computer any more!<br /><br />We have been enjoying this space for the last few months though! I LOVE the extra closet space, it's fun to have a place to hang out and play together as a family, and I look forward to making the space cozy and decorating it up, it's still very utilitarian and quiet plain right now, but it's another thing on my "things to do when life settles down and I have free time again" list. We have some loose ends, little bits to finish off here and there, but it's pretty much done.<br /><br />Anyway... here it is!<br /><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1312.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 425px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1312.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1325.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1316.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 425px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1316.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1332.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 425px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1332.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1341.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 467px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1341.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1342.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 425px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1342.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1340.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 425px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1340.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1312.jpg"><br /></a>The built in bookshelf shown below has already progressed. We finally found time to paint the bead board back. It's looking great! I'll share that another time.<br /><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1336.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 425px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1336.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The stairs are my favorite part of the whole basement!<br /><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1305.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 425px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1305.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1307.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 425px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1307.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1304.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 425px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1304.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Guest room/possible craft space? Still deciding if I want to take over a corner of this room for sewing and crafting. I made that comforter the year I met Scott (8 years ago) with my own two hands and my sewing machine. It's been in storage for most of our marriage. I pulled it out and decided I'm not sure if I'll end up using it anyway, but for now it's better than just a sheet.<br /><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1325.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 425px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1325.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Keepin' it real.</span> This is what the toy room looks like 80% of the time. And it's ok with me. They've been having a lot of fun in there!<br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1323.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 425px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1323.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1300.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 425px; height: 639px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1300.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1308.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 425px; height: 639px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1308.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>And here's a preview of the next big thing for us:<br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1349.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 425px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_1349.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Yep, we're certifiably insane. This is just a piece of it though. Removing that door frame going down the stairs left a spot where there was no flooring. That's okay because we've got plans...<br /><br /><br />When we bought this house, we knew we would be wanting a larger dining area. The time has come. With three little fellas, we now need a larger table than the little 4 seater (with adorable x-back chairs) that was our very first furniture purchase together just after we were engaged. We are maxed out. We want and need a larger table with room for our growing family (and room to expand for when we have guests). So... we're adding on the the back of our house and making our dining room larger! It's going to change the whole look of the back side of our house, and I'm so excited for the possibilities it opens up for our kitchen.<br /><br />I've disliked the tile from day one, and with the addition in the works, we decided it would be a good time to rip all of that tile out, along with the light colored carpet in the bedrooms, family room and living room. We'll replace it with a dark hardwood that will blend with the wood on the stairs. We had hardwood throughout the entire upstairs in our old house and we loved it. I can't wait for this project! We're in the planning stages right now, and hope to start sometime in the spring. But for now, back to the basement...<br /><br />We love it, it's been so nice to use all of the space in our home instead of just living out of half of it. This was our second basement finishing in a two year time span. I'm happy to say, we'll be enjoying this one much longer than we did the last. The office still has some work going on, but I'll for sure share it as we get 'er done!Mindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12146459464266571125noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486575785351760971.post-41697798758147885882011-08-21T17:40:00.000-07:002011-08-21T18:06:27.371-07:00My best project of 2011<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_0890bw.jpg">
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<br />I'm back! I kind of dropped off the face of the blogosphere, and for good reason! My baby boy was born on July 23! He is my very first full term baby, I'm so proud of that! He weighed 7 pounds and was 20 inches long.
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<br />Meet my baby Noah.
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<br />We love him so much, his brothers can't get enough of him. He is definitely worth every single minute of bed rest.
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<br />He has some very proud big brothers!
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<br />Things will be kind of slow around here for a while, but I'll be back sometime this week with some things to show ya'll... the basement is done and I've done a few little things upstairs. The baby's room is still in progress, but will hopefully be done soon.
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<br />I've missed being in project mode, but it's been nice to have a big break. I'm ready to get back to work (as much as one can with three little fellas under 5!)
<br />Mindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12146459464266571125noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486575785351760971.post-62137001741359430872011-06-14T05:59:00.000-07:002011-06-27T14:37:21.406-07:00coastal dream home {updated}{updated with more photos!}<br /><br />Hi there! It's me here. Remember me?? I'm home and on bed rest, much better than being in the hospital, plugging along at <span style="font-weight: bold;">almost</span> 33 weeks and feeling pretty good about that! There is one thing I wish I could do, but can't, and that is go through a few of the homes in the Utah Valley Parade of Homes. One in particular caught my eye and I'm so obsessed that I show my husband the pictures over and over. I'm trying to justify a way to walk through just one house, I can walk through my house, why not tour this one, ya know? I go to doctor appointments twice a week right now... if my doc is okay with me walking from the parking lot and through the HUGE hospital and to her office I think it should be okay to walk through a pretty house, right??<br /><br />This house is the epitome of beach/coastal style and everything that is home perfection. I love that they fused many different styles for an overall eclectic look. I love the fresh color all over. It's light, bright and airy. It's a happy house!<br /><br />My "someday house" inspiration files just got an overload of ideas!<br /><br /><a href="http://hiyapapaya.com/blog/wp-content/images/whatnots/paradeofhomes14/1-19.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 700px; height: 355px;" src="http://hiyapapaya.com/blog/wp-content/images/whatnots/paradeofhomes14/1-19.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-wbP69CD/0/O/i-wbP69CD.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 680px; height: 221px;" src="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-wbP69CD/0/O/i-wbP69CD.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-W9JfNHV/0/O/i-W9JfNHV.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 680px; height: 476px;" src="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-W9JfNHV/0/O/i-W9JfNHV.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/Untitled-6.jpg"><br /></a><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/i-nkRts6h.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 494px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/i-nkRts6h.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-FZcxzPV/0/O/i-FZcxzPV.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 680px; height: 994px;" src="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-FZcxzPV/0/O/i-FZcxzPV.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://hiyapapaya.com/blog/wp-content/images/whatnots/paradeofhomes14/1-75.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 700px; height: 572px;" src="http://hiyapapaya.com/blog/wp-content/images/whatnots/paradeofhomes14/1-75.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/i-FZcxzPV.jpg"><br /></a><a href="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-hGbRr4f/0/O/i-hGbRr4f.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 680px; height: 321px;" src="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-hGbRr4f/0/O/i-hGbRr4f.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-vLVFLnZ/0/O/i-vLVFLnZ.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 680px; height: 447px;" src="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-vLVFLnZ/0/O/i-vLVFLnZ.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/Untitled-19.jpg"><br /></a>I am in love with the reclaimed oak flooring throughout the house! They did a different pattern in the piano room, I think it's gorgeous.<br /><a href="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-N85vQMb/0/O/i-N85vQMb.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 680px; height: 453px;" src="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-N85vQMb/0/O/i-N85vQMb.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/i-sjCCBPN.jpg"><br /></a>and "hello, mudroom!" Someone was really thinking here, brick floors in the mudroom are perfect, and the barn wood on the wall is about the cutest thing ever.<br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/i-c9nCN2h.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 403px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/i-c9nCN2h.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/i-sjCCBPN.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 421px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/i-sjCCBPN.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I'm so in love with this orange bicycle picture. Me thinks I need one of these.<br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/Untitled-8.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 449px; height: 639px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/Untitled-8.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-bL6PKKQ/0/O/i-bL6PKKQ.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 680px; height: 378px;" src="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-bL6PKKQ/0/O/i-bL6PKKQ.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://hiyapapaya.com/blog/wp-content/images/whatnots/paradeofhomes14/1-8.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 467px; height: 700px;" src="http://hiyapapaya.com/blog/wp-content/images/whatnots/paradeofhomes14/1-8.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://hiyapapaya.com/blog/wp-content/images/whatnots/paradeofhomes14/1-10.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 700px; height: 345px;" src="http://hiyapapaya.com/blog/wp-content/images/whatnots/paradeofhomes14/1-10.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/Untitled-11.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 405px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/Untitled-11.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-XdZnx9f/0/O/i-XdZnx9f.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 680px; height: 462px;" src="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-XdZnx9f/0/O/i-XdZnx9f.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I always love a good white kitchen, this one does not disappoint.<br /><a href="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-NnmQhZt/0/O/i-NnmQhZt.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 680px; height: 519px;" src="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-NnmQhZt/0/O/i-NnmQhZt.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-Gx6pfqS/0/O/i-Gx6pfqS.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 680px; height: 484px;" src="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-Gx6pfqS/0/O/i-Gx6pfqS.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-xpNHnH5/0/O/i-xpNHnH5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 680px; height: 453px;" src="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-xpNHnH5/0/O/i-xpNHnH5.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-gfHp9cm/0/O/i-gfHp9cm.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 680px; height: 1020px;" src="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-gfHp9cm/0/O/i-gfHp9cm.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-NnVsrxk/0/O/i-NnVsrxk.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 680px; height: 322px;" src="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-NnVsrxk/0/O/i-NnVsrxk.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/Untitled-16.jpg"><br /></a>The master suite... <span style="font-style: italic;">swoon</span>.<br /><a href="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-9qm22n7/0/O/i-9qm22n7.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 680px; height: 453px;" src="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-9qm22n7/0/O/i-9qm22n7.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-58CjkqN/0/O/i-58CjkqN.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 680px; height: 816px;" src="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-58CjkqN/0/O/i-58CjkqN.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-25h6XCK/0/O/i-25h6XCK.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 680px; height: 452px;" src="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-25h6XCK/0/O/i-25h6XCK.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/Untitled-2-1.jpg"><br /></a>I've been trying to sell Scott on grass cloth wall paper for a while now, I don't know if I'll ever convince him, but I'm more in love with it than ever now! The ceilings are so gorgeous, this room is one of my favorite bedrooms ever.<br /><br />The kids spaces are so fun and colorful.<br /><a href="http://hiyapapaya.com/blog/wp-content/images/whatnots/paradeofhomes14/1-63.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 700px; height: 431px;" src="http://hiyapapaya.com/blog/wp-content/images/whatnots/paradeofhomes14/1-63.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://hiyapapaya.com/blog/wp-content/images/whatnots/paradeofhomes14/1-64.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 700px; height: 590px;" src="http://hiyapapaya.com/blog/wp-content/images/whatnots/paradeofhomes14/1-64.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://hiyapapaya.com/blog/wp-content/images/whatnots/paradeofhomes14/1-71.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 700px; height: 440px;" src="http://hiyapapaya.com/blog/wp-content/images/whatnots/paradeofhomes14/1-71.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://hiyapapaya.com/blog/wp-content/images/whatnots/paradeofhomes14/1-72.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 700px; height: 523px;" src="http://hiyapapaya.com/blog/wp-content/images/whatnots/paradeofhomes14/1-72.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://hiyapapaya.com/blog/wp-content/images/whatnots/paradeofhomes14/1-66.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 700px; height: 467px;" src="http://hiyapapaya.com/blog/wp-content/images/whatnots/paradeofhomes14/1-66.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/Untitled-3-1.jpg"><br /></a>And who hasn't dreamed of bathing the babes in a claw foot tub like this one? I want this bathroom! I love the tile work and the colors.<br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br />Adorable bunk room.<br /><br /></span><a href="http://hiyapapaya.com/blog/wp-content/images/whatnots/paradeofhomes14/87.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 700px; height: 463px;" src="http://hiyapapaya.com/blog/wp-content/images/whatnots/paradeofhomes14/87.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://hiyapapaya.com/blog/wp-content/images/whatnots/paradeofhomes14/1-12.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 700px; height: 467px;" src="http://hiyapapaya.com/blog/wp-content/images/whatnots/paradeofhomes14/1-12.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> I think it's about the cutest thing ever! One more thing on my list. :) I've seen a few like this popping up over the last year or so and I think it's brilliant. And adorable.<br /><br />And as if you needed more, check out the gorgeous work spaces!<br /><a href="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-gzRzg53/0/O/i-gzRzg53.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 680px; height: 517px;" src="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-gzRzg53/0/O/i-gzRzg53.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-b33D9V8/0/O/i-b33D9V8.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 680px; height: 453px;" src="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-b33D9V8/0/O/i-b33D9V8.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://hiyapapaya.com/blog/wp-content/images/whatnots/paradeofhomes14/1-16.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 700px; height: 472px;" src="http://hiyapapaya.com/blog/wp-content/images/whatnots/paradeofhomes14/1-16.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The photographer in me loves the vintage camera display, I should probably do more with mine that just let them hang out on the mantel!<br /><br />I love the office, it's a little bit masculine mixed with just enough feminine.<br /><a href="http://hiyapapaya.com/blog/wp-content/images/whatnots/paradeofhomes14/84.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 700px; height: 347px;" src="http://hiyapapaya.com/blog/wp-content/images/whatnots/paradeofhomes14/84.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://hiyapapaya.com/blog/wp-content/images/whatnots/paradeofhomes14/1-31.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 700px; height: 457px;" src="http://hiyapapaya.com/blog/wp-content/images/whatnots/paradeofhomes14/1-31.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />And of course the lovely laundry room, I love the blue cabinetry!<br /><br /><a href="http://hiyapapaya.com/blog/wp-content/images/whatnots/paradeofhomes14/1-42.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 700px; height: 488px;" src="http://hiyapapaya.com/blog/wp-content/images/whatnots/paradeofhomes14/1-42.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-WDmqQzG/0/O/i-WDmqQzG.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 680px; height: 187px;" src="http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/i-WDmqQzG/0/O/i-WDmqQzG.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />This home won two awards, best interior design and best master suite. Very well deserved. For Utah, this home is a real departure from the heavy "mountain lodge" style that is so popular around here. I'm so happy to see something like this, and it looks like there are a lot of others out there who agree! Throw out the stucco and dark and heavy stuff and bring in a little of the coast (even if we are in a state of mountains and desert!)<br /><br />The home is built by <a href="http://www.hatfieldhomes.net/take-tour.htm">Hatfield Homes</a>, interior design is by Lindy Allen of Four Chairs Furniture, and all of the images used are by permission and most are taken by the home owner, Cristi Bastian. It's model #14, and if you love it like I do, you should go <a href="http://www.uvparade.com/awards.html#bf_ParadeDirectFrame_864">vote for it to win the People's Choice award! </a><br /><br />When I emailed Lindy for permission to use their photos and share this home, she sent along a coupon for our lucky readers! Most of the furniture, wall paper, rugs, etc that you see came from Four Chairs.<br /><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/Screenshot2011-06-09at122952AM.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 491px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/Screenshot2011-06-09at122952AM.png" alt="" border="0" /></a>Yay! Thanks, Lindy!<br /><br />And thank you to <a href="http://hiyapapaya.com/blog/">Hiya Papaya</a> for use of their gorgeous images of this home. Go on over and check out them out for more photos!<br /><br />See more pictures and details on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/fourchairs">Four Chairs Facebook fan page.</a><br /><br />Also, the ever wonderful <a href="http://www.houseofturquoise.com/">House of Turquoise</a> is featuring this home over the course of several days, go over to see even more house perfection.<br /><br />So, what's your favorite part? Anyone else out there dying to see this house as much as I am?Mindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12146459464266571125noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486575785351760971.post-10661220579203239332011-05-05T20:07:00.000-07:002011-05-08T21:09:35.712-07:00pretty thingsI'm sitting here going nuts, thinking about my basement being just a hair away from finished and ready to decorate, and the baby's room that I've been so excited to put together (and now I can't do anything but sit here in the hospital and think about it)<br />Being stuck in the hospital like this feels like prison, but I know we are blessed to have this baby still growing inside of me and I'll do what I've gotta do to get him here safe and healthy. <br /><br />I had a better-than-expected Mother's Day today. Scott and the boys came and spent most of the day with me in the hospital. The boys made me pretty pictures and cards to hang on my wall. I need to take a picture of them, but they make me happy. Scott wrote me a very sweet letter and brought me nutella and strawberries (one of my favorite indulgences!) and a book I've wanted for a long time now:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" <br />href="http://www.thedesignfile.net/.a/6a0112793ddf7b28a40147e316fb60970b-pi"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 364px; height: 480px;" src="http://www.thedesignfile.net/.a/6a0112793ddf7b28a40147e316fb60970b-pi" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />"No Place Like Home" by Stephen Saint-Onge. <br /><br />I love the room makeovers he used to do for Better Homes and Gardens. He has done some t.v. shows as well, but I don't watch much t.v. so I didn't really know that. The book has a lot of pictures of great rooms and his advice and thoughts on making a home a comfortable place for your family. <br /><br />I snuggled up and started reading it tonight after my fellas left.I love his philosophy of surrounding your family with things that inspire you. The only problem is that it gets me so excited to go home and put the basement together that I start to get a little twitchy sitting here! <br /><br />So rather than think about being twitchy in the hospital, here are some pretty and colorful things that cheer me up right now:<br /><br />Baby Quilts!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ny-image1.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.146847913.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 448px; height: 336px;" src="http://ny-image1.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.146847913.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ny-image3.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.150513387.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 448px; height: 336px;" src="http://ny-image3.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.150513387.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/48064275/wee-play-larger-size-custom-quilt?ref=cat3_list_6">via ETSY quiltrhapsody</a><br /><br />If I can't be home putting his room together, at least I can keep dreaming about it. I love that hexagon quilt, so much! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/il_570xN100899483.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 570px; height: 379px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/il_570xN100899483.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/il_570xN100900185.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 425px; height: 640px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/il_570xN100900185.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />via Etsy <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/34036555/lazy-day-circles">romeojulietdesigns </a><br /><br />I can picture something like either of these quits in his room (here's that little idea board I made a few months ago)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/Untitled-2b.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 465px; height: 639px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/Untitled-2b.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Hubby votes for the dots, and I love the simplicity of it. I'll probably make my own version of something more that, it's a little more realistic for my skill level, and I think it's adorable! I think I would go insane trying to do something as detailed as the hexagon quilt.<br /><br />Cheerful red door and living room:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://hookedonhouses.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/living-room-Southern-Living.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://hookedonhouses.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/living-room-Southern-Living.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />via southern living<br /><br />I can't get over Chris's toilet paper roll art (Seriously. Toilet paper rolls.) Who thinks of these things? She does!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/IMG_79555.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 464px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/IMG_79555.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.justagirlblog.com/2011/05/art-of-toilet-paper-roll.html">Go look at the whole process and prepare to be amazed! </a><br />(and yes, indeed, we do have the same duvet set!)<br /><br />And random, but adorable- colorful rainbow cake. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/rainbowcake.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 281px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/rainbowcake.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />via <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/256688/rainbow-cake">martha</a> <br />Do you think one could use natural vegetable dies and get the same effect? I don't know if that much food coloring would be good for the body. :)Mindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12146459464266571125noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486575785351760971.post-85363034018189916282011-05-02T20:26:00.000-07:002011-05-02T20:41:35.219-07:00a peek at the stairs...The pictures I posted this morning had some troubles, so here's a second try at the progress on the stairs. It's going to be Gor-geous!<br /><br />way before:<br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/DSC_3807.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 424px; height: 639px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/DSC_3807.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />after the drywall phase- we opened up that closed dark stairway:<br /><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_8597.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 399px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_8597.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />current progress:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/IMG_1225.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/IMG_1225.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I mentioned in my post this morning, but to re-cap: the treads will be stained dark, the trim pieces and banister parts are going to be white, along with the column/post thing at the bottom.<br /><br />I promise some better pictures when it's all said and done and baby and I are home and recovering. Until then, I'm afraid my posts will be sporadic and random... but it's all for a good cause!Mindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12146459464266571125noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486575785351760971.post-78724272043816071992011-04-21T11:23:00.000-07:002011-05-02T20:29:38.125-07:00basement progress update: post # 954... or something like thatAn explanation of sorts: I'm having to press the pause button on my whole life right now. Long story short- On Thursday, April 21, I started going into pre-term labor (my other two were early as well) upon arriving at labor and delivery found that we had a premature rupture of membranes, which means the water had broken and I was slowly leaking fluid. I was only 25 weeks at the time, so it was really scary. They got my contractions stopped, pumped us full of antibiotics and now I'm here on hospital bed rest until my baby boy is born. We are hoping that's not any time too soon. I'm having a hard time being stuck here, unable to care for my kids and my home, but it's important that I give this baby more time to grow so he can be healthy. So here we wait. My hubby is doing an amazing job of holding down the fort, we have lots of help from family, friends, and neighbors and we're going to be okay. I'm married to a most amazing man, who visits me once sometimes twice a day, is working from home and taking care of our kids most of the time, and holding our little family together. We have gained a lot of strength through prayer and appreciate any prayers offered in Baby Noah's behalf. He is strong and so far looking well and healthy.<br /><br />Meanwhile, on the home front, the work has continued on the stairs. I had actually prepared a blog post that morning I ended up in here, to update the progress and obviously never finished it, so I'll attempt to do what I can from here, with what pictures I have available. Carpet is scheduled for this week and it's making me a little bit crazy that I won't get to see it all until after the baby is born and I get to come home.<br />---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />So here is what I intended to post about 10 days ago...<br /><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_9334b.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 472px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_9334b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_9321-1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 425px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_9321-1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_9322-1.jpg"><br /></a>This is what I walked in to find while Scott was getting his tools rounded up last week to go down and work on the built-in shelf in the basement family room. The boys saw him gathering his stuff and quickly ran to get their tools too.<br /><br />Scott and I were talking before bed the other night about how we've always had some big house project going on since we bought our first house, 9 months after we were married. We wasted no time ripping up the flooring in that house, re-doing bannisters, moldings, doing our first nursery, painting every wall in every room, painting the kitchen cabinets white, getting rid of blue counter tops, putting in a back yard, a garden... the list goes on. Then in our second house, it was our first basement finishing project, and a few upstairs things, but mostly downstairs. We finished that basement a few months before putting the house up for sale and moving on (because we're nuts) and then came this house. Our second basement finish in just over two years. Not to mention the endless projects upstairs, the painting, the bead board, the trims, the kids rooms, the shutters, the door, the yard... You get the idea. Talking about it made us tired to think about it. It might be insane, but we're just happy working on things together. I've said before that we often feel like the Pioneers. Always building, always working, making things work and getting it how we like it, then moving on and starting over. We say it jokingly, because I guess we get some strange fix out of all of it.<br /><br />The whole point is that for the first time in over 6 years of house tweaking, I think I've finally found the one project that I'm just so tired of that I can hardly stand it... and that is this basement. I'm so tired of it I could seriously cry. We're so close, and have been for like a month now. We've had some crazy delays and it's just the last tiny bit left, but it seems like it's taking forever. Our stair parts where delayed by nearly two weeks because the parade of homes is coming up and the mill that makes the trim parts was really slammed with orders, the wood flooring for the office was on back order and had to come from China, it took forever, little things like that have really made what should be the home stretch feel like a marathon.<br /><br />Last week we had some good progress, however. The door that goes downstairs got ripped out, and the stair parts came (hallelujah!) and the stair work finally started!<br /><br />The first thing was the demolition of that door going down to the basement. We're going for "light, bright and open" and that door just doesn't fit the bill. By the time these stairs are finished and spiffied-up it would be a shame to hide them behind that door.<br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/DSC_9513.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 425px; height: 639px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/DSC_9513.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>so... down it came! Don't worry, it's going to look great when it's all done, but being in construction mode is always ugly.<br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_0046b.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 472px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_0046b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The boys sat at the top of the stairway and talked our neighbor-contractor's ear off for most of the afternoon that first day. They asked questions, but mostly told him he was making a big mess and that he was going to be in big trouble for "breaking" the walls and stairs. I heard him tell them "Sometimes you've gotta make a big mess before you can make it look pretty!" Carter didn't buy it, but I like the thinking behind that... pretty much the story of our lives.<br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_0257.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 425px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_0257.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>They busted out their tool boxes and goggles and went to "work" right along with him. It cracks me up to hear them chattering his ear off.<br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_0256b.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 480px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_0256b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>My little workin' men have been having a ton of fun with all of this.<br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_9325b.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 493px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_9325b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_9332.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 425px; height: 639px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_9332.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Here's a little in-progress peek at the built in that Scott's been slaving away over.<br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_0252.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 425px; height: 639px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_0252.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I had been picturing these baskets in the bottom, so he put that bottom shelf in first just to accommodate them. I plan on putting extra blankets and pillows in them for comfy movie nights in the family room. There will be two more shelves in the middle, the shelves and sides will be crisp white and I'm thinking about using some of my left over armoire paint for the beadboard back, just to make it pop a little. I can always paint it white later if we don't like it, but I can see it in my head and I think it will be great.<br /><br />We officially ordered and paid for the carpet last week, it should be in any day. As soon as those stairs and the banisters are in, we're good to go with the carpet. Hopefully we'll wrap this all up in the next few weeks.<br /><br /><br />UPDATE:<br /><br />Remember the before:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_8597.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 399px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_8597.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And here's what has been done while I've been here in the hospital:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/IMG_1225.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/IMG_1225.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=3fd791fd96&view=att&th=12fa92bfbe5cfafc&attid=0.1&disp=inline&realattid=f_gn5awplo0&zw"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 639px; height: 477px;" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=3fd791fd96&view=att&th=12fa92bfbe5cfafc&attid=0.1&disp=inline&realattid=f_gn5awplo0&zw" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Eeek! I'm so excited that it's making me crazy! The treads are gorgeous cherry, they will be stained dark, the trim pieces and banisters will be white. I'm loving it so much! My husband sent a bunch of pictures to my phone and I can't get the rest of them to work with blogger, if I were home it wouldn't be a big deal, but for now this will have to hold everyone over... not that you were all on pins and needles over this like I have been, but ya know.<br /><br />We're so glad that we had this part hired out, with everything going on, it's so nice to know that work is still being done and that this basement will get done one way or the other. We had planned to do the painting and staining on our own, but decided that under the circumstances it was best to just get it done quickly and get that carpet in, since it's sitting in a warehouse ready to go.<br /><br />I'll continue to update from here as much as I can, and it's kind of ironic that I'm not going to get to see it in person for a while, but it brings me comfort to have the project winding down. I need to get out of here and set up Baby's room, but it looks like that's not going to happen for a while.Mindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12146459464266571125noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486575785351760971.post-81986411118601115242011-04-08T11:02:00.000-07:002011-04-08T14:58:52.836-07:00custom slipcover<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jy9VNkzL2z4/TZ-D6PqsNPI/AAAAAAAABtA/to6HloI4_Fk/s1600/fabricday5b.jpg"><br /></a><br />Remember that great chair that I found last spring? You know, the one I planned to learn re-upholstery on? It's still one of my goals to learn to reupholster, however, I kind of wanted that thing finished, and with all that's going on right now I didn't see that happening any time soon.<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jy9VNkzL2z4/TZ-D6PqsNPI/AAAAAAAABtA/to6HloI4_Fk/s1600/fabricday5b.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 384px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jy9VNkzL2z4/TZ-D6PqsNPI/AAAAAAAABtA/to6HloI4_Fk/s400/fabricday5b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593334298878686450" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/fabricday5.jpg"><br /></a>Besides, I had no idea what fabric I wanted, and since I'm famous for changing my mind (seriously, ask my husband!) I decided that a slipcover would we a great way to go... I tried making my own last spring and it turned out "ok" but not great. And it kind of gave me a headache.<br /><br />In a random google search I found Shelley (<a href="http://customslipcoversbyshelley.blogspot.com/">Custom Slipcovers by Shelley</a>) and decided to turn my chair over to her!<br /><br />I found a cute pin stripe fabric that will go with anything (the stripes are charcoal gray and if you look close one of them has a bit of blue-ishness in it.<br /><br />And here it is!<br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_9310.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 639px; height: 425px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_9310.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_9306.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 425px; height: 639px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_9306.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_9308.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 425px; height: 639px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_9308.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_9307.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 538px; height: 639px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_9307.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_9301.jpg"><br /></a>To say I'm in love with it would be a total understatement! I'm so happy with how it turned out! I'm such an impatient sewer, I would have gone crazy attempting something like this, it was so nice to just turn it over to her and not worry about it.<br /><br />This chair was supposed to go in the basement, I still might do that, it would look so cute with <a href="http://sohouse2home.blogspot.com/2011/03/its-here-and-pillow-poll.html">sectional</a>, but I'm loving it in the upstairs family room right now.<br /><br />We have one more little makeover coming to it, in the form of some pretty new wood legs to replace the dated wheels. It's going to look even cuter!<br /><br />Check out <a href="http://customslipcoversbyshelley.blogspot.com/">Shelley's blog</a> for more of her amazing transformations! Pure slip covering genius!Mindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12146459464266571125noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486575785351760971.post-11988061614629567282011-04-01T08:23:00.000-07:002011-04-01T08:53:06.836-07:00office peek and our pillow picks...Progress news! We found the prettiest bamboo about a month ago that was exactly what we wanted for the office floor... the bad news- it was out of stock and it comes from China, so it took about a month to get here. The good news is it came in this week and Scott got right to work laying it...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_9056.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 377px; height: 639px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/DSC_9056.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>It's beautiful! Slightly distressed and hand scraped, we love it! He's done a great job putting it down, all that's left are two rows you can't see in the picture on the far right of the room and the closet.<br /><br />The other good news is that the carpet installer came and got an official measurement yesterday. As soon as the stairs are done we're ready to get the carpet installed. We're waiting on a few stair parts to arrive and then we should be good down there. If all goes well, we're looking at maybe another week or so. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">WAHOO</span>!!!<br /><br />And now back to the pillow talk...<br /><br />I was so surprised to see the poll so heavily weighted to one choice. Not surprisingly, it was the one we liked the best too...<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/pbsectionalopt2poll.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 639px; height: 440px;" src="http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh113/black_mindy/album%202/pbsectionalopt2poll.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Yep, it's the orange, blue, brown combo! Reassuring to know a lot of you liked it too! I still like those bold red stripey pillows a lot, but might have to find some other place to use them. :)<br /><br />I designed the red/blue/bold stripey scheme first, then for fun threw that orange one together. I was surprised when we both really preferred the orange. I wasn't really thinking we would go orange, but it works beautifully with that shade of blue, it's nice and warm, a little unexpected and just the dose of fun that our young family needs.<br /><br />As for the votes, we had a little problem with our poll... for some reason it re-set itself yesterday, like started over at zero sometime late morning, so I don't know the exact number of votes, but I can say that when I saw it Wednesday and Wednesday night, B was winning by a lot. We were somewhere around 50-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ish</span> votes and B was winning with about 70% of the vote. This morning we're at 44 votes- 8 votes for A, 28 votes for B and 11 votes for C. Wednesday it looked like A was in second place, so I really wish we had the numbers for all of the days combined, but it's safe to say that choice B won with between 60%-70% of the vote for both of the days that it was counting.<br /><br />Some of you mentioned you wanted to know the choice I didn't like at all... for me that was choice C. and it wasn't that I didn't like the pillows, because I really like the more rectangle pillows and the monogram pillow of course as well, I think it just didn't appeal to us because we're so "blue and green" everywhere upstairs in our main living area that I'm trying to do something different in our space in the basement. The blue is about the same blue I've used throughout the house, so it ties it in with the colors upstairs, but the orange is something new, and we like that!<br /><br />Now I've got to get those fabrics ordered and get to work! :)<br /><br />Thanks for humoring me and playing along! It was fun to hear from many of you, and fun to see what you prefer too!Mindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12146459464266571125noreply@blogger.com3