Donald's Office

As you enter our front door, if you look to the left you'll see our dining room, to the right is Donald's office.  It is an open study with no doors or anything to block the view so I want it to look nice.  Donald has been wanting a place to read and study, too.  Over the Christmas holidays we finished his office.

Here's how it looked....

And here it is today....

Once again, I refinished the honey-colored floors to a dark walnut (but this time by "I" I mean the teenage boys from church I hired to do the work).  Below the chair rail the walls were painted plantation brown and above the chair rail the walls are "creamy."  The trim was painted the same semigloss white as the rest of the house.

We already owned the desk and filing cabinet, but pretty much everything else is new to us.  The bookcases along the back wall are IKEA.  The leather recliner on the right and storage piece on the left side are from a furniture consignment place here by League City.  The linen drapes are from High Fashion Home, an interior design store in downtown Houston.  The rug, lamp, and clocks are from Home Goods.  I would like to find one more clock for above the bookcases...maybe in a different shape.

I came home from a night out the other day to find Donald sitting in his recliner reading and I was so happy that he has a little spot all his own to read and study and think.  And I'm so happy to walk in the front door and not see the room as it was in the before picture above.

So, how's the laundry room coming along???  The walls are painted, the freezer is in, and the broom, mop, and ironing board are hanging on the wall instead of cluttering the ground.  Now, I'm waiting for the weekend for Donald to run to Lowe's in the truck and pick up a storage cabinet.  Then we'll build the folding table and I'll show you pictures.

Dining Room & next project on the list

     Here's the dining room, so far.  I refinished the floors from a honey color to dark walnut.  The walls were painted blue.  The jumping off point for all the colors in the house are the window treatments in the living room.  They are from World Market and I really like the gray-blue background.  I found a paint chip that matched and all the blues are along the spectrum of that paint chip.  The dining room is the darkest.  I loved that the house already had lots of trim everywhere, but I thought the way it was painted was a little outdated.  So, from the chair rail down the walls are a white semigloss.
     I made the window treatments.  After searching the typical fabric stores and a few decorator shops around the Houston area and not finding anything I liked enough to fork out hundreds for, I ordered the green floral from fabricguru.com.  I'm happy with the results and the fabric was only $7.95 a yard and free shipping.  I ordered fabric for a few other window treatments as well. 
     The table was my splurge.  I saw this table several years ago at Pottery Barn and fell in love.  Donald thought I was crazy for wanting a table that seats 12, but we've already filled it up a number of times.  I bought the table when it was on sale (and for some reason the sale was even better online than in the store) and I had a 20% off welcome to the neighborhood coupon making the price a little more reasonable...about $1200.00.  Well, the chairs Pottery Barn stages with the table are about $269 a piece.  The chairs would have been more than the table and I wasn't in love with the chairs like I am with the table.  So, after an extensive search and lots of debating and mind changing, I decided on these white chairs from Overstock.com.  They cost $75 a chairs.  Much more to my pocketbook's liking!  I only bought 10 chairs because I want the end chairs to be something different.  I'm keeping a look out and when I find just the right thing I'll snatch up two more chairs.
      The light fixture was a dated brass fixture.  I found this one on sale at Lowe's.  The electricians put the light fixture and the cans on separate dimmers so I can get just the lighting effect I want!
     Now the room is mostly finished.  I still need the two end chairs. And I've been looking at yard sales, consignment stores, and craigs list for a china cabinet and maybe a side board, too.  I'll wait until I get just the right deal to pick those up.  Also, the room needs some art.  I want to find something that picks up the green in the curtains.  If I go too long without finding something I really like I'll just paint something myself. 
     Here's a before and after.....

     Now my next project involves my laundry room.  As we moved in, stuffed got shoved in the laundry room and forgotten about.  Then, as I've worked on projects more stuff has gotten stuck in there.  It is a messy, unorganized jumble.  And did I mention it is pumpkin orange....the old owners left behind the paint cans and the color is called pumpkin orange.  A funny thing is that around the outlets and such you can tell a good part of the house was pumpkin orange at some point.  Then our teenage neighbor girl was over one day and was oowing and aawing the master bedroom.  She said it seemed so big and airy.  Then she told me when her best friend lived in our house the master bedroom had been painted black.  I wonder if the house was black and pumpkin orange at the same time!
     I digress... here's a picture of the laundry room and adjoining hall as they currently are.

     My plan is to paint the walls of the hallway creamy, the same color as the living room and office.  I want to add cubbies along the wall for shoes and a coat rack above for coats and backpacks.  This part will be simple enough.
     In the laundry room, I think I'll paint it blue (since the painters bought about 5 gallons too much blue).  The floors are vinyl with a little blue pattern on it.  If we ever change the flooring in the bathroom next door or in the main living areas, I'll change out the flooring in the laundry, too.  But, for now it's not a priority and it's in good condition. 
     I'll add a pantry, something like ClosetMaid makes, to store tools and supplies I frequently use plus warehouse amounts of paper towels and toilet paper.   We will also be adding a deep freezer to store meat and other things we would like to buy in bulk.  In the space next to the washer and dryer, I'll build a folding table with storage underneath for laundry baskets.  The washer and dryer stay until they go kaput and then they'll be replaced with large capacity front loaders.  The cupboards above the washer and dryer already provide nice storage, they just need tidied up.  I also need to find a place to hang brooms and mops and things to get them off the floor and out of the way.  Lastly, to pretty things up, I'll add some kind of window treatment.  The view is of our side yard fence so anything cute will do.  And, I saw a sign that said, "Welcome to the Laundry Room, Now Drop Your Pants."  I think it's funny and may vinyl letter it above the cupboards.
     Maybe I should focus on the nursery for now, but I figure with a baby on the way, I will be doing a lot of laundry and I would like to have it organized and functional before she arrives.   I better get to work!

shots of our home!

Thank goodness for little boys!  I think Brayden got my kinks worked out.  Here are some before shots...

The upstairs has a large loft area that we are using as a family room.  The previous owners left a pool table that we have loved and a plywood bar that we didn't love so much.  Much of the house is painted this terra cotta color and it's pretty dark.  This room has been painted and a large flat-screen tv has been purchased.  All it needs is a better entertainment storage unit and window treatments and I'll be ready to show off the finished product.

 Here is another shot of the family room.  It is a great example of the ugly brass fixtures we have to start with.  Luckily, most of these have already been changed and can lights have been added, too.

The kitchen island had a built-in wine rack.  Since we're not big winos, we pulled it out and converted it into a bookshelf for all my cookbooks.

See the slate tile floors.  They look lovely.  However, they were not installed well.  Can we say lots of stubbed toes.  And they are really hard to get sparkling clean.  It wasn't in the plan when we bought the home, but they'e got to go!

 Here is a shot of the fireplace.  It was okay to begin with, but I did give it a paint job.  I can't wait to have a nice fire on Thanksgiving (if it's not still 90 degrees here!).

The stairs are the first thing you see when you walk in the front door.  And while I appreciate the fact the previous owners took out the carpeting, they once again did a poor job with the finishing touches.

 To compensate for not cutting each tread to fit, they nailed a nice rope all the way up both sides of the stairs.  When we removed the rope we found huge gaps between the treads and the walls.  Luckily the stairs were on my list of to-dos anyways.  I plan on painting the treads black and the risers white.  I'll keep the posts and spindles white then paint the handrail black.  And we've added a board and batton treatment up the stairs that I'll show you later.

I appreciate a coastal vibe.  We are only about a mile from Galveston Bay.  But, do we have to be so literal that we put up beach-themed wall paper in every bathroom?  This is the potty room in the master bath.  It is also the tamest of the sea scape wallpapers.  This paper has light blue lighthouses all over it.  It coordinates nicely with the eggplant purple walls in the rest of the master bath!  AHH!  To top it off, once I started peeling off the wallpapers in the bathrooms...each had an even more hideous wall paper underneath.

This is the dining room.  The room began all terra cotta, but I can't find a pic before the upper walls were retextured.  This room has had the most done to it and I'm almost finished with it so I'm sure I'll have more pictures soon.

This is Donald's office, right across the foyer from the dining room.  It, too, was all terra cotta, but the lower wall got the new texture treatment in here.  The room did not have any overhead lighting.  Only outlets wired for lamps.  So, cans were added and a ceiling fan.  And, for you ceiling fan haters...try living in Houston, TX before you whine about ugly fans.  They are an energy saver.

This is a shot of the living room and how it connects to the kitchen/breakfast area.  You can see where the walls have been patched after adding can lights in here, too.  The plaid couch has been moved up to the game room and its slip cover returned.  You can see the beginning of my window treatments hanging in the background.

Well, I've been a busy bee since we moved in and from time to time I'll post projects I'm working on.  Now, I'm off to Hobby Lobby, my home away from home.

Texas and Politics

I finally got Internet service on our home computer and was so excited to show you what I've been doing to the house, but for some reason I can't sign in to anything, even my bank. Since I'm computer illiterate I'll have to have my nine-year check it out for me...pitiful!
So, because I can't post pictures I'll share with you'll some bits about Texas and politics. You know I'm obsessed with politics and the Republican primary has me pumped because the three leaders as of now are a Texan, a Mormon, and a woman I totally like! I'll share my thoughts on Romney and Bachmann later and just share a few observations I've made about Texas since moving here a little over a year ago.
The pros of Texas...jobs! Being in the construction business has been tough the last five years or so. Nearly everyone of our family and friends in construction have been out of work at some point or have at least had a significant cut in work and pay. But houses are still being built here. And, we have met so many families that have moved here in the past one to two years for work and not just in the construction field.
The schools are overall more challenging than in South Carolina. Our gifted and talented program here is definitely not as rigorous as Summerville, SC or Lumberton, TX, but in looking at the general class work, Texas schools are more challenging than SC.
The cost of living is slightly more affordable here. You get more house for your money here. And not having state income taxes puts a little extra spending money in your pocket.
Now for the cons...litter! We drove through five Southern states to get to Texas and the one significant difference I noticed...the trash! Everywhere! The interstate, the parks, the beach. South Carolinians would never put up with litter on their money-making beaches. The 4th of July is a hoorah in Myrtle Beach and tourists leave trash everywhere. But, the very next morning the residents do a sweep of the beach and get it sparkling clean again. On a recent trip to the beach in Galveston it was difficult to find a place to set up because of all the trash. There were wrappers, swimsuits, a huge knife the kids dug up while building a sand castle, and even used love-making supplies (so freaking gross!!!). Texans, when you finish your drink from McDonalds don't throw it out your car window. Just put it in your cup holder until you get to your destination and pop it in a trash can. It is so easy.
So, what do I think of Perry. I think he's a good Governor! I like the fact that he would rather cut spending than increase taxes. For critics who complain about schools losing some money I say ha... No matter how much money we throw at schools they keep getting worse. One, because there is too much legislation in the classroom, two, because teachers unions have insane demands and expectations for teacher pay and pensions, three, because we have way too many administrators getting paid way too much, and fourthly, because too many parents expect the school to handle our overindulged children's bad behavior instead of teaching and expecting our children to shut up and behave in class so every kid gets a chance to learn. Now off that aside.
I like Texas. I like Perry, so far. Right now I think my favorite ticket would be Perry for Prez with Romney as his running mate. We've got a long way to go, but it looks good to me. Aren't any of the top 5-6 Republican candidates better than what we have right now? Yeah!!!

We're moved!

So, after a long wait...we have finally relocated to League City, Texas! We bought an old colonial-style home. I really love the neighborhood and our new neighbors have been really nice and friendly. One brought us a cobbler on one of our first nights here and another has already had us over for a party.

Brayden, of course, already has a new best friend. This boy and his mom showed up at our door a few days after we moved in and announced the boy was Brayden's new friend he had met at school. They played together a few days and then when we went to cub scouts, the boy was there. His family is in our ward and his mom is the primary president. My biggest fear each time we move is what kind of friends my kids will find at our new place. I know Heavenly Father was listening to our prayers and provided Brayden with a very nice new friend.

I would show you pictures of our new home, but both of my cameras are broken! I've already started work on the boy's room so I won't have before and after shots, but I'll figure out the camera situation and show you pictures of the room another time.

Still in Limbo

So after months of searching, are we any closer to moving???  I don't know!  I have fallen for an old tree-lined neighborhood with sidewalks and big, old, colonial homes.  Do I want to live there?  Yes!  But, would it be nice to live in a brand new house, in a brand new neighborhood, with new schools and new stores.  Yes.  What to do...what to do. 

I promise after we make the move I will get back to crafting, cooking, and posting....if we go with the old colonial I'll even show you how I'm going to transform it.  With weeks of rain drowning us here in Southeast Texas my crafty side is itching to be busy.... maybe I'll just make a little something today.

Compromise???

The morning after the election and all the drive-by media outlets are pushing the idea that Americans elected so many Republicans and Tea Partiers because we want compromise.  HA!  Do we want our newly elected representatives to compromise with the President on health care, financial reform, bailouts, handouts, the swelling of the size of government?  No!  I want them to put the brakes on President Obama's agenda.  I would rather see nothing passed than more big government intervention into our lives and businesses.  I want them to counter everything Obama tries to ram through.  I want the government to leave hard-working, honest, entrepreneurial Americans alone.  I don't want my tax dollars to go to redistribution of wealth.  America is founded on the principle of freedom. We need to be unencumbered by our government to achieve all that in is our will and hearts to achieve.  If Obamacare cannot not be successfully repealed than I want it to be deadened by not providing the funding for it to be implemented.  I want government spending to shrink.  I want the main focus of spending to be for wrapping up and getting out of Iraq and Afghanistan (and I want Osama Bin Laden caught).  The only place I'm willing to support more spending is in successfully completing our wars and strengthening our military. It is ridiculous that America is not willing to give our young men and women the very best equipment to their jobs effectively, but we are willing to spend billions to bail out car companies.  If Obama, Reid, and Pelosi want compromise than they can bend to the will of the American people by cutting spending, cutting taxes, reducing the deficit, and getting out of our way. 
 

Non-Voter Confusion

Upon moving to Texas I applied for a new license.  On the application was a little box to check if you'd like to register to vote.  Of course I checked the box and thought I was good.  I went to vote this morning only to find out the DMV does not register you to vote when you check the "would you like to register to vote" box, but simply registers you as being eligible for jury duty.  Am I the only one confused by this?  How many other new Texas residents think they are registered to vote when in fact they are not?  I will be a little huffy if Rick Perry loses by only a few votes and I wasn't able to cast my vote.

What A Fun Weekend

Everyone knows I love Halloween, but this holiday weekend was better than usual.  On Friday, we threw Brayden a surprise party.  We took Brayden and a few friends bowling.  It was so fun.  And Brayden had no clue until he got inside the bowling alley.  He'll be 9 tomorrow.

Can an almost 9-year-old boy ever take a nice picture???

Saturday was filled with soccer, of course.  Then date night with my hubby.  We saw Secretariat.  I love a good horse movie.

 

Then Halloween was yesterday.  I made a fun, spooky dinner after church and then we took the kids trick or treating with the Clayton's last night.  It is so fun to see them all dressed up.  Rex couldn't get to the next house fast enough.  Emerson and Piper held hands the whole time.  So cute!

New Blog, Exciting New Venture

I have a new blog for all my crafting.  You can find all my creations at http://graybirdcreations.blogspot.com.  I'll now be selling all my crafty little tidbits at local trade days and craft bazaars, but I wanted a place to share my work far and wide.  I'll still post scrap booking tips and all my personal biz here, but the crafts I make to sell, I'll share at graybird creations.  Take a peek...I've been busy crocheting (and not just baby beanies).