The big move. It started with a lot of boxes, a big mess, a tired and sick mommy, and anxious kids. It has ended with a great house that is starting to feel like home. The move was harder on both kids than I imagined. Aubrey really wanted to "go home" the first few nights. Henry kept going outside and banging on the car door when he was tired, something I had never seen him do before. I think he wanted to "go home" too. Since we closed on the house nearly a month before we moved in, we spent a lot of time going back and forth. I'm sure he was a little confused by it all. By now, they both seem very happy with their new digs even though it's a work in progress.
We just did some basic updates before moving in. New paint, new carpet in the bedrooms and hall, removed the popcorn from the ceilings, and removed about 5 layers of wallpaper from the entry, dining room and kitchen. Voila! It is a great house. It was VERY well maintained, which makes things so much easier. The yard is gorgeous and I'm praying my brown thumb will not destroy what the previous owners worked for years to maintain. Think azaleas, and LOTS of them. The pride of the neighborhood according to some. Gulp. No pressure. We can walk to the elementary school, the grocery, restaurants and to some of our closet friends' houses. It's a great place to call home. Ok, so now for the part you have been waiting for... some before and after (or almost after) photos of the house.
Some exterior photos. We didn't have to change anything, except we put our furniture on the front porch, so I don't have new photos. I love the trees.
Kitchen before. It's a completely functional, 1985 update (the house was built in 72). Not much to say other than it will get completely redone when Santa leaves us the money. Come on Santa, we've been good! But for now, we disposed of the wallpaper and curtains, and added our fridge. I considered painting the cabinets, but that's a lot of work when the countertops can't be changed for a while.
during...
After...
Um, OK. just kidding. No after photos here of the kitchen. Ask me for them in 2-5 years.
Living room before. Not a fan of the blue beams or the carpet. Beams got painted, carpet will stay for now. One day... wood floors.
During... (the seagreen/rock tile has to stay, and it's growing on me. Much better now that it doesn't clash with the blue beams.)
After? Well, close. Need to hang pictures, etc.
sunroom before
sunroom after. It's the playroom now.
Master before. Great space. Not so great blue carpet
After. Silver sage on the walls and a nice sisal-like carpet. Ahhh. Now if I can just get things put away and on the walls. Oh, and the lovely ceiling fan needs a new home. Any takers?
Dining room before in all it's pink glory.
5 layers of wallpaper later...
and some Christmas cheer...
Again. Not really finished, but oh so much better.
This my friends is a close-up of our entry-way and dining room tile. At first look was was horrified, disgusted, begging for it to be taken away. Then reality set in. It's thick tile. Costly and a HUGE mess to remove. So I'm working with it. The colors are not bad. Very cottage-like, which just so happens to be a style I prefer.
I mean really, you would have felt the same way when you saw this, right?
Then I realized what made it so bad was the blue carpet at the end of the hall, the pink dining room wallpaper and the blue beams. Now, not so bad? Please disregard the red lampshade and the bright yellow corner of a painting, they don't belong there. That would have been going from bad to, well, bad.
Ok, I think I overdid it. I'm done for tonight. More soon of the kids rooms. Everyone loves to see a good old dark wood paneled bedroom turn into a nice white room, right? Stay tuned.
