Nesting? I think so.

As my Mom would say, I've been doing some pretty high level nesting to prepare our house for our upcoming arrival.  At 29 weeks, I'm starting to feel the pressure to get projects completed  We have been tackling some larger projects over the fall and crossing them off the list!

First up was our garage addition.  We quickly learned after moving here that we loved having the garage attached to the house (our last garage was un-attached and we barley used it) but even though it's a two car garage, we weren't able to park both our cars and C's bike in it so we decided to add on.  Neither of us wants to be parking outside in during the upcoming Cleveland winter, especially with a baby!

Secondly and somewhat related, we decided that it was time to trade in my 2005 Jetta.  It's been a great car over the past 7+ years but with 140,000 miles on it, it was time.  Not to mention the fact that we will need something larger once we start hauling baby gear around.  It's not the day-to-day driving that we see being an issue but the family/weekend trips with both of us, the baby, baby stuff and two dogs that will require something larger than both of our little cars.  All that being said, about a month ago (after much research and many test drives) we bought a Toyota Highlander and we love it!  It has an fold-down third row (which we've used already), back up camera and leather seats (both of these were on my "must have" list).

Next came the invisible fence for Max and Lila.  We have struggled with the fence decision all summer (traditional wood fence or invisible fence) and finally made a decision to go the invisible fence route because our backyard, along with the adjoining lawns, sometimes hosts neighborhood football games.  We didn't want to end the kid's fun.  Needless to say, Max and Lila are pretty confused and scared by the change but we are working through it with lots of treats and praise.  During training, they both received one zap on the lowest level and both started to cry to the point that we've now been working only on the auditory setting.  The trainer said she's never seen dogs react the way they did to such a light zap!  FYI, Chris tried out the level one zap and said he could barely feel it.  We are not cruel and heartless, we just want our pets to be safe and to be able to enjoy the yard on their own, especially once the baby is here!

We've also bought a few pieces of furniture for the house (and had one refinished).  This piece sits in our breakfast nook and is the perfect "catch all" place for mail, briefcases, keys so our table stays clear.

This weekend, we are painting the foyer and hallways on the main (and possibly second floor).  My Mom is coming to help, since no one will allow me on a ladder or chair to paint anymore :).  We've bought some more of my favorite Benjamin Moore paint and hope that we are done in one coat.  We've decided to go with blue/blue-gray on the bottom (the really dark blue is going to be an accent color).

Lastly, we are working on the nursery!  C has sanded down the dresser we are using as a changing table and  we've picked out a crib.  I've bought fabric to start my sewing for the nursery and am researching gliders. We also found a rocker on the curb for free that we will be refurbishing for the downstairs (yes, it needs lots of work):

     

New Dining Room Table

We are slowly accumulating furniture for our house and the dining room table has been one of the pieces we are most excited about.  After we moved in, C's Mom mentioned that they had a dining room table in their barn loft that had been at his Grandma's house.  Family history says the table was purchased by C's great-grandparents.  We checked it out and decided that it would make a great addition to our home and we loved that it had so much family history.  It had sat in the sun-room at Grandma's house and then in the barn loft for about 5 years so the first order of business was to get the table stripped and refinished.  When we dropped off the table, we were told that it's made of mahogany and that it was around 100 years old.  There was some damage to the mechanism (the table can open to hold 4 leaves) and some missing veneer on the base.  I chose an Antique Cherry stain because it was closest to the original color.  The re-finishers took such care to bring the table back to it's original state and we are so grateful.  We just got it back this weekend and it looks AMAZING!

Here are a few photos of the table with 2 leaves in:

Love the base of the table!  I
t has wheels and splits to accommodate extra leaves.

Now, we just need to find some chairs and have our first dinner party!

Bathroom Update!

I'm sure you all have been wondering how are little bathroom face lift is going...dying to know, right????  Well, it's been a little more challenging that we initially thought but we are making progress.  Once the wallpaper was removed, we discovered the walls were in pretty terrible shape so Chris spent some time with the speckle and sander to get them to a decent place. 

Ready to paint (the bathroom is so tiny, I could ALMOST paint the entire thing by standing on the toilet):

  Then I painted two coats of Nantucket Breeze on the walls, which is a pale, pale green/yellow color.  I used Benjamin Moore paint, the Aurora line...I love that stuff!  I tried taking a few photos of our progress but the color doesn't translate well in photos:

After painting, Chris removed some of the trim to make room for the new vanity that we are installing.  The trim didn't come up willingly, leaving us with some wall repair to do:

I've been on a hunt for a mirror to replace the medicine cabinet and think I've found something...progress, slow progress, but progress all the same....And that's where we stand to date!  Hopefully the new vanity will go in tomorrow and then the trim will be re-installed.  Then I will paint the trim and put the room back together....which may take us a few more weeks working around our school schedules.

House Projects

We've decided to tackle a few more house projects in 2012 (and finish one from 2011)....starting with the stairs.  Chris ripped out all the carpet last summer, leaving us with some beautiful hardwood floors.  While on vacation from work and break from school, we were able to paint the risers and they look SO MUCH BETTER!  Here are a few before and afters:

We (well, I) decided that it was time for the "little" bathroom to get a face lift...it's the size of a closet...seriously really tiny but it serves it's purpose!  We've removed all the wallpaper (I hate that stuff!) and will be painting the walls, replacing the sink, light fixtures and accents.  Here are a few photos of it in works.  We've got a date with the home improvement store this afternoon to pick out fixtures and I'm hoping to get it repainted next weekend before classes resume.  The condition of the walls in less than ideal so I'm thinking about doing a faux or textured treatment to the walls...anyone know if these are still "in"?    

Stay tuned for our progress.  What's on your 2012 project list?

House Updates

Right before we left for vacation Chris spent a day tearing out the carpet and pulling up tacks in our bedroom and on the stairwell.  Our house is now officially carpet free and it was way past time that the old, yucky carpet be removed!  Overall, we were pleasantly surprised with the condition of the floors.  They aren't perfect and will need to be refinished but they look really, really good!  Here's what we have so far:

 Desperately needs some paint :)

 Looking good in the bedroom!

But not this area over by the window!

In the fall, after Chris moves back home after his summer internship, we'll refinish and paint the risers on the stairs.  I'm sure that will be quite an adventure!

Anyone else have any home projects going on???  Would love to know what your working on!

Also, finally matching lamps in the bedroom...lamps seem to give me issues.  Got this set at TJ Maxx!