Before...And During.

Here we are! T-minus 4 days from moving!!! Can you tell I'm a tiny bit excited? I packed up the boys' toys (well, some of them) this morning and hauled them over to the new house. One load down, one million to go! I'll haul another few loads this week by myself when I have time, Eddie's going to take BIG stuff on Friday - the sofa, the recliner, the washer and dryer, the boys' beds and mattresses, the freezer - and the movers will be there Saturday. Shockingly, I'm not at all stressed, just anxious to get started...hence the hauling by myself today.

Painters are almost done with their painting (they'll come back and spray my mantle and built-ins in the den once the builders finish those today), carpet is going in one day this week (I'm not in charge here), and the house will be a MESS come Saturday so I thought I'd share the "during" photos for you. Whew! It's come a LONG way. The paint didn't look so bad when we first bought the house, but it looks CRAZY now that we've toned it down. I'll do the afters in a few weeks when everything is in and unpacked. Maybe James will give you a VLOG tour. ;)

Foyer

Before on left, After on right.

We went with Porter Paint in Almond Cream on the main living areas (I think...sheesh I tried a million). It looks DARK in the after, but it is the same color as the dining room in the next photo.

Dining Room

Before on left, After on right.

See ya, RED. Whew. I have never been so happy about a neutral paint color.

Kitchen

Before on left, After on right.

This room still needs the most work for me. We'll re-do counters, sink, and backsplash in a few years. It's definitely livable. It isn't like the previous kitchen (holy COW....I'll post that below), but it's not my favorite and it looks dated. The paint made a big difference, though! The first paint I picked the painter said, "I like how it picks up the orange/terra-cotta color in the backsplash." And I said, "Well, then that is NOT the paint we'll use." Ha!

Whew! White walls, white cabinets, we rearranged the stove/fridge layout, PURPLE counter tops, YELLOW floor. We've come a long way. See the whole re-do HERE.

Master Bathroom

Before on left, After on right.

WOW. That crazy wallpaper gave me a headache. It is PLAIN JANE, but that's ok. I may change out light fixtures and faucets. There's no color consistency there. Some are nickel, some are chrome, some are both...it just doesn't make any sense. Porter Paint Colonial White.

Boys' Bathroom

Before on left, After on right.

Simple, easy fix here! We took off the stickers on the walls and painted it Colonial White. Easy, peasy!

Boys' Bedroom.

Before on left, After on right.

They are THRILLED to no longer have a pink room. Now to take the butterflies off the ceiling fan. :)

So there you have it! So far, so good! The next few days will bring GREAT things. Can't wait to share them with you!

Just for future reference for me...

Porter Paint "Almond Cream" (or Almond Paste???) in kitchen, den, dining room, foyer, and halls.

Porter Paint "Real Simple" in master bedroom and boys' bedroom.

Porter Paint "Colonial White" in all three bathrooms, playroom, and office.

Hammer Time!

Okay, okay...cheesy title. But really, if you had been at my house last night you'd completely understand! My wonderful but frugal husband insisted that he paint the kitchen all by himself and rip up the floor all by himself so that we could save some money and spend it on something else in the house. Have I mentioned how wonderful he is??? Anyway, ripping up a floor is NOT quiet work. As I worked on lesson plans and grading late into the night, Eddie was in the kitchen hammering and ripping away. He's just great!





Things are coming along in the house. Tomorrow the floor will be put into the kitchen and dining room. Cross your fingers and pray that it matches closely enough! Scary!

I have a confession to make...I do not cook. I LOVE to bake! Cooking, however, has just never been fun for me because it's been just for one most of the time. I have been known to cook now and then - and I'm certainly not BAD at it. In fact, I'm pretty good at following a recipe, if I do say so myself! Lately, however, we've been either eating out or eating baked potatoes. The only kitchen appliance we currently have is a microwave. I'll go to Publix (thank goodness for Publix!) and walk through the aisles wondering what to cook because I CAN'T cook. And the funny thing is, that's all I want to do now. I want to come home from school and be able to fix supper without it consisting of take-out or microwaved ANYTHING. Stay tuned for new recipes I'm trying. I hope to have appliances sometime in the next two weeks.

Which leads me to this...if you're a Dinner Club buddy who is coming up for the Dinner Club Weekend/Georgia National Fair Extravaganza...do not come expecting much. Our appliances SHOULD be installed by then...but our kitchen will still be in shambles. Countertops won't be installed for at least a week after that. And my wonderful mama is refinishing my ugly kitchen table and has informed me that I won't have it until Christmas. I don't care how long it takes since she's doing it out of the goodness of her heart and it's one less thing I have to worry about! So how about Gyros and funnel cake just like last year? I'm glad you understand...

Hope everyone is doing well! We miss you guys!

PS - Don't tell Eddie I posted that picture of him...he'd have a fit!