A Little Fluff

There are some areas (okay, there are MANY areas) of our home that needs a little fluff (Fluff is after local design firm in Omaha, Fluff Your Stuff, who is just amazing). After 2 1/2 years, I am finally getting motivated to get some of that fluff taken care of.

For starters, I have been using a carpet remnant as a rug by our garage door. Yes, that is what I have used for 2 1/2 years. I have looked, but I could not find something I liked.

Low and behold, I found this one at Kohls! Who knew! Guess I have to look outside my normal box for these kinds of things.

I like how the rug brings in the colors of the tile, the wall and the kitchen. I am content.

Next, I wanted a rug for in front of the sliding glass door to the backyard. I found this one at JCPenney (again, looking outside the box), and I just love it. I really pulls in the colors of the floor, the kitchen, the backsplash and the nearby walls of the family room. Love.

I love the modern feel of this one. Oh, and look at that green grass, in March! That is crazy! It is so nice to see colors, in and now out.

If only I could say I was done. Is your home ever really done?

We Have Shade!

We Have Shade!

Last year when we ate on our patio, we cooked. Yes, we cooked food, but we also physically cooked as we sat there sweating it out in the hot summer sun. So, we ordered sun shades.

This week in the 70 degree March weather, Chris installed them.

They look amazing, providing some relief from the sun, as well as a little privacy.

Thank you Sams Club. We love them!

On PINTEREST!!

How funny, spotted our house on Pinterest! How funny is that?!
Here is the PIN with this image.

Now we have spindles here!

2012 Goals

I know, it is nearly March and I have yet to post 2012 home goals. Well, I am hesitant to put up goals when we don't even know if we will be living in this house the entire year. So, really, we are not doing anything to our home at the moment. But, just in case we do stay, here are some tentative plans we have.

1. Mulch. Yes, I know, mulch is a total pain. But, I like it so much better than rock. Rock is expensive up front, but then you don't have to do anything to it. Nice, right? Yes, but plants do not grow well, the rock gets hot, and to plant new things in a rock bed is a total pain. And, I really do not like the look of rock. So, we have to mulch, at least every 2 years. That is just fine with me. Mulch away.

2. Bury remaining gutters. I hate the gutters above the ground. Okay, I just hate that I have to navigate around them when I mow. Other than that, they are fine. We will just have the one out front above ground after this spring.

3. Plant a few more trees. Okay, 20+ trees just is not enough for us. We would like to replace this ugly tree that did not make it on the front corner of our home and then add some trees around the patio so we can eat without feeling stared out. Just saying. We purchased patio shades last season, so they will help, too.

4. "Fluff" the master bedroom. The master bed/bath is one place we  have not painted. Actually, it is the only place we have not repainted in the 2 years we have been here. Crazy! Anyway, we would like to add a seating area, move the main level TV up to our bedroom (upgrading the main level TV) and make our bedroom an official master suite. Someday I would like to add a fireplace to our master, but we will do that when we add a fireplace to the basement. That is, if we are lucky enough to stay here.

Okay, that is it. That is not a lot considering our long list of "to do's" in previous years. But, again, staying or leaving is up in the air. So, this is a start.

Changing Views

I have not done one of these in a while, an update on the view around our home. Gees, it is a messy one at the moment. Oh, and I can't forget to say LOUD! Come on, I thought there were 4 seasons, winter, spring, construction, and fall. Construction is in the summer...not all winter!!

Okay, I guess I missed that memo.

So...here is our view today. Much different than the empty space that surrounded our home 2 years ago.

Down the driveway...Can no longer see Alivia walk to Zoe's House (Zoe's house is behind this HUGE pile of dirt/mud.

Our front to the corner. Newer home on the corner, too, with new neighbors who moved in during the month of October.

Out front, more dirt. Dirt, mud, trucks, noise, EVERYWHERE!

Looking through the side kitchen windows looking to the garage side of the house.

Same direction, more dirt.

Out the kitchen window to the back of the house.

Looking to the backyard

Out the patio door. As always, a cement truck in waiting. Ponderosa is not passable during the day typically.

Oh, look there, another cement truck, being cleaned at the end of our driveway. Nice.

By the time we move, there will be houses all around us. That may be true if we move this summer even!

Before And After: Curb Appeal

Before And After: Curb Appeal

Another 2011 home goal of ours was to add a little curb appeal to our home. We sit on this corner lot, yet our yard was just there. We wanted to add boulders and an eye catching something at the corner. Well, this is the result thanks to Jake at Annie's Nursery. After the long wait, we are pleased with the result. We now have plans to add a few more boulders around the house...then it will be complete.

Chris cut out the project to get it ready to go.

And, this is the result!

Wrought Iron Spindles!

Remember the check list? When we went to move, we created a check list. Much of what was on that list was not in this house. I know, why did we even have a list?

Anyway, wrought iron spindles was one of the things on that list.

And, after a year and a half, we now have them.

The result: Fabulous.

Just what we wanted...and more.

Finally, something else we can check off that check list.

The Basement Painted

It is difficult for most to believe that after just over a year of living here that our basement needed to be painted. But, it did. Flat paint and 3 kids just do not go together. Period.

The overwhelming task of painting the basement had been on our "to do" list all winter. However, Chris and I just could not get to it.

So, we hired it painted. Seriously, I am getting into having painting jobs hired done! I love our painter! Really, I do! He painted it, again, in Sherwin Williams Latte. We love it! Now...for the decorating part.

And so...another job behind us. Many more ahead of us. We better get cracking on our "to do" list!

Shadow Lake in the news...

Looks like other people are taking notice of our neighborhood, Shadow Lake. Let's hope this helps us sell our crib when we decide to move.

Shadow Lake among bright spots in housing

More Painting...The Entry

Another thing checked off the list...the entry way is painted! We hired this done...and it looks fabulous! It is painted with Sherwin Williams Latte Harmony in Eggshell finish.
Now, onto bigger projects. Sigh...

2011 Home Goals

Happy New Year!

We accomplished a lot in 2010, but we hope to slow down a bit in 2011. We are not sure how long we are going to stay in Nebraska. Chris and I are  looking at moving in a few years, far away, for a few years. Things change with the years, so we will see. But, we have found that we do not get the return on investment on the things we do to a home, so we are better off to save our money than to put in into our home.

With that said, here are are 2011 home goals:
1. Paint the interior with NON flat paint. We have a number of areas left, but we look forward to having it finished!
2. Recarpet the basement post kitty (I can not wait for this goal!).
3. Add curb appeal to the front of the house. We just want to add a few finishing touches since this home sits up on the lot...we just want it to be something to look at when we do go to sell "someday."
4. Wrought iron spindles. These were on our original check list of things to be in our next home, which is now this home, so we would like to add them.
5. Patio: This we decided against adding the patio...but we will see. We have a covered patio now...so we are not sure it would add to the value of the home when we go to sell. We will see. I WOULD LOVE ONE myself...but not sure it is worth how much it would cost to install.
6. & Maybe, just maybe, add the surround sound to the basement. Chris has the main level and music hooked up throughout. So we can now listen to music through the house. But, he would really like to get the speakers in the basement working (if we can only figure out how). We believe we need to upgrade our system first.

Guess it is time to get at it...well, maybe.

Quality Fence?

This is our "Quality" brand fence after the FIRST winter storm it has been in. Nice...Quality? Let's see what they say when I call them tomorrow.

Our Changing Landscape...

I last posted an update to our changing 4 corners on February 22, 2010. Want to see it now?

Looking to the West out of our patio door.

Looking to the West towards our new neighbors across the street and model home over the fence.

Looking to the Northwest out the back yard

Northwest...view from the backyard (that will soon be changing).

New Constuction - This was taken YESTERDAY...Today...Dirt pile in its place

View to the North out the back yard - New neigbors straight out (but far) and to the right in the picture)

Neighbors in the ranch moved in last April (and are super nice!).

View to the East from the kitchen window

Today's view (beside the model home is another hole being dug. Yeah.).

Lovely...dirt and more beeping

View out front to the Southwest

Out front door

View from Front door to the East

View from front

Front yard

View looking out the front door

My, how our landscape changes from day to day around here.

Painting Rounded Walls

I should not be the one writing about how to paint rounded corners. When painting our rooms from the kitchen to the family room, all I did to help was Google where to tape. Chris did the exact work (and it turned out beautifully!).

So, how do you know where to lay the tape and make the line? First off, you need painters tape...frog tape to be exact. The blue tape just will not do the trick for this project. In our home, we have what are called bullnose corners, but they come to a point at the bottom. At the bottom, it is easy to form the line between rooms. Then, we just selected the inside of the round point and taped. Sounds easy...but it really is not. It is has to be a perfect straight line or it will just look awful. The tape needs to be applied from the ceiling down in most cases.

Once the line in taped, it is time to paint. Paint away. Once both coats have been applied (let's be honest, the "2 coat paint" never seems to be quite good enough), the tape should be removed. I have found the quicker the tape comes off, the better.

And here is the result form our painting project. Kitchen: Valspar Burnt Caramel (from Lowes) and the family room: Sherwin Williams Latte.