How gorgeous is this?!

Doesn’t the red flower pattern on my grandmother’s china look so great with that red wall as a backdrop?? Honestly, I could not be happier with how this looks.  It’s exactly what I wanted! I seriously just stand in the kitchen and stare at it because I think it’s so beautiful and I’m so insanely proud that this is mine.  I’m always proud of my china hutch.. but at the old house I had The Mother’s pink rosebud china in it, which is really beautiful.. But red is just my color.. I’m sure that’s obvious now.. I have a red laptop, a red bedspread, a red bathroom, a red dining room, two dutch ovens in the kitchen are red, I really want the red kitchenaid mixer.. Red is my signature color.  I really want a red front door.. but our house is cream colored with light green trim.. I tried to get The Husband to let me paint the colonial style door that leads from the kitchen to the garage red.. but he said no. I think that’s bogus because I’ve always wanted a red door.. for longer than I’ve wanted a red wall in the kitchen. He knows this.  I dream of having a grey brick house with black shutters and a red front door… But a red door in my kitchen.. my favorite room in the house.. how perfect would that be?  But he said no. :( Killjoy. I wonder what he’d do if I just painted it one day… LOL

My kitchen partly set up.. I’ve got the pots, saucepans, and sautee pans put up.. the spice cabinet has been organized, the plates, silverware and cups have been up up.. And I’ve got the shelves in the garage set up and anchored to the wall.. I am so lucky that those things never fell over at hte old house.. my kitchen aid mixer is so heavy that it made it start bowing out and leaning forward.. I was just waiting for the day that it just finally had enough and fell all the way forward.  Thank goodness that never happened.. and we took neccessary precautions this time!  We got all the fridge moved over..but I’ll have to do the pantry tomorrow.  The washer and dryer are all set up and I’ve even done about 6 loads of laundry since getting it over here yesterday afternoon.

Almost everything is here.. we still have the garage and the attic to bring over.. and a bunch of random crap throughout the house.. oh and my closet.  We brought my shoes.. of course! But we only brought my dresser and the 3 baskets of clean laundry I had sitting in my bedroom.. I don’t want to bring all the hanging stuff over here until The Husband and Rob add some more shelves, a place for my shoes and another closet rod.. I have a HUGE closet and I want as much storage in it as possible. 

The floors are the bane of my existence.  I’ve swept them twice and mopped them.. And they are filthy again. It’s probably because we’ve been in and out of the house going through the flower bed and whatnot all day.. I hope it’s not always this hard to keep them clean, cuz it kinda sucks. 

All in all it’s coming right along, though… I have a “honey do” list that’s a mile long for The Husband, though.. He’s a little overwhelmed.. we both are.. but it’s going to work out.. we still have 3 weeks before everything has to be here. :) And then we rest. LOL

Honey, I’m home!!!!!

 

We’re here.. lots of our stuff is here.. but there is still much to be done.  Can you even believe that NONE of my kitchen, except for the coffee pot and the spice cabinet is here yet?!!??!  Crazy, I know. LOL  Tomorrow.  :)  Today was a scramble to get as much here as humanly possible.  Mission accomplished. :)  Except for the dining room table and me and Dave’s dressers all the furniture is here.  The hutch is in the dining room, against my gorgeous red wall.. and can I just say again.. I freakin LOVE that color of red!! And my hutch.. it looks awesome against it.  I got a couple things inside the hutch.. but literally just a couple things.  But the kids rooms are set up. We have to find them new dressers tomorrow. We’re going to check out a couple thrift stores and if all else fails, we’re hitting up ikea or big lots.  The ones they have are just so disgusting and falling apart. And they are totally ruining the awesome paint jobs I did in each room, damnit! 

I’m  so excited that now that we have all the livingroom furniture in, I can see just how much space I have to work with.. and I think, I hope, my piano will fit in the livingroom against the front windows.. And since this place did not come equipped with a fireplace, and thus a mantel, I can use the piano as a mantel for my nick nacks and the ivy that usually sits on the mantel.  We’ll just have to see.   :) I just miss my pretty piano, even though it doesn’t work.. and I hate that it’s been sitting in The MIL’s garage for two years, because it was either the piano  or the china hutch at the old house, and the hutch held more pretty things than the piano did. 

I wish I had at least brought the damn microwave or a saucepan over here though.. My freakin coffee got cold and I can’t heat it back up.  My bathroom has yet another challenge.  The shower? Freakin amazing water pressure…felt awesome.. for the 10 whole minutes I had water before the hot water was gone because it had such strong pressure and output that it drained my hot water heater in a matter of minutes.. Yep, definitely going to need to remember to take down my removable showerhead with the water saver thingamabob inside it. Oh and I’m pretty sure the shower was built for elves, dwarves or The Sister (who’s just barely 5foot).. because it was right at my chest.. and I’m not some amazon woman. I’m on the short side of average. It was pretty funny watching The Husband having to bend down to get under the water… that was rapidly becoming cold because I had dared to shave my legs with the shower running. LOL  But the red looks awesome with the new shower curtain I got a few weeks back.  It’s white with all different kinds of circles in red, brown and tan.  Looks awesome with the red walls and the chocolate brown rug mat.  :)

Okay, I keep fucking up typing.. my brain and fingers aren’t communicating very well and I keep typing random words that sound close to what I ment… and I’ve done it 4 times now so I think it’s a time for a little rest for the weary…  I probably missed one or two mistypes, so if you noticed any.. it’s because I’m too tired to go back and proof read.. like I tell the kids: You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit! LOL

No Rest for the Weary...

That's what The Bestfriend just told me when I texted her about how tired I was and should be packing but wanted a nap.

I've been SO busy. The house is almost painted.. my "little" project.... ummm.. Yeah... about that. LOL It's turned into this huge thing. Every room has two walls painted. Including bathrooms. Mine is red. LOVE IT. Gonna look great with my new shower curtain. The kids bathroom is blue and their going to have my celestial shower curtain that I've used for a while but is still in great shape.. just needs a new liner, and maybe a trip through the washing machine. LOL :)

We also decided to do the little bit of wall that peaks out around the backsplash behind the stove in the red.. I'm loving it so far.. it still needs a second coat.. but I'm glad I did it... Just think, it's totally going to hide spaghetti sauce splatter!!!!! LMAO Yes, that really was one of the reasons I did the wall red. LMAO

And Dude. I'd like to get ahold of whatever jackass did the texture on the side wall of each bathroom and rub their arms up and down it until they bleed. Poor Rob.. there's a little of his blood mixed in with the red paint. That freakin wall is SERIOUSLY textured, and for real.. if you rub up against it, it will freakin rub your skin off. Not to mention the "stucco" part of it or whatever that's called sticks out so much that you had to roll it in all different directions and use a TON of freakin paint. I seriously hope that wall doesn't need a second coat because #1 there's not much paint left in either the red or the blue.. and #2.. I don't wanna paint that crappy texture again! I told Rob that The Husband better like our red bathroom because I sure as hell ain't painting that wall again until we have to whenever we move out. LOL

Not too sure about the living room color. When the sun is out and the blinds are open, it looks like the honey sand color I picked out. But at night, with just the ceiling fan lights on and when it's cloudy and raining outside.. it looks kinda peach. And I'm not sure I'm cool with it. But I put my living room pictures up against it today and the more I looked at them there, the more I was liking the wall.. so we'll see. I told The Husband that our furniture will slide to the middle of the room easily enough on the pergo wood floors that I would just repaint it in a few weeks if it hasn't grown on me by then.. I'm pretty sure he rolled his eyes when he turned away. LOL

I so need to pack. I have been over at the house every day this week and a couple of the nights too, painting.. and I'm just so exhausted that by the time I get back here I don't want to pack.. but now it's tomorrow that we're going to try to move the bulk of our possessions... soooo. I need to be packing my china hutch. UGH! I want a nap.

She was right... no rest for the weary.

Having so much fun…

 

I’m really having a blast getting my new house ready.  The girls room is gorgeous, The Sister and I put the second coat of paint on the walls today and it’s ready for some butterflies. I’m really happy that she was willing to spend both of her days off with me this week, painting the kids rooms.  We’ve had such a great time.  Today we remembered the radio so it was really a lot of fun.  It’s nice getting to share this with my friends. 

I was really hoping The Bestfriend would take me up on my request to come over tonight since today was her day off and drink a few bottles of wine and paint while we we enjoy my new house before the heathens invade it.  But she said not tonight, maybe this weekend… but we’re moving the majority of our stuff and all the beds here this weekend, so I guess it’s just not going to happen. :(  I’m trying hard to hide my complete disappointment in not having at least one night with my favorite friend before the kids move in.. but it’s not easy.  I really didn’t expect her to turn down my offer, but I guess she’s had a bad day. Oh well. I guess I’ll just go over there tonight by myself with a bottle of wine and paint the new color on the boys wall.  Maybe I’ll take Sandy (our yellow lab) with me so I won’t be alone.

The homeowner came by today with a roofing company, and they are going to put a new roof on it this Friday.. so that’s pretty great!  We also showed him the crack in the boys bedroom window and  the standing water by the oleander bushes in the backyard, and he’s going to take cake of both.  And he has the missing knob to my stove (which looks very new!) So all in all, things are coming right along! 

And Dave isn’t even bitching about how much the painting project has turned out costing, he’s being such a sport!  LOL   Maybe he realizes how excited I am about this and how much fun I’m having doing it that he can’t be mad about the extra cost.. that’s what The Sister thinks anyway. LOL

Okay, I’m going to get back to packing. Ugh, I hate the packing part. I love the moving in part.. But I *loath* the moving out part. LOL I swear each time I come back to this house, I hate it a little more. I can’t wait to be in my new house for good.. yet at the same time I’m really savoring and enjoying this week of painting while it’s empty and free of the kids and all their crap and noise.  It’s nice. And I love everyone that has taken the time to share it with me… it’s made it the best experience. :)

Adventures in painting…

 

Whoever thought it was a good idea to set me loose in the Home Depot paint department unsupervised was SORELY mistaken.

I have always regretted the fact that we didn’t paint this duplex when we moved in to it.  We said we were going to but were so excited to finally get out of The MIL’s house that we had all our stuff from storage here in one day and unpacked in less than a week. We totally rushed in.. and said we’d paint later and never really did. Except for the dining room wall and the ocean mural in the kids bathroom.  But the majority of the walls are white.. stark white!!! I hate it. I hate these damn white walls.  This time around, we’re taking our time.. we’re painting.. we’re making it us before we get there.  I LOVE IT.. Not to mention my adventures have been quite amusing to those around me… Quick peek..

So I talk myself into painting by saying that it was just a rental, we don’t need expensive paint.. I’d get the cheap 7 dollar paint and at least we’d have some color.  So I decide the colors I’m going with and head to Home Depot. I tried to get The Sister to go with me, for backup.  I was planning to get a red for the dining room wall, but afraid I’d chicken out.  LOL 

So I get to the home depot, and realize I forget the swatches of the colors I really liked from walmart.  So, I found one that I thought was about the same from what home depot had.  I got a slate blue for the boys room, a great color that was both pink and purple for The Twins.. We call it “Pinkle”. LOL It’s the perfect combo of Heather’s purple and Hannah’s pink.  They are both stoked.  It is the perfect color for their room and I’m damn impressed that I picked it. Go me!!!

The boys room…. Yeah.. Ummm…  Not so much.  My slate blue that is called “Heritage” by behr was purple when we started putting it on.  Not pinkle.  Freakin purple. Kind of a light periwinkle/lavendar.  Most definitely not the greyish slate blue I had invisioned. I had second thoughts at the store. I even ran back in the store after checking out to buy a can of sage grey they had marked down to 5 bucks.

So we decide to try it.. and it’s looking purple. Shit.  But we (The Sister and The Bestfriends’s DH) kept on trucking. Because the more you looked at it, the more it looked grey. Which was fine. And then you’d look at it again. And it’s purple. And then it would look grey. And you tilt your head and it’s purple.  Fucking paint. So then we turn off the light but leave the blinds open and go paint the baby girls room.  Now that was purple! So then you’d look at both rooms in your periferal vision.. and that room looked blueish grey.  Not purple! So then you’d get excited and say “okay, it’s NOT purple! This is purple!” and keep on deluding yourself into thinking this color was going to fly with 3 tween boys. Yeah, didn’t happen. I’ll be getting a blue that is not purple tomorrow. I hope.

So then I go this afternoon to get the red paint.. After I made everyone look at all 982 different shades of red paint swatches.  Dave and I both liked Farmhouse Red the best. Everyone else agreed that it was the earthy red we were looking for.  So off I head off to Home Depot confident in my choice of red.  And they bamboozeled me!!!!!  They totally convinced me I needed the most expensive paint they made that had paint and primer in one can and how it was going to take 6 coats to look red and not orange.. and I freaked and said “OK you better get me the 30 dollar paint!”.  The Husband and The Husband’s Bestfriend (who is also The Bestfriends Husband, how convenient  is that!? You haven’t forgotten that she’s The Husband’s ex-wife, right?? I told you it was a good Jerry Springer.. but that’s another show. still.) got a really good laugh.. but then told me I did the right thing. But I went in there determined I wasn’t gonna let anyone talk me into the most expensive paint and I totally did. My $40 project is turning out to me more like $60-70.. Oops.  But hey.. it’s gonna be a fabulous red wall!  I’m excited. And neverous. After the fiasco of the periwinkle man cave…

Oh and The Bestfriend’s hubby is even going to leave The Sister and I unsupervised tomorrow to paint this wall. This could turn out one of two ways.. A most fabulous wall… or a big hot mess that I can blame on Dave because when I started to second guess the Farmhouse Red in favor of Cranberry Whip, The Husband said “No.. I really like the Farmhouse”.  So that’s what I got.. In the best paint possible.  If it looks like shit, this one’s not my fault.  I already took the blame for the purple man cave.  LOL

I’m totally having a blast. I have never once picked out paint and painted all the rooms in my house. 

Good news, freak out, and I finally got some sleep!

 

I went back to bed this morning at almost 6.  Just started to get comfy and a little sleepy when the alarm went off.  Drat.  So I said to heck with it.. I got in the shower and told The Husband I’d take him to work and then run some errands.  Went to walmart and got a shower curtain liner for the kids bathroom as well as a couple bathroom mats (i’m sick of having to throw towels on the floor when we get out!) and a few random (you could tell I was tired LOL) food items.. Like coffee, and butter, and cheese, bread and cereal.  Yeah, I was practically a zombie. But I did managed to remember that Valentines Day is in two weeks and got the kids their favors for the school parties… Sugar dip stick candy, heck yes I am a cool mom. LOL  Just when I was really starting to drag in walmart and decided to heck with the errands, I’m gonna go home and catch a nap.  And then Dave calls.  We’re to meet the leasing agent at her office at 10.  It was 8:45.  So I figured there was no use in even going home.  So I went to the Money Box to get the money orders for the rent and second deposit, and to Big Lots and Home Depot in search of some cheap paint with which to make the house pretty.  No luck on the paint (was hoping to find something marked down in the mistinted section).. I think I’m just going to have to buy full price cheap paint… tomorrow. :)

Once we got the lease papers signed I snatched up my key and went right home!!!  They have some utilities on, electric and water, but not the gas.. so it was FREEEEEZING inside.. I looked at the thermometer and it said the temp inside the house was under 50. My teeth were chattering the whole time. LMAO  JD, I know, you’re laughing.  Your kids were enthusiastically taking pictures in the –22 temps up there in the deep tundra you call Canada, wearing only what I would call a “light jacket”, unzipped... and I still think ya’ll are part eskimo, or maybe polar bear.. But I digress…  Me and my southern heat lovin butt were shivering!

So to clarify a few of my earlier concerns.  There is indeed NO PANTRY.  Damnit.  But there is indeed a DISHWASHER!!! A fairly new looking dishwasher at that, that actually still has the little jet dry door (can you tell my current dishwasher did NOT come with such a door for the jet dry?)… So, the boys are going to be much relieved in knowning that a dishpan hands hell does not await them.  At least not for the next two years!!! 

Okay some things that are going to take, cramming a bunch of crap in *creativity*.  The bathrooms.  Frankly, they both suck.  The only redeeming quality about each of them is the fact that they are those high straight plastic walled tub/shower combos.  And NOT tile with grout.  Do you even know how disgusting a man who works on cars for a living can make a tile and grout shower?  No amount of cleaning, bleaching, chiseling, cursing, and begging will make that black  shit The Husband comes home covered in each day come off the grout. Not even with the beloved Pine Sol.  It just doesn’t happen.  Ask The Bestfriend, it was her major gripe back when she was married to The Husband, yes as in MY The Husband(ooooh, have we gotten into that one yet?  It’s very Jerry Springer.. But as Alton Brown would say… that’s another show… ). SO a tub that is grout free and an easy surface to clean is a very pleasant change.  What is not such a pleasant change is the non existent counter and storage space in said bathrooms.  Our current bathrooms both have decent sized linen closets.. and they are bursting to full most of the time.  There is ONE hallway closet that can be used for towels and such. Luckily it’s right across from the kids bathroom, and my bedroom door is right there as well.  I guess just towels are going to go in there. Each bathroom does have a medicine cabinet mirror, so that’s good at least.  I have no idea how all my crap is going to fit under that sink.. and I’m just talking makeup and hair products!!!  Organization will set you free, right?? That’s what AB always says.  I wish we didn’t NEED that closet for towels.. it’s right outside my bedroom door and it would have been PERFECT for my shoes!!! :(  Oh well, maybe if I figure something out for a pantry that doesn’t involve the second hallway closet then towels can go there and my shoes can go where I wanted them. hmmmm.  As for the rest of the linen closets (you know spare sheets and covers for 6 beds.. LOL).. I’m planning to really thin down some  of my kitchen crap and toss the stuff that I’ve never even used since living here.  Hopefully that will free up at least one of my four shelving units and that can be used for the linens. 

I also totally had a freakout with The Bestfriend.  She talked me down.  For some reason, this house seems much smaller in the daylight than it did the night we toured it.  See, our current house has a rather long hallway that leads from the living kitchen dining area to the bedrooms area at the back of the house.  Well, the new house does not have such a hallway.. the hallway is on the otherside of the living room wall, if that makes sense.  So the bedrooms are just on the other side of the livingroom wall.  And it seemed smaller than we have now.  And I freaked.  But you know what, maybe it is smaller. I honestly am not sure. It probably is. It looks like it is.  BUT.. it has a huge garage that happens to be paneled plus the attic.  And we’re trying to find a storage shed for the backyard.  Not to mention we aren’t taking a bunch of crap that we don’t need.  So it’s going to be okay. Right? Right?  Well, it just has to be. There’s no other option.  We’re living there until January of 2012 and we’re just going to make it work.  The kitchen is also not as wide as my current is, by like one tile square.. I’ll give up that one square for the extra counters that it has.  And since we’ll be able to put the china hutch in the dining room (which is with the kitchen), I’ve decided I’ll clean out the drawers and the lower cabinets and use them for kitchen stuff.  I never use the china pieces that I keep down there, so they can just get boxed up and put in the attic out of the way.  That’s quite a bit of extra cabinet/pantry space right there!  See, it’s all about creativity. :)

Oh and the backyard is not HUGE.. it’s a moderate size.  Bigger than The MIL’s.  Not even close to as big as The Bestfriends.. But compared to the postage stamp we have now… the kids will freak at actually being able to throw the dogs ball.. in the backyard. LOL

And speaking of… they are begging me to take them over there and see their new digs.  So I’m going to take them… and the space heaters! LOL  I hope they like it.  :)

Oh yeah… and the sleep..  I got some in after I came back here and watched Y&R.  I didn’t pack a single thing yet today and I haven’t taken anything to the house yet.. but I’m not a walking zombie any longer! LOL

It feels like Christmas…

 

I often think around the holidays how I just don’t feel that rush of excitement like children do.. because I’m the mom and I’m the one making all the magic happen, you know?  It’s exciting for me to watch them enjoy it.. but I don’t get that same butterfly feeling in my stomach.. crazy giddy with excitement.. can’t sleep because you just can’t wait… I haven’t felt that kind of excitement and anticipation much as an adult..

But this is it.. this is that same warm, giddy, bubbly full of energy so excited it’s 5:44am and I still haven’t been able to fall asleep.

I can’t wait to explore all over my new house.  I can’t wait to decide where we are going to plant Andy’s apple tree.  I can’t wait to explore the cabinets and drawers in my kitchen and figure out where I’m going to put everything.  I can’t wait to look out the kitchen window while I’m washing dishes or getting dinner ready and see my boys throwing their football or the girls jumping on the trampoline that finally has a yard big enough to be set up in..

And I just feel so blessed.  I have a really kick booty new laptop, that’s pretty to boot! (It’s red, my fave color and I think it freakin rocks), I got a newer vehicle that it’s actually nice looking, and I get this new house that’s in a culdescac!!! You can’t even imagine how long we’ve wished we lived in a culdesac.  And it’s the corner of the culdesac, so we have tons of parking along the side.  LOVE that. NEED that with The Husbands four hundred vehicles. 

I’m so happy. I can’t wait to get those keys in my hand and go put something in my new house! :)

P.S.  I’m totally NOT enjoying packing.  Seriously, where did all this crap come from!??!