Rug updates

So as you may know, I bought two new wool Safavieh rugs.  One rug in the living room and the other in the dining room.  I loved the one in the living room and liked the one in the dining room although the grey color of the rug was appearing to have a purple tint.  Anyways...as you may know with wool rugs, they shed.  A LOT.  There was constantly little fibers all along the edges of the rugs on the hardwoods and of course just scattering everywhere along our first floor.  You would walk on the rug and your foot was covered in these little fibers and it was kind of itchy.  We hosted Christmas Eve at our house and after seeing my in-lawas feet all covered in fibers and them looking so confused I was so annoyed and felt embarrassed at how ridiculous our rugs were.  I mean really, I felt embarrassed at the shedding of my rugs...

Then Christmas morning came and I sat on the living room rug to open presents with the hubby and it was so itchy even through my pajama pants that I was beyond annoyed but ignored it since it was Christmas.  I couldn't stop thinking about the dumb rugs all day and that night after we were done with our family parties I literally got out plastic and wrapped up the rugs and had my hubby help me put them in the car to take back to Amazon (UPS) first thing in the morning.  I wanted them out of the house and once I wrapped them up I felt so much better.  I literally swiffered three times in a row and could have done another to be honest and the dry cloth was covered, overflowing basically.  Absolutely not worth it even though I really loved them.  So that was it, I needed two new rugs.

I recently noticed a rug in a blogger's home I'm sure you're all familiar with and if not go check her out,  Addison's Wonderland.  I first saw it after I already had our new rugs and thought I was going to live with them and hope for the best.  In the long run, I'm happy that these rugs didn't exactly work out because I'm over the top excited for this new rug to arrive.  

This rug by nuLoom is a stunning turquoise and comes in other colors too the hubby said no to the purple for the living room.  This rug is already on it's way and I'm hoping it shows up before the new year but with my luck it won't.  

As for the living room, I tried to go with the same style and brand I had before and chose this rug.  Unlike the dining room where I went with something completely different and a fun pop of color.  I figured the colors were the same which I really liked and this rug has synthetic fibers so no shedding which is now my main concern.  

Very similar to the original living room rug but of course, as my luck would have it, I didn't like it as soon as I opened it up.  I did like the style and the colors were okay but since it's a more durable rug it had a blended look to it in the grey color if that makes any sense.  Unfortunately, it just wasn't going to work in our living room.  So another rug, back to Amazon and now another one on it's way from Rugsusa.com that hopefully, no will be, the winner.

This shag rug has great reviews, no shedding complaints and most say it's soft and comfy.  I like the design and how it's subtle.  I got this rug during their 75% off sale so it was a steal, I would never pay the full price.  This rug hopefully will arrive by the end of next week and I can share pictures of it in our space.

All in all, rugs are a very difficult thing to purchase and get right, well for me anyway.  I love wool because they are thick and plush but the shedding is out of control, especially with the ones I had I know some are better than others.  

Thanks for following along!

Christine

Living Room Progress and Safaveih Rug

Oh the living room....rugs were a huge part of getting started in this space.  I have visions and this is just the beginning.  My mind is always going when it comes to design...always.  I wanted something neutral so I wouldn't be stuck with one color choice and went with a grey-blue rug by Safaveih that I got on Amazon.  They had the best price out of any online retailer including Overstock and Wayfair too!  So how did I end up looking on Amazon?  I looked at all the stores near me to find a rug and literally liked nothing.  There was a small selection to chose from which didn't help, some stores didn't even have 8x10 in store, only online.  I was feeling discouraged and decided to look on Amazon and BAM!  It also pays to have amazon prime and get free 2 day shipping on a rug.  A large 8x10 rug was shipped to me free and in two days, that's pretty amazing.  Maybe I'm easily amazed....

This is the main living space for our little family.  It's the best place to be to watch a movie or cozy up by the fireplace.  Riggly is pretty happy on his couch all day too.  You can see him curled up in one of the pictures below, he pretty much doesn't move all day.

Here's a list for what I'd like to get done...
- paint the walls, I'm thinking a neutral gray
- hang pictures and art work
- put up curtains
- build built-ins alongside the fireplace
- do some type of feature wall for the fireplace, thinking planking
- a new couch at some point, I'd love a sectional in this space
- new pops of colors with pillows and throws, I'm seeing purples, pinks, greens and blues

Anyway, before I keep rambling, here's where we currently are with our living room.

Source List

Bellhaven Coffee Table

8x10 Wool Safaveih Rug

Accent Chair - no longer in the blue-green color

Brown Ottoman

Suzani Pillow 

Textured Linen Pillow

Christine

Let's talk bar stools

We have a large island in our house that we fit four bar stools at nicely.  We currently have our old bar stools from the first bar height table we ever purchased.  Don't get me wrong they are doing a great job and I'm glad we're getting even more use out of them but I'd like something else...eventually.  I love the texture and the look of the wicker bar stools but then I completely flip flop and love the look of metal.  

You will come to realize I am one of the most indecisive people when it comes down to my choices.  I always get stuck between two and then usually I make my decision and wonder if the other was the better choice.  My husband calls it my "stages" and we usually end up laughing about it.  In the end, it always works out it's just a process of my mind getting there.

Anyway, back to bar stools.  It comes down to an option of wicker like this one:

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Or a metal option with a pop of green:

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The wicker adds a fun texture to the space but the green brings a fun pop of color.  This is something that I'll be thinking about for awhile.  When did bar stools get so expensive anyway....well for now, here's to dreaming and trying to make up my mind...

Christine

Current Kitchen Views

My favorite room in the house has got to be our kitchen.  I was lucky enough in this house that I got the white kitchen I wanted.  I love the timeless and airy feeling white gives and couldn't be happier.  I know this is a brand new space but there are still lots of things I want to do with it to really make it ours.  

We didn't choose a backsplash when we were building as we saved money in certain places and this was one of them.  I'm happy that we didn't though because I have had way more time to think about it and still think I'm pretty much set on a white subway tile but we'll see.  I love the marble subway tile but think it will compete with our Torquay Cambria Quartz counter tops.  This is the style I'm picturing and again, I'm sure will be the winner.

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As you can see there's a lot of white but I love it.  I've also added one touch of the holidays with my garland above the cabinets, I couldn't resist.  We get a lot of light in here as the whole wall to the right is full of windows.  I love natural light.

I love that we have a large island, it's seven feet wide is great!  Our barstools are from the first table we had together in our apartment and work great here until I can find anything else.  The runner is an oldie from Target but works for now.  I have blues and greens in my design plans along with grays and whites so this red/orange mix isn't working for me.  

The teapot and what I'm using as a utensil holder are my favorite pops in our kitchen as of now.  Mackenzie Child if you're interested and you should be haha.

So there you have a sneak peak into our kitchen.  Things will change, paint color, backsplash, pendant lights, bar stools, new rugs....I'm excited for these changes as they will really make the space ours.

Christine

From where I sit

We've been in the house for two weeks now and are settling in nicely.  Things are coming along and as some find it hard to believe we had the house all unpacked within 3 days of moving in.  The basement has a couple of boxes but they are filled with things that belong in the basement so for the moment they remain.  We will tackle organizing down there a different day.  For now, we are enjoying our space and already starting our project list of things to make this house our home.

We plan to build some shelves in the garage this weekend for some much needed storage.  The hubby planned out a great drawing and everything and went over it with my dad.  Picking up the wood needed and tackling this project Saturday.  Did I mention how amazingly convenient it is to have a contractor for a dad?!  As for the inside, I'm still having fun trying to figure out where I want certain decor and what I need...we most definitely need a couple area rugs and that has been hard to find.  Everything online seems so expensive and everything in my usual stores is too small.  We have a few more places we would like to go and look and hopefully we'll get at least one for now, maybe we'll get lucky and score two, we'll see...

My current view isn't a bad one on this gloomy rainy day.  A little peak inside our living room...

Christine

Settling in

We've been in the house for 10 days now and it's great to have our own space again.  I'm absolutely in love with our kitchen, my favorite part of the house.  Everything is put away and surprisingly organized which is a huge stress reliever for me.  It's really coming along and there are so many ideas in my head for things to add to make this house a home and one that is ours.  Thoughts of shiplap, shelving, ideas for the laundry room, the master closet....lots of ideas and those are like I said just a few...

Living in a home takes time and you get to make it what you want but I unfortunately don't have a money tree, I'm looking into it ::insert wink face here::

We were lucky to have the help of our parents to get things put away and to help push me to get it done.  I like to put things away where I want them and how I want them, not just shoved in some cabinet so they are out of the way now.  I know that if I did that they would stay that way forever so I refused.  It took a few days but our house no longer looks like a disaster zone and more of a home.  I'm hoping that in the next couple weeks I'll get even more settled as I want to add some of our pictures and art to the walls.  Thank God for command picture hanging strips, I love them!  

Here was the disaster zone which has come a long way...

Like I said, luckily, we no longer have a house full of boxes and each thing you own individually wrapped.  I'm not kidding when I say, think of your stuff and having each thing being wrapped up in lots and lots of packing paper.  My hands hurt from pulling the paper over and over again.  It all paid off though and now my kitchen cabinets look like this goodness...

More to come..

Christine

We got the keys!

I'm so happy to say we finally got the keys to our house.  We are all set and ready to go.  I feel like a kid again leaving home for the first time after being back at my parents for the past (almost) 8 months.  I know this time we are only moving minutes away but it's still a bittersweet feeling.  I'll never have a reason to stay at my parents house again since we live close and it's just strange.  I'm going to miss cuddling on weekend mornings with the pup, he would always come up to sleep with me until I was up.  I'm hoping he'll be happy coming to visit me at our new house, he gets a little anxious when he's not home.  All in all though, we are excited and blessed to finally be moving into this amazing house we'll get to call home. 

Christine

Closing update

We are soOo close now!  I feel like I've been saying that for awhile now but we really are.  We're less than two weeks out at this point.  Our house will be move in ready by October 30, that's the plan.  We will be in hopefully on the following Wednesday and cannot wait.  I'm excited to share our decor and a glimpse of our daily life with you.

Stay tuned!

Christine

Landscaping surprise

With our builder we were told in the beginning that we would receive a hydroseeded lawn and a tree would be planted in front of our house near the street.  Imagine our surprise when we drove up to the house and saw actual landscaping.  

It was pretty funny because my husband and I drove up and I immediately noticed he did not.  I broke into my crazy, happy dance and kept pointing.  Jason was just looking at me going "What, what, I don't see it..."  I looked at him and kept pointing thinking how can he not notice and he again said "what?"  I had to actually point out the landscaping and then he was on my level, so shocked and excited.  A couple of our neighbors walked out and were just as shocked and asked if we knew we were getting landscaping.  We told them we had no idea until that moment.  They were shocked as well and said no one ever got landscaping and that was a big deal.  Luckily, it looks amazing and we are happy with it and still shocked, a good shocked.

The lawn was going to be hydroseeded the day after this picture was taken so by the time you are reading this we will have seed down.

Here's a closer view but of course the sun was going down and my lovely shadow is right there.  I didn't want to walk on the nicely leveled top soil to take a picture from the other angle.

So there you have it, we have landscaping and we are thrilled.  We are thinking either the builder changed his mind and decided to do this instead of a tree by the street OR this is a nice little bonus since our moving date is at least a month behind schedule.  Whichever the case, we are thrilled as this wasn't going to get done until next spring and now it's done and perfect.  What do you think?

Christine

A moving date...sort of

You may have started to realize that we are a little behind on our home.  We originally thought we would move in at the end of August, then September, and now it's mid October.  We were told that our house will definitely be done by the end of this month.  The hold up now is that the plumber cannot come until October 26 to finish tying everything in.  Frustrating but honestly I don't even mind anymore.  I can't really explain it but we've been waiting for so long now I'm just numb to it.  I don't know if that makes sense to you.  So while we wait I'll share our floors with you.  

The floors are in and I'm in love.  We went with a dark brown hardwood and I love how they pop against all the white trim in the house.  We have hardwoods downstairs and carpet upstairs.  

The house is still not cleaned so there's some debris here and there so don't mind the little specs.

While we wait over the next couple weeks to get an exact date which I believe will be the first week of November or the last week of October if we're lucky... I will enjoy these last few weeks living at my parents and start to get ready for the big move.

Christine

Dining Room Inspiration

For our home I know I want a nice bright, airy and clean space.  I've been following so many bloggers and interior decorators on Instagram for inspiration for some time now.  I could sit on Instagram all day just looking at pictures, kind of crazy I know.  

One room I've been searching high and low for is our dining room.  We will definitely need a new table that seats at least 8, even more would be a plus.  I love the farmhouse look, that big chunky wood just makes me smile.  Of course the only two tables I can find that fits my needs are from Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware.  Yes, these tables are on the pricey side but also this will be a piece we have forever that's the plan anyway.I've been searching sites like Wayfair and Overstock to find a similar item and I've come close but these tables still win so far...

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The restoration hardware table extends to seat up to 16 people in the 84" size I'd like to get, which is amazing.  We really want to host for holidays and make some new traditions in our home so seating is key.  This table will seat 10 without the extensions and I'm not sure if that's too big on it's own.  Again, I'm still looking here but want the possibility of extending the table that large.

As for chairs...I've always loved the look of tufted chairs and while I'm afraid them may not be practical I think they would make a great statement at the head of the table.  I think finding the table is hard but when it comes to the chairs I'm sure I'll have just as much trouble...I'm very indecisive, it's a problem, I know.  I'm sure that we will be visiting plenty of furniture stores in our area once we are on the hunt and hope we find something like this table or even better.  If we can't find anything I have a feeling this pottery barn table will end up in our home and I will love it forever.  

Hoping for a closing date soon so we can start putting our home together!

Christine   

So close

We are so close but still don't have a closing date at this point.  The walls need to get another coat of paint, the hardwoods need to be put in downstairs, carpet upstairs, and bathroom pieces need to be put in.  It really doesn't seem like too much more and I'm waiting patiently...

The light fixtures have all been installed along with the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.  The yard has been graded and is ready for grass...so from the outside the house looks so clean and ready for us minus the front door needing paint!

I'm in love.  We chose to widen our driveway an additional two feet on each side and we're so glad we did.  Especially once it starts snowing we'll be happy to have that extra space.  I never thought I could love a driveway so much...the hubby is excited to shoot around his basketball...

Let's get back to the inside, the heart of the home.  The kitchen and dinning area are my absolute favorite!  The light that pours in these windows is amazing and I love it.  The kitchen is all set and just needs appliances, faucet and garbage disposal installed.  I cannot wait to line stools up at our island and hang out here with friends and family.

Hopefully I'll be able to tell you we are moving in very soon...maybe...

Christine

The siding

I can't believe that we are to this point...the outside is done almost.  I love everything about it.  I love the color.  I love the white trim around the windows.  I love that we have a porch.  I just LOVE it all, can you tell I'm excited?

I love that this is our house, our home, well almost!  I love the dimension and character this new build already has.

We went with a gray siding called Storm in double 4 and I am so happy with it.  This is the back of the house which I also love.  I like that the back isn't flat.  The dinning room area really helps give the home dimension.  

Here's a closer look at the nice thick molding around the windows.  Makes the house really pop in my opinion.  

We're so close now!  I can't wait to get moved in and share a glimpse of our life, and style with you.

Christine

Trim makes a pop

The trim is all done and wow, does it make everything pop!  We didn't pay to have crown molding put in right away as we'll have my dad do it down the road.  Even with the windows and baseboard I am happy.  Our last house didn't have trim on any windows and let me tell you, it makes a crazy awesome difference.

Not the greatest pictures but so you can see the difference here.  I love white trim.

When we started this process the one thing I had to have was a fireplace.  (Okay, okay, I say it was the one thing I HAD to have but let's be serious, my list was a mile long!)  I love the focal point it creates in the living room and, of course, the coziness factor.  The trim work has been finished and the fireplace is looking great, just needs to be grouted.  I love this fireplace and can't wait to curl up next to it.

Just to get an idea, here's the trim work around some doors and the baseboard.  It really makes such a difference in the entire house.  

I won't bore you with more pictures of trim but siding is up next and I can't wait to share that.  Stay tuned!

Christine

Kitchen happiness

The first coat of paint/primer was done and I thought for sure the floors would be next, at least the hardwoods before anything else downstairs.  When we showed up to take a look and the kitchen cabinets were almost completely in I was so excited I actually squealed.  

Here's my hubby standing excitedly at our kitchen island that's a whopping seven feet long (break into happy dance).  There are still two cabinets that need to be installed on the wall behind Jason.  Seeing the kitchen with these amazing white cabinets makes my heart sing.  

That opening is where our fridge will go and it fits perfectly in that space which I love.  The area next to the fridge will have a charging station so I picture this area being our "catch all" even though I say we will keep this house neat but let's be real...life happens and so do messes.  I could stare at this photo all day and do whenever I need a smile on my face.  I'm in love and it's not even close to being in it's finished state.  

Next will be trim and I can't wait to see how everything pops once it's in.  We're getting closer...

Christine

There's drywall!

Once drywall goes up you feel like you're ready to move in, or at least I do.  You finally get to see the space come together and that's exciting to say the least. 



Here is our morning room with light pouring in.  I love the windows and with the drywall up this room is really coming together.

Our living room with the fireplace in and surround up.  

Our kitchen area.  I love that the stairs in our house come down right in the center of the house, the kitchen to the left and living room to the right.

This is the view when you walk up the stairs.  We opted for a loft here instead of closing off the space for a fourth bedroom.  We currenlty do not need that space and like the open concept for now until we need that space, if ever, down the road.

Here is the view looking left from the top of the stairs.  I love that we have a nice open hallway up here.  There is a bedroom to the left of where I am standing, the loft to the right and then up there on the right another bedroom.  In front of me is the main bathroom (right) and the laundry room (left).  Our master suite is all the way to the left.  

We are getting closer to finally calling this house our home and I cannot wait.  All of the drywall taping takes some time but we'll get there.  I can't wait to share more with you.  I will share more once the walls are at least primed and we have the trim going up.  Thanks for following along on this journey.

Christine

The countertop

Part of the fun with building is that you get to make so many choices and make your house your home.  It can easily get overwhelming and as much as I enjoy it I am so indecisive it makes me cringe.  From light fixtures to siding to knobs, it's all in there.  

You wouldn't think picking a countertop would really be that difficult would you?  Oh how I was wrong...when you go to the supplier you just see samples.  Our samples were 12x12 which is generally a good size but not when certain samples don't show the busy pattern that is clearly there.  

We decided to go with quartz as I wanted something in the white and gray family.  I really love the look of marble but have read it is not that durable of a surface and can stain.  Quartz is my go to since it looks gorgeous and is extremely durable and should last forever. The countertop we started with we thought we loved and then we saw the slab ::queue tragic music::  Oh my, how I was disappointed.  The sample we saw looked like a mix of grays and whites, perfectly neutral and what I wanted to pop with our white cabinets.  

See my dilemma right here?? This quartz is Berwyn by Cambria and it definitely has warmer brown tones to it than the cool grays I was hoping for.  I swear our sample looked nothing like this, not this busy, the color seemed so different.  This is why they say you should always see the slab to make sure.  Once your countertop is in, it's yours. 

This is Summerhill by Cambria.  This is actually the first countertop I picked when looking at samples because the colors were right.  However, I saw the slab and all that movement, it looks like a map to me.  I know that counters are not this wide, however we have a large island and you would see a lot of this movement.  We did a change order anyway and switched to Summerhill because I definitely didn't want Berwyn so we were stuck.  The picture doesn't show all the lovely sparkle this counter has and I did love that but again it was too busy but I was having a nervous breakdown and just said this is better than the Berwyn.  When you look at pictures from Cambria's website you get a better idea.

So after another week of not sleeping because all I could think of was countertops I made another appointment to look at more slabs.  I had originally always wanted something like marble so I did A LOT of research.  This is Torquay by Cambria.  I saw this one from the beginning but just figured it was too much white, not realizing this was their dupe for marble.  I have seen hundreds, no probably thousands, of pictures of Torquay online, in peoples kitchens, professional pictures, all of it.  I fell in love with it and I will say the picture here of just a slab (which still has the plastic film on it as well) does not do it justice.  One blogger I follow, 7th house on the left, has these countertops in her kitchen with white cabinets and I just love it.  Seeing hers all put together pretty much sold me.  

So after weeks of being extremely indecisive I ended up with what I wanted all along, a marble look-a-like.  Cambria's Torquay is exactly what I wanted and since I did this change order (our kitchen guy just smiles every time I reach out to him.)   I haven't had one ounce of regret and am so excited to see these in our kitchen.  I can't wait to show you all once we're there!

My life lesson here is to always see the slab.  If I would have just seen the 12x12 sample I would have originally gotten Summerhill and been so disappointed.  Don't get me wrong the other two are gorgeous in their own way, just not what I was looking for.  

Christine

The roof

There's a roof so does that mean we can move in yet?  During this building process we have been living with my parents.  It's honestly been fun and we're lucky enough to have family to put up with us and the Riggle Monster (the cat's nickname) for six months so far.  It has been amazing in the saving money department and we couldn't be more grateful for that so we could build this amazing home.  

The roof is BP Twilight Gray and I love the dimension it creates with the two tone look of black and charcoal.  

Here is the view from the back.  Our plan is to put a concrete patio to the left of the morning room in that rectangle area.  We don't want a deck because we don't want to be up high and the last patio we had just shifted so much from winters and everything else.  We decided concrete is the way to go and we like the look of it so, we're going with that.  

More to come, insulation is next but that's not really that fun to look at so I may spare you until drywall...

Christine

A second story

We have a second story which makes the main floor really come together.  Even though you can see through most of the walls the ceiling makes a huge difference.  Seeing this house come together is just altogether amazing.  I absolutely love the fact that we now have a porch with this house.  Our last house was a simple colonial style and completely flat.  We have two peaks and a porch that give the house so much dimension.

I'm standing in what will be our dinning room looking out with the kitchen to my right and the living room to my left.

This is our living room with a fireplace that I am so excited about!  I wanted a fireplace in our last house so bad but we couldn't afford to do it so this time around I made sure we could.  Our plan is to put the TV above the fireplace.  I know this is one of those debates that you should or your shouldn't do that.  We honestly like it and we'll do it.  Done. 

This is walking out of our front hallway.  The front entry, basement staircase, and our office are all behind me.

It's hard really get a sense of this but here we are upstairs.  Lots of temporary supports are still up so pictures don't really work so well.  I figured I'd share but it'll look more like a room later on and I'll share then.  This area I'm in will be our loft.

Here's the lovely and amazing, did I say amazing ::big smiles:: hubby and I.  He really is the best husband anyone could ask for.  He works hard and does everything to make me happy...he's doing a great job.

Christine

We have walls

Once the framing starts on a house it's truly exciting.  Again, without ceilings and actual drywall, it looks smaller than it is.  I still can't wrap my head around this one but let's move on.

There she is, only one story so far and I think it looks so funny.  I don't know why but I laughed when we pulled up.  It just looked so small to me compared to the other finished homes.  The garage isn't framed yet but you can see the foundation there on the left.

There's Jason standing in what will be the walkway between the living room and kitchen.   

This is our morning room, as they call it.  We plan on using this space as our dinning room and I love that we have windows on all sides.  There is so much natural light flooding into the house.  We back up to a pond so it's nice to have the view of the water.  At our old house we had trees in our backyard which was great for privacy but not so fun for all the leaves that fell each year.  This house is going to be great since there's none of that.  I do miss that view though but Jay is excited for the pond view.

Another view from in the corner of the living room looking out.  The kitchen is across, along with our garage entry and powder room.  

Progress is progress and this has been coming along quickly so far.  Once the second story is up I'll share that!  Thanks for stopping by.

Christine