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...

Source

Source

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