SLLLlllllooooowwwlllyyy

We are very slowly settling into our new home.  We officially moved in the end of January, but it has been a long process and we still have VERY far to go.  I am really excited about the process.  It's fun to be making changes to a place, knowing that it is OURS and I can do exactly what I want to it!

I thought perhaps posting a few changes might give me encouragement in how far we have come, as well as to let you know ideas that I have still in the works.  Of course budget is the number one thing that holds us back.  I don't want to go deep into debt just to decorate my house.  We will get there.  I am often inspired by friends I know that tell how they have been in their homes for years and are still getting them where they want them to be.  I was discouraged today.  I tried to hang a mirror in our room that has been sitting since we moved.  It has VERY specific measurements, and it needs anchors in the wall to hang it properly.  I measured...three times.  Still off.  I got the anchors installed perfectly and we went to hang it and...no go.  It was 1/2 an inch off.  GRRR!!!  Now we have to refill that hole, and try to redrill the holes yada yada.  Ugh.  Oh well.

Here are some pics and what I'm wanting.

The Living Room
This is going to be our more formal living room, once the downstairs is done.  I won't even BEGIN to post pictures of that...we have so much work left to do.  The living room is coming along really well though!

We painted the paneled wall, and the mantel.  We don't want to do anything to the fireplace, because we are thinking that when we make it gas we will change it a lot.  I finally hung curtains, we put in new floors, painted the walls, and we are working on the rest.  I have my eye on an area rug at Costco.  There are a few more things to do and then it will be done!  The pictures show the old room and the reno on top and where we are now on the bottom.

The Dining Room
We still have A LOT to do in here.  We need a new light fixture, but are looking for the right one.  I also want to buy an old dresser off of Craigslist and paint it black to use for my china.  I have an awesome idea for the wall, a huge wall of photos, that I can't wait to finish.  I don't know if I'm going to do a window treatment for the doors or not.  I'm pretty minimalist, so I don't think it needs it.  We have painted and put in new floors so far.  That's it!  We love the dining room!  Every single dinner we eat there as a family, and Rusty and Daddy share breakfast there in the mornings.  Obviously our current dining room is the bottom photo.

The Entryway
Oh this entry.  It really is coming along, but is still a huge frustration for me.  I can't find the right storage for shoes, so I'm looking for someone to make the bench for me. I know exactly what I want.  I also want to put up some shelves and some hooks for coats.  I plan to put lower hooks for Rusty and higher ones for us.  What we have done is paint, put in a new light fixture, retile-the tile made a HUGE difference!  We still need to put in new rails for the stairs and finish painting the kickboards.  The photo on the left shows the entry as it is now, the middle was in progress and the right was the before.

Kitchen
I don't have pics for the kitchen.  We are still a work in progress.  I am in the process of priming the cabinets...hoping to finish painting them soon.  We have put in a garburator and dishwasher-yahoo!  We still need to get a new tap, and finish off the cabinets.  Then I think we will basically be done!

It is fun to work on this place slowly and see it coming together.  My goal is always a nice, warm  home.  I strive to create a place where people feel comfortable.  I'm slowly working my way there.  I have a lot to do, but I love the creative process!  Look for more updates in the future!