You Move It...You Loose It!

JB just thought his new recliner was his....

New Year, New Home, New Decor, NewModeling...

As you all have probably read, we found a house here in G'ville after looking for about 6 months. We closed on Dec. 11th and started remodeling the same day.

I know...CRAZY! Why didn't we wait until after the holidays? Well, we have a habit of planning but never actually doing. There were remodeling projects that I wanted to do at our previous house in Madison...they were well planned but we never followed through. The money we had saved for the "best laid plans" always seemed to used for something other than our remodeling ideas.

So, to avoid the same procrastination, we decided to go ahead and JUST DO IT. (Nike would be proud). Seriously, if we didn't go ahead...and waited on January or a later date we probably would have spent the money on something else or just wouldn't feel like doing it. Plus, once you've started something and you demolition to the point of not having a usable kitchen...makes for a great incentive to finish.

Of course, as usual, when you start the "what seems to be a simple project" you run into complications and unplanned discoveries and those always make for set-backs. However, honestly, we haven't had any major set backs, just some minor ones dealing with the kitchen cabinet doors.

The kitchen is our biggest remodeling project. The previous kitchen had been remodeled to the previous owner's liking which did not match mine. Her taste was modern/contemporary whereas mine is more traditional with some modern accents. The countertops were black granite tiles. I know, I'm crazy for ripping out granite tiles. However, it wasn't pure black instead it had specks of silver that shined like metal accents. This made the kitchen feel more industrial. I am replacing it with ceramic tiles. The color is Imperial Slate Rust. The colors include red, brown, and black. I am hoping this will give the kitchen a more traditional, warm and welcoming feel while keeping it "sellable" if and when the time ever comes. We also had to turn some pull-out shelves into stationary shelves to accomadate for the new doors.

The cabinets were stark white with plywood doors. Again adding to a more modern, industrial feel. Instead of ripping out all the cabinets, we are just having new cabinet doors custom made. I am replacing the previous with raised panel doors with intentions to give it a more traditional feel.

As for cabinet colors...the verdict is still out. I want the top cabinets to be an off-white, creamy, ivory color and the bottom cabinets to be a low-luster black. I would LOVE and APPRECIATE any opinions to this option of color choice. JB is not too keen on the idea of black cabinets but I think it would add some modern touches yet keep it traditional.

I am NOT a decorator and I am certainly not an interior designer; therefor, I am doing this based on my own ideas. So, I could use any advise on color choices for the cabinets and walls.

The floors are definitely not gonna match the countertops. But they will have to wait to be replaced at a later time. They are ceramic and I just don't feel like tearing those up right now. Plus the money will eventually run out.

There is a sunken bonus room down from the living room. We added French Doors to close it off from the living area. The bonus room will be used as JB's office, a guest room, the "Wii Woom" and also a sitting room with company if need be. We already have his desk in place, a double bed, a TV hooked up to the satellite with the Wii and its accessories. I have plans to repaint a couch and have new cushions made to match the bedding.

The master bathroom is rather small indicative of the era this house was built. There was a pedestal sink which didn't allow for any countertop space. And you know a girl needs space when it comes to getting ready. So we bought a simple cabinet with a countertop at Lowe's. I am so proud of JB...he installed it himself...the plumbing and cabinet. The pic below is similar to what we installed but not the exact one (just to give you an idea)We have repainted the master bedroom, the living room, the hallway and the bonus room. The master bedroom went from mint green to a khaki green. The living room went from a creamy yellow to the same khaki green. The bonus room was previously used a media room. It went from dark navy to a gray khaki. I am not that crazy about the grayish khaki...but it's what JB liked and I couldn't find a color that looked right. The lighting in there is different that the paint samples I put on the walls would turn out so different from the way they looked in the can at the store. So I just "went with it" b/c I had already tried 10 different samples and this was the least drastic.

I am so mad at myself for not taking before pictures. My camera was actually packed while taking down the cabinet doors and painting the walls and I just didn't think to take pics of the tile before ripping it out.

I have to disclose this...NONE of this would be doable if it weren't for my dad. He has made the trip up here for 3 weeks now, going home on the weekends. He has worked endlessly trying to get this house into a home for us. There are no words and or money to express my appreciation for his willingness to do this for me. His work has been the most blessed way of showing how much he loves me.

We are currently waiting on the cabinet doors. They said today that they should be ready by the end of this week or next Monday at the latest. I ordered my tiles for the countertops today and they should be in tomorrow. We were hoping to install the doors, finish painting the doors and then lay the tile. But it's not gonna work that way. So to make the best of my dad's time up here, we are gonna start laying the countertop tomorrow.

As I mentioned in previous posts...I DO NOT recommend doing this during the holidays. All this chaos kinda made the holidays slip by without much notice. Unless, I have to do it...I will not do it this way again.

I can't wait for this house to become a home. I look forward to hosting friends, fellowships and family in our new home.

Merry Christmas 2009

I haven't had much time to blog. I DO NOT recommend moving and remodeling in December for obvious reasons. However, I am taking a moment to wish y'all a Merry Christmas. We have so much to be thankful for and to be Merry but the most is the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ!

PS. Several asked how did a get such a good pic...well, it all started in early November:

I thought since being in the Delta, I would attempt some pics in a cotton field. 5 minutes we were there and a cotton picker drives up and runs us out of the field. And the few pics I got of the boys...they are more interested in looking at the machine than the camera. And none of the pics show any sign of smiles and "good will toward men". It took 3 different photo sessions for me to finally get a decent pic. And the one I finally got was a "happen stance" out of about 20. They accidentally bumped heads and I happened to snap the pic at the right time to catch them both smiling. The other 19 are of them crying with huge tears and snot b/c they are too cold to smile. I have to admit, it was one of the coldest days we had but I was determined, come pneumonia or colds, we were gonna have a Christmas picture. So to those that got a card, you better frame and hang that picture and have it displayed when I visit. The trouble I went through to get that pic...I'm just saying.

December 9, 2000

JB and I have been married 9 years today. It's an understatement to just say that much has changed and happened within these past 9 months. However, our love continues to grow stronger as the years continue to pass.

I am blessed to be married to such a godly man that has taken care of me for 9 years and trust him even more as we grow in the years to come.

We spent this past weekend in Birmingham to celebrate. This was only our 2nd time to actually celebrate our anniversary doing something other than just a local dinner. I new it would be hard to celebrate in years to come when I decided to get married in December. But this year has brought about so much change to our family...that JB insisted we get away for a few days and it couldn't have come at a better time than now.

We had planned to go to the zoo for their Christmas light display but the weather changed that idea. Instead we visited the Birmingham Museum of Art to view their Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness Exhibit. It was actually really good despite my un-appreciation of art.

JB made reservations at Satterfields. A childhood friend of mine is the Executive Chef. Thanks to him, we had a delicious meal with alot of extras. If you live in the Birmingham area or visiting and like a quaint intimate setting with fabulous food, I highly recommend Satterfields.

Later that night we caught the late showing of The Blind Side at the Summit. We both enjoyed the movie very much...especially since it's the first time we've gone to the movies in years. We walked out of the movie to our surprise, it was snowing. Kinda neat since it snowed where we spent our honeymoon.

The next morning we did a little shopping at the Galleria. That afternoon we visited with JB's brother and his wife who live in B'ham. We watched the SEC championship game with them and then headed back to Demopolis that night where the boys were staying with JB's parents.

Thank you, Lord, for the man you created for me. Thank you for the love he has for me through you. I pray that you continue to lead him as my husband, as a father, a business manager, and as a soldier for you.

An anniversary is a time to celebrate the joys of today, the memories of yesterday, and the hopes of tomorrow.

First Tennis Lesson

It just so happens that the seller, Shawn, of our soon-to-be house was the tennis pro at Cypress Hills here in G'ville.

When signing the contract, he invited the boys to participate in his last night to teach tennis lessons to their age group. He was even so kind to let them participate for FREE! So we definitely took advantage of it. Furthermore, it was so cold that evening, they boys ended up with a private lesson due to no other participants.

I wish I had known about him before they moved. He offered lessons 2 nights a week for 1 hour at only $5.00 per child. I hope the next Pro they hire offers the same. There is no commitment nor registration fees. You just show up, pay then play. I like this arrangement as you don't have to commit which allows room for flexibility due to weather conditions, illness, or prior engagements.

The boys loved it. It was their first time to actually participate in an organized sporting event. And Shawn was really good with them. Within the only hour of lesson, they boys never grew disinterested. I hope this a good sign to come. JB and I agree that we would like for the boys to try tennis at some point. And with such an arrangement, it might be even more possible.

What to Cook?

If you are looking for some new recipes for your upcoming holiday parties and family gatherings...



Stop by and visit Taste and See for some delicious tried and true recipes.

Why the Delay?

Ok, when there is a delay in blog postings, it's usually due to the lack of time. So I interrupt this busy schedule of mine for a moment of blogging

Here's currently why I haven't posted much lately:

I am monogramming lack mad trying to get Christmas orders done and my own personal gifts

We are trying to close on a house

We have to be out of the apartment before Dec. 31st.

Everything has to be out of storage by Dec 31st.

JB only has a few days off which is taken up by traveling to visit his family in Alabama for Christmas.

We are out of town 2 of 4 weekends in December which was planned long before we found a house.

Now, I must get back to my regularly scheduled business.