everything but the kitchen sink

Long time since my last post, and now I'm updating from the comfort of our all set up extra bedroom! We took the chaise from our old couch and brought it up here since it was always my favorite place to sit, and also added Dan's old dresser and the extra tv with the gamecube Brendan gave us. It's working out great and it's been nice having more than just our bedroom to hang out in since so much of the rest of the house is still being worked on.

So, lots of updating to do! Currently, the living room is pretty much ready to go, but we still have the couch under plastic since everything else on the 1st floor is dirty and dusty and all together a big mess. The mantle is refinished and looks AMAZING, and I love the paint color, which I had custom mixed at Lowe's.

Dan painting!

In the dining room, Dan finished patching the hole that was here when we bought the place... but then found some water damage and had to tear out and replace a whole other section of the wall. Sigh. Luckily, that is now also done and we just need to sand and add one more coat of compound before that room will be ready for paint.

The kitchen is still non-existent, but now coming along a bunch this week, which I'm excited about! Kevin helped Dan with the patching last night, so just like the dining room, that will be ready for paint in the next day or two. I picked up my paint last night and we have our cabinets here waiting to be installed (hopefully this weekend!)... so we are literally ready to go with everything but the kitchen sink, which we still need to pick out.

Here's the guys hanging out in the kitchen:

Most exciting for me... I started painting the bathroom last night, and it's my all time favorite color - TURQUOISE!!!! "Tropical Waters" to be exact - it's bright and fun and I absolutely love it. And, it will match the shower curtain I want from the post below PERFECTLY. Dez came over and we got the first coat up, and as we got more and more of the walls covered we got more and more excited about the color. Dan is a little overwhelmed with it, but has been wonderful about letting me take the lead on decorating this place and continues to say "Whatever makes you happy!" THAT statement alone makes me happy :) It's great that he's trusting me with the looks of our house even if I am pushing the limits a bit. I've had people tell me that they're afraid of color and would never paint rooms as un-neutrally as I am... but I figure it's just paint and if it ends up being a disaster it's an easy fix! This entire process of having a house is a whole new world for me, and I decided a long time ago to have as much fun with it as possible. Either way, the bathroom is shaping up to be a bright and cheery room, and I can't wait to see it finished. We picked up a new vanity tonight and already have a new medicine cabinet - we'll put all of that in after the painting is done.

Here's Dez painting... the color matches her shirt!

SO, this week is shaping up to be really productive and so far, a lot of fun. Hopefully I'll have lots more pictures coming in the next several days as we get further along in the kitchen and start to REALLY finally settle in. I'm looking forward to hanging things on the walls, decorating, and starting to have this place feel like a home and not just a house we're crashing in!

As a promise to my mom, who is my most avid follower... I'll be posting more often now that I have internet at home! :)

One more picture before I call it a night... Dan's new nephew!!!! I absolutely cannot wait to visit with him! Meet Michael the Baby, born November 12 to proud parents Mike and Kim.

(I picked a sleeping picture because I think it is absolutely PRECIOUS. He is adorable!)