much better

Here is a *little* better (terrible clutter around--I'm working on that!), more recent (as in, today!), most everything (except the crown molding and mantel!) picture of the room. And a little extra cutie in there too!

A family room we want to be together in!

This project has been semi-finished for a few months now, but I've been a little embarrassed about the blog's appearance. It wasn't looking so nice. I've made some changes! Little by little, I'm learning how to change things up around here. I decided if I was going to do this bloggin' thing as regularly as I have, I may as well learn the tricks to make it look perty! This blog was the perfect place to test out my skills. Check back for more changes and more projects completed.

We knew that this room would need some work when we bought the house, but it really wasn't the plan to complete it so soon. With a need to move some furniture around, it became obvious this room's remodel would be a priority. The hideous paneling is gone, replaced by dry wall and a beautiful blue paint. The nasty carpet is replaced with TrafficMaster's Allure (Teak Color) Resilient Vinyl plank flooring. Great stuff for a basement! We plan to continue it in Chad's room, his bathroom, and the laundry room. Eventually. The top of the fireplace has been enclosed by a nice wood bead-board paneling painted white.

Here are the pictures of our progress. Enjoy and stay tuned for the finishing touches (crown molding, a new mantel, and some fun mantel decor)! We've also painted the doors black and replaced the hardware.


Totally unexpected labor of love behind that there wall! It was a beast to take it down, but he did it with a smile (and some muscle too). :)



The pile of wall on the floor! That's how it came off -- one small chunk at a time. Bleh!



Pretty drywall! Lots of patience behind that wall, but what an accomplishment.



Bead board is up on the wall. The way the previous owners put in the new wall make it impossible for us to put drywall around the bedroom door. Our solution was this paneling that looks pretty nice, if I say so myself!



Improvement at the fireplace!






A finished floor. There are baseboards around the edges too that aren't pictured! I guess it's time for another photo shoot --- but I must finish the fireplace first.

We have a kitchen table, and it's a beauty!

I didn't even realize that Ryan had posted something about the attic until about three weeks AFTER he'd done it. The space is now FULL, with plans to extend a little for more storage. He really did a great job on this project! He's been finishing around the stairs/door in the hallway, and that looks amazing too. Once it's all painted and beautiful, we'll post another picture. It will have to wait until after the cruise though! :)

Many have asked about the table, and here it is! Ryan has always loved to work with tools but has never really put into practice what he can do. With a lot of encouragement and some loving threats (like "I'll just do it myself!") he decided he was up for the job. I could not have done it better, so I'm glad he decided to beat me to the punch on this! He also built a nifty bench for the little ones (he left the sewing to me though!). "E" especially loves this and almost always refuses to sit in his own buckle-down seat.

We have since acquired two additional older chairs from secondhand stores. It's a fun old barn house feel. Exactly what I want! There are so many other fun projects in the works. Can't wait to get to them someday, but for now I'm doing one at a time. Enjoy the pics!

More storage space!

As the list of projects for the house continues to grow, we do eventually get some of them done. Today we were able to complete the attic floor that will allow us to have our garage back as we can put all the "stuff" up and out of sight. The house only had a very small attic entrance so I had to cut a hole in the hallway ceiling and install a ladder. Due to the old nature of the house there were some issues with things being square, but after much measuring and cutting things worked out! Once the ladder was installed it was on to the floor. I have done this before, so I was able to knock this out in a timely manner. It is always fun to see the project go from the drawing board to reality as you work through it. Below are some of the pictures of the floor that will now house our buckets of "stuff."