grow grow grow

Our credenza and window sill are slowly being taken over by plants. Many of them were given to me from a friend. I love having that splash of green everywhere I look, especially when I get to find glass jars and other containers for them to live in :-) I think one of my favorite containers that I used for a recent succulent is my cow that had an original purpose of pouring creamer into a morning cup of coffee.

Settling in

       Sometimes it is just too hard to say "no" to something that is free. Last week my husband had an opportunity to say "no", to,  well basically, a whole living room set. Did we already have 2 couches, a coffee table, 4 chairs, and 2 credenzas? Yes, but what's one more couch, chair, table, and shelf?! With that said, our house was a bit of a disaster for a few days until we finally figured out how to redesign our whole main level. We decided to eliminate the playroom/art room and make that a t.v. room with 2 couches right next to each other. Luckily, the rest of our furniture fit perfectly in the main living space which has become my favorite room in the house.
    
      This morning I was able to snap a few shots of our living room before the kids got all their toys out and we also devoured some waffles with home made raspberry sauce!

All art work was done by my grandpa and Jeremy's grandpa

happy thursday!

One more day until the weekend! We have had a very relaxing week thus far. Right now I am sitting in the living room watching Ruby take the cushions off the couch to make what she calls "a jumping bean place!" As she is jumping on the cushions, and jumping on the bare couch, I wonder how many more broken bones are going to be in her future...hopefully zero! I am not sure though because she is one very active and ambitious little girl.

One thing we've acquired by moving back to Seattle are a few new roommates. One is an old friend of the family, the other is his twin brother, and last but not least is this cuddly friend, Memphis.

It sure is nice to have a friend around for our dog Wyatt. They play all day long, lick each other’s wounds when hurt, share food and toys, and cuddle on the couch together. It’s pretty darn cute!

One amazing thing about our house is the fire place. It has all the original tile work and heats the whole main level of the house. Ruby is always the first on the scene to help gather fire wood and is very attentive to the fire. She always yells, “We need more wood, the fire is almost gone!”   She is such a helper, I love that about her!  Well, I better be off…it’s a clear day which means it’s time for a walk to the park, and maybe a little snack at the coffee shop J

Sean and Ruby enjoying their hard work starting the fire



A very proud Ruby after helping daddy make kindling for the fire





A little friendly ram I picked up for Shepherd in the sale section at Anthropologie




Jeremy's delicious birthday cake : carrot cake, cream cheese frosting, and a pecan topping!




Little Shep, getting so big!





Playing on my old doll quilt made by my mom when I was three. It is shared by all in the house...kids, parents, and sometimes the doggies.



House remodel

        One trip over the mountains, equaling up to three house moves in 6 months, and the adjustment to living not by the city, has brought us to this house in Yakima. Back in July we were in crunch time, attempting to get our rental house to a livable state by August 1st. What started as a house full of unkempt men, homeless and not, now has turned upside down only because of the heart and drive my husband has for his family and for following the Lord. This house has been a portfolio in and of itself. To start with a house full of junk, bugs, cigarette butts everywhere, and a stench that was indescribable, is a feat not everyone is capable of undertaking, but he took it head on and put all of his sweat, blood, and tears into it. (no real tears were shed in the making of this houseJ)

            Unfortunately, we were caught up in all the work and did not take pictures of the house untouched, but we did manage to get some pictures of the middle stages of the house remodel…Here are the before and after photos!

Jeremy put in all the wainscoting, sanded and refinished the floors, and we painted EVERYTHING!







Jeremy added the two cabinets you see on the right of the photo, relocated the fridge to make more counter space in the kitchen, put down OSB flooring, made new countertops, widened the doorway from kitchen to bedroom, and the list continues!



This house by far has been the best fit for our family. It displays everything we are passionate about in design and includes everything we need to function as a family…except for the fact that my hands serve as our dishwasher. Wah wah wah. It seems a bit strange to now be leaving this house that we worked so hard on, but we enjoyed every second of it and spent very little money in the process. It’s what we love to do together as a couple…design, build, and well, in our case move away. (not too fond of the moving part!)

            Materials bought:         OSB plywood for flooring $50

                                                Cleaning supplies…lots of it! $45

                                                Bathroom sink $30

                                                Paint $75

                                                Polyurethane $25

                                                Misc. materials $125

                                                Bathroom floor $35

Total cost of remodel…$385!