Twas the Day…

..that our new house literally kicked mine and Michael’s butt.

{ We were happy to let it do it though! }

Only one day in, and our house literally has our sweat and blood in it’s pours. I thought cleaning blinds was hard work? Ha! I became very friendly with a pair of pliers, a hammer, and a screwdriver today… I did good. Little Miss Homeowner. I found myself longing for a tool belt of some kind!

This is a bit of our fun today…

But first- the photo that every new homeowner should have! I love this photo that the sign- taker- down-er guy took for us- this is really such an incredible moment  { I wish the kids could have been in this photo too- and um maybe more of the house. lol!  }

What a dream come true! Our first home! I smile every time I think of it! There was a time in my life when I thought I would never actually get to own my very own home, one of my very biggest desires seemed impossible and so out of reach- and look at us now!  Thank you God!

This is just a side peak of our house, it really doesn’t show the property off  well, as it is only a tiny section of what we own. I was on my way back inside and quickly shot it. One day soon I will give you all the real look at our land- it is truly awesome!

This carpet was a complete comedy. You should have seen Michael and I trying to shove it down into our basement. It was heavy! Michael also took that cabinet in the upper right away from the wall. It is a cute piece but doesn’t make sense in the living room. Apparently the living room was also used as a dining room at some point. There are large water stains right under that oddly placed ceiling fan, …right where a table would have been.

So the carpet…after getting nowhere with it,  we took a little carpet break, and ate a cheese sandwich, on our window seat, enjoying our beautiful view. It really is breathtaking. We are in the heart of a city, but it feels like we are in the country when I look out that window. I love it. I kept shaking my head. How amazing it is, that for years to come we get to look out that window.

So after lunch, we huffed and we puffed and we blew that blue carpet down. It was a beast. Eventually we were able to get er done ( or if i was to be real honest- Michael got er done! ) It will go in the kids makeshift playroom. It is awesome that we have a whole “other” house underneath us!  One day we will put egress windows down there, and make two more bedrooms, a bathroom, a rec room, and a studio for Michael.

But back to today…

We started by ripping out all the nail boards, nails, and staples out of the hardwood floor. Sounds easy, and it was for the most part. But as fast as we were moving, it took us almost all day just to get that done. It was super tedious work, and every single nail etc . had to be pulled up. Whoever put that carpet down was bent on it never coming up again!

During our work, we found some eclectic tile in the coat closet that we are going to keep, we also uncovered a tiled entry way for the door, that we are super excited about!

Another discovery of the day was that the walls in the living room used to be a lime green, as was the previous carpet. So funny. A Cotton Candy pink kitchen and a Lime Green Living room. Wow!

Other big house news is that our friends came over in the evening and tore down all that hideous wallpaper in the kitchen! I want to jump for joy. I was truly dreading that task, and now I don’t have to do it anymore! I just get to paint the walls my beloved London Fog. Which by the way was ridiculously expensive. Holy Cow Benjamin Moore. It is just paint- it is not as if you put real London Fog in a can…..but beautiful it will be…

I conquered those nails, and was pretty proud of myself.

Almost ready to sand…. I am so stinking excited! And thankful to Michael for taking on such a big monster! He is amazing!

Here he is posing for me. I had to put the camera back in the car, because it got super dusty- but I think he is hot, all dirty and sweaty! Well, was hot…and then he put on a mask, and goggles, and some of the cuteness factor faded!

He is still at the house. Working. Making our Home lovely. We decided not to stain the wood. It is a beautiful white oak underneath all that yellowish poly. We are going to put a clear water based poly over the sanded floors, and keep the color it is. I can not wait to see the final outcome. Michael has never done this before, and I am proud of him for trying! He had just started sanding when it was time for me to go, so I am dying to get back to the house in the morning to see his progress!

It has been so much fun to work together, side by side. Intent on the same purpose. I don’t take any of this for granted. These past few days have truly been wonderful, and the best parts are yet to come!