On Ice!

We had such a great Sunday together as a family.  I just love our weekends...so many great memories made!  This weekend was no different.

First, we hopped in the car after lunch and drove around to look for some open houses.  We love to look at houses, but we don't do it often because it gives Jarrod ideas and all of a sudden he wants to buy a new house.  :)  Usually, we find a house that one of us loves and the other is just so-so about, but on Sunday, we found a house that we both LOVED!  Of course, we can't buy for close to two more years because of the short sale on our Ohio home AND this house was about 75,000 more than we can afford, but you know...we can dream!  It was gorgeous and it was right by Gavin's school.  That's one of my biggest dreams...to be able to walk the kids to school.  I'd LOVE that so much!

Back to the house - it had a gorgeous white kitchen....the more houses I look at the more I fall in love with light, white kitchens.  This house had more than enough room for us.  We most definitely wouldn't outgrow it - four bedrooms AND a gigantic bonus room.  I kept visualizing all the things we could put in that bonus room.  A sleeper sofa for guests with a big TV, all our toys, a sewing/craft station....  The laundry room had built in cubbies with hooks for coats and backpacks, plus a drawer we could use for each person's shoes.  Underneath the stairs was even a little place we could us for a storm shelter. As you can see, I've already moved in inside my head! 

After falling in love with the house, we surprised the kids with their first trip to the ice skating rink.  Unfortunately, the smallest skate size they had was a 9; Riley only wears a 6.  So, they wouldn't let her skate, but she was surprisingly ok with it and Gavin was excited to try it out, so we went!  They were so thoughtful though - they let us pay for one adult and Jarrod and I traded skates so we could each make a couple laps with him while the other entertained Riley. 

He wanted Daddy to go first...
 

 Considering Jarrod and I haven't been on ice skates since we were teenagers, getting back on them ourselves AND trying to help a very wobbly 5 year old was a little challenging.  But, they made a lap around the rink and after a short break, Gavin was ready to go out again!

I honestly thought Gavin would be ready to be done after one lap.  He kept saying it was hurting his hands when Jarrod was trying to hold him up, so he ended up grabbing hold of the side and walking himself around.  The have little walkers for the kids, but they were all being used so we had to make do without.  He really was enjoying it!

 

While Daddy was skating with Gavin, I chased this beauty around while she collected leaves and waved to Gavin through the glass.

Then, instead of saying he was done like I expected, Gavin was ready for me to join him on the ice.  As hard as it was for him, he really seemed to enjoy it!  And, it was nice that a walker got turned in and we were able to try one.  I'm excited for Riley to get bigger so we can go skating as a family (but that probably won't happen for another couple years).

Repurpose Project!

Yay!  I'm so excited to share this with you all.  First....the back story.

This whole thing came about last spring when Riley was beginning to get mobile and started crawling, rolling, and then walking to the TV stand and pushing all the buttons on the devices, pulling books off the shelf, etc.  I decided I wanted a new entertainment console and I really wanted everything to be enclosed.  Well, we started looking, and we couldn't agree on anything, or the ones we liked were crazy expensive.  Then one day I found one that I just fell in love with...

But, then I found out it was $1400...and if I just wanted the base piece, it was $800.  So, scratch that idea.  Back to the drawing board...  Then, I saw this repurposed dresser on Pinterest and I loved it!  It took some time, but I finally convinced Jarrod that I thought we should try something like this.

After doing some more Pinterest searching, it became evident to me that I was really into this distressed white look.  Like, really loving it!  I started pinning all kinds of ideas and tips for painting furniture and started researching a paint that friends told me about, Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. {Here are some of the links I used for inspiration:

Shades of Amber

Little Yellow Barn

Design Indulgence

Next step...we finally found a dresser!  We got this bad boy for $35 from Craigslist.  And let me tell you...this thing is heavy!

 My helpers, all ready to go!

So, we decided to go for the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint despite it costing more than your traditional paint.  You can do some research online, but the ease of it sold me.  No sanding, so priming!  And, it dries super quick.  So, we washed the dresser down with hot soapy water and removed the hardware.  Then we played with it to decide which drawers were going to become the shelves.  Once we decided, we got started.  I chose the Old White color of paint and her clear wax.  I painted two coats on the whole dresser and all the drawers in a matter of about 3 hours.  

Then, we cut some wood for the shelves.  Now, we're not trained woodworkers or anything, so they're not perfect, but they do the job and they're made by us, so they're even more special. :)  We cut holes in the back for the cords, and then I spray painted the inside of the back with black so that it wouldn't be as obvious.

Next, we applied the wax.  I used a brush to apply a thin coat of her clear wax, and the wiped the excess off with a t-shirt.  Once that dried, I used a sanding block to distress the piece.  Lastly, we applied another coat of wax to protect it all.  If you're going to do this, I'd suggest searching You Tube for some videos so you understand the whole wax thing.  I saw some after the fact, and wish I would've seen them before waxing.

Lastly, came the search for the hardware.  Lesson learned...for my next repurposing project, I'll make the current hardware is presentable and can be spray painted.  The hardware on this dresser was hideous.  So, we pitched them.  But....finding hardware to fit these holes was next to impossible.  The end result was that we 1.) spent way more on hardware than I was intending, and 2.) had to drill new holes for the top drawers.  

The end result is a piece I'm so proud of, even if it's not 100% perfect.  I love that we did it together, and I love that it's supposed to be distressed....so if it gets beat up by the kids or the vacuum, it's not the end of the world!

 Can't wait to do another project!

 {After all was said and done, we spent about $170 on this project.  But, we have enough paint left to do another project, enough wax left to probably do two more projects, and the cost of the dresser also included a gigantic mirror that we're going to work on for our house, too.}

Listed

Very bittersweet, but our house is listed for sale.  Over the past couple of months, we've been on a rollercoaster of emotions dealing with our Ohio home, and sadly, it's come to the need to short sale the home.  Is it what we originally wanted to do?  No.  But it was the option we had to go with because it made the most sense, and now I'm just anxious for the process to be over with and for us to be able to move on.  But, it still hit me when I saw that it had been listed today.  Looking at the pictures was emotional.  That was our first house together; the house that we celebrated our first wedding anniversary in by cooking out and sleeping on the futon mattress because everything hadn't been moved in yet.  We knew it wouldn't be our forever home, but it was Gavin's first house, and that made it even more special.  I remember bringing him home and taking our picture in our front yard.  The thought of it not being ours anymore kinda makes me sad, but it's just another chapter in our lives and we get to move on the next.  Despite it's small size, I loved that house.  The covered patio and beautiful backyard.  Gavin's adorable nursery.  Our hardwood floors and the paint colors.  An amazing neighbor that we still miss.  Hopefully it won't take long for it to sell and we can move on, build up our credit again, and purchase another home that we love even more and start making memories in it.  Fingers crossed for a quick and easy sale.

Thirteen Thursday

If money were no issue, my 'Dream House' would have....

1. A large covered deck/screened patio so we can enjoy dinners outside.
2. A gorgeous wrap-around porch with a swing.
3. Four bedrooms, plus a bonus room.
4. An inground pool, with a 'pool house/guest house' for our family, and a hot tub.
5. A walk-in pantry.
6. A place in the yard big enough for a vegetable garden.
7. Several wood burning fireplaces - one in the living room and master bedroom for sure!
8. A half-bath for guests to use, so they don't have to use Gavin's.
9. An outdoor firepit.
10. A kitchen big enough for an island with barstools.
11. A laundry room that had a counter in it for folding clothes.
12. Mature trees that offer some shade....I hate not having any trees around us right now.
13. A 3 car garage - so we can each park in the garage and still have room for our junk! 

A tour of the house!

I have been promising pictures for a while, so here they are! I realize that many of you will probably never get to Arkansas for a visit, so this is where we're living for now. Enjoy! (And know that you're always welcome to visit!)

As I started this, I realized I don't have a good picture of the front of the house. This one will have to do! :)Here is the backyard. Since I took this picture, we also got Gavin's climber that he received for his birthday. It's on the other side of the yard. I tried to post the pictures as you'd see the rooms when you come into the house. As soon as you walk in, there is a room to your right with french doors that we're using as Gavin's playroom. You can see I had fun decorating it with some posters like it was my classroom. :) The table is for me to use to scrapbook or work on Journal Jars while Gavin plays.

If you hadn't turned right into the playroom, you would have entered the living room. We love the high ceilings and that it has a fireplace. Can't wait to use that this winter! :) We love how the mantle is coming together, too.

Off the living room to the left is our master bedroom and bathroom. We're not big fans of the patio door blinds, but it isn't our home to change them, so we're dealing. We really love the bathroom, with the exception of the shower stall. It's way too small and reminds me of showering in the dorms at college.

Off the living room is the eat-in kitchen. We'd love to have a bigger space for our dining room table, but this serves the purpose. I love that it overlooks the backyard because I can see Gavin playing if I come in to make lunch or get dinner started. And, we love all the cabinets!!!

The first bedroom on the right wing of the house is what we're using for our guest room/office right now. We'd love to get a more comfortable bed and an actual desk in here soon, but they just aren't in the budget for now.

And the last part of the house is Gavin's room and bathroom. We're not huge fans of the dark walls, but it works. He's doing great with his big boy bed and loves to read his books in there.

We hope you liked the house! It's much better in person, so let us know if you want to see it for yourself! :)

Where are we moving to?

Well, we got back from Arkansas late last night (since we volunteered to forfeit our seats in exchange for free plane tickets....brave with a toddler, huh?) It was a very long four days spent driving around in a tiny, compact rental car trying to learn more about our new region.

It was quite a culture shock. I don't know when I've ever seen so many cows. But, it is definitely not just farm land. There are a ton of shopping areas and restaurants, probably more than we have here in NY. There's a really nice outdoor area that reminded me of Ohio. It was like The Greene or Rookwood, and I can see myself walking around with Gavin when the weather's nice. I love that we'll have access to the Walton Life Family Center, which is the rec area. I'll be able to work out again while Gavin goes to the adorable child care area, and they have a ton of classes I can sign up for with Gavin, like swim lessons and a Moms and Tots class that sounds like a tumbling class.

There are definitely constant reminders that we're in the south. We passed restaurants called "Slim Chickens" and "Pig and Whistle." There was an advertisement for the 3rd Annual "Are You Smarter than a Hog" trivia contest on the radio. People refer to carts and shopping bags as buggies and sacks.

Even though there was a lot of traffic, neighborhoods everywhere, and shopping centers galore, it already felt like it was a slower pace of life. It's definitely different....but hopefully something we all adjust to and begin to enjoy. I remember that first drive up here to visit New York and how I kept thinking it was so different, and I grew to love it here. So, I'm hoping the same thing happens with Arkansas.

Our house-hunting didn't go quite like I planned. By the time we got there, all of our top choices were already rented. We also quickly learned that we needed a fenced yard. Most of the houses are built quite close together, so if we didn't have a fence, Shirley would definitely be spending a lot of time in our neighbors yards. After talking with the realtor we worked with, we decided to bump our rent limit up a bit to find what would truly make us happy. So, this is the house we decided on, for just $75 more than we pay here in New York for our 2 bedroom apartment! It's a 4 bedroom/2 bath home in Bentonville. If traffic isn't bad, it's only a short 8 minute drive or so for Jarrod to get to work. We love the kitchen and the fact that it came with a refrigerator. Most didn't, and we didn't really want to have to buy one. Jarrod loves that it's so close to 'civilization,' as he calls it, but also within distance from a farm. He walked Gavin down the street to say hi to the 'moos' (cows) when we were there visiting.

Here is the 4th bedroom, which has really cute french doors. We're probably going to use this as a playroom until we need the space for a guest room. For now, the 3rd bedroom will be the guest room.

Our master bedroom....love the tray ceiling. Don't like the blinds.

Can't wait to rest in the jacuzzi tub!!!

Living room with a nice fireplace. :)

Funny how the living room has an accent wall, and the colors are pretty much identical to the wall colors in our home in Ohio.

The kitchen. Yay for more cabinets and counterspace!!!! I only wish it was more open to the living room.

This will probably be Gavin's room. We're negotiating with the owners now about repainting it since it's so dark, but if they don't give in, we'll make it work. I'm picturing that little nook between the closets with a bean bag chair and a basket of books for reading. :)

This is the major downside for me....the yard is tiny. But, it is bigger than we have now at the apartment, it's fenced, and the front yard is big enough to play in as well. The other contender (which we decided against because it was only 3 bedrooms and was on a busy street) had a much nicer yard.

This house doesn't have a separate dining room. It's an eat-in kitchen, so I hope our table fits ok in it. The bedrooms are on the small side, but we have 4 of them! :) I'm so excited to create a playroom for Gavin with a train table. And to know that I will be able to open the back door and let Shirley go out sounds like heaven to me!

Look for more pictures tomorrow from our trip! Now, we just have to wait patiently for moving day.