906 E. I'm never gonna leave this place...

* Warning- the following post is dangerously close to a pity party... proceed only if you are able to put up with extreme pregnancy hormones/emotions and either A) agree with me or B) KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!


Three years ago me and Ryan made the big decision to move in together.  It was a fun and exciting time in life.  While most people pick out something together, Ryan already owned a home.  So we waited for his room mate to move to Oregon and then we made the big leap into co-habitation.  At the time I didn't really think much about the house...I was blinded by love.

The house was for lack of a better word {or words} a bachelor pad.  Gross stained carpet on the floors, dated 1970's kitchen with dark red paint on the walls, bathroom with a tub that was black.  The bedrooms are small with tiny closets and the windows are old and single pain.

This is a resale nightmare and I am living it.  For the past three years I have been working my fanny off to get it on the market and each year goes by and I seem to get further and further away from that goal.  Sure I have learned a lot along the way- like don't paint your trim and doors with flat paint {wish I had found Young House Love a little sooner} and my tool belt has grown considerably.  And yeah, yeah, yeah, I did a bathroom makeover all by myself while Ryan was out of town...but what do I really have to show for it???

I'll tell you what- a to-do list that is even longer today then it was 3 years ago.  I am going to be stuck in this 900 square foot twilight zone FOREVER!  I hear that doo dee doo doo music in my head right now and I am going crazy.

How will we be able to fit a baby in here?  How are we going to put it on the market and be able to show it when we have an infant?  Where are we going to put said infant?  Are they going to tear down the house that is falling apart next door?  Are they going to sell the empty lot next to us and try to put a house on it, even though it's not zoned for a house?!?!?!?!?!??!?!??!?!?!?!?!??!!?

Can you hear the voices too?

Don't even try to look at comparable houses in our neighborhood it will just depress you you more.  They are neat and clean.  Completely remodeled, with nicer showers and bigger kitchens.  Makes me wonder will I be at 906 East forever?  Will I ever get to put that glorious for sale sigh up in my yard?

Don't get me wrong.  This house has been a great house.  It felt like home the moment I moved in.  I have been the happiest of my adult life at 906.  I started this blog.  I planned a wedding.  We came home from our honeymoon to this house.  Me and my sister in law stayed here the night before her wedding, crafting into the wee hours of the morning.  So many special memories are here but it's time for someone else to make their memories here.

So here is the nitty gritty list of what needs to be done still.  You better read it and leave me lots of comments on how sorry you feel for me.  Cause I need your pity right now people- it's the only thing that is going to get me going again.  I need to know that you have been there too.  That it's going to be better.  That someday this house is gonna be for sale.  I need to hear it!

Here are some of the before pictures just so you can get a good visual of my poor, hard working, life for the past three years...

And while we have come a long way from these pictures we still have a lot to do...

:To Do:

Kitchen

scrap around edges of window frames to get extra paint off

paint underneath upper cabinets

order end cap for counter top on right side

install vent above stove

paint ceiling and lighting medallion

stage and clean for showing

Living Room

clean ceiling with magic eraser

have carpet installed

organize coat closet

paint floor vent

clean windows inside and out

stage and clean for showing

Den

new light fixture

paint windows and scrape edges for clean lines

clean windows inside and out

paint floor vent

organize closet

stage and clean for showing

install new carpet

Bathroom

caulk around the tub

caulk around the edge of floor

paint the floor vent

new coat of black on vanity

stage and clean for showing

Spare Bedroom

install new carpet

paint trim and windows with semi gloss not flat

paint floor vent

paint chain to light white

organize closet

stage and clean for showing

Master Bedroom

install new carpet

paint trim and windows

paint ceiling

paint floor vent

organize closet

hide internet and cable wires better

stage and clean for showing

Extras

Make sure that all door surfaces are painted with semi gloss paint

finish painting the front steps and shutters

power wash siding

stain back porch

paint front door

paint entire basement {walls and floors}

clean basement out and stage for showing

have Restore come and pick up old furniture

re- gravel driveway 

work on curb appeal somehow

So what the heck have I been doing for three years?!?  Sometimes I think I have just been going in circles...So for the next 2 months I will be doing a weekly check in with new after pictures of progress we are making to keep us motivated and accountable.  

Door knobs and crockpots {instead of bed knobs and broomsticks}...

This weekend I took off 14 door knobs!  It took me two hours just to get them all off the doors.  They had been painted over many times and the screws were very hard to get out.  But after it was all said and done  I am so happy I did!  What a huge difference in our doors and savings {a little over two hundred dollars for new knobs}....and I think these glass antiquey ones are pretty cute- don't you? 

This was just the little pop of charm I need after a weekend filled with painting, cleaning, moving furniture, and adding more to my to-do list then I seem to get done.  If you have some old door knobs that need some attention this is how I did it:

*I also used some jewelry wipes {like for brass and silver} to shine them up a little bit....

Daddy don't like...

Ok...so I know it's Sunday {and Father's Day} and I don't normally blog on weekends but what the heck?  Why not?  I am up early, enjoying the peace and quiet {if you count two cats running around being crazy peace and quiet} google image-ing my heart away and I have a confession...

I WANNA PAINT MY WOOD FLOORS WHITE!!!

I know what you are thinking and my dad already told me not to do it but our floors are really damaged and there are some large stains that will not sand out!  If we have carpet installed again then we are out at least a thousand bucks, probably two.  Ew.  So that brings us to the painting option.

We are putting laminate in the kitchen and dining room {our office right now} that matched the bathroom....remember that?  I do like the wood laminate that is currently in our kitchen but it is damaged from a leak.  It has to be replaced and it's more expensive then the tile laminate that my dad is gonna help us put in.

So to help you visualize what I am going for here are a few reference points {how I convinced Ryan} for inspiration...

image via

image via

image via

I think it looks kinda wonderful and goes perfectly with what we have going on in the kitchen.  I haven't priced it out or anything yet but it has to be our cheapest option.  I guess I need to start doing some research on how to paint wood floors and see what I can come up with.  Wish me luck and hope you are out spending your fathers day with someone wonderful and fatherly!

Kitchen Update...

I love being in my new kitchen!  Just cleaning the counters gives me a little grown up thrill.  I really wish I had a before picture but I don't so let me paint you a picture...

The walls are a dark cranberry red and the windows had poker cards with pinup girls on them.  The ceiling was dingy and had streaks of the red paint on it.  The cabinets were 1970's cheapo standard wood  cabinets.  The outlet faces were painted with the red paint {well some were and some weren't}.  The sink was super shallow, the hose sprayer thingy didn't work and there was no garbage  disposal.  Plus it was freakin' dirty- I'm talking boys lived here alone for 3 years before I came around.

Now it is light, bright, and most importantly CLEAN!  All under $500 dollars...not bad.

Let there be light {and let it be pretty!}...

A couple of weeks ago I came home from Restore with more vintage suitcases and a brass chandelier.  Ryan gave me the ol' eye roll {which I had been expecting the whole ride home} and said where do you find this junk?!  He then proceeded to tell me that the suitcase looked like something Johnny Depp would use.

I proceeded to say thank you and he gave me a bewildered look.  I told him Johnny Depp was one of the most stylish guys around and if he thought that Johnny Depp would like the suitcase then I was going to take that as a compliment!

Now Ryan likes the suitcase.  Thrifting wins again!  I think a lot of people approach second hand from the wrong mentality.   I don't buy secondhand because I am poor and I can't afford new things.  Or because I like to buy crap.  I buy secondhand because it's green, it's easy on the bank, and I get a lot more stuff and its UNIQUE.  A word that is slipping away in our society I am afraid.  Who wants to dress like everyone else- not me.

I know wearing something that someone else has worn may seem "icky" to some people.  But I invest in very good detergent, dry cleaning, and tailoring.  You have to be able to know good fit, fabric quality, and look for things that are gently worn.  But ok then, maybe clothing is not for you, but there are so many other things to be found!  That's is why my heart really belongs to Restore.  With everything from paint, to tile, to yard furniture,  a crafting section, I could spend hours there.  I do spend hours there.

When I was planning my wedding the same guy would always cash me out and I know what he was thinking - oh great here comes the crazy girl that buys boxes of crap like birds and candle sticks!  But I got my entire wedding there on the cheap!  And all of my money spent went to Habitat for Humanity!  How awesome is that?

So you all are thinking, OK, we get it Ash, you love thrift stores but tell us something we don't know!  The moral of this story is this-  I got this brass chandelier for twenty dollars....

Kind of ugly right?  It's OK Ryan thought so too.  But when you remove the light bulbs and and faux- candle stick thingies like this...

Then wash the brass surface with a damp rag and soapy water, towel dry completely...

Finally tape off all electrical outlets for light bulbs...

Now you are ready to spray paint!  Take a sheet or something that can be thrown away {I used a towel} and spray paint.  You will need to make sure it will adhere to the surface you are working with.  In my case brass, so I made sure this spray paint works for brass.  Luckily I already had some on hand so spray paint was free.  {spray paint in a well ventilated area and I wear a mask cause I am a gomer like that}

I used Krylon Indoor/Outdoor in gloss.  It was different then the one pictured above because that can decided that he was not going to work and be a waste of 5 dollars- grrrrrr!  So I used Celery Green instead and you know what?  I love it, so take that can of spray paint who has it's own mind, I don't need you anyway...Cause now I have this purdy light for my farmhouse chic kitchen now.   I am glad it's green instead of almond like the cabinets.  Gives it a little more pop...

I am a little more then slightly obsessed with it.  And Ryan has already come around and now thinks it's pretty cool as well.  We have a ceiling pendant to go around it but we are unsure whether to paint it the same color as the light or the ceiling {which will be cotton white flat finish}  To bad neither of us knows how to install a light so we are on the mercy of handy friends until then.  Looks like I need to get my cookbook out and see what kind of bribes I can come up with!

*PS-  Wait till you see what else I have been doing in my kitchen!  I am still finishing a few projects up {and recovering from a horrible migraine}  So it might be next week before you get to see the finished results but believe me the wait will be worth it!

**PS-  Also coming tomorrow a brand new series will be featured so you better come back because if you love sneaking peeks inside real peoples homes....well let's just say I have a special treat for you if you do!

This week on...

That's right.  I am being brave and I am showing you some raw footage today.  It is our old, boring, {with hints of white trash} yard.  Don't get me wrong our grass is always perfectly green {Ryan works for Scott's Lawn Service} and well maintained but it still manages to look like a sad and dreary place.

The back porch is actually one of our favorite places to hang out.  In the summer it's not unusual to have 10- 15 people over on a Friday or Saturday night.  I would really like to have a space we are proud of to entertain in. Especially since we have no room for even a small table for two inside our house!  So we have some major goals for this summer.

I don't have much of an attention span or a green thumb.  So I am trying to figure out a really basic plan to spruce this yard up.  I am going to be sharing my inspiration and projects with you all!  We may or may not be building our very own little beer garden.  I am thinking mismatch wooden tables that have been aged and an eclectic mix of chairs.  Maybe some mason jars hanging overhead with candles....I dunno people these are just the ideas I have floating around my head.

So I may as well just get the Before pics out of the way huh?  You know quit stalling with links like this,  with the idea of using a rain barrel to be more green.  Or like this, which shows you how to make the most yummy looking chocolate cake for Easter.  Or this sweet little home tour, I seriously want the curtains in her office.  Or I could share this e-course I dying to take about how to style your own home.

Ok, ok, ok,  I show you the stinkin' pictures but I am neither happy, nor proud to show you.  Please to do not judge me or think that I am one step away from redneck {if you can refrain from doing so, if not I understand, I would judge me too}

So there is some work to be done.  A lot of it is organizing and cleaning- who am I kidding, there is a lot more to do besides cleaning but let me have my dreams!  Things on my wish list are: something to hide the garbage cans, re-staining the porch, FLOWERS, maybe some kind of DIY outdoor kitchen area around the grill, and too many more things to list.  I have some brain storming to do!  This last picture is to show you all that I really live at 906 E. Reality!  It's not always so chic around here...