Weblog
Sunday, 07 December 2008
-
Thanksgiving and Stuff
Thanksgiving was an absolute blast this year. We had 5 of Courtney's siblings, their 12 children, his mom, and his uncle. Of the 24 people that were at our house for Thanksgiving, 23 of them slept there as well! There were people in ever nook and cranny - and it was great! The kids played in the huge pile of leaves in the backyard, and the grownups visited over coffee and wine. We all cooked and washed dishes, watched football - and even played a great game of flag football on Thanksgiving Day. The adults had a wonderful evening out at Noble's for dinner - except poor little Xander got upset when he realized his mom was gone, so Michelle didn't get to stay for the entire evening. Some of the children visited the Discovery Place, some went to see the movie Wall-E. We went to visit Zach at the coffee shop he works in at the beautiful Southpark Mall - and I took my nieces to Sephora for a special make-over treat. It was such a blast. We had homemade eggnog (thank you Seth), and fresh apple, pumpkin, and pecan pies - and (my favorite) - cheesecake (thank Michelle and Janine). Besides all of that - we had fresh homemade dinner rolls, muffins, bread, and cinnamon rolls; turkey, smoked ham, potato casserole, broccoli-rice-cheese casserole, homemade cranberry sauce, the best stuffing ever, and fresh corn on the cob! The weather was not too cold (initially), so we set up the adults tables outside. My nieces helped me set put out my great grandmother's table cloths and my fine china. I had candle's left over from a previous dinner party - so it made for a beautiful table. We had a champagne toast and we had sparkling grape juice for the kiddos (which they thought was pretty special). Everything was just great. Unfortunately I woke up Thanksgiving morning with no voice - but I didn't let that get in my way!
After everyone left on Sunday of last week, we headed down to Atlanta for a quiet evening to relax. Monday we went down to Montgomery, AL where Nathan and Michelle and their children live. Nathan is a pilot in the Marine Corp and got promoted to Lt. Colonel that day. So, we went down and got there just in time for the ceremony to begin. Afterwards they had a "wetting down" - which is just the Marine term (if I'm not mistaken) - for having a big party. It was a really awesome ceremony and Michelle did a great job on the reception!
Since getting home, we've slowly put our house back together. I keep finding things here and there, that people have left. Btw - I found Uncle Lee's glasses, James' pullover, and Janine's pie dishes.
Now I'm trying to find my Christmas decorations and get our house Holidized. Since we finally have our own house - and will be spending Christmas here - I really want to decorate. But, I just realized today that we left our Christmas tree stand in Louisiana - and that may also be where all of our ornaments are! :( I'm hoping that digging in the garage tomorrow will prove otherwise!
We are still without a reliable computer at home - so I still am unable to post any pictures. But, hopefully someday soon....
Monday, 17 November 2008
-
Wow!
So, two months since my last post and it is unbelievable how much has happened.
We had our Open House on Sept. 21st, left for Louisiana Oct. 5th, had all of my sister's wedding events (visit www.jessicaclaire.net for pics and the link to the video - absolutely amazing!!!) Oct. 6th - 12th, went to an old friend's wedding in Mississippi Oct. 18th, made a stop in Montgomery, AL for my nephew's 1st birthday party Oct. 19th, returned to Charlotte over 2 weeks after I left Oct. 20th, had Courtney's brother Nathan as an over-night guest Oct. 23rd, made an impromptu trip to D.C. to watch Nathan run in the Marine Marathon Oct. 25/26th, had Nathan stop back by our house on the way home from marathon Oct. 27th, and had our old Priest from Louisiana come for a visit Oct. 30th - Nov. 1st. I also organized a ladies tennis doubles night that started on Oct. 22nd - but we only play once a week on Wednesday nights - and this Wednesday will be our 5th and final night. Courtney and I were also asked by some friends of ours (Jake and Marilyn), if we'd sing with their church choir for their Lessons and Carols service (to be held on my Birthday!!!). They even lent us a keyboard so that we can practice at home. So, we've been enjoying the practices on Sunday evenings, as well as the time we get to spend together going over our parts at home! I've also been teaching piano on Monday and Tuesday evenings, keeping up with my book club, and trying to get our house ready for Thanksgiving.
All of my friends think I'm absolutely nuts (maybe because they've seen the size of our house) - but we're hosting all of Courtney's family for Thanksgiving!!! There will be between 22 and 24 people staying at our house from Tuesday - Sunday of next week;12 adults, and 12 children!!!! It is going to be absolutely nuts, but such a blast. Courtney's brother from Colorado (Seth) will likely be the first to arrive on Tuesday around 6:15 pm. Then Courtney's sister Erika, her five children, and Courtney's mom (driving from Wisconsin and North Dakota) will all arrive sometime around 7:00pm. Then Courtney's brother Nathan, wife Michelle, and their 4 children will arrive later that night, coming from Montgomery, AL. Wednesday around 2:00, Courtney's Uncle Lee from Richmond, VA will arrive - and Phil (Erika's husband) will probably fly in around that time as well. Then later on that night, Courtney's brother Jeremy, wife Janine, and their 3 children will arrive from Eastern North Carolina.
I have planned out all of our meals, divided sleeping quarters by families, and even divided up people into three groups for bathroom use; that way we can keep everyone's towels organized! Phil and Erika, as well as Nathan and Michelle - are bringing tents and sleeping bags, in case the weather is good enough for the boys to camp out in our back yard. Last week's weather would have been perfect, but the temperature drastically dropped over the weekend and now the lows are in the upper 20's at night!! Too cold for me, but it will probably feel like summer to the group coming from Wisconsin! :) I think I'm even going to print up little schedules so everyone will know what activities we're doing and when. We have a trip to The Discovery Place, a family flag football game, a trip to a horse farm (Mrs. Huntington's cousin owns/operates a horse farm near Greenville, SC - about 1 1/2 hours south), and an adult dinner at Noble's all planned.
I really can't wait for everyone to get here....though I still have a lot to do. I got another bathroom painted and decorated last weekend, and I'm hoping I can get the last one done at the end of this week. I was having trouble deciding what color I wanted to paint it, but then I bought some deep chocolate color towels last weekend and I think I've found the perfect color blue to compliment it! I've also got to get cooking. I want to do a lot ahead of time and put it in the freezer - so I don't have to spend all of my time in the kitchen. Thankfully, I have some really amazing sister-in-laws who are really helping me out. Not only are they driving all this way, but they are bringing homemade pies, muffins, bread, cinnamon rolls, and granola! I'm so excited!
Since we're having so many Huntington's here in one place, we've decided to go ahead and do our Christmas gift exchange. So, I'm trying to decide whether to go with a Harvest or Christmas style decor??!?!?! We were thinking it might be nice to go ahead and get our tree up (I'm sure places will start selling them next week) - but I'm afraid it might take up too much room and I need the floor space in my living room for blow-up mattresses and sleeping bags!!! It sure would create a nice ambiance though....hmmm.
Well, I guess I better run and start tending to some of the many projects I have going on!
Oh yeah, I killed my computer, and all of the other computers in our house decided to stop working as well - so I'm using the library computer for the foreseeable future. So, all the lovely pictures I've taken in the past month can't be uploaded for a little while. Sorry! :(
Friday, 19 September 2008
-
Losing Momentum
I've hit a plateau. I just can't seem to get motivated to do all of my many projects. I've started lots of things, but I find that as soon as I hit a road block, rather than pushing through and making something work, I just put it aside and start something new. I have tons of wall space, and lots of pictures, some shelves, and various pieces of "art" that could go on the walls - but I feel completely overwhelmed with where to put things. Is this normal? I didn't do a lot of decorating at our apartment when we first moved to Charlotte, because I knew we were only going to be there a year. I hung curtains and a few pictures, but really and truly, the vast majority of the wall space was blank. I want to make our new home, well, homey - and I've been watching HGTV like crazy - but I still feel completely un-inspired.
Don't get me wrong, I have done several things. I painted the accent wall in our living/dining room. I also managed to paint our bathroom, which I'm super pleased with. It is more the color I was hoping our accent wall would be - kind of a slate blue. I finally bought the shower curtain that we registered for when we got married - nearly six years ago!!! I guess that shows that my tastes have not changed that much! I also bought a beautiful brushed nickel, slightly decorative shower curtain rod. I bought a brushed nickel and glass shelf today from Target, got it home and assembled it, and decided I didn't really like the way the finish looked. It looked cheap somehow. The old me would have simply said "It's not perfect, but I've already assembled it and I'm not making another trip back to Target". But today, I dis-assembled it, put all the parts back in their individual little wrappings, and carefully placed it back in the box (it actually all fit!!!); I'm taking it back. I'd rather have nothing on the wall than the wrong thing! I found some curtains at Target today - on the end of the isle in one of their super clearance sections. They were nice and so cheap (but good quality), but I just couldn't bring myself to buy them - because they are just not what I had envisioned (whatever that it). I'm feeling the pressure to have things look nice when all of our guest come for our Open House on Sunday, but I refuse to drill holes in the wall and put up curtains I don't love - because I'm afraid that's the way it will stay and we'll get 5 years down the road and I still won't have what I really want.
So, maybe that's what my problem is. Maybe, for the first time, I just don't want to "make do". I'm feeling a real sense of ownership and I guess, a sense of pressure. I really do think that your home is a reflection of who you are. That's why I strive to keep my house clean and orderly. This isn't just a house or apartment that we live in anymore - it is our home! I think about all the houses we looked at while we were searching for our home. It was amazing what you could tell about a person, just by the way their home looked.
I also miss having my sisters and mom around to help me figure out what to do with things. Zach and Courtney are great, but they aren't here much at all, and when they are I hate to constantly be asking them to help me put up a shelf, or hang a picture. It really is kind of weird to be having this big Open House, but have none of my family here. I know a lot of people live away from their families - and I've lived away now for over a year - but it just feels strange to have this party without them. It's amazing the things that make you miss your family. They are often little and they creep up out of nowhere. Of course there are the obvious ones - like holidays and birthdays. But the things that really hit me are things like this, decorating my house and having a party.
Anyway...I better get off the computer and get back to work! No rest for the weary!
Wednesday, 03 September 2008
-
Basking
I've been such a recluse these pasted two weeks. I've scarcely wanted to leave the house - even to play tennis! Gasp! Many of you have asked for pictures, but I've been hesitant to put up a bunch, because I don't have everything unpacked and decorated the way I want it. But, I thought I'd give a little sneak preview - just to show you what I've been up to.
By the time we moved in, the sign was gone, so we never got the classic picture of us standing beside the SOLD sign - so this is as close as we got. Don't you love the attractive industrial building in the back ground? Thankfully we don't hear a peep from them - ever!
This is my to-do list from last weekend. Do you see the item on the list, on the left hand side, third from the bottom. Yep, your eyes have not deceived you. Not only did I put "Pull weed from the beds" on my list - it is actually crossed out! I actually did yard work - voluntarily! I have to say, it was a very rewarding feeling!
As you can see, I painted an accent wall. I thought it was going to be more of a slate/stone color - but once we got it on the walls - it looks bit more green. It's not what I really wanted - but I think it still looks really good. So, I'm not in any rush to repaint! :) Also, we're going to replace the fan. We have 6-bladed white fans in all the bedrooms, living room, and den. While they are great fans and circulate a lot of air, I'm just not a fan of white fans. So, we've already picked out a cherry wood and brushed chrome fan that we are going to put up in the living room immediately. Then, as we have time/money - we'll replace the others. Also, you can see our bar leaning against the half wall. I bought the brackets at Paul Michael when we lived on Myrtle Street in Monroe, right after we were married. I bought the board and stained it when we lived on Auburn Avenue in our duplex. Then we contemplated where to put it when we lived in our apartment on Roselawn and here in Charlotte. Now we have a perfect place. We even have a cool wine rack picked out a World Market to go underneath and a wine refrigerator from Lowes as well. We're actually going to put it all together!!! I'm so excited!
As you can tell, we do not have curtains yet. I found some I really like at Ikea (I got the idea from Christy Cox's nursery curtains). They are plain white canvas, floor to ceiling, with big grommets. I really want real drapes, but those are quite pricey. So, I figure these will do for a while. But, you can't buy them online. So, I checked the Ikea nearest us (Atlanta) - and they are sold out. I even checked the one in Dallas, thinking my dear, sweet friend Shelley, might be willing to pick them up for me, but they are sold out there too! So, I might just have to wait until Ikea opens here (Spring '09). We also have a 2 new dining room tables picked out. I really want something either round or square. We found this super cool round table at a furniture store. It is 48" without the leaves (leaves sounds wrong - is it leafs??? - I don't know, I'll just go with leaves and let someone correct my gramar if they know the correct term), and 68" with the leaves. The cool thing about the leaves, is that they attach on the exterior of the table - so that rather than making it oval, it still stays round. It can seat 6 without the leaves, and 8-10 with. Also, it is on a pedestal - so when you try to squoosh in more people (which you have to plan for with a big family), your knees won't knock into the legs of the table! :) You can view it by clicking on this link: http://www.boyles.com/furniture_shopping/furniture_details.cfm/discount/dining-room-table-010/cid/68#
Unfortunately it doesn't show you in the picture what it looks like with the leaves added.
The only problem, it is quite pricey. The other table we found at Sam's. It is square when you have the leaves in it, and rectangular without. One of the cool things about it is that it is a self-storing leaf, so you don't have to find a bed or couch to slide the leaf under when you're not using it. Also, it is pub-height, which I really like. Good thing about it is that it comes with 8 chairs, and is less expensive than the round table with no chairs! :) You can view the one from Sam's here: http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=388274 So, we'll see... I don't know if you noticed, but the chandelier is very oddly placed in our dining room. It smack in the center of the room. However, if you place the table in the center of the room, you have no room to slide by to get into the kitchen. So, we think we're going to move it over to where it is centered in the 1/2 wall "picture" - so that it can be offset. When we have large groups over to eat, we can pull it out a little more, but I think it will make much more sense.
This is the only room where I've hung curtains - and I think I like them.... I'm also looking for an area rug that would kind of tie the room together. We'd also love to get a love-seat for this room.
And the last picture I'm going to post right now is of my freshly spray-painted deck table and yard sale umbrella and base. Unfortunately, the hole in the table is too small to slip the umbrella through. But, the umbrella is big enough to still cover the table. Now I just need some out-door chairs.
The next group of pictures are just silly ones of us (rather, the boys) - enjoying our new house!
The guys changed the break pads on our car. Unfortunately I didn't get the picture before Courtney cleaned up - but you can still see evidence of Zach's work.
We decided to be responsible citizens and try to keep up with the local news. Courtney is collecting our first paper delivered to our house yesterday morning! :)
Here's the college boy on his first day of school. I felt like such a mom - and I think he was maybe a little annoyed with me trying to take pictures while he was rushing to leave for school. You can see the time on the pictures...a little early for snap shots probably. But, he just looked so cute all dressed up in his new clothes (they have to dress business casual for class each day at King's College) - that I had to get at least a few shots. Courtney made him French-Press coffee and let him use one of his book bags. He looks so professional! Our little man is growing up...
Alright, so that's about it. I suppose I better get off the computer and get something checked off of my to-do list today!
Sunday, 24 August 2008
-
Home Sweet Home
I have now spent three nights in our new house and I don't think I've ever slept so well. This whole house buying thing has been such a whirlwind, I don't think I realized how poorly I was sleeping before. Now that it is all over with and we are actually in our new house, I'm sleeping like a baby and anxious to get up each morning.
It really is amazing what a difference it makes to actually own your own house. Courtney and I have been married for 5 1/2 years and we've rented in four different housing styles - house, duplex, fourplex, and then lastly a traditional apartment. In each of the different living quarters, we found things we liked and didn't. We liked having a yard at our rental house. We liked only having one neighbor at our duplex and the fact that we still got to have 1/2 of a yard...and it was more like a house. We liked our fourplex because it was in an older home and had so much character and lots of cabinet space in the kitchen. We loved our apartment and the luxuries of having a maintenance man ready and willing to help at all times - as well as a pool and workout room. But there is just something so satisfying about actually owning our home. I know we've only been here a total of about a week (Courtney was here before me b/c I was in LA) - and a lot of you longtime home owners are probably laughing because you know these feelings are going to wear off and get old really soon. But, allow me to bask for a moment, if you will...
We spent almost 2 hours in Home Depot this afternoon. We were like kids in a candy store - looking at ceiling fans, faucets, and mirrors; picking out a nozzle for the water hose, screws with anchors to hang things on the walls and deck sealer. It was so much fun thinking and talking about all the different things we can do so easily, not only to make our house better for us, but have a better re-sale value down the line. We also got really inexpensive stuff for projects around the house that we can even do now.
The old home owners left an old white iron table on the deck, and a charcoal grill. The table was dirty and very unattractive, but we bought two cans of black spray paint and some spray enamel - and for $10 it looks practically brand new. We bought a wire brush and scrubbed down the grills racks, and then got some Fantastic and paper towels and cleaned it up. Courtney and Zach are getting it ready now for grilling steaks tonight. I bought a big umbrella with a wooden pole and a beautiful iron base at a yard sale for only $25. All it needed was a new rope that we picked up today for only about $3. So, for the cost of some elbow grease and about $15 in supplies, we have a grill, a table, and a great umbrella!
Things are slowly but surely taking shape inside the house as well. We've decided that we're going to paint an accent wall in our living and dining room, so I've halted all hanging projects (including curtains, shelves, pictures, etc). We are painting the wall a slate gray color (will go nicely with the other khaki/sand colored walls). Then I'm going to get these beige curtains I found on the Ikea website (thank you Christy for the tip). They are long - so they'll go floor to ceiling and are a heavy fabric, much like canvas - with bit grommets. I found some wooden dowels at Home Depot that I want to get - so I think they're going to look great. Eventually I'd like to get 2 inch wooden blinds to go in the living and dining room, and kitchen windows - but that will be down the road a little.
We found some great furniture that we really like, but I'm not going to describe it yet because I'm constantly changing my mind at this point. Plus, it will be a little while before we can get it - so who knows what will be available by that point!?!?! :)
Well, I better run and make sure the back yard isn't on fire! :0
In other news, I start teaching piano this week and Courtney starts back at UNCC and also a class a Queen's University. Zach doesn't start until next Tuesday (Sept. 2nd) - so he gets one more week of summer! So, we are back to school with all the kiddos and loving it!
Pictures will come, eventually.....
Weblog
Sunday, 07 December 2008
-
Thanksgiving and Stuff
Thanksgiving was an absolute blast this year. We had 5 of Courtney's siblings, their 12 children, his mom, and his uncle. Of the 24 people that were at our house for Thanksgiving, 23 of them slept there as well! There were people in ever nook and cranny - and it was great! The kids played in the huge pile of leaves in the backyard, and the grownups visited over coffee and wine. We all cooked and washed dishes, watched football - and even played a great game of flag football on Thanksgiving Day. The adults had a wonderful evening out at Noble's for dinner - except poor little Xander got upset when he realized his mom was gone, so Michelle didn't get to stay for the entire evening. Some of the children visited the Discovery Place, some went to see the movie Wall-E. We went to visit Zach at the coffee shop he works in at the beautiful Southpark Mall - and I took my nieces to Sephora for a special make-over treat. It was such a blast. We had homemade eggnog (thank you Seth), and fresh apple, pumpkin, and pecan pies - and (my favorite) - cheesecake (thank Michelle and Janine). Besides all of that - we had fresh homemade dinner rolls, muffins, bread, and cinnamon rolls; turkey, smoked ham, potato casserole, broccoli-rice-cheese casserole, homemade cranberry sauce, the best stuffing ever, and fresh corn on the cob! The weather was not too cold (initially), so we set up the adults tables outside. My nieces helped me set put out my great grandmother's table cloths and my fine china. I had candle's left over from a previous dinner party - so it made for a beautiful table. We had a champagne toast and we had sparkling grape juice for the kiddos (which they thought was pretty special). Everything was just great. Unfortunately I woke up Thanksgiving morning with no voice - but I didn't let that get in my way!
After everyone left on Sunday of last week, we headed down to Atlanta for a quiet evening to relax. Monday we went down to Montgomery, AL where Nathan and Michelle and their children live. Nathan is a pilot in the Marine Corp and got promoted to Lt. Colonel that day. So, we went down and got there just in time for the ceremony to begin. Afterwards they had a "wetting down" - which is just the Marine term (if I'm not mistaken) - for having a big party. It was a really awesome ceremony and Michelle did a great job on the reception!
Since getting home, we've slowly put our house back together. I keep finding things here and there, that people have left. Btw - I found Uncle Lee's glasses, James' pullover, and Janine's pie dishes.
Now I'm trying to find my Christmas decorations and get our house Holidized. Since we finally have our own house - and will be spending Christmas here - I really want to decorate. But, I just realized today that we left our Christmas tree stand in Louisiana - and that may also be where all of our ornaments are! :( I'm hoping that digging in the garage tomorrow will prove otherwise!
We are still without a reliable computer at home - so I still am unable to post any pictures. But, hopefully someday soon....
Monday, 17 November 2008
-
Wow!
So, two months since my last post and it is unbelievable how much has happened.
We had our Open House on Sept. 21st, left for Louisiana Oct. 5th, had all of my sister's wedding events (visit www.jessicaclaire.net for pics and the link to the video - absolutely amazing!!!) Oct. 6th - 12th, went to an old friend's wedding in Mississippi Oct. 18th, made a stop in Montgomery, AL for my nephew's 1st birthday party Oct. 19th, returned to Charlotte over 2 weeks after I left Oct. 20th, had Courtney's brother Nathan as an over-night guest Oct. 23rd, made an impromptu trip to D.C. to watch Nathan run in the Marine Marathon Oct. 25/26th, had Nathan stop back by our house on the way home from marathon Oct. 27th, and had our old Priest from Louisiana come for a visit Oct. 30th - Nov. 1st. I also organized a ladies tennis doubles night that started on Oct. 22nd - but we only play once a week on Wednesday nights - and this Wednesday will be our 5th and final night. Courtney and I were also asked by some friends of ours (Jake and Marilyn), if we'd sing with their church choir for their Lessons and Carols service (to be held on my Birthday!!!). They even lent us a keyboard so that we can practice at home. So, we've been enjoying the practices on Sunday evenings, as well as the time we get to spend together going over our parts at home! I've also been teaching piano on Monday and Tuesday evenings, keeping up with my book club, and trying to get our house ready for Thanksgiving.
All of my friends think I'm absolutely nuts (maybe because they've seen the size of our house) - but we're hosting all of Courtney's family for Thanksgiving!!! There will be between 22 and 24 people staying at our house from Tuesday - Sunday of next week;12 adults, and 12 children!!!! It is going to be absolutely nuts, but such a blast. Courtney's brother from Colorado (Seth) will likely be the first to arrive on Tuesday around 6:15 pm. Then Courtney's sister Erika, her five children, and Courtney's mom (driving from Wisconsin and North Dakota) will all arrive sometime around 7:00pm. Then Courtney's brother Nathan, wife Michelle, and their 4 children will arrive later that night, coming from Montgomery, AL. Wednesday around 2:00, Courtney's Uncle Lee from Richmond, VA will arrive - and Phil (Erika's husband) will probably fly in around that time as well. Then later on that night, Courtney's brother Jeremy, wife Janine, and their 3 children will arrive from Eastern North Carolina.
I have planned out all of our meals, divided sleeping quarters by families, and even divided up people into three groups for bathroom use; that way we can keep everyone's towels organized! Phil and Erika, as well as Nathan and Michelle - are bringing tents and sleeping bags, in case the weather is good enough for the boys to camp out in our back yard. Last week's weather would have been perfect, but the temperature drastically dropped over the weekend and now the lows are in the upper 20's at night!! Too cold for me, but it will probably feel like summer to the group coming from Wisconsin! :) I think I'm even going to print up little schedules so everyone will know what activities we're doing and when. We have a trip to The Discovery Place, a family flag football game, a trip to a horse farm (Mrs. Huntington's cousin owns/operates a horse farm near Greenville, SC - about 1 1/2 hours south), and an adult dinner at Noble's all planned.
I really can't wait for everyone to get here....though I still have a lot to do. I got another bathroom painted and decorated last weekend, and I'm hoping I can get the last one done at the end of this week. I was having trouble deciding what color I wanted to paint it, but then I bought some deep chocolate color towels last weekend and I think I've found the perfect color blue to compliment it! I've also got to get cooking. I want to do a lot ahead of time and put it in the freezer - so I don't have to spend all of my time in the kitchen. Thankfully, I have some really amazing sister-in-laws who are really helping me out. Not only are they driving all this way, but they are bringing homemade pies, muffins, bread, cinnamon rolls, and granola! I'm so excited!
Since we're having so many Huntington's here in one place, we've decided to go ahead and do our Christmas gift exchange. So, I'm trying to decide whether to go with a Harvest or Christmas style decor??!?!?! We were thinking it might be nice to go ahead and get our tree up (I'm sure places will start selling them next week) - but I'm afraid it might take up too much room and I need the floor space in my living room for blow-up mattresses and sleeping bags!!! It sure would create a nice ambiance though....hmmm.
Well, I guess I better run and start tending to some of the many projects I have going on!
Oh yeah, I killed my computer, and all of the other computers in our house decided to stop working as well - so I'm using the library computer for the foreseeable future. So, all the lovely pictures I've taken in the past month can't be uploaded for a little while. Sorry! :(
Friday, 19 September 2008
-
Losing Momentum
I've hit a plateau. I just can't seem to get motivated to do all of my many projects. I've started lots of things, but I find that as soon as I hit a road block, rather than pushing through and making something work, I just put it aside and start something new. I have tons of wall space, and lots of pictures, some shelves, and various pieces of "art" that could go on the walls - but I feel completely overwhelmed with where to put things. Is this normal? I didn't do a lot of decorating at our apartment when we first moved to Charlotte, because I knew we were only going to be there a year. I hung curtains and a few pictures, but really and truly, the vast majority of the wall space was blank. I want to make our new home, well, homey - and I've been watching HGTV like crazy - but I still feel completely un-inspired.
Don't get me wrong, I have done several things. I painted the accent wall in our living/dining room. I also managed to paint our bathroom, which I'm super pleased with. It is more the color I was hoping our accent wall would be - kind of a slate blue. I finally bought the shower curtain that we registered for when we got married - nearly six years ago!!! I guess that shows that my tastes have not changed that much! I also bought a beautiful brushed nickel, slightly decorative shower curtain rod. I bought a brushed nickel and glass shelf today from Target, got it home and assembled it, and decided I didn't really like the way the finish looked. It looked cheap somehow. The old me would have simply said "It's not perfect, but I've already assembled it and I'm not making another trip back to Target". But today, I dis-assembled it, put all the parts back in their individual little wrappings, and carefully placed it back in the box (it actually all fit!!!); I'm taking it back. I'd rather have nothing on the wall than the wrong thing! I found some curtains at Target today - on the end of the isle in one of their super clearance sections. They were nice and so cheap (but good quality), but I just couldn't bring myself to buy them - because they are just not what I had envisioned (whatever that it). I'm feeling the pressure to have things look nice when all of our guest come for our Open House on Sunday, but I refuse to drill holes in the wall and put up curtains I don't love - because I'm afraid that's the way it will stay and we'll get 5 years down the road and I still won't have what I really want.
So, maybe that's what my problem is. Maybe, for the first time, I just don't want to "make do". I'm feeling a real sense of ownership and I guess, a sense of pressure. I really do think that your home is a reflection of who you are. That's why I strive to keep my house clean and orderly. This isn't just a house or apartment that we live in anymore - it is our home! I think about all the houses we looked at while we were searching for our home. It was amazing what you could tell about a person, just by the way their home looked.
I also miss having my sisters and mom around to help me figure out what to do with things. Zach and Courtney are great, but they aren't here much at all, and when they are I hate to constantly be asking them to help me put up a shelf, or hang a picture. It really is kind of weird to be having this big Open House, but have none of my family here. I know a lot of people live away from their families - and I've lived away now for over a year - but it just feels strange to have this party without them. It's amazing the things that make you miss your family. They are often little and they creep up out of nowhere. Of course there are the obvious ones - like holidays and birthdays. But the things that really hit me are things like this, decorating my house and having a party.
Anyway...I better get off the computer and get back to work! No rest for the weary!
Wednesday, 03 September 2008
-
Basking
I've been such a recluse these pasted two weeks. I've scarcely wanted to leave the house - even to play tennis! Gasp! Many of you have asked for pictures, but I've been hesitant to put up a bunch, because I don't have everything unpacked and decorated the way I want it. But, I thought I'd give a little sneak preview - just to show you what I've been up to.
By the time we moved in, the sign was gone, so we never got the classic picture of us standing beside the SOLD sign - so this is as close as we got. Don't you love the attractive industrial building in the back ground? Thankfully we don't hear a peep from them - ever!
This is my to-do list from last weekend. Do you see the item on the list, on the left hand side, third from the bottom. Yep, your eyes have not deceived you. Not only did I put "Pull weed from the beds" on my list - it is actually crossed out! I actually did yard work - voluntarily! I have to say, it was a very rewarding feeling!
As you can see, I painted an accent wall. I thought it was going to be more of a slate/stone color - but once we got it on the walls - it looks bit more green. It's not what I really wanted - but I think it still looks really good. So, I'm not in any rush to repaint! :) Also, we're going to replace the fan. We have 6-bladed white fans in all the bedrooms, living room, and den. While they are great fans and circulate a lot of air, I'm just not a fan of white fans. So, we've already picked out a cherry wood and brushed chrome fan that we are going to put up in the living room immediately. Then, as we have time/money - we'll replace the others. Also, you can see our bar leaning against the half wall. I bought the brackets at Paul Michael when we lived on Myrtle Street in Monroe, right after we were married. I bought the board and stained it when we lived on Auburn Avenue in our duplex. Then we contemplated where to put it when we lived in our apartment on Roselawn and here in Charlotte. Now we have a perfect place. We even have a cool wine rack picked out a World Market to go underneath and a wine refrigerator from Lowes as well. We're actually going to put it all together!!! I'm so excited!
As you can tell, we do not have curtains yet. I found some I really like at Ikea (I got the idea from Christy Cox's nursery curtains). They are plain white canvas, floor to ceiling, with big grommets. I really want real drapes, but those are quite pricey. So, I figure these will do for a while. But, you can't buy them online. So, I checked the Ikea nearest us (Atlanta) - and they are sold out. I even checked the one in Dallas, thinking my dear, sweet friend Shelley, might be willing to pick them up for me, but they are sold out there too! So, I might just have to wait until Ikea opens here (Spring '09). We also have a 2 new dining room tables picked out. I really want something either round or square. We found this super cool round table at a furniture store. It is 48" without the leaves (leaves sounds wrong - is it leafs??? - I don't know, I'll just go with leaves and let someone correct my gramar if they know the correct term), and 68" with the leaves. The cool thing about the leaves, is that they attach on the exterior of the table - so that rather than making it oval, it still stays round. It can seat 6 without the leaves, and 8-10 with. Also, it is on a pedestal - so when you try to squoosh in more people (which you have to plan for with a big family), your knees won't knock into the legs of the table! :) You can view it by clicking on this link: http://www.boyles.com/furniture_shopping/furniture_details.cfm/discount/dining-room-table-010/cid/68#
Unfortunately it doesn't show you in the picture what it looks like with the leaves added.
The only problem, it is quite pricey. The other table we found at Sam's. It is square when you have the leaves in it, and rectangular without. One of the cool things about it is that it is a self-storing leaf, so you don't have to find a bed or couch to slide the leaf under when you're not using it. Also, it is pub-height, which I really like. Good thing about it is that it comes with 8 chairs, and is less expensive than the round table with no chairs! :) You can view the one from Sam's here: http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=388274 So, we'll see... I don't know if you noticed, but the chandelier is very oddly placed in our dining room. It smack in the center of the room. However, if you place the table in the center of the room, you have no room to slide by to get into the kitchen. So, we think we're going to move it over to where it is centered in the 1/2 wall "picture" - so that it can be offset. When we have large groups over to eat, we can pull it out a little more, but I think it will make much more sense.
This is the only room where I've hung curtains - and I think I like them.... I'm also looking for an area rug that would kind of tie the room together. We'd also love to get a love-seat for this room.
And the last picture I'm going to post right now is of my freshly spray-painted deck table and yard sale umbrella and base. Unfortunately, the hole in the table is too small to slip the umbrella through. But, the umbrella is big enough to still cover the table. Now I just need some out-door chairs.
The next group of pictures are just silly ones of us (rather, the boys) - enjoying our new house!
The guys changed the break pads on our car. Unfortunately I didn't get the picture before Courtney cleaned up - but you can still see evidence of Zach's work.
We decided to be responsible citizens and try to keep up with the local news. Courtney is collecting our first paper delivered to our house yesterday morning! :)
Here's the college boy on his first day of school. I felt like such a mom - and I think he was maybe a little annoyed with me trying to take pictures while he was rushing to leave for school. You can see the time on the pictures...a little early for snap shots probably. But, he just looked so cute all dressed up in his new clothes (they have to dress business casual for class each day at King's College) - that I had to get at least a few shots. Courtney made him French-Press coffee and let him use one of his book bags. He looks so professional! Our little man is growing up...
Alright, so that's about it. I suppose I better get off the computer and get something checked off of my to-do list today!
Sunday, 24 August 2008
-
Home Sweet Home
I have now spent three nights in our new house and I don't think I've ever slept so well. This whole house buying thing has been such a whirlwind, I don't think I realized how poorly I was sleeping before. Now that it is all over with and we are actually in our new house, I'm sleeping like a baby and anxious to get up each morning.
It really is amazing what a difference it makes to actually own your own house. Courtney and I have been married for 5 1/2 years and we've rented in four different housing styles - house, duplex, fourplex, and then lastly a traditional apartment. In each of the different living quarters, we found things we liked and didn't. We liked having a yard at our rental house. We liked only having one neighbor at our duplex and the fact that we still got to have 1/2 of a yard...and it was more like a house. We liked our fourplex because it was in an older home and had so much character and lots of cabinet space in the kitchen. We loved our apartment and the luxuries of having a maintenance man ready and willing to help at all times - as well as a pool and workout room. But there is just something so satisfying about actually owning our home. I know we've only been here a total of about a week (Courtney was here before me b/c I was in LA) - and a lot of you longtime home owners are probably laughing because you know these feelings are going to wear off and get old really soon. But, allow me to bask for a moment, if you will...
We spent almost 2 hours in Home Depot this afternoon. We were like kids in a candy store - looking at ceiling fans, faucets, and mirrors; picking out a nozzle for the water hose, screws with anchors to hang things on the walls and deck sealer. It was so much fun thinking and talking about all the different things we can do so easily, not only to make our house better for us, but have a better re-sale value down the line. We also got really inexpensive stuff for projects around the house that we can even do now.
The old home owners left an old white iron table on the deck, and a charcoal grill. The table was dirty and very unattractive, but we bought two cans of black spray paint and some spray enamel - and for $10 it looks practically brand new. We bought a wire brush and scrubbed down the grills racks, and then got some Fantastic and paper towels and cleaned it up. Courtney and Zach are getting it ready now for grilling steaks tonight. I bought a big umbrella with a wooden pole and a beautiful iron base at a yard sale for only $25. All it needed was a new rope that we picked up today for only about $3. So, for the cost of some elbow grease and about $15 in supplies, we have a grill, a table, and a great umbrella!
Things are slowly but surely taking shape inside the house as well. We've decided that we're going to paint an accent wall in our living and dining room, so I've halted all hanging projects (including curtains, shelves, pictures, etc). We are painting the wall a slate gray color (will go nicely with the other khaki/sand colored walls). Then I'm going to get these beige curtains I found on the Ikea website (thank you Christy for the tip). They are long - so they'll go floor to ceiling and are a heavy fabric, much like canvas - with bit grommets. I found some wooden dowels at Home Depot that I want to get - so I think they're going to look great. Eventually I'd like to get 2 inch wooden blinds to go in the living and dining room, and kitchen windows - but that will be down the road a little.
We found some great furniture that we really like, but I'm not going to describe it yet because I'm constantly changing my mind at this point. Plus, it will be a little while before we can get it - so who knows what will be available by that point!?!?! :)
Well, I better run and make sure the back yard isn't on fire! :0
In other news, I start teaching piano this week and Courtney starts back at UNCC and also a class a Queen's University. Zach doesn't start until next Tuesday (Sept. 2nd) - so he gets one more week of summer! So, we are back to school with all the kiddos and loving it!
Pictures will come, eventually.....
LLHuntington
-
- Country: United States
- Member Since: 9/4/2005
Connect
About Me
-
My name is Lisa and I am finally updating my profile. I realized today that it was over a year old and so much has changed in a year! I'm 28 years old (almost 29!!!!) and have been married for 5 years, 7 months, and 3 days to an amazing man, Courtney. We moved to Charlotte a little over a year ago, from Louisiana where most of my family lives. We do not have children, but we are proudly the Aunt and Uncle to 18 nieces and nephews, that we love to spoil! Courtney is a manager at Noble's Restaurant and teaches English at UNCC and at Queens University here in Charlotte. I teach piano to 9 of the most adorable children and also occasionally substitute teach in the public elementary, middle, and high schools here - to often not so pleasant children. :) We also have a Center for the Arts in Louisiana that I still manage - which allows me to travel back there about every 8 weeks or so. My two main passions (I call them passions, not hobbies - because the word hobby makes me think of somethi
Subscriptions
Pulse
LLHuntington has no pulse!...
Observations
October 9, 2007
I changed the name of this because I ran out of budgeting tips. An obvious clue that I'm not quite ready to write my first book on how to save money! So, instead I'll just post random thoughts and observations that don't really deserve an entire post in the "Main Content" section.
I just got a little cut on the thumb of my left hand. It has been a complete nuisance. I originally thought "Thank goodness that wasn't on my right hand - then I'd have so much trouble writing." But I just realized - a few minutes ago - my right hand would
have been preferable. It is my left hand that is used to hold things still on the cutting board - and my right hand to cut; so it is the left hand that gets all the tomato juice on it. It is my left hand that holds the apple/pear slices while I use my right hand to use the knife to smear on
the peanut butter - so once again, it is the left hand that gets all the juice. And it the entire hand - but the thumb in particular. You use other fingers in conjunction with the thumb, but always the thumb. I tried to use just the other fingers and not the thumb and it was a crazy mess!
So, my conclusion is that, if you have a choice which hand/finger to risk when there is a possibility of getting a cut: don't use the thumb of your left hand (if your left handed, then all of this would apply to your right hand). By the way - band-aids really are helpful for protecting these
sorts of cuts. Just make sure that you have them on hand before you tell your husband "I have no use for the car today - you take it and I'll see you in 12 hours!"
Chatboard (5)