COMING SOON....

So we are set to start renovations on MARCH 20th!!

Did you hear me... I said MARCH 20th!!

It has been a very LONG process getting to this point but trust me it will be all worth it once we get in there. So until the 20th... We will be resting because after that it will be non stop renovations for who knows how long!

Hooray For Ebay!

So our biggest purchase for the house is windows...

As you know there was fire & the firemen had to break most of them to get the house ventilated... So we needed to replace them ALL. We luckily didnt have to find exact fit replacement windows, especially since we plan on changing the amount of windows and the outside of the house this summer.

That led us to ebay... Pat loves Ebay. I really have never ever bothered with it. But he found us 20 windows range from 6'6 in height to regular size, all from one seller, all only 1 year old. Pretty windows with the lattice in them... They are silver line not andersen but that is ok for now.

See we were concerned with getting the energy efficent tax credit & we might still but with the money we saved on the windows its ok if we dont get it... We budgeted for $3,000 for windows but thanks to ebay we got all the windows, some even brand new in the package for $680.00...

Hooray for Ebay!

A Gorilla on my Chest

So we are right now in the planning phase...

This is supposed to fun right? I have to start by saying our new house is deceptively HUGE... So for me the planning of the decorating feels like a huge gorilla is sitting on my chest.

We start talking about what we want in each room & my head starts to spin... then throw on flooring, window placement, to vault the ceilings or not to vault, rip out this wall add tiles, counters, paint colors, contemporary, modern, country... I thought I would love this portion & dont get me wrong, I might, but right now I feel short of breath thinking of all the decision that lay ahead for us.. I think watching HGTV & DIY is making it worse, because` everyday we are like oooohhhh we want that too... LMAO.

We have decided that the first things to get done are the kids rooms... and the bathroom upstairs.. Oh and the kitchen... Oh and the .........

I will feel better in a week when we are tearing out walls...

Progress People!!

Finally the laywer call us back.. I am sure that call cost us 500 but still a call finally...

So Monday, we have to refax the contract & then hopefully this week we are well on our way. By next week  ( fingers crossed) we should be able to get in there. Then I can take all my first time homebuyer frustrations out on the walls.

Side note**

Addicted to HGTV... Never really had a need for it before this, but now I cant stop! Its like crack to me... And I have subscribed to every single magazine having to do with decorating you can imagine...

Hurry Up & Wait...

So Weds came & went.. Nothing was signed... Their lawyer called our laywer... Blah... Blah... Blah.. Legal garbage... Wording I dont understand hence the lawyers... It will be corrected, hopefully this week we will sign. We are not taking a mortgage out on this house. It is a private sale, paid in cash. So it is not your typical "closing" if you will. Its our lawyer vs theirs... and theirs is a LOT slower than ours...

We are understanding though that the current owner is very emotional when it comes to this house because of what happened. We have not dealt directly with her because she cant stand to go there or even talk about it, which again is 200% understandable... but she has people in the community that are helping her do this. People who are very slow to approach her regarding this because of her feelings. Again I understand, but I just want to get this done already.. And the sooner she is rid of the house the better it will be for her too I bet.

So basically Pat & I are on edge, very anixious, very nervous... but all we can do is hurry up & wait & wait & wait & wait........

Get out the the Pens...

We are signing everything Weds!!! We can be in tearing out walls in a matter of days...DAYS!

I cant tell you how freaking happy our moods were tonight! We have been so on edge lately, so anxious to get this thing going!

And our lives as we know it are about to change... Free time? Whats that?  We have a house to renovate people!!

 Picture Ty Pennington from Extreme Makeover with the mega phone... That will be me for the next few months..

Oh I wonder where I can really get one of those, I dont think Pat would enjoy it... That makes me want it even more now... Dare me?

Where the wild things are, um, will be...

So the girls have already claimed  the basement... It is a full basement, as big as all the other floors of the house.

I figure since we will have the garage & the attic which is more storage than I have ever had renting, they are free to have it. There is a room off the diningroom which I plan to make the computer room / Taylor's playroom so I can attempt to keep all the toys in one area & the need for Taylor to climb the stairs to her room to a minimum.

I was told this is where they want to "hang out" with their friends, play school, dance & whatever it is they do to act goofy behind closed doors.

When I picked their brains about their dream hangout room I was given these suggestions:

- beanbag chairs

- couch or futon
- table
- chalk board paint, chalk board paint, CHALK BOARD PAINT
( I got it you really want that)
-cool paint color , like a bright blue, or hot pink or lime green...  (we'll see)
- cool area rug
- a cabinet or bookshelf for their play stuff
- a tv so they can keep the Wii down there
- and a ipod dock so they can listen to their music

Anything else ladies???? Nooo but we will let you know.

So the chalkboard paint was a given, they love to play school. Also I remember what me & my friends did to my walls in the basement when I was their age, so I figure its safer with chalk. Plus you can buy the magnetic kind so that hopefully distracts them from poking 20 thousand holes in the walls for posters.

I figure since its a basement & the walls are cynderblock I cant really paint the rest well, so to bring in the bright colors they want, I will use thin wires which I can bolt to the walls & buy inexpensive bright curtains, that I can run the wire through, that way they can be taken down once they are over this neon phase they seem to be into. Plus I can wash them once they are dirty... It will give it a cool lounge affect... I prob could even get the material cheaper & make them myself.. We'll see on that one.

As far as furniture... I know I want them to have a couch. I love Ikea for this kind of stuff, they always have a selection of things that are resonably priced & they always have funky patterns & colors. So here is what I was thinking as far as their seating will go.  It is really Hot pink though it is not showing up that way... I figured I would pair that with some peices I found at a thrift store & garage sales to make up for the table & storage they want.

As far as bringing in more of this desired color they desperately seek I will pop the room with area rugs & bright paintings.I was thinking a rug like this. I know its hideious, but it will all look cohesive once I put it all together.

I am just glad its in the basement. Not even my laundry room is down there so I have no reason to make myself blind on a regular basis.