A Summer of Remodeling: July 24-30

Completed Projects Update: Week 9

* move into house

Done!

A while back I made some wreaths for this house. I placed one on our front door to add color to the entry :)
And I put one on the garage door to add some cheer when entering through the garage. Two simple additions, but I love them!
Other than some curtains, these wreaths are the first bit of decor to be placed in the house!

* update kitchen

The floors, counters, and cabinets are done!

Sunday: David secured the dishwasher in place (after the new counters were installed we needed to re-secure the dishwasher to the counters)

Thursday: I found drip pans that fit our stove top... this house had a few quirks for us to fix; for example, the stove was without drip pans and the oven was without racks. Anyhow, it took a couple of trips and mix-matching brands, but the stove now has drip pans that fit--which certainly makes cooking on it much easier :)
Friday: I picked up some more samples for possible back-splashes; it's proved more challenging to select a back-splash than I had originally thought. But I think we are finally heading in the right direction/near a selection :)
Saturday: David installed one of the drawer pulls. Our drawer pulls are a different size than the original ones so he is drilling new holes and then having to fill the old hole and touch up the paint.
* update bathrooms (refinish walls, replace toilets, fixtures and faucets)

Monday: David finished installing the faucet and water temperature handles for our shower.

* remove wood paneling in entry and family room
Done!

* re-texture paneled walls

Done!

* freshen the house up with new lighting fixtures

No new progress; we need to install the remaining 2 ceiling fans.

* paint walls throughout house
No new progress; but, all walls have been painted except the kitchen, hallway and bathrooms.

* paint trim (crown molding, baseboards, door trim) throughout house

no new progress

* add a privacy fence to the west side of property
David planned to work on this project over the weekend but has decided to start it during the upcoming week. This is one of the last few larger projects for him (in addition to re-finishing the walls in the guest bathroom and remodeling the laundry room).

* clean-up landscaping

Done!

* purchase/make window treatments

All windows are now covered with blinds! We need to lessen the number of slats (shorten overall length of blinds) in most rooms and I will start sewing drapes soon :)

Sunday: David hung curtain rods in the dining room!
Saturday: David hung the curtain rods in the guest bedroom!
* furniture
Sunday: we set up the tables in the breakfast nook and dinning room!!! And, I found a rug at Lowe's that may be the perfect jumping off point for our family room decor.
Tuesday: David bought a grill; he has awaited this day for a few years now... and I have awaited having his yummy grilled food for dinner.
He also came home with steaks so we invited JD over for dinner :)
* baby prep
Sunday: David assembled the pack-n-play and I unpacked toys, removed tags and started setting up the nursery.
Tuesday: I have washed all of the blankets, burp cloths, towels and clothing for our little one.

Wednesday: I've made great progress on the nursery! Other than sewing the drapes and completing some crafts it is ready for our little Peanut!

Both David and I had yellow nurseries...

the banner is from my Fort Worth Baby Shower :)

a mirror and kick-in piano for the little one to play withlots of great storage
well wishes on a picture frame and clay birds from my Austin shower along with
a bird house my Grandpa Dick made for me when I was little
I need to make a lamp shade and sew the drapes
drapery fabricburp cloths and receiving blankets are ready to go
a girl and boy onsie along with some gender-neutral clothes

cute socks ; )

lots of great yellow and green onsies

some extra storage

We are 38 weeks and excited about our bundle of joy's arrival! Even if the house is still in the works- the nursery is ready :)

Thursday/Friday/Saturday: Each day I have started (and completed some) of the decorations for the nursery! I will post pics when they are finished and displayed in the baby's room :)))

* garage
Monday: David hauled off the 2nd load of remodeling-trash to the dump.

Tuesday: David hauled off the 3rd load to the dump; only 1 load remains.

It started as a big stack of trash...

and now it's little!

Tuesday: I organized some of the garage and laundry room. We now have 2 functioning pantry units! Then I set up a storage shelf for additional organization.

laundry room pantry for small appliances

garage pantry for canned goods
both pantries are from IKEA and we highly recommend them :)

additional storage shelf (from Home Depot)

Saturday: David moved the seasonal decor tubs into the attic and reorganized the garage to allow room for my car.

* 3 sweet surprises
1) Our dishwasher operates quietly! The apartment dishwasher was a bit loud, so this is an unexpected improvement!

2) Two of the bushes we planted in the front yard have grown pretty purple blooms that I did not know about when purchasing the bush!
3) We purchased a convection microwave--so I can bake/roast things in it...the cool part is that we thought it was a normal microwave when we ordered it. My dad noticed the "Convection Bake" button and upon investigation we learned about this coolness of this microwave! I have wanted double ovens so this is one step closer!
Tuesday: I baked brownies in the microwave and they turned out delicious!!!
* fun
Last week I dined at Artisan Bistro--a french restaurant for lunch with some friends. It was mighty tasty!!! It's in the Lakeway area of Austin and you should check them out!

Chicken with mushrooms

Assorted macrons--- the best I've had from a bakery!
I love the coffee and pistachio most!