new house dreamin'

the long list (who would've guessed?) of "wants" for the dream house. i've been scouring pinterest and forums for things people wish they would've done when building 
{in pink are "musts"}

KITCHEN:
garbage disposal on both sides of sink 
cabinets on both sides of peninsula/island
gas range + griddle (no stainless 'backsplash') with drawers underneath
double ovens
drawer dishwasher (?)
subway tile 
outlet for "coffee station"
microwave in lower cabinets 
cabinets to ceiling
under-cabinet lighting
farmhouse sink
quartz countertops
cabinet-covered fridge (?)
pot-filler above range
vent oven to outside
flooring running under cabinets
kickplate drawers
sylight
recessed fridge
waterfall countertop (?)
copper tubing for ice maker
breakfast area 
room for upholstered sofa/bench under windows in eat-in area with sconces on each side

DINING:
separate dining room
board and batten/wainscoting 

LIVING: 
9' (minimum) ceilings on lower level
small room with french doors (play area for computer//kids in the future)
plank wood + brick fireplace
hearth
floor outlet (for floating furniture)

LAUNDRY: 
recessed dryer vent
mudroom cubbies
laundry shoot (?)
frosted "Laundry" pocket door
whirlpool sink for delicates (?)

brick paver flooring (?)

MASTER: 
door to backyard (?)
window seat (?)
4 outlets on each side of bed
on first level 

BATHROOMS: 
no builder grade mirrors
cable/outlet in master bathroom
tub sprayer in master 
large tile
no tub/shower inserts
outlet behind toilet in master water closet 7 powered room (for lamps)
leaded glass shower door in master
heated floors (?)
cast iron pipes from upper bathroom (noise reduction)
stone in master shower floor

PANTRY: 
outlet 
motion-sensor light (if not pocket door)
microwave in pantry (?)
frosted pocket door

CLOSETS:
window in master closet (?)
closets painted room color (cheaper and better looking, anyway)
heat/air vent in master closet

BEDROOMS: 
built in fire escape ladders (?)
dutch door in "nursery"
two bedrooms upstairs

OUTDOORS:
keypad front door handle
outlets in eaves (for christmas lights)
cable/outlet 
gutters
outlets! (both sides of front door?)
gasline on patio
fenced backyard

GARAGE:
attic light switch downstairs

WHOLE HOUSE:
smooth walls
wired for sound throughout (including exterior)
recessed outlets
nest thermostat (upstairs & downstairs?)
crown molding
upgrade insulation
soundproofing
wood flooring throughout
white risers on staircase
paint color (interior-grey/taupe + ceiling same) (exterior-white/grey/navy + cedar shakes)
doggy door
extra wide, flat, craftsman baseboards
frame braces for ceiling fans (living, master, bedrooms)
3-way light switches (walk through and get a feel for the layout)
extra board bracing where drapes or heavy items will hang (studs)
storm door on front
dimmers!

USB outlets

✩TIPS✩
-buy our own faucets, shower heads, light fixtures/ceiling fans, appliances, toilet paper holders
-plan where vents will go related to furniture placement (walkthrough--think furniture, curtains, etc)
-take pictures of plumbing/electrical before drywall for future reference
-get a light fixture "allowance" instead of builder bundle

painting kitchen tile

yeah. it's something i've wanted to do for about four years now, but all the information i could find on painting tile lead me to epoxy and bathtub glazes (which sounded toxic and involved multiple, multiple coats with days and days of drying, fans, ventilator masks...just, no).

i finally just decided to go for it. regular ol' paint. not even gloss.

it took two coats. i painted them the same color as the cabinets (but went with satin instead of flat) using a brush for the grout and a small foam roller for the tiles.

wish i would've done it a long time ago!!

it's so much brighter now!!

it's flawless and smooth and looks like the tiles were made that way. if you're thinking about doing it, just do it.  Nike®

christmas movie marathon

november = that time of year, right? well, it does for me because my tree went up on november 3rd! 

i'm pretty sure everyone thought i was crazy (except, surprisingly, my husband who thought we'd get our ''money's worth" out of all the effort that goes into putting up all the decorations) ..just wait til this weekend when it's his turn! [enter: icicle lights!]

anyway, back to my top christmas movies! in no particular order

the family man

home alone

christmas vacation

elf

the santa clause

and because sometimes you just need a good cry:

the family stone

stepmom

[not pictured--where the heck are they?] the holiday 

dr. seuss' how the grinch stole christmas 

there you have it! merry november

getting ready to sell

i've made a list (gasp!) of things we need to check off in order to have a house that's ready to sell. i figure we have anywhere between 1-2 years left in this house. 
so! i'm trying to get rid of things daily, clean, and organize. i'm constantly looking at houses for sale (i think i should've been a realtor in another life)--i just like house dreaming.

My main area of concern is clutter, so:

#1 DE-CLUTTER:

    -master bedroom closet, side tables, armoire 

    -master bathroom vanity 

    -hallway linen closet

    -laundry room

    -main bathroom vanity, medicine cabinet

    -guest room closet, armoire

    -office desk, closet

    -entryway cabinet, closet

    -kitchen cabinets, drawers, counters, shelves, pantry

    -living room console, ottoman

    -backyard shed

    -garage

#2 HAVE A YARD SALE / DONATE

#3 FIX:

  -add door knocker

  -replace back door handle 

  -paint trim around door to garage
  - paint tile in kitchen
  -replace front door handle(?)

  -touchup soffit paint 

  -fix splash area on front porch (add gutters)

  -remove shrubs (front and back)

  -stain mailbox post (and cement mailbox into ground)

  -overall yard work

  -touch up living room paint 

  -trim in main bathroom 
  -paint main bathroom vanity
  -replace main bathroom toilet paper holder
  -new counter in main bathroom(?)
  -re-caulk main bathroom sink
  -redo main bathroom mirror trim

  -baseboards (fix, clean, paint)

  -touch up grout paint in living room & kitchen

  -carpet hall + bedrooms 

  -fix closet bars/shelves

  -paint lower kitchen cabinets 
  -paint garage interior
  - fix up back patio area (new porch light?) (pavers?) (mulch?)

#4 STAGE:

    -empty closets (x5)

    -remove armoire & extra table from master bedroom

    -remove jewelry case, record player, armoire & chest from guest bedroom

    -remove extra chair from office 

    -remove club chair, table, fireplace, albums/crate & pantry from living room

    -remove family photos from all rooms
    -take down floating shelves in dining room and put up large art
    -stage office shelves (globes & books only)

my "five year plan"

my mind has been a wanderer lately. i've been dreaming of living in nyc. jerem's on board and it sounds like so. much. fun. it's something i've always wanted to do. but with all the excitement it makes me feel, the thought also makes me feel homesick.

i know we could do it. and i know we would like it. a lot. which kind of scares me because

what if i never wanna come back? 

most families live in separate states. you see your parents and sisters and brothers and nieces and nephews on christmas and thanksgiving. that sounds awful.

so i'm coming back down to earth and being happy where i am. 

and i'm making a plan. 

and i said to jeremy, "how about we live in this house..until we don't." 

________________________________________________________

aug 2014: J starts school check

dec 2014: finish nursing school check

jan/feb 2015: get a big girl job update: i got a job march 2015!!

jan/feb 2016: J graduates

feb/march 2016: J gets a job update: j got a job oct 2014!!

june 2016: v a c a t i o n - t o g e t h e r 

2018: buy/build forever house & make babies to put in it

for now-

• save up money for forever house down payment.
• all the while making this house our home one room at a time. 

fire pit!

this friday, the husband and i decided we wanted to build a fire pit. we had company on their way and figured it'd be a nice way to spend the night--outside, drinking, eating.

so we went to home depot and scoped out the materials we'd need. we picked up some sand, some rocks (i picked white marble because they were the prettiest), a whole lotta limestone concrete wall blocks (40, to be exact), and a wheelbarrow.

after loading them onto the cart. then into the truck. then out of the truck and into the backyard, we were ready to build. we laid out our pattern in home depot (10 per ring) so when we got home we laid ten out where we wanted. i used flour to mark the line around the blocks (with room for a perimeter of rocks) and jeremy got digging. 

step 2: rocks. 

step 3: sand

step 4: blocks. 

(we meticulously checked that each block was level and used more sand underneath 

to even them out)

 we've got some supplies to return and one more bag of marble rocks to buy to finish it up.

but we were cookin' (literally) within a couple of hours. 

seriously our favorite project yet.