We Painted and Stuff

5.26.2015

Life is officially moving faster than I have time to blog about it. 

I'm doing my best to take it all in and enjoy this season of busyness. I feel so incredibly blessed right now with a new house and a baby coming, not to mention family and friends who have been so supportive and helpful! I could turn this into a cheeseball post really quick, so I'll stop there. But I honestly feel so undeserving of these gifts, and I am so very thankful. Just wanted to put it out there for the record.

Aaaaanyway, let's move on.

Two weekends ago, we finally started checking some things off our new house to-do list! The list is forever long, but one thing at a time, right? At least that's what I keep telling myself. 

My parents are basically the best and volunteered to drive up from Texas to help us paint a few rooms. The entire house is painted the same color, but it's not a terrible one, so I decided to just focus on painting the master bedroom, the guest bathroom, and Baby Bum's room. No need to get crazy and try to paint everything all at once.

I chose "Mint Condition" from Sherwin Williams for the nursery (pictured above). I knew I didn't want a gender-specific color like pink or blue. I wanted something bright but nothing too crazy, and I wanted something that could work for a girl or boy. No, I do not have a theme. Take that, Pinterest.


While my parents painted, Jordan and his parents worked on the front and back yards. Unfortunately, I do not have a before-and-after picture to show you. That's a blogger fail right there. Just imagine a jungle with weeds past your kneecaps, and you've got the idea. It was awful, and with all the rain we've been having, it needed attention fast before small children started getting lost in the thicket of dandelions. 

Like true first-time home owners, we don't own a lawn mower and had to borrow this from a friend. #sendmoney
^^^He was actually finished mowing by the time I ran out with my camera, so I shouted, "Pretend to be mowing!" Hence the confused stare.

The previous owners had some nice landscaping out front, so upkeep will be key from this point forward. Luckily, we both know absolutely nothing about maintaining a yard (or, ahem, keeping basil alive), so this should be fun.

Now for a few shots from inside the house! None of these rooms are getting painted for now.
^^^ Built-in bookshelves! It's kind of like a dream. We decided we're only putting books on there that make us look smart. We're going to start with buying a copy of the Bible in Hebrew and Latin, everything Shakespeare ever wrote, and throw in a Chinese dictionary for good measure.

A fireplace wasn't on our "must haves," but I am excited that it's both gas and real wood, so when it's cold outside it will be fun to light a fire and get all toasty!
One thing I love about this house is all the natural light! That was #1 on my priority list. I cannot cannot handle dark houses. I am so excited to have some great places to take pictures and read.

In related news, Jordan has declared he's already tired of moving. We have literally taken 4 boxes over to the new house. This concerns me. The other day he said, "I'm tired of this giant empty box that's sitting in the middle of our living room." To which I replied, "Maybe you should fill it with stuff."

This is what I'm dealing with here, people.

One project that we want to do before we move in is replace the kitchen sink. While we were at Lowe's looking for sinks, I happened to see this: 
I can't decide what's more ridiculous: that someone found this a selling feature or that they actually know this about the toilet, which means they tested it. "Hey, how many golf balls can we flush before this thing breaks?" You KNOW a man thought of this.

I picture a team of marketing people crowded around a toilet. "13!" Loud cheers. "14! 15! 16! 17... oh, no it's broken. 16 golf balls it is!"

America, you are weird.

After two full days of painting and yet another crazy Oklahoma storm that nearly had us retreating to the storm shelter (dear May, we are not friends), we actually got to enjoy some sunshine while eating burgers and ice cream at Freddy's. My dad apparently thought there were 25 people eating lunch with us and decided to get an excessive amount of ketchup.
So that's the beginning of the beginning of house stuff to do! Excuse me while I go take another load of random items over there.

I CANNOT BELIEVE I OWN A HOUSE.
Rachel said...

I love the minty colors for the wall!! And your kitchen is HUGE. I guess I'm speaking from a biased perspective, you've seen my kitchen, but I think yours is big and awesome and perfect for cooking lots of food! I happen to have a Chinese dictionary on the bookshelf in my living room...guess that means I'm smart. :P
And the golf ball thing is rightfully hilarious. I would have taken a photo too.

shelleystirs said...

I remember borrowing a lawnmower for the first few months we owned our house. Buying one was not really enjoyable, but kind of necessary. At least you don't need a snowblower! :)

Bailie @ The Hemborg Wife said...

What a great looking kitchen and fireplace, full disclosure I am coveting your fireplace really badly.

Anonymous said...

Nice house! We are waiting on the clear to close any time now. Exciting stuff! Can't wait to see it all decorated!

Ashley H said...

Loving your kitchen. The open feel and the white cabinets! How great that you have built ins?! Love that!

Sara Oss said...

You really are in an exciting stage!! Your house is just lovely; I think the front room window is my favorite. Are you guys moving hear your apartment or will you have to figure out new commuting routes? That is my least favorite part.

Sarah said...

Love the mint and love the house! And built ins...swooon!

Caroline @ In Due Time said...

omg!! Cracking me up!!! 16 golf balls? Seriously!!!! Love seeing pictures and love the mint color you chose!

Andrea H. said...

Looks amazing!! The natural light is lovely!! Glad things are coming along even if they are piece by piece...or rather box by box :)

Cassie Lee @ Sage the Blog said...

What a BEAUTIFUL place!

Ali said...

Looks like a great house! I am so jealous of your fireplace. Like, ridiculously jealous. I live in northern MN where we have 342354235 months of winter, and our stupid house does not have a fireplace. Who's idea was it to buy this shanty anyway? Ugh....

Anyway, looking good! Also, you're pregnant...clearly you need 25 cups of ketchup.

Amanda said...

Yay! I'm so super excited for you! (I really wanted to type this in all caps because that's how excited I am. Haha!)

Kerry @ Till Then Smile Often said...

I think Mint is a great gender neutral color. I love the fireplace and the bookshelves. So pretty, and lots of light! Oy, that is not a selling feature of a toilet. Or I guess it is for guys.

Kaity B. said...

It looks so pretty! Natural light and fireplaces are my weakness. I could live in a shack for the rest of my days so long as it had good light.

Laura said...

Oh, moving....joy. Man Cub has a green nursery too. I love it! And I hate Pinterest and think it should die. So there. I use it to keep up with recipes and oily stuff, and that's about it. Golf balls in a toilet? Who thinks of this stuff?! Life with boys!!! Your house is adorable, and I love seeing bits of it. So excited for you!!

Rachel G. said...

What a beautiful house and yay for making it your own!

Kristin said...

I am in love with that fireplace and those built in bookshelves! And all that natural light. That is going to be the best room ever come cold days.

Unknown said...

I certainly laughed at the amount of ketchup that you had. I mean I like ketchup more than most people and still, that is a TON of ketchup! Hahaha! Good luck with all your moving!

Unknown said...

I feel you on not being able to keep up with life- I'm slowing down blogging for now and just hitting the highlights. Too much to think about!

Tara said...

Love your paint color choice and your fireplace!! And yeah, we're totally doomed when we have a house... no yard experience over here whatsoever, haha.

And I think that's the perfect amount of ketchup...

Brittany said...

First of all, I'm so unbelievably happy for you! Second, your new place looks killer. I pretty much melted over the bookshelves, fireplace, and MASSIVE window! For us, things like actually maintaining a yard and having to change a sink ourselves keep us in the apartment/long-term renting realm.

Unknown said...

This is so EXCITING! I'm very happy for you.

I love the kitchen. And the front room windows. And the wall colour you chose. And the... WAIT. Is this a police car beneath Jordan's chin? What did you do this time, Amanda? Are you sure you didn't mow the wrong lawn? :)

Michelle said...

I think I'm in love with your house. And the mint! That's the perfect nursery color.

I love your smart book idea. I did the same thing! I put all my Shakespeare/Thoreau/Jane Austin/CS Lewis on the mantel and hid my cheesier books in the bookshelves.

Amy @ A Desert Girl said...

The built in bookshelves - you know I love those! I also love the color you chose for the baby's room. It's very similar to the color I chose for my office when we moved into our current house (chosen because it's gender neutral, light, soothing, and I had that room in mind for a baby room down the road).

The quantity of ketchup cracks me up! I hope you said sternly, "We are not leaving this table until you eat all of that ketchup, Dad."

Allie @ Everyday Adventures said...

I love the molding on your kitchen cabinets! And the color you picked for Baby Bum's room. And the built-in bookcases. Excellent choice of house. :)

Jenna Griffin | Gold & Bloom said...

Yay!!! The house is beautiful! I love the fireplace and all of those windows. We have terrible lighting in our living room, so I can definitely appreciate lots of good light. :) The color you chose for the room is really perfect. I like that it is gender neutral!

PS. I laughed at the toilet advertisement. When I showed Lamar, though, he was like...so what? It must be a guy thing. Ha.

Courtney said...

Your house is beautiful!!!

And I'm currently obsessed with mint, so full approval there.

Becky said...

I loooooove that mint color. I love mint! Whenever I move out I hope Sherwin Williams still makes that color! Haha sounds like Jordan needs to tweak his expectations a bit…not going to move out in one day! :P I love natural light too! Those built in bookshelves - oh man that's awesome! This is all so exciting :)

Kayla MKOY said...

A few things;

-YES for the mint. Best color decision ever.
-Is that your mom on the ladder? Her legs are killer (...I'm a creep)!!
-Your house is freaking amazing. Can I move in?

Sounds like one heck of a weekend...I'm so excited for you guys!!!

The Lady Okie said...

Ha! Yes, those are my mom's legs. I have her giant calves!

The Lady Okie said...

I do love me some ketchup, but we were cracking up because he had some and went back to get MORE, and we were like, how many people do you think are eating???

And yes, a fireplace wasn't a must on our list (oklahoma summers = death), but I really do love it! And I love that it's regular wood burning too so we don't have to pay for electric. Just need to get it checked out this fall before we use it to make sure there aren't any bird's nests.

The Lady Okie said...

haha :) Thanks for being honest. It is pretty awesome. I love what the former owners did with the brick!

The Lady Okie said...

Like, seriously who needs to know that?! I feel like that's information only a drug dealer would find necessary in case he ever got raided and could stuff his stash down the toilet.

The Lady Okie said...

It feels large to me too coming from our apartment kitchen. I love how it's open to the living room too, and the white cabinets I think make it look more spacious. The previous owners did a great job doing some updates! It's nice not to have a hot mess of a house to move into.

And yes, Chinese dictionary or no, I think you're pretty smart ;)

Sarah @ Sometimes Photojenik said...

ahhhh this is all so exciting and I love reading about it! First off, I think that your choice for the nursery is just spectacular! And theme schmeme- ain't nobody got time for that! Your kitchen and the natural light and the fireplace... LOVE. Also, brilliant plan to only put books that make you look smart on the bookshelf *dying over here*. You are also helping me not want to own a house all that much because A- we don't own a lawnmower B-know nothing about keeping a basil plant alive and C- wouldn't have furniture to fill half the house. Finally, I haven't blogged in like two weeks. My excuse? Family in town and work. You're pregnant, moving to a house, working full time, and STILL blogging. #bloggerfail on my part

Brandi said...

Congratulations! What a beautiful house!

Beka @ Sunshine to the Square Inch said...

I love everything about this post! I'm glad your house has a ton of natural lighting which is a huge must for any house, in my opinion. I'm also glad you posted some pictures because it is always fun for me to see the inside of someone's house. I know that is weird.

Freddys! I have mangoes and you have Freddys. I will be eating Freddys when I get home. They have the best cheese fries followed by a stomach ache.

OK! 16 golf balls. That is weird. Who takes a dump equivalent to 16 golf balls??

Unknown said...

This is so rad and exciting! I will live vicariously through you, as our house buying days are far from now.

Rach said...

Your home is beautiful! I love all that natural light!! The majority of our house is like that - full of light. We have one room right in the very center of our house that has no natural light. It's one of the cutest rooms in our house as far as decor goes, but the lighting is so terrible in there that I rarely take photos in there. Pitiful, I know. Anyway, your home is beautiful! From the huge kitchen (with those beautiful cabinets) to the fire place room with built ins! Speaking of... your description of books that make you look smart made me laugh. Our book shelf includes the Bible in a couple of languages (from four semesters of Greek that I took in college as well as my Chinese bible from when I lived there). It also includes a couple of dictionaries in different languages (Chinese & Italian). No Shakespeare, though. So clearly I need to get one or two of his works to add to our collection. ;)

Also, the color you picked for the nursery is perfect! I love that! It's so sweet that your parents came to help out with all the work that needed to be done around the house!

The amount of ketchup your dad got is totally like me. I always get WAY too many condiments at places like that when I'm getting stuff for a group. I way over estimate. ;)

Kristen @ See You In A Porridge said...

my mother in law gifted us with her old lawn mower, otherwise we'd still be borrowing it!! those things are expensive. i am in love with your kitchen, so much counter space! and i love the mint colour / idea. themes are not my jam. my theme is going to be 'simple - it's a freaking baby's room'.

Tracy said...

Natural light is the best. It looks so good so far! Love the color you chose for the nursery, and all the built-ins and the fireplace and your kitchen are just gorgeous! We're homeowners but I feel like we kind of don't count since we bought a condo - we do NOT want a yard so no lawnmower for us ;)

Unknown said...

I LOVE the color of your baby's room! It's perfect. I thought that might be you on the ladder, instead of your mom...I may or may not have a picture of myself up on a ladder 7 months pregnant painting clouds on the ceiling...another story for another time. That toilet picture still cracks me up. Getting to the homestretch!!

Unknown said...

Also your house is gorgeous. I love love love that window in the front room.

Victoria said...

I'm beyond excited for you guys!!! Thanks for showing us what's going on and what you've been up to!!!! :) I know that moving is a PAIN, but it'll be so worth it!

I LOVE that kitchen! And the fireplace. And the built ins. And your strategy for book buying. And the natural light. And that it's in a NEIGHBORHOOD!!!! I hope you guys have really great neighbors!!!!

Brittany Rasmussen said...

I love your house!! Fireplace WAS on my must have list but somehow, by the time we got outbidded on our first 3 houses we put offers in, I ended up without a fireplace. I am surviving, barely but deeeplyyyy envious of all you people who have them. Also, your white cabinets in the kitchen are SO PINTEREST/BLOGGER TRENDY! LOVE THEM! Eee new houses are so exciting when they are YOURS!

Julie @ Just the Joy's said...

Ooooh! I love the shots of your house! Beautiful kitchen! And that fireplace... love it! I think mint is a great color for a nursery! Congrats on the new place! :)

Anne said...

So exciting! Mint for a baby's room = adorable. And I love all the gorgeous light in your house! Enjoy :)

Paige @ Reasons to Come Home said...

I'm way behind but girl we are on the same wave length or something! I was like "holy built-ins" and scrolled down thinking "all that light!" Loving the new house! And poor Cory had to push mow our yard (which isn't huge but still took him a few hours) until last summer when we had saved enough to buy a riding lawn mower! He was so freakin excited!

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