Home Sweet Work

It has been a little over a week since we moved into our new house. We had an army to move us in and within the course of the day we were home. My Dad, Mom, two brothers, Mother-in-law, four friends, plus "Team Nelson" were able to get the job done. I took off the Friday after we closed and moved our clothes, lamps, and artwork (anything I didn't want dropped or dented) into our new home. It was freezing out and on top of it I had cold misty rain.

We have purchased a few paint samples and picked up plenty of tape, brushes, and Tylenol to get us through the next few weeks! I may be writing about the benefits of hiring someone to paint trim, but with a strict budget and no funds to do anything during "school nights" why shouldn't we give it a go? I keep telling Jonathan, "wouldn't it be fun to stay in, listen to music, eat pizza, and paint." Mostly the response I get is, "real fun." I'll ignore his sarcasm.


The selling agent didn't leave us a sold sign, so I made one! Jonathan helped me color it in, but only if I held it in the picture. He must really love me when I asked him to do this one day after work.


Kitchen looking into the dining room


Foyer looking into dining room


Kitchen, we are working on how to save or Craig's list for stainless steel appliances. Anybody on here interested? I'll give you a discount if you mention my blog!


Kitchen, but on the other side is my new kitchen table, but I will show you on another blog. Big plans for decorating... stay tuned!


Master... we bought the furniture after we got married and this is the first time all our pieces fit in one room. It was like reuniting a family.


Other side of room, look where the bed is wrinkled because Dax likes to rub on the side of the beds. No white linens for this house


Master bath


This is to the left when you walk in the bathroom and our closet is on the right


Say hi to Jonathan! He is in the den watching HBO... oh how we have missed normal tv! We are changing this paint color. I am going lighter with some advice from a friend.


It took eight people and moving furniture three times to figure out how to arrange the den. I like it now; frames the fireplace and tv. That works with most designer styles, right?


Guest bedroom number 1... we will get artwork up once we paint


Guest bath


The room I don't even want to talk about, the second guest room. This was my stubborn attempt to convince my father-in-law that a queen mattress would fit in a double bed frame. I was wrong and measured the width and not the length... I didn't think about it. We are leaving it alone right now.


See, I left the mattress up because I don't want to deal with this. Maybe next week and next post I would have done something.

Toodles!

What a week!

This week has been crazy! First, we are closing on our new house (in thirty minutes). Secondly, we are moving out everything tomorrow and all weekend. And lastly, my BROTHER IS HOME! You can definitely say we have a lot going on.

I will be taking pictures of the moving process, the reunion with Chris, and getting the keys to our new space. Stay tuned as I try and make these things happen. We are so blessed to have been given these opportunities!

New Piece

Yesterday, while Jonathan was gone I took the advantage of my afternoon and painted. This piece is getting donated for a fundraiser and silent auction to benefit the American Heart Association. After I did a piece last fall for the International Interior Designer Association, my friend Rebecca asked me to do one for her event. Tada! I am really pleased with how it turned out. It took me under two hours and the only tools I used was a utility knife and my pinky finger.

It was a cold one!

Sunday January 10th I ran in First Light half marathon in Mobile, AL. My good friend Emily Ann and I ran in it together. We trained last year for the half in Mobile and the Mercedes half. It was a blast and so cold! The race started at 7:30 AM downtown Mobile and in 20 degree weather!

Emily Ann and I before the race

Stretching at the hotel before we went to freeze!

Jonathan and I before the run (trash bag is to break the wind before the race)

Look how bundled up everyone is! I promise there were others in trash bags besides us

Approaching the Finish

We've got it!

We got the house! Team Nelson is officially under contract! It is such an exciting time for us too. I have already started looking at fabrics, paint colors, and arrangements for the new place. I also know Jonathan and I will have pizza and painting nights if anyone wants to join us ;)

I am sure Dax will get accustomed to the new place quickly and have tons of room to run! No more listening to the footsteps of the people upstairs. No more washing dishes by hand (we used paper plates whenever we could) and no more eating off a card table. New house here we come! At least by the end of January...

On to the next one

Another offer! We have found a fantastic house in Bluff Park! I found it one evening while Jonathan and I were cooking dinner. It has 3 bedrooms 2 1/2 baths, updated eat in kitchen, dining room, sunroom, basement, and den.The back yard is entirely fenced in and the neighbors even have dogs that would be perfect for Dax to play with, especially since they have dug a hole under then fence.

We love that the house has beautiful hard wood floors, smooth ceilings, and new light fixtures. The kitchen has granite countertops, new backsplash, and new appliances (even though they are white.) We are really pleased with this home and love that it has basement parking for both our cars. The garage also has a workshop so you know that will mean craft time Katie is back!!!

I already know where I want the furniture to go and have started looking at fabrics and paint colors online. Jonathan likes it a lot, but does not know how he feels about being the second house in the neighborhood. I had to remind him that on the other house he disliked it being so far in and now this one is too close to the edge. Oh, how we forget!

The offer is back in our court and I think we will accept tomorrow based on some minor details. I will be excited to annouce when we are under contract, but I am definitely apprehensive something will go wrong. Sorry I am being Debbie Downer, but let's face it, those things do happen. Regardless, if it is meant to be then things will happen for us. It always does.

The house has a generator, which is fantastic in case of icestorms (or just cool for me to say we have one)

In the entryway looking into the dining room

Dining room looking into den and back sunroom and the fireplace is wood burning

New appliances, but why white? Anyone want to buy this from me?

A view from other hallway into kitchen (breakfast area behind dishwasher)

Master bedroom, but the other guest rooms are very similar

Master bathroom

We are really excited and cannot wait to report what will come next. I know we are ready for more space, a dishwasher, a yard, and having access to the things that make life comfortable. I am really pleased that this has brought Jonathan and I closer together both literally and figuratively!

A New Year

2010? I can't believe another year has gone by! What will they call this decade that just passed? Will we say two thousand and ten or just twenty ten? We now walk around with little computers as cell phones and every one is connected within seconds. A lot has happened in the early 2000's.

We spent New Years in Nashville with our good friend Matt. Jonathan got off of work and we headed straight to Nashvegas. I would say New Year's Eve was a succesful evening and this is why:

1) For those of my friends that like to call me "Grandma" I stayed up until 4:00 AM.

2) We saw the Nashville guitar drop (first annual) and it wasn't too bad either.

3) I met and took a picture with Abraham Lincoln!

4) Did NOT lose my purse even though people made bets about it all evening.

5) I got Jonathan to dance with me and found a really fun hat!

All in all it was a fun New Year and here are some pictures to prove it!

Before we left Matt's House to go to downtown Nashville (my first time!)

Nashville Guitar taking the plummit

Mr. President and me (he apparently wears this out a lot and I was afraid to get too close)

The three amigos and doesn't Jonathan look like he's being forced to give me a kiss?

We were waiting to order food at a place that made the best grilled cheese I've ever had!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!