Before + Afters: Part 1

After working on more house projects this evening, I took a walk around today and realized- we ALMOST renovated every single room. That's pretty huge. And I love our house now (which was 100% NOT the case when we moved in, the floors were scratched, and it smelled like wet dog). A great feeling pre-baby (even though umm baby's room is not finished yet).

It got me thinking I should go back and look at how far we've come. So tonight, I bring you, Before and After Part 1. My camera died before I got upstairs to take a photo of the master bathroom or the latest bathroom update, but we can start now and finish when the baby room is complete. Besides, the cat room is almost finished thanks to my mom's help, so it wanted to make a appearance. Let's start there.

CAT/STORAGE ROOM BEFORE

 CAT/STORAGE ROOM AFTER

New Carpet remnant, ikea storage boxes already owned, storage container from Ikea, pillows already owned and in the "man cave", relocated kitty things. It could still use some paint and more decor!

FAMILY ROOM BEFORE

FAMILY ROOM AFTER

New paint (x2- did not like first color), new couches, storage window seat already there, frame layout stolen from PB, frames from wedding gifts, Pier 1 lamp, gifted carpet, tons of photos!

GUEST ROOM BEFORE

 GUEST ROOM AFTER

This room was horrid when we moved in. The floors were refinished, half the walls ripped out and redone, many coats of paint, new curtains, Jamie's grandmother's tray for the "guest things", new headboard made by moi, and the other side of the room houses an antique dresser and tons of photos with frames too.

KITCHEN BEFORE

KITCHEN "PROGRESS"

KITCHEN AFTER

This kitchen went through the whole reno, and you saw it all here. It was stripped down to the studs. New walls, new ceilings, new floors, new cabinets, new fridg, new oven, new microwave... New tiling, new everythingggg. Oh, the eating area still needs to be painted and the china cabinet reno-ed. But this totally works for me. LOVE.

That's all for tonight. In Before + After Part #2, we've got the baby's room (!!!), "man cave", downstairs bathroom, upstairs bathroom, and master bedroom. This makes me feel retrospectively productive. Yay for our renovated house.

Life Lesson #321

You cannot clean the kitty litter and flush it down the toilet AS IF IT WERE HUMAN waste. Human waste does not come with clumps of clay (if yours does, consult your doctor).

The outcome of flushing said clay kitty litter down the toilet = using a super extra long plunger while still in your work attire. At least J was in good spirits. Lesson learned.

quick and cheap table centerpiece.

I had these gorgeous flowers from my baby shower that finally bit the dust recently. They are now residing in our woods, perhaps giving some nutrients back to the soil.

But the little glass vase they came in was super cute so I decided to see if I could find something to keep it in use. I had some ribbon in the house so I went to work.

Since the ribbon was an iridescent one I had two rolls of sitting around, I just used clear packig tape to secure and kept wrapping it around. I also lined the inside with ribbon since my aim was to put faux flowers in there, and not water. Then on an adventure to Joann Fabric for another project I'm working on, I picked up the prettiest cheapest flowers. I think they cost about $5.

For a whopping cost of $5, this bad boy is appropriate for winter with its ribbon but can also last through spring. Ummm and let's face it-- anything I do now so my house looks semi acceptable when baby comes is great because I won't have much time after that!

Oh PS we did make a trip to Ikea today- and found some great finds for both baby room decor and the "cat room". But I needed a nap so the cat room updates will have to wait until this week or next weeked!

Why did we never use this space before?! Cat Room: Reno Part #1

I had mentioned awhile ago there was this small space of a room between the garage and the "man cave". Well, this weeked we finally got to work on cleaning it out. It hadn't been cleaned out since we moved in. Meaning, well, there were dead bodies unknown objects and what appeared to possibly be mouse dropping (GROSS!) on the shelves and floors. It was not a job I really wanted to partake in, so J did the majority with me popping in and out pleading to throw stuff in the trash instead of keeping it.

Here's the before and after in progress:

It's coming along!! The door got some hardware and a deadbolt. Those boxes on the top shelf got the allowance to stay because they are full of office supplies. I have white Ikea storage boxes that have been hanging out in our house for awhile waiting for the perfect use. Here it is! Organizing our office supplies to put on the shelves down here since our office got the boot for our baby's room.

The carpet in that "progress" picture is so dirty. It was vacuumed (x2) since then and this room has been cleaned. I have high hopes for this room and plans! I always have plans. We did manage to score a $23 carpet remnant to place over this ugly rug. J was willing to rip it up, but it sits on concrete and I think a hidden ugly extra layer of carpet isn't a bad idea...

Here's what's left to do from our long list when I consider I'd like this to house the cat's stuff but also be a good storage place for boots, snowboarding helmets (that was one object located during the clean out), shoes, and anything else that fits (nicely and neatly) into this room.

"Cat Room" List

Clear all items out of room

Clean carpet and shelves

Build white ikea storage boxes

Get carpet tiles or remnant

Place carpet over old carpet

Organize all office supplies into Ikea boxes

Purchase storage piece for shoes

Hang knobs/hooks

Chalkboard wall on left with framing

Move cat items into room

By tomorrow afteroon I hope to cross off at least the next 3-4 items on the list. And then we can get back to baby land and work on that room. Oh, you thought I forgot about it? Nope, the very productive hubs also started to give that room a second coat of paint today! And since I thought the color that was in there was actually a bit dark/bright for me, we went with a few shades lighter. Take a sneak peak! Ohhh I love the creamier yellow color. Baby is going to be living in style.

 ..... and that's not all. This weeked will be bringing many more projects to be blogged about, productivity nesting is apparently really my thing this weekend!

bachelor ben season starts!

Anyone who knows me knows I live for bad reality TV. I can't help it. Last year, when I worked 14 hour Mondays, I ran to the couch, plopped myself down, and ate dinner while I pressed play on the Bachelorette (J was the best husband ever and always had Monday dinner prepped and waiting for my couch session). BUT!!! I didn't watch the Bachelor last night because a) I was in bed too early getting ready to go back to work and b) I have to admit, I was confused and thought last night was Tuesday. Tonight while J plays soccer, I watch.Here are my takes on some of my favs first. It's only night one, so I can make mistakes in my judgements of course, but let's discuss the attractive fun crazy women who grace us with their presence on Monday evenings.

No wonder Lindzi got the first impression rose. I would have given it to her as well, I think. I like horses though, so maybe I'm biased. And her dress was quite fashionable, too. I don't know if she really has  "z" in her name, but it looks odd.  But she's pretty. I like her. I bet she will go far.

From the intros, I also liked Nicki - the divorce. She is so pretty. Wow, I keep saying people are pretty. Shallow much? But she seems "normal" as one can be on this show, which I guess isn't saying that much. To me though, she stood out from the crowd and seemed mature. That's an accomplishment.

Rachel with the 's red dress wowed me. That dress was gorgeous- like a wedding dress but in red. I also totally love that she tried to squash the drama between Jenna and Monica. But mostly I loved her dress. I am not saying she'll stay forever, but she gets my award for fav outfit.

Umm thank you Emily for rapping to Ben, and also for being an epidemiology PhD student. But, someone explain to me how she has time to be on the Bachelor while completing her PhD. Does she search proquest in the mansion during her free time for her dissertation? Please explain. Is she studying the causes and contributions to diseases spread in the mansion???

I really enjoy Kacie. She's from Tennesee and wore ashort sparkly grey dress. She just seemed nice. Nice is good for this show, and good for Ben. I also like that she wasn't trying too hard (or at least not to me). You are a favorite, Kacie.

Now let's talk about girls I didn't love. Monica. Ummm you are involved with drama and also you hitting on Blakely was just weird. Speaking of Blakely, I don't really like or dislike her. But she sort of reminds me look-wise of my sister-in-law, Sam. Jenna is also major drama. I am suuuuure the producers made Ben keep her around. Yuck. Get rid of her. Dislike that Brittney brought her grandma, despite loving mine, I just didn't love that approach.

I know that Courtney is a model and "supposed" to be pretty. And sure, she's attractive. But I don't think she's thaaaaat pretty. She also seems like she is being cast in the Michelle Money role. And I loved Michelle post season, but during that drama she was horribly annoying. I think Courtney will be the same.

What is with the whole playboy/pageant fake boobs no personality combo this season ? Shawn, Elise, Samantha, Jacqueline. And Jamie, I really liked your preview and the whole concept that you took care of your siblings. But I hate hate hateeeee your DEB dress and fake boobs hanging out of it.  I could really give them all the boot tonight (well I'll give Jamie a second chance) and see no problem with it. However, I guess they need to play to the male brain (read: boobs) for a few episodes to hook Ben in before he really gets to know these women.

I love this drama. I can't turn off my TV when it's on (well once I start watching). Who do you think will prevail on this season? Will Ben get engaged? Will we see a TV wedding?? That's all I really want out of any of these seasons....

Pinterest inspired Grocery + Menu Challenge

This weekend we cleaned out our fridge. 2011 was gone, and the food that expired in probably month nine had to go. We Jamie realized how much food money we must waste by throwing out the leftovers that are never touched, the yogurts that expire, and the salad we never used... So we figured we should make an actual grocery shopping list. Ya know, one that we follow and that makes meals. I turned to Pintest and J and I spent an hour this afternoon picking and choosing nutritious semi healthy meals.

I'm sharing our menu in order to keep me on track. The plan is to cook the meals we have planned for the week. I know some people do a whole month, but my brain doesn't work that way and let's face it- sometimes you just need a pizza night. So for now, let's go for Tuesday through Sunday. But I am hoping until baby arrives we can keep some semblance of this plan.

This Week's Menu

Tuesday Evening

Spaghetti with sauteed Chicken + Grape Tomatoes

Light caesar salad

Wednesday Evening

Martha Stewart Grilled Mozz Cheese

Chunky Tomato Soup

Thursday Evening

Balsamic Flank Steak

Lemon Orzo Salad

Friday Evening

Thomas Keller Spanglish Sandwich (glorified BLT)

sweet potato tater tots

Sugar cookies for dessert

Saturday Breakfast

Egg Stuffed Potatoes

Saturday Lunch

Leftovers or Zucchini Pizza

Saturday Dinner

Low Fat Chicken + Rice Casserole

Garden Salad

Sunday Breakfast

English Muffins with Jam

Scrambled eggs or cereal

Wish me luck! I will take photos each night this week so I can prove to the internet world myself that I am capable of this. And who knows, I might pick up a new favorite along the way!

Productivity Strikes + We're back to House Renos!

Today J's dad came and put a door on the "new cat room". Yay! Ummm it's the door closest to the front of the photo. The other one is just a door leaning in that room. But! Now there is a door that closes so that the room doesn't empty directly into the garage. And look at that absolute disastrous mess in that room right now! Next weekend's to-do includes cleaning this up. But there's a door and after a quick trip to the Home Depot thanks to grandma's christmas gift card, we scored a new lock and deadbolt too. It's the little things.....

We plan to straighten this room up, vacuum really well, and then create another layer of floor with some carpet peel & stick  tiles, organize the office things (they are currently in those boxes shoved on the shelves) with Ikea white storage boxes, and put some cat beds, food, etc in here. Plus I'd love to stick another Ikea storage shelf for shoes in here. We always end up throwing our sneakers on the floor in this room so might as well make real space for them!

Remember the out of place looking brown bookshelf in the baby's room filled with text books and business management books? I do. It was ugly. It was also terribly unorganized and housed books from year one of grad school, my engagement ring insurance papers, my address book, and a US Airways giftcard (undetermined if it was already used). Treasures. Junk.

After piling any books we don't need into a "donation" box (and being out of breathe!) I decided to relocate this fine bookshelf downstairs to our man cave.  However, since that man cave post we've actually updated and gone the whole blue and green route. Anyway, this fit perfectly (because it's narrow) along the wall between the stairs down and the bathroom. And after ditching all the pages of lovely literature we didn't need, we ended up with this.

I took all the sleeves off the books and they actually look much more grown up. You can see there are some books with white covers-- just used some leftover Christmas paper inside out and made some old school book covers. They were ugly colors and just didn't fit in here. I'd like to get rid of all the books on that bottom shelf and give them the boot to the "cat room" shelves after that's finished. Then the bottom shelf can be used for a cute display of photos or other decorative items.

Ahhhh so much nicer! And I guess we were busy bees today, because I also hung the new curtains J's mom made for us (loooove) in the baby room and cleared out a few more things as well. Now it is starting to shape up!!

I am obsessed with these curtains because they have so many different color shades in them, greys, yellows, whites, off whites. The goal of this room was yellow and grey with soft other tones (pinks, whites, off whites) and it is slowly coming together! This corner of the room below is going to be the book corner. There is just not enough room for a book shelf right now and I adore this white basket with the yellow lining. I have "shelves" i have been working on this weekend too, currently sitting in the garage letting the paint dry, and above them we will hang the silver ribbon board and the shower "leaf" your thumbprint tree! Can't wait to get this stuff up!

Oh also I took out the pottery barn kids book end birds. They are not staying in this spot permanently, they are going on another piece of furniture (hopefully that will go in this week or this coming weekend). And we ordered the changing table. That should also come this week or next week. it is going under the window where the car seat and basket currently live.  Here's what she looks like. I am going to purchase light grey or white wicker baskets for the top, so we can store the stuff we need to get to quickly. But I am loving how it will fit into the room!

Next on the agenda- finishing that "cat" room. I actually think it will be nice to have some storage space for craft and office supplies!  And then hopefully we will hang baby chandlier in her room.

Sigh. Can't WAIT for J to put this up in baby's room! Back to reality tomorrow, hope everyone enjoyed their long holiday weekend!

2011 in review.

Happy 2012!! Like all good bloggers, a yearly recap is a must... and how life has changed in a year (for the best definitely). 2011 was a year filled with travel, house renovations, weddings and of course prepping for Baby Walls to get here early in the new year!

January of last year came blazing in with bad weather, a long commute still on my plate, and a house that was getting tons of renos. I started this blog to keep track of all of our achievements, and along the way it became less of a simply house reno blog and more of a life blog. A new year. A visit from the Millers + Tullers to Wilmington. And after viewing the photo below a few times, we decided the kitchen reno needed to happen ASAP.

In February, my birthday month, I hosted a sorority reunion at our house while J was away for the night, where food played a main role. We spent my birthday weekend at Delaware Inn, a Rehoboth bed + breakfast and hit up the outlets. Two weeks later, we took off for NYC to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday. February was packed full of events that I loved. This year February will bring another special little gift to us!

March brought our official "let's do this kitchen thing" motivation. We decided to dip into savings, tear apart our existence, and build a new kitchen. The demo was quick and the cabinet decisions and pieces were many. We did take a break from the reno to attend the annual St. Patrick's Day Party! J ran a chili run 5k (you run 2 miles, eat chili hot dogs, run another mile), and we celebrated our nephew's 4th birthday with green icing cupcakes and cute pictures.

April was a month of many renovations, trips to ikea, and friends. We turned the office into a functional space (which is now being renovated into a baby room), Jamie ran the Tough Mudder and one of his teammates got hypothermia very comforting, a philly Roma Reunion, and we closed out the month with a wine country trip  to San Fran and Sonoma with my best friends, their husbands, and the late entry of Matt + Sam for a winning combo of people. Oh, we J also did some MAJOR kitchen renovation work and almost brought that project to a close.

The beginning of May was kitchen reno deadline, and we did quite well. After many trials and tribulations to get my countertops on time, this was the "finished" product. Still needed some work, but functional. Fantastic. We celebrated me becoming a doctor (!!!) We also encountered crazy cats and talked about prozac, more prozac, and how prozac + pheromones changed our lives.  A quick visit to CT for a girls night with Sarah + Kelly at the Tullers. We rounded out the month with a discussion of babies and the future over our Memorial Day Dinner with some of the last wine I would be able to enjoy for awhile!

June brought a month of celebrations including the return of wedding season with Mary + Alex, the beginning of many trips to Rehoboth, Lindsay's bridal shower, my mom's retirement party + father's day, finding out on father's day there would be a little baby Walls making an entrance (and having to fight so hard to keep it in), and yet another trip to Rehoboth to discuss graphic tees with Lauren + Baback.

the day we found out we were going to be parents (we didn't even know yet...)

July was another busy month... and the beginning of a nice little friend we call morning sickness. A trip to Bermuda to celebrate J's bday and some quality time (and a whole lot of sleep and feeling yucky too- baby was at work growing!), facebook got hacked, roma summer reunion, Jen + Tim married in NY,  Philadelphia Union soccer games, faking many vodka tonics, and telling our parents about Baby W on the way! Oh, and I also experienced my first Delaware State Fair.

August started off relatively quietly (mostly because I was exhausted and ready for bed at 7pm), but was followed by two Rehoboth beach trips, during one of which my parents joined us at J's family cottage, a trip to Connecticut to tell the grandparents about their great-grandchild, the hurricane that wasn't so bad after all, and we ended with our annual Mt. Washington trip with the family. I also finished my job andd my 1.5 hour each way commute. A huge weight lifted.

In September, I started a new job (which has no commute and great coworkers), celebrated Lindsay + Dave's nups in Philly,  finally got to talk about baby on the blog!  (and in real life), started loving Pinterest with a passion, obsessed over fall trends, boots, and fresh picked apples,visited Linvilla Orchards with J, and oh yeah, was totally consumed with preg cravings, especially eggs! We also got to meet Laurie + Joe's gorgeous baby boy, Logan!

October is my favorite. Favorite because of leaves crunching and sun shining. Favorite because Starbucks brings back its fall drinks. Favorite because it marked one year of being Mrs. Walls. I also blogged A LOT (26 times!). We learned new things- like Baby Walls is a GIRL, Neti Pots are silly but fantastically productive, and that we're pretty good at picking out great tile. We finished the backsplash in our kitchen, wished happy 1st birthday to Hazel, celebrated our First Anniversary! with a trip to Winterthur, dinner at Moro, and night at Hotel Dupont, and snuggled up under blankets on Halloween as the little kiddos came to get candy. A perfect month. No wonder it's my favorite!

Are we really to November already?! A rather tumultuous eleventh month of the year, with the lowest moment definitely being when we lost my grandfather. He was a wonderful man, and we certainly missed him through this holiday season. And I learned (or was reminded) how a visit with friends after a sad event can help you get through. Stopped in NYC on the way back from CT for a dinner in the West Village with the Tullers + Millers and got some much needed love. Two of my favs  got engaged(!!), The Hewells had a housewarming party, we celebrated Thanksgiving with my side of the family and spent a long weekend in Philadelphia for mom's 60th birthday (with a heartfelt gift).  We also got to see 3D baby walls- pretty cool. A real live baby! Who yawns. In love.

The end of 2011 swept in with a warm December. We started out the month with some baby room preparations. My mom threw me an AMAZING baby shower in Yardley,  baby shower "lunch" the next weekend to include the grandmas, celebrated grandma's 85th birthday. We got our glider and our crib. The office transformed to baby room. Christmas came this year with a bittersweet taste with grandpa missing. We toasted Melissa + Scott's engagement on the 23rd, and followed it up with the annual Christmas eve party. Christmas morning we rolled ourselves out of bed early and opened presents with J's family- little kids are so fun on Christmas. We rang in the new year with my family and toasted to "happy new year/happy baby year!"

Happy 2012- Here's to a GREAT year! xo