Start to finish: Living room and powder room

House tour moving along to the living room and powder room.

With our floorplan, the builder included:

• Hardwood floors in the entryway, hallway and powder room

We chose:

• Again--the wider baseboards and crown moulding
• To upgrade to a box newel on the stairs and have all of the stair woodwork painted white.
• To upgrade to Craftsman style doors throughout the house and all oiled rubbed bronze hardware on the doors.
• To have a pedestal sink added in the powder room. I think the standard was a wall attached vanity.
• After we closed, I had the builder grade mirror in the powder room removed by a glass company and then had a handyman (my man, Steve) hung the new one.
• Plumbers came through and replaced the nickel faucets with the the one pictured. They are the same in all of the bathrooms. 
• Handyman Steve also changed out the nickel flush handle with bronze ones for me.
• The electricians removed the vanity light fixture for the one (poorly) pictured. They also hung two new hallway lights outside of the powder room.
• The Sherwin-Williams wall colors are Languid Blue in the living room and Refuge in the powder room. For the hallway, stairs and then the upstairs loft/office, I chose Windfresh White. It is a warm beige but not too "fleshy" or tan.

Stuff:

• Drape hardware: Target
• Drapes: Potterybarn
• Gold living room chairs, table and table lamp: our previous home
• Wall sconces: Potterybarn
• Bookshelf: Pier1
• Floor lamp: Target
• Chair: Target
• Throw: IKEA
• Hallway lights: Lighting Direct
• Vanity light: Shades of Light
• Faucet and toilet hardware: Lowe's
• Wall hangings: our previous home
• Toilet paper basket: Potterybarn

The living room is still a little bit of a work in progress. The one and only thing that broke in the move was a giant--maybe 5x7--Walasse Ting print. It's huge and colorful and perfect for that giant, blue nakey wall. I have yet to file the claim paperwork with the relocation company to have it repaired...now I'm thinking back and hope my 90 day window hasn't closed. Hrmmm.

Anyway, I want to hang that print on the wall and I'd love a rug to pull the living room seating together and break up some of the sea of beige carpet. Then I might call it good.

Start to finish: Dining room and entryway

House tour!

I went through construction progress photos on my phone (so they may be a bit hoopty) and included photos of the finished product. I hope to try and do this with every room.

Here is what the dining room and entryway started off as and how it looks now. People have also asked what the builder "included" and what we chose to change or upgrade, so those details are also below.

With our floorplan, the builder included:

• The dining room.

We chose:

• To add hardwood floors into the dining room.
• To add additional trim. We chose the "upgraded trim package" which added the tray ceiling, chair rail, thicker base boards, and crown moulding in the dining room, entryway and living room.
• A new dining room light fixture. I think I mentioned that we went with the standard lighting package--the entire house's fixtures were grouped into one package that was either built into the base price or you could choose an upgraded (of still unattractive to me) lights for an additional price--and then chose to replace all 26 light fixtures after we closed. 
• A new entryway light fixture (say "no" to boob lights).
• To have non-white walls. Again, we had everything painted after we closed and before we moved in. The painting company used Sherwin-Williams Duration Home Matte Finish. It's a flat sheen, but can be scrubbed (and I have already). The dining room wall color is Kilim Beige. The entryway wall color is Languid Blue--which is one shade darker than what the family room and kitchen are painted.

Stuff:

• Dining room table and chairs: our previous home.
• Dining room rug: Amazon (which I have discovered often has better or comparable prices to Rugs USA).
• Dining room light fixture: Shades of Light
• Drape hardware: Target
• Drapes: Potterybarn
• Barcart: Ballard Designs
• Alcohol: Costco (which is why it looks as if we have gallons of it)
• Dining room mirror and wall hanging: Pier1
• Entryway light fixture: Home Depot
• Entryway rug: Target
• Entryway bench: Ballard Designs
• Entryway art work: my dad

Thumbs up, thumbs down, thumbs in the middle

I ask the family to use the thumbs up, thumbs down, thumbs in the middle ranking for new meals in our house because I'll be damned if I make something again that universally gets panned. Scrap that. Last night's roasted chicken and root vegetables--in theory--damn near killed Ezra...



...but it later garnered a thumbs up. After his second plate of it. 

So because it's been a stretch of time since I wrote something here, I thought I would do a tidy two month wrap-up using the thumbs up, thumbs down, thumbs in the middle system.

Thumbs up!

• We moved. It didn't kill me or anyone I'm related to.
• T and I went to Mexico in early February. That was pretty damn fabulous. It came at a perfect time both in winter cagey-ness and in record cold temperatures.
• I feel at home in our house. It took me months--a year even--to feel cozy in our old house, so this is a good feeling.
• We adopted a cat--named Taco--in early January from the Humane Society. She is four years old, without front claws (from her previous home), and delightfully both attentive and aloof. She wasn't used to children from her previous home, but now loves Ezra and Iris. With boundaries.
• Iris, despite skipping lunch damn near every day at school, continues to gain weight. I'm not entirely sure how this is happening, but I feed her a host of full fat things and long live fat!
• I'm no longer having strangers tramp through the house to do work. 
• After a brief period where I wasn't sure that Ezra's teacher and I gelled, January and February brought some good conversations about Ezra and how he is doing. He is smoking in first grade and getting more and more challenging spelling words and math sheets. 
• I joined a gym slightly closer to our house and signed up for three classes that start next week.
• With the literal and proverbial dust settling, I am feeling more inspired to cook.
• I really enjoy being home with Ezra and Iris. I am looking forward to hanging out with them this summer. They are fun people, and the absence of naps and diapers is more than a little convenient for fun-having.
• We are thinking of taking a beachy family vacation this summer.

Thumbs in the middle.

• Despite taking the bus from our neighborhood, getting Iris to school on time from across town still means that I have to haul ass above the speed limit to get her there. Walking in after the bell rings means tears on her end. 
• I have days when I am lonely. 
• I miss dressing for work. However, have recently decided to say, "Screw it." and today I am wearing a dress and tights. Why the hell not. Life is too short to wait for "an occasion" to wear nice things. 
• I am addicted to buying area rugs and T has told me to knock it off. (I still want one for the family room. My day will come.)

Thumbs down.

• This year of relocating and resettling has not been kind to my pants fitting. See above: new gym.
• This house feels colder than I expected (of course, it is -11 wind chill today). I have no idea why nor do I really want to think about it. I put on fleece.
• The other day I drank too much apple juice. Not good.
• I've yet to organize our basement. 
• The dining room and living rooms drapes have been a work in progress. Riveting stuff, I know, but you don't want to know how many panels I ordered, ironed, hung, scrutinized, returned or then sold on Craigslist. Many, I tell you.
• The Trader Joe's version of Ritz crackers are not as buttery as the real thing and I would not buy them again. Again, riveting, but the more you know.
• I've yet to find a dentist, eye doctor or lady doctor here in town. I am due for all three. Blerg.
• I rarely know what day of the week it is without looking at my calendar and I almost never know what day of the month it is. Ever.

Things have been good the last few months, and I hope to be here more.

Also, maybe a Parker Posey gif about pot pies?