Little House in the Big D

I found my next project.. any ideas what to do with it?

2013-05-20T12:11:00.001-05:00

Everyone needs a little break from office work in the middle of the day... most normal people go out to lunch, hangout by the water cooler, go and talk to other co-workers, etc.

I, working from home, have none of these options (unless you count walking to the kitchen and talking to the dogs). So, when I need a little break, I like to visit my friend Craig and his "list"... just to browse...

Over the past couple weeks, I have definitely SOLD a lot more than I've purchased (flipping some estate/garage sale finds... details to come) but every now and then I like to see what people are selling JUST to see if there's a deal too good to pass up.

My friend Jenn and I send each other links throughout the day (obviously when we are really busy) and this morning she sent me this...

Ummmm yea... this is fantastic. I love the untreated butcher cutting block and think the little wooden/medal trimmed wheels are amazing.

For $25 (I had Chris pick it up for $20... love that man) I am eager to get it back home and let go to town.

There are so many great possibilities with the piece, Im having a hard time deciding what to do with it?

1. Sand it down, stain it? Use it as a drink cart for outside refreshments?
2. Paint it with some Anne Sloan chalk paint and shabby-chic it up a little? Maybe put some wine glass holders under the cutting block for extra storage?
3. Clean it up a little, give it a good ol coat of outdoor polyurethane protection, and cut a whole in the top to make a little planter out of it?

What do you guys think? I would LOVE some input!! Thanks!

-Samm

Week 22... 5.5 months and counting

2013-05-15T18:10:00.001-05:00

I hate to be "that" girl, but honestly, pregnancy and I are working out like two peas in a pod.

I feel fantastic, I have great energy, my hair looks and feels FANTASTIC, and weight gain has been at a minimum (mostly the only thing gaining weight it my future little man).

In my last check-up, we went over blood work and my ultra sound we had two weeks ago and I'm happy to report that everything looks completely NORMAL! (which happens to now be my favorite word for this pregnancy)

I'm starting to feel him move around a lot more, which is both extremely creepy and amusing at the same time... I swear yesterday he tried to 1-2 punch me.... Yes, a black belt at -4 months old.

The cool thing is I'm also finally starting to look a bit pregnant... I was in that "Is that chick bloated?/I think she just ate a gigantic burrito" stage for a while, but now I am wearing an ever so slight bump oh-so proudly.

Without further adieu, here is my picture for week 22.

I know I say all this now, but all in all I am VERY lucky that its been so cool here in Dallas... seriously, its in the 70's today where this time last year we were near 100. I just hope this doesn't mean that we are going to have a long, hot summer when it does get here... I've already talked to Chris about investing in additional in-room AC units for my office and the bedroom.

Does anyone have any additional info that I should be catching up on at this point in the pregnancy? I would LOVE any and all suggestions... THANK YOU!

-Samm

Craigslist Confessions: WHY?

2013-05-14T11:46:00.000-05:00

As you all know, I love me some Craigslist... I buy and sell a ton of stuff on there, but what REALLY makes me the happiest, is when I find just RANDOM RANDOM RANDOM things.

Its kind of turned into a joke between me and my mom... who can find the most random/bizarre item or picture on Craigslist...

As of yesterday, my mom has taken the lead...

Here is picture 1:

Couple of questions for ya:
1. What is happening here?
2. What the hell is on the back of her head?
3. Where on Earth do you find purple spandex maternity wear?
4. Is that a massage chair to the right?
5. What was the conversation when taking the picture??
- "hey sweetie, I'm taking a picture for Craigslist. Would you mind moving for half a..."
- "F*** OFF!!!"
- "ok, never mind, you look great there..."

And in case anyone would enjoy nightmares tonight, here's another ad (with TWO pictures!) for your viewing pleasure:

Questions:
1. Is that a man or a large child?
2. Is he there by choice? or by force?
3. Does he come with the desk? Why else would he be in this picture?
4. Why is he hiding in that corner like an evil minion about to attack your ankles?
5 Convo:
- "Hey honey, I wanna scare the hell out of a lot of people on Craigslist and make sure this desk NEVER sells. Would you please go hide in the corner and look as much like an evil ghost as possible? Thanks."

WHY, PEOPLE?!! WHY DO YOU DO THIS?

On second thought, don't answer that... just thank you for making my Tuesday a slightly more amusing/disturbed.

Anyone else find some good ads recently?

Week 20... it's a_____!!!

2013-05-06T15:41:00.002-05:00

Sorry all... Its been crazy around here recently.... and I know this post is a week late... I'm sorry...

The good news is that I've successfully made it to month 5 of my pregnancy, and Chris and I were able to go and see the gender of our future little one via ultra sound last Tuesday...

And, I am VERY happy to report...

Bring on the mud, dirt, and little bow-ties!!

Honestly, Chris and I couldn't be any happier! Not that we wouldn't love a girl, its just Chris and I are a bit rougher around the edges (ie. loving power tools and sports... I don't have the 1st idea about ballet, dance, or anything in the "pink" family). We also both come from all boys (he's one of three and I have one brother) so starting things off with a boy is our dream come true!

The best news of the ultrasound was that everything looked healthy, happy, and growing just as he should!

Of course everyone now wants to know what we've thought of for names, but we are actually keeping the name-game under wraps; from everyone (even parents and in-laws!). We figured it would be nice to have something just between Chris and I and it's been fun to throw names around while we are driving or eating dinner.

Without further adieu, here is my 20 week pic...

A week from today (aka. week 22) I go in for another check-up since the ultra sound was JUST an ultra sound and not part of an appointment (I'm sorry, did you expect me to wait until week TWENTY-TWO to find out if it was a boy or girl? No, so of course I made a special appointment)

I also had one of the best garage/estate/yard saling weekends of my life last week and can't wait to share more about it...

Ok enough procrastinating... I have to get back to work... yay!

-Samm

Behind every pregnant woman...

2013-04-23T15:08:00.000-05:00

Behind every weird, uncooperative, awkward pregnant lady, is the man she loves rolling his eyes...

Outtakes from last week (wk 18)

In my defense, I was using him to try and fix the photo lighting issues (which are still a work in progress)... I have no excuse for my picture other than it was taking a long time and even at my skinnest, I know how to push out my stomach like redneck at a BBQ...

WE FIND OUT IF ITS A BOY OR A GIRL IN EXACTLY ONE WEEK!!! I still have my gut-guess, but it will be fun to know for sure.

I did pick up a VERY cool project at a garage sale this past weekend and should start working on it soon... I cant wait to share!!
-Samm

Bump Update: Week 18

2013-04-17T12:06:00.000-05:00

Whoo-hoo!! We've hit the 4.5 month mark!!

I just had another appointment last week and apparently everything is looking good! So far in the pregnancy, I've lost 5lbs (?!) but between not working out nearly as much as I used to and the fact that my appetite is slowly coming back, they said I should start putting on a little more as time goes on. (My mom only put on 18lbs with me and 16lbs with my brother, so I'm not too worried.)

Here's this week's picture. (sorry about the quality. The only blank wall we have in the house has awful natural light and if we shoot with a flash I have a pretty bad shadow... We're still working on it)

The SUPER exciting news is that we find out the sex on April 30th!... that's less than 2 WEEKS AWAY!! I have a "feeling" to what it is, but I know the moment I say it out loud or buy something blue/pink its going to be the exact opposite. I promise to let you guys know if I'm right or wrong though... no lies.

Other than that... hmmm... any other updates? Well, not really... oh other than my cousin and his wife are pregnant too!! And guess when they are due? 5 DAYS AFTER ME!!! How crazy is that?! Fertile little family over here.

I know this blog is mostly meant for home improvement, and TRUST ME, there will be plenty of the coming your way, but I also plan on writing a bit about my preggo-cy too. I don't want to over share (who am I kidding, my life is an open book) but I thought I might reach out to you guys to see what YOU would be interested in hearing about since Chris and I are taking a "not so traditional" road to this whole thing... Here are some possible topics of interest. All these are true:
- We are having the baby at a Birthing Center with a nurse midwife... not at a hospital
- I will not be getting an epidural
- We are going to be using cloth diapers
- We are going to be using as many "green" products and toys as possible (reminder: I work in the toy industry so this one is actually kind of interesting knowing what I know)
- Changes to my diet while pregnant and beyond (Chris and future baby too)
- Decisions regarding vaccinations

I still plan on doing MANY post about the nursery, stuff we find on Craigslist/at garage sales, and all the while prepping for our bathroom remodel. The main reason I am choosing to share what we are doing with our pregnancy and birth is simply to show that there are other options out there. By NO MEANS am I one of those people who is going to preach that everything we do it correct, right, or the only way, and that everyone who chooses else-wise is wrong, but this is simply the decisions that we have made as a family and what is going to work best for us. Everyone is different and free to make their own decisions but I figure knowing options and doing your own research just might help others make up their mind for what works best for them (as they did for me).

Is there anything specific you guys would like to hear about? Or have any of you actually GONE through the situations above? I would love to hear from you!

Thanks!
-Samm

10 Tips for selling your stuff on Craigslist... FAST!!!

2013-04-10T13:54:00.000-05:00

One of the things I love most about this blog (other than showing off pictures of my good looking husband and asking advice for why I'm crying over Rocky Road ice cream) is interacting with new people.

Recently, a very kind reader from Oregon wrote me asking for help on a piece of furniture she was selling on Craigslist. She had fallen on some hard times and was looking to sell a piece bought at a garage sale in hopes of redoing, but ran out of time. The ad had been up for several weeks but she hadn't received any inquiries back. She asked if I could take a look at the ad and offer any advise I thought would help sell it... Oh Sandy from Oregon, I would love to.

Here is the original ad. I posted additional pictures and copy below.

"Beautiful little desk in need of some love. I've hung on to this for so many years and always wanted to restore it. Unfortunately I won't be able to do that. As you can see from the picture it needs repairs, but it is extremely sturdy, not a bit wobbly.

It measures 38" wide, 41" tall, when the front is up it is 17 1/2" deep and when the front is down it is 31" deep.
Two drawers can be locked and the front can be locked. I do not have a key, but the local locksmith says I can get one.
I'm moving and can't take all my things with me. I'm asking $100 for the desk.
Cash Only Please"

Looking at it from a buyer's perspective, I'll admit it was a cute piece, but $100 cute? I'm not so sure. And from the ad, we now know the following:

- It needs love, repairs, and has been sitting around for "many years" (read: lots of work)

- Its missing pieces (ie. the key) and I would have to pay even MORE to a locksmith to get it working... ($100 PLUS more money? its coming off as a money pit)

- The buyer is moving and is desperate to get rid of it (maybe I'll wait a couple weeks and see if she lowers the price)

Not saying that the piece is unsellable by ANY means, the copy and pitch of it just needed a little work. Here are the tips I offered:

Tip #1: List it under "Antiques" AND "furniture by owner"... double the eyes for people to see... (if you ARE moving, maybe even listing it under "Garage/moving sales")

Tip #2: Post more than one picture of the piece from multiple angles. (She already did a great job on this one). Try to highlight the best details (I would have done an upclose picture of the scrolly legs... they're so pretty!)

Tip #3: Take out the part about it needing TLC (people can see that from the pictures). You dont want to admit more than you need to about a piece needing cosmetic help. Let the pictures speak for themselves unless its something dire (ie. missing screws to keep it stable or a piece thats about to fall off).

Tip #4: List only positive qualities about the piece and give someone the idea to envision it as something else (ie. I would explain that this desk would look just like an $800 Pottery Barn one if painted white! Someone may not want to spend that money on Pottery Barn, but for a $100 and a coat of paint, they could buy yours!)

Tip #5: I would leave out the part about they key. On old pieces, I think its assumed that you wouldnt have it and you don't want to call attention to the fact that it's missing something (People can use that as an excuse to talk you down on price or walk away from it all together). If they REALLY want a key, they'll ask you in an e-mail.

Tip #6: Call to attention all its great features... solid wood, curved legs, dovetail bracketing (if it has it), does it have a stamp or indentation of who/where it was made? The more ways you can prove that it's old and rare, the more people will be willing to spend on it.

Tip #7: Leave out personal detail or any signs of attachment you may have to what you're selling. People don't want to think of it as "your" piece, they want to think about what it would be like being "theirs".

Tip #8: Give the buyer a possible idea of where it could go in their house (ie. Entryway, guest room, office, etc). A buyer can better envision it in a specific room in their house if you give them some helpful suggestions.

Tip #9: (You don't HAVE to do this, but it always helps me) - Putting "First come, first serve" at the end of your ad gives the idea that its going to sell quick and people better not hesitate. Best to give a buyer a sense of urgency even though you maybe nervous no one will ever contact you or that it might not sell. Fake it 'til you make it!

Tip #10: I always make sure and put keywords at the bottom of my ads. You never know what someone might be searching for (my favorites are "unique" and "solid wood" if I'm looking for a possible fix up piece). Feel free to add as many as you think apply to your piece. You don't necessarily have to work it in to the description of the item; keywords work just as well.

After reviewing my tips, I went ahead an rewrote Sandy's ad to see if I could jazz it up a little:

"Solid Wood Antique Letter Desk

Stunning antique writers desk with tons of character. It has great potential to be restored to its former glory or give a coat of white paint to look like an $800 piece out a Pottery Barn catalog. Great lines with curved feet detail really show off its beauty.

It measures 38" wide, 41" tall, when the front is up it is 17 1/2" deep and when the front is down it is 31" deep.

The piece is solid wood, very sturdy, and would look great in any entryway or office space.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or if you would like to come by and see it. First come, first serve. $100

Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, Shabby Chic, Unique, vintage, extreme, TLC, love"

What do you guys think? Any better? Do you guys have any tips you would add to get a piece sold fast? I would love to hear from you!

P.S- I did this post with Sandy's permission. Thanks again Sandy!

Belly update: Week 16

2013-04-03T15:13:00.000-05:00

I put these pictures up on my personal Facebook but thought you guys might want to see them as well.

I'm sure all of your are well familiar with all the adorable baby bump week by week pictures on Pinterest (if you're not, I suggest you take a look... they're freakishly cute and somehow all look like they were taken by professionals) so I thought I would start keeping track of my own progress (read: amateur).

If you missed earlier weeks, I've just decided to list them right below the newest picture. That way we can really see me poppin'. It starts at week 12 and I decided not to do any before then, because honestly, you can't tell.

So without further adieu, here's week 16.

So let's see here... any 16 week updates? ummm

I think I strained my abs sneezing yesterday... that's ~~exciting~~ ~~pathetic~~ different. I'm still doing yoga and taking the dogs on really long walks but I heard I may have to give up yoga (its just the basic one at my gym...not special prenatal yoga or anything). I can't do upward facing dog, anything that has to do with my abs (isnt that everything?), and even avoid corpse pose... Honestly, I can't even do the position which just requires me to do nothing except lay on my back?! (Something about my uterus interfering with blood flow...)

Speaking of laying on my back, sleep is getting more difficult. I'm used to sleeping like a starfish with one hand covering Chris's face and one leg gently pushing him off the bed (what can I say, I'm a catch) but now I'm restricted to only sleeping on my side (everything I read says to sleep on your left side) which naturally makes me either want to ONLY sleep on my back, or get a little cheat sleep in on my right side. Does anyone know if those full body pillows help?

Only a month away from finding out the sex!! Whoo-hoo!!

Let the hoarding, er, I mean "nesting" begin

2013-04-02T11:59:00.000-05:00

I love how prepping for a baby totally over shadows the fact that someone can be a hoarder, but it instantly turns into "nesting" as soon as a baby is involved.

How long have I been putting stuff away and hiding little things in the closets of our house?... umm well, I started my job as a toy sales rep in 2009... so... yea, about 2009.

But seriously, can you blame me? If you were given a free sample of a $100 baby carrier would you not hoard it away too? It's only logical... I'm saving money in the long end... or at least that's what I keep telling myself.... and Chris. Seriously, "bravo" to that guy for continuing to date a girl (back in '09) who would bring baby bouncers back to her apartment for "someday down the line". Why Chris didn't go running and screaming for the hills I will never know. I'm going to say he stuck around for my whit and the charm... yea... let's run with that.

Anyway, I am officially 4 months (16 weeks) along as of this past Monday (P.S- I plan to post a bump picture soon but Chris and I got into a little tiff over taking a picture, the best lighting, which wall to take it on, and the fact that the Texas Rangers season opener was on TV and not watching it in real time is Chris's version of actual torture. Fingers crossed, we will get a pic today).

So out of the 9 months of pregnancy, I have 4 down and 5 to go. Chris sees this as plenty of time. Break out the lounge chairs and ice tea, we have a while to wait... Me on the other hand? I could be confused as one of those guys from Doomsday Preppers. I seriously almost order a 24pk of cloth diapers online yesterday because I was worried about back-orders in the colors I wanted. Heaven forbid Diapers.com be out of the grasshopper green BumGenius 4.0.. my world would end. (sarcasm). (Well, sarcastic seriousness. It's truly the perfect color green.)

Enter me, sitting on the couch after work, browsing craigslist like a good little thrifty ~~hoarder~~ nester. First thing I find? This adorable Pottery Barn Kids white sleigh crib.
Adorable, no? I'm kinda leaning more towards white since it can go girl or boy (man it up with some khaki or grey) but for $450, I dont really think its in the budget right now... (thanks a lot KITCHEN remodel!)

But wait, what's this? On the very. next. ad.?

Ummm, yea, pretty darn close to the EXACT same sleigh crib as the Pottery Barn one... minus $250 bucks. True, Mansfield is about 45 minutes away from where I live, but maybe they would be willing to work on the price?

Four e-mails and a 45 minute drive later, this crib is now ours to the tune of $125!!!!! Seeing now it looks so close to the PB crib, I figured I saved us $325... or, if you want to get technical, I saved $574 verses a brand new $699 Pottery Barn crib.

Yes, I know we still have 5 months... but why not be prepared?! Especially if its something as freakishly cute as that crib?!!

To all my mothers out there, is there anything you bought WAY in advance? Or would recommend that I look in to "just in case". As always, I would love your feedback!!

Thanks
-Samm

...and then I cried over Rocky Road ice cream

2013-03-27T11:11:00.000-05:00

Since the oh-so fun announcement that Chris and I are expecting our first little one coming this September, I have already been bombarded with all the A-typical pregnant questions from friends and family...

Have you had any morning sickness? (no)
Cravings? (eh, not really)
Do you have super senses now? (like what? spidey senses? no, I have not turned into Spiderman)
Are you tired? (yes, all the time)
Why don't you look pregnant? (because its still early, I'm tall, and the little bugger has a lot of room to swim around in there)

Pregnancy so far has been just fine and every day has come and gone without a hitch.

That was, until last week.

Chris and I were innocently just sitting around watching TV, when all of a sudden I had the feeling as though my life would end if I did not have some Rocky Road ice cream.

I asked Chris if we had any, to which he replied no, but we could get some next time we went to the store.

That wouldn't do.

What happened next, can only be described by video. Enjoy

Here's the exactly link to it on youtube in case the video isn't working - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdKraLq9zoQ

I had heard of the cravings and random mood swings that come with pregnancy, but I never thought I would get both at once. Thank goodness my super-sweet, supportive husband was there to capture this little moment for all the world to see.

Honestly though, this was too good NOT to share. I hope my embarrassment has brightened your Wednesday :-)

-Samm

Additions to the Little House...

2013-03-25T16:44:00.002-05:00

No, we are not adding a second story to our house (even though we HAVE thought about it) or knocking down some walls to have a true master bath (all in good time)... this update is about other additions coming to the Little House in the Big D.

Well, this is actually mostly a brag...

Yes, yours truly is preggo.

For the past 15 weeks, I have been working (and will continue to work) on my greatest DIY yet... making a human being.

I know the lack of posts and updates have been downright pathetic recently, but after dealing with queasiness, fatigue, and endless backaches, I hope you all can forgive me and understand why I have been a little less than diligent in my blogging duties. (... lol, I just wrote "duties"...ha)

My due date isn't until September but I realize this opens the door for a whole new variety of housing updates!! Nursery, crib, bedding, decor, the fact that I'm going to try to find mostly everything we need via garage sale/craigslist.

Also, lest us not forget, we still have to squeeze in a master bathroom remodel before the little kiddo shows up.

Cause really, do I want to bring a child into the world knowing it has a pink tiled bathroom? No, Chris and I arent that cruel...

So yes, we are super excited and can't wait to continue fixing up our little house now with a little one on the way! Hopefully I will have a lot more housing/project updates now that my energy levels are picking back up.

Via Pinterest, I also thought it would be fun to catalog my growth. Here's weeks 12 and 14 for your viewing pleasure.

I plan to post a growing update every two weeks since I dont think much can be seen from week to week. Also keep in mind that I am 6ft tall, have a freakishly large torso, and will probably look like one of those women that you can never really tell if she is pregnant or constantly bloated.

Anyone else out there expecting? Or has any "first timer" advice? Chris and I are the first to have kids on either side of our family so any and all help or KIND suggestions are much appreciated!

Thanks!
-Samm

Kitchen "After" pictures... ... finally!!

2013-03-22T09:31:00.000-05:00

Ok how long has it been since we started re-doing our kitchen? Early February? no... January?... no.... forever ago?... yes, I believe we started forever ago... a good timeline is key.

Even though it took us a bit longer than expected, I am oh-so-FREAKIN-happy to present you guys with the finished product....

Just to review, let's remember where we started...

And without further adu, our BRAND NEW KITCHEN!!! (feel free to scream like the Beatles are being introduced on the Ed Sullivan Show)

Ohhhh.....

Ahhh....

Work it... Be sexy... pose for the camera....

Fabulous... nailed it...

Oh and remember this boring wall??

Yea, what now?!

Awesome fridge? check... large wine rack to make me not feel back about all the wine I drink? check... Oh and to the left? are you ready for this??..

Closed...

OPEN!!

Yes, the sliding pantry I pinned on Pinterest came to life... and I couldn't love it more... seriously... come over to the house and the words "Have you seen our awesome pantry?" will probably escape my lips before the word "Hello"...

Opposite the fridge is the range, stove, microwave, and another fun hidden compartment to the left of the oven...

Oh, what's this??

BAMM... pull out trash can and recycle....

Isn't my trash pretty? You're welcome, internet...

Another feature that I am SOOO glad we put in the kitchen is installing the microwave in "cabinet space".

Both Chris and I are over 6'0ft tall (I know, we're freaks) but we really don't mind the microwave being below the counter at all! We use the extra counter space 216x more than the microwave so it was a great decision that is really working for us.

Do you want a view walking in from the dining room? Ok...

And another...

That view actually wouldn't have been possible before the remodel. The side of the fridge was the first thing you saw on the left and it made the room feel even smaller and cramped... Now? Airy, open, and light!

We also need to take a minute and stare at the floors....

No, seriously, STARE. AT. THEM.

again...

Why am I asking you to stare at the floor (which I KNOW is dirty and needs to be swept, sorry)? Because we had to redo them... not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES. I've never seen Chris cry until that moment when we had to bring up all the floors again and relay tile for the third time. (side note: Chris would like me to amend this by saying that he was NOT crying, but just had something in his eye... like dirt, or thinset, or something manly).

Needless to say, we love the floor... and we love how it flows with the transition into the laundry room.

Oh, and remember our sink/faucet selection? It's perfect...

The sink is 9" deep, not to mention the added depth with the granite, so it holds a TON!! We also love that we did an under-mount sink. Its so nice to sweep any crumbs, food reminisce, or drink spills directly into the sink without having to worry about a clearing a sink "lip".

"Samm, what about the backsplash?"
Thanks random reader, I'm so glad you asked...

It's better than I could have dreamed. The travertine hexagons matches the floor without being too matchy-matchy and I love the depth you get from the different color stones.

Another small detail that actually makes a HUGE difference are the false fronts we put on the exposed cabinet sides. Here's the ones you see when walking in from the dining room...

And the ones you see when standing at the sink...

Its one of those really subtle things that you wouldn't really notice unless I say something (which, overcourse, I always do) but I think it really finishes off the cabinets. Having just a flat side not only feels a boring, but a little cheap. I think the false fronts really class it up and makes the cabinets look like as much as we paid for 'em.

Other little difference that just CHANGES the kitchen? Having windowed upper cabinets that are lit.

It really draws your eye up in the room and makes it feel even bigger than before. Props to Chris for installing the mini can lights that are wired to our two main lights in the kitchen. Negative points to me for not having a full shot of the ceiling to show you what it looks like with NO EFFING CEILING FAN... take my word for it. Its amazing. Our tall friends, as well as Chris and I, really appreciate not feeling like we are about to be decapitated every time the fan was on. I'll get an up to date picture soon, I promise. Sorry, kids.

I'm also really glad we decided to continue the beadboard in from the laundry room to the kitchen.

THAT took a couple days... I mean really... look at those corners. New threshold and all. (There's a small step down for all those who can't tell from the picture)

Here's the beadboard over on the other side.

Its just another small touch that I think really works for the kitchen and I'm super glad we did it.

And I would be amiss if I didn't point out our new range hood.

$650 at Home Depot? No... $150 on ebay #winning

So what do you guys think?

Chris and I have already talked about dragging our mattress in here and "camping out" for a night. We seriously love it that much. It's amazing how it went from one of the most cramped rooms in the house to being the most open. We can now have more than 2 people in here without restricted and stiff.

Do you guys like it? What's your favorite part? Do you think it's a good idea to start charging admission for people to come over and stare at the pull-out pantry... I'm always down for making an extra buck.

Thanks!!

-Samm

P.S - In all seriousness.... Chris, dude, you rocked my socks off during this entire process. I am so unbelievably proud of you! The blood, sweat, ~~and tears~~ you put into making our kitchen makes me love it (and you) even more. I'm so happy I married such a wonderful handy man who let me ask questions over his shoulder for 6 weeks straight and not want to strangle me by the end of it. If I don't tell you enough, you are amazing, talented, dedicated, hard-working, look really sexy working with your hands, and overall the manliest man I know. I love you to the kitchen and back!!

My husband turned my car into a unicorn...

2013-02-28T12:30:00.001-06:00

Quick post, but I HAD to show you guys this...

In addition to finishing up the kitchen, we are also working on the guest room (since we had to blow out part of a wall for our new, awesomely-amazing built-in for the fridge and pantry). That being said, the room was in desperate need of new paint, baseboards, and crown molding... easy enough, right?

Chris went to Seconds and Surplus (in Richardson for those of you DFW people) for some baseboards and molding and then proceeded to send me THIS picture right before he headed home.

"They only come in 16ft strips" - Chris

My car, the unicorn.

My husband, the DIY car-driving dare devil.... for all those curious, yes, he did drive 10+ miles down a major freeway to get this home...

Illegal? Not sure. Amusing? Absolutely... never a dull day around here....

We are 99% there!... (aka. I hate kitchen hardware)

2013-02-27T16:48:00.001-06:00

Seriously! No lie... we are so close to finishing the kitchen we can TASTE the future food we are going to make in it.

There is nothing more I rather do then post a TON of before and after pictures for you all, but it's the 1% that's still unfinished which is killing me.

Knobs/drawer pulls... kitchen hardware just generally as a whole.

Originally, Chris and I fell in love and decided on these Fintorp pulls (and matching knobs) from Ikea.

As modeled here by our pantry in our laundry room.

Measuring about 7" long (we loved it especially since a lot of our new drawers are really large and need a large pull to distribute weight) and only $7.99 for a two pack, we thought we were good to go when we originally started our kitchen demo.

Well, the evil kitchen gods must have heard our perfect little plan and decided to take a ~~shit~~ dump on it by having Ikea discontinue them. Oh, why not just call around and see if they have them at other locations besides Dallas? Oh we did. I even had my mom in Scottsdale drive out to the Ikea in Tempe and wrangle up their last 4 packages.

True motherly love right there.

With four packages down and only 3 more needed (we needed a total of 15 and we had one extra left over from our laundry room), I was super shocked to find that there were still four packages left... in Brooklyn, NY...

Lucky for me, I was going to be in NYC for work.... it only took a cab, subway ride, and water ferry to get me over to Brooklyn during my day off.

Only once I got there, an INCREDIBLY rude worker told me that I was wrong, they were completely sold out, and whoever told me they still had four in their system "must have had their head up their a**". (Did I mention I flew to NYC, took a cab, subway, AND water ferry to get there?)

And so now we are stuck... 8 awesome pulls and 15 lonely drawers.

Chris and I have looked online for replacements and cant seem to find anything we like or that is under $20 a pull. (I'm sorry but I'm not spending $500 on kitchen hardware)

I'm sure we will find something soon... not to mention that my mom is coming in town this weekend and she has the BEST shopping karma EVER, so we'll see.

The 8 pulls that we have we plan to use in the bathroom for our new vanity (as soon as THAT project starts... now looking more at an early summer start date) and sell whatever we don't use on e-bay. True story side note: Our exact two pack of the stainless steel Ikea Fintorp handles just sold for $66.00 on ebay for one (yes, 1) set!! Again, they were $7.99 normally at Ikea.

Do you guys have any ideas on handles or pulls? We are trying to go for cottage shabby chic. I would love for you to leave a comment with a link if you have any ideas!!

Thanks!
-Samm

Kitchen update... a million days late...

2013-02-14T17:58:00.001-06:00

Where do I even begin?
...I'm sorry?
...I failed you?
...I'm sorry I teased you with our kitchen and then left you hanging?
...I beg your forgiveness?

Yea, all of the above.

No, Chris and I didn't die mid-remodel, and no, there was no terrible accident which left me without the ability to type, post pictures, etc... I just simply got caught up with the 10,000 other things going on with life that I left you all without a word or whisper.

In my (pathetic) defense, I was also involved with two week-long trade shows (yes, weekends included), caught that AWESOME flu which has been going around (no joke, I only visited two spots in our house for 10 days: the bed and the floor of our bathroom), and then was in NYC for a week for yet another work trade show (just got back last night).

Excuses aside, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I AM SORRY!

Yes, the kitchen remodel is still going on (33 days and counting) so let me catch you up to speed...(I promise to go back and give a full detailed explaination of everything, but I just wanted to give you a quick progress report without going into every single project).

1. The floors are down and look beautiful...

I'm loving our 3x6 travertine pavers in the kitchen... even if we did have to do them over more than once.

2. Our new fridge arrived from Sears!

With tags still on and everything.

It keeps our food cold and we love having water/ice in the door (a convenience we didn't have with our old fridge).

3. Ding-Dong the evil fan in the kitchen is down and dead...

Chris installed and wired new recessed lighting which looks awesome! Makes the kitchen feel 10x taller!! (and yes, Chris patched the hole and you can't even tell a fan monstrosity used to be there)

4. Chris and his dad flipped the guest room door (it used to open right to left but now it swings left to right so you don't see our built in right when you walk in).

Somehow, someway, we found paneling that matched the existing room which kept it looking seamless without being awkward (**we still plan to repaint the room a different color but havent gotten there yet**).

5. After a couple days of "down time", our custom cabinets came in and were installed.

My favorite feature? Our custom wine rack and pantry for the built in...

Ready for this???

Yea, I know... beyond awesome... I seriously started crying when I saw it. Real tears people, real tears.

6. We hired a fabricator to come cut and install our granite.

Why, yes, that IS a St Patrick's day beer pong table/work bench behind him... thanks for noticing our awesomeness.

Our sink was definitely the hardest part to cut out, especially since its so close to the edge, but I am happy to report all went smoothly and it looks beautiful finally installed.

7. After getting 8 (yes, EIGHT) different quotes to paint the kitchen, we finally found a company to make our cabinets all white and pretty without having to take a second mortgage out on the house...

Chris also installd and grouted all our back-splash that we bought at the marble and tile auction (remembered here) and his dad made a brand new, custom casing for the window above the sink.

It seriously looks amazing.

8. After spending WAY too long picking out a microwave, we finally decided on one we liked and Chris built a trim kit for the cut-out space...by himself... saved us more than $300.

Don't worry, our countertops are red... we just covered them after install to make sure they stayed pretty throughout construction

Did I marry a talented man or what?!

9. We spent a couple of weekends looking for a decent range hood (and even tracked down a couple unsuccessful Craigslist leads) before deciding to turn to eBay.

We are SOOO glad we did since we saved a bundle and couldn't be happier with the look and function of it! (again, full story to follow soon!)

10. I will leave you with our most recent update... Chris installing lights in the upper-upper cabinets.

They are wired to the main can lights and really give the room an extra burst of bright light! I love them.

As I finish typing this out, I can hear Chris in the kitchen with a hammer and nail gun... I'm not 100% sure what he's doing (door casings?) but I promise, promise, promise to keep you guys more in the loop (especially since we are close to finishing... pray for us).

What are you guys most eager to hear about? My tears of joy over the new pantry? How painters wanted us to sign over our future first born to paint the kitchen? How eBay saved the day with our range hood? Let me know!!

-Samm

Our first set back...

2013-01-18T08:40:00.001-06:00

Hey all!

Ok I totally planned to have a full update for you today on our brand new floors, but unfortunately, working 8a-8:30p at this work trade show is really kicking my butt and my downtime is in the negative.

However, I will share a quick pic of our first kitchen setback...Keepin' it real.

We (aka Chris and his his dad) did an AWESOME job of laying the thinset and our beautiful 3x6 travertine pavers and everything was looking great. That was until we discovered the thinset was bad (it somehow got wet) and 2/3 of our tile was coming back up.... Sooooo we had to redo it all.

Ugh!!

Yes, a setback, but better finding out now and fixing it rather than having the issue later on down the road.

Anyone else have a renovation setback? We can't be the only ones with a little hiccup...

Getting excited about the little stuff... our (AWESOME) new faucet

2013-01-17T09:00:00.000-06:00

Appliances aren't the only new thing we have to buy for the kitchen... its the tiny stuff that's pretty thrilling to buy too...

Like faucets... who in their right mind gets excited about a faucet?! Me, this weirdo right here...

Chris and I cook a LOT (correction: CHRIS cooks a lot) but that means we need to have a super functional faucet since the one we have now is stuck facing one direction. As you can probably guess this makes it pretty difficult to use when cleaning pots, pans, glasses, etc.

So after a lot of looking around at big box stores like Home Depot, Lowe's, Sears, etc, we found ourselves at a builders surplus here in Dallas, Seconds & Surplus.

Since buying at a surplus its kinda a crap-shoot since you never really know what you'll get, we were floored when we saw this beauty right when we walked in.

Definitely more industrial than the "country cottage"/"shabby chic" we are going for in the kitchen, but after seeing a very similar model in a friend's house and getting the chance to play with it, both of us knew it would be the most practical choice for us. Especially as often as we cook and clean, a heavy-duty sprayer is a must.

On top of finding exactly what we wanted (seriously, when does that ever happen?!), the price was pretty awesome too: $227.50!... Take that compared to the $499.99 Home Depot one we saw; a whopping $250+ savings!!! Score!!

So now, we have this little beauty sitting at home, just WAITING to be installed.

Ahhhh SO EXCITED!!! A working, movable faucet?! What else could a girl ask for?!?!?!?!

-Samm

Knocking down a wall and creating a built in!

2013-01-16T09:04:00.000-06:00

Sooo.... remember this ~~pretty~~ extremely boring wall which took up VALUABLE space in our super tiny kitchen?

Yea, dead, unusable space = no beuno.

Since our kitchen is pretty darn tiny, about 11x14, we decided that we were going to knock back this wall and make it a built in for our fridge and pull out pantry.... the pantry is probably my favorite part. The wall isn't large enough to hold a fridge and 12" door for a normal pantry (we'll probably have 6"-8" inches) so, through the magical world of Pinterest, I found this and fell in love.

Since we are having custom cabinets made (friend of a friend knows a guy who is giving us a SMOKIN' deal) and he agreed to make us this pantry!!! Hooray!

But back to the hole in the wall. The hole actually backs up to the wall in our guest room. Here's the the view...

We went back and forth about even knocking down this wall; not knowing if its worth taking up the space in the guest room, but in the end, we ended up calculating that it would really only take up about 12sq ft (3ft deep by 4ft wide). We also plan on flipping the opening of the door to swing against the wall so you wont even see it when walking in the room.

Eventually, we decided to go for it.

And the demo began.

All the drywall had to come down first...

Then, I was (finally) allowed to channel my inner Jackie Chan and kick down the wood boards through the other room.

This is EXACTLY how Jackie would have done it

It was awesome.

We tried to salvage as many as the boards ~~from my massive karate skillz~~ as we could so we could reapply them over the new wall to keep the room looking seamless.

Next came removing the studs.

We did have to be careful though since there was electrical wire running through two of the studs. Luckily the guys broke out the reciprocating saw to cut through them without hitting the wire.

And although everyone was waiting for it, no one got electrocuted...

Now THAT is a hole...

or just a HUGE lack of wall...

~~Step number 473, umm actually, I've lost count~~... The "next" step was removing the wood floor that "used" to be in the guest room. We had to get everything level for putting in the travertine pavers, so the wood had to go.

Enter Blake:

He's an engineer and more precise than a brain surgeon on adderall, so I'm glad he took care of this.

And THIS is where we finished for the day. Phew!... the wall in ADDITION to everything we did earlier, we accomplished A LOT! ...(again, I use "we" very liberally)...

However, the next day was my birthday (yay! And please don't ask how old I am... I'm old enough to now not answer that question) and my friends got me the BEST. PRESENT. EVER.... a mult-hour brunch with bottomless mimosas.

When I came home 5 hours later, I was so ~~relaxed, happy, calm, centered, at peace, slightly drunk~~ excited to see a full framed cut out of where my fridge would someday sit.

Here's the view from the hallway...

And from the guest room...

Here's even a picture of Chris standing in our (future) freezer.

They also managed to move all the electrical (Chris's uncle is an electrician) and the water line.

But if you think that is cool... look at this!!

WHA-WHA???!!!! Yea friends... that's perfectly completed and patched dry wall! (Sorry I dont have pictures of them putting everything up. We have a trade show this week for work and havent been home nearly as much as I normally am)... But honestly, have you ever seen anything so pretty??? (well at least until the floor is down)

We will still have to texture the little side wall there on the right (just light orange peel... nothing too crazy), and add molding... and baseboards... and paint... ... ... ok there is still a LOT to do, but the progress is so much fun!!

Have you guys ever knocked down a wall to make a built in or just to increase space in a large room? If so, did they allow you to Jackie Chan kick the wall? Because if they didn't, you didn't get your money's worth...

-Samm

Craigslist Confessions

2013-01-15T01:32:00.000-06:00

Ok, sorry, we have to interrupt this regularly scheduled kitchen demolition to bring you this awesome "Craigslist Confessions" story.

If you have been following along with my fun little blog here, you already know that I am an avid Craigslist fan (seriously, most of our furniture, tables, accessories, and even my rehab project have been bought and sold on Craig's List (I feel the man deserves ownership of his list... its only proper)).

But, from time to time, I have some weird run-ins... Like this 1950's stuffed cat with working "mewo" string, or this super awkward conversation I had with a man regarding a futon (check them out, I promise they are worth it) and so... I have another one for you.

Back story: my family's business is mortuary services.... there, I said it... the full transition to random, weird, awkward internet creeper/blogger is complete. But its true: Spangler Family Mortuaries out of Los Altos, CA (we have three locations!! #mostawkwardbragEVER). I lived there (IN apartment ABOVE the mortuary... just like the chick from My Girl) with my parents until I was 2.5 and we moved to Scottsdale. What does this have to do with a Craigslist story? Well, the fact that I found THIS at a garage sale:

Since this is something so weird only a girl who lived in a mortuary can appreciate, I had to buy it.

Chris? Less than thrilled.

Since we have a policy in our house that we don't keep/do anything unless we are both in 100% agreement, I was sadly forced to sell it on Craigslist.

I actually put it up there a couple weeks before Christmas and completely forgot about it since no one wrote me and I was in Arizona for a while... that was until last week when I got an e-mail asking if it was still available. I told him it was and we agreed to meet... ... ... and I forgot to call... I wrote him again, apologizing and agreed to meet again... and I forgot... (worst person ever)... finally the guy wrote me again and said he would pay the full asking price but he really really wanted it and truly wanted to meet. So I remembered (yay!) and we met at the Walgreens by my house.

A normal transaction ensued: I showed him the sign, he liked it, paid me for it, and we chatted for a bit about how weird the sign really was...

Me: "Yea, it's pretty unique huh?"

Guy: "Yea it is! I actually used to be a designer, and although Im not anymore, I somethines head-hunt pieces for my other designer friends in LA and New York. One of my friends is remodeling a house for a client in LA who wants a death/funeral room and asked me to look for stuff for her."

Me:... (slightly awkward look of horror on my face but still trying to smile about whatever weirdo that would want a DEATH ROOM)...

Guy: "I sent her the picture of this sign when I saw your ad and she showed it to her client who loved it. He really wants it and I'm overnighting it to my friend tomorrow."

Me:... (shaking my head and moving toward my car)... "Awesome! Im so glad its going to work out for every body."

Guy: "Yea, Axl Rose (!!!!!!) loved it and that's why I kept e-mailing you. He kept bugging my friend about when he was going to get it and thats why I kept e-mailing you to meet."

Me:... (replace my look of horror with a look of SHOCK and my jaw dropping about 3 inches to gape open like when Taylor Swift wins a music award (psh, please... like she's ever surprised...))... "Oh, ok. Umm well, umm.... you tell Axl Rose to enjoy my funeral sign?" (why did I end it as a question? no idea...)

Guy: "Thanks will do! Have a great night!"

And thats when I got in my car and wracked my brain for someone to call that would actually BELIEVE what just happened...

So, what did I take away from this experience?

I, in someway, am an interior designer for Axl Rose.

You're welcome internet.

Demo... it has begun...

2013-01-14T09:00:00.000-06:00

Cue the Jaw's theme music, because the scariest thing that we will probably ever do to this house HAS. BEGUN.

Yea, so... welcome to our kitchen...

Chris and I have been planning this for a while and we KNEW it was coming... Me? I was slightly anxious but mostly nervous about being way overwhelmed, everything costing a fortune, someone accidentally sawing off a thumb, getting tetanus from a rusty nail, finding a dead body in the wall, you know, all the normal things people worry about when starting a big project. Chris? Like a kid on Christmas morning ("I get to sledgehammer stuff today!!! Yeaaaaaa!!!").

But lets review first... and see the kitchen that we have been with since May of 2011 when we moved in.

view walking in from the hallway

View from the hallway... showing the wall on the left that we are taking down

View walking in from the dining room... this is blank spot right in front is actually where the fridge was

Wall that will eventually hold the fridge and pull out pantry... wall backs up to the guest room

View walking in from the dining room

View from the sink facing the opposite corner

View from the laundry room... again, the fridge has already been moved out

And now we return to Demo Day 2013.

Like the great friend he is, our buddy Blake came by to help with the demo.

First step, turning off the water and removing the dishwasher (which will also be replaced with a new stainless steel one)

Side note to all those curious, make sure you also TURN OFF THE POWER TO THE DISHWASHER before you remove it... (I encourage you all to ask Chris WHY that is important and have him show you his melted metal pair of pliers which almost burnt down the kitchen within the first hour of starting this 3 week remodel... great start, great start)

Eventually, they got everything turned off and able to set the dishwasher free... (free: aka selling it on Craigslist)

Hooray hole!!!

Making double-triple sure everything was off, disconnected, secured, sealed, and tightened, the fun could finally begin.

And now I give you: "Chris's Favorite Moment of his Entire Life"

Next up was Blake...

And then me...

We then took out the sink...

Sink and disposal will also be new :-)

Saying good-bye...

Psh, whatever, we were never that close...

"I hope you and your disposal drown in the rain!!"

It was at this point in the project I began to have huge regrets about this whole project and asked the boys to stop.

HA!!!... Yea right....

A little while later, our other friend Bobby came over to get in on the sledge hammer action

Chris had to make some cuts with the saw to get the last piece of the cabinet out...

... and then it was gone...

Pulling out the rest was pretty easy...

"For the love of God, Samm... put the camera away"

And this is what we were left with...

For the uppers, we were going to try and salvage them to use as extra storage in our garage.

One set came off super easy...

The other, not so much...

Getting one set out of two isnt bad...

And now this wall is naked.

Oh P.S- sorry, did I mention we used a Bagster?

Totally awesome and WAY cheaper than renting a full dumpster... with everything said and done, it cost us about $150 (bag + pick up) vs. the $350-$400 a regular dumpster costs

Welcome to our home.... dont you just LOVE curb appeal?

Once demo on the main wall was done, the other half of the kitchen was super easy and involved a lot more sledgehammering (seriously, so fun... I recommend everyone trying it)

We also had to remove a "bit" of drywall since the previous backsplash had been applied with ultra, extra strength super glue (apparently) and couldnt be scraped off without taking chunks of wall with it.

Simple drywall install, patch, and cover with pretty new travertine backsplash and it will be all pretty again

And so, this is where I am going to leave you with day 1...

All this was actually done by 2pm and the rest of the day was spent putting a GIGANTIC hole in the wall for our future fridge. I will be back either tomorrow or Wednesday with all those pictures (spoiler alert: I got to kick in a wall!!!)

So until then, here's a picture of all our manly, demo gentlemen....

From left to right: Blake, Bobby, Chris (mine), Chris's dad, and Chris's uncle

Can't wait to show you more!!

-Samm

We bought a new fridge!!!

2013-01-11T10:57:00.002-06:00

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, the phase from adolescent to adult is complete when the thought of new appliances gets you all excited like a 7 year old on a sugar high.

Just to refresh, we are demolishing our kitchen down to the studs.

Changes being made: new floors, new cabinets, new counter tops, new backsplash, crown molding, getting rid of the fan, installing a range hood, creating a built-in using the wall on the left which will hold the fridge and custom-made sliding pantry, and NEW APPLIANCES!!!

Just for reference, there isn't anything necessarily WRONG with our old fridge... I just hate it.

Mostly because back in September, it blew a water line while I was home alone and caused about $4,500 worth of damage to our kitchen.... awesome, thank you.

However, good news did prevail since we knew the old kitchen floors were coming up anyway (oak floors in a kitchen? No thank you. Not with my water luck) and we could put the insurance money to good use to redo the entire kitchen.

Ever since "Water"gate 2012 (haha) Chris and I have been on the hunt for a new fridge.

We had our eye on a nice french door fridge, but after talking to my parents who have one and playing with every model ever made within a 20 mile radius, we determined that style probably wouldn't be the best for us. Chris and I are both over 6ft tall (yes, I'm gigantically large and my size 11 feet thank you for your sympathy) so the idea of constantly bending over to dig through a pull out freezer with only two different drawers wasnt exactly a good fit for us. Yes, sure they have fancier models with more drawers, but when you are on a budget, you gotta stick to it and only buy what you can afford (**cough**cough**Hear that Washington D.C.?**cough**)

After reviewing 100 different side by sides, we fell in love with this beauty:

ohhh... ahhhhh

The Samsung RS267TDRS.

The next picture shows why we I love it so much.

See that in there... in the fridge... towards the top... the metal thing... yea, that would be a WINE RACK!!!! I could now store all my lovely Chardonnays at eye level and talk to them every time I open the fridge! (In our current fridge, I can only talk to one at a time on the very bottom shelf of the door, which isn't nearly as fun).

Although I was sold the moment I opened it and yelled "WINE RACK!!!" at the top of my lungs in Lowe's, Chris was a bit more tedious but came around to liking it too. His favorite feature? The ice tray in the door of the freezer; opens up the shelves for a lot more storage space.

We then spent all of the Christmas season scoping out the best deals from store to store and in the end???.... We didn't buy anything... ... ... (we're idiots)....

Missing a majority of the sales was a major bummer and all the appliances were back to full price by the beginning of the new year. Yes, we knew their would be sales again, but since demo starts tomorrow (aka. Jan 12th) we kinda wanted the new fridge to be ready for us once everything finished.

Enter the internet and a little investigating.

During the holidays, Sears actually had the best price so I was browsing their website when I stumbled across our exact model for $989.99 (normal retail was $1799.99 but with sales and everything, it usually came down to $1399.99... no one pays normal retail)

Curious as to why our model was so low, I was disheartened to find the answer... it was at their outlet store. And on top of that, it had "cosmetic damage".... Darn....

However, after I finished work, I figured I would run over to the outlet to at least LOOK at it. No harm right?

Ummm, hi, yea, it's perfect... what in the wide-world-of-sports were they talking about? Cosmetic damage? Apparently my love for the RS267TDRS has made me blind to whatever "cosmetic damage" they were talking about.

When I asked the salesman, he couldn't find it either so we pulled it out to get a closer look. There, on the side back of the unit, was a scrape... Really? That's it? After inspecting it for another 10 minutes, we couldn't find anything else except the scrape on the side (which looked like it had been done with a key or something... not even a dent!!)

I seriously expected for this thing to have a donkey-kick in the freezer door, but it was PERFECT on the front! Plus, no one is ever going to see the side since its being placed in the new wall built it.

Being paranoid, I asked it we could take it out a little further and plug it in to make sure everything was a go.

Then, getting more paranoid, I looked in the fridge and had an uneasy feeling about my favorite little wine rack.

The height from the shelf to the rack looked rather small... maybe TOO small to fit a bottle of wine in there (THE HORROR!!!)!

The top shelve didn't move and the salesman assured me it would "probably" hold a normal bottle of wine just fine. "Why else would they have a rack in there?"... Again, I'm paranoid...(I don't know, SIR... maybe Samsung thinks Americans want their ketchup/tabasco bottles at eye level?!)... And IF I CANT GET A BOTTLE OF WINE IN THIS FRIDGE, WHAT HAS THIS WHOLE THING BEEN ABOUT????!!!!!

So I went to World Market and bought a bottle of wine.

Please fit, please fit, please fit, please fit

Golden.

...and now I feel stupid for bringing a bottle of wine into the Sears outlet store... bonus point...

So after being freaked out for no reason and calling Chris to secure the deal (he was in Las Vegas for work) I made the long walk to the check out lane and bought our fridge.

After taxes, delivery charge, and 10% discount for using a Sears Card (I hate credit cards but it was worth if for the discount and we plan pay it all off immediately) the total came to $1040.18!!!

Our out the door cost for one without a scratch on the side? $1578.56... (we had them calculate it out when we were there over the Christmas season...that's even with the super sales!)...

Savings?: $536.38!!!

$500 can SOOOO go to more things in this kitchen...like a new sink... or microwave... or dishwasher... The possibilities are ENDLESS I TELL YOU, ENDLESS!!!

For right now, here is the tentative schedule for the kitchen remodel...

Keep in mind that Chris and I both have full time jobs and we are doing about 75% of this remodel ourselves

Have you guys bought any new appliances lately? Did you get in some of the great deals during Christmas? Does anyone else want to personally thank the genius that put a wine rack in the fridge? Because I kinda want to ~~shake his hand~~ give him a bear hug.

-Samm

P.S- Demo starts tomorrow so I will do my very best to have all the super-scary-"I-can't-believe-we-are-actually-doing-this" pictures for you on Monday!!!!

Where we've been....

2013-01-10T08:58:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year to all!!

I am so sorry for my absence! Las Vegas for work, Christmas in Dallas (with SNOW!!), and New Years in Scottsdale (with a COLD!!... ... ...)

First let's start with Christmas... and the fun stuff... SNOW!!

Yea... thats me and Gus... he has a thing about wet paws (aka. "icky toes") so we went on a walk like this... and he was totally cool with it... I love my metro puppy.

The next day, I was off to Scottsdale... at 6am.

DFW sunrise

One of my first stops in AZ, was to see my friend Taylor and her 5 month baby, Tatum... who just might be the cutest child in America.

I mean, come on, really... that's Gerber material...

I also love visiting my Grandma every time I home...

...although she TOTALLY cheats a Scrabble and has NO regard for the Scrabble "time limit", I still totally creamed her.

I also caught up with some long lost friends...
Ashleigh and Owen (left) are getting married in June (Hooray!) and ~~Aaron~~ Bowens and I were on student government together in high school (P.S- all Saguaro Alum, you have US to thank for changing our Sabercat mascot.... you're welcome). Bowens is also engaged! Its weird thinking we're so "adult"...

I also got some good time in with my best friends Christina, but oddly didnt get any pictures with her... so instead here is her modeling shot... enjoy internet...

Two days later, Chris finally made it to Scottsdale (he had a meeting two days after Christmas (who does that?!) so he had to join us later)... but was still pretty worn out from the holidays and his meeting... so my parents pup Toby made sure he was properly monitored while napping

When Chris wasn't napping... we hit the town HARD.... and by hitting the town, I mean browsing the local farmer's market. Where I fell in love with this AWESOME sign...

I could NOT agree more...

We also went to one of my FAVORITE AZ-home holiday traditions... Phoenix Zoo Lights!!

They decorate the ENTIRE park in Christmas lights and even have hot chocolate and a Trans-Siberian Orchestra light show... To say I'm obsessed is a bit of an understatement.

Does anyone else think of Avatar when they see this tree???

Granted, for 99% of this I was sick... all thanks to my baby brother Steven. Who, after getting me sick, miraculously felt fine and even had his girlfriend, Anna, in town.

In this picture, they were about to go hunting with my dad... this isnt how they normally dress, I promise.

After 8 wonderful days of being back in Arizona, Chris and I headed back to our Little House in the Big D... ... ... in FIRST CLASS... wha-wha!

this never happens... like ever... and P.S- the food/drinks up there are AMAZING!

Since then, I've been getting over my cold (why do those things last FOREVER?!) but we are actually SUPER excited since some big changes are coming... ... ... WE'RE STARTING OUR KITCHEN REMODEL!!!

Demo is this Saturday and I will be back tomorrow to let you all know of a MAJOR purchase we already made... AHHH I cant wait!

What'd you guys do over the holidays?? Anyone ever been to Zoolights? I still cant get over how amazing it was!!

P.S- Most of these pictures are from Instagram if you care to follow: LittleHouseintheBigD

Merry Christmas (card)!!

2012-12-11T10:06:00.000-06:00

This week im going to be a little MIA since I am currently typing out this post on my phone from the Aria casino in Vegas. I wish I could tell you all I'm going something cool in LV this week, but in actuality, I'm just here for work... Running from sales meeting to sales meeting, drooling over the blackjack and craps tables (mama likes to throw those dice!!! Am I any good is a completely different issue. I think I just miss playing Yahtzee as a kid)

With all that being said, I wanted to share with you (part of) our Christmas card!!! (Of course I had to make our official card complicated with multiple pictures but this one is one of my favorites!

We actually took this picture on our super gross driveway... Featuring old, run over, (possibly) bug infested leaves. It took a while to convince Chris it would be a good idea, but I'm happy to report he maned up and joined his W for a roll in the leaves... Actually it was more like "Please dear God take the picture because I think I feel something crawling on me, oh by the way, Im starring into the center of the sun", but hey, it's the price you pay for a good shot!

Have you guys done your Christmas card pictures yet? Have any fun ideas or awesome stories about the experience? After Chris had a half hour shower, he agreed the pictured turned out pretty cute :-)

Our digital floor plan

2012-12-03T15:02:00.000-06:00

I'll admit it... our house layout is kinda weird... and extremely hard to explain ("oh you want to go to the back deck? Shoot through the Master, ignore the dirty clothes and unmade bed, and swing a right after the sunroom.... yea, you have to go through the Master... or my office and connect through the sunroom... ya know what, just wonder around until you find the only door that leads out there. Its a small house; you'll be fine.")

This also makes it hard to explain to California family and my grandparents who aren't able to make it out to Dallas to see our place.

So, over the weekend, I googled "How to make a Digital floorplan" and landed on THIS article from Apartment Therapy.

Which sent me to download the program SketchUp8 (the free verison)

Direct link to SketchUp HERE

I then attempted to measure the. entire. house....

(insert me running around in my PJ's with a measuring tape, pen, over-sized notebook (apparently I couldnt find anything smaller) and whispering to myself "ok 32 inches for a door, so that makes this 114 inches, but divide that 12, carry the two, add an inch to round up, oh sorry Gus, I didnt mean to step on you!, wait what was the measurement again?".... you can imagine how long this took)

But behold! Our floor plan!

The "c"s stand for closet... g/c - guest closet... m/c - master closets

This is just what I finished today during my lunch break, but Im so glad we have one of these now!!

However, as I look at it, I want to add a couple things like dimensions of each wall, add where the fireplace is (aka that empty gap below the half bath), our front stoop, and the awesome back deck! (... and maybe a door going out to the back deck from the sunroom... how did I miss that? Oh well)

Overall using SketchUp was pretty easy based on trial and error. They do have some video tutorials which I hear are pretty good if you are interested (found here) which I chose to ignore because of my "psh, I dont need a video telling me what to do" mentality, but in hindsight would have probably come in useful.

Have you guys ever tried to make a floor plan of your house? What program did you use? I would love to hear your suggestions!

If you have any questions that you want to ask about SketchUp (from a person who barely knows how to use it) I would do my best to try and help!

-Samm

DIY Nate Berkus vase

2012-11-21T17:27:00.001-06:00

Yep... I did it... For $6, I copied Nate Berkus...

Seriously, who doesn't LOVE Nate Berkus... no one? Everyone loves him? Yea, that's what I thought... Cute, funny, good-looking, smart, stylish, creative, sexy, handy, and home decor God (...did I mention he's handsome?) everyone wants a piece of this man!!! (Except for me... because I'm married... happily married... ... ... ... love you hunny... ... .... ...)

So it should come to no surprise that when Nate (we are on a first name basis) came out with his collection for Target, many of us (aka. Young House Love, Bower Power, and about a million/billion other Americans) flocked to our local red and white store to score some of the action.

They only sad part about said "action", is that "pieces of Nate" can be somewhat expensive some times. Enter this vase/hurricane I found as part of his collection that I just fell in love with...

Simple, but a nice neutral texture that would look great with candles, pine cones, etc... I wanted it... that was until I saw that it was $25.... for one.

Also found HERE on Target.com

Don't get me wrong, it was very cute, but spending $50 on two Target vases just wasnt going to happen for me. So I took a picture and decided to see if I could make one myself.

All the components seemed pretty simple, so I swung by Lowe's to see what I could find.

Enter this rope I scored this rope for only $0.48 a foot.

It was a bit thicker than the Nate Berkus one, but I still loved the rustic feel and snagged 10ft of it. (Important side note: What I SHOULD have done before cutting/buying the rope was measuring the vase I would be covering then buying the rope to size. When I got home with my 10ft, it was way too long and way to thick to cut myself. I had to go back to Lowe's for them to cut it for me! I only really needed about 7ft)

By the time I got home to start my project, I wanted to make sure the ends wouldnt start fraying (it IS twine rope afterall) and decided the best, most invisible sealer would be a polyurethane (which is normally used to seal stained wood pieces)

I dunked my ends in the can and let them soak for about 3 minutes to really get a good coat

I made two vases which is why there are 4 rope ends

And let them fully dry for 1-2 hours.

I used an unopened ikea frame since I knew I would be throwing the plastic packaging away anyway.

After everything was dry, I readied my vase (on sale from Michaels) and hot glue gun.

Flipping the vase over, I started hot gluing the rope to the vase and wrapping it around.

After the base-wrap was set, I was able to put it on its side and continue wrapping.

Again, I used 7ft which got me a little past 1/3 of the way up the vase once everything was glued into place.

Cute so far, huh?!

Next, I used some leather bracelets (found at Michaels) for the straps.

Here's a closer look of the exact brand if you are interested.

I cut off the bracelet holes and metal button which just left me with a plain leather strap.

Again, using my hot glue gun, I set it into place.

For the little cute decorative buttons Nate used on his vase, I used some old Upholstery Nails left over from my painted chairs project.

For those of you who don't have these laying around the house, I bought these from Home Depot - $1.29 for a 20pc box.

I thought these would be great and easy to just push through my leather strap, but I guess the leather I used was just too thick because they would NOT go through... Plan B? Go back to the glue gun (ALWAYS go back to the glue gun).

So I used some pliers to cut off the ends...

And hot glued the suckers into place.

Warning: the hot glue gun didn't hold on as well as I would have hoped and it was a bit tricky to get them to stay (even though they eventually did). If hot glue doesn't work for you, try Gorilla glue and hold them in place for 5 minutes while it dries.

After everything set, I popped in a last-year's-clearance Pottery Barn candle, lit her up, and stood back...

Ummm I love it... seriously. Like singing birds and floating hearts love.

Originally, I put it up on the mantle for all to see (ie. "Hi, did you guys see what I made? I made this. Isnt this cute? Oh, I should take a picture of it and send it to everyone in my phone? ok, great, awesome idea..."

But eventually moved them over to our new buffet in our dining room.

Project photos of this to come soon. GREAT garage sale find turned Pottery Barn chic...

Oh, and like I said, I got those candles last year at Pottery Barn on super clearance. They were a couple different sizes so I added some burlap at the bottom of the vase so you could see the smaller ones better.

Here is a breakdown of what this project cost per one
-6ft section of rope from Lowes - $2.88
- Clear vase/hurricane from Michaels - $2.00 (after 50% off coupon)
- leather bracelet strap from Michaels - $1.00 (after 50% off coupon)
- decorative tac - already owned ($1.29 for 20 if you need to buy them)
- Hot glue gun and glue - already owned ($5.00 if you need to buy one)
TOTAL: $5.88 per vase

So for less than $12.00 I saved $38.00 for making my own Nate Berkus vase/hurricane... and I love them.

Have you guys ever tried to copy something that you have seen in a store or thought to yourself "I could make that?".... Cause now everything I see, Im pretty sure I can make "$199.99 for a pair of boots? I should just take a shoe making class..."..... ... ... ... this could be the start of something terrible.

-Samm