At the end of October, Mom & Dad made another trip to spend a long weekend with us. We put Dad to work with building some shelving for us, and creating more organization in my kitchen cabinets. He & Mom helped out so much with so many little things that were on our to-do list, but just hadn't gotten done yet. Mom made some curtains for the dining room, so I love the splash of color they add to the gray walls.
Mark also started installing the new island, and even though the countertop was still at the finish shop, we were able to start filling the drawers and cabinets with more kitchen supplies that had been waiting to be unpacked. This kitchen has so much storage, and with Dad adding extra shelves to the pantry cupboard, and with the island installed, there is even more! I think I still have a few empty drawers/spaces :) Also, there is a kitchen in the basement, so it's been nice to store all of my canning supplies and even some extra kitchen stuff down there instead of taking up space upstairs. Canning will be so much easier in the summer, now that I can keep the mess down in the basement!
In November, I was doing some outside work (trimming bushes, raking leaves, etc) and found these beautiful roses still in bloom. Of course, I had to bring them inside, so I could enjoy the fresh bit of beauty in my kitchen.
Here are a whole bunch of photos from the house, along with some before/after comparisons of the different rooms. I always felt like Laura made her home so cozy and welcoming, so the before photos are simply comparison and not to downgrade anything of the way the house looked before. She was actually planning to do some of the changes/makeovers that we did, but just didn't get them done before deciding to sell the house.
After living at the same place in Apple Creek for over 11 years, it was fun to have a whole new space to redecorate and make our own!
Before/After Comparison photos of Ian's bedroom . . .
Before/After comparison of Cole & Gavin's bedroom. Theirs was the bedroom that got the biggest makeover, and the difference is huge. I did't have a photo of the floor, but their carpet was mauve (just like the dining room).
Mark made this new set of bunkbeds for them, and they turned out amazing. Cole still has his queen size bed on the bottom, and Gavin has a twin bed on the top.
Our bedroom was the room that needed the least amount of work done to it. I loved the color that was already on the walls, and the floor had already been redone, so basically it was a touch up coat of paint on the walls (same color) and then just redecorating with our furniture.
The closet storage was old and falling apart, so we ended up taking it all out, redoing the walls and popcorn ceiling in there, and then putting new flooring down as well. I am so excited to finally have a walk-in closet after having a super tiny closet at our old house! There is additional storage in the master bathroom (as in, TONS of storage), so Mark has his own closet in there, and I get this space all to myself.
The dining room/kitchen got the biggest facelift of the entire project . . . trim was painted white, walls were repaired with drywall and repainted, paneling was taken down, the ceiling was scraped and re-mudded (& painted), and flooring was changed out as well. It was a huge undertaking, but we LOVE the new space, and it is definitely a favorite when it comes to being able to host family & friends now.
I love having such an open kitchen, instead of being surrounded by 4 walls like I was at our old place . . . and one of my favorite things about the entire room is the new island that Mark built. We did have help with the wood countertop (glueing the wood strips together and sealing it) and I couldn't be more happy with how it turned out! Even though the cabinets look lighter in the "after" photo, it's just the lighting making them look that way. Laura had painted them several months before selling, so we didn't have to do a thing to them (besides replace the etched glass panels in the cupboards beside the sink). Love the gray color that she chose!
The living room is definitely one of our main living spaces, and we spend lots of time here as a family. Other than a fresh coat of paint on the walls & trim, we didn't really have to do much to this room. Of course my favorite thing about this room (in the winter) is the wood burner that keeps us nice & toasty.
Before/After photos of the living room (Christmas tree photo was taken at the end of December--our tree is down and packed away :)
This home is such a gift, and we don't ever want to take it for granted. We've been here for 3 months now (hard to believe!), and the longer we live here, the more we are loving it. Who would've guessed a year ago that we would be where we are now? We certainly had no idea how God was going to work and orchestrate everything. But, His timing is certainly best, and we want to use this home for His glory . . .