Home improvement update

We've gotten almost every room painted except the guest room:

This is more olive in real life

This is more blue in real life

This is the same color as the living room

This is the same color as the living room too

As you can tell, we have yet to hang anything on the walls. I think that stems from two things: my indecision regarding decorating and my hesitancy to put holes in our newly painted walls. I'm going to have to get over both.

Overall, things are slowly coming together around the house. I finally found a bathroom cabinet I like today and it should be arriving on our doorstep within the week! I'm ready to get our bathroom essentials put away instead of living like this:

The above photos were in no way meant to provide free advertising to the products shown, but you're welcome Aveeno, Bandaid, etc. for the product placement.

Reno Lilly

Last night, Levi and I got to take care of my friend Alicia's mini schnauzer, Reno. She was very well-behaved (until this morning when she ran out the door and bit Levi when he picked her up) and would just follow us around or lay beside us.

Levi and I have always talked about eventually getting a dog, and this trial run made us realize that we definitely want one with Reno's disposition! If Alicia weren't so attached to her, we probably would have kept her (besides the fact that Levi wants a BIG dog). Here are some highlights from Reno's stay:

Exhausted from our walk

Shelf Love

Since we moved into our new house, I've been trying to harness my design style. Most of what we currently own was either given to us or we bought early on in our marriage out of necessity (meaning we bought what was affordable, not necessarily what fit our style). So, as of late, I have been trying to decide what I truly like and don't like and how I will decorate our new house.

I've decided I like vintage pieces and a shabby chic/country style. While I love this look, it certainly has made it difficult to find things we need like a bathroom cabinet or corner shelf for our kitchen because I can't just go to Target and buy something off the shelf. However, it means I get to stalk Craigslist and frequent antique/consignment stores!

Recently, I had been searching online for a corner shelf to store spices in our kitchen. I had a picture of what I wanted in my mind, but I was having trouble finding it. After an insanely busy week, I finally had time today to hit some stores around Norman. My first stop was a place I had never been: Roxy's Boutique. And to my surprise, they had EXACTLY the corner shelf I had envisioned! It was almost too easy. Check it out:

Things we love

After four days of living in our new house, I've compiled quite the list of things we love about it (in no particular order):

1. The new electric oven (not the frustrating, yet cute, 1930s chambers stove/oven we've been using for the last year)
2. Breathing room. Our new house is only 924 sq. ft. but it feels like a mansion compared to the 709 sq. ft. we're used to.
3. Garbage disposal
4. Dishwasher
5. Kitchen sink spraying wand (it's the little things!)
6. Plants to water (though I think, despite my efforts, they are dying due to the extreme heat)
7. Friendly neighbors (an older couple brought us cookies Sunday night!)
8. Carpet (I never thought I'd say this but I'm actually enjoying carpet in the main areas rather than the wood floors we had before. I should clarify that I mean the comfort, not the look)

I'm hopeful that as the days, weeks, months and years tick by, we will find even more things to love about our new house.

Home Sweet Home

Whew! It's been a wildly busy week with house closing, packing and painting all while working full-time. We finished painting our kitchen on Tuesday, our bedroom yesterday (thanks to our friend Seth!) and our living room today (thanks to Crys!). We still have the hall and two extra bedrooms left, but those will have to wait because we're moving TOMORROW!

That's right, we found a renter who can take over Aug. 1. You know what that means? No more rent payments! This was truly an answer to prayer. Praise the Lord.

Like I mentioned, we're still (obviously) working on the place, but here are some inside pictures to tide you over:

This is now a cream color

This used to be the golden yellow color

This room is gray/blue now

We're not painting this room! :)

As you can tell, there's already updating to do on the pictures. I'll get to it, I promise. Now to finish packing....

Closing Time

That's right, closing time for our house is drawing near! It's just a week from Monday! I still can't believe we're buying a house. After the last one didn't work out, it felt like none of the houses we made offers on would work out. I'm still in denial and need to be packing!

On the renting front, we did have some college guys look at the place today. They're supposed to get back to me if they're interested, so we'll see! I actually found them on Craigslist as wanting a place near campus, so maybe it will work out. No matter what, I need to get up the guts to tell our landlord we're moving out. Wish me luck.

Inspection...check!

Well, we had our home inspection today and I'm happy to report there were no major findings. As always, there were a few minor things the inspector suggested we have fixed, but no deal breakers like last time. However, we're still looking for someone to rent our current place (I'd really like to have someone in mind before I tell our landlord we're leaving because she's kind of prickly; maybe that would soften the deal).

Here are some specs on our rent house:

3 blocks to OU campus

Built in 1930

Wood floors

2 bed

1 bath

Unfurnished

Washer & dryer included

$750/mo. PLUS utilities

Tell your friends!!