The Front Entry Hall...

Even though the front entry hall is a small space, I still feel it is one of the most important parts of a home. After all, it is the first space others see when they enter our home. As you can see from the BEFORE photo above, the hall was very basic. It was painted a gray/beige and had (most likely) only been painted once since the home was built. The decor was simple and somewhat "country".

We decided to make the hall a little warmer with a golden wheat color on the walls and bright white trim. I also decided to use reds, oranges, and golds in the rug and with the prints on the walls. I added an antique secretary that Jon owned before we met and a small table with a sunburst mirror above. Again, we were fortunate to have hardwood floors in the space that are in good condition. In the AFTER photos below, you can see that it has made quite a difference in the space.

We have made some slight changes even since these photos were taken, but only in the form of adding items that reflect our tastes!

The office....

We were fortunate enough to find a home that had the perfect room for an office. It's located on the front of the house and right off the den. As you can see from the BEFORE photo above there are built-in bookshelves. There is also a nook in the corner that is just the right size for the boyz crate. The royal blue color left a little to be desired and the carpet was in bad shape. This is the first room that was completed. As you can see from the AFTER photos below, it is much more our style now......relaxed and comfortable. A room that Jon and I both feel comfortable working in!

A few of our daylilies......

Jon and I love to garden. In our former yard, we had over 300 daylilies and many other flowering plants that brought beauty to our garden each spring. Luckily, we did have some of our favorite daylilies planted in pots and they were easily moved with us. The others, unfortunately, had to be left. Because we purchased a home that had no landscaping, we knew we'd be starting from scratch with our garden. Since the temperatures have warmed up, we have started the process.

The major photos of the changes we've made in the yard will come later. However, I couldn't resist sharing some photos of the daylilies we have planted and that have been blooming this week. Here are some close-ups of a few of the daylilies we have planted so far.....

"Dream In Color"

"Unknown Spider" with Kim's Knee High Coneflowers

"Spacecoast Sonata"

"Jolyne Nichole"

"Unknown Red Spider"

The Kitchen......

We all know that the kitchen is the most important room in the house. Not only do we prepare and cook our meals here (yum!), feed the boyz their delicious kibble here, pile our mail on the table in this room, and stack our shoes by the kitchen door…. it’s also the place everyone seems to congregate when we do entertain. This room was also one of the more challenging rooms in the house to remodel. As you can see from the BEFORE pictures below, the wallpaper left a little to be desired. It was an early nineties red with bold white dogwood flowers throughout. The light fixtures were also the original contractors choices…meaning cheap and low quality. The appliances were a mixed group of black and white and the countertops were white, chipped, and scratched… The one "plus" this room had already were the beautiful hardwood floors. (Hint: If you click on the photos you can get a better view!)

Instead of going through the horrible task of removing the wallpaper, we made the decision to paint the wallpaper. This is a multi-step process as you first have to paint the paper with oil-based primer...in our case with the red and white flowers…it took two coats (three in some areas!). At this point you check the seams in the wall paper, mud those that are obvious and sand smooth. After this was complete, we then painted two coats of our latex paint and two coats of the woodwork paint. Jon replaced the light fixtures with something a little more modern. We replaced the appliances with new white and upgraded pieces. We changed the hardware on the cabinets and doors. But the most amazing change of all….TADA….the counter tops!!! We went with neutral colored quartz called Silestone. It was not in the original plan to replace the counter tops but Jon (the real cook in the house) really wanted them and I am so very glad we did! As you can see from the AFTER pictures below, it definitely looks like a different room. I am very pleased with the outcome and can say that Jon and I both enjoy working in the kitchen now! What do you think?

Our new home....

Most of you know that Jon and I moved last August. Most of you know this because we moved on the hottest day of the year - really, it was a 100 degrees easy - and we still say that we never want to move again. I would be happy to grow old and feeble in this house just so I would never experience a move like that again.....Anyway, it was also the weekend between Jon's two weeks of band camp. Nothing like giving him a break, huh? Anyway, since then we have diligently been working on remodeling the house. We have come a long way in a short amount of time and now I feel ready to share. In the coming weeks (heck...maybe in the coming days) I will post some before and after photos for you to see the changes. What you may see might be considered small changes to you, but for us they have been huge. Its been an interesting ride. We've both learned alot about home repair and I have confirmed that I love the feel of a paint roller in my hand. The one thing I can say is that we do love how things have come together. I hope you will enjoy what you see too.....stay tuned!