Simplify

We survived!

(please ignore all the misplaced items and bare walls)

So, we moved!

Yes, I know people move all the time and it is no big deal (We've moved 8 or 9 times, I think?) but this time, it was a big deal.  Our problem was we were so burnt out and exhausted from working on the maybe house, that by the time it was time to pack and move we were beat.  So add to that one super slackery packing job by me (seriously) and we were hauling van loads of stuff.  For days.  

After we moved, we got the kitchen set up and the beds put together and then lost steam pretty quick.  SO, I don't have any pretty after pictures to show you yet, because nothing is technically finished.  Unless boxes are part of home decor, in which case we are totally on trend right now.  

Also, to be honest, I found out not everyone is happy about the maybe house progress/updates and it has been hard to be motivated to post about it.  Trying not to let it get me down, and all your sweet comments have helped with that.  Thank you!  And lets just leave it at that. 

Oh, I've been meaning to mention one other thing.  Remeber Modern Madness last year, and how close Bliss came?  Well, Ruby is in the final four this year.  Woot!  So exciting.  Head on over and check it out.  

Tonight we are ignoring the mountains of boxes and watching a movie all together on the big couch.  In the new house.  With popcorn! Life is good.

Still alive. Somewhat.

The munchkins- very happy about our new carpet

Okay, its official.  I'm overwhelmed.  Here's a quick update-

Maybe house: (I realize it isn't the maybe house anymore, but that is the only way to keep them straight for the time being.)  Next week the maybe house will just be the house-house and then it shouldn't be confusing. Carpet is going in today!  We are moving on Friday.  Even though I'm pretty sure we only have one functional sink.  Hopefully that isn't the case for much longer.

My house: Only half packed, despite my best efforts.  Where did all this crap come from?!?  It's a disaster over here.  There are mountains of laundry, and I've resorted to wearing pjs in public.  It's not pretty.

Orders: I'm taking all orders to the post office today, and will resume shipping paper patterns late next week.  PDF orders will continue to ship in about 10 seconds.  Love those PDFs.  

Email:  If you are waiting for an email response from me, or a thank you note (you know who you are!) please know that I haven't forgotten about you.  If you wrote and asked questions about house stuff, that information will come in future blog posts.  I won't have my internet set up until next week sometime, and will get back to you soon.  If you sent me chocolate, I will love you forever.  :-)  

And that is just the beginning.  Trust me when I say this.  Good grief there is just way too much going on.... and all at once.

See you on the other side.

That is, if I survive that long.

 

One more for the weekend

First of all, thank you for all your sweet comments and encouragement about the maybe house. On days where it feels like this project is moving slower than tar they make me feel so much cheerier.  Tonight I have to show you maybe my favorite thing in the whole house- the new mantel.

Here is the fireplace and mantel before:

During:

(more during)

And all finished!  

note: In case anyone was concerned, it's a zero clearance gas fireplace. No reason to be worried. 

I drew up the line drawing at the top of the post a month or so ago to fit my fireplace, --after Ashley showed me this one by Stephen Tiek on Pinterest- and Aaron and Eric built it yesterday.  (No, the husband and I did not tackle this project.  We know our limits!) Today when I walked in, it completely knocked my socks off.  I can't wait to decorate it!

Can you imagine how cute my Christmas stockings are going to look hanging there? Aaah!

Sorry, I'm just super, extra excited.

A fresh white mantel will do that.

Oh, and for those who asked, I will definitely share all my paint colors when I post about the different rooms in a few weeks.  I have them all written down here... somewhere.  There are lots of things around here... somewhere.  

One more- yay!!

 

 

*In case you missed them, a few other maybe house posts:  Before, cabinet closeup, a peek at wood floors, and somewhere in the middle.

 

Somewhere in the middle

My pretty pretty tile.  I'm thinking it will also look better when it isn't filthy.  Yes?

We are getting close.  Well, closer.

We still need a new mantel, baseboards and carpet.  Plus a ton (a TON) of details like knobs and pulls, and faucets... and toilets... but we are getting close to being ready to move in.  It will be a work in progress for years to come, but we wanted to get the big stuff, like floors, paint, and stairway done before move in.  

These are all from my little point and shoot (hey, its a step up from my iphone!) this afternoon, and since they aren't technically "after" pics, we'll call them "somewhere in the middle" pics.  Deal?

Okay, so here is the family room before, nice and yellowy.  Please note the southwest fan.  No, we couldn't convince them to let us keep it.  (These were taken a few days apart, it was my only good shot of the curtains.

Here is what it looks like today.  Hopefully the mantel will start tomorrow, and the black painted cabints will hold the TV.  Baseboards are also coming tomorrow.  I cannot wait to get some furniture and hang some things on those walls.  

Not to mention sweep up all that dust and dirt.  Isn't that man so handsome?  :-)

Kitchen before, also very yellowy.

And now, with 1x4 and crown attached to the cabinet tops, cabinets painted white, a few "tester" knobs, crooked light fixture and one hanging can light.  Not sure what happened there.  We don't love the tall bar, but it just isn't in the budget to change it right now, so it stays.  Maybe it will grow on me.

The floors downstairs are a maple engineered hardwood, and so far I love them.  I'll let you know what we think when we actually live on them.

Then one of the bedrooms (they are so boring until they have stuff in them).  Please note the navy blue ceiling.  And trim.  And blinds.

Now, with just a regular old white ceiling.  

One of these days I'm going to charge my nice camera and take some good shots. But that would require brain power.  Which would require sleep.  Which would require someone else taking over my life.  

What do you think?  Slight improvement so far?  

Or maybe I should have left the yellow... 

;-)

 

On a hop-along

Tomorrow is already going to be a good day.  It marks the beginning of the Hopscotch/On a Whim quilt along that Katy, mastermind behind the Swoon-along, came up with.  (Happy late birthday Katy!!)  The quilters in the group will make Hopscotch,

or On a Whim,

or both!

The group is carrying over from the Swoon-along, and has over 900 members and almost 2000 (!!!) photos of various Swoon blocks and quilts, all of them awesome.  (The quilts and the peeps :-)  They make me so happy every time I stop by.  Really.

If you want to join the On a Hop-along (a name I jokingly/somewhat lamely said while chatting with Katy on Twitter last week after a loooong couple of days with very little sleep) then head on over.  If I wasn't 10 days away from moving with a whole house worth of remodling... well then, I'd be hopping along too.  They are just so nice over there.

Maybe house iPhone photo update:

New banister going in! (The old was was wobbly. And super carpety. And yellow.)

And pretty new floors!

Some of us are very excited about them.

The boy loves to sweep.

Also I've never been this tired in all my life.  

True story.

 

I can't find my USB cord-

-so all you get is a crappy iphone photo of my pretty white cabinets

(yay!)

You know what makes for an interesting month?

Remodeling a house...

while writing a book...

and packing...

between 5+ baseball practices a week...

not to mention violin lessons and scouts...

oh, and getting ready for Quilt Market...

with a 1 year old.

Yep, life is certainly interesting over here!  

But lest you think we are dawdling over here, here's that nook in the kitchen before-

The picture at the top of the post?  The same spot, just in progress.  Neat, huh?

My parents were in town for Aiden's baptism this weekend and we had a lovely time.  It was a perfect weekend.  And yes, we put them to work.

(Thanks parents.)

Because paper pattern shipping is lagging a bit this week, (and just in time for the On a...Hop along!) I thought you might enjoy a little PDF coupon code.  Any PDFs in my shop are 5 bucks this week (until Saturday at midnight) with code 5PDF.  Just enter the code at checkout and you'll get them in like 10 seconds.  Whether you order one or ten.

But only if you come over and help paint.  

Deal?

(I was joking about the painting.)

sorta... 

*note:  Big Cartel wasn't giving the discount on multiple patterns, but after fiddling with it a bit, it is working now.