Dave has been telling me to write a blog everyday now for the last week--I haven't been slacking, I've just been working! But, tonight is your lucky night! We have gotten soooo much done lately! Of course, that kinda makes us realize we still have a lot to do, but it is so fun to see the progress.

One of our first projects was to get the driveway fixed up so we didn’t get stuck every time we went there. {Literally, e v e r y t i m e for several days at least one vehicle would get stuck in the ice or muddy mess left from the ice.} {Usually mine.} Dave got his hands on a tractor though and smoothed things out before we had a couple loads of gravel hauled in. Oh, and then the dump truck got stuck. Of course! Luckily, one of our neighbors has a big ol’ tractor that could pull it right out. Here are a few pics of that whole shenanigan. I was at work during this time…. that was probably in the best interest of all those involved.

Our first interior project to get started was cleaning. That’s an on-going project, and probably won’t be completed any time soon unfortunately. Every time we move/tear out something we have to stop and scrub for a while. So funnnnn…. 

Then we started painting! WHAT A PROCESS. I respect professional painters SO MUCH. I hate to paint. And tape. And caulk. And cleaning paintbrushes and rollers. It’s just not a fun thing to do really. But we finished up the kitchen, laundry room, living room, and office already. They are all a lovely “toasted cashew.” The other bedrooms have been primed, but we haven’t started painted them or the bathrooms yet. 

 

The office {the purple/black room} primed. Me likey.

We decided to halt everything else and focus on the kitchen for a few days because we were supposed to be getting our appliances delivered on the 26th. Well, that didn’t happen, but we did get a lot done! We decided to paint the cabinets with chalk paint {that no sanding thing is awesome!}. I made my own chalk paint to save money, {thanks to my step-mom for getting a recipe for me} and it worked great. The color was supposed to be “candlelight ivory,” but it came out more like “stark white,” if you ask me. But we then used a glaze over it to tone it down some and I think we’re going to love how the finished project looks. 

Faces of cabinets painted.

Pretty and perfect after chalk paint... just not was I was looking for.

Glaze.

BEFORE

AFTER

 Also, my handy-dandy daddy came down and took out the vent hood and the cabinet above it so he could modify it where we can have a microwave over the stove. He took out one very strange, extra deep cabinet in the corner too and is going to change that into an open shelf for us. He’s so great! I really enjoyed having him and my sweet Papa down for a few hours and can’t wait to have them back to stay for a few days. We had a great time, not only working together, but also traipsing through the woods together. ☺ I love our woods! {Anyways, before I get side tracked on where we want to put deer feeders… that can be another post, another day}.

Handy Dandy Daddy hard at work.

After he took out cabinets and installed an outlet for the microwave.

Then Dave and I started tearing out the carpet the other day. That was sat-is-fying! Then after the tack board was removed and the floor was swept up really well we started installing our new floors! {Go ahead, cheer with us! YAAYYYY!!!!}  So far, we have completed one room—the dreaded purple/black room—and it looks A W E S O M E! Dave picked it out and I will admit I was leery at first, but it looks really good! It is vinyl plank flooring in “Nantucket,” which looks like barnwood. Those of you that know me will wonder why I ever had reservations about it since I love barnwood, but I did. They claim on the box that it is “Easy Click Installation.” That’s a half-truth. It does kinda click when you get it together, but it’s not exactly easy. The guy on the YouTube video we watched just drops it together, and really, it takes some effort, but hey, we can do it ourselves, and as my dad would say: “It’s just sweat equity!” 

Can you believe those walls were purple and black?? Trim and baseboards and this is gonna be a great room!!

Closet.

Upcoming projects: More painting {2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, all the cabinet doors, all the trim and baseboards, and probably most of the doors}, finish flooring, install baseboards throughout, install Dad’s new custom cabinet’s, re-cover the Formica and install backsplash. 

So, anyone who’s handy with a paintbrush or roller, call me and I’ll give you directions. ;) 

Love.

-Mal 

P.S. Here are some pics that make my heart happy. My boys. 

 

It begins...

the work that is.

Yesterday David took a trailer to a building surplus store in Dallas to pick up flooring, paint supplies, and other miscellaneous supplies we would need to get the house fixed up. That included a pallet of this stuff...

Feather Weight... that's a blatant lie. This stuff is stinking h e a v y.

This the flooring we picked out. It's vinyl, so it's really tough; it's "Uni-Click", so it's really easy to install; and it's cheap, so....yeah. Anyways, our house is about 1800 square feet and they say you should get about 10% extra to account for waste (pieces that you have to cut to fit it in correctly). That adds up to a lot of flooring. One whole pallet and a little extra. It was a total of 70 boxes... 70 really heavy boxes! And the whole time, unloading, carrying, stacking these boxes you have to read "Feather Weight." It's just rude, if you ask me! David could carry 2 boxes at a time... I C O U L D have, but I wanted to be able to walk again in the near future, so I struggled along with just one at time. It was great. (ha!)  (pst... I'm not showing you what it looks like yet, but I really can't wait to!) 

70 boxes of flooring finally in the house.

How about that carpet under there, huh? That stuff is prettyyyy......gross. I can't wait to get it out of there! 

Anyways, I cleaned the heck out of the kitchen yesterday. Not that it made it look better, but it made me feel better about being in it. Then we got started on painting prep (taking off switch and outlet plates, cleaning, and taping off). Dave worked on that again while I was at work today. My hero! 

Anyways, here are the official BEFORE pictures of the house. Enjoy. (But not too much, because it's all changing!)

Excuse the tools and cleaning supplies, please!

This is the view from walking in the door from the porch. Not the front door, but the door we'll use most.

I can't wait to see my dad work some magic and change that vent hood into an over the range microwave! I cannot wait for new appliances. That is going to make me suuuuuuch a happy girl!

Laundry room. It's right by the door, before you get to the kitchen. These cabinets were full of stuff. I'll never have to by laundry starch again. (Not that I would have anyways...)

Other side of laundry room. It's more of nook really. Laundry nook.

I took this of the living room standing in "dining room." Personally I don't believe you can call it a seperate room if there are no diving walls, but what do I know? It's where our big table will be. ;)

View of living/dining room from the back door. I can't wait to paint that ugly gold light over there in the "dining room!"

This will be the spare bedroom.

This will be the office. Can you say primer? I have literally had dreams about painting this room. I will find such joy painting a lovely neutral "toasted cashew" over these walls. 

Bathroom. Not much to say about that.

I don't know about this mosaic tile...

Master bedroom. With probably the ugliest paint color ever invented. I can only imagine it's called "baby poo." Is it brown? green? y u c k y. Oh, and that's the master bath over there.

Master closet. This is really just one closet. 2 Doors. Only bad thing is that it screws up furniture placement. 

Master bath. David thinks tubs are a waste of space. All I can say to that is: he's wrong.

Other side of the master bath. I didn't take a good picture of the shower...didn't want you to have nightmares.

Master bath vanity. Why was everything built in the nineties hunter green? I actually don't mind the color, but I don't want it everywhere. What shall I do about those tiles?! I am at a loss here.

Then, of course, my DH. Dear Husband, that is. Yes, he's wearing a Veggie Tales shirt. A 27 year old man in a Veggie Tales shirt....he's one of a kind!

 By the way, if you see me, don't look at my hands. I won't have a nice manicure until this project is finished...so maybe next October!

-Mal

The Ridiculous Story of Buying Our House

I have been waiting on this day since mid September; it's finally the day to buy the house!!!! (It's also the first day I have really been out of the house in 5 days thanks to Icemageddon 2013, but that's a whole different story I guess).

So, the plan for the day was to meet the sellers at the house at 2PM. We needed them to go over some things with us that we weren't familiar with-- how to turn on/off the pump to the well, where the septic tank was located, who we call for trash/electric, etc. Well, they didn't show! That started me into a tizzy right there. HELLO! I need to know how to take care of this house people! I was calmed a little when we found a note they had left on the counter with instructions on some of these things. {They also let us know there are 8 large catfish in the pond that we could feed. Yipee!} Anyways, David has a way of staying calm when I am in a panic; Thank the Good Lord for that man! So, we did a rough estimate of how much baseboard we will need and counted all the light switches and socket plates that needed to be replaced, then about 3:00 we headed to town for the closing that was to be at 4:00.

Let me just tell you folks that don't know, it should have taken us mayyyybe 15 minutes to get to the office from the house. We were on track to be really early...

Remember Icemageddon that I previously mentioned? Well, to compensate for the snowy-icy-muddy mess that we were facing we were driving Dave's big truck. Big, old, likes to give us trouble truck. You can guess where I'm going from here, right? The dang thing was acting crazy and DIED on us just outside of Horntown. (Yes, read it again, Horntown). I think I was in shock at this point because... what?!? It's 30 something degrees, we're on our way to close on our house and the truck dies? No, our luck isn't that bad! HA! Yes, yes it is. So, I am strangely calm for being such a Type A Crazy Lady, when Dave gets out and starts monkeying around under the hood.

Just look how ridiculously big this truck is. My 6'5" husband has to climb up on the tires or the bumper to see what he's doing to work on it...

Dave decides it's the fuel filter. Luckily he happens to have one with him and the tools to change it out. (If you read the first post you'll remember I told you he's a borderline preper!) I am starting to panic a little bit-- It's 3:25 and as far as I'm concerned, we'll be late in 25 more minutes. I ask if we should call someone to come get us, but, he is somewhat confident that he can fix it quickly and tells me if he's not done by 3:44 then we'll call a ride. {I swear he said 3:44. The guy has a way of making me laugh that I really appreciate}. Anyways, I sit there listening to him work under the truck, fetching him stuff every once in a while.

All the sudden I hear, "OUCH!"
"What?!? Are you ok??"
"I just got gas in my eye!"
I couldn't help but laugh. I'm really not heartless, I was just stressed...
About ten seconds later he's yelling that gas spilled all over him. Perfect!

About this time an older gentleman and his wife pull up and asks if we're ok. He's a total stranger to us, but he recognizes the truck and knows exactly where we live. That would have freaked me out, but we live in a tiny town and our house is across the street from the post office... and this isn't the first time someone has recognized us by this truck. Apparently this truck is totally awesome. (On another day I might agree...) Anyhow, Dave manages to change that filter with amazing speed and it was exactly 3:44 when he emerges from under the truck. Unfortunately, the truck still wont start. Even with Old Dudes input. So, you can imagine: I'm freaking. The guy offers to take me to town to get my car and I jump at the opportunity. There was a brief second when we were about 2 miles from my husband that I think, "Maybe I shouldn't jump in the back seat with a couple I have never met. Especially when I know my husband doesn't have his phone." But then I just listen to this guy's crazy stories about killer wild hogs eating donkeys and a huge ranch that apparently someone stole from him, and ride to town... this is Small Town America for ya, and I am Blessed to be a part of a community where strangers help you out.

#MERICA is right! (Yes, this is our truck)

That's pretty much it for the ridiculousness really. We arrived at the closing about 4:35; David covered in dirt and gasoline and my blood pressure was through the roof, but everything else went very smoothly. Well, except when we got stuck behind a train for 5 minutes...

So, cheers, to owning our first house together!

By the time we got back to the house it was dark, but it was really pretty with the snow and all.

-Mal

P.S. When we popped the champagne a minute ago Gus retrieved the cork. He's happy about the new house too!

A List

I am a list person. I really, really love to have a list. I don't always follow my list... but I am working on it! 

Anyways, here is a list for you of the projects/ideas that I have for the house remodel. None of this is set in stone, but just a good idea of where we're headed. 

Cannot wait to get started... and I really cannot wait until we are finished!

-Mal

Once upon a time... Or: What do you call your first post on a new blog?

I have been interested in blogging since...well, since I learned the word 'blog' probably. I have always enjoyed writing in a journal, but why would I want to share that with the world? I honestly don't know. But I want to. My thinking is that as we embark on the journey of buying land and a house and completely changing our lifestyle it will probably be fun to document our successes {and our failures}. All I know is this: I am excited about life. I am truly Blessed to get to go on this journey and I want to remember this feeling, because if my suspicions are correct {and let's be honest, they normally are}, this experience will be a lot of hard work, but one that we will look back on and appreciate. 

So... We are in the process right now of buying 35 acres and a house in a rural community in Oklahoma. We should be closing within the next 2 weeks! {I really hope this pans out, because I really would like to sign those papers before we go on vacation so we can get to work as soon as we get home!}

The house is a double wide trailer. I am going to be honest with you here: I had reservations about living in a trailer. But, I have embraced the fact that we will be able to pay it off quickly and I will keep drawing up plans for my dream home in my head... and on my Pinterest board. Plus, it really is nice as far as trailers go. Well, that's a lie. What I mean is, it is going to be nice. But it has real 2 x 6 walls and it is nice and open and has lots of room, so it doesn't feel really "trailery," if you know what I mean. And, honestly, I have seen people who lived in thatch huts in the jungle who were happy and thankful to have a dry place to lay their heads at night, and I am going to be thankful too. 

We have a ton of work to do on the house, but I am really excited about getting to make it ours and doing all of these projects together. Neither of us have a ton of experience in this area, but I am thinking it will be really good for us... and I am sure it will make a lot of funny stories to tell if nothing else. I will do another post soon with some of the projects/ideas we have planned. 

As far as the land goes, we have lots of plans and ideas for that too. We both love the idea of organic gardens and being as self sufficient as possible. {Dave tippy-toes the line of being a "prepper". I just hate going to the store.} We also want to have chickens and maybe a few cows. And goats. Dave loves goats; don't ask me why. And today he says he wants pigs... I think pigs stink, so that is a discussion for a later date. But all of this to say, we have really no clue what we are doing. I mean, we have read books, listened to podcasts and done a little online research, but the sum of our first-hand experience is that my family had a few chickens and raised 3 steers while I was growing up. We have both gardened a bit, but nothing like what we want/plan on doing. In other words, we're green. But we're energetic, and we're hoping that counts for something.
-Mal

P.S. Here is the opposite of energetic.

This is Gus. If you know me, you know I love my dog. He's my baby and he'll make his fair share {or more} of appearances in my blog I'm sure.