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. 

 

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.