Let's get organized, organized. Come on let's get organized.

We are trying to get organized as we unpack.  Which led to a Saturday trip to IKEA.  We did not do that much work this weekend.  Just some organizing. 

This is a closet in the basement.  Shelving from IKEA.  

We would have gotten more accomplished but we went out with Jay's brother and girlfriend.  We had a great time but realized we are old.  We could barely function today we were so tired.  We went to a birthday party for one of Jace's friends.  That is the only time we left the house.   

Time for bed.  Goodnight. 

Basement bathroom

We are gradually getting the basement finished.  The basement which was for the most part unfinished included adding finished space with a full bath, laundry room, main space (office/playroom), and we kept an area unfinished for storage.

Currently I am trying to unpack the unfinished area which includes many boxes from our move but also all of the stuff we stored in the basement during the renovation.

• Renovation Lesson #48 - don't leave anything in an area that is being renovated.  Get a storage unit.  

Everything that was stored in our basement during the renovation (even covered in plastic) is so dirty.  Luckily we have a bath tub in the basement now so . . . . everything is getting a bath.

(You may be wondering about the squirrel head.  It is a mask.  It was giving to us so we could screw with Finley.)

So this is the bathroom in the basement.  Hard to show before since this space pretty much did not exist but here you go. . . . .

Before

  

After

Bathroom details:  paint color - Benjamin moore Manchester Tan, shower tile - home depot cheap subway tile, floor tile - lowes, toilet kohler, vanity home depot, mirror (clearance section $10 Lowes), shower curtain - Target from Raleigh bathroom, faucet and shower head - Pegasus (build.com which is our new favorite place to buy things from for the house), and accessories Homegoods.

And here are some pictures along the way . . . 

Main level bathroom renovation

We renovated the main level bathroom as part of the overall renovation.  The overall bathroom size increased to accommodate the addition of a shower.  Here are some pictures of the bathroom renovation (hard to get a good angle).

Before

After

The wall color is Benjamin Moore Glass Slipper.  The shower door, toilet, and pedestal sink are Kohler.  The light is Capital Lighting.  All the accessories came from HomeGoods.  

I feel bad for the guests that came before the renovation.  We only had one shower in the house.  Now you get your very own!  

Here are some pics from along the way . . . . 

The house was ready just in time

This weekend Molly, Wes and Parker came up from Charlotte for a visit.  We worked pretty hard to get the house as ready as we could for their arrival.  One thing we finally got accomplished were getting the shutters put up that Jay made and I also finished painting around the door.  So here is front of the house progress . . . . 

Before

After

The window boxes may or may not be put up.  We cannot decide if it will be too much.  We plan to work on landscaping in the Fall.  

Here are some pics from the weekend.  Our weekend included going to a playground and beer garden on Saturday, Nats game Saturday night, and Merrifield for the fountains and lunch on Sunday.  We know it is a hard trip up from Charlotte and it really means alot they came.  Parker and Jace were obsessed with each other.  They act as if they spend every weekend together.  

More pics

And here are the pics of the dining room. I have a new favorite paint color.  Benjamin Moore ice cap.  It is a greenish, bluish, grayish .... It changes with the light.  It is the color of the dining room and the kitchen.

Before

After

Had a fun filled weekend with Molly, Wes, and Parker.  So fun to see them and have people stay in the new digs :)

And they walk out. . . .

Today the contractor and "the crew" walked out for the very last time.  Kind of strange to think I will no longer see people in our house at all hours.  "The crew", also known as Henry and Harvey, were two hispanic men who spoke very little English.  We learned how to communicate with each other.  I fed them popsicles and ice cream sandwiches and sometimes lunch.  We hugged when they left.  Today I will show you what they accomplished in the kitchen and
 family room.

Before

After

Before

After

 Before

After

Details about the kitchen:  Countertops are Super white quartzite from Richstone Granite, cabinets are 6 Square Cabinets, lights are from Capital lighting, wall color in kitchen is Benjamin Moore Ice Cap, trim and family room ceiling color is Benjamin Moore Super White, family room wall color is Benjamin moore Decorators white and appliances are KitchenAid, stools are from World Market.

Wish I could find our good camera battery charger to take pics but this will do.  Will add more pics as we continue to unpack.  It is strange to think this is finished.  And the above pics make it look like a piece of cake, so here are some from the process in case you wondered how we got here. 

Was not easy but worth it!!

Come visit

Come visit ..... The guest bedroom is ready for visitors.  Will probably make some changes at some point but we have visitors this weekend and again the weekend of August 9th weekend.  Now people have somewhere to sleep.  

Come on up or down or across.  We are finally ready for ya. 

Doors, unpacking, gate, guest bedroom

The last couple days have slowly been productive.  If we had no kids, World Cup soccer or needed alittle R & R, we would probably get more accomplished. 

We had a gate built on Sunday.  Finally Finley is not escaping.  We hired this guy from Craigslist.  He did a great job.  The gate will be stained one day. But currently Not on the top of the list.  

Jay worked on the doors.  He added trim to the doors.  I have been patching them and I am working on painting. Jay also hung the new outdoor lights.  This is the backdoor.  

The start of the weekend. 

I still can't decide on the front door.  I painted more of the gray.  I think I like it.  I need to buy another quart but I wanted to live with the door and trim colors for a couple of days before finishing and the second coat. 

The biggest thing we accomplished was setting up the furniture.  Here is a sneak preview. Still want to do the "big reveal" but this is why we are now loving our space.  Being able to hang out in the space is making us so happy with the work. Probably is why we aren't getting as much done . ..... We just want to hang out ;)

You can find us next door

Did I mention we have the best neighbors?  Beyond the fact they are super cool and have kids the same age as us, we cookout with them a least once a week.  And the cookouts just got a little but more fun for the kids.  Yep - they bought a bounce house to just keep their kids busy.  They have three kids and they figure the amount they would spend to rent one over the years, they might as well buy one.   And it is not just your standard bounce house.   

So we have done some work this weekend but not as much as hoped. Decided we needed to hang out.  Dinner with the neighbors last night and jay and I have a babysitter for tonight.  

Finishing up the front and back doors.  See the new lights.  What do you think of the trim color painted gray?  Not sure if it looks too dark.  

Took the kids hiking on Friday.  2 long miles.  Took us a while because we stopped a zillion times.  

Scaring away the bears 

We had several stops like this one. 

Looking forward to a night out.  Happy Saturday!!