One Year Later

One year ago today we closed on our home.  In many respects, it feels like we have been here forever. But in truth, it has been a mere 365 days.  Regardless, there has been a great deal of work done and progress made with our "diamond in the rough".  And while it hasn't always been easy, we are so thankful for all the help from family and friends through the process.  We couldn't have done it without you all.

And now for the grand tour.

EXTERIOR

The white paint on the wood shakes was old and filled with lead, so we scraped and repainted.  After much deliberating, we ended up with a gray-blue color, which really makes the trim "pop".  

Other 2016 exterior projects included taking down three large trees as well as removing much of the overgrown landscaping, water-proofing the basement, re-grading the lawn, gutters, a bit of work on the chimney and roof, and my personal favorite - a new swing hung from a large maple tree.

2017 will hopefully allow for new landscaping, fence, exterior doors, shutters, and a flower box.

INTERIOR

Upstairs Remodel

The upstairs bedrooms and bathroom were top priority when we bought the house.  They needed the most attention in terms of cosmetics and functionality. So before we even moved in, we got to work peeling wallpaper, ripping up carpet, tearing down walls, putting up walls, and so on. 

The finished steps with a new carpet runner and railing.  

The wall had been solid, with a doorway at the top of the steps leading to a small half bath, and also doorways to the left and right, each leading to bedrooms.

The reconfiguration of the upstairs allowed us to split one of the large bedrooms into two smaller bedrooms as well as a common area.  Also we expanded the bathroom and added a shower.  

A second view of the upstairs.  I love how the railing and the built in bookcase turned out.  To the left is our master bedroom.  Directly in front of the steps is the bathroom.  To the right (out of picture) are doors leading to Claire and Henry's bedrooms.

Let's start with our master bedroom...

Master Bedroom Before

(the top picture shows the door into the attic space 

that we converted into an attached nursery)

Master Bedroom After

It's cozy and comfortable

The attic after a good gutting.  

It had been roughly finished off, but needed to be updated to capture the full potential of the space.

This was a perfect space for a nursery.  I love that it is close, but not too close.  

It turned out better than I could have ever expected.

When we first walked through this house with my parents, even before we bought it, we thought they would either laugh at us or write us off.  But they had the vision that we were getting glimpses of.  I remember so clearly my dad standing at the top of the steps and explaining how the large bedroom could be split and we could still have a small nook for a comfy chair.  One thing my parents know is how I love a good nook.  I wasn't entirely sure how it would work out, but I trusted their vision and knew that I was sold!

Pictured on top: our first night in the new house, the boys began to tear down wallpaper.

Pictured on bottom: our nook at present.  I love that we were able to keep the original built-in. Sometimes at night, when everyone else is asleep, this is my favorite spot to sit and read a good book, knowing that my family is sleeping all around me.  

And now onto Claire and Henry's bedrooms.

These pictures allow you to see the space as it was before we divided it up.  You can see the wall where the railing now stands, and our reading nook before it existed. Also, that brown closet door on the far end is, in fact, Henry's bedroom.  Yes, it takes some imagination, but you can see it. Half of that large room would become Claire's bedroom.  The other half was reconfigured a bit to become Henry's bedroom.  The long narrow closet in the top picture was taken out (except the built-in, of course), and the brown closet doors were removed and opened up to the unfinished attic that would soon be his bedroom.

The midway point.  We've come too far to turn back now!

Henry's bedroom After

A walkway with a nice closet, opens up to Henry's bed and a couple small chests of drawers.

There is plenty of room for George's bed, too, which he sometimes uses for naps, and will move to when he is ready to leave his nest of a nursery.

Even having seen the transformation unfold, I can still hardly believe this used to be a gross old attic.

And, of course, Claire's Before and After.

She claimed this room the first night we were there, and once she did, she worked hard to help get it ready.  She tore down wallpaper, cleaned, puttied, painted. Pride of ownership.

And last but not least, the bathroom.

The Before.  

The During.

The After.

Well, that's it for the upstairs.  We still have some finishing touches: pictures to be hung, curtains to bought, and so on.  But we are 95% there and, well, that remaining 5% will have to wait.

Main Floor Remodel

We've picked away at the main floor a bit, but largely, it remains in it's 1950's - 1970's state of decor.

The living room Before.

The living room Now.

The biggest change to the main floor is certainly all the new windows.  This house had no shortage of old windows, so to replace them was a big ticket item on our priority list.  One thing that didn't make the priority list was to remove the green carpet.  I'm pretty sure when we first walked through I remarked that it would be the first thing to go, but we've gotten surprisingly used to it.  

Also, funny to note the brown chairs and the lamp that have stayed.  They were left from the previous owners, but have been put to good use.

The foyer Before.

The foyer Now.

Not much has changed here except a bit of decor.  

The mirror on the wall was also from the previous owners.

Left: The den Before.  Right: The den Now.

We removed the drop ceiling and old paneling, put up some drywall and a coat of primer, and hung a new light, but this room has a bit on our "to do" list yet.  Sooner rather than later we hope to paint and hang some curtains.  

For now, this room serves as our t.v./lego room.  Some day it may become our master bedroom, but for now, it serves us well.

Left: The main floor bath Before.  Right: The main floor bath Now.

Well, this room looks considerably worse, but it's a process.  We had to rip open the wall to do the upstairs plumbing.  I would say this project is next on our agenda, not only because it looks like it does, but because it is filled with lead.  But at least for now, it is functional.

Top: The dining room Before.  Bottom: The dining room Now.

Again, not much has changed except a bit of furniture and, of course, the new windows.

Top: The kitchen Before.  Bottom: The kitchen Now.


Left: The kitchen Before.  Right: The kitchen Now.

Except for removing the drop ceiling, stripping a few layers of wallpaper, and getting new appliances, the kitchen hasn't changed much, but the potential is there. Perhaps this year, we may do a quick coat of paint, which would go a long ways and hold us over until we are ready to do a more complete remodel.

Basement Remodel

Top: The basement south side Before.  

Bottom: The basement south side Now.

Updates include new windows, furnace and a bit of duct work, electrical panel, sump pit, paint, and ping pong.

Top: The basement north side Before

Bottom: The basement north side After

Alternate view of the north side

We don't have a before picture, but this was actually a nice update.  The space where the tarp is laying had been a small storage room that we referred to as the Bat Cave.  It was called the Bat Cave because there was in fact a bat hibernating in there when we first bought the house.  Thankfully, after removing both the bat and the cinder block wall, we have yet to have any rodent scares.  

Well, that's it for one year.  As cliche as it sounds, this all has been quite a journey.  I think it's safe to say that even as we signed those closing papers one year ago today, neither Joe nor I were convinced this was a good decision for our family.  But what was the hardest decision we have made has turned out to be a wonderfully grace-filled transition.  

The peace came quietly, but it came quickly.  I remember very clearly our first family meal on a card table. Gathered around that table for shepherd's pie that evening, I knew we were home.  Even working together those first few days, we grew together.

Along the way, there were other moments that would quiet any doubts I had.

That first evening in our new house was special, looking through pictures as a family.

One warm winter day, when the boys discovered the water puddle on the driveway, I watched as they splashed around, and I was so thankful.

One spring day we dug out an old wooden swing that had been packed away.  We never had a spot for it at our old home, but I couldn't seem to part with it.  And watching the kids light up on that swing that spring day, I knew we made the right decision.

And one thing that has been an especially pleasant surprise is to see how George's interest in our house projects have flourished while being here. It has been such a joy to watch him, as well as Claire and Henry, work to make this their new home as well.

November

November pictures are here!

Election Day.

The kids really enjoyed going with me to vote.  They mostly read books, but were curious enough to ask questions along the way.  Their enthusiasm helped dispel some of my gloom.

Setting up the Staff and Volunteer Appreciation Dinner at Africa's Child.

Though the store was still gutted from the fire, we had a lovely time.

After a busy fall with the fire at AC and house projects, a little break was in order. So we joined the Koopmans family at Zehnder's Splash Village in Frankenmuth for an overnight getaway.  Which, as is the case with young children, was a lot of fun, but probably not much of a vacation.

Henry is our cautious one.  He steps into a place like Splash Village and is like a turtle retreating into its shell.  He doesn't like a lot of the rides or the water, so I was a little concerned he would have a good time.

Thankfully, there were plenty of options for kids like him who like their rides and water in small doses.

The frog slide, in particular, was a big hit with our boys.

Then there are people like Claire who enjoy the thrill of adventure.  Her favorite was this doozey of a ride.  She could hang right in there with us "big kids". 

A picture of Claire's ride from outside.

And George is like Claire in that regard.  He loved going down this water slide over and over.  Each time we finished, he'd say a quick "more" and then it was up to the top again.

The next morning we took a small break from the water park and ventured out together.  I love that our kids are such good buddies.

Sam and George

We made it over to Bronner's Christmas Wonderland, the World's largest Christmas store.  It was just across the parking lot, so we couldn't resist checking it out.  The kids did great in a store full of bright and shiny breakables.  I think we would say it was fun to see, but once was enough for a lifetime.

Walking back to the Splash Village.  

I think Claire had her eyes set on that ride once again.

I love that we can have these adventures with our friends.  

They are great memories for our families, even if it is lights out by 8:00 and potty breaks and making pb&j's by the dozen.  We will look back on these days with smiles and laughter for sure.

The School Harvest Party

Claire with her "BFF", Alaina, and their little siblings.

Henry's school did a teaching night for parents who were interested in learning more about the Montessori method.  The teachers demonstrated what their lessons look like on a typical day.

Henry enjoyed showing us his favorite "works".

I love the variety, everything from folding socks to geometry.

A cozy afternoon, reading with my girl.

Often as parents we try to go the extra mile for our kids, like planning a special movie night for them after a long week of school.  Well....that backfired.  They hated it.  Apparently Finding Dory was just too scary for them.  

We have gutters!  Bring on the rain.

And now another house project.  We had finished the exterior painting, so we were anxious to tackle our basement.  It's an old basement, so we had modest expectations, but something had to be done. Because of flooding we had earlier in the summer, there was a definite mustiness that lingered in the air, and mold that was popping up here and there and everywhere.  

The South Side  - with the doorway to the crawlspace.

We have new windows thanks to QB, and a new furnace, but a fresh coat of paint would do wonders.

First we scrubbed and washed the walls to kill the mold to prepare the surface. Next we used a special primer, then paint to block moisture and mildew.  

Priming the crawl space - or as we have affectionately named it - "The Pit".  

This spring we will hopefully dig up some of the extra dirt on the far end and finish the concrete floor.  Add some shelving, and it will be a great storage room.

And the North Side.

I'm embarrassed to show this picture, but here it is in all its glory.  After moving in March, things that didn't have an immediate need, got tossed in this corner.  And after 9 months of digging through boxes to find random things, we ended up with a bit of a mess.  

Joe prepping half the North side.

And here's the other half of the North side.

Glad we are in this together.  

After one VERY long day (almost 16 hours of painting) and a couple of evenings, we ended up with a brand new basement.  And by "brand new", I mean a very old basement with a fresh coat of paint.

The South Side.  

Oh I feel so giddy!

The mold and mustiness used to be so bad that I would have to hold my breath as I came down the stairs to get something out of the freezer or throw in a load of laundry.  But now I can spend time down here and breath easily.   

We continue to put on some finishing touches, and for some reason I didn't snap any pictures of the North side (I probably collapsed soon after finishing it) so I will make sure to post recent pictures soon.

And in the midst of house projects, we still have plenty of time for fun with the kids.  One lazy day we held a friendly competition to see who could balance the most crayons on their chest.  It doesn't take much to entertain our family.

And on our first snow day of the year, we had fun with glow-in-the-dark balloons.

And now a few short anecdotes about our funny kids.  

I find that I forget these things far too quickly unless I write them down.

Henry: "Mom, if you make me a peanut butter sandwich I will say "I love you."

Mom: "Henry, don't you love me regardless of what I do for you."

Pause

Henry: "Well, you can make me anything I like."

__________________________

An evolving list of things that Henry says "freak him out":

1. Minions - He now likes minions as cousin Andrew has encouraged him in this.

2. Frosty the Snowman, "because a snowman that is alive is freaky".

3. Troll Dolls

4. Elmo, "because that Cookie Monster really freaks me out".

__________________________

George's Speech Therapist, Ms. K., could tell a story or two about our boys.  She has said we are definitely the most eventful family she works with, and she always looks forward to our adventures each week. For example, this morning we had built a cage to hold our imaginary friend "Bob".  We fed him invisible "homemade sandwiches" and gave him toys to play with.  I'm not sure what Ms. K. plays with her other clients, but I think it is safe to say this was a first for her.  But, she was happy that George kept saying "Hi Bob!", and "Yum Bob" as he fed him.