House Help!

I'm postponing Menu Monday for some urgent house help. I need your honest to goodness advice on the base board trim and the crown molding. I love crown molding, but I feel like the wood crown molding is dated and I want to paint it all white. I know this is a big job as it runs the whole course of our first floor (and second floor) but I'm okay with that. The wood is starting to get to me. I cannot stop starting at it and want to change it. Badly.


Here is a picture of the trim I'm talking about:
Now here is where I need your help:

1. How difficult is it to paint wood?
2. What paint would you recommend?
3. Would it look good?
4. Should I paint the fireplace white as well?

Thanks in advance for your help!!!

Curtains - to hem or not to hem?

THAT is the question. Garth and I went to Ikea a few weekends ago and realized everyone goes to Ikea on Saturdays. Wow. It was crazy busy. We did have a successful trip though. We purchased some art, beer glasses, and curtains.

Our bedroom has blinds so getting curtains wasn't at the top of my list. Until I realized the sunlight comes directly into our bedroom and into our eyes each and every Saturday morning. That is my one day of the week to sleep in and getting woken up by the sun was not cool.

We knew we wanted black curtains because we wanted our room as dark as possible. I thought it would be romantic but also functional to have dark curtains in a room you want dark so you can sleep.

We found curtains at Ikea and we adore them. I think they make the room look elegant and classy while also providing the darkness we crave. I love the look of the curtains but Garth wants to hem them. What do you think?

Housewarming party?

Garth and I really want to have all of our friends and family to come see our house and we think the best way to do it would be to have a housewarming party. We want the house to be complete before we have the party so it wouldn't be until late spring/early summer so we can utilize our deck. Our plan was to have an open house format with a wine and cheese theme. We don't want gifts, we just want everyone to bring their favorite wine/beer and we'll supply the appetizers.
What do you think? Did you have a housewarming party? Any suggestions or ideas?

Our First House!

We did it! We closed on our house this weekend! It was such an exciting time and I loved every second of it. Signing the papers. Getting the keys. Seeing the sold sign in front. Being carried over the threshold. Champagne and thai food. The moving truck. Giving our first tour of the house. Celebrating Garth's birthday. Christening our backyard sledding hill. Perfection.

Family Room:
Dining Room:Kitchen:Bedroom 1:Bedroom 2:Master:The Basement:The deck and the reason we bought this house:Another mom masterpiece: The perfect ending to a perfect day:

The Crazy Story: Part 2.

Here is House #3. To recap, we made an offer on this house last Sunday afternoon. We heard back on Wednesday that she counter offered a bit higher than expected, but we were about to counter when our realtor said there is another house in the same subdivision we should see before we do anything.

So on Wednesday night we went to look at House #4. We fell truly, madly, deeply head over heels in love. It was everything we wanted in a house and more. It was not just our first house, but our dream house.

The Stats:
Colonial
3 bedroom
4 bathroom
Gas fireplace

Finished, walk-out basement

HUGE deck overlooking private wooded area

It was already in the subdivision we loved and it had so much more of what we wanted. It made this whole entire process worth it. It made us grateful for every house we had lost along the way. We felt this urgency that we had to have this house NOW that we headed straight to our realtor's office to make an offer and walked away from House #3.

Yes, it was pretty impulsive of us. But we were ready to fight for this house. And when we woke up Thursday morning I didn't regret our offer one bit. I knew we made the right choice. Even our parents adored this house and thought it was a better fit for us.

It was another long few days of waiting, but we got the house!!!!! The inspection is tomorrow and if all goes well the long house hunt will be over!

The Crazy Story.

We had been house hunting for eight months and were getting frustrated with the search. We were about to throw in the towel and sign our lease for six more months. I don't know what changed our minds, but we decided we would take one more look before making the final decision.

We went house hunting last Tuesday night not expecting to find anything, but we found TWO houses! We'll call this House #1. It was bank owned but it was in excellent condition. We planned on going Saturday to look at this house again and make an offer on it.

We'll call this House #2. We fell in love with it from the moment we stepped inside. It was completly flipped with hard wood floors, stainless steel appliances, granite, finished basement. It was a bit smaller but we still loved it and planned to go there on Saturday and see it in the daylight.

Saturday our realtor called and said he is going to take us to one more house in the same neighborhood as House #1. We went to the this unscheduled house first and thought it was nice but we still had our heart set on House #1. So we got to House #1 and realize it needs appliances, new windows, new carpet in the basement, and there may be flooding in the basement. It was just too much work for what we prefered in a first home.

So we go to House #2 and decide that will be the house we choose. But when we look at House #2 in the daylight we realize it is next to a trailer park and railroad tracks. No thank you.

The unexpected house we saw first was starting to look good after this so we went back to have a second look. We go to lunch to discuss it and then sleep on it and made an offer Sunday afternoon.

I've been writing this post for three days now and things keep changing. The crazy story just got crazier! I'll keep ya posted...

We made an offer!!

We took a big step this weekend and made an offer on a house!!! It's a crazy story how we even found this house, but for now we wait.

The house stats are:
Ranch
3 bedrooms
2 bathrooms
1490 sq. ft
Gas fireplace
Jetted tub
Basement
Deck overlooking tree lined lot

The House That Cannot Be Ours.

I know I haven't given a house update in awhile, but there isn't much to say. We still have not found the one. We thought we found our house. I could picture living there. We went back for a second look and found a really bad crack in the ceiling that meant foundation problems. We were a bit heart broken, but kept looking. Then we found our dream home, but realized it was just too expensive for us. We were heart broken and took a mini break from the hunt.
Now we're back into the swing of things. We worry we are a being a bit too picky, but we know there is a house out there for us. We just need to be patient. We aren't really in a rush. Ideally we would like to be in a house by December and that can still happen.
In the meantime, I leave you with the house that cannot be ours. It's perfect in almost every way. It's walking distance to downtown. It's a unique, 1920s house with lots of character. It's in our price range. Everything I want in a home. But it does not have a basement and that is a deal breaker. You can build on another room or a garage, but you cannot build on a basement. But it's so beautiful:I adore that hard wood floor:
LOVE this kitchen:I'm not sure what this room is, but it's pretty:What the heck would we do with a 3-car garage?! Put the ping pong table in there, of course.
Swoooooooooon.

The House Hunting Experience.

Looking for a house was stressful because every time we fell in love with a house and were about to make an offer, the house would go pending. ARGH! Remember the Dawson's Creek house? Well the day we were scheduled to see it ended up being a day I had to work late so we had to rescheduled. The next day we found the house had sold. Seriously?!
Some of our friends had started to look at houses at the same time we did (a month ago) and are now closing on houses. It was discouraging. Why weren't we finding a house? Why were houses going so quickly?
We were feeling rushed and a bit frustrated. Then this job opportunity presented itself and it was just too good to pass it up. The only problem is the job is quite the commute. After some discussion (and prayer, of course) we have decided to target an entirely new city for our house hunt. I think I'm starting to see a glimpse of God's plan and maybe understanding why we weren't finding a house in the previous cities we were looking.
All that to say, it's a fresh start in a new city that starts today!

How Long?

You all were so helpful on the house vs. condo discussion so I am coming back for more advice. Garth and I are just one month in to our house hunt, but our lease will be ending soon and we need to decide how long we want to sign for. So, I want to know:
How long did it take for you to find a house? And then once you found the house, how long did it take to close?
Thanks for your help, you guys seriously ROCK!

The Dawson Creek House.

Do you remember the show Dawson's Creek? I was a HUGE fan of the show in high school, and I especially loved Dawson's house. Well, on my way to school each day I would pass a house that kind of resembled the house from the show. As I would drive past I would gawk at the house and swoon over the screened in porch.
All that to say that as I was looking at house listings yesterday and saw THAT exact Dawson Creek type house for sale. For sale! And in our price range!
Our realtor is out of town this week, but we're hoping to go look at it next week. Unfortunately, the house is a foreclosure so we're a bit nervous as to what the condition of the house will be in. But seriously, what are the odds?! I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but it would be fun to live in the house I loved growing up.

Decor.

As excited as Garth and I to buy our first home, we may be slightly more excited to furnish it.
The room Garth is most excited about is his home theater. Most of the houses we have looked at have a perfect room for this:
and this:

I've always dreamed of having an all-white kitchen. I don't know why, maybe it is the airy and breeziness of it all. So when I saw this dining room table I instantly fell head over heels for it:Now, Garth and I love to entertain so we have really come to love the houses that feature a wet bar in the basement.
I can already picture the bar stools we would get:
Oh and I definitely have bar signs I cannot wait to hang:Perfection!

House vs. Condo

Buying a condo was never even an option for us. It wasn't on our radar. But my mom and I were talking and she mentioned looking at condos. She made some good points about condos possibly fitting our lifestyle better since we are busy people who like having plans and may not enjoy spending our weekends doing yard work. She had a point.
After seeing so. many. houses. and not being satisfied with them we were a bit discouraged, so what did we have to lose? We started looking online and realized we could get all the things we wanted in a house - deck, granite counter tops, ceramic tile floors, finished basement, and THREE bathrooms - at a much cheaper cost than a house. We even found condos that had views of the forest or, better yet, a lake. As soon as Garth realized we could get a condo with lake privileges you better believe he was researching boats.
We looked at a few condos last night with our realtor and fell in love. Our favorite was an end unit with a lovely patio, vaulted ceilings, skylights in the kitchen, a breakfast bar, a master bedroom with a bathroom, larger closest, and the most amazing finished basement. The basement was HUGE! And it had a large wet bar. It was the ultimate entertaining house. Sure there are HOA fees, but the price tag is so much cheaper than a house with all those features and insurance is lower.
BUT would we miss not having a yard? Would we crave the domestic responsibility of mowing, shoveling, and raking? Decisions, decisions.
What are your thoughts on houses vs. condos?

House Hunt: Day 1.

We looked inside our first set of homes on Tuesday night with our realtor and it was fun. You learn about your style, taste and what really matters to you in a house. Garth and I thought size was our priority. We wanted a house we could grow into, but the large houses in our price range were rundown, on a main road, or across from an assembly plant. We learned that we don't need a big house and we would choose location over size.
We didn't expect to find our dream home on the first night...but we did. It's a gorgeous ranch with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. It has a finished basement and the kitchen and all the bathrooms are granite counter tops with ceramic tile floors. Le sigh. The basement is so big we could have a game room, a theater room, and if we add an egress window we could have a 4th bedroom. The backyard is lovely and the house is in a beautiful neighborhood.
The catch? It's WAY out of our price range and that is just heartbreaking. To purchase this house we would basically be living paycheck to paycheck and that is not something we are okay with doing. I know a house is the biggest purchase we'll make and the place we will spend the majority of our time, but living that tightly makes me uncomfortable.
All that to say, house hunting is a roller coaster just like they say on HGTV. Gosh, I feel like I'm dating again and that house just broke up with me! But I know we're doing the right thing. Garth and I have always lived by the motto "don't spend what you don't have" so why would we start now?
It sucks, but we are confident that God has the perfect house for us. In all reality, it was our first day. We still have so many cities and houses yet to look at so it would be a rash decision to get a house on the very first day.

Dream House.

Thank you for your comments on this post. You really made Garth and I rethink the house situation because your input pointed out things we had not thought about. So, thank you from the bottom of our heart. We chose to wait on the house situation and we feel a sense of relief. We just do not want to be tied down to Michigan and our jobs are just that... jobs. Not careers. So it would be unwise to be tied down in a state that is not doing very well in the first place.
While it was fun house hunting, it is even MORE fun looking at houses we cannot afford (and probably never will be able to afford).
My dream home is over 2 million dollars and it is in Beverly Hills, Michigan. To be honest, I do not know if we would ever live in Beverly Hills because every time we drive through it to visit Garth's family I sing the Weezer song "Welcome to Beverly Hills". And I don NOT stop singing the song until we are out of the city. Hey, it's a catchy song but it annoys Garth, I'm sure.
Anyways, I'm not really materialistic and I don't think I would ever even want a million dollar house because a house that big would scare me when I'm home alone. But this house is so me it's scary. It's my style down to a T and there is not one thing I would change, well, except for the very random tiger (?!) on the porch.
This house encompasses my style completely:This is my dream office:SWOON:I don't know what this room is for, but I like it:
The perfect basement:This backyard is amazingly gorgeous:

Oh and there's a guest house. Heck, I'll LIVE in the guest house!
This is my style in a nutshell - comfy and classic:I think this is my favorite kitchen ever (minus the wallpaper):I love the beachy, cottage feel: Oh great, now I have house fever again... Just kidding!