Home Progress

\We've been settled for nearly 3 months now, and I'm happy to report that none of our rooms look like the above picture anymore (I cannot say the same for our closets). Since Andrew officially declared us "house poor", we've been taking it slow. Well, slow at least according to my standards (Andrew starts to hyperventilate if I even say the words "Home Depot", which I probably do in my sleep). I am grateful for his balance and perspective, as it has been extremely gratifying to see each little change take place. Most of our time and energy has been focused on cleaning up the outside, and one of my biggest regrets is that I did not get a "before" picture of the backyard. I have, however, been pretty good at taking pictures of the progress on the inside. So here you go-

Family Room Before...

This is what the fireplace looked like prior to our purchase. I used to salivate just thinking about tearing off the stucco.

After we got home from settlement I went straight to the house and started to restore the fireplace. My mother-in-law and friend Merry (both below) also came over and were a huge help. THANK YOU!

The Family Room After...

The Kitchen

Look carefully for the oven. Yup, that's it, on the ground in the eating area. Eventually we'll put the oven back where it is supposed to go (in the kitchen) but for the time being, it works just fine.

The Dining Room

Boys room before...

The Boys Room After...

My sister-in-law Jen put up chair rail in this room (I helped a little). She did a fantastic job and I love how the boy's room turned out.

Afton's room

And of course, we have Afton's room. When my mom first saw it she said, "Ohh wow! It's pink! I didn't think you were a pink type of person!" I'm typically not, but then again, a lot of things seem to be changing as I raise these kids...I guess that's life for ya.