Home Makeover: Dining room, our DIY chandelier, and visitors

Ben and I have almost finished most of the major things in the house. We are completely unpacked, completed most of our major projects except a few that will wait until warmer weather, and are officially set up. We did it all in a month-and-a-half. It's not completely done, but close enough that we feel very settled and content with stopping and relaxing to wait for the baby. I know less than two months is really insane to do so much, but with the new baby coming, it was best to do as much as possible now because it would never happen otherwise.


I thought I would share what we did in each room as I get around to posting. I'll start with the dining room and then kitchen, since they both flow into one.


Our goal was also to spend very little on projects and use what we already had. One easy way to keep yourself from buying a bunch of stuff is to stick with the same colors you had in your previous place.  We kept the red the same throughout the kitchen, dining room, and living room. Since they all flow into one, it keeps things looking uniform and open, rather than broken up by different colors.


Here is a picture of the dining room before we bought the house, with the previous owners' stuff in it. Nice and GOLD. Not loving that yellow or the brass chandelier.

BEFORE:

 

 

AFTER (mostly done, and yes, I already have Christmas decorations on the table):

 

 

The room looks really pretty with the chandelier on, but I couldn't figure out how to take a good picture of it that way.

A couple of other angles so you can see into the kitchen:

We didn't do much, but what we did made a big difference. We painted the walls from yellow-gold to a soft gray (same as the kitchen walls) and re-did the chandelier (more on that below).

 

We reused the large white frame we already had with a print from Art.com and some non-glare glass. The other stuff we already had in our old place, except the hand-me-down furniture which we will eventually get around to painting.

 

 

Total cost = $120

• Paint (Benjamin Moore Stonehouse Gray) - housewarming gift from the parents
• Art print (Red Friends from Art.com) - $50
• Frame glass and mounting (Hobby Lobby with a coupon)- $50
• Chandelier re-do= $20

 

 

Our Chandelier DIY

 

One of the first projects we wanted to do was give two of the chandeliers in the house a makeover (one in the dining room and one in the foyer).  The brassy-gold stuck out like a sore thumb. After noting how expensive chandeliers were (umm $300+? No, thanks), particularly ones of this size, we wanted to make use of the what was already there. We researched the best way to go via Young House Love (my favorite) and took a shot at it.

 

 

After we took it down and removed the glass and bulbs, here's what it involved:

 

 

We went with Kilz odorless to keep the fumes down.

 

We had trouble deciding between black and white, but ultimately went with white because it seemed a little more fool-proof. We went with Valspar gloss white from Lowes. Most all-purpose spray paint like this is rather toxic, so Ben took care of this since I wanted to avoid the fumes being pregnant and all. If I wasn't pregnant, we probably would have gone with Rustoleom paint, however. It's even more toxic, but works a little better. We had some issues with Lowes mislabeling their paint colors, so I would definitely not get Valspar spray paint again. But it served its purpose.

 

 

 

Total cost for both chandeliers = $20

 

We were thankful to have some friends visiting us to help put that beast back up on the ceiling. Our good friends Stephanie and David came into town for a visit, and we loved seeing them.

 

Anna particularly loved our visitors! Within five minutes she was sitting on Stephanie's lap and lifting her arms to be picked up by her. At night she was giving both of them kisses and hugs, and wanted to play with them all day. I've never seen her warm up to people so fast- it seems she can sense when people genuinely enjoy her company and feel comfortable around her like these two awesome people. Stephanie is a pediatric physical therapist. She really enjoys kids and is great with them. She knew exactly what would interest Anna at this age. It was so fun to watch them.

 

 

 

 



Less is more

I wanted to write a little bit about our home-buying journey and what I've learned through it all.


The initial thought of buying a home made me want to, well, run in the opposite direction, frankly. I know many people dream of owning their own home some day, and while I've always wanted the extra space and community that comes along with owning a home, there were a lot of things I didn't want. The responsibility of owning a home. The debt of owning a home. The extra costs associated with owning a home. The extra work. And perhaps most of all, the inability to pick up and move whenever and wherever we want. Homes tie people down, and I was very hesitant to jump on that bandwagon. I'd seen many people get stuck with homes that had to be rented out, and in those moments had been thankful we bit the bullet and stuck with renting for so long, even if it was hard. I didn't want to buy a home until we were completely ready and were going stay in it long-term.


Once Ben accepted his job, we initially wanted to rent. We were going to upgrade to renting a house instead of an apartment. It seemed like the logical next step. But we kept running into roadblocks when it came to renting. Everyone kept saying how great a time it was to buy a home, but the thought of buying a home freaked me out. What if Ben didn't like his job? What if we didn't like the neighborhood we moved to? What if our schools got rezoned? What if we want to move to a nicer, more mild climate? (the weather here can be atrocious- HOT summers, cold winters, and very little in between). All these fears kept gnawing at me.


As Ben and I prayed about it, I was sure God would not lead us to buy a home. I was convinced it wasn't the responsible thing to do. But God really is a funny person, and knows what our idols are. He also knows what's best for us. God usually speaks to me really clearly about things like this, because otherwise I wouldn't follow through. He spoke to me clearly on this one. And the message was this: move forward. Buy a home. Don't go crazy, don't be greedy, but buy a simple home you can afford that will be a blessing to your family.  I'll be with you. It will be OK.


Gulp.



So we started looking for a home. We kept running into two main options: buy a (what we considered) larger home that was a little pricier but needed more cosmetic work, or go with a small home that was nice, clean, and more ready to move in. At first I struggled with wanting a bigger home (by bigger I mean 2000+ sq feet). Don't we need a bonus room for the kids stuff? Don't we need a basement or other area for storage or workspace? A big kitchen? What if I decide to start couponing- don't I need a place to store that food? (then I realized I would never become a couponer with a stockpile of food- there are many reasons why it's not for me!) Don't we need 2.5 bathrooms? What if we end up with a larger family? All those questions ran through my mind. But in the end, I realized that less is more. We decided to go with a small, simple, but nice, home. When I say "small" it's relative. What would be considered small in our area for a family of 4-5 would be huge to many others (I think of our friends in Guatemala who's whole family lived in one room, for example). Our new house has a small kitchen, small living room, no basement, no upstairs. Our kids would share a room (which I actually wanted, anyway). I kept thinking that maybe this was a mistake, that we would regret getting a smaller home. But the more I thought about it, it felt right. It wasn't a perfect home, but it was perfect for us. For many reasons.


See, we knew that if we bought a larger home, it would be incredibly easy to fall into the trap of buying more. Fixing up the home. Buying furniture to fit into the home. Buying this and that for each new space. But as it was with the home we chose, the things we already had were more than enough. We only needed to buy a couple of items. There wouldn't be this drive to constantly accumulate more or go shopping for the house. There simply wouldn't be room. I was also drawn to smaller homes because of the way they foster family time. I grew up in a larger, three-floor home (main floor, upstairs, basement). We were always so spread out. I liked the idea of having one floor only, with all the rooms and people easily accessible. Good for accountability and for family time. Cozy, one of my favorite words!



So what this post is really about is the joy of less is more which I've experienced, more than ever, over the last few months. As we've moved in, I've had the opportunity to finally get rid of things we've accumulated. My philosophy is if it doesn't fit in the house and won't currently be used, we need to get rid of it. I've given stuff away and sold a lot of things on Craigslist (which has been great to save up for the things we do need). Instead of two sets of dishes - a nice set and a casual set, now we only have one. No bunches of extra sheets, picture frames, decorations, clothes, etc. If it's not being used, it's finding a NEW home. I LOVE it. There will be nothing in our attic except things we KNOW we need in the future and are waiting to use or seasonal stuff like Christmas ornaments. It's so nice to not have stuff stored and not in use. To appreciate and use what you DO have. To get rid of something if you are going to be bringing something new in. Ben always jokes about how quick I am to get rid of things. But it's so liberating! As we go through life in our new home, I hope to teach our kids the joy of less.



A great, inspiring mini-article popped up in my inbox this week, called "Less is more". It pieced together exactly what I've been learning the last few months and served as confirmation in my heart. Don't you love when that happens? Check it out here.



I'll share some of the things we did inside the house when I get the time (it wasn't much but made a big difference). We are enjoying having our own space, and Anna is thriving in a healthier environment where she has more freedom to explore outside. We are extra appreciative of this blessing after 10 years (16 for Ben) of apartment living!

Ladybugs and Miracles

We celebrated our first Halloween in our own home this year! I LOVE getting trick-or-treaters and couldn't wait for our 'very own'. Some Christians choose not to partake in the holiday, and while I respect that, I have no problem with some fun dressing up and candy appreciation. And while I won't be dressing my children up as grim reapers or devils anytime soon, I've always enjoyed the fun fall spirit and how the community comes together for the kids. Good times.

Candy choice is important. Always go with Mom's favorite:

On our way to the costume parade:

 

We weren't planning on going trick or treating with Anna, but our neighbors talked us into going with them, and she had a great time. Ben pushed her from house to house in a little car, and by the end of the night she was getting in and out herself, going up to houses, picking candy and putting it in her bag! Being that she's pretty shy in new situations, I was impressed.

 

Doing the candy rounds.

 

 

Anna's candy:

 

Or should we say Daddy's candy?

 

 

 

I am constantly reminded about the miracle that Anna has gone through this last year.

It's still hard to believe that my little girl went from this:

to THIS:

HAPPY FALL EVERYONE

Farewell

We said goodbye to our apartment today. We moved last weekend but officially checked out and handed in our keys this morning. It was bittersweet. A lot has happened over the 3 years we lived in that place. As I let Anna take one last walk down the sidewalk to the playground, many memories flashed through my mind. What life was like before she was born... her first year... and now, watching her walk without me. She doesn't need to hold my hand anymore. She's growing up. I remember swinging on that playground, wondering what her future would be like. I still don't know the answer to that question, but I do know that she's going to be okay.

While in some ways I am sad to drive away for the last time and say "bye bye" with Anna to the past 3 years of our lives, I am also ready. Ready for this new season. And I thank God for it.

 

 

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. 
Isaiah 43

Lots

There has been a whole lot going on around here. Not only did we just move in to our new home, but I officially started training for my new job today. This explains why things on the blog are a little more disjointed and why I haven't had a moment to post.

Ben priming the bathroom

 

Playing with boxes on the front porch

Checking out her new neighborhood