Crunching Numbers

Once we were under contract on our house we began making a budget, and I feel as if that budget has gone completely out the window.  We made our first big purchase at Lowes & it is by far the longest receipt I've ever had! 

{There goes the budget}

Drywall, a hot water heater, pipes, light switches, etc. are all wonderful & much needed in our home, but I am most excited about the first purchase I made several months back...a kitchen faucet!  I found this beauty on ebay for $100 with an original $500 list price.  I am counting down the days until I get to do dishes.   

{Altmans Traditional Bridge Faucet}

We have a House

We have officially closed on our house!!!

{Our First Home}

We finished signing papers at 3:45, arrived at the house at 4:00 & the dumpster was there by 4:15... let the renovation begin.  Here is a small list of the major things we will be doing...
-New kitchen
-Expand & gut master bath
-Gut guest bath
-Build Laundry room
-Paint Everything
-Refinish floors & lay new hardwoods where there is tile
-Build barn doors for the shed
-Replace shed beams

A few pictures of our humble abode pre renovation.

{Living Room}

{Kitchen in need of love}

{Family Room with tongue & groove}

{Our very small & very green master bathroom}

{Pretty in pink guest bath}

{Garage/Shed}

As you can see the house is full of character, but in need of some updating.  Im beyond excited to make it our own & I cannot wait to share with you the progress and transformation of our first home.

Now, Im off to tear down some walls...

The Leibster Award

I am so trilled that I have been recognized for the Liebster Blog Award...thanks Ashley!!

The Liebster Blog Award is for bloggers with 200 or less followers. 

Here's how it works:

1. Choose five up and coming blogs to give the award to, must have 200 or less followers
2. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them
3. Post the award on your blog
4. List the blogs you gave the award to with links to their sites.  Leave a comment on their blog to let them know they have received the award
5. Share five random facts about yourself.

Here are the five wonderful ladies I would like to nominate: 

1. Beth is the one who first introduced me to blogging.  Her blog always has a helpful tip or something inspiring.  

2. Kara is a sorority sister of mine who is a newlywed.  Her and her hubby live in Grenada while he is in law school.

3. Shea is an amazing cook & I love all of her wonderful recipes. 

4. Ashley is a new mom & has a love for design.  She has some great DIY tutorials for curtains & such. (She has over 200 followers but I had to include her.)

5. Erin is a photographer in Jacksonville & photographed my family awhile back.  Her work is phenomenal! 

5 Random facts about myself...

1.  A subscription to Garden and Gun is my latest steal from living social & I cannot wait four our first issue to arrive.

2.  My favorite vacation spot is our family home in the Florida Keys. 

{Our little slice of paradise}

3.  Switzerland is one of the most beautiful places I have been & I hope to go back one day.

{Studying abroad with my best friends}

4. I am looking forward to starting a garden at our new home.

5. Michael is so handy but hates hanging curtains, so I have become a pro...A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do.  :)

Well this has been fun!  Head over to the linked blogs and give them some love!

Dining Room Table Makeover

Recently I refinished an antique table that I acquired from my parents.  It had some heat spots on the top, had too much of a red undertone for my taste, so I decided to paint it.  My husband says I paint everything... which is partially true.  A good coat of paint can transform just about anything.  So here goes my first painting tutorial...

Supplies:

{Foam Rollers}

{Purdy 2" Brush}

{Primer from Sherwin Williams}

{Sherwin Williams Interior Oil Based Semi Gloss in Meaningful Gray}

{Before: Sorry I don't have a picture of the entire table.  This gives you an idea of the color}

Step 1: Sand the entire surface.  We lightly sanded the top with a power sander & I hand sanded the sides.  I used 220 sand paper, which is fine and will remove the shiny finish on the table. 

{Sanding}

Step 2: Wipe the entire table with mineral spirits, to make sure all of the dust is off.

Step 3: Prime the entire table.  I did two coats but could have gotten away with one.  I used XIM Primer from Sherwin Williams that runs about $60 a gallon.  You can also get it in smaller amounts, but like I said earlier I love to paint furniture so I went with more.  It also works for oil & latex paints.

{After Priming}

Step 4: Time to paint!  I was extremely nervous about the painting step, because I wanted the table to have a smooth finish.  After a lot of research I chose to use an oil based paint because it would wear better and appear more smooth than latex.  We painted the sides & base using the Purdy brush & rolled the top with mini foam rollers.  After letting the first coat dry apply your second coat if needed.  Make sure to follow the drying time on your paint.  After two coats it was ready to be moved into its new home! 

{Painting the Base}

{The Top After Paint}

{A Smooth Finish}

{The Finished Product}

{Finished Table}

The paint has transformed this table & it is so adorable!  I chose to leave the chairs dark so that it maintained some dimension & the cushions I recovered about a year ago in a damask linen fabric from Hobby Lobby on the clearance rack.  

Sherwin Williams is having running a sale until April 23rd of 40% off all paints and stains & 30% off all supplies.  What a Steal! 

Happy Painting!

JuliAnne

Great News & a Birthday Celebration

It has been an exciting week & my family had so much to rejoice & Praise the Lord for this Easter.  As I mentioned before, my mom was diagnosed with stage four cancer a year and a half ago.  There were no forms of treatment that would cure her cancer, so we began to search for alternative treatment plans.  She soon began to travel to Mexico for treatment at a place called Oasis of Hope.  (My wedding photographers were the first people to mention OOH, and there were many more who recommended it.)  All of the doctors at OOH are oncologists & their lung cancer statistics are pretty incredible, so we felt like it would be a great fit. 
My mom traveled down for her "booster week" which is basically a week of vitamin IV's that help to oxygenate her blood.  While she was there her doctors told her that she is officially in REMISSION & CANCER FREE!!!!  The Lord has completely healed her and she is one of God's many miracles.  What a wonderful thing to celebrate this Easter weekend as a family! 
This past year & a half has been full of so many emotions, but I think I have finally gotten to the point where I would not change a thing.  Since my mom was forced to look into alternative treatment, my eyes have been opened to a whole new way of life... foot detoxing, juicing, herbal supplements, healthy eating, and so on.  This will all be a part of me, and I cannot wait to share with you more about what we have learned.  Thank you for all of you who have been so faithful in your prayers.  The Lord hears you! 


On another note...My little sister will be celebrating her birthday later this month and will be at school, so we celebrated early!  She requested a fruit pizza as her cake & it was so delicious (& pretty).  

Ingredients:
Immaculate Baking Sugar Vanilla Cookies (or any other sugar cookie dough)
8oz Cream Cheese
2 Tbs. Milk
1/3 C Sugar
1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
Fruit of your choice


Instructions:
-Form dough into a circle on cookie sheet with the edges a little thicker than the center.
-Follow baking instructions on packaging, but remove a minute or two early.  The dough should be gooey in the middle, and this will allow for the cookie to be chewy once it cools.  
-While the cookie is baking & cooling make the cream cheese frosting.  Mix together milk, sugar, vanilla & cream cheese.
-Once the cookie is cool spread the cream cheese & then decorate with fruit.  
-Refrigerate & serve...So delicious!


Hope you all had a blessed easter weekend!
xoxo,
JuliAnne