House Hunting...Err, Stalking

Marc and I met on his lunch break to look at a house today. I had already had a doctor's appointment set up for Bella so we decided to meet our realtor there before the appointment. Marc and I have been stalking this house since May. We are constantly checking the MLS for "our bargain" and about mid-May I found this one. It was late at night so I called our realtor the next morning, she called to get an appointment and the house was gone! Well, the house was still there but the listing wasn't. And no one knew what happened. Hmmm. So, I did what any house stalker would do.......I checked the county auditors records three times a week waiting to see if a transfer of title could be found. Nothing.
Three days ago I checked the MLS again and didn't see anything exciting. The next day I saw the house! It was back on the market. I emailed our realtor and set up the appointment for today. Why am I so excited about this house- or any house in this market?? Well, there are several reasons. Number one is the price. Number two is that it is within 6 miles of all of our doctors- and when I am running with Bella 3 or 4 times a week 6 miles is perfect! Third.........Marc and I have always wanted to buy an old house and renovate it. I have dreamed of doing a complete remodel on an old home probably since I was twelve years old. Marc has been in the construction, renovation and maintenance fields for the last 20 years. There is nothing my husband can't do, repair or build. He is amazing. And I'm pretty darn handy too, if I do say so myself.
So, here's what you get for $26,000.00.



Yes, you heard me right. 26 G's baby! A three story colonial built in 1928. It has three bedrooms, 1 full bath, a full basement and a third floor walk-up with potential. Newer windows and siding within the last four or five years. Solid foundation. And NO! It is not in the ghetto. Far from it. The county records have it appraised at $109,900 in it's current condition.

Oh! What's that? No, not the gutter.........and no, that's not blue icicles hanging from the roof. That's a tarp. But we'll get to that later.

This is on the side of the house. Ivy EVERYWHERE!!!!!!! I had a great conversation with the next door neighbor who told me as much as she could about the house and answered all of my questions as well as she could. She even told me she feared that the ivy would sneak over and take over her house!! There is A LOT of ivy. But it is very pretty.

This is the back of the house. And more ivy. The ivy is covering the one car garage.

Tiny little back yard. Perfect for me who hates to mow............

Driveway to the left of the house....................

Now we go inside. Are you ready?? This is where it gets exciting...............

Welcome to the living room. Yes, that is the ceiling in a pile on the floor. Demo IS DONE!!

Bella was TOO funny. Clear through the house she kept saying "Yuuuucky! YUCK! Oh WOW!"

Look at these cute arches! At first I thought that paint was peeling from the walls but later realized the whole has had been wallpapered and the wallpaper was falling off the plaster!!

A view of the fireplace wall...............

Front window that leads to porch...............

A little peak hole into the staircase. I'm thinking a stained glass piece custom fit for the opening??

Ugly pink coat closet................

Ceiling laying on the floor............

Isn't that a great fireplace!?!?

Close-up of living room ceiling.............

Living Room and Dining Room floors are............mountainous! Can we say water damage??

Not a huge deal though. Next up is the dining room...................

Check out that chandelier!!!

Gorgeous!!!!! And made out of copper!

The built-in china cabinets are equally as beautiful. Just look at the scrolled trim........

Moving into the kitchen...................

Again- demo is done! Well, started anyway!

Breakfast nook/butler's pantry.........Apparently they did take everything BUT the kitchen sink!

This is the part I LOVE!!! This is where the range goes. Look at that arch!! I think my 36" 6 burner stainless steel range would look great here!!

For the kitchen I see white cabinets, marble countertops, black and white 1" hexagonal tile on the floor, period lighting fixtures and stainless steel appliances. Can you see it?

Now, let's go to the basement...............

I have to admit I am terrified of basements. Absolutely terrified. Spiders live there. However this wasn't all that creepy. I was actually surprised by it. It wasn't bad- as far as basements go. And there were treasures hiding down there....

Look at that stove!!!!! The realtor and I squealed we were so excited by it!

Now let's go to the second floor. First bedroom on your left............

The master.................

I have always loved the look of exposed brick. But I'd at least like it to be real brick! LOL!!!

All original hardware is still in tact! Love the glass knobs!

Pretty hole in the ceiling.............. wrong place for a skylight I think.

Here is the only bathroom in the house. It actually isn't terrible.

Still trying to figure out the two toilets though. Interesting.

This is the third bedroom. Complete with bright red carpet and an entire wall of cork tile. I kid you not. Classy!

If you go through the master bedroom closet you will find a staircase. Let's explore, shall we?

Holy square footage Batman!!!

Bonus!! After looking around carefully we found no holes, no damage to the roof that would explain the blue tarp. The neighbor said the bank sent someone out to winterize the house last September and covered the roof as a precautionary thing. At least that's what she was told. Who knows............we've never heard of that before.

We guess that there is another 300 or so sq ft of usuable space up here. A private oasis for mom and dad? An office..........a craft room...................a place to hide from the kids??

Oh! I almost forgot. In the bathroom there is ivy coming in through the window. Told you the ivy was everywhere. Sneaky stuff!

And once again outside on the front porch. The beadboard ceiling...................

Beautiful brickwork railing.................

Me. Awful picture- but hey, it was like 30 degrees with snow and sleet that just happened to be pelting me in the face. But I am happy despite the weather. I'm smiling because I think I just found my house...................

My husband's thoughts you ask?? Well, he thinks his wife is on the Looney Train headin' to Crazy Town!! But I have a feeling that he will be in line to get his boarding pass real soon.

When walking through this house most people would see a mess, filth, an impossible feat. I see potential. I see something my husband and I can build together. I see an investment for my children's future. I see a dream unfolding into reality. Most people would say it's not worth it. I say you can't put a price on a dream.

So what do you think? Am I crazy for wanting this house??

~Heather:)

And The Winner Is..............

Last night I closed the giveaway and prepared for the drawing! I wrote every one's name on a piece of paper and threw them in a bowl.



And then my trusty assistant helped me draw a name...............

He took his job very seriously......

And after he drew a name Miss Bella started to cry. She felt that she was being left out of the game and was broken hearted. What's a mom to do??? Kyle looked at me and said "I'm gonna draw the winner and Bella's gonna draw the slowest winner. Then everyone will be happy!"

Well, TWO WINNERS IT IS THEN!!! (although I'm not sure what a "slowest winner" is- we'll go with it!)

She was very serious too and excited to participate- although I'm sure she had no idea what the point of this was!!! LOL!!!

Okay kids! Let's reveal the winners!!!!!!!! Kyle drew...................

Shannon! Shannon has a fantastic blog called Bless Our Nest.

Miss Bella.................who do you have??

Seems she is trying to build suspense!! Show us the name Bella............

Kim! Another fantastic blog- Kim's Treasures.

Congratulations to both of you!!! Do you want to know what you have won???

First, BOTH of you win a Melt Your Heart Snowman!! But wait! There's more!!

You also win a pair of earrings. The pair that you said was your favorite!!

Shannon- you get the green Round-A-Vue earrings............................

And Kim- you get the Spearmint earrings!!

Betcha didn't realize you were picking your own prizes, did ya ladies??? LOL!!!

Okay Kim and Shannon- send me an email with your mailing address so I can get your prizes shipped off to you! kybella26@yahoo.com

For everyone else- Thank You all so much for participating in my first giveaway! This was so much fun I want to do it again- soon!!! LOL!! Hey................I think my 100th post is coming up soon...............ahh yes...................another giveaway opportunity!!

Hope you all feel like winners today!!!

~Heather:)

Cali's Room- Part One

Life with three kids is a little crazier than I had imagined. I used to be able to get things done- both the "needs to be done" and the "would like to get done". Nowadays when I do have a spare minute all I want to do is sit down and just breathe. The problem is, when I do sit down to relax, I can't. I feel guilty for not getting something done, and I look around and see all the things I would like to get done.
Cali's room is the perfect example here. We moved Kyle out of this room and into his "new, special big-boy room" over a month ago. Granted, I have been cleaning and sorting through years of collecting and, well, just stuff! Once I finally cleared the majority of the room I was left with only the things that will actually stay in Cali's room. I have been keeping the door closed in an effort to forget that it is there. Forget all of the work that still needs to be done, forget painting the walls, forget making the curtains, the bedding, etc etc etc.
Now, don't get me wrong, I am very excited to give Cali a special room and my heart leaps at how cute it will be when it's done. The list of things to do and make for her room seems endless though. Instead of breaking it up into small tasks I have been looking at the big picture and I have overwhelmed myself. So, I decided to do something drastic. No, I am not hiring anyone to do it for me. I am going to post a weekly (or more) update of my progress in that room. I am going to MAKE myself do this so as to motivate me by means of making myself accountable. Accountable to you all. Accountable to Cali. Accountable to myself. Accountable for the sake of a put-together-finally home. So, here goes.............

I am SO excited first of all with this dresser! This was given to me by friends of ours who used to work in a hotel. It is a hotel dresser. I scrubbed it inside and out and then lined all of the drawers with contact paper.

Now, before you go and think I have completely lost my (decorating) senses I will tell you why I am excited about this. I wanted a window bench in Cali's room. Something with storage underneath. This dresser is the perfect width, depth, and height and lines up right under the window! And it is super sturdy!

And this is what I have done with it so far.......................

I made a little ruffled skirt that wraps clear around it and hides the faux oak finish. Now, the window bench is not done yet............I still have to get my foam padding for the seat part AND sew a cover for it AND finish all of the pillows. I want lots and lots of pillows!!!

On each side of the window bench will be shelving for Cali's books, baskets of toys, etc. I already have two matching lamps (Won the pair for $5 on eBay!!) that will sit atop each bookshelf.

I have already started sewing pillows for the window bench and for her bed. I plan on getting a white iron daybed which I will show you in another post. First, the pillows............

I only finished four pillows today. But four is a good start. I LOVE and ADORE this bunny fabric. It is so whimsical and fun!!

Cali's room really won't have a theme. I don't really care for themed rooms. However, with the fabrics and accessories I have purchased over the last several months I am seeing a pattern.................lots of bunnies! Overall Cali's room is going to be light, bright, girly, fun and cozy. Lots of small details but nothing that stands out more than the other. It will be like a little surprise every where you look!

Aren't they cute??

I want her room to have longevity. Especially since it is taking soooooooooooo long to make everything!! LOL!!! So far her window treatments are done but not hung. I don't want to hang them until after I have painted so I will show those later. Plus, they feel like they are still missing something so I will have to ponder that for awhile. Window bench skirt is done, pillows are started.................................. and still so much to do! Better go get busy- I have a lot to do before next weeks post!

AND DON'T FORGET!!!! If you haven't entered the drawing for the giveaway yet- go to the previous post!! Get your name in there!!!

~Heather:)

Earring Launch Party!! AND A Give Away!

Have you ever been to Kentucky? My earrings have. Let me explain. My sister and I have an Etsy store that we are just getting up and running. My sister made 102 fabulous pairs of earrings to sell and mailed them to me to list. Well, after 3 days I waited. After 5 days we got a little concerned.............after 8 days we went into panic mode! I called the post office and filed a missing package report. A few days later I received a phone call. Our package ended up in Kentucky. Apparently if you flip two numbers in my zip code it becomes a Kentucky zipcode!! A few more days of waiting and my lovely postman delivered the much anticipated box of earrings. Whew!! What a relief. So, we decided that this happy ending deserved a party. Uh huh! An Earring Launch Party. No, we aren't going to launch 102 pairs of earrings into the air or anything. Sorry to disappoint you all. We are "launching" our new earring line! Sounds so New York fashion, doesn't it?? LOL!!
Anywho, here's the deal. You can go to our Etsy store 2sisters1love and until December 15th when you purchase 2 pair of earrings you will get your third pair FREE!! Just convo me with the items you want with the code "HHLAUNCH". I will make up a custom ad just for your purchase!Now, my pictures do not do these earrings any justice at all. They are SO much cuter in person.

Now for the GIVE AWAY!!!!!!! Yeah, I know that's what all of you want!! LOL!!! All you have to do is go to the Etsy store (2sisters1love) and come back here and leave a comment. In your comment let me know what your favorite item is in the entire store and what pair of earrings you like the best. It's just that simple. Now, here's where it gets cool. IF you tell a friend about this give away and they come here and leave a comment and tell me that you sent them- you will be entered into the drawing AGAIN! If you send 5 friends, you are entered 5 additional times........if you send 50 friends, you are entered 50 additional times. Pretty neat huh? Yes, shameless advertising for me too but hey- I do love a give away too!!

Listed below are just some of the MANY items you will see in our store. The give away prize is top secret for the winner but I will tell you.............................the prizeS are all from our store!!!
Good Luck and Have FUN!!

The winner will be drawn this Sunday!! What are you waiting for?? Hurry up and get your name in there!!

~Heather:)

I Think I Need Some Sleep

I have no pictures
I have no post
My kids have stopped listening
My parenting skills are toast

I think it's time for super nanny
I've fallen in to that trap
Do you think she'd watch my kids for me
While I take a nap?

My dishes are dirty
My house is a mess
My daughter's picking her nose
My son is wearing a dress

I can't remember my last shower
My hair's a stranger to a brush
My chores are piling up sky high
And my husband's in no rush

Don't know what I'll make for dinner
Or if I even will
Don't know what's in my bank account
And I need to pay some bills

The phone is ringing off the hook
I'd answer if I could find it
Probably that car salesman again
That man's a persistant twit

The washing machine just ran over
The dryer smells real hot
And I am supposed to remember to....
Hmmm....already forgot

Had to buy some groceries
The cupboards are quit bare
My grumpy kids and lenghty list
Don't make a real good pair

Then Santa reminded me today
36 days until Christmas
He sparked a smirky smile
That made me almost cus

I'd like to depants Santa
In front of all the crowd
Teach him to intimidate me
We'll see then who's laughing loud

That man will learn not to mess
With a woman overworked
A mom who's had no sleep in months
I'll surely teach that jerk

I know that time is ticking
I know I'm under the gun
And pretty soon it will be down
To three... two... one

I'll scrub my house and clean my kids
And bake up pies galore
I'll finish all that laundry
I'll even mop the floor

I'll take that needed shower
I'll even fix my hair
I'll put on all my make-up
And pretend to not have a care

I'll have the turkey roasted
And the table will be set
With all the finest china
My guests needs will all be met

Every detail will be tended to
No matter how mundane
And my guests will never know
I have almost gone insane

I will not stress this holiday
On my lip I will not chew
I'll pull it off again this year
Cuz that's what women do!

~Heather:)