We’ve officially lived in our new house for one week, and it’s been a crazy one. A blur, really. Although I’m trying to enjoy it, Matt and I have been hard at work so we can get everything unpacked and looking nice before he starts his new job on July 18th. We are heading to our CA this coming weekend for a wedding so we’ll be losing time. On top of that, we have to get our old house cleaned up before the end of the month. AHHHH! I’ve been wanting to pull my hair out but it’s been so worth it. So, what’s new with the house? Matt and I got the den and guest bathroom painted, I did four hours of yard work this morning and my kids are settling in nicely!
Dog Mom Life
I’ve stayed off social media for the last two days. It’s been amazingly refreshing. I seriously can’t handle all of the violence and madness going on in the world and especially our country right now. I figured it’d be great for me to take some time away from the internet to focus on my animals, the house and fun projects. And it was.
Our Guest Bathroom Makeover
Let’s start with the guest bathroom. The bathroom is kind of odd because it has old cabinets and tile but new granite and fixtures. It looks decent but the color of the walls was crappy. And I mean that literally. The walls were a hideous brown color which resembled the contents of a toilet all too closely. While we have three bathrooms in the house, this one will be the most used by anyone coming to our house since it’s off the main family room and kitchen area. After painting the ugly green kitchen, the guest bath was next on my list.
The project took about 4.5 hours for me to complete by myself. While I was painting, Matt was painting our office (it was also an excruciatingly ugly color – burnt orange). It’s amazing what a coat of paint can do for a room. The bathroom looks new, big and bright. I love interior decorating, and I decided on a nautical theme for it. I don’t have any wall art yet and I want to switch out the lights, but it’s looking fantastic so far. I couldn’t be happier!
We purchased our towels, rugs, shower curtain and ocean counter top decor at Ikea. I hope to find a picture of a ship or light house to put on the main wall. I know that Hobby Lobby has some great ocean art and house items so when I have some time I will check it out!
Let the Yard Work Begin
Since yesterday was our big paint day, I decided to make today my yard work day. I knew that this yard would be a ton of work but it’s incredibly worth it. Raking leaves is the biggest challenge, but hey, who needs a gym membership when you have such a massive yard to take care of?! (Turns out, raking leaves is an amazing workout for arms and legs)!
I woke up at the crack of dawn to do my yard work. This 1/3 acre lot is no 30 minute job, and with the Arizona heat you have to start early anyways. (I can’t wait until winter time)! I began by raking leaves in the backyard. Matt and I have an extra large city trash can and it’s a good thing because I filled it to the brim with leaves.
Raking took me about 1.5 hours in the back and 30 minutes in the front. Today while raking our backyard for the first time, I learned a couple of things:
- Raking leaves is a good way to find out where dog poop is in the yard.
- You will find bugs. Lots and lots of bugs.
- If you aren’t careful, ants will attack your legs and bite you until you feel like your legs are going to fall off. It’s a good idea if you go to Target the night before you get attacked so you can buy some ant spray and get final revenge.
- Raking leaves is a good lesson for people with OCD. You can’t possibly get every leaf.
After raking I cleaned the pool (as I do everyday) and swept the entire pool decking area and patio. I also hosed it all down to clean off the dust and bugs, which included a huge dead brown spider and a scorpion that didn’t have legs. Joyous! I then trimmed the bushes that are around the pool and line the house. After all was said and done, the yard work took me about four hours.
As if the beauty of our backyard isn’t enough to make me appreciate yard work, the bonding my dogs have done in the yard is priceless. In only one week’s time, Khloee and Wynston look like they’ve lost weight from constantly running around. What’s even better is that McKenzie Rae and Wynston now have a chase game they love to play. Wyn will chase McKenzie around the entire backyard for several laps. It is so heart warming to watch because Wynston hasn’t always appreciated McKenzie’s presence. Today when I was finishing up work in the backyard, the two of them began to play their game. I just stood there and smiled, reminding myself of why all of this manual labor is worth it. To see my animals enjoying each other outside, even in this heat, is worth every single second of raking leaves and getting attacked by ants.
Our Antique Fireplace Mantle
I love history. My major in college was history and culture. I enjoy studying American history and collecting antiques. Okay, well what does that have to do with anything? Last week my mom and I were discussing the magnificence of my fireplace mantle. The detail and quality of wood is very impressive. We began speculating that the mantle was antique. So what did I do? Get on Google, of course! Come to find out, this mantle is from the 1870s-1880s. It’s an American Victorian mantle made out of tiger oak. You could say that I was totally nerding out when I found all of this out. It’s incredible that Matt and I have a piece of 150 year old history just chillin’ in our family room! I would love to track down the history of this piece to see exactly where the mantle is from.
The new week is almost upon us and it’ll be another crazy one. I still have some boxes to move around the house but it’s mostly storage items. The biggest work is done so now we can start moving onto other things. I’m honestly not looking forward to going to California because I just want to be at our home. Plus, Matt starts work the Monday after we get back into town so I wish he had more time to rest. The best part is that my brother comes home on leave from the Army on Saturday so he’ll get to come over and enjoy our pool. My birthday is on July 22nd and I really got the best presents ever – a new house and my baby brother coming home!
Ah, the dog mom life. Never a dull moment around here. I doubt things will calm down until next year since Matt and I have our wedding in December and planning is about to get real. In the meantime, I need a nap.
P.S – Fun giveaways happening starting THIS WEEK on my blog so stay tuned!
Elaine C says
The house is going to be beautiful when you finish! That mantel is just awesome.
Amanda says
Thanks Elaine! Glad I can share the progress with you!