The Back Bedroom Reveal...Well, Kinda, Since it is Not Really Done But Better Than Before?

Remember when I told you ages ago that I was going to reveal our back bedroom and what we had done with it and what we planned to do with it? Stretch your memory, folks. It was a while ago. So far, in fact, that I cannot even take the time this morning to go find the link.

But today, all will be revealed. Well, all that has been done at least. If B were here this morning instead of at work, he would be shouting "FINALLY!", so just pretend you hear that being shouted in the background as you read this.

The back bedroom, if you will recall, was bright blue with white stars painted on it and red shelves. Very patriotic. Perfect for Memorial Day and Fourth of July. However, since we plan to use the room more than twice a year, we decided an overhaul was in order.

So after careful thought, but unfortunately, no poll, we picked a color and B started painting:

Actually, it started looking even more patriotic after he started painting.

There is B...painting. Isn't he always painting when he ends up in photos?

Yes, sometimes I would have to iron in the midst of the painting. Luckily no clothing ended up with paint on it. This time.

When it was all finished, a beautiful room emerged:

That's a little dark.

I just love this color.

It looks kind of orange here, but it is not the same color of our dining room. This is a much darker red kind of color.

Like this.

So what are our plans for this room?

A walk-in closet!!

I am so excited! We have seen a few of these in different houses we have been in and although each bedroom has a closet, it is really not enough to hold our clothes. Well, mostly my clothes. Exhibit A:

All of my clothes aren't even in there! Some are in the boxes you see in the room. Some are in my dresser where I forget about them. I always wanted a big closet. That I can fill with beautiful things.

When is this going to happen?

It is last on the list. Just kidding. Remember when everything was the last thing on the list? Well, this won't be, but it might be a while.

I will keep you posted.

It's Like If These Walls Could Take Pictures, But it is a Person Instead

Remember when I told you that B met the son of the people that owned the house before the people that owned the house before us? Tongue twister alert! Well, anyway, that guy stealthily (is that a word?) slipped a CD into our mailbox. Much to our surprise, and relief, it was full of pictures that those owners took right before they sold the house to the people before us. It answered some questions we had and was just so very cool.

Now I want to share them with you. It looks like I have uploaded the photos all backwards, so I will start with what the room looks like now and then show you what it looked like then (roughly 2004).

This is the back bedroom. This is not the most recent picture, but remember my camera died? I didn't want to give you the most recent picture as I promised you an update on our plans. Look for that on Sunday. Here is the next to recent picture:

That was before the floors were redone. And then after:

And then their picture:

Obviously the people before us just kept those same valances. It also appears that there was carpeting in there originally. Why the prior owners ripped that out just to paint it blue with stars and make it a cat room is beyond me.

Next up, is our master bedroom. Here it is after the paint and curtains but pre-carpeting:

Here it is pre-curtains:

And then their picture:

Obviously the prior owners to us kept those same curtains and that same carpet for 5 years. I am beginning to notice a pattern.

Next up, the bathroom. A little harder to tell because it is such a small space. But here is ours after we painted the walls white (instead of peach like the prior owners had it):

And theirs with wallpaper!

Next is the dining room in our famous pumpkin terra cotta color, or whatever it is:

And theirs. Love that clock and their table and chairs!

Ours again:

And theirs. Why couldn't they have left that dining room set?

The kitchen when we got it. Yes, I realized I haven't posted an updated picture as to what B did with it. One day.

And theirs. Look at all of that counter space! And there is no jagged cut in the counter like there is currently. There are four drawers, not ONE. I could go on and on.

There are more pictures, outside pictures. However, this was a lot for one post so look for those tomorrow.

Does anyone else have pictures of what their house looked like before the bought it or earlier?

Fall Has Finally Come and the Colors Are Gorgeous!

Last year we did not have much in the way of fall. It was summer one day and 12 hours later winter had blown in and had taken all of the leaves from the trees with it. This year is different though. With the up and down temperatures, we actually have some color. Friday as I was driving home, I realized how much had changed over night and snapped a few photos.

I love the little red bush in the corner of their front yard:

The view from our porch:

And the other side:

Down our street:

The corner of our house and the trees behind us:

The tree in front of our house and our neighbor's trees:

Down the other side of the street:

Same view, my camera just colored it differently:

And a wider view:

Again, the camera colored it differently. This one is my favorite as it feels like fall:

Upstairs view of the backyard and trees behind us:

And the other side and the trees you caught a glimpse of when looking at the corner of our house:

Do you have any fall colors where you are? I cannot get enough of this!

And Now for a Little Fine Dining...

We have been thinking about what we want to put in our dining room for quite some time. We had visions of an actual dining room set, older and huge and formal. B had been doing much of the searching on Craigslist and he finally hit the goldmine! We obtained a dining room table with 5 chairs (one had broken years ago), a serving buffet and china cabinet for a really low amount. The set dates back to the 30s or 40s which is perfect for our house. At first B thought the set would be too small, but after it was in we both agreed it is a good fit and still leaves us a lot of room to walk around. So, without further ado, the dining room set.

After paying the guy half his price for a deposit, B was able to bring home some chairs.* Yes, we were teased by two chairs:

But the guy said that he was going to be in our area the next day, so he brought the china cabinet to us:

Then the next day B and his friend S took a truck to pick up the table, remaining chairs and the serving buffet:

The serving buffet. Sorry the picture is so blurry. I have no clue what is going on with my camera:

Detail of the top of the serving buffet and the little mirrored design:

Up close of the cabinets on the serving buffet:

The drawers of the serving buffet:

The bottom half of the china cabinet:

The sad little chair in the corner. It's been bad:

The chair you see at the end in this photo is the only one with arms. There were two, but sadly the other one is the chair that broke. B says "naturally" he should get this chair. Ha:

The pieces are in great condition for being over 60 years old. The most wear, other than some chips, is on the top of the table. There are rings from drinks on it. Also, some of the chairs are a bit shaky. We will probably have to take them in somewhere to get them fixed. But, for now, we are just loving this new dining room. Good score B!

Speaking of B, he thinks we need to change the color of the walls now. I think he wants something a bit darker. I say it needs something a bit warmer. What do you peeps say?

* I did not go with him to check out the set or to pick it up as I was at the office. Good thing B has good taste, right?**

**I did see pictures before he went out there.