Year One

This post is a few days late, but as of last weekend we have officially lived in our house a year. Although I feel like progress has been really slow, it's nice to look back on here to see what we have accomplished since then. I had big dreams that we'd at least have replaced the old, brown carpet upstairs with wood floors, but between a wedding, two full-time jobs, and the pup -- it's still on the to-do list. 

Speaking of lists, here are the top five things I'd like to accomplish in the next year:

1) Upgrade the exterior of our complex including getting rid of the dry rot that plagues all the trim

2) Replace our windows with new double-pane ones

3) Replace the carpet upstairs with hardwood 

4) Install overhead lighting in both bedrooms and living room

5) Completely redo the downstairs half-bath

In my head that sounds like a completely reasonable list but it will be interesting to look back next year at this time to see what has been done. I have been really good about reigning it in lately but the fact that our neighbors just listed their unit that is the same size our as ours for $115k above what we paid last year gives me confidence that any time and money we do put into this place will be worth it in the end.

//one//

Dreaming of a Statement Bed

First let me give you some background.... my darling husband is a lot of things - romantic, kind, funny, handsome (you get the idea) but one thing he is Not is decisive. Sometimes when we decide to go out to dinner we actually never make it out the door due to the indecisiveness that goes on in our household which is why I was completely blown away on Saturday when we were in and out of the mattress store within an hour with a brand-new king bed!

We'd been talking about getting a new bed for a while but with the wedding and everything we figured we would have to wait until Christmas but that timeline got accelerated when Mike started waking up at night with horrible back pain that wasn't there at all during the day. Combine that with one very fidgety 12-pound dog, and we have all been sleeping terribly.

Our new Tempurpedic got delivered on Sunday and wow, it is amazing even in all it's firmness (they take a few weeks to soften up). Just the real estate on a king sized bed is enough to make me giddy. I mean, Goose still insists on snuggling next to me but at least I can stretch my arms and legs out without throwing an elbow into Mike's side. Although we are all sleeping much better, having the mattress on the ground is a little too "college house" for me.

I was browsing for a new bed frame and when I was trying to define what I want, all I kept thinking was I wanted a "statement bed." I mean, there are statement necklaces / purses / shoes so why not a bed? I love looking at rooms that are verily neutral aside from one great piece of furniture and since our bedroom has beautiful lofted ceilings, I say why not? Mike might not be totally on board (yet) but he will come around.

So far, at the top of my list is this beauty from West Elm. I've always wanted a wingback headboard and those cute little legs put the finishing touch on it.

Next up is the Architecture Bed from Room and Board. A modern twist on the four-poster bed that would fit nicely with our tall ceilings. The only thing I am worried about with this one is its lack of a head board.

And finally, there is this tufted, wingback bed from All Modern. At $836 it is the best price and comes in a few different colors. Since Mike's main complaint with the West Elm one is that he doesn't like having a footboard, this could be a great option for us.

What do you guys think? Am I the only one that is seriously crushing on an upholstered sleigh bed with a mid-century modern twist?

Exterior Update Part II

Things have finally started to settle down from the wedding and we are so excited to be turning our attention back to the house. At tonight's HOA meeting we will be voting on which bid we are going with for the fence project that I mentioned a few months ago.

Once that is complete, we will turn our attention to redoing the exterior of all the units which has been in the back of my mind for a while. Apparently I have been subconsciously logging away options because when I actually sat down to make the mood board above, it came together quickly.

Proving that inspiration can come from anywhere, the two buildings I keep referencing back to are a restaurant and Barre studio from our neighborhood. Both have a dark grey exterior with warm wood details that give the overall feeling of being modern but not cold. The horizontal wood slats would tie in our new front fence and provide some visual interest to the "planter boxes" that are outside of every window but impractical in every way from a planting / watering perspective.

If you remember, we were debating changing the siding from wood shingles to another material, but after weighing costs and options, I thinking repainting the shingles (while still replacing all the rotten trim & broken shingles) would leave a budget for landscaping. The landscaping we do have right now isn't awful and probably was once pretty, but what we are left with now are a few sad bushes and a lawn full of weeds. Throw in a serious drought and some cut-rate gardeners and the whole place is just looking sad.

As I've said before, we are blessed with neighbors who also realize the potential of our small complex and I can't wait to put our heads together to make our home beautiful. As with any project, it needs one person to take ownership to get things done and I'm excited to have my nights and weekends back to focus on my true passion - my home, my family, and of course, this blog!