The Ovenshire Remodel: Five Days In

We have officially been cleaning and fixing and painting and hammering, cutting and scrubbing and sweating and working on our house for five days now. We also have four more days until everything needs to be moved out of our apartment and into the house, the apartment cleaned and the keys handed over to our landlord.

Shew!

I don't know how we're going to do it, but I know we will.

So far we have finished... well, nothing. We have worked day and night here and there and I can say minus a few more finishing touches, the kitchen is pretty much finished and the living room is right behind it. The bathroom is sparkly clean and the bedroom's carpet has been cleaned but still, there's a lot to do!

We decided last night that this morning we would take a small break and head over to the house a little later than usual. We were both so exhausted last night and poor Henry and Mason is so confused as to what is going on that we figured we deserved a couple extra hours just to relax.

Yesterday we bought new furniture for the living room and picked out a refrigerator. Thank God I work at Lowes because we would have spent at least $100 more on just the fridge if it weren't for my awesome managers and employees giving me crazy discounts and holding me off a few days until it goes on sale. Not to mention we got a good deal on the pieces of baseboards that we needed to finish in the living room and kitchen. We pick all of the big stuff up on Wednesday. We opted for two couches instead of a couch and love seat so that we would have that extra seat and although we thought we wanted a sectional, after thinking it over more, we decided against one. We like the flow of two couches better. Now we just need to find a new entertainment center and some end tables and we'll be set for one room! (Yes, one room with just days left to move...)

I painted all the baseboards in the living room and started painting the molding around the windows and doors while Jeremy put down a few missing pieces of baseboard in the living room and around the front door. Hopefully today we can get the rest of the baseboards down in the kitchen and finish painting all the molding in the living room and kitchen too. If we can get that finished, the living room will be finished completely! The kitchen just needs the ceiling fan cleaned and the skylights molding put up. So we may be able to finish up that room as well today.

We've already accepted that things will be no where near finished when we move. Our goal is to just get the living room and kitchen finished for now. They are the main living areas of the home anyway.

My family is coming up on Thursday to help us some, which will be nice considering we haven't packed one box to move. Our friends have been so helpful with everything, coming over all hours of the day and night to give their opinion or help with this and that. Not to mention the various tools and such we've borrowed that we didn't have. I don't know what we'd do without them.

Overall, things are progressing. It is taking a little longer than what we wanted, but we will get it done eventually and when it is finished, we can say we did it all!

The Ovenshire Remodel: Day One

If you know me then you are totally expecting this blog right about now. Although I know we're going to be busy and up to our necks in things to do, I totally expect to be able to blog about moving and remodeling our very first home.

I have to start by saying that I can't thank God enough for blessing us with this opportunity. Not only do we have a place to call our own, but it is completely paid off and big enough that we could stay for the rest of our lives if we wanted to. This is truly a home to us and even if it needs a lot of TLC, there's really no major, major issues at this time. We have a couple of big projects ahead of us; the master bathroom and the siding especially, but everything else is just cosmetic touch-ups.

With that being said...Welcome to our home! I spent the entire day cleaning with one hand and holding Henry with the other. (Let me tell you, do yourself a favor and buy a house BEFORE you have a baby. It takes 10 times the amount of time to get anything done if one of yours hands is always occupied.) We have exactly 10 days to get some serious cleaning done and move. Although the majority of things will have to be done after we move in, we're hoping to be able to get the kitchen and living room completely done in that time and spruce up the bedroom enough that we can live comfortably in that area until we can work on other projects.

Jeremy did do a bit of work outside today. He removed part of a fence and then took down half of the porch that had been enclosed completely. I know it probably doesn't look any better, but having an open view from the back door is a major improvement for me! You can see the two piles of wood that he took down. I mostly worked on the kitchen today. I even moved a few of my kitchen decorations over to make it feel a bit more like 'our place' while we're cleaning and moving.

I am so excited to continue working on our house. I'm pretty disappointed that tomorrow is Friday and I'll have to work all weekend, but Jeremy is going to have two week's vacation starting on Tuesday so we should have plenty of time to work on things together. We are so very blessed.

Just another day in paradise...

It was another beautiful day in Pleasant Hill, Ohio today. It wasn't quite as nice as yesterday but it was still beautiful! Henry and I ran some errands and then went and had lunch with daddy. Then we came home and played in the yard a bit.

He's finally starting to warm up to the whole grass thing. The last few times I've taken him out into the yard, he's screamed and grabbed for me instantly. I guess being put down in this sea of strange, green stuff would be pretty scary.

I'm telling you I can barely keep up with him these days! He's crawling and climbing and trying to walk on everything. He's just so cute though, I love him more than words can explain.

Hello Sunshine

It was so gorgeous out today that I knew that I just had to get Henry out in the yard to play. He's a little iffy about grass and it takes him awhile every time to warm up to it. One thing he LOVES is water though. The more the better! So the idea to let him go out and splash his little heart out and play in some bubbles in the backyard sounded wonderful.

I figured...perfect photo opp too!

We've had just a wonderful day today. We spent time with my brother who is home from Afghanistan and had a wonderful church dinner and then spent some time with my grandmother.

We even took the long way home so that we could enjoy the scenery and one another's company.

This little guy just melts my heart. Being a mother rocks!

Being

It has been so pretty out the last few days, so warm and sunny and just plain nice that I've lacked motivation and yet found motivation differently every day. I have definitely lacked in blogging. Usually I blog like crazy; it's my outlet. But this week I've had other outlets: cool grass and a cool breeze, warm sunshine, bare feet and even a little fishing. It's the freshest breath of air and one that was sincerely needed. With so much happening in our lives right now, I've been stressed to the max. I've been moody and tired and depressed and wanting to do nothing but be. Sometimes it's a good thing to just be but I needed to get out of that slump. I needed to want to excel and move and enjoy life while being. Now if things will just continue as planned...

if we are handed the keys to our house in the next few days.

if my brother arrives on time.

if work isn't too difficult this weekend.

if I can find time to finish packing and cleaning without it getting to stressful.

if Henry will cooperate with it all.

if it all goes according to planned, I think I'll be good. I think I can say I'll be out of my little slump for good and move on to bigger and better things for the time being. I'm excited for this new chapter in our lives. I guess I just feel like it's been a long journey getting there.

Prayer Requests

1) My brother Brandon is traveling home from Afghanistan (today? tomorrow? two days from now?) sometime this week. His travel was delayed (he said weather, I think it was due to the civilian deaths that took place there this week) and so we're all left in a sort of limbo at the moment as to when the actual date will be. Just pray that he arrives home safely and that this little leave will be a pleasing and relaxing experience for him. I can't wait for him to see Henry. The last day he saw him he was two hours old. My how he's grown!!

2) We were given word yesterday that the previous owners of our home will be out and ready to hand over our key by this coming weekend. This was disheartening to me when we talked to them yesterday because they were supposed to be out yesterday. But, we know that the circumstances that delayed their move could not have been helped and we were honestly expecting them to need an extra week or so so I can't be to disappointed. However, please pray that things will go smoothly for them this week, that I will find some time to do a little packing and organizing myself, and we will be able to start moving in when they said we will. We were really hoping to be able to go in and paint and clean and move a little at a time and still be out of our apartment completely by the end of March so we don't have to pay another months rent. I guess at this point we're still playing it by ear... yes, more limbo.

3) My third request is kind of an unspoken one. Jeremy and I are in a limbo of sorts ourselves right now. I keep being told 'no' by means that I should accept but I keep getting this nagging feeling that that 'no' should be a 'yes' because it's all so unusual. Anyway. Just say a little prayer that we'll get a clean answer soon. It's driving me crazy being stuck in all these unknowns.

Daddy's Shop

Henry and I took Jeremy lunch to his shop on Friday and while there, I took the opportunity to snap a few photos of Henry in and around the shop. I think they turned out pretty cute! He is such a good helper!

Hoppy [early] Easter

Easter is a month away and I'm so excited for it to be here this year. I've never been on the basket making and giving side of the equation and I just can't wait to get Henry's together. We're giving him a Scout and some summer toys and some of his first finger snacks. I think he'll love it!

Anywho. I bought this little Easter set for $2.00 a couple of weeks ago and have been dying to get it on him and take some photos. I haven't bought his actual Easter outfit yet, hopefully I'll be able to find him one in the next couple of weeks. Either way...expect those photos in the near future! Isn't he just the cutest kid you've ever seen?

Have a little Cheer

I have to pride myself on saying that I don' t have 'bad' days often and usually if I do, it's for a very good reason. I guess one day I woke up, looked at the world around me and decided that there's already enough negative going around. I'd rather be a positive light in all the dark mess.

But I can't say that I never have bad days. We all have bad days. Sometimes we wake up and just looking at the alarm clock can make it a bad day.

Today is one of those days for me. I'm just not feeling...anything.

But I got down on the floor with my spider monkey, snapped a few photos and couldn't help but smile. I hope my kids have this affect on me for the rest of my life. I can't imagine a truly bad day with them around. <3