Craftsman Flair

One of the things that I disliked when we looked at our new house was our front door.  First of all it was blue, which would have been fine if it went with the rest of the house, but it did not.  Second, the style of the door was very plain and added nothing to our curb appeal.  But the thing I disliked the most was the glass on the transom window and the sidelights.  It was a frosted, textured glass that to John and I just looked cheap.  

The before and then the after of our front door.

So, a new door was definitely in order.  John and I both love the craftsman style and the outside of our house has some of those elements.  We searched for a front door that was wood we could stain and had a craftsman look.  I am very pleased with the door we chose and think it makes the front of the house look prettier and more welcoming.  The benefit I didn't realize when we got the new door was on the inside.  The clear glass really opens up the entryway and looks so much better when you are sitting in the living room. I am pleased with our choice and will enjoy it for years to come. 

Front Porch View

I have never really had a large front porch that I can just sit on and enjoy.  That has to be my favorite thing about our new house.  With the weather as hot as it is though we have had to wait until late in the evening to enjoy our porch.  Luckily, the view of the sunset is amazing! 

Home Again!

So after a bit of a break, I am back on the blog.  The number one reason for my absence can be seen in the picture, our new home.  I have been so busy with moving and unpacking there just wasn't time to blog.  There is also the fact that our internet just got set up yesterday (FINALLY) so even if I had time blogging wasn't really an option.  
So, here is the new abode.  There is still a lot of work to be done out front.  We are changing out the front door because John and I really just don't like it and going with something that matches the house a little better (at least in our opinion).  Pictures will come after the install.  Plus we need lots of landscaping work and our pineapple fountain will be installed once we figure out a landscaping plan.  But this is what it looks like for now and we are slowly working to make it ours and get that feel of home again.  

Warning!  Many more blogs will be coming as we get the house set up and I take pictures of the various rooms when they are completed.  Plus, I have our whole week in KC and Sam's football camp so be ready to read.

Driveway Project

A before shot- lots of gray.

After shots!

We have a lot of driveway that just seemed like a massive piece of gray. We decided that we would like to get our driveway stained and etched. It was quite a process getting it done. We were off of the driveway completely for a few days and couldn't drive on it for over a week. Of course, that would be a week with lots of rain. You don't realize how great a garage is until you can't use it. The results though were well worth it. I think the driveway really warms up the house and brings out the colors in the brick. We have received many compliments and a neighbor has already signed up to get their driveway done too.

Ohhh lightening!

I have some catching up to do on the blog. I have been without a computer since May 1st. It has been a real pain since I use the computer for so many things. We had lightening strike near our house and come in through the lines causing a great deal of damage. We lost two tvs, two garage door openers, the electric parts of our gas fireplace, wii, playstation 2 & 3, tv receiver and our computer.

Our house has been full of repairmen which is such a pain. The thing I hate the most is the we will be there between noon and five. Sure, I have nothing better than to sit around and wait all afternoon. We are down to a few finishing touches on the tv in the main room and then everything will be working again.

The silver lining was that we got to upgrade our computer. Tonight is my first night on but I'm already amazed at everything new computers can do. I know the man at Best Buy thought I was crazy with some of the questions I was asking but oh well.

Decorating Updates

We got our curtains in today! I'm excited I think they finish off the room. We also received our mirror for the entry last week and it was hung today. The picture doesn't do it justice but wanted to share anyway. I'm also including a photo of the couch pillows. I'm so pleased with how everything turned out in the living room.

I'm also excited about our Christmas tree. We were able to find a beautiful frasier fir shipped to Missouri from North Carolina. Of course we had to pay twice what we did last year but it was worth it!

Step 2- tables

Slowly but surely we are getting our living room furnished. The first step was the rug, chair, couch and loveseat. Yesterday we finished step two, the tables. We got an end table, coffee table and a media cabinet for all of the tv junk (I mean equipment). Hopefully you can see all three in the picture. The media cabinet is the black one in the very back of the photo.

On to step three, pillows and curtains! I also need to start looking for accessories. Problem is they need to be pretty kid proof.