Happy Holidays!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas! I went home to California for a few days and my awesome friend Sarah watched over the house (and my kitty) while I was gone. I got quite a few house related gifts and Home Depot gift cards, yay! I received some really cool storage shelves for the garage, so I'm excited to get started on organizing! I do have to tackle the decoration take-down though, which I'm not really looking forward to. Maybe I can convince Stan to help again ;) Or I could be one of those awesome people who leaves their Christmas lights up all year long because they're too lazy to take them down!

Oh yes, yesterday marked my 6 month anniversary of home ownership! It doesn't really feel that long ago that I got the keys and started this crazy project. I feel like I've done a lot, but then again not much at all. And honestly, I couldn't have done any of it without the help of my friends, so THANK YOU to all!! I heart you mucho.

Well, most likely I won't do anything until after the New Year, but I'll try to take some updated bedroom/living room pictures to show off my new layouts and furniture pieces to tide you all over :) Besides the garage organizing, I *really* need to prime the walls and ceiling of the kitchen so I can move forward with finishing it off!

-Megan

*breathe*

Well, it has been just over 2 weeks since my kitchen and bathroom has been fully functional! It is great, let me tell you :) So far, I've cooked a few big meals, had some friends over for a "soft opening" of sorts, and I've enjoyed brushing my teeth in the bathroom for a change! And can I just say how much I love my dishwasher?! Who knew that a dishwasher was the one great thing that was missing from my life? :P While I definitely still have a ton to do, I feel like I have just been catching my breath for the last couple of weeks. It felt like for a while, every day was a stressful push toward functionality, and now I'm just relaxing and leaving the aesthetic stuff for later! :) Also, not to mention, all of that work in such a short time definitely cost a TON and I'm trying to lay off on the spending for a while so I can catch up.

I did clear out the spare room and sort of "staged" it for when I had people over, but now the garage is a mess of boxes! I think my next big project will be organizing the garage...fun!

I'm off to California for a few days so obviously I won't make any house progress this week, but I'll post some pictures when I get back! I hope everyone has some happy holidays and a great new year!! :)

-Megan

Running Water!!

Yesterday I had a plumber come in (recommended by my friend John from the gym!) and he pretty much wrapped up all the loose ends and now I feel like I have a fully functioning house! He installed the kitchen sink, faucet, and dishwasher, and also installed the bathroom sink and faucet, and switched out the shower knob...which opened up a whole new can of worms *sigh* But! The important thing is I can COOK! And wash those dishes after I cook! And I don't have to go into the garage to wash my hands after I do my business! :)

Sink, faucet, & dishwasher

Other side of the kitchen with the fridge in its rightful place

Spice drawer!!

And now for the bathroom sink:

Yippeee!

I didn't really have any groceries at home so I haven't had a chance to break the kitchen in yet, but tonight I will make my very first home-cooked meal! I also haven't tried running the dishwasher yet...I need to read the manual! I've only ever lived with a dishwasher once for less than a year so I'm not entirely sure how they work :P I just know that it will make my life easier!

Okay, up ahead: prime, paint, backsplash and open shelving for the kitchen. I also think I'm going to re-paint my bedroom soon...lately it just seems too dark and heavy.

-Megan

P.S. Thanks to Wendy for taking the photos!