Slade Drive - House Tour - Master Bedroom

We really didn't do much to our bedroom and master bath. We just painted the walls, got some furniture over the years, and I eventually repainted our peeling cabinets in the bathroom.

Before...(right after we moved in)

After...

Amazing what some paint on the walls (thanks for helping me, Krissy!), our bed that my dad made, paint on the furniture, and some lamps can do. 

And the bathroom before...make sure you have your sunglasses on.

Comical story...we had a friend and his dad over for drinks one evening, and when his dad saw this bathroom, he said, 'wow', they must have filmed some 'adult movies' in here!  YIKES.  I knew our very next project had to be painting over the red!

The Bathroom after...

Funny color story here.  Sean had to get up so early for work, so he wanted a bright, cheery color to wake up to.  He suggests yellow.  I wasn't sure, but as you know, color and I don't always see eye-to-eye, so I went with it.  We started painting, and got probably 1/3 of the way done.  We all of sudden stopped, looked at our work, and decided how horrible it looked.  It was a school bus looking yellow that didn't compliment the tile or give a relaxing feeling at all.  It definitely would have been a good shock value for Sean in the morning, but that would have been it.  Thank goodness for the putty color we ended up choosing. 


What I would do differently...
--I would have chosen a blue that was a tiny bit more muted for the bedroom.
--I would have changed out the artwork...I just had some black and white photos that I took enlarged, but I would have liked one big piece for over the bed.

Fun Scouting Trip...

Our scouting trip in NY was the perfect getaway. Invigorating springtime weather, quality time with the best of friends & gracious hosts, the most pristine and beautiful setting, the Hudson...ahhhh. I feel so refreshed after our trip.

We have enjoyed Boston so much that I was a little apprehensive that we may not feel as excited as we used to be about going to West Point. Once we got there though, all those feelings vanished. We feel so lucky that we have the opportunity to spend a couple of years there. We can't wait to sponsor cadets, enjoy all the amenities that the area has to offer, and have some good family time.

We saw lots of houses that we were interested in off post, but ultimately, after M&K (and all their very gracious friends!) took us through houses in most of the neighborhoods on post, we decided that we will hold out hope that we might be able to get a house in the lottery. Of course, I have a crush on the oldest neighborhoods that are just spilling over with charm. I wish I had taken more pictures on post instead of the 500+ I took of the houses off post.

It was fun looking at homes again - there was oodles of potential in this traditional Cape home.  It had a couple of acres that ran straight down to the Hudson River.  There were lots of deer running through the back yard...it was idyllic.  We were dreaming about attempting to create a Slim Aarons worthy back yard. 

One of the best parts of the trip was all the time I had in the kitchen with Krissy.  Krissy is my idol in the kitchen...even with 4 kids in the span of 6 years and working part time, she still always makes her meals with fresh ingredients, from scratch, and they are ALWAYS delicious.

My new favorites that I learned from her are:

Homemade refried beans
     --saute some onion and garlic in olive oil
     --add two cans of pinto beans (juice included...you could add less juice if you wanted the beans to be thicker) and cook for a few minutes
     --add most of the mixture to the food processor and blend.
    --add blended and un-blended bean mixtures together and serve

Caesar Salad dressing
     --1 cup mayo
     --1 teaspoon anchovy paste
     --1 teaspoon dijon mustard
     --1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
     --2 medium cloves garlic, chopped
     --2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
     --1/2 - 2/3 cup parmesan cheese (I like shredded as it adds a bit more texture than grated)
     --salt
     --pepper
     --throw all of these ingredients in food processor and blend away!

Island Pork Tenderloin Salad from epicurious.com

 --Krissy served this for Easter dinner.  This is one of those meals that I would never seek out on a menu, but it was absolutely delicious!!  And gorgeous to boot.

Things to pay attention to when looking to buy a house...

Does anyone have a list of items that you look for when you go to buy a house?

We started one after we bought the house on Slade, and we have gradually added to it over time.

If you have any additional suggestions, please leave a comment...I would love to hear them!  I know there are lots of things that aren't on here that would be helpful in the hunt this weekend.

Here is our random, running list...

1. Has basement ever flooded?
2. Have seller fix as much as you can have them do on the inspection list
3. Drive by at different times of the day/night to check out the scene
4. Pay attention to how busy the street is
5. Do windows open?
6. Age of roof!
7. Are shower heads tall enough?
8. School district
9. Pay attention to neighbors and their yards, dogs, etc.
10. Fenced yard
11. Get different mortgage quotes
12. Security system?
13. Gas/Electric appliances
14. Motion sensor/outside safety lights
15. Age of AC/Heater
16. Age of water heater
17. Paint condition – chipped, cracks in walls, etc.
18. Cable jacks/phone jacks
19. Water pressure
20. Air return location
21. Level Lot
22. Window treatments
23. Lead paint
24. Electrical – all up to date?
25. Flooding of yard?
26. Sex Offenders close by?  (I know that sounds weird, but we learned to take this into account after we moved in and learned there were a couple sex offenders living in a house close to us)

Hmmm...I would love to live on post if I could get one of these houses...

On the hunt...

for a place to live.  We are off to NY for the next several days for lots of house hunting...both on and off post.  We are all over the place as far as what we are looking at, go figure.  Hopefully by EOD Monday we will have at least decided if we want to keep looking off post OR if we will hold out hope that we can get a house on post.


I am just wrapping up Ryan & Jamie's invitations - I can't wait to blog about that after we get home next week!  I will also be making some blog changes and will have a fun guest on the blog!!

Isn't this a cute house?  It is one of the ones we have our eyes on...

Slade Drive House Tour - kitchen

We had a small kitchen on Slade Drive...but that is all I have ever known so it was fine for us. It connected to a tiny room with our washer/dryer and refrigerator. 

Before we moved in...

love that schoolhouse pendant light!

This was a great built in...i immediately envisioned my cookbooks on these shelves...

We thought this spot could be better arranged to feel more inviting...

The ceramic tile floors were cracking in some spots.  The previous owners told me that there was not wood under the tile, which surprised me.  Fast forward a couple of years.  I got new appliances while Sean was deployed.  Our uber-handy friend, Jay, was nice enough to come down and install the dishwasher for me.  As luck would have it, when he removed the old dishwasher, I spotted pine flooring!

Soon after that, I called Brenda, who works in construction, and asked to borrow her sledge hammer.  I went to town busting up the floor....all on a whim.  There were three levels of flooring - the ceramic tile, a subfloor and linoleum tile.  I had no clue what I was doing but just went for it.  I got 95% of the layers up, and then left the parts that were really close to the cabinets to a professional.

My 'flat daddy Sean' enjoyed a beer while I was hard at work:

layers and layers and layers, oh my!

I had someone finish the demo and refinish the floors.  I then hired some painters to repaint all the cabinets, since a lot of the paint was peeling off, for the best price EVER.  I spent days scraping layers of paint off in the laundry room, and I repainted a fresher coat of yellow.  I got so frustrated with scraping paint that I let the painters finish the kitchen for me.

Thanks to lots of help from friends - removing doors, moving appliances around, etc. I was able to get a look I was more happy with.   It was fun to have the big 'reveal' for Sean when he came home for R&R.

The afters...

We removed the vent hood and added the space saver microwave which was a big help on counter space.  One of my favorite things in the kitchen was the pull out tray in the built in cabinet (you can see it near the phone)...this was so great for spreading out cookbooks! 

During the renovation, Randy helped me remove the swinging door between the kitchen/utility room.  It felt like the space really opened up once it was taken out.

I sewed the curtain during my sewing class, and my dad built us this nice shelf to go over the washer/dryer...

And that's all we have with the kitchen, folks!

Lessons learned:
1.  I had no clue how to hang window coverings - they are a definite weakness of mine!  So, I screwed the curtain rod hardware right into the moulding around the window.  WHOOPS.  I didn't know I wasn't supposed to do that until Tim and Sommer came down and saw what I had done.  I immediately knew from their faces that I had botched this!  They were very sweet and reassuring to me on my bad move.
2.  Never paint kitchen cabinets with a brush again.  I would definitely spray them next time!

Do your magazines pile up?

I don't get this.  When I get magazines, they end up in a pile on the coffee table.  It takes me forever to get around to them, okay, except for US Weekly, since that is such a guilty pleasure.  I would think that I would be so excited to carve out time to sit down and devour the latest home magazines...and I DO love looking through them when I finally make time.  So, what's with my pile up?  Does this happen to anyone else?  And then do you have the ever growing stack of tear sheets as well??

New England Architecture

I am really going to miss the architecture when we leave Boston in two short months.  We have really loved living in Newton, and it it probably the nicest town we will ever live in.  We are surrounded by the most stunning, charming, intricately designed old homes....paradise!!  

I am anxious for some real springtime weather to arrive so that I can go on some long walks with my camera to capture all my favorites.  I will share some along the way.

Here is one of them.  It can be yours - for a cool 3.25 mil.  Have at it.

The glass roof just calls to me every time I walk by.  It reminds me of the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum....

My favorites from today

How cute are these pillows?

And, I really want a pantry like this.  I am so tempted to start down this path with matching spice jars b/c I found cute ones for next to nothing at China Fair.  Check out the whole house tour of emersonmade...instant love - just like her products!

A very good day.

I woke up to a cold and rainy birthday, which ended up being okay because my day started like this...

Fresh Flowers and Chocolate Milk...

Then, I realized that Sean had actually ordered up this rainy day BECAUSE...Paddy got me the red wellies I have been keeping an eye on for a very long time!

Then, some yummy coffee and sour cream pancakes.  We recently had this specialty at the Deluxe Town Diner.  Sean searched out a recipe and recreated them.  They were so good that I think Sean and my dad are going to have to have a pancake cook-off!

And the grand breakfast finale...I mean, come on, we couldn't just stare at this perfection until after dinner!  Honestly, the best cake I have ever had.  Sean is a fantastic cook, but who knew he could bake too?  Kudos to him. 

Just so he knows, yes, I will be asking for the same cake again next year.  Thanks to my husband for putting together a day that made me smile all day long. 

Slade Drive House Tour - Back Porch/Yard

There was a nice deck on our porch when we purchased it and the back yard was in pretty good shape.  We made some small changes over the years to make it 'ours'.

Before:

First, we restained the porch.  My dad helped us replace some rotted boards in the deck, and he also repaired some of the siding on the addition that was in bad shape.  We got a furniture upgrade from the two plastic green chairs, and I got REALLY into plants. 

I hung this old window with window box that I had from the wall.  I usually had small pots with succulents in here.  We then added the lanterns on either side.  I got the cheapest, smallest door that I could find from the junk yard, and then used concrete pavers that were laying around our yard to create a potting table for all my herbs.  I drilled some large holes in the table to let the water drain which worked pretty well. 

Ahh, herbs...

During a lunch break one day, Rhonda and I went 'junking' at the local junk yard.  She found these pillars for a total steal, and she convinced me to buy them.  Thanks, Rhonda!  I added some Ikea lanterns to the top of them - my brother helped screw them in so that they wouldn't fall off.

The hungarian baby bath is still a favorite piece of ours - Sommer and I got these at Scott Antique Markets in Atlanta. 

We got a heater for cooler nights on the porch...see the lessons learned :)  You can see the heater here...this was taken at Sean's welcome home party...

When we first moved in, there was a path from the bottom of the porch to the driveway made with railroad ties and some sort of large chips of mulch.  These got all over the yard, and we didn't like the look of it.  Sean removed the ties and worked hard to grow grass there.

I planted new bushes along the back of the porch and stuck with my favorites...rosemary bushes, hydrangeas, and tea olives - have you smelled these?  Oh, they are so divine!!

I removed the railroad ties that had been used to define the planting areas, and replaced it with old brick that I got at the junk yard.  We added many other shrubs throughout the backyard..some did well, some didn't.

We have so many fond memories from our porch...we constantly talk about how we miss having coffee on the porch, meals with friends, nights with wine and music, etc. 

Lessons learned:
--Candles melt so easily in GA during the summer. Next time, I would use candles that are in glass if possible so that they don't melt to a point that you can't use them.
--I would never buy an electric outdoor heater again...they don't work very well at all.  I would definitely buy propane next time.
--We probably should have put a different walkway in to lead to the driveway
--Once I got excited about planting, I couldn't control myself.  It was fun, but a LOT of maintenance/watering...time!  I am glad I tried so many things, but now I am better about narrowing down.