The NEW Semi-Homemade Home: BEFORE

Here's the tour I've been promising!  Since the new Semi-Homemade Home is still very much a work in progress... these are pics from Moving Day, with more to come soon... room-by-room... as I finish!  I'm taking Fri afternoon off & I'm spending the afternoon alone - just me and the house!  The plan:  PROGRESS!  :)

So let's start... with the room that's always my fav: the kitchen!

I love how mr.fix.it always pushes us to the newest thing... the next big thing that's not TOO trendy... it makes our houses unique but, at the same time, incredibly saleable.  (He's got a gift!)

I love the black distressed cabinets... the appliances (I've never had a double oven!)... and my fav is the custom hood!  And I wasn't sure about the hand -scraped hardwood floors in the kitchen - but I love 'em!

Can you see the 2 windows mr. fix.it added above the cabinets?  He knew I wanted more natural light in there! :)

Details... the carvings on the wooden hood....

The office (aka the last room - always! - to get unpacked!  We can totally work around the boxes!)
Our last office was pretty... but a few details make this one oh, so much better.  We extended the built-in bookshelf across the entire room and added a stained beadboard to the ceiling.

The entry looks the most similar to the last house.  But I'm hoping to brainstorm/research/dream up a new way to decorate those big wall spaces!

A peek into the dining room.  Can't wait for curtain shopping!

The master bathroom has been such a relaxing space... and it seems so luxurious after 7 months at the Summer House in a cramped bathroom!

I can't figure out how to take a picture that shows how BIG the shower is!  I love all the stone work, it's like being at a spa!

This picture doesn't do the bathroom justice, but... mr. fix.it moved the bathtub from against a wall to the middle of the room and it's such a focal point!  (It also seaprates our vanitys, which was a must.  I love that guy... but when I'm in the midst of makeup and hairspray and products... I need my space, lol!)

The distressed black cabinets carry into the living room... and - as much as I loved the stone mantel in the last house, it was impossible to decorate, with it's uneven-ness.. ;)  I shoulda taken a close up pic of the mantel.  I'm staring at it now, and it's so pretty...

I love this neighborhood!  This is my view from the (totally unpacked, even still!) office...

I can't wait to work on the Man Cave with mr. fix.it this weekend!  (He was so cute in there last weekend... holed up, watching the playoffs!)  We're doing an Oklahoma State theme and he got some of the coolest stuff for Christmas for this room!

Projects and pics of finished rooms to come soon!  :)  I absolutely can't wait to decorate the 3 kids' rooms (yikes!  3 kids?!?), but I'm holding those projects hostage... as a reward and to motivate me to finish unpacking and hanging stuff on walls!



New House, New Job(s), New Baby (on the way!), New Year!!

We're just exhausted from all the newness around here.  As in literally, falling down, exhausted.  As in, during just the last 10 days, we've had 1 sinus infection (poor G-man), 1 case of strep throat (a sick pregnant woman is NOT someone you want to have to deal with!), and 4 pink eyes (yes, we've ALL now had it!)

But we've also been so blessed... to have my sweet mom.in.law here to help all weekend.... to have my sweetest bestie Mrs. Everything swoop me off to a Monday afternoon pedi - her treat!... to live in the most beautiful house that really, really feels like home - even amidst the boxes and chaos!.... to be traveling tomorrow to be surrounded by family.

And I feel blessed that so many of you have followed me all year... despite my SLOWEST, least creative bit of blogging in my (somewhat short!) history.  But I was just telling mr. fix-it last night... that I can't wait for the new year and lots of creativity, semi-homemade-ness, and blogging.  Can't wait to show y'all the progress on the house and what I have in store for 2 big kid bedrooms and a nursery!  (Just as soon as AT&T stops pissing me off and moving back our internet service.. which is now set for next Tues, fingers crossed!  I'll be MIA until then, just stealing a quick minute on the web at work today!)  :)

Have a blessed Christmas!  I was planning to share a pic of our tiny 4-foot tree, that's been totally engulfed with all the wrapping (complete with tulle!) that I've been working on the last few nights..... And also send y'all the special Christmas card I made just for you.  But since all that is at home, where we are internet-less... I'm just sending a pic from last year's tree (which sadly went from storage to attic) and well wishes for all of you!

xoxo,

THE day has finally arrived!

I was starting to think this day would never come, but TOMORROW we move into our beautiful new home! 

I have some finished pics of the house, but since I'm not done packing.... I won't get to share more until we get moved. I'll be without internet for a few days and then gone for Christmas, but I promise I'll show you the entire house before the end of 2010.  Until then, here's a couple bedroom sneak peeks!

By this time tomorrow, Moving in 2010 will finally be complete.  I'm so relieved, I'm guessing I'll cry... More soon!

xoxo,

Semi-Homemade Teacher Gifts - Snowman Snacks & Suds

Okay, so this year was way more SEMI than HOMEMADE.  But....get ready for this, don't fall outta your chair.... I got them delivered to teachers last week!  Yep, ME!  Mainly because I knew if I didn't get them out, they would get lost in the shuffle of the move, and y'all know how much we love our teachers!

Both kiddos have new teachers that I haven't yet appreciated (Gman moved up after school started... and Sissy recently moved into a new class, which is a story all it's own - more on that later!)  In other words, I could resort to a tried and true idea and not worry about it!

So.... fancy gourmet popcorn from our favorite nostalgic shop downtown (total plus that I had purchased a Groupon from them!) and some foaming holiday soap from Bath & Body Works (had a fab coupon for that AND a giftcard, so these gifts were super cheap!)

Threw them all in bags... added some tulle and this tag:

This week is THE MOVE!  I'm so excited I can barely stand it.  And so overwhelmed that at any moment I think I could puke (nice, right?)  Mainly, I've got to figure out how, in the next 6 days, I can:

*  work about 50 hrs, possibly more
*  attend an ornament exchange party at Mrs. Everything's house
*  finish Christmas cards and mail them before they get lost
*  get my hair did (just covering the greys might ease some of this anxiety!) ;)
*  finish packing this entire apartment
*  try to get the major move check list started - mainly getting tv/internet and our mail!
 *  squeeze in 2 more runs for c25k wk 7 (got the first one in today - woo hoo!)
*  MOVE into our new dream house!

But Sissy's 5th birthday party went off without a hitch and was THE easiest birthday party I've ever even thought about throwing.  I'd recommend this semi-homemade party to anyone and will fill y'all in soon!  New house pics soon, too!

xoxo,

Elaine who? Semi-Homemade what?

Let me say this... Yes, I've been THE world's worst blogger.  I didn't even get to wish y'all Happy Thanksgiving (I hope it was full of blessings, btw!)  But yes, I plan to get so much better once we moved.  Who knew that my blogging was so incredibly tied to where we live?  But now we know.  ;)

So... an update on the house.  And I'm going back tomorrow and will have MORE updates (maybe even with bedroom pics - that's missing from this one).  Moving day is 2 weeks away!!!  Dec 18, one little week before Christmas.  And if that doesn't give you enough of a sense of my world lately.... here's a tiny peek:

~ Spent this week in a migraine.  Literally from Sun until Thurs, when my OB sent me to the ER for IV meds.  I finally started feeling better yesterday afternoon.  Never had one, tiny headache when I was pg with Sissy.  Had them with GT, but this was - by far! - the worst I've ever had!
~ Migraine and all, I traveled to Houston on Tues with my parents for my great-uncle's funeral.  It was sad and sweet...  and I wouldn't have missed it, even with a migraine!
~ Big Sis's big 5th birthday party is a week from today!  Because I'm not supermom (duh!), and because we're in boxes, we're holding it somewhere other than home.  She wanted a cooking party so.... Young Chef's Academy for a cooking party!  Pics of details, invites, etc to come!
~ Oh, and remember that new job I started a month ago?  Probably the biggest source of stress right now.. but that's for another time, preferably with a glass of wine (so that'll be awhile!)

But on to what you're waiting for... THE HOUSE!

I love, love the new brick and stone we picked out!

Pretty, unstained garage door.  And I have a thing about lanterns... love this one!

Y'all come in!  (Thru our unstained door, of course!)

The dining room.  Which has since been painted under the chair rail... some beautiful color like glazed pecan or something.  :)

Remember the bar from the last house?  Here's this house's version.... all the cabinets in the house are a distressed black.  This pic is pre-distressing!

A living room under construction.... but oh so pretty anyway....

The kitchen!  Always my fav place.  I have to say, mr. fix-it and I were a little nervous to paint that beautiful wood black... but we've gotta stay up with the trends, so distressed cabinets it is!  And I can't wait to see them now, in all they're stressed out glory. ;)

The back yard.  The patio has that odd shape because of what'll be going on at the end of it.  Can't wait to see it - not sure if that's a pre-move in project or post...

And I just love the beadboard ceiling outside!  I bet it's stained now - can't wait to see it!

Here's Sissy, checking out the test on the tub....  One of the biggest changes we made from the last floorplan was the layout of the bathroom.  We separated the vanities, and put the tub in the middle of the room, as a focal point.  I think this pic was as they'd been tiling the bathroom...

My vanity in the bathroom!

mr. fix-it's man cave!  I picked the color for the walls in here and I think it's perfect (if I don't say so myself!)  I wanted it to have that cigar room feel.... he has some sports memorabilia to hang in here.... Santa is bringing something that will sit on the counter and make the place smell like a movie theater... ;)  Can't wait for Family Movie Night in here!  Did I mention we move in 2 wks?!?!

I really have to hand it to my sweet mr. fix-it.  I just can't believe what he's been able to get done.  We broke ground on Sept 7 (after 3+ months of ripping our hair out with the financial world!), and wait til you see the pics I take tomorrow, Dec 5.  Amazing!  A beautiful house, in record time.  What a lucky girl I am....

5 weeks to go - progress pics!

ALOT has happened since I shared the new Semi-Homemade house with you.  In fact, it was 4 wks ago and we had written our favorite 'scriptures on the structure!'  But... just like everyone, we've been crazy busy.  In fact, in my (almost) total absence since we moved into the Summer House, I haven't quite kept y'all in the loop.  So... a few... uh, confessions:

- mr. fix-it was laid off.  Which was a total shock.  Despite making it 2 yrs in a rough housing market... and being the only guy at his level still left.... we found out in August that he'd be saying goodbye to the company he'd been at for 5 yrs.  Heartbreak.  Shock.  Sadness.  (And that was just me!)  ;)

- I started a new job last week.  I'm still doing the same thing, but I've moved from one end of the 'campus' to another... and from one end of the product specturm (women's lingerie) to the other (kids' apparel).  Despite having the same title, most of the job is different, so... lots to learn!  Just trying to take it one day at a time.

- The first trimester of this pregnancy has been the hardest I've ever been thru.  In one week in August, we found out mr. fix-it was getting laid off, that I was starting a new job, and that I was pregnant.  Whoa!  And all while we're building our new house and living in the Summer House.  But besides being (totally, completely) overwhelmed, I've also been really sick (new to me!) and exhausted.  I'm so thankful to be coming out of that.  I've been able to eat warm foods at night for a month (the thought/smell/sight of anything warmed made me sick!)  And all of a sudden, last Tues, I drove all the way home without closing my eyes at a stoplight!  (Yikes, right?)  And I could even jog without fearing I'd fall off - I was even dangerously close to falling asleep ON THE TREADMILL! 

Okay, now that y'all know everything.... what you're REALLY waiting for, right?  House pics!

the outside - brick & stone are almost done (sorry for the overly sunny pic!)  It's alot darker than we've done and gorgeous.  I promise better pics soon.  I just love the addition of those 2 windows over the garage (where the 5th BR will be!)  External painting starts soon!

the living room - the stone fireplace was going up on Sat when we visited!

what was just a cabinet with granite top in the last house... is a beautiful built in for this house!

the kitchen - one of my FAV features in this house is all the feet!  LOL!  This is the footed island in the kitchen!

okay, and if you had to ask me my absolute favorite feature in this house vs last (since we're building the same floor plan, just with addt square footage and diff features!), it would HAVE to be the hood in the kitchen.  I nearly passed out when I first saw it on Sat - and it hasn't even been stained yet!

the detail on the vent.... ahhh....

another footed cabinet!  this time, in the master bath.

the back patio - again, mr. fix-it had to improve on the old patio, just a tiny bit!  He added these arches and I think it looks perfect!

the staircase - this is the back staircase, the one that leads to the kitchen and family room and gets 99% of the use.  We picked a different look this time - can't wait to see it done!

the media room (aka man cave):  mr. fix-it added a half wall with cabinet space, a bar and counters.  Santa might even bring a fun popcorn popper to sit on these counters!

the kids' rooms - I owe paint colors to mr. fix-it for the kids' rooms TONIGHT!  Yikes!  G-man's is done... Sissy's will be done tonight.  And I'm gonna have to get a pass on the Tiebreaker's room.  We're going to paint it a generic color and come back in a few wks with just the right shade of lime green.  Bedding has been ordered (from a new-to-me Etsy seller - can't wait to show y'all!), so I'm just waiting on swatches so I can pick paint!

Thanks for peekin' in with me!  More soon, I promise!

xoxo,

Scripture on the Semi-Homemade Structure

Say that three times fast!  I first saw this idea once when walking a house under construction (mr. fix-it and I have loved walking houses for as long as we've been together!  even before mr. fix-it was a builder, when we lived in Lawrence, KS, and he was an investor accountant!)  But as much as I loved the idea, I never remembered to do it during the framing stage.  Until now.

So... We started with my all time fav... Then I consulted with friends and searched the web until I found 2 Bible verses, perfect for the occasion.  Here I am, adding one over the fireplace:

The verse is from Proverbs:

A quick update on the view from outside!  I'm so excited that mr. fix-it and I decided to add those 2 windows over the garage.  We won't finish it now, but in the future the space behind those windows can be finished out to be bedroom #5!

The verse on the eat-in bar in the kitchen reads:
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23

(Don't laugh at G-man's outfit in the background.... that's the result of ALL his shorts - except the gray/white plaid shorts with skulls - being in the load of laundry that was the Purple Crayon Incident.  And yes, he has shirts that match these shorts... but none of them have bicycles on them and that boy is OBSESSED.  Nothing but bicycles would do that day.  So... I give you... G fashion.)

Thessalonians 5:16.... my fav verse.  Over our front door in the entry way.  I think it's a good reminder.  I want this to be my first thought when I come home and my last thought when I leave!

 I voted mr. fix-it to write this important verse over the door!

Then the kiddos got in on the action!  We let them write their names on the floors in their bedrooms.  Then Sissy got carried away, and before I knew it, she had all 4 of our names in almost every room!  LOL!

I didn't get a good pic of G-man getting permanent marker on his only non-crayon shorts writing his name.  But here he is, in that crazy outfit, peeking thru the walls of what will be the closet under the stairs!

This was so much fun... definitely a new Semi-Homemade tradition (even though we hope to only build one more house and then settle for awhile!)

Wait til y'all see the cute stuff I got in Canton - update to come!