Milton turns Two!

Sorry for the accidental blog break y'all. Life has been rather busy the past few months, but I am hoping to recap all of our happenings soon and then get back to a regular schedule of some sort.

Here are some of the quick highlights of what has been going on in our life: 35th anniversary party for Jameson's parents. Easter in PA. Packing. MOVING. Unpacking, unpacking, and more unpacking. Furniture shopping. Visit from Erinn and Tyler. Mini vacation in FL. and LOTS and LOTS of yard work.

Also today is a very special day for us because our precious puppy Milton turns 2! All you dog people out there will understand when I say that we absolutely adore this guy and can't imagine our little family without him. He brings us laughter and joy every single day and we are thankful for his continual love and affection. Happy Birthday Milton!!

lake Milton

traveling in the car Milton

sleepy Milton

frisbee Milton

begging for food Milton

House Updates: The Final Stretch

Life for the past month has consisted of making house renovation decisions, packing, and more house renovation decisions. I now know my way around Home Depot very well and have learned more about appliances and fixtures than I ever cared to know. This whole process has been enjoyable and we try to remind ourselves how lucky we are to be able to pick out almost every detail of our future home...but I am definitely ready for it all to be done. The last week has been stressful to say the least with construction finishing up and trying to get all of the loose ends coordinated with the mortgage company.

But as my dad reminded me this morning via text: "When you are borrowing their money you are not in control. One day at a time. Patience my dear."

Unfortunately patience is not my strong suit and I do not like living in transition. I don't mind change. In fact most of the time I get excited about change. But the transition stage between changes is the worst. I am all about the destination and not about the journey. I want to get to the end goal as fast as possible. But God is definitely teaching me that I am not in control and everything will work out in His perfect timing and not my own. So for now I will take the wise words of my father and be patient my dear.


A lot has changed with the house since I last shared pictures so here are some of the updates.

One of my favorite features of the house is the old wood floors from the original home when it was built in the late 1930's. Their were some holes in the floor that had to be patched up so you can see the old flooring compared to the new patches.

Once the floors all got sanded down the downstairs started looking way less like a construction zone and much more like a real home. Honestly I couldn't even believe they were the same floors. The next step was choosing the stain. Jameson and I knew we wanted a dark brown. No red tints. No purple tints. Just BROWN. We ended up going with the middle stain Spice Brown. We thought it was provided a nice warmth to the space while still showing all the woods grains. The hardwood goes throughout the entire first floor (kitchen, living room, and 2 bedrooms) which provides such beautiful cohesion throughout the house. The upstairs and basement will be getting carpet put in next week.

 

Here is the finished product! (They are slightly darker in real life than they look in the pictures.)

 The handles got put on all the kitchen cabinets and we love the clean, sleek look.
The master bathroom has lots and lots of Travertine Tile. We spent 2 hours in The Tile Shop looking at Travertine and we couldn't find anything we loved. We decided to stop by Home Depot after our unsuccessful Tile Shop trip and immediately spotted the perfect (and much cheaper) tile. Home Depot for the win!

That is all we have for now, folks.

101 in 1001

Live with intention. Unfortunately this is something I haven't always been good at. I so easily slip into the routine of everyday life and forget to celebrate the little things. So I decided that I want to make some goals for myself to complete over the next few years in order to encourage intentional living. I saw this idea on some other blogs and I was inspired to create my own 101 things to complete in 1001 days. Some of these goals are realistic while others are more of a stretch. But at the end of this journey I hope to have gone outside my comfort zone and be proud of the accomplishments I have made. Hopefully I'll have made memories I can cherish for a long time to come. So without further adieu here they are, all 101 of them!

Start Date: March 18, 2014
End Date: December 13, 2016

1. Come up with 101 goals
2. Run a 5k in downtown Detroit
3. Redo a piece of old furniture
4. Visit 3 states I haven't been to before
5. Buy a house
6. Plant a herb garden
7. Buy fireworks and set them off on the 4th of July
8. Go to a class at a yoga studio
9. Help Jameson on a woodworking project
10. Host a dinner party
11. Send 5 just because notes in the mail
12. Plan a surprise party
13. Go to the Detroit Zoo
14. Spend a day volunteering
15. Make applesauce and jar it to enjoy throughout the year
16. Spend a day completely unplugged from technology
17. Volunteer in the nursery at church
18. Take a cooking class
19. Go to a Tigers Baseball game
20. Plan a Michigan staycation
21. Go to the Grand Ole Opry with Jameson
22. Make artwork to hang on the walls of our home
23. Meet Penn State Football coach James Franklin
24. Make homemade bread
25. Go to a wine tasting
26. Get a library card
27. Go skiing
28. Visit a friend who lives in a different city
29. Celebrate our one year wedding anniversary
30. Visit Canada
31. Workout 3 times a week for 4 weeks in a row
32. Attend the Kentucky Derby
33. Cook a recipe out of every cookbook I own
34. Host a holiday in our home
35. Complete a sewing project
36. Go a month without spending any money at Target
37. Organize our master closet (and keep it that way!)
38. Make a gift for someone else
39. Grow a vegetable garden
40. Read 12 books just for fun
41. Make marinara sauce from scratch
42. Celebrate our second wedding anniversary
43. Help someone accomplish one of their goals
44. Own a monogram piece of jewelry
45. Take Milton to a dog park
46. Plan an unexpected date night
47. Support a local business
48. Go on a picnic
49. Enjoy a spa day with my mom and sister
50. Go to a show at a comedy club
51. Start and completely fill up a prayer journal
52. Visit my sister and her hubby in Nashville
53. Host a non family member visitor in our home
54. Photograph an iconic Detroit landmark
55. Send out annual Christmas cards
56. Go on a mission trip with Jameson
57. Establish a family tradition
58. Get back into lap swimming
59. Try a beet juice
60. Complete a Bible Study from start to finish
61. See Lady Antebellum in concert
62. Adopt a rescue dog
63. Save $20 with coupons on 1 grocery shopping trip
64. Take an afternoon bike ride around the town
65. Make our wedding photo album
66. Host friends for a summer BBQ
67. Make homemade Larabars
68. Donate to a charity we are passionate about
69. Workout with a friend
70. Give a unique wedding gift to a friend
71. Purchase something from a flea market
72. Attend a Penn State vs. Michigan football game in Ann Arbor
73. Successfully complete a Pinterest project
74. Take Milton on a hike
75. Create a handmade lighting fixture
76. Celebrate Jameson's 25th Birthday
77. Celebrate my 25th Birthday
78. Try a new hairstyle
79. Help someone during a time of need
80. Be able to do 10 REAL pushups in a row
81. Try 5 new restaurants around Detroit
82. Become an aunt
82. Soak up some sun at a resort in Mexico
83. Go to a movie on opening night
84. Complete a 1 minute plank
85. Sell old textbooks from college
86. Go on a girls weekend trip
87. Complete a crossfit workout
88. Go on a Saturday morning coffee date at a new coffee shop
89. Inspire someone else to make a list of their own
90. Complete a 500 piece puzzle
91. Read every book of the Bible
92. Make monthly goals and hold myself accountable for them
93. Attend a musical
94. Find community in a small group at church
95. Have an anniversary photo shoot
96. Learn how to edit my photos
97. Attend a bonfire and roast marshmellows
98. Cook Jameson his favorite meal (including dessert!)
99. Go to Eastern Market
100. Pray daily for my husband and family
101. Complete everything on this list!

Linking up today with the girls at Tuesday Tea

House Updates: Kitchen Progress

We have made quite a bit of progress with the house since I last spoke of it. Paint is now on the walls, the basement has been framed out, cabinets are in, and tile is complete in the bathrooms. I don't have too many pictures because it is still very much a construction zone but I thought I would share some of the kitchen progress today. The kitchen is the heart and soul of any home and Jameson and I have really enjoyed picking out all the details for this room. We both love clean and simple lines so we knew right away we wanted white Shaker style cabinets with a sleek glass subway tile back splash. To add contrast we decided on a dark grey Uba Tuba granite. We got a leathered finished granite which creates a matted, textured look instead of the traditional shiny, smooth finish.

These were some of our inspirations for the kitchen.

We got a great deal on the stainless steal appliances by purchasing a refrigerator that is now discontinued and a very gently used stove. This week the hardwood floors are going to be sanded and stained and then the appliances can go in. It has been such a cool journey to see everything come together and I can't wait to see the finished product.

I'll leave you with the pictures of the kitchen I took this weekend. Please just ignore the sawdust and tools everywhere...no one every said construction was pretty.