Den Updates...

If you know me in real life you probably know that my favorite color is red. Love, love, love me some red. My grandmother that passed away last fall was the same way and she always wore something red everyday. She always said it was her 'signature color' and I guess I've made it mine as well over the years. Anyways, I've wanted a slipcovered sofa from Pottery Barn since we got married. However, it was not really in the budget then. We've been slowly saving and waiting for the right time. This summer we paid cash for my new RED sofa. We even decided to bump it to a sleeper sofa so that we have an extra bed when needed. Since sofas are custom orders we had to wait for it to be made in North Carolina before it was shipped south. Then of course they called to set up delivery for the week we were on vacation. (Timing is everything, right?!) Anyways, we arrived home on Saturday and the old sofa was gone. We told the college students that were house sitting to go ahead and take it while they were here. AG was perplexed about the sofa being gone at first. On Monday, the new sofa arrived from ATL. It is fabulous! Really. I absolutely adore it. It's been fun watching Olympics on it every night. 

Anyways, here are some pictures of the den at the moment...

 AG testing out the sleeper sofa. He makes us laugh. 

 AKs dazed and confused about having a new couch. 

 I'm in the process of changing out my throw pillows. The frame pillow is new and I'm thinking of putting a monogram on it. I need to find a cover for the other two pillows. In addition, I really need to decide on fabric for the chair so that I can get that project started. I'll be glad once it has been recovered.

As for the play area it got a much needed deep cleaning/organizing on Sunday. I keep a huge chunk of our toys in the attic and we rotate them around to help minimize the chaos. I was love how neat things are after we've rotated toys. I'm planning to do a fall bulletin board for the kids and it's currently on my 'To Do List' along with several other learning at home projects for this upcoming year. Hopefully, I'll get it up in the next week or so now that I have more time to work on stuff with AG in school 5 days a week.

I love this little shelf. It's slated for a paint makeover...eventually. One day. It's the perfect height/size to store our ever growing collection of Melissa and Doug toys.

Once I get the chair done I'll do a whole before/after post with pictures from all angles. I also need to brainstorm what I'm going to display in the window for the fall. I love that window ledge above the sofa because it's like a gigantic mantle. The possibilities are really endless. There you have it...organized play space for the kids and a new sofa. On to the next project. :)

Plantin' for Piper Jean...

For those that have read my blog for a long time you know that I've posted about The Needham Crew and Piper's battle with leukemia. Three years ago, I randomly stumbled upon this blog and the sweet family that was in the midst of a raging storm. Their whole lives had been flipped upside down because their new daughter had been diagnosed with leukemia. I instantly felt connected to them...not that I can even begin to understand what it is like to have a child with childhood cancer but my family is no stranger to the same disease Piper had. When I was in 6th grade my 3 year old cousin was diagnosed with the same type of leukemia. He also completed his treatment at the same hospital as Piper at Scottish Rite. The Needhams live about 45 minutes from where I grew up and in the same college town that my sister went to school at and we hold football season tickets. So, I felt a connection and began to follow along. Daily for the last three years I have thought about and prayed for them. And I have been reminded daily to keep the big picture the big picture. I have gained a heart of gratitude and appreciation for being able to experience the simple things in life daily with my kids because not everyone can. My heart still aches for them and for all that they have experienced but I'm grateful that despite things we can't fathom or understand that God is still sovereign. He's still in control and he has Piper safe in his arms. 

This past Saturday Piper would have been three and Sus posted that she planned to plant flowers for Piper because she loved everything about gardens. She said that if anyone else felt like joining her to send her some pictures. Well, I recently had purchased a crop of sunny rudbeckia that needed to be planted and as soon as I read the post I knew we'd plant them for Piper. Here are some pictures I took along the way. I've since put out a layer of fresh pinestraw around them to finish them off.  I probably should snap a picture of it and post it. Anyways, I put them right off the driveway next to the back of the house. Every single time we walk outside we'll see them since we enter/exit our house from the backdoor. 

Sus--I know we've never met and yet, I feel like we would get along so well. Thank you for sharing your journey with us. I'm sure that it is not an easy thing to do. Know that you are all thought about and prayed for daily, still. And know that Piper is not forgotten. These sweet, sunny flowers will serve as a constant reminder of her every year. Let us know if there is anything else we can do for you.

Much love,
Katie

Details sneak peek of Avi-Kate's room...

A few details...full pictures once I get everything on the walls the way I want it. I must say that it's coming along and I really love how it's turning out. Stay tuned.

Pulled the trigger...can't believe we did it...

We have been planning to do some changes around the house this summer. And some of those things I've been planning for probably close to two years. Seriously. We've really gotten on the bandwagon of paying cash for things including big items. Well, that requires saving, patience, and lots of research to make sure when you do spend the money it is well spent.

Last night was a big night in the Edwards household! Andy came home with a new tv for the den AND a new tv arrived via Amazon for our bedroom AND we ordered a new couch that we've been eyeing for YEARS! Not going to lie it was really weird because we've been working towards all of this for a couple years so to pull the trigger and do it was very surreal. Here's how it all went down:

DEN
-Our big tv started having problems two years ago around the time Andy switched companies. And it was not really in the budget to replace it so we lived with it, quirks and all, for a year. Last summer it died completely. We tried fixing it but no dice. And after lots of research Andy found that the problem we had was quite common with this tv. Which is ironic because we have the same tv in a smaller size for our living room and haven't had an issue with it. (Knock on wood!) We bought the big one because we liked the little one so much. Funny. Anyways, we just made do with the little tv which is still big at 32". It has been floating between the living room and the den this last year depending on what we are doing. Well, yesterday Andy bought his new 'big man replacement tv' and he and AG were happy to test it out last night. AG was in awe of the 3D! Ha. He wore his Ron Potter glasses last night over the ones the tv came with. :) The biggest lesson learned? It's probably a great thing we waited two years to buy it. We got a really good deal on a 3D tv that would have been way more expensive two years ago. And as Andy likes to remind me the 3D technology has improved greatly over the last few years. Big success. We both looked at each other last night and said I can't wait for football season! Ha.

-Sofa, sofa, we need a sofa. Well, we have been eyeing sofas from Pottery Barn since we got married but they have been out of our price range. Plus, there were other things that took precedent in remodeling our house. If you've ever been in our den you know that it is deep but very narrow. Think long skinny rectangle. Due to how narrow it is I never even entertained the idea of a sleeper sofa. I really just assumed it was too narrow. Enter this past winter when we entertained a large group of people and I decided we really needed more bed space. Sofa bed is a short term solution and the long term solution is moving. We are hoping to begin looking in the near future but for now this helps. (More on moving in another post for another day!) Well, I decided to measure and see if it would be possible to put a sleeper sofa in our den and you know what?!?!? We can. It'll take up the whole space but we can do it. So, guess what? I bought a sofa last night with a sofa bed. AND I got 15% off my entire order thanks to a sale that was ending last night. WAHOO! The only downside, which really isn't a downside because it is a good thing, is that it will take 6-8 weeks to get to us because each piece is custom made. My hope is that it will be in before the students return at the end of August. Next up is for me to decide on the fabric for the chair that I'm having recovered. Best get on that now that I've bought the sofa. When I get it all put together in the next few months I'll post pictures. I kept measuring and remeasuring last night to make sure before I placed the order. (Even though I've measured countless times and we sit on the sofa every time we go in a PB.) Again, it was weird to actually do all of this.

MASTER BEDROOM
-We've had my small, old box style, tv from college in our bedroom. I told Andy that for Father's Day we'd gift him a new tv for our room. Notice, I said gift him. Yes, my husband ordered his own present because I knew that if I bought something there was a high probability that it would have to be returned. Ha. So, we have a new tv for our bedroom. Nothing fancy but it works perfect for what we want it to do. I can't get over the difference in size! It's actually two inches bigger in the screen than the old one but due to how slim it is it seems really, really small! So, we set it up yesterday as well.

LIVING ROOM
-A few weeks back, when we cleaned out my Grandmother's estate, we came home with a new to us entertainment cabinet. At the time the 32" tv was residing in the den and so the cabinet sat empty. Well, due to the arrival of the new tv for the den Andy was able to move the 32" back in to the living room. AG has been ecstatic about this decision because he can now play the Wii and his Disneyland Kinect game. The tv fits the cabinet perfectly. I'm quite pleased with how it looks.

So, there you have it. Changing things up. I can't wait till the end of the summer when the couch arrives! :) Happy Wednesday. I'll be back soon with more comings and goings.

In a state of chaos...

...more so than normal. Ha. :) So, Andy is off all this week from work and originally we had planned to head back to Disney but then we decided to surprise the kids at Christmas...so, this week we are home and we are busy, busy, busy around the house. Things are being painted, I'm organizing and throwing stuff out/donating like crazy, spring cleaning, etc. I don't have time to do details, yet, but here are a few pictures of Avi-Kate in her room right before Andy and AG started painting it moments ago. She's excited about her new big girl room. 

Can't believe that she'll be a year old one week from today! This year has flown by. Oh, and she started walking yesterday! Andy was really excited to be home to see it. More updates soon...

"Reggie had plans, big plans..."

Anyone know where that little title came from? Anyone? Probably not...it's from one of my favorite children's books of all time, Ira Sleeps Over. (We have the very well-worn copy from my childhood and a fresh, new copy on the bookshelves and AG prefers the well-worn copy every time.)

Anyways, I've got plans, big plans! For the house that is. Over the last few weeks we have been talking at length about some larger projects that we would like to tackle. Not on the same scale as say completely overhauling the kitchen but bigger than repainting something. So here is a few of the things we've been discussing:

Outside
~New Fence--we are in need of replacing the existing one. However, we are pretty sure that our property line is beyond the fence on all three sides. The first order of business will be to have our lot surveyed so that we can see the correct placement of our property flags. Since our lot is quite wooded, due to the age of the homes in our area, we'll probably need to take out some trees in order to move the fence out. I'm quite excited about the possibilities of some more sunshine in the backyard so that I can plant some different things.

Den
~Semi-Makeover--We are planning to replace our sofa, chair, and ottoman this summer. We are also getting a new tv for the den since the old one needs replacing. I'm planning to order a new sofa and ottoman...I'm leaning toward something slipcovered so that I can wash it if need be and when it wears out/I need something new I can easily change it out. Our den is very casual and comfy so I think it will fit perfectly. As for a chair, I already have one and am planning to get it recovered. I just need to find a fabric I like for it. By the time we finish I'm sure it'll look completely different but we are not starting from scratch hence the 'semi-makeover'.

Laundry Room
~Completely overhauled--Oh, the joys of a long, skinny, old house. I had an absolutely AMAZING design for the laundry room remodel. And then we realized that if we did what I had planned we wouldn't be able to move our furniture out one day when we move. (Sigh!) To say I was bummed would be an understatement BUT I'm extremely grateful that we thought about that before we did anything. My dad jokingly told me we could just offer the house as fully furnished. Ha. Anyways, since my first plan is out the new plan will actually be much cheaper/won't take as long. The plan is to paint, put in cabinets, a countertop for me to fold laundry on, new appliances...I'll need to have front loaders for my design, flooring, and crown molding since the ONLY room in the house that doesn't have it currently is the laundry room. This project will be BIG but not HUGE because the room is a blank canvas. We have some wire shelving to take down and an old linoleum floor to pull up but that is it. And the hardest thing we'll do will be moving the location of the washer and dryer. Nothing like the bathroom remodel or the kitchen. Now to just get everything out of it! It's been our catch all place while we've worked on every other room. I'm looking forward to having it cleaned out and fixed up. I'm not sure when exactly we'll do  this but we'll just say that it is finally on the To Do Docket. Hooray!

Furniture
~Dining Room Table--Needs to be finished. Andy started it forever ago and just hasn't had time to finish it and when he does the weather hasn't cooperated. Since the pollen is falling so early we are hoping he might be able to get some stuff done in the next few weeks before the summer heat really sets in.
~End Tables--We were able to snag two bedside tables from my grandmother's estate and they need to be refinished. They are really simple and it shouldn't take Andy long to paint and distress them the way he likes to.
~Bookcase--Lives in our bedroom and needs a coat of paint so that it will match the rest of the room.

Currently
~A week ago we went to Atlanta to claim what we wanted out of my grandmother's estate. We came home with lots of furniture! Well, in order to bring furniture home you have to get rid of furniture. Two of our students are getting married later this year and so they are taking lots of things off of our hands. Needless to say, my house is total chaos right now. I'm cleaning stuff out, spring cleaning, and reorganizing! Over the weekend I redid the kitchen cabinets. I'm slowly making my way around the house. It just takes longer since I'm having to juggle normal mom duties and then the extra work. I'm making progress...slowly but surely. I'm planning to do some before/after posts to show what we changed. I just need to finish redecorating things. Stay tuned.

Like I said...plans, big plans! We'll see what we end up working on and when. I also have several ideas for art for the walls/things I want Andy and I to make. We just need to find the time. :) Photos to come as we tackle things off the list.

Face-lift on the house...sneak peek.

When you live in an old house it is inevitable that things are going to need to be repaired, fixed, and or restored at some point. In the case of our front steps that has been a need since we moved in but we are finally at point where we can focus on it. I plan to do a complete before/after post when Andy has everything just the way he likes it. Till then here is a sneak peek at some of the work that has taken place...

I've come to the conclusion that there are very few things that my husband and father can not do. The front of the house is a prime example of that and it amazes me! Looking forward to showing you all the details, soon.

AG's big boy room...

...it dawned on me that I, in my pregnant state these last few months, forgot to post what we did to AG's room this spring. (Sigh) Anyways, it still needs a few things done to it but overall it looks pretty good. We painted it grey and AG picked a shade known as 'Mickey's Shadow'...how appropriate. He wanted to help and so we suited him up in an old onesie and let him go to town. Later, Andy finished it all by himself. He then built, painted and installed hanging shelves for the wall along with two new bookcases. I've decided that there are very few things in this world that my husband can not do. He's quite talented. I still need to do something on the windows, get a bunch of prints framed and hung, and decide what to do with the shelf over AG's bed. Oh, and find a rug. Now if I could get Avi-Kate's room finished...

Dining Room Update...

...well, we've done a few projects in the dining room over the last few weeks. Here's some of the highlights:

Andy and I opted to just rehab our 90's brass chandelier. With a quick trip to Home Depot to pick up supplies Andy was able to take our chandelier from this:

To this:

Here's what we used:
-Rustoleum spray paint in Oil Rubbed Bronze
-Replacement sleeves for the arms (x8)
-25-watt bulbs (x8)

We opted to replace the old sleeves in a cream color instead of bright white to help soften the look. We also liked the look without the lampshades so we took the wattage on our lightbulbs down. I didn't toss the shades because it's highly possible that at some point I'll want to change it up. :) Anyways, this project was super simple. Andy took down the chandy, we cleaned it up, sprayed it, and then re-hung it. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. I'm all for a thrifty but fabulous redo!


Next up would be my fabulous benches courtesy of my quite handy husband. I discovered a fabulous website, by Ana White, that has great FREE! plans for building your own furniture. Andy mulled over several possibilities before settling on this plan. If you know my husband you know that he is meticulous and a perfectionist when it comes to projects. So, tackling his first furniture building project was no exception. Here's how they turned out:

Finished and ready to be sanded, primed, and painted. Photo via Andy's iPhone.

Finished. I LOVE them.

To go with my new fabulous benches Andy's mom gave us these two old chairs. They were originally Andy's great-grandmother's and were residing at the basement at the farm. They are extremely old (I'm thinking 100+ years) and in desperate need of some TLC. They aren't done but here's a sneak peek of how they are coming along:

Fixed, patched, sanded, and primed...

Lastly, we have the table. Andy started refinishing it this fall and then the weather got bad and he hasn't been able to finish it. We are waiting for the pollen to die down and then we'll haul it back out to the backyard to finish it up. One of these days we'll redo the china cabinet but till then it works for now.

The table with one of two leaves in it...

One of my next projects on tap for this room and the whole house in general is window treatments. I'm still mulling the possibilities. For now the dining room is coming along and I'm quite pleased with the progress. On to another project, right?! Of course, there is always some sort of project to be done around here...