What we've been up to lately...

 So it's no secret, I'm a terrible blogger. I'm terrible at being consistent but I do enjoy posting pictures of projects when I can. I am currently 31 weeks pregnant with our third boy which translates into 7 months along. We are constantly kept busy with the boys and dog and prepping for baby to come in mid June.

Anyone who knows me knows that I love a good project and won't pass one up. I'm always day dreaming on what we can do to the house and I mostly just wonder when the funds will magically appear in our bank account. The other day, my husband was talking and mentioned re-financing our home because we have lots of equity, we could pull out a chunk without raising our monthly payment too much. The DIYer inside of me was jumping for joy but I was trying to keep my cool and so I was like "yah....that sounds cool".

We started the paperwork to refi, we received a contractors bid to reconfigure our kitchen and install hardwood floors throughout our home and part of upstairs while refinishing our TWO staircases. The bid came in wonderfully and we even have some wiggle room to get new appliances, but ALL of this depends on the appraisal value of the home. We need to hit a certain number otherwise we are out of luck. It's not totally crazy to think we will hit it and so I've been researching, flooring, types of woods, stains, widths, sinks, garbage disposals, faucets, counters, backsplash. EVERYTHING. It makes me so happy to think and dream of all these and to know I'm so close to getting what i've dreamed of. Now all we need is the number of the house to be high enough. We find out either tonight or tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

Until then, we have worked hard on painting our bathrooms from hideous 20 year old colors to soft, neutral colors. I finished painting the nursery. I just need to finish the stars on the ceiling. Here are some updated photos of what's happened since the last time I blogged.

Here is the BEFORE BEFORE. BLECH!

Downstairs 1/2 bathroom. This is my during shot.

After! Paint is Magnetic Gray by Sherwin Williams. It is such a pretty blue/green gray that changes with the light.

Upstairs guest bath near the playroom. The blue wasn't HIDEOUS, but it wasn't me.

Paint makes such a HUGE difference. Walls are Shoji White and cabinets are Magnetic Gray by Sherwin Williams

Master bathroom. I cannot believe we lived with it like this for over 1.5 years. So grody to me.

I wanted to add a candle candelabra over our tub and a friend gifted one to me. I just needed to paint it. Paint is Paris Grey from Annie Sloan.

here it is hanging. I added a dark wax of annie sloan to it. Butterfly print is from Amazon and frame from IKEA.

AFTER! Cabinets are Magnetic Gray and walls are Shoji White in Sherwin Williams. We didn't replace any faucets or fixtures. This is strictly a painted update. Which makes me love paint more and more. So much brighter and feels more clean.

The boys room BEFORE

I feel like there room needs something more, but for now, I'm happy with it. Dressers, bed, rug, curtains, lamps, and duvets are from IKEA. I made the ABC and framed ATLAS maps from books for artwork. 

This is the NURSERY before. It is naturally a darker room to begin with and this paint was awfully dark. 

3 walls are Shoji White, accent wall is magnetic gray (leftover from cabinets) and stencil is Shoji White all from Sherwin Williams. Artwork is just free printables from Pinterest and crib/bedding from my previous babies.

We needed a new dresser for the babies room, but didn't have a large budget. My max for a dresser was $100. I found this solid wood WITH mirror for $89 at my local antique mall. Total SCORE!

I painted the dresser in Magnetic Gray...yet again. Metal shelf is from IKEA, baskets are from forever ago. Changing pad cover, sewn by me. 

Eat In kitchen area BEFORE

Eat In AFTER. I know this is a different angle, but you get the idea. We changed out the light fixture to the brass one I painted, we added bamboo blinds from Home Depot and the Round Pedestal table is from World Market, Chairs are from Overstock. So much lighter, brighter and just feels cleaner overall.

Living Room BEFORE

AFTER. We removed the mirror and recently added drapes from Target and the rods from Walmart. Our sectional is from Costco. 

As you can see, we have done lots and lots of updates with just the use of paint. Paint is my BFF. If you could do ONE thing to your house, what would you do?