Fireplace

As soon as David and I saw the fireplace we loved it, well except for the red brick part. It was too much the focal point of the room. Someday we will tear it all down but for now it needed to be muted. So, we had our awesome handyman hit it with a few coats of primer. That alone changed the feel of the room! 

We wanted it to be really white though-easier to clean and looks sharper. A coat of semi-gloss later and wow! I am so excited to see it against the new paint but for now I will enjoy the hard work paying off!

Bye-Bye Popcorn!

And the demo continues.....

Our amazing handyman has removed ALL the popcorn ceilings in our new house!  What. A. Mess.  Glad to see it go, but everything is just covered in YUCK.  Regardless, we have been out at the house everyday working. 

The kitchen is getting a makeover as well.  New appliances, but to brighten the place up I am painting the cupboards WHITE!  With just two coats of primer it already is making a difference!

I can't wait to see the walls and ceilings painted this week!!!

David tore up the carpet in all three bedrooms as we await install....hopefully by the end of the week!

Oh yeah and I removed the wall paper border in the girls bathroom!

I can't wait to take "after" shots!!!!

Moving On!

Yup, that's right we are MOVING!!!!  Exciting, scary, and LOTS of work!  We purchased it from a very sweet elderly couple who we had the pleasure of meeting.  You can tell they loved and cared for this home.
 I am going to attempt to document as much as possible of all the changes we are making to the house.  In two weeks I hope there is a great transformation!

Yesterday, after I got the keys I started removing nails and screws and patching any holes.  

The place is filthy, just years of grime mixed with dust.  YUCK!

This is the LAUNDRY ROOM....where clean clothes come out!  The shelving has been completely removed and will be GONE.  Again, YUCK.

I can tell you it was very difficult to really see the space when we viewed the home.  Cluttered and FULL.

When David joined me yesterday we removed the cabinet section hanging from the ceiling in the kitchen, but of course I forgot a before photo!  It already has opened up the space and I can't wait to see how the light comes through now.  David did discover a ceiling mounted electrical socket.  Ugh.  Not ideal, but brainstorming about it now.  I wonder if they make those pull down outlets, like they have in industrial kitchens or garages, but pretty for a home.  Hmmmmm.

We will be out of the house for a few days while our AMAZING handyman is removing all the lovely popcorn ceilings. Then, he paints!!!  I. Can't. Wait.  The house needs clean, fresh, paint....and trim that is WHITE.  

We will most likely stop by Sunday, when our Handyman is off, and remove the master carpet and maybe the other 2 bedrooms flooring as well.  Some other destruction and then a dip in our new pool!  

Thank you Holly

My two big girls finished all levels of swim at Lifetime Fitness!!!! It is great to see how confident they are in the water now and I can't wait to watch them swim and play all summer. 

Thanks to their sweet teacher Holly. She was a perfect match for their personalities. 

Me and mom

My mom invited me out to the botanical gardens in Phoenix to see the beautiful glass art on display.

It was interesting art and as the sun went down some of the pieces seemed to come to life a bit more.

Here are a few of my favorites!

The fire ball before the sun went down 

The fire ball!!

I called this asparagus!

My girls saw this with nanny too....and apparently had snack all over the park! 

Pat's Run 2014

It's hard to think that a year ago this was my first ever real run. My supportive husband ran the entire 4.2 mile run at my pace and I finished in just over 51 minutes. I was just so excited to be under one hour and I ran (really it was a jog) the entire course. 

I have been running consistently since last fall. I am not where I want to be but I am inching my way there, something I could not do without my amazing husband encouraging me and giving me tips along with my four cheerleaders!!! One of those cheerleaders has the itch to run as well. She joined us for the run this year and walk/jogged it with her daddy and Scott. They finished at 1:05:07 and I cried as they ran over the finish line together. Honestly, this run is so emotional anyway knowing who we are running for (pat Tillman gave his life for this country) and seeing current military running, wounded warrior project, those representing fallen soldiers, along with countless other patriotic people and sights.

As for me I finished in 45:37. Averaging a 10:52 mile, which would have been a little better had I not got stuck in a crowd at the end. My goal was an eleven minute mile consistently for 4.2 miles. I do not train with inclines and there are a couple doozies on this course! 

Big Changes

It's official....we have no more cribs in this house! In fact we have no more baby anything. It Is bittersweet. I have no desire to be pregnant again or lose sleep for months, but I do love our babies. However, four is a good number for us.

Emma is sleeping on a fold out mattress for now and she loves it!