A before and after post

We bought the house we live in last summer on a foreclosure with the intention of fixing it up and getting it back on the market as soon as possible. Since I love it here I haven't been in too big of a hurry.

We were super smart and didn't take a single picture of the house before we started working on it. In our own defense, we started working on it before we even actually bought it. The befores below are from the appraisal that was done when we purchased the house. I don't think they really do justice to how much work needed done.

There are certainly more things we would have done if we were going to make this our permanent residence, but instead we put it up for sale. About a month later we got an offer.

So now all we need is a new place to live!

Here's a rundown of before and after photos with a few descriptions.

Before: The exterior

 

After: Sprinklers, grading, curbing, grass, plants. This was a major chore for Tim. After he got the yard all leveled and ready for grass there was a huge rainstorm that ruined a lot of it - exposed a lot of the sprinkler lines. And it took the topsoil right down the hill, so it was a hard fix.

Before: The back. (This does not show the shoulder high weeds)

 

After: Landscaping, new bottom deck, new railing and some tile work on top deck, new plaster.

Before: The entry

 

After: Paint, wainscoting. I also refurbished that buffet, best $10 I ever spent. There is a piano there now, thanks Granny!

 

Another after: New stair railing.

 

Before: The great room

 

After: New paint, baseboards and window mouldings (these actually go for every room in the house).

 

Before: The kitchen

 

After: Paint, some electrical, granite, tile backsplash

 

Before: Bathroom

 

After: Paint, granite, tile, miscellaneous plumbing stuff.

 

Before: Master bedroom

 

After: Paint, carpet, etc...

 

Before: Master bathroom

 

After: Tile, paint, granite, mirror. We (read: Tim) also handscraped all the old grout out of the shower and bath tile and did new grout to match the floor, and changed out the decorative tile border to match as well. This is my favorite after. I'm not happy about leaving this bathroom behind. :)

 

Before: Lower deck (Looks safe!)

 

After: New deck, handrail and stairs.

 

No before, just an after of a bedroom. New carpet, paint, mouldings, etc... And I made that toddler bed, how crafty am I!

 

No before. Finished a large bedroom, bathroom, and linen closet in a portion of the unfinished basement. We hired someone to do the drywall and plumbing - we did the rest.

 

So now I'm tired of uploading pictures. Those were most of the big ones, anyway. Sayonara, Perry.

The end is near (of summer)

We spent our last two weeks of summer in high fashion. Last week we went to Bear Lake with my whole family. It was crowded and warm and we got raspberry milk shakes. I'm hoping I can steal a photo of Mason being burried to his head from my mom's camera.

This weekend we went camping at Mirror Lake with Tim's parents and a few nephews. Mason was those nephews' little pet and they led him around the whole time, telling him how cool he was and trying to get all of his attention. To say Mason enjoyed himself would be an major understatement.

It makes sense that we would wait until the last two weeks of summer to do some of our more fun activities. We've been unbelievably healthy (if you don't count morning sickness) all summer. So naturally we all came down with colds just in time to party. Friday night camping we shared a big tent trailer bed with both kids and oh my gosh. People who ever sleep with their kids in their beds are some brand of crazy. Add a cold to each of those little ones and you have us seriously considering packing up and leaving at two o'clock in the morning. Still recovering.

 

A Brielle Post

One of my favorite moments of the day is when I hear my baby girl chatting in her crib, and when I go in to get her I'm greeted with a big grin and two beautiful blue eyes under a crazy mess of blonde hair. Part of this is because...blonde hair/blue eyes??? I never expected the combo in one of my children and she is just so stunning to me. The other part is that smile. You have to earn it. She saves so many of them just for her mama.

 

She keeps me on my game like no other child could. This girl is non-stop from the minute she wakes up till the minute she is put in bed. Favorite thing - climbing. She climbs, then she empties a drawer, then she climbs something else, then she pulls out a bottom drawer to climb onto to empty a higher one. We have to keep all the chairs on the table, but sometimes she's a little quicker than us. Also, putting on anybody's shoes and trying on everybody's clothes (legs first, always).

In between all the crazy is a guaranteed cuddle. Every five or ten minutes she'll run over, crawl onto me or beg to be picked up, wrap her arms around me and lay her head on my chest. She squeezes for a few seconds and once she's had her fix she's off again. It's probably the best thing in the world.

Her favorite phrases right now: "I nee ta go POTTTEEEEE," and "I wen POTTEEEEEE." If you get her on the phone with her dad, you will hear the most joyful giggles and screeches of "Daddddeeeee!! Hi, Dadddeeeee!"

 

 

She's pretty fun.

A Mason Post

There have been so many moments since Mason was born that I have felt a total panic at how quickly he's changing and growing and becoming not-a-baby-anymore.

The frequency of those moments has been increasing as he sheds more of the perfect baby fat from his chubby little cheeks. He's always been so easy and easy-going. Lately, though, he is realizing what he wants and trying out new ways to get it when he wants. It can be exasperating.

But then after a bedtime induced tantrum he sneaks out of his bedroom one last time to tell me "Sorry, Mommy, " with a hug and a kiss.

He loves to tattle on his sister and I actually think this is so little out of malice and more out of genuine concern that it's kind of adorable. After all, we call him Mr. Safety. He is constantly reminding Tim to buckle up, asking him to drive a little slower, and be careful. Kid is CAUTIOUS. He never forgets a safety rule.

We had a family night lesson a couple of weeks ago about Adam and Eve (He loves the lesson part of family night?). He seemed to get the whole story pretty well. A few days ago we were cutting snowflakes out of paper and since I had him sitting still I decided to quiz him on what he learned. Of Adam and Eve...

Mason: Heavenly Father said, "You can eat aaaany of the veggies, but don't eat the cheese!"
Crystal: And what would happen if they ate it?
Mason: Then they would have to leave........in a rocket ship.

So there you have it. I think he gets the idea!

"Excuse me, excuse me. Daddy? Um... wait a second, wait a second. Um, Daddy, _______________________" (Choose from the following):

- Slow down.
- Do you want to have a dragon fight?
- Can I watch a movie?
- I need some milk.