{House Tour}

**Thanks for stopping by!  Sorry this is an old post, but I simply ran out of time.  I have changed a few things here & there, but overall - this is the look of my house.  Plus you get a sneak peak at my Christmas decor! =)

First of all, how in the world can it be December already?!?  Second of all, how can it be 6 weeks since I blogged last?!?  It really is scary how fast time is flying by...and it seems to go faster the older I get!  The past few weeks have been crazy busy with football, fun nights with friends, slumber parties, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Black Friday shopping, etc.  Unfortunately the next few weeks aren't looking any better....but I LOVE it!  This is most definitely my favorite time of the year so I want to enjoy every second of it!

I have been in my house for 3 months now & I FINALLY feel like I am settled.  I painted my guestroom this weekend & hung some curtains, so for the most part - I feel like everything is "finished".  Of course anyone who knows me well knows I like to change things...so there's no guarantee how long it will look like this...but I am going to take a break & just enjoy it for a {long} while!  I promised to post pictures once I was all moved in & everything was finished so here you go!  Be prepared...there are LOTS!!

 

In my last house, you walked immediately into my living room & that always bothered me.  I know an entryway is a waste of space, but I love it!  I needed something big for the large wall on the right and came across a sign very similar to this on Pinterest.  A friend & I were able to make it out of the pallets my grass came on! 

The guest bathroom...

 

Guestroom #1 is set up as an office/guestroom.  According to my niece Morgan, this is her room.  At first she wanted me to paint it pink & purple with horses & butterflies. I did manage to convince her to let me paint it gray & decorate it with A&M stuff instead.  =)

 

Guestroom #2 is the only room left with the original paint color, but I think it works in here so it's staying.  Quite honestly, I don't want to see another paintbrush or roller for a very long time.  I think in total, I went through 13 gallons of paint in the whole repainting process.

 

I know laundry rooms aren't too exciting, but it's one of the things I loved most about my floor plan when I picked it! I love the wall of built-ins...and the navy paint {which most people thought I was crazy when I said I was painting the walls that color}!! 

The master bedroom & bathroom were probably the first two rooms to be completed, mostly because I had everything picked out & purchased before I closed on the house.  In my last house, I had a full size bed so I knew I wanted to upgrade to at least a queen.  A friend of mine was selling this bed & I fell in love with it.  I redid it using chalk paint & am so happy with how it turned out!  

 My only regret in the master bath is that I didn't scrap the large garden tub & replace it with a huge walk in shower & linen closet.  It's definitely a waste of space & a dust collector.   Oh well, lesson learned & I'll make note for my next house. 

One thing I knew for sure is that I wanted my new house to have an open concept. The rooms in my first house were very closed off & since I like to entertain, that didn't work so well. Now, my living room, kitchen, & breakfast/dining room is all one big space & I absolutely LOVE it!!

My absolute favorite part of the kitchen is the island. I use it All.The.Time. On the original floor plan, the island had a raised part so you could use it as a breakfast bar. Shortly before my precon meeting, I saw the flat island in a house over in Woodbridge & I really liked it. I debated what I should do & eventually decided to make it flat & I am so glad I did.

The "other half" of the main, open area of the house is the living room. My living room sat unfinished for quite a while.  For over 2 months, I used patio chairs as furniture becasue I had the hardest time finding living room furniture that I liked.  I finally found a set I liked & of course - as luck would have it - it was "in production" so it would be another month before I could get it. It was finally delivered on October 30th & I absolutely love it! 

And last but not least - the backyard!  One of the things I love most is the view.  There is a dry creek bed & tree line that runs along the back so I should never have neighbors directly behind me {I hope}.  It's so quiet & peaceful...it's almost  like living in the country, but only being 3 minutes from work & 5 minutes from Wal-Mart {which y'all know I LOVE}! Before I moved in, I decided to wait on sodding the backyard.  It was hard enough trying to keep the grass alive in the front yard in August, let alone the entire back yard as well {unfortunately a sprinkler system didn't fit in the budget}.   In October, I had 6 pallets laid because I couldn't take another day of all that dirt & mud back there.  I still need about 6 more, but this gives me a good amount of usable space for now. I have big ideas for what I want to do back there this spring - like adding a patio with a fire pit, hanging lights & landscaping...now if only my money tree will sprout and grow between now & then! =) 

One thing I did decide to do before I moved in was to add the deck off the back porch & I love it!  The house came with a covered porch but it is relatively small & the deck adds the perfect amount of extra space.

 

 

So there you have it - the grand tour!   When I made the decision to sell my first house & {eventually} build again - I had some major doubts.  But, now that it's finished & I have moved in - I have no regrets!  I love my house and absolutely love my neighbors & neighborhood.  Everyone is finally getting moved in & I couldn't be more excited.  I will be glad when all the construction is finished, but I know it won't be much longer...I think they have started all but 2 of the houses.  Please stop by if you are ever in the neighborhood...there's always a bottle of wine {or diet coke} in the fridge!