Our Home, A Tour: The Master Bathroom

 Presenting: 

The Master Bathroom

Like I said when I gave you a tour of our Hall Bathroom, we learned a lot about home renovations during that project! And we were able to apply some of what we learned when working on our second bathroom. Like: 

• Don't start a project until you have money/supplies to finish it.
• Begin with a plan, not because you want to rip down a wall. 
• Don't begin projects right after you find out you are expecting a baby... oh wait, we failed on that one. oops! ;)

Oh! And we drastically cut down our project time! Our Hall Bath took us 2 years, for many reasons, but this one took us about 2 weeks! Hurray for applying lessons learned!

Before: 

 I wish I would have taken more-updated before pictures of this room - the above picture was taken right after we moved in and sadly this bathroom deteriorated under our feet. I'll try to describe to you in words it's situation: The tile in the shower floor had not been installed properly so the majority of the grout worked it's way out over 2 years - leaving a shifty, sometimes poke-your-toes floor. The linoleum was peeling badly and discolored in a few places. The cabinet door didn't fit correctly, so I only had one attached - something I, surprisingly, got used to. It's funny how your list of priorities changes when you've lived in a house for awhile. :) (Can anyone relate?) 

So we started with ripping out the shower floor - the walls were in good shape, so we hoped to save them and just lay new tile down on the bottom. Brad spent a good afternoon breaking out the tile and scraping the shower pan to prep it for tile. We were able to find a tile we felt accented the walls well for the shower floor and then a pretty close match for the floor of the bathroom. I can't believe how simply changing the flooring dressed up this bathroom! We also painted both the upper walls and freshened up the bead-board which covers the bottom 4ish feet of the walls. 

After:

 Brad also used his carpentry skills to cut down the cabinet door and even added some trim to them so that the doors looked more "finished" they are so amazing. I'm a proud wife. It's given us confidence about possibly redoing a kitchen someday.... eek.

Before/After Side by Side: 

Hurray! Two bathrooms, spruced up by the Kidders - it feels so good to have them done!! 

We are done with bathrooms and bedrooms, let's do living spaces next! Front Room, here we come!

Our Home, A Tour: The Master Bedroom

 We catch a lot of Zzzzzz in this next room:

The Master Bedroom

This room, like both Lucy and Michael's has had it's share of shifts and changes in the past few years, from soon after move-in (an oldie post with lots of before pictures of the house!), after we got our new bedding, prepared for Michael's arrival and now!

 After we got Michael moved out of our room and settled into his, we decided to shift the way our room was arranged, moving the bed to the other wall, centered with the window. We've both liked this arrangement a lot, it seems to make the room feel a bit more open and not as much as if all the furniture is resting against one wall (it still is, but it doesn't feel like it is) Haha. I've kept my eye out for a piece of artwork to cover that electrical box... but we haven't found anything we love yet, so we are being patient - plus now we're moving and art is kinda hard to transport. :)

The other wall, which is home to the dresser.

We still have fabric that we'd like to use to make a padded headboard at some point. That change would also allow Lucy to have a bed frame, getting her mattress off the floor - plus I think that our headboard and footboard would look darling painted white in her room! :)

That was a quick tour - up next: the Master Bath!

Our Home, A Tour: Lucy's Room

 Today's tour is a room enjoyed by our biggest little person: 

Lucy's Room

Lu's room changed quite a bit since your last tour (check it out here) we've moved the queen bed (that used to be the guest bed) into here and although it's a pretty big bed for our little girl - she loves it. :) It's not on a frame or anything so it's very easy for her to get in and out of. :) 

 We had some paper-lantern catastrophes so we filled the space over Lu's bed with her Birthday Banner instead. At this point, we don't use a top sheet or comforter with Lucy - she loves her quilt and it covers her pretty well still so we've stuck with simple because it works. :) 

 A different angle of her bed. 

 Lucy got a new dresser since the last tour too - Michael inherited the long low one (it works so well for changing diapers!). 

We were given this dresser from my parents and after some paint stripping, sanding, priming, painting and a coat of polyurethane, I sanded and painted and polyurethaned again.... Long story, but many polyurethanes will yellow white or light-colored stains and the dresser ended up being a "buttery" color and not crisp white like I wanted. Boo - nothing that another weekend of work couldn't fix but I was so thrilled when it was done... and WHITE. 

The last wall in Lu's room - dress up stuff, musical instruments, books and stuffed animals grace this wall. :) 

Next Up: Master Bedroom!

Our Home, A Tour: Michael's Room

 Today, I'd like to show you: 

Michael's Room

 Some of you may remember, that this room was originally our Guest Room. But after Michael was born, we decided to move him in here and allow Lucy to have "sleepovers" with her brother when guests visit. Our kids, so far, have slept so much better alone - I know this is because they haven't been trained how to share a room and that training begins next month! They will be sharing a room in Lansing! 

I had so much fun decorating this room over a few months for our boy - we didn't paint, the color is neutral but I think I've been able to bring in color and whimsey through decorations instead. 

 Michael's room! :) 

 Changing table (you may remember I painted it for Lu soon after we moved to Pampa) 

 The cuddle corner - I love this rocker. :) 

 Hanging above Michael's bed are some of the yarn balls I made for an Easter Brunch at church (read about that here). They are hanging well out of Michael's reach, so don't worry. :) 

 All of our board-books hang out in here, along with cars, blocks and baby toys (in the top bin, no tag for it yet). I also keep the majority of our "makes noise" toys in here (in the basket on the right) Michael likes to play with them during room-time. :) 

 My favorite part in the whole room is this fun collage of memories. I found the printable online (you can find it here) and made the M canvas (info on that here). I had all these frames but they were different colors - a few quick coats of white spray paint made them coordinate nicely. :) I also invested in a mat-cutter (using a 40% off coupon from Hobby Lobby) and bought sheet of grey mat board. After some practice, I was able to cut out the mats and create a cohesive look for the collage. :)

Michael loves to look at books while his pants are changed, so I put a little set of board books into the wooden truck! It has been the perfect home for them, Michael and I both love the creative storage (for different reasons of course). :) 

 (There was a bit of something on my camera lens when I took these pictures - so please forgive the grey blotch.)

Well, that's Michael's colorful-and-functional-with-a-touch-of-whimsey Nursery. :) 

Next up on our house tour: Lucy's Room! 

Our Home, A Tour: Hall Bathroom

Hi friends, I'm starting a new - few week long - series here on the blog to document the progress and updates we've made on our home here in Pampa both for memory's sake and so you can see what we've done! :)

I even made a series picture/header! Fancy schmancy.

Today, I'd like to take you on a tour of our:

Hall Bathroom

I know what you're probably thinking, why in the world are you starting with a bathroom Sarah? I've chosen to start here for a few reasons. 

1. This is the room that took us the longest from start of project to finish of project (close to 2 years.... eek!). 
2. It's a pretty drastic before/after and, no lie, I want to make your jaw drop right off the bat. 
3. We learned SO much about home renovations and all future projects will be better because of this room. 
4. I'm really proud of this room. 

Let's start with the BEFORE: 

 Yep, that's a Pepto-Bismol pink tub accented nicely by gold and pink flecked tile and mauve walls. The room was crowned with floral wallpaper. Not in horrible shape, but definitely not our taste.

 The other side of the room. There was, when we put in an offer on the house, a pink toilet to match the tub, but it didn't pass the house inspection so the previous owner's replaced it with a white one for us. 

PROGRESS (taken over the course of 2 years):

We did the majority of the work ourselves, but did have some help along the way, we had a plumber install a line up for a shower head (the tub only had a bottom spigot previously), our friend Mike helped move the old tub out and new tub in and our friend Josh helped with all the tiling - both the shower surround and flooring. Thanks guys so much for your help!!! Brad did the of the brain work - and even found our MARBLE tile at a major discount.

AFTER:

 Shower! NO MORE PINK! Hurray! 

 The other side of the bathroom. After a new tub, drywall, shower surround, flooring, vanity, mirror, lighting, baseboards, crown and paint we were done! Phew!

And because I love a good before/after:

 Amazing right? 

We love our new bathroom! It was a lot of work, but we are so pleased with the results. 

Check back tomorrow for a tour of Michael's room (never seen before on the blog!). :) 

Our Mysterious Little One #3

Well my friends, this morning was the day of our Anatomy Ultrasound and we had hoped to find out this baby's gender... but baby was very active and kept itself in positions that made it difficult for the ultrasound technician to find out sex.

So:

The technician worked so hard for us to see if she could get a good angle and see. One time she thought girl and when we tried to confirm from another angle she didn't know if she saw boy "parts!" Baby even crossed his/her legs at one point! This was very different from past experiences for us - on both Lucy and Michael's ultrasounds they were able to tell us immediately, with confidence with the baby's gender was - we witnessed how this baby was being "difficult" and saw, clearly how the technician tried to see, to the best of her abilities. From everything we saw, baby looks healthy - but we will confirm Anatomy results with our Doctor on Thursday. Baby measured at 20 weeks exactly, so due date according to the ultrasound has been bumped three days to November 5th - pretty consistent with results from our past pregnancies (both previous ultrasounds pushed my due date back a few days).

 Here's a foot!

And a hand/arm - love that you can see the definition of bone in this one! God is so amazing. 

I had thought I'd spend the evening perusing fabric sites and looking for individual but coordinating options for this baby - but I guess that will have to wait! :) I'm not a gender-neutral person - I know some people can pull it off really well, but I really really like to know. The process of sewing/crocheting and preparing for the baby, specifically and with a name in mind, is so fun - and maybe even emotionally helpful - for me. 

I've been feeling really surreal about this whole "find out the gender" day - it seems to have snuck up on me. I can't help but wonder now if the Lord was protecting my heart from the disappointment of not knowing yet. I'm a little bummed I can't start planning projects but I'm okay with waiting (right now - that may change in an hour). 

Some dear friends recently thought they were having a boy and then another ultrasound revealed "GIRL!" Walking along side them as they've processed the change has made me think differently about expectations and I'm thankful we got an honest, "I have no idea" from the ultrasound technician and not a guess - even if it may have been an "educated" one. :) 

I've never had a 3D/4D ultrasound, so maybe we'll try it out with this baby!

Father's Day

I am a blessed woman, I have three men in my life who have influenced my life as a Father and who love my kids so so well.

My Dad: 

Thanksgiving 2010, MO - Grandpa Gordy, Me, Lucy and my Dad (Papa). 

 April 2012, San Antonio TX, Michael, Anna and my Dad (Papa). 

(Pretty sure this picture was taken by Jana - so photo credit for awesomeness goes to her!)

Happy Father's Day Dad! I love you bunches! Thank you for fostering in me a love for Jesus, I'm so thankful for you. 

My Sweet Husband: 

 A daddy for the first time, with Lucy Jo - June 2011

 A daddy to a boy!! December 2012

January 2013, These three make me so happy. 

Happy Father's Day my Love - thank you for loving and leading your family so well in so many areas. I am so glad I don't "do" this parenting thing alone - thank you for being my bestest friend! 

From Lucy, "Happy Father's Day Daddy, I like to paint with you."

(In all honesty: Lu said, "Happy Birthday Daddy", first - so we had a little chat to confirm what day it is. Haha)

From Michael, "Da Da Da Roar!" 

My Father-In-Law:

 

June 2011, First Grand-baby - Lucy and Grandpa Wayne

February 2012, Grandpa and Michael

Happy Father's Day Dad! Can't wait to catch a Tiger's game with you this summer! :) Thank you for being willing to come help us move - we SO appreciate your support. 

When my sisters and mom were here we had a fun craft time making cards for our dads! Thanks to Pinterest we had an adorable idea (Check out the tutorial here!).

 Look at all that creativity! :)

The finished products! Laura's, Michael's (Made by me as an example and decorated inside by the boy), Lucy's (she did most of the cutting herself! So proud of her!) and Anna's! Didn't they turn out cute? 

Lucy's Third Birthday

 Lucy, what a change from infancy to three years old! 

(Pictures on the left taken within a week of her birth.)

 The centerpiece for Lucy's day. Flowers from Grammy - thanks mom! 

The day was SO full of wonderful things - and to top it all off Brad made this amazing video that captures the fun spirit and so many sweet memories from the day! If you haven't seen it already on Facebook, please watch it now:

  .

Isn't that the best thing ever? It made me cry the first time I watched it and I melt a little every time it ends... Lu's little sentiments are too much. 

We started the day a bit earlier than anticipated! We really wanted to beat Lucy awake and wake her up with singing - but the fact that she was in with her brother meant that she got up even earlier than we thought! I had set an alarm for 6:30 but at 6:26 I heard some sounds from the monitor! We still went in and sang, but Lucy was "faking" her sleep at the beginning of the song! 

After a breakfast of blueberry muffins we opened three gifts. 

Playing with her Playmobil sets - she got this one and this one. A friend of mine laminated some scrapbooking paper for Lucy to use as "flooring" and it's worked perfectly!  (Thanks Michelle!!!) We added some living room furniture from our other doll house stuff to help round out the home. :) 

My mom and sisters were here from San Antonio to enjoy the day with us and we had a great morning playing, we even got to Skype with my dad and sister Jana mid-morning! Our new age of technology is so great. We had an early lunch - which we were all ready for! That's what happens when you wake up at 6:30 and are half done with breakfast by 7:00! :) After lunch we all put on our swim suits and headed to the water park! Pampa has a really nice one but we haven't visited it too often with our kids. It took them a bit longer than I anticipated to warm up to the idea of the water - there was a lot of mist because of the wind and my kids aren't a fan of sprinklers or showers so they had to adjust to that - but eventually she started exploring and being a bit more independent. :) She ended up having a good time! Once Michael warmed up, he was a bit too adventurous! Goodness - that boy does not have a healthy sense of caution sometimes - but he enjoyed splashing around and trying to blow bubbles into the water. :) 

My exhausted girl (can you tell?) enjoying her snow cone after a fun trip to the water park. :)

"I love you more than ever." She loves her elephant so so much and it makes me happy. 

 While Lu napped I frosted and decorated her cupcakes. Anyone who knows Lucy well, knows that she loves to make "Beds" for her things. 

From little figurines... 

...to Uncles, Lucy loves making beds!

 Anywhere will do! Rocking chairs... 

...and dining room floors too! Lucy loves making beds! 

So in honor of my bed-making girl, we decided to make little beds on her cupcakes. We used Air Heads, cut into thirds, for the pillows. Sour Patch Kids for the Kids (Duh!), and Rainbow Ribbon (also made by Air Head) for the blanket. Because Lucy's bed sheet is green, we decided on green frosting to top off the strawberry (PINK!) cupcakes that our girl chose. I am really happy with how they turned out. Unique and cute - just like our three year old. 

 

Lucy checking them out after her nap - she liked them a lot! :) 

And so did Michael!

Dinner was Pizza (Lu's request - don't think that's the only birthday meal we enjoy at our house!), Strawberries and bean salad. We had our cupcakes and then FaceTimed with Grandma Lori and Grandpa Wayne while we opened the rest of her gifts. Because it was such a special day, Lu stayed up until 9:00 (two hours past her bed time) - I don't think she stopped talking from 5pm to when her head hit the pillow, she was so excited! 

For any who are wondering, Lucy LOVES her fishing game! She goes fishing and then ether feeds the fish to the "Big Bad Wolf" (What??) or fries them up in a pan and eats them. Haha! She cracks me up! Lucy also received a tent (much larger than mommy and daddy anticipated - but it folds up into a very small bag, so it's all good!), some games, art supplies, duplos, books and a bubble machine. :) 

It was a fabulous day! For both Brad and I - 3 years old signals a shift from toddler hood to little girl. Our Lulu is no longer a baby and is growing up - it's very bitter sweet. But we are SO thankful for the blessing that is Lucy Jo in our lives. She's pretty great. :)

Now that the birthday is done - it's time to start packing boxes! Phew! From one thing to the next - I'm hoping to share some house pictures on here in the next few weeks. To document some changes we've made and also so that I can remember this great house after we've gone. :)