Flipping A House

My husband and I have been on this little adventure before...fixing up a house. Although last time it was much more work and he did most of it since I was still in graduate school. This time around, we fixed up a home for us to live in, not just sell. Being able to put down such a large down payment was thanks to our previous flip, and so all that hard work really was such a blessing. This time, the hard work is a blessing because we get to live there!!

Let's take a look at that process. In September we closed on a little three bedroom ranch with a partially finished basement. It wasn't perfect, it wasn't our favorite house that we had looked at, and it didn't really have much character, but we looked past that at what it could become. Now, it has become so much more, and while we are still working on adding our own character to the house, it has come such a long way! It's almost time to hit up those thrift stores for the items we are missing. I don't want to sound materialistic because we have plenty of stuff, but since hospitality is one of my spiritual gifts and my husband is a youth pastor, we do have lots of people coming over all the time. That means while I like to keep it simple, we do want the basics like plenty of seating, a place for shoes/coats, and that sort of thing. We are working our way there as we speak. So, let's take a look! We will start with the guest bedroom on the main floor. It began as a purple and white room with PAINTED HARDWOOD FLOORS! I mean, that should just be illegal! Who paints gorgeous original oak flooring from the 40s?!?! So, the guest bedroom had to be primed, repainted, some window glass taken out and replaced, windows repainted, and floors refinished! In the end, I am super happy with it! You can't see it, but the wall across from the bed has a beautiful old book shelf and my wedding wall complete with an old windows used in the wedding with wedding pics, an E for our last name, a canvas pic from the wedding, and a shadow box with my leftover flowers, garter, hairpiece, programs, etc. Might be one of my favorite rooms!

 Then we have the bathroom. This is the room in the house (along with the kitchen) that adds the most value to your home. It is also the most work oftentimes :) This time around we gutted out that old, nasty tiling, ripped out the sliding door, plumbing, insulation, toilet, and sink. We put in new insulation (the old was original from the 40s made of cotton and like an inch thick..not real warm) We also changed out the window for a nice new one. We covered the insulation with hardy backer, then tile, then grout. We added in the plumbing, a new sink, and a new toilet. Also, a new floor. My poor hubby had to scrape up four layers of stick on tiles/old laminate/etc to get to the bottom where we could add in our new laminate. I have two collages for that so you can see the many different angles.

One of the more shocking rooms was our master bedroom. It was painted darkest gray and BLACK! All of it! The ceiling and floor were black, the walls were super dark gray, it was DARK! Not the comforting place meant to spend time with the love of your life. So, we ripped down the old, yellow blinds, primed the whole thing, scraped up the nasty stick on tiles off our hardwood floor and got to work! We repainted everything, refinished the floor, fixed up the windows and wah-la! A brand new room. Still using gray, but in a much friendlier, happy way :)

 We also refinished our kitchen and dining room. The dining room was mostly ripping out carpet and painting and the kitchen included new appliances (there were none when we bought it), painting, and new hardware for the cabinets. The hubs is going to build me some more cabinets sometime soon to add more space because he loves me :)

I am thinking about doing a post of how to refinish hardwood floors, but I didn't take many pictures since it was so dusty and you need to do most steps pretty quick. If you have any questions about our projects or if you'd like to see one featured on this blog just let me know! I'd be happy to share how we did anything in our home to help you!!

The basement will be coming along in the next few months, but we are going to Germany on our one year anniversary trip (two months after our anniversary because of work) but we are saving up money and busy planning so we might have to wait a bit to really finish down there which will include an office area, third bedroom (yes, it is legal), and our living area. Until then, happy flipping :)

The World is A Funny Place

Hello World!!! So, it has been awhile since I've been on here. In fact, it has been a very long while! Five months to be honest! I can't believe it myself, but in all reality life took over for awhile. I'm not sure how often I will be back on here, but I miss writing. So, thank you to those of you who have been faithful to my blog and thanks for stopping by in my absence. I am shocked how many people have viewed my blog even when I'm not taking care of it actively.

So, what's been going on....

First, we bought a house, fixed her up, and finally moved in! We moved in the week after Thanksgiving and it has been such a blessing. Our next step is to finish our basement which is well on its way. We mostly just need to do some painting and carpet then filling it up! I will post some before and after pictures of the house in case you are interested in what we've been doing.

Second, I got a new job. I had been pretty stressed and unhappy with my job as a brain injury specialist and really wanted to take time to be with my husband more and to focus on church, our youth group, and the house. It has been working out great, but I was offered a position at a local community college to teach Intro to Psych. I have really been enjoying it and it is such few hours that it has worked perfectly for us!

Third, we are trying to eat much healthier than we were eating before, so you might see a change in my recipes...for the good :) Both the hubs and I have lost about 8 pounds since Christmas eating healthier and exercising a little more regularly. I am also trying very hard to up my protein intake since I am a vegetarian and I've noticed how much more full I feel even with less calories. Also, my skin looks better eating less processed food, I have more energy, and I just generally feel better. I started running again with this life change (because we have a gym I can use at the college, yeay perks!) and I am making an effort to drink more water! Overall, it has been going really well. I have been able to eat sweet stuff when necessary and I eat low fat, low processed treats with high protein like natural string cheese for snacks. Anyway, if you can't tell I am very excited about this change.

Well, I guess that is all for now. I am so glad to say that I will be seeing you soon! Let me know how you've all been doing lately :) Thanks for your allegiance!!

Grocery List...but no meal plan

Hello Everyone! Since I was gone most of last week and for the beginning of this week, I have gotten super behind on making meal plans. I feel like such a slacker, and I feel like without time to make real meals I have eaten terribly :( Oh well, it was just two weeks. So, I will go shopping again on Monday with a real shopping list and meal plan and I CANNOT WAIT! Although, I will only be around for a few days next week as well. Ok, since we were out of town this week with the jr. high youth group, I spent way under budget which is definitely happy! Check it out...

Eggs (1.48), banana (.68), pudding cups (.89), hot dogs (.99), peanut butter (4.49), fruit leather (1.99), shredded cheese (2.79), cream cheese (1.19), ground beef (4.35), tortilla chips (1.19), pickles (.99)

Grand Total: 21.03

I have made tacos, PB& banana sandwiches, and nachos for meals this week so far. Nothing stellar or particularly healthy, but that's what we got for now :)

Life Happens Sometimes

Hello Everyone!! I just wanted to say I am soo sorry that I have been MIA the past two weeks!! Life has been crazy. It has been crazy, wonderful, and fun..but crazy nonetheless. So many unexpected things have been happening, and so cooking, crafting, blogging, and the normally scheduled things have been put on the back burner. My new job is going well, but the scheduling is a little odd. Also, I was out of town visiting family, going to a wedding, and throwing a bridal shower for a long weekend. I finally got my schedule for this week at work on SUNDAY, and found out I was off the past two days which is when Josh was going on a trip with the jr. high. God works in mysterious and wonderful ways and so I was able to go, but it was so last minute I hardly had time to prepare considering we had one day to find a dog sitter and we both worked that day( and I ended up having to work an hour and a half longer than I expected) plus, we both needed to pack and unpack from my long weekend trip. Also, we bought a car last week! We love it, and it's really fun, but it is manual so we've tried to take some time for me to learn how to drive it. I know, I know, I ought to know how to drive a stick, but it's a process. I'm glad I'm learning on a new car now because it is much easier than I remember trying to learn at 16 on my dad's very old pick up truck. Anyway, in the end we finally got home late last night, woke up for work this morning, went grocery shopping, stopped by the library, and are finally getting back on track for a normalish schedule. I think we are both very ready to just be home and spend some time together and get back into a more stable schedule where we can go to work, make plans, and enjoy each other. That is until I leave for a wedding in Oregon next week....maybe after that? haha Does life ever really give us a break?

All this to say...I think I am going to get back on track this week and hopefully be a better blogger again. Try to be patient and stick with me as I get back on track!

Giveaway Winner!!

Alright, sorry this is a little later than anticipated, but the winner of a new handmade chrisalis scarf is BLUE STRONG!!!! So, congratulations! Look for an email within the next 48 hours for more information :)

Sorry I didn't have more to give away today, but keep an eye out for the next giveaway!! It will be something a little different! Have a great weekend! I know I will, my darling husband will finally be home tonight!!

Mushroom and Barley Risotto

OKAY!!! The Winner of the giveaway will close a little later today, so keep your eyes peeled for the results!!

I have yet another mushroom recipe. I hope you guys like mushrooms, I know they are a highly debated fungi :) Not always so popular, but I love them, and they are a great way to fill foods for vegetarians because they don't have many calories or fats or anything. Anyway, this recipe turned out really well! It's quite yummy if I may say so myself. I'm pairing it with some panko fried tofu, but really any protein or protein substitute would work well! Check out the original recipe at Brown Eyed Baker.

Ingredients

2 Tbl olive oil

1 white onion

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 Tbl parsley

1 Tbl Thyme

1 cup barley

6 cups vegetable broth

1 Tbl butter

goat cheese to top

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Place saucepan over medium heat with olive oil. Slice onion and saute for approximately five minutes. Then add the mushrooms and let them cook until their juices are released. This takes about ten minutes. If the mushrooms stick, add a little water. I didn't have that problem, but it might depend on your cookware. Once the mushrooms are done, add the crushed garlic and herbs. Stir thoroughly and then add the barley and continue stirring. Add four cups of the broth and turn heat to high. Bring to a boil and continue boiling until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Then reduce heat to medium and add the remaining broth 1/2 cup at a time letting it absorb. One it is finished, add the butter and the cheese! Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Enjoy!

Mushroom and Leek Pizza

Today I tried another experiment with things I love, but Josh doesn't particularly enjoy. So, I made a creative Kara pizza! It turned out really yummy!

Ingredients
1 pizza crust
2 Tbl olvie oil
2 cloves garlic
1 leek
1 container mushrooms
1 Tbl pesto
2 oz goat cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese
3 fresh basil leaves

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I used a premade pizza crust for my pizza, so it was pretty easy and quick to make. Cut mushrooms and leeks to desired pizza size. Chop garlic. Place a medium sized skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Saute the leeks and garlic for approximately five minutes and then add mushrooms. While they are sauteing, spread pesto over the pizza crust. Then cut goat cheese into pieces and sprinkle on crust. Chop basil. When the mushrooms begin to become darker in color and appear juicier, add to the top of the pizza. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top, then the basil. Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until cheese is nicely melted. Remove from oven, cool, then cut and serve!