House BEFORE Pics

 Here is our house, pre-remodel.  It FINALLY started last Monday, and I am SO thankful.  I was beginning to think it would never happen.  :)

The house was built in 1974, so it's a little different style from houses now.  But it's got fabulous character and stories and enough yard to make up for it.  The living room and dining room are back to back and both lead into the kitchen.  We are removing all walls that separate these three rooms so it will be a nice, big, open area.  Super excited about that!  The ceilings in these rooms are only 8 feet (yep, thanks 1974) so we are vaulting the ceiling as well.  We are also closing in the garage to make a playroom/game room.  We have 2 barns, so we will have room for garage stuff and we already park our cars outside, so we might as well get a little more house room.  Plus, it'll be nice to have a place for Harper to play and me to work.  The last main thing we will be doing is adding on to the master bathroom.  It's a little small (in 1974 people didn't really want big bathrooms).  It's actually smaller than the guest bathroom.  So we are adding on a walk-in shower and a closet.  Super glad about that!  Other than that, it's the basics.  Floors, Doors, Windows, Paint, etc.  We have to have a new A/C unit put in that is $$$ which stinks.  And the septic tank (really? I am in for a new lifestyle here...) is broken so we have to get that replaced.  But I am so excited for it to just get done.  I am SO ready!!!

Exterior - Front and South side (house faces the road, so we use the back door as our main entrance)

Exterior - South side and Yard

Front Door and Entryway.  Leads into LR and DR.

LR and Back Entrance Door (Off Entryway.  Leads to Kitchen and is opposite DR.)

Fireplace in LR.  

DR and Formal LR (Will become DR and extended Kitchen)

Kitchen.  Back wall will get new cabinets and appliances.

Kitchen.  This wall will be taken out to open up to the living room.  This space will become an island.  

Looking through the kitchen at the breakfast nook.  

Past the kitchen is the laundry room that leads to the garage.  

We are closing in the garage for a game room.  

On the other side of the laundry room, through the garage, is an office.  This will be off the game room and will be my sewing room/craft room/office/lock the door and maybe no one will find you room.

Back through the living room you go down the hallway to the bathrooms and bedrooms.  

1st Room is Guest Bathroom.  

1st Bedroom - Guest Bedroom (across the hall from Bath)

2nd Bedroom - Harper's Room 

Master Bedroom (across the hall from Harper's room)

Master Bedroom and Closet (if you can't see it, the closet is in the back. We are adding on because that would only hold Cody's shoe collection.  We needed something bigger.)

Master Bathroom.  (Adding on a shower and closet to make it bigger because everyone knows that sometimes you just want to take a 4 hour shower and relax after a bad day.)

Temporary Housing

Since we sold our house before we even started the remodel on our new house, we decided to go live with my parents.  They live in Argyle, which is only 15 minutes away from Cody's school and it's only a few minutes farther to all of our play dates and friends.  

So right now, there are 6 adults, 1 baby, and 3 dogs living in a 3 bedroom rental house.  (It's a rental and we move next week to their new house.  That's right, I'm packing and moving again.  Shoot me.)  It's a little chaotic.  During the day, it's nice and quiet and we pretty much do the same things we used to.  I have less work to do now though, way less cooking and cleaning, so we play outside alot.  The house has stairs, so we sometimes walk up and down them until momma can't do it anymore.  Kristi is home during the day, so we talk and hang out and I have an adult friend, which is nice.  Taylor and Carleigh get home at 4 and we play outside, write with chalk all over them, have dance parties, and such.  While they do homework, Harper sits at the table with them and colors or draws on their notebooks.  She loves being with the big girls.  She wakes up every morning and opens the door so she can say hi to them.  Cody and my dad don't get home until later but when they do they hang out and play with Harper after her bath or play with the dogs.  It's a full house, but suddenly there are a lot more people to do everything.  It's kinda awesome!

Coloring with Tay while she does homework and sings.  

Harper forced Car to go nite-nite on the stairs.  

Of course, Car has not figured out how to say no yet.  

Harper coming back in the room after she said good morning to Car and Tay.

We were worried about Maggie at first.  She's a pretty dominant dog so we worried they would fight or she would bark all day and night.  But the dogs get along SO well.  They have a morning and evening walk with Kristi and Harper.  They play around the yard while Harper does.  And they have a huge pallet that my dad made up for them in the garage so they can sleep in there.  They actually love it and it's nice that she is being good and we don't have to give her away!

Harper messing with Pumpkin.  Pumpkin is old and lets her do whatever she wants.  

Pumpkin did grow up with my sisters who dressed her up, painted her nails, and make her take lots of pictures all the time, so it figures.  

Piper is Harper's new favorite.  She is always talking about PiePie.

All Piper wants to do is run, eat sticks, and jump around.  She's a very, funny puppy.

Because it's only a 3 bedroom house, we've all doubled up.  Carleigh moved into Taylor's room and all three of us moved into her room.  We brought our mattress from home because it's awesome and we had to.  Oddly enough, there is a little part of the bedroom that juts out and is the perfect size for Harper's crib.  So she sleeps in a little alcove with curtains hung up around her like a partition.  It's great because she can't see us in the morning so she lays there and plays quietly for awhile while we sleep just a bit longer.  At night, if we want to relax, we can go up to the loft (in between the bedrooms) and hang out, watch tv, or play on computers.  So all in all, it's similar enough to home that we are making it alright.  

Our Bed

Harper's Bed

Poking her head out in the morning

Differences?  There is always music, being sung or blared by two teenage girls.  Homework time, breakfast time, or in the shower.  Kristi cooks most of our meals.  Score.  Harper has lots of people to play with and take care of her now.  Which is good except she kind of expects someone to cater to her 24/7 now.  Also now, she has lots of other people to cry with when Momma says no.  Sometimes, I have to tell Kristi and the girls No if Harper just got in trouble but wants them to coddle her.  We live out in the woods and I'm annoyed by all the bugs, spider webs, and pollen.  Oh wait - that's what we are moving to, so nevermind.  Guess I'll get used to it.  Other than that, life is pretty good.  Cody might have a different opinion, but it's definitely better than I thought it would be.  

Harper's new timeout spot.  After time out, she went back and sat there 

for another couple of minutes.  Guess that didn't work.  

I'll have to do another post after next week when we settle into our new temporary housing!  Thankfully this one will have a guest room and another room so no one will have to share.  Plus, it's beautiful so I'm excited!

the month of april

April was busy.  I didn't take very many good pictures, just a few random shots off my phone.  Mostly we were packing, moving, driving back and forth to Denison, and playing outside.  But Harper loved it and the month seemed to fly by.  

Being outside is her favorite.  She is always asking to go "side".  She loves to slide, climb rocks and steps, and play with dogs.  Chalk is a huge hit and she is just now big enough to be able to ride her tricycle by herself.  

Coloring outside with crayons

Loves driving...cars, trucks, mowers, tractors.

Sweet girl all dressed for church, playing on a trailer.

This is the girl who always plays with things in ways they aren't meant to be used and loves it.

On yet another run to Lowe's, we found a house to play with.

She kept knocking on the window and door and was mad that no one answered.  

We've been visiting friends, going to play at church, and going to parks.  She seems to play with boys better - like they seem more fun because they are always doing crazy things.  But she is still such a girl, always playing dress-up or house or reading books quietly.  She still eats good, nothing new there.  Other than I'm starting to rely a little too much on the squeezy pouches.  But since we've been in Argyle, she has learned to like a few new foods - dried fruit and greek food.  

Our boy toys, Breken and Bane, all wearing Harper's old, pink shoes!

Playing with our neighbors, Kipton and Taylor.

Playdate with Alyssa and Victoria

Her independence is turning into a bit of rebellion every now and then.  She doesn't like to be told no, or not get her way.  However, most of the time, we can stop the temper tantrum from getting too big.  She did put her hand up in Cody's face the other day and say "No" rather angrily.  Say what, little girl? We have not had a repeat of that since, thankfully.  

Just found a paci.

Just got paci taken away.

Naps lately have been anywhere from an hour to 3 hours.  Crazy kiddo.

This day, she fell back asleep for an hour on our bed and it was good cuddle time.

Poor child had horrible allergies all month!  Her eyes were always puffy and red, she sneezed every 5 minutes with tons of snot, and she was always itching her eyes and nose.  

Now that we are always on the go, I pack lunches so she can eat on the way home and won't fall asleep.  This day, I packed peanut butter, which was such a bad idea.  I kept having to scoop it up, wipe it off, and refill her spoon.  While driving.  Not my best moment.

Being at my parents has been fun.  Harper is a little obsessed with them now, though.  Everything is "Mimi, Pop, TayTay, CarCar!" in one long string of words.  

Taylor showing Harper a big toad.  She really wanted to touch it but was terrified!

Swinging with her auntie.  Such good help!