Home-Made Scaffolding

We had *I thought* planned on renting a scaffolding to get the popcorn off of the high ceilings but, when I showed up at the house last night, I saw otherwise. G and Nick (his long-time BFF) decided to build their own. Doesn't this look dangerous??!! They got it done though! 

Stairs

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Long Overdue Photo Updates!

I was supposed to have these up on Monday! Life has once again been crazy this week. Now that all of the moving and such has settled down and most of the home stuff I really am not much help with, I have really gotten back into my gym routine! Man, once you start getting behind and slacking off it doesn't take much to COMPLETELY fall off the wagon. I met with a personal trainer this last week and it totally kicked my rear and made me realize I am not in the shape I want to be in! I'm "on it" now though! I hope to have lowered some numbers when I go in for my update in two weeks. I was also able to spend some quality time with my sweet niece, Lilley this weekend and I enjoyed a much needed Mani/Pedi with my little Sis today. :) Tomorrow I think G and I are going to go on a long bike ride to breakfast and then go shopping for our flooring for the house.

A lot of progress has been made on the house. (No more popcorn ceilings on about 75% of the house, Upstairs and Master has new texture on the ceilings, 75% of the house is primed) It changes daily so look for new updates this week! (We are starting to paint tomorrow!) 

Signed, Sealed, Delivered.

I'm obsessed with the way these invited turned out. Highly Recommend Polka Dot Designs. Hope Linds (my bff) likes them as much as I do! 

My retail therapy. <3

Theory Dress and Ralph Lauren Swim wear. All will be perfect for our upcoming trip! 3 weeks and counting. Cayman Islands here we come!

My flowers!

I have to add that hubby sent a similar arrangement to MIL (who lost her husband a few years ago). He is so sweet and thoughtful. He sent hers from the florist his father used to send flowers from and signed the card from "the boys". She cried. I'm so glad he takes care of her. :)

We have been busy like Bees!

Well, since my last post the house has changed DRAMATICALLY! We've gone over there every night this week and worked after work! But, the progress is proving our long days/late nights to be totally worth it! *So sorry that I have no photos to update but, I promise I will tomorrow!* 

What we did this week:

- Removed deliciously delightful popcorn off all ceilings (outside of the living/kitchen...which is where all of our furniture is temporarily being stored.) 

- Taped the upstairs windows and all of the stair railing (thanks to yours truly) to prep for paint

- Primed the entire upstairs! (We invested in our own paint sprayer and boy was it worth it!)

Hopefully, the carpet will go in this weekend [upstairs only]. And the hardwood floors downstairs! 

In the midst of this and a full work week, I also coordinated a wedding this weekend (will update with pics once I receive them!) for a great friend. This was my first to do on my own and it was sooo nerve-wracking but, in the end it was a success! Not to mention that it was GORGEOUS! I ran the rehearsal Friday night and took care of every detail on the big day. As I sent her down the aisle, my eyes welled up with tears in happiness for her/the overwhelming feeling of accomplishment. Maybe one day I can start my own company strictly doing weddings. For now, it's just something fun and fulfilling to do when possible. :)

I also sent out the invites for the bridal shower I am single-handedly (and happily so), hosting on March 7th for one of my very best friends! I am so excited for this. It will have a very sophisticated "Breakfast at Tiffany's" feel to it without the overwhelming "themed-ness". The invites read,

  "Darlings, In the sprit of the occasion, would you please wear  your best 'little black dress' ? Don't forget your utterly fabulous pearls, sparkles and divine costume jewelry!" 

Of course this weekend was also V-Day! Grant was so sweet and sent me one dozen pink roses to work on Thursday. (pics above) He used a local florist (even better!) And they were perfect. We also went out to dinner last night to the wonderful restaurant where we hosted our rehearsal dinner for our wedding and had V-Day dinner last year. We were so tired from the wedding and tired of being dressed up, we seriously went out in our sweats! Terrible, I know but, we didn't care. I can't tell you how many strange looks I got. 

I ended the weekend with a little retail therapy. I totally deserved it! (pics above) Whew! Can't wait for another crazy week! Until tomorrow night XOXO. 

The "New" House.

Well, new to us anyway. Built in 1981. Came with custom painted rooms through out...hot pink, burnt orange, white with free-handed lavender polka dots, etc... Oh, and not to mention the lovely periwinkle shade they decided to paint parts of the brick and the pink-ish maroon on the outside of the house. I (we) see through all of the ugliness straight through to it's potential beauty. Like I mentioned previously, this home was a HUD (I can't say enough how I DO NOT recommend this). It was a steal for the neighborhood (By far the ugliest house in the whole neighborhood) and has GREAT potential to be profitable if we do a lot of the work/the market turns around/we are smart with our renovation spending. The work began immediately. As  if my workday wasn't long and stressful enough, I headed right on over to the house to work for 4 hours with Grant and I am oh-so proud to be able to say that the entire upstairs is POPCORN FREE! 

You can see in the photo how it just peels right off the ceiling. We actually misted it with water and let it sit for a few minutes, came back with a scraper and voila! 

More interior photos to come as our new little diamond in the rough is unveiled. 

Flip this House

I'm sure you've caught the hit show  on at one point or another and maybe you are even nearly as addicted as Grant and I are. Our first endeavor into the world of flipping houses is actually still a work in progress. Let's just say, we took on something quite ambitious for our first attempt. Ahh, lessons to be learned! Leveling the foundation, installing a new roof, adding a second story (by finishing out the attic), and completely re-working the entire floor plan are just a few of the changes we have made on this little gem of a cottage. Here are some basic photos. I look forward to documenting some of the more exciting changes to come this spring! And, if/when we get this thing sold (hopefully this summer), I will even break down the $$$ as if it were the real show. Stay tuned!

An Introduction: A Lil' Bit about us!

Grant and I have been married for almost one year! Our Anniversary is March 8, 2008. I wanted to start this blog to document and share our travels, how we stay active, what we are cooking, all of our home remodeling/renovating adventures, etc.... If you are reading this blog, then you MUST know some of what we are about. But, I will give you an overview just in case.

Grant and I met the summer of my 16th birthday. We had a summer romance that fizzled once August came and I moved south of Austin. 5 years passed, one failed five year relationship (me) and one failed engagement (him) later and we ran into each other on the famous 6th Street in Austin, Texas (Where we are both from, btw). And the rest is history! Love at [second, I suppose] sight! We were engaged nine months later and married eleven months after that! 

Our jobs keep us very busy but, that DOES NOT stop us from living life outside of the office! Grant is part-owner of Advanced.1, a family company started by his late father, Clark and his mom, Vicki as a team effort. I manage the clinic of a local Orthodontic Practice.

You will see that our lives do not begin or end here. I hope you find all of our adventures as exciting as we do! I look forward to sharing! 

Featured!

RARE Austin Magazine issued a LOVE edition for the month of February. In a special feature titled, "Seven Weddings as Unique as Austin", Grant and I were FEATURED for our wedding. We are so honored and will love having this memento to keep to show our future children! Definitely check this magazine out if you get a chance! It is also full of such awesome information about the Austin area!