The End

 
Today was a monumental day in Bellaire Land.

After a generous appraisal, we closed on our refinancing - the closest we can get to saying, “We’re done!” 

11+ years of making this crazy home a house, and somebody finally said, yes, we’ll certify that.

Now we enter a new season, one full of “normal” homeowner projects. Backsplash tile, trim, boring stuff. 

Grateful for my project manager/contractor/Superman and for God’s provision for us. 

Lipstick on a Pig?

 Well, there were lots of ugly spots in our house when we moved in.  This one has always been the worst.  The "master bathroom" - a stand-up shower that we've never used. And it somehow developed a leak into the closet behind it several years ago - hence the torn-out tile.  

And original wallpapered(?), patched sheet rock. 

So attractive...

Well, the bathroom needed to be "finished" for the appraisal, so James fixed the shower, patched in leftover tile samples, and voila! A working, even uglier than before, shower. LOL. 

Now to reinstall the toilet and find a sink!

Last up, a coat of paint with some leftover stuff from the girls' rooms upstairs. :-) 

And a shower curtain. 

This makes 4 full bathrooms. Good.grief.  Absolutely unnecessary, but oh so nice.  Just as long as you keep your eyes closed. LOL. 

Loving the Laundry!

 

It's time to finish the laundry room!

Part of the relocated mess:

The free shelves that just keep on giving...

And, providentally-timed, a new-to-us, matching washer and dryer.  We limped our old ones along for years, and I promise I did my best to make them last, but goodness, it sure is nice to have new things!  And bigger!  

Grateful for this space!!

Bye-bye, old friends.

Details, details...

In the push to finish the last major projects and prepare for an appraisal, there are so many little details.

Texturing and painting.

An updated ceiling fan for the dining room.

(Just for reference, the original fixture...)

Bed and bedding for the guest room

Sheetrock and paint for the playroom closet

Getting so close...

 

Brick Master

Progress on the inside often means messes on the outside, and that was definitely the case when removing the laundry room door and moving the window.  We've had a ginormous pile of bricks in the corner of our backyard since we moved here - and it has grown as we have done work on the back of the house. So now, it's time to put them to work!

The girls and I spent countless hours cleaning the bricks - chipping and drilling out old mortar, removing dirt and grime - so that James could get right to work when he came home each evening. Lucky him.

Even Darcy got in on the action...

He often worked into the night...

And then more the next day...

Weeks on end until...

the last row was in place. And pretty seamlessly, I might add.  

Next up was siding on the back wall.  Now if only I would get it painted...

 

Screen Time

We try not to spend much time watching TV, but it will be nice to have a better setup for it!  

And it fulfills all of my dreams - well, at least the one I've had for a while now, where I can watch football from the kitchen. Yes, I cried. Yes, I sent this picture to my mom and sis. Yes, I know it's silly. But YAY!

And another FB find: 

Next up, a TV for the schoolroom. LOL. We decided to celebrate its arrival with a Family Movie Night. Except I connected it to the wrong thing, and we spent our ENTIRE dinner time watching the loading bar slowly creep across the screen.  HILARIOUS. Eventually, in time for dessert, it finished and we got to watch a movie!

I sent this pic to James the next morning, while we watched a video for school.  It sure feels like an unnecessary luxury, but we are so grateful!

And another FB find, just right for the room!

 

Furniture?!

Time to FURNISH all of these new spaces!  Unbelievable! Thank you, FB Marketplace, for these great finds!

New leather sectional big enough for the whole family!

A new FREE desk for James' OFFICE(!)

which also means the file cabinets can go into the office. So it's time to make room for a new, smaller computer desk. Bye-bye, old friend - we bought this the year we got married, and it's been fabulous!

Darcy showing off the new setup in the dining room. 

And with the old desk gone, we can finally move the piano into the living room (Thank you, Colton!) for a much-prettier first impression. 

 

Next up, time to pick up this desk chair for James.