our house...is a very, very, very fine house...

well, we've done it. we've officially made a big step towards actually becoming adults. we're buying a home. so here are a few photos to show you all what we've got to work with. in the next few months there will be lots (and lots) of painting, decorating, organizing, and just plain getting things figured out in our new place. so let's start with the 'before'.

this is the front of the house (i actually didn't take this one, it's from the listing, but you can see the gorgeous trees in the backyard when they are in full foliage. love them!). it could use a little landscaping love, but we'll get to that this summer.


next we have the view from the front door. this just might be my favorite part of the house. i love all of the light that the windows and doors let in. you can't tell from this photo, but the paint color in this room is a tomato red/orange color. not my favorite for this room, so we'll be working on that first.


this is the view from the far right corner of the living room. you can see the kitchen. that strange wall is where the fridge sits and the mud room/garage door entrance is on the left. (we're up to three paint colors now...keep counting!)


here's another view of the kitchen. the kitchen sink window looks out over the garden area. and yes, we'll be painting the yellow walls too.


here's the mud room. it's got some great shelving and hooks...and yes, our fourth paint color.


next is the upstairs bathroom...and the fifth paint color so far.


and now onto the master bedroom (paint color #6). the bay window looks out over the backyard.


and now the master bath...paint color #7. if you haven't caught on by now, the previous owners loved to paint.


there are two more smaller bedrooms on the main floor...with, you guessed it...two additional paint colors...that takes our total to #9.

okay, now to the downstairs. we LOVE this room as well. it's very spacious and we love the fireplace. the downstairs was finished about 5 years ago, so it feels slightly newer than the upstairs. (and yes, this is a new paint color...#10)


here's the downstairs bath...with two sinks and a jetted tub! technically it's the guest bath, so come on over! and yes, another paint color (#11).

also in the basement are three additional bedrooms, the laundry room, and storage room. another charming feature is the play nook under the stairs. it's super cute. and just in case you were wondering, all three of the bedrooms and laundry have their own paint colors...that takes us to a grand total of...drum roll please...#15! for now we probably won't paint the basement. the colors are fairly nice, so we're not going to create too much more work for ourselves.

here's a quick look at the backyard.  this is a view looking off the deck to the right.

 

this view is looking towards the back of the house.

and this view is to the right of the previous picture.  there's a garden spot and a small sand box and nice little shed.

i hope you enjoyed the tour! and we look forward to having you all as visitors! (just be sure to bring your paint brush!)

mighty, mighty vinegar

so two cleaning problems at my house.

#1--nasty, nasty buildup from the dishwasher on my glass drinking glasses. so here in utah they pulled sulfates out of the dishwasher soap...and my glasses have been cloudy and gross ever since. they were getting so bad, our finger prints were showing up in the buildup. GROSS. seriously.

long story short, i did some online research and found that vinegar was the answer. so i filled my sink (just enough to cover my glasses laying down) with hot water and some vinegar, soaked them over night...and wa-lah! sparkly clean!

there are a few small spots that could have easily been removed if i had been ambitious enough to scrub them, but i think i'll just soak them again when they start to cloud up again. (they also do say that a cap-full of vinegar in your dishwasher (after it's started to fill) will help prevent the buildup.)



#2--terrible hard-water stains on my glass shower doors. again...vinegar to the rescue, plus a few other ingredients. the online research results recommended lemon juice (applied with a sponge) for the most of it, and then a paste of vinegar and baking soda for the tough spots (but my whole door qualified as a tough spot if you ask me). then you spray with a mix of water and vinegar. then squeegee or finish with window cleaner.

this wasn't quite as dramatic as a result, but it still worked. i'm planning on doing a second round and hopefully it will all come off.

ah the power of vinegar...