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One Room at a Time, One Day at a Time

When you move into a house, everyone tells you “you have 30 years to figure xyz out!”

Apparently they weren’t kidding!

I have gained a whole ton of respect for shows that make this process appear to be quick and painless, especially with folks who do the bulk of the work themselves.

We revamped our dining room and, if I do say so myself, did a good job in there! We cleaned out all the junk that had been left behind in that space (unfortunate drapes + too dark blinds + all the junk we dug up from the basement) and then we made our own touches. For one, we painted the walls to match the color in the living room and the upstairs. Originally, I’d intended to be more selective about colors but, honestly, when you like a color and don’t have time to pick something else, you just go with it. Continue reading "One Room at a Time, One Day at a Time"

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Little Victories: My New Mailbox

When we bought our house, the seller left behind a replacement mailbox. She said it was something she wanted to get around to fix and never did. One day, I decided to make that a reality. Well, take a step back actually, I decided to make that a reality because the existing mailbox's lid had come apart in my hand the last time I checked the mail!

Old, sad mailbox
Old, sad mailbox

I didn't like the new mailbox but decided to remove the old one that was attached to the siding of the house and replace it with the new one. At least it would be functional.

But, of course, that didn't work. Continue reading "Little Victories: My New Mailbox"

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A Little Update

Homeownering is in full effect!

Things that keep me up at night:

  • Getting a ticket from the Department of Sanitation for not sorting trash correctly
  • Waking up to a swarm of locusts in my compost bin
  • Finding a trap door with MORE stuff the seller left behind
  • Weeds! #explosivevegetation

In all seriousness, we've been getting a lot done to the point where when people walk in they say, "Wow, it's like night and day in here!" compared to when we first moved in. I'd say that's progress. Also, I've learned so much, including that I'm not half bad at spackling (small) stuff. Dare I say it, this is starting to feel fun — even if there are still some big looming projects that we'll have to tackle eventually. Continue reading "A Little Update"

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That Feeling When you Almost Ended Up on House Hunters

The cat is finally out of the bag.

Husband and I found a house and moved out of the apartment we've called home for nine years. It's been a whirlwind of activity since we saw the house for the first time in late October. I thought wedding planning was hard. Buying a house takes the cake! Thankfully, we won't be looking to do this again anytime soon.

Now that we have the keys, we are doing some work to make it feel like home for us. We are posting photos over on Instagram as we make progress using the hashtag #merlardorenovation.

Last time I wrote anything was before we closed in January. We took our time and moved in late February. Now it's end of March and we've been living in the house for a month. Seeing as how it's been a while — and I'm now totally an experienced homeowner! — I can share the 5 things I've learned over the past few months. Continue reading "That Feeling When you Almost Ended Up on House Hunters"