Giving Cabinets New Life

As I've mentioned before, we tore down a house before starting our build. Conveniently, the old house had amazing oak cabinets that were in pretty perfect condition. They weren't really my style, but I definitely saw their potential and my Pinterest loving self was chomping at the bit to get going on a project. We thought they would be perfect for the laundry room, but since we don't have any windows in that space I wanted to lighten them up with a fresh, light color. And the hardware was outdated. So, Andy took this on as his first real husband duty!

We decided on the pieces we wanted for the space, and Andy got going on heavy duty sanding. I think later on we decided he didn't have to put so much time and effort into that but it was all worth it in my opinion:)

I can't find a picture of the before cabinets, but here are the pieces after some sanding.

I wish I had a before picture to show you the great condition they were in.  These pictures do not really do them justice, but you get the idea of what a big to-do this was.  We got to try out a new attachment paint sprayer. A few coats and some trial and error got us some purty lookin' cabinets!

And now, the beautiful after photos...

We've given them a whole new life! I'm thrilled with the fresh, creamy color and the pulls are perfect. Won't the open cabinet be PERFECT for laundry baskets?!?! I'm pumped for all the organizational possibilities. I am so thankful for Andy as this project took him a few months. I think he is now a little turned off of DIYing, but I think after some time he will be open to giving it another whirl:) I can't wait to install these bad boys and just move in already!

Life

We have gotten a lot done lately! But we still have so much more to do..

On the wedding front, we have our registry done! Well, I shouldn't say done but pretty well started. We're waiting till the house is done to get more of the fun design things on the list. Everybody says it's so fun, but it was exhausting. I know I'm a neurotic mess so I made it more difficult than most people do, but I like to research things before I purchase them. And since we are starting from scratch on everything, I had quite a bit of researching to do. Also, we've nailed down a bridesmaid dress. Getting closer on the entertainment side of things, too. I have a style for the invitations picked out, I just have to have them made. And we have the whole honeymoon thing to do.. So. Much. Planning.

As far as the house goes, we have some dry wall hung - not much. Baseboards, trim, and doors have been finalized. Yesterday, we nailed down paint colors for pretty much every room, so I'm excited to get that going! We have a style of kitchen cabinets selected, and are hoping to have the designer get going on the specific layout. We sorted through a bunch of cabinet add-ons for organization and it got me pretty darn antsy. The organizing enthusiast in me is just itching for some projects and ready to put things away.  I. Am. So. Pumped.

In two months, it should be a completely different house! At least I hope it will be.

On another note, Friday was my last day of clinical rotations at work. This coming week will be my orientation into community work, which will last ten weeks. I'm guessing ten weeks will fly by compared to the twenty of clinicals! I'm enjoying it, but also very thankful that time has flown by. We have so much to look forward to :)

More of the same

There really is not a whole lot of updates here, just more of the same. So busy! I have been freaking out because of our looooong list of things to get done. Unfortunately, there is not much I can do about it because it's harvest season, and Andy is pretty much unavailable. We still need to register and do TONS of shopping for house items, but keep waiting for a rainy day. So, me being me, I've been doing hours of research on registry items, flooring, cabinets, paint colors, etc. It needs to stop. Maybe next month...

On a positive note, my mom confirmed that my venues were booked for the right days (I booked them almost a year ago, but my anxiety causes me to think of worst case scenarios). Also, after a few days of harried phone calls, the chair covers have been booked :) I am waiting to hear back from a DJ/lighting vendor and we have booked a day to go bridesmaid dress shopping! Hallelujah, I think we're getting close.

I know I say this every month, but is it seriously almost October? This is my last week on the hospital floors, and for the next three weeks I'll be covering staff and functioning like a full-fledge dietitian. At this point, I am so ready... and surprisingly, not nervous. We'll see how I feel come Monday. I am exciting to bust out these next three weeks and jump into the Community rotation. Although I really like clinical work, I am ready for a change up! I can't believe it's almost here and we will meet our new intern class next week!!

By the end of October, I better have a lot of news or else I will really be one frantic, psycho mess (as if I'm not already or anything). Here's hoping!

Busy bees

Andy and I have been busy little birds this summer.  We are two days out from the month of September and I can hardly believe it. What have we been doing all this time to make it go so fast??

I have been doing the whole full time job, Monday to Friday, 40 hours a week thing. It's tiring but totally doable. I am really liking what I do and who I work with. And I've been surprised at just how much my evenings in Peoria fill up. The other interns and I go hiking every Tuesday, which I love. It seems like we've been getting together one other time each week for random get togethers, too. Plus I usually have errands to do or a friend to go to dinner with.. it all adds up. There really hasn't been much boredom!

Not only are the weekdays busy, but the weekends seem to be just as chaotic. We've had several family get togethers, bridal/baby showers, trips moving friends (and myself), and just a whole bunch of fun things on the calendar. However, the not so fun part is having no time to lie by the pool. But I guess I'd rather be busy and exhausted than bored and lazy.

The worst part of this whole "not having time" thing is the stress that it leads me to feel about wedding planning. All of a sudden I have been feeling as though I need to get things done. We've had the reception and church booked for almost a year, I bought my wedding dress last month, and the photographers have been a go for a while, too. But in the last few weeks I've really been in gear.  Most importantly, we finalized our list and sent out save the dates! The guest list was by far the most stressful part and I hope nothing tops it, but we have gotten a lot of compliments on our cards and that makes it all worth it :) Also, I have contacted the chair cover people and am waiting for more info from them. Plus I think we have narrowed down a bridesmaids dress! If I don't get those two things settled in the next 6 weeks, I know I will be a nut case. Also, we are trying to set aside a day to register for gifts, so that will be one more thing. After that the next thing on our to-do list will be narrowing down a DJ/band. The last 6 months of our engagement better be breezy after this part!

As far as house updates, we now have insulation sprayed. Supposedly the dry wall guys are coming at some point. Nobody communicates anything to me properly and it's annoying. If I had their personal phone numbers I would be harassing them every day but I guess there is no reason for us to be in that big of a hurry. Soon we will need to start selecting floors, cabinets, etc. so that will be a whole 'nother chapter in my book that is a to-do list. It's all wonderful stuff going on, but mixed together is quite a lot.

I am so ready for June to be here so we can enjoy all that we are working toward.

Where has summer gone?

I am now seven weeks into my internship! I can hardly believe it's going by so fast. I've already spent four weeks on the hospital floors, and definitely learning more and more each day. Sometimes I feel like an idiot, but I guess that's part of the learning process. I'm starting to find my groove and become more comfortable with what I'm doing. And actually, I only have a few more weeks with adults before I start on the pediatric floors - my favorite! Anybody who knows me is aware that I'm totally baby obsessed. I've been looking forward to the end of MNT just because it's the pediatric part. Just a few more weeks! I can't believe it.. It's already almost August..

Just a short house update, we are in a bit of a standstill. In my last post, I mentioned that we were working on electrical. The house is now all wired. Currently they are digging a new well and starting the septic system. So as of now, we are finished with siding, roof, windows, studs, plumbing, and electrical! Next thing on the to-do list is insulationg and dry walling, but it should be at least a few more weeks till our contractor is available. Some days I'm really thankful that we can take our time with this process, other days I'm antsy. Honestly, this has been the busiest summer of my life and I don't know how I would be fitting much housework in if we were rushed. But I am excited to start on projects. I'm hoping our schedule dies down conveniently when the ball gets rolling again. I'm so ready to decorate and landscape.

Life is awesome.

Major Life Updates

Some major things have been occurring over here. I officially graduated college (exactly a month ago to be exact, but better late than never right?). I moved all my stuff home right away and have been enjoying a few weeks relaxing. I honestly don't know where the time went. I spent a lot of time reading and lying by the pool. Other than that, I really can't recall what I did with all my time. It was certainly nice. My sister's wedding festivities were thrown in there and last week, Andy and I got our engagement pictures taken (9 months into our engagement!). I am super excited to see the final prints next week.

Now that I've moved two bedrooms' worth of junk into one bedroom's space, I have really wanted to get going with this whole nesting thing. It's such a tease building a house and still being too far out to do any of that stuff.  My room is always a mess, but not for lack of trying. I just legitimately don't have anywhere to put anything! It's frustrating and I hate living that way. I'm looking forward to finishing this house up. Too bad I still have a while... Although the electricians are working now. Placing switches and outlets really is tedious and annoying. I'm ready for that part to be done.

In other news, I've officially started my internship. Orientation started on Friday and today was the official first day. It's a little overwhelming and I felt like it was a quick turn around, but overall I'm really excited to get going. Everyone seems to love it and is extremely nice. I'm anxious to get past the boring orientation parts and start working with preceptors. Till next time!

Updates

Okay, okay, I know I've been a bad blogger. But honestly, there hasn't been too much to report, and I don't like to blog unless I have something to say. The past month I've been wrapping up my last semester of college! All I have left is a slightly minor exam this Wednesday, and graduation is Saturday! I've been counting down the days pretty much since college started, so it's a bit of a weird feeling knowing that it's almost here.

In my free time, I have been doing quite a bit of research for the house. Since my last post, the porch posts have been installed and I'm really happy with them. Our front door was ordered weeks ago but is due to arrive this Wednesday, so hopefully by this time next week I will have a completely finished picture of the exterior :)

Speaking of pictures, I know I'm awful at taking them. However, just the other day I got a brand spanking new iPhone 4s, so I know those pictureless days are over. The day after I got it, I made sure to go to the house and take pictures of every angle I could. There isn't really a point in showing them now, but they will be nice to have when I start doing posts room by room. We'll see if I keep my word, though.

Although we've pretty much come to a stand-still on house building, I have been doing lots of research. Andy and I have quite a large to-do list. So far, he has been a trooper at being motivated, so I can only hope his motivation continues and that I can keep up. The past few weeks, he's been hard at work on the old cabinets that were in the old house. They were pretty much in mint condition, so we are salvaging and reconfiguring them for the new mudroom bath, as well as the laundry room.  I am so thankful I'm marrying a handy man. He's done so much work on them.  The mudroom bath sections are close to being done, so we should be able to prime and paint within the next few weeks if we wanted to. We are thinking black for the mudroom bath and a creamy tan color for the laundry room. However, my ideas change on a regular basis, so we will see :) We do have the pulls for the mudroom bath purchased, which was more of my thing. I'm excited to start doing more of that fun stuff.

Thanks to Pinterest, our to-do list consists of much more than the cabinet project. First, I stumbled upon this uber perfect master closet on Sawdust and Paper Scraps. For weeks, I've been trying to design a closet based on our needs and dimensions. We are doing this 100% from scratch so we may bite off more than we can chew. Also, I've been trying to find just the right bench/storage for our mudroom. I've pinned options on several of my boards and there are just too many to choose from.  And, I drool over these DIY IKEA built-in bookcases by Centsational Girl.  The dimensions used here aren't the same as we would need, and I'd like to find an option with some filing cabinets, but it certainly has given me somewhere to start from.

Once we get the dry wall in and I know my exact measurements, we'll be able to really get going. I think the Master closet project will be first, because I know if we move things into the space then we will never take it all out and live in construction. Then the mudroom bench will be next, followed by the office built-ins. We'll see how long it takes us to get there!

Porch Inspiration

I have always dreamed of having a big southern porch. I imagine myself sitting on a porch swing or rocking chair drinking sweet tea in the summers and watching the sun set. Idyllic? I'd say so.

On our house, we have a long front porch that runs the length of the house. We've been focusing on selecting columns and railings this week, so I thought I would post about my inspiration and what I'm hoping it will come out as.

Here are some photos I've collected on Pinterest over the last few months..

 PorchView

 Charming Porch

Wrap-Around Porch

Our house actually should look pretty similar to the middle photo - long porch with the front door in the middle. We think we've settled on a style for the columns and railings. Here is the sample photo from the seller:

Turncraft Columns

I promise this weekend I will steal someone's camera and take pictures of all of the rooms. This week I should have oodles of free time so I expect to get a few inspiration posts done!

The Wait Is Over!

Today was the day that I've been waiting for for the past four years - Match Day, people! I'm honestly surprised at how calm I was up until today. Like I've said before, I was in total denial. Even today Andy and I went to the mall and for a long walk around campus, all the while my nerves were at bay. I wasn't even thinking about 6pm most of the time.  If you know me at all, you will know how foreign a lack of anxiety is for me.

Anywho, I called my friend around 4:45 to talk about school stuff, and got completely wigged out. Andy and I were on our way to dinner (Monical's Pizza, of course) and it was like I got hit in the face with a nervous stick. I got all shaky and couldn't sit still while we ate. I couldn't get home soon enough.

We got home with time to spare, I logged on to the site and waited it out. 6pm came, I hit refresh, and... nothing. The site went totally berzerk due to the heavy traffic, and I was certain this was just a bad omen. Andy and I were compulsively clicking our computers trying to get it to load. It took fifteen minutes, but I finally got in.

I got matched to OSF St. Francis! It was my top choice all along and I was pretty much certain that I wouldn't get it. It's highly competitive due to its stipend and I thought I wouldn't make the cut. One girl doesn't get everything she's ever wished for right? I am so very blessed. I can't believe the process is over, and I just couldn't be more thrilled.

If I get placed in my preferred class, I will be starting the internship on June 11. Have I mentioned that I will be finishing the program the day before my wedding next year? It's insane but I'm trying not to think about that - it's what vacation days are for right?

What a busy year it is going to be! I am the luckiest girl ever.

Coming Together

I know I am an awful blogger. I like to think that it's because I'm not at the house every day to see the actual process. And I haven't taken a single picture of it because I currently do not have a camera (I probably need one of those, right?). Anyways, all of my info comes through Andy, and I know some things probably get lost in transit, so all I have to go by are his pictures.

Most of the major things are complete. Now the structures for both the house and garage are done and they are starting on the smaller things. They are working on the soffit panels, we got our showers/tubs in yesterday and we even got our first window! From what I understand, upcoming projects include installing all the windows and maybe shingles for the roof. The concrete for the porch still needs to be poured and we have been selecting posts. Here are a few measly pictures..

Front of the house (which is a little outdated but it's the best I can do)

Updated front of garage:

 Close-up of the gables above the porch:

Our first window! It's one from the old house that we are reusing in the garage.

The shower placed in our master bath:

I am kind of confused as to the order of things, but I am getting extremely anxious about starting my part (selecting finishes, paint colors, furnishings, landscaping, and such). We have done a few things, like picking out our showers, but the real fun stuff hasn't started yet! Andy came to visit me this weekend and we have gone to Menard's, Lowe's, and Home Depot in the past 24 hours basically just for fun. We act like old people.

I am hoping to start doing inspiration posts soon. My brain has been going wild this week since my schoolwork has been pretty slow, and I need to find a way to focus my thoughts.  I think blogging more will help me chill out a bit and also just give me something to do. I'm going crazy having such a large to-do list that I can't even start yet!

And on another note, Match Day is TOMORROW. I have been surprising calm about it for the past few weeks. I can't tell if that's a good thing or not, but if things don't go well atleast I've had a few weeks of peace? I have waited for this for four years and I'm in denial that it's actually here. Fingers crossed that I have a big smile on my face at 6pm. I will be sure to post afterward.

Phase 2

We have made some serious progress on the house. At this point, the foundation has been finished, the floor boards have been put in place, and the walls are up (the studs, at least). Most of the exciting stuff happened while I was at school last week, and I was a bit of a nervous wreck worrying about if it was all going to come out right. I hated not being there to begin with, but we had to change a few things which made my anxiety even worse. Thank goodness Andy knows what he's doing, made the right choices, and just puts up with my insanity. He has been a real trooper communicating the important stuff. I got to walk through it for the first time on Thursday, and was extremely happy with how it all turned out! Here are the photos. Obviously it's difficult to capture depth and actual size, but you get the jist.

Front of the house:

 Just inside the front door. There is a coat closet to the left separating the entry from the living room, laundry room straight ahead, and office to the right, next to the bedrooms.

 Here are the two bedrooms separated by their closets. The farthest wall is the front of the house.

 Here is the dining room, which faces the back of the house. We are including a sliding door here in the hopes that we will have some sort of screened in porch/patio at some point down the road. Obviously, we have our hands full at the moment, but we are thinking ahead.

Here is the view from the mudroom door. Our mudroom connects the garage and the house. You walk in and the kitchen/dining room is to the right, pantry straight ahead (although the walls aren't there in this picture), and the living room is to the right. It's all open concept.

 This is our master bedroom. There is really no point to including this photo, but I thought I would just for good measure. It is in the back corner of the house, and a bathroom and walk-in closet are attached, but not in the photo.

We should have a roof on by the end of this week! So far on the Phase 2 to-do list: garage walls, concrete for garage and porch, windows, doors, and of course the roof.

My current project focus? Landscaping.

Internship Update

I just finished my first dietetic internship interview.

I was in a cold sweat, super nervous, and majorly anxious. It was via Skype, so all of the stress worrying about having technological difficulties was the problem. I think it went pretty well, though. I got some insight on what the others will be like.  Speaking of the others, I got my fourth interview! So far, I have gotten interviews with my 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th programs - still waiting on that #1, but I'm not expecting to hear for another week or so. Oy. My other three are this week (tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday). I am so ready for them to be over. All of this waiting is the pits...

As far as house news, they are trucking away. The basement should be finished by the end of the week. I haven't been back to see it in person since the last post, but will be sure to get some pictures this weekend.

Phase 1

We are strolling right along with house progress.  It's almost insane how fast things have been changing. I'll walk you through it...

On a Saturday, we moved Andy out of the old house. By that Friday, it was nothing more than a big bowl of dirt. I promised myself I would upload pictures (I know I will thank myself later). Here is a little before and after.  I'm thankful that Andy can be around for the progress and takes LOTS of photos.. even if it's on his low-tech flip phone :)

Here is what the house was like when Andy moved in, from the front and side view. The side view is what you see from the road.

Here is what the lot looks like now. Crazy!

The foundation has been started, and progress is being made every day. We are just starting to begin choosing siding, doors, and all that fun stuff. I'm looking forward to doing more!

A Wild Week

It's been one heck of a seven days. I'll walk you through it...

Last Monday,  house demolition began. I was shocked at how fast everything came down, but by Friday, there was not ONE piece of the old house on the lot (other than the large dump pile of course). After digging for a few days, they are are starting on the foundation today. I am surprised that I haven't gotten a million text messages from Andy. He is so excited about working on the construction site, it's adorable. I keep telling myself I need to post pictures because I will someday appreciate it. This weekend!

On to not-so-great news, I got super duper sick last Wednesday night. As in, I've never felt so miserable. I am not one to go to the doctor for more than check-ups and I've never been to the ER, but I caved. I had an exam and two lab classes on Thursday, which I of course missed. Thank God my mom came to bring me back to Pontiac so I could rest at home. A week later, I still don't feel 100%, but I'm certain it's all in my head. I have been really anxious about missing school and catching up and finishing projects and what-have-you. Today was definitely hump day, so I'm ready for some relaxation. I will have to wait for the weekend.

Our Dream Home

Andy and I have been serious since shortly after we started dating. We knew that someday we'd get married, and talked about our future plans a lot - probably a lot more than regular college-aged kids do. Our plans for the perfect house were no exception.

Since my man is a farm boy, it was obvious we'd live in the country. And, the perfect property is just a mile away from his parents' house. Andy has been living there since he graduated in May, but the house is quite old and although it's in good shape, it just isn't functional for the modern family. We always knew we'd build there someday. 

Well, apparently someday is here. After drawing up about a million different layouts ourselves and doing tons of research to make it perfect, we had them professionally drawn up. We had to make a few changes, but overall we are thrilled with how it all turned out. We saw the final plans Thursday (I know, Thursday was a big day!).

So, Friday and Saturday we moved Andy's stuff back out and to his parents. It was total deja vu as it feels like we just moved him in, but oh well. I certainly am not complaining that the process is starting! Today they are taking out the existing cabinets to save since they are uber nice and in mint condition. No turning back now:) 

Anyone who has me on Pinterest knows that I'm obsessed. I've been pinning home decorating/organizing photos like crazy in preparation for this! I'm excited to get going on all of my DIY projects, although I know I have quite some time. We are estimating the home to be done next winterish. Andy will probably move in and I will join him after our wedding in June! We are so blessed and excited about what this process has in store for us!

The Dreaded DICAS

I am happy to announce that I have updates! However, I'm just going to stick with one story per post because otherwise this one would be a big mama.

Throughout college, I've been anxious about dietetic internship applications. Most people do not understand the process. Dietetics a highly competitive major and only 50% (yes that's right, 50%) of people who graduate in dietetics actually get an internship.  You can't be a dietitian unless you get an internship, so it's definitely a must. Our teachers and advisors instill fear in us about this process pretty much from day one.  The application is fairly extensive and detailed.  I started mine in December and have been making myself sick with worry on and off ever since - most of my friends will attest to this and were in the same boat. The deadline for submission is February 15th, luckily I finished Thursday!

Honestly, I probably could have finished before then but it's such a scary process that I will admit to being a bit in denial and avoided working on it whenever possible.  But, after convincing myself that "NO, you did NOT forget anything" and "YES, this application is PERFECT," I was finally done. My friend Sara even called me at almost midnight to countdown with me while I clicked the submit button. I was super jittery after that and pretty much didn't sleep. In the past two days since submitting, I still worry that I missed something crucial and my application won't count. That's just the way I am.

Four of the seven internships that I've applied to have interviews in March.  If I don't get called to interview, I know that I won't be accepted to those ones (scary). Match Day is April 1.  It feels so far away, but I'm sure it will creep up so fast. I'm a super anxious person as it is so this whole waiting game isn't really fun for me. I'm just hoping I get one.... I can't be super picky, right?

We'll see how the next 7 weeks go... AH!

Hello, Blogosphere

Life is pretty crazy these days. 

I'm starting my last semester of college (can you say hallelujiah?), applying to dietetic internships, celebrating my engagement/planning a wedding, and in the process of planning our dream home.

Yep, I told you it was crazy.

With SO many wonderful changes happening, I figured it was time for me to start documenting it all. This blog is for me; a journal and memory keeper of our wedding, our home, and our life. We'll see where it goes!