A Few Last Syracuse Pics

We got a "Bed-In-A-Bag" (what a cool concept!) for the master bedroom, and two lamps from a garage sale! We sprayed them black, of course.













Natalie's room was the only one we did not repaint--I couldn't bear to change the "Yellow Room". Last year, when I was feverishly waiting for my baby and going not a little crazy, I did these flowers paintings to match the bedding.




We've been in our little first house almost exactly nine years--we bought it when we had been married only five months. Both our babies came home to this house. We are ready to have a little more space, but we'll miss our little box on Syracuse Street.

More Photos from Syracuse St.

Here's the new and improved guest bath. We took the old, crummy mirror and light fixture down and replaced them, and replaced the yucky counter top with a new one. We put in a new faucet and new towel rack, etc.

The living room pretty much just got new paint (color: "Wild Honey") and new/rearranged accessories. We did get a new couch and chair this year--hooray for sofa beds!


The master bath just got new paint and hardware, and a little staging on the shelves.

Before and After

So, we decided a couple of months ago that we are going to stick around San Antonio for a while, which meant finally moving up to a bigger house. We did all sorts of stuff to pretty up the house in preparation for putting it on the market. The first thing we did (well, really, my mom did it while we mostly watched and kept the kids out of the way) was scrape the popcorn ceiling off and then have someone come in and texture and paint it for us. What a huge difference! Then we painted the kitchen cabinets "Toasted Marshmallow". Here are some photos from before (WAY before, like 2006):


And here's one we took as we were already taking the cabinet doors off. Charming, don't you think?

Here's the finished product. We were pretty proud of ourselves. My mom, who loves HGTV, spray painted all the knobs and hinges black, which looks great and saved us loads of cash. We also put on new countertops. What a difference!

Nifty Gifties!

Okay, I just read my friend Megan's blog about a "Pay it Forward" that she is doing and I want in because she's uber-talented and fun. So here are the rules:

The FIRST THREE people to leave a comment on this post will receive at some point during this year a gift from ME. What it will be and when it will arrive will be a total surprise. The CATCH is that YOU MUST PLAY TOO! Before you leave your comment here, write a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going (you can cut and paste these instructions). Then come back and let me know that you are going to play, and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift.

You KNOW I love to send treats! Good luck!

Um... huh?

So, I was browsing Craigslist today in search of a refrigerator for our NEW HOUSE (more on that to come) and there, in the list of fridges, was this gem:

NEED YOUR TO BE REALLY BY A NICE TRUSTWORTHY EXPERIENCE LADY 707-8699 (EXCELLENT/FRIENDLY SERVICE CALL MARIA)

Clearly English is not Maria's native tongue, but if you click on the questionable header I just quoted, it leads you to a very nearly grammatically correct description of Maria's services. (CLEANING services, that is.) Why, then, are there whole chunks of vital information missing from the title? It is a genuine conundrum, that's what it is. You can thank me later for sharing it with you.