Norfolk House Tour

Since we have officially moved out of our rental house, I thought I would do a little house tour of the place we called home for a year. Since we have moved so often (we just moved into our 6th home in 4 years of marriage!), I like to take pictures of each house so we can have them to look back on. 
Moving is always bittersweet. It's closing one chapter and opening another, but this has been the hardest house to leave. We are absolutely in love with our new house and neighborhood, but the house we left contains some of our most special memories. Any and every memory we have of my pregnancy with Taylor Grace happened in that house. I took the positive pregnancy test in the guest bathroom, I stumbled through the house to the dining room to show it to Parker, we went back into the bedroom to take it all in (he had been painting and wanted to get me away from the fumes), and then we went out onto the porch to take our first pictures knowing we were parents-to-be. Our time with Darla also happened in that house. That little pup taught me so much patience and love while we lived there. 
Okay, I could go on and on about how much we loved this house, but I'll save some time and just get straight to the pictures. The house was built in 1942, so it had quite a bit of character!
Front of the house

These are outtakes from our Christmas card photoshoot for 2014, but I wanted to get a couple of shots with the porch swing. We LOVED this porch swing! We sat out there in the evenings and watched the world go by. We could stay out there for hours if it weren't for all of the darn mosquitos.

Master Bedroom

This is definitely the largest master we have ever had. You can't tell from the picture, but there are skylights over the bed. We loved all of the natural light, but if you need it pitch black when you sleep, you would have hated it. It never bothered us though!

Parker's Office

Right across from the master bedroom was Parker's office. If an Aggie flag hanging over a window in place of curtains isn't a sign of a man cave, I don't know what is.

Kitchen

Gosh, I loved this kitchen! It was probably my favorite room. It was so open, and that island was awesome. It was the perfect kitchen for entertaining and had more storage than I knew what to do with. We are big fans of a white kitchen, so I really liked all of the white cabinets too! As you can see, Darla decided to make a little cameo.

Living Room

Jenny is not impressed. This is the room where we spent most of our evenings. We loved curling up on the couch and watching a movie or a TV show with the pups. This room had built ins to the right that were great for storing little knick knacks, or as Parker liked to call it "crap".

Dining Room

This room is right off the kitchen and where we ate dinners each night.

The We-Have-No-Idea Room

This room was right between the living room, dining room, and my office. The people who lived here before us used it as an office, but we didn't really have a use for it. It did, however, house the antenna, as you can see. There wasn't a great place to hide it in the house, but I'll take that over the cable bill any day.

My Office

This is where I spent each day working. I work from home, so it's nice to have my own little space where I can be productive. This room was probably meant to be a den with the fireplace, but it served as the perfect office for me! The wall next to the fireplace is where we took our bumpdate pictures with Taylor each week. We also kept Darla's crate in here. She just loves her crate. We call her my little shadow because she really does follow me around everywhere I go. We put her crate next to my desk so she could hang out with me during the work day in comfort. Jenny preferred the couch in the living room.

Guest Room

There was a second floor loft in this house that we dedicated as the guest room. My mom, Nana, twin, Parker's parents, and several friends stayed with us throughout our time in this house.

Guest Bathroom

This was the guest bathroom. Nothing too special about it, but it served its purpose.
Master Bathroom

This was probably my least favorite room in the house. There was very little storage which is difficult for a girl because we have a lot of "crap" as my husband agains refers to it.

So there you have it! We will always remember this house fondly. We had a great time living there!

We Are Homeowners!

So yesterday was a really exciting day. We became homeowners! We closed on our first house and are pretty much on cloud nine. The closing process went really smoothly and was actually much faster than I anticipated. 

I've always heard horror stories of closing taking hours and the papers to sign being never-ending, but we were in and out of there in an hour. The paperwork was no joke though. I laughed at how pretty our signatures started out and how sloppy they were by the end. After signing our lives away, the keys were finally ours!

signatures on signatures on signatures

I am excited to blog about the different house projects we decide to take on and the transformations that ensue as we make this home our own. Ironically, one of the reasons we chose this home is because it was completely move-in ready and didn't need any work done. Somehow, we have a page long list of projects we want to tackle. I think there is just something fun about making a home your own, and we are the typical overly eager first-time homeowners, so it makes sense. The first step will be to move in... yayyyy moving!
And lastly, I leave you with a picture of the neighborhood peacock. Seriously. There is a guy that lives near us who has 6 peacocks, and they pretty much walk around the neighborhood like they own the place. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't really excited about hosting our family and showing them the peacocks. I mean really, how cool? Will it be cool when they are clucking like roosters in the early morning? Maybe not, but that remains to be seen. Even if they are loud, they're peacocks. They're so neat that I forgive them already.

Home Ownership On The Brain

So about a week ago, something really cool happened. We became homeowners!!! We got our dream house and could not be more thrilled! Starting out on the journey of buying a home, we were pretty discouraged. We just weren't finding anything that felt right and were afraid we would run out of time and have to settle with something we didn't love. A few weeks later, we saw this house, and we were obsessed. We also saw another house the same day and thought we could see ourselves in either one. That's about the time I discovered that buying a house must be just like being the Bachelor.
We went with our gut and haven't looked back since. Putting in the offer was really fun and nerve-racking at the same time. We carefully chose our offer, they countered, and we felt that what they countered with was very fair, so we took it. We are so excited to make memories in this house. Godwilling, this will be the house we bring babies home in, host family and friends in, and just enjoy life's sweet moments in. 
Since we bought a house and I am a girl, naturally decorating has been in the forefront of my mind. We want to make it our own and a place we genuinely love spending time in, but we don't want to go overboard. I am under strict orders from the hubs not to buy a single thing until we move. Anything we buy now is one more thing we have to move, so I am fighting the good fight and only window shopping. 
I've been taking pictures of different items in different stores that I might want to purchase for the new home, so I thought I would share a few of them! Who knows, maybe we won't buy any of this, but I have loved gathering inspiration from window shopping and, of course, Pinterest. 
Let's see...
We need new bedding, and I love the blue and white on this quilt I spotted at the NEX. We wash our comforter fairly often since the dogs lay all over it, and it would be really nice to have something like a quilt that is lightweight and not as cumbersome to wash. Parker doesn't love the idea of a duvet cover, so I am thinking a quilt like this would be a nice happy medium. 

This is just a little picture frame I found at the NEX as well, but I like how simple and clean it looks. We tend to love more modern decorating, and I like this on a bedside table in a guest room.

I had to laugh out loud when I saw this next one. I spotted this at Hobby Lobby. Necessary for the laundry room, right?

This was a display at Hobby Lobby, and I just LOVE the Navy and white. I really want to do either our room or a guest room in this color scheme. I like the print in the middle with the gold reef.

The Navy broke my office chair when we moved to Virginia (sadly, not many pieces of furniture were spared in our last move), and I have just been making do and not leaning too much in it. After almost falling over for the hundredth time last week, I decided a new office chair would be a good investment. I like this one at Target.

If you have any decorating tips or advice, I am all ears!  

Buying a House Is Like Being The Bachelor

Buying a house has been on our brains the past few weeks. We are home-buying rookies, and to say the process has been exciting is an understatement. We have loved house hunting! The other day, I had a small revelation: House hunting is like being the Bachelor. Okay, so maybe this isn't a fair assessment since I have never been the Bachelor, but let's go with it. Because seriously, house hunting is like being the Bachelor. 

Here's why...
You have to kiss a few frogs before you find "the one".  We didn't see our dream house on day one. We found a few that looked nice on the outside but were terrible on the inside, a few that weren't compatible with our needs long-term, and a few that just had some weird issues. 
Location matters. Let's use our latest Bachelor, Prince Farming, as the example here. He was a catch, but the ladies had to be willing and able to move to Iowa. He didn't want to relocate, and he didn't want to date long distance. We saw a lot of houses that we really loved, but lack of proximity to work cut them from the running. We can't change the location of our jobs, so those houses had to go. 
Dating other houses while you are already semi-serious about a few is perfectly acceptable. We couldn't put all of our eggs in one basket. What if the dream house suddenly went off the market? We had to play the housing field and give other houses a chance. 
It actually is a difficult decision once you've narrowed it down to two. I never understood this watching the show. Why does the Bachelor always seem to struggle so much in deciding who he should propose to? Well Mr. Bachelor, I get it. We had it narrowed down to two houses for a few days and went back and forth constantly. Pro/con lists for days! 
You have to wait for your proposal to be accepted. Putting in an offer on "the one" is exciting and nerve-racking and everything in between. We got down on one knee for the house of our dreams, and now we wait to see if the housing conglomerates say that magical, three-letter word every Bachelor waits to hear: yes. 
So that's why I think being the Bachelor must be just like house hunting. In the end, we found a house we absolutely love and put in an offer this past weekend. We find out today if they are going to accept, counter, or reject! Good thing the rose bush is fully blooming outside in case we need to propose to our back-up. 

Small Bathroom Problems

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #FreshandGlow #CollectiveBias
We really love our house in Norfolk. It was built in 1942 and has so much character. We've never lived in an older home before, but this has been one of our favorite houses. Even though it is filled with character and so many different people and stories have taken place here, there is one thing you cannot escape with an older home: small bathrooms. And by small bathrooms, I mean very small bathrooms. Bottom line: there is just not enough space. Before I go further, here's a look at what I'm working with. Not too bad, but there isn't much storage space. 

I've realized that there really isn't anything I can do to increase the square footage of the bathroom itself. Once a small bathroom, always a small bathroom. I suppose we could gut it and start over, but I don't think our landlord would be too thrilled if we decided to get our DIY on. 
Knowing the only real thing I could do to improve my problem was to employ some mad organizational skills, I quickly got to work with sorting, labeling, and downsizing where applicable. We have two small bathrooms in our home, so I used the storage space of the guest bath to house all of the products we don't use everyday or may have excess of (extra soaps, shampoos, nail polish remover, insect repellent, aloe vera, etc). For the main bath, I stored all of our everyday use items (my make-up, hair accessories, mouthwash, his razor, lotion, etc).  I purchased small tubs that would fit underneath my sink and printed off labels to tape onto them so I would know what products were stored where. I also purchased a metal stand that would fit in the corner of my storage space that could house miscellaneous items.

Obviously the back of the sink and pipe don't look great, but there wasn't much I could do for that. 

Just those minor organizational changes really made a difference! By categorizing and being strategic on what I stored where, I really maximized on space. Now, my small shelf doesn't have to house toiletries. Instead, I have a spot for my beautiful candles!

I wanted to add something decorative that wouldn't make the bathroom look even smaller than it already is, and this monogram was just the ticket. 

The clear tubs and metal stand can be purchased on the cheap, so this little organizational overhaul will not break the bank. In the spirit of bathrooms, I also picked up a couple of new shower products at Walmart to give my dry skin an overhaul as we migrate into Spring. Also, I was kind of rewarding myself for the stellar organizing. I mean hard work deserves a little appreciation, right? I chose SoftSoap Fresh & Glow Hydrating Shower Cream and SoftSoap Fresh & Glow Exfoliating Fruit Polish. Showers are supposed to be relaxing, but it was hard to relax before when I knew how junky the bathroom was. Taking a shower in my new and improved space with Fresh & Glow body washes that rescued my skin from this winter spell was nothing short of luxurious.  

I have battled dry skin like never before this winter. It gets dry in Texas, but Virginia definitely takes the cake. The Hydrating Shower Cream provided that long-lasting moisture I've so desperately needed, and the exfoliating apricot seeds in the Fruit Polish felt wonderful.

Since these are new products, here is the aisle where I found them.

I may have very small bathrooms, but a little organization and some new bath products really make it feel like a new space. Thank goodness, because there is nothing more relaxing than a warm shower. Am I right or am I right?

Guest Room Unveiled

Parker and I have always wanted to have a guest room. In 5 homes, this is the first where it has been possible. He could have built guest furniture in Kingsville, but my parents were the only ones who came to visit us, so we waited on the guest suite until we got to Norfolk. Thank goodness we did, because there would have been zero room for that in Corpus Christi. Naturally, the first thing Parker did once his tools arrived to Norfolk was build a guest bed!

We looked online and decided on a design and style we liked, and he went right to work. Three days later, the bed was a bed! He did something different with it that we really love. The middle of the headboard is actually upholstered with fabric that we picked out. It's so unique and different, and we are basically just obsessed with this room. We will have our first visitors in 2 short weeks, and their room is ready!

We knew we wanted to go with whites, greys, and yellows, and I am pleased with the pieces we chose. The room is painted blue, so we decided to stay away from blue/green hues so we wouldn't have to worry about clashing. Neutrals with a pop of color in the bedding was the name of the game! So, without further ado, here it is...

We actually recycled an old, hand-me-down brown side table for the nightstand. Parker attached trim to the top to match the headboard and footboard, and we painted it white. Love the result and love that it didn't cost anything! The lamp was recycled as well, and I talked about that last week when I talked about my new found obsession with spray paint.

Bed: custom (built by Parker)

Nightstand: Target (old), painted with trim added 

Bedding: Target

Lamp: Hobby Lobby (old)

Lamp Shade: Target

Rug: Home Goods

Upholstery Fabric: Walmart

Corpus Christi House Tour

Since we have officially moved out of our Corpus Christi home, now seems like as good of a time as any to do a little house tour. This might be our favorite house we have ever lived in, but we really have loved every one. We were there less than 4 months, but it definitely felt like home by the time we left it. For the first time, we lived in on-base housing. Base housing is hit or miss, but if you are in the military and get stationed in Corpus Christi, live on base. Trust me. It was so fun living a few doors down from our friends, and the house was perfect for us. It was a little smaller than any house we have had before, but there are just two of us plus a furball. We really don't require a mansion over here.

We decorated very minimally since we knew we were only going to be here a few months. We had a few boxes in the garage full of pictures that were never hung. We hung a few, but for the most part, we just enjoyed the white walls and rolly pollies. (Seriously, we had to sweep rolly pollies out of the house daily. They were all over Corpus Christi for some odd reason. Weird.) I snapped a few pictures before we left so I would be able to look back and remember the house we called home in Corpus Christi, TX!

Bedroom:
This was a great little room with the biggest master closet we've ever had... score! Parker actually built every piece of furniture in this room, which I love. What's not pictured is the big black blanket we hung over the window to keep the light out. It was super classy, let me tell ya. Here's to hoping I actually invest in some blackout curtains at the next location. 

Living Room:
Love this room! We finally purchased a sectional during our time here after talking about it for over two years. This was our favorite room in the house. We are all about vegging out on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and our latest TV obsession. 

My Office:
This house was a 2/2, and every other house we have ever had was a 3/2. Losing that third bedroom was actually no big deal at all, but we did have to get a little creative. I work from home and he needs a quiet place to study, so I made my little office in the corner of our living room. It worked perfectly. Love that turquoise desk Parker built me in Kingsville!

Dining Room:
There really isn't anything special about this room itself, but man do we love this table! So excited to have little Phelplets sitting around it in the years to come.

Kitchen:
This was a smaller kitchen than our other houses have had (I have always been so spoiled in the kitchen department), but it did the job. It really was the perfect size for the two of us.

Parker's Office (Man Cave): 
I thought I'd try out the fancy panoramic section on the iPhone with this one. This is where the countless hours of studying with a few video game breaks happen.

We loved this house. We try to see the best in every living situation and really have loved everywhere the Navy has stuck us. This place was truly wonderful though. We will miss our Corpus Christi home!

Dream Living Room

When Parker and I got married, we didn't jump right into buying nice furniture and setting up house. We knew it would be years before we actually bought a house, and it just didn't seem to make sense to buy nice living room furniture until we were a little more settled. We bought a couch and love seat from a guy that was graduating at Texas A&M, and he threw in a ladder, George Foreman, cups, speakers, and a projection TV. For $400, this was a steal. Side note before I continue: if you are in the market for used furniture, hit up Craigslist around May when everyone is graduating. They just want to get rid of things so they don't have to move them, and you will score a great deal.

Anyway, fast forward 3 years, and we were ready for an upgrade. Being a military wife and moving so often, I never really got to set up a house exactly how I wanted to. I always just accumulated things that didn't really go together with the intention of creating our "dream living room" once we finally are semi-settled down. We decided now was just as good of a time as any, and we went for it. We even gave our couches away before we moved from Kingsville, so there was no turning back.

We shopped around the local furniture stores and ultimately found something we love at Rooms To Go. It was just perfect for us. We have always been set on wanting a sectional, so that's really all we looked at. I am so excited about our new living room. All it needs in my opinion is hardwood floors, but that part is a bit out of our control since we are renting. So without further ado, here it is!
 

  I am loving the grey and yellow combo and thought these pillows were classy and trendy at the same time.

These curtains were gifted to us for our wedding, and I think they really bring the room together.

 

I love this stud detail on the sofa. The brushed nickel feels so elegant to me. 

Parker built this coffee table early on in our marriage, and I just love it. 

This rug is simple, but we loved the detail. 

Sectional: Rooms To Go Pillows: Rooms To Go Curtains: Dillards Rug: World Market   We may be kicking ourselves for the light-colored rug and sectional when kiddos come around, but for now, we are loving it!