The NEW Anniversary Home

For as long as it took us to find the old Anniversary Home, it look us a blink of an eye to find the new one. I'm not exaggerating - it was the third house I looked at. (For reference, I 'screened' a bunch of homes before dragging Mr. B out for a day of househunting. And it worked much better this way.)

So without further adieu, let me introduce you to....drumroll....The Anniversary Home v2.0:

Exterior of the home

Things I get excited about?

Garage instead of a barn...little circle drive...Hardie plank siding...the little thin windows in the dining room...most of the landscaping is done.

Kitchen
Things I get excited about?

Double oven...gas range...the same granite as TAH kitchen...undercabinet lighting.

Kitchen 2

Wet bar area with cabinets to display all my pretty glasses...built in wine rack...desk/office/organization area...A similar dishwasher to TAH that I absolutely adored...hardwood floors...a separate ice machine at the bar.

Dining Room

Things I get excited about?

The little windows at the front...the chandelier...it's plenty spacious.

Living Room / Den

Things I get excited about?

Woodburning fireplace + lovely stone accent to the ceiling...hardwood floors...french doors with a view to the back deck...spacious enough for a big sofa and several accent chairs.

Master Bedroom

Things I get excited about?

It's huge...pretty window at the front...double walk in closets for his/hers...but let's be honest, that paint color is the first thing to go!

Master bath

Things I get excited about?

Separate vanity space...tiled walk-in shower with rain faucet...those mirrors.

Guest Bedroom

Things I get excited about?

Ceiling fans everywhere...jack and jill bathroom...pretty view of the backyard...huge walk-in closets for storage...but again, that paint color has GOT to go.

Guest Bedroom 2:

Things I get excited about?

See guest bedroom 1 but this one doesn't have to be painted.

The Big Bad Back Bedroom Project

I suppose this is where the men/women are separated from the boys/girls. It's time to stop talking about all the grand things we're going to do at the Anniversary Home and actually do them. But for now, I'd prefer to talk just a little more about them before we really attempt them.

And without further adieu, I hereby introduce: "The Big Bad Back Bedroom Project".  I hope the title scares you as much as actually doing this project scares me. 

To be fair, it's a fairly simple project.  Attack one room from top to bottom.  Lucky for us, it has no impact on the rest of the home or our daily routine.  Just shut the door and it's out of sight and out of mind.  But for some reason, I'm getting a little worked up with this one?!

You may remember the powder blue bedroom from these posts. It's a hot mess. The floors need to be restored, one window is cracked, the white trim needs paint, the closet still has nasty green carpet.  And that's all before I get to pick pretty paint colors and decorate. 

So for now, I am going to talk a little bit more about what this room entails to buy myself a little more time.
You'll learn very quickly I LOVE LISTS.  To-do lists where you can cross off even the smallest, most inconsequential tasks just to feel like you're making progress.  But those little tasks make a big one!

The Big Bad Back Bedroom Project List:

Floors:

• Find floor restoration company / contractor to quote and complete project. 
• Ideally would like to keep original boards, remove brown paint through sanding and stain a dark color with sealant.
• No idea what to budget for this?
• This is no small task but I know in my heart needs to be done before we get too comfortable here.  Otherwise it will never get done!

Windows / Walls

• How the heck am I going to fix the cracks / missing glass without replacing the entire thing? To be discussed.
• Sand down areas on window sills which are chipped / peeling in prep for all new white paint on window frames and wood trim throughout room.
• Yeah, let's be honest, we gotta get someone professional in to do that. So let's find a painter.
• Paint the walls a nice, calming neutral beige/taupe/tan or whatever color takes my fancy.

Ceiling

• No way in heck I'm worry about a couple cracks in the plaster.  That's called character kiddos, and it's starting to grow on me!

Closet

• Remove carpet in preparation for floors
• Paint or funky wallpaper? To be discussed.
• This microproject feels managable! I can conquer the closet, I can conquer the closet, I can conquer the closet....

Decorate

• The best part!
• New queen bed, with linens, bedside tables, dresser, rug, pictures and accessories, curtains, light fixture and lamps, etc. etc. etc.
• Can we just jump straight to here? No!

The good news is I've already got the feelers out for the flooring.  I guess I can cross that off the list!  In the meantime, I'll continue to take inspiration from pictures like the one below.  Leave it to Pottery Barn to always have it "together".