Jack-Jack Update

So, we can't believe that Jack (a.k.a. Jackaroni-N-Cheese -Brian's newest name for him) :-) is now 4 months old (and still so darn cute!). He has gone from a 3.5 pound bundle of fluff to a 11.5 pound ball of energy! :-) We have been actively training him with a company called Bark Busters. They are awesome! After his first puppy training session he understood the sit and down commands. He can now sit, lay down, roll-over and "sit pretty" (sitting up on his hind legs). We are working on the stay command and he is getting really good at heeling while on his leash. He is a joy to have around. You should see how excited he gets when Brian walks through the front door after work! He has been a great addition to our family. Here are some updated pictures of him playing with one of his favorite toys.

BEFORE & AFTER

A while back, Brian's mom suggested that we show everyone some before and after shots (or in our case, before and during shots) of our home remodeling project. We think this is a great idea, but it took me forever to get around to actually finding the original before shots that Brian and I took right before he bought our home.

As many of you know, we are in the middle of a complete home remodel. We bought a foreclosure, and it needed everything. The people who lived here before didn't take care of it at all. This project has been a real blessing and learning experience for us both. I grew up in a house built in 1892 (my family lovingly refers to it as our dear monstrosity, a.k.a. the money pit), so I am used to living in a construction zone (not that I enjoyed washing dishes in the bathtub for the first three months of our marriage, but you do what you have to do). :-)

The best thing about buying a foreclosure is that you get to put your personal stamp on it while learning how to use all sorts of neat power tools (insert Tim Allen grunting laugh here). Brian and I have had so much fun wandering around Lowes and Home Depot. So, granted, we are still walking around on a cement slab throughout most of the house, the kitchen backsplash is still to be installed, I am still painting trim (I think I will be painting it forever!) and our master bath is missing the vanity (well, not exactly missing, but hardly usable since it currently resides in a box in our garage), but it is really starting to come together.

We decided to post these pictures to show everyone how far we have come, and we promise to keep posting new ones as we complete more projects. Thanks go to all our family and friends for all their love, help and support...enjoy!

Home Sweet Home

BEFORE - The Living Area - There was ugly gray tile with a 1" grout line through almost half of the room. There were also 8' tall, 4" wide mirror strips on the left-hand wall that were removed by the bank (along with huge chunks of the sheetrock).

AFTER - The Living Area - We have re-painted, removed the tile, and are readying this area for wood flooring.

AFTER - The Living Area -

AFTER - The Living Area -

BEFORE - The Fireplace - There was a huge brick fireplace right as you entered the house.

AFTER - The Fireplace - We had the brick removed and a wooden mantle built. The tile surround matches the new tile we installed in the laundry room and bathrooms.

BEFORE - Study - We use the third bedroom as our office area (it's directly off the living room) - let's just say that the smell in the house vastly improved after Brian removed the forest green carpet - we don't even want to think about it... :-)

AFTER - Study - This room is almost completely finished except for the wood flooring.

BEFORE - Breakfast Area - Once again, the ugly gray tile, but we kept the chandelier.

BEFORE - The Kitchen Area -

BEFORE - The Kitchen Area -

AFTER - The Kitchen/Breakfast Room Area - we completely gutted the kitchen. The original cabinets were made of particle board and had completely disintegrated underneath. We put in all new cabinets, new countertops (we removed the bar and put in a California countertop - it really opens it up) and a new sink (I didn't know that stainless steel could rust through, but the old sink had). We also put in all new appliances (thank you Craigslist!). We are still working on getting the backsplash put in and finishing out the new half-wall we built - and wood flooring too, of course.

AFTER - The Kitchen/Breakfast Room Area -

AFTER - The Kitchen/Breakfast Room Area -

AFTER - The Kitchen/Breakfast Room Area -

BEFORE - Laundry Room -

AFTER - Laundry Room - New paint, new tile, new connections, it just needs me to finish up the trim work.

BEFORE - Master Bedroom -

AFTER - Master Bedroom - we have repainted and this will be the next room to get wood flooring. We still need to hang some pictures and the curtains, but it is definitely a much cozier spot now!

AFTER - Back Hallway - We have started putting in the wood flooring in the back bedroom and hallway. It looks great!

BEFORE - Guest Bathroom -

AFTER - Guest Bathroom - this is the most complete room in the house. We removed the old vanity, which was so large that you practically sat on it as you sat down on the toilet. We put in new tile, paint, a new vanity, etc.

BEFORE - Guest Bedroom - a.k.a. the 'Angry Room' or the 'Redrum' room. The paint was literally blood red and dripping down the walls. The paint also covered about 6 inches of the ceiling all the way around...can we say KILZ and plenty of it?

AFTER - Guest Bedroom - we repainted it a soothing blue (it's called Cloudburst), and replaced the door (the old one had been kicked in). This is also the first room with flooring (yippee!)

AFTER - Guest Bedroom -