The Befores

We close on our new (to us) house on April 30. It needs a lot of work. Fortunately the work is mostly cosmetic but it is the entire house. All the floors, walls, trim, and lights need to be replaced. Even the outlets and light switches are 80s tan. The bathrooms are gross and ugly too so some things will need to be replaced and others will get a good cleaning to avoid needing replacement. Here are the before pictures and some ideas of our plans.

Here's the house! There are three large trees which I love and will shade the house in the afternoons. The windows will be replaced someday (they are all 33 years old in various states of disrepair). The front door needs repainting but I don't know what color yet. 

The front room. The main level has 12 foot ceilings throughout.

There are two sets of stairs that converge in the center of the main level. One set goes to the master bedroom and bathroom, the other to the split level--3 bedrooms and bathroom above, and a family room, one bedroom and bathroom below.

One thing I don't like is how much the stairs stand out and how chopped up the room feels with two floorings: dark carpet and tile. The entire floor will be a nice neutral wood. I'm liking this look, especially the non-carpeted stairs.

We call this railing above the dining room "the balcony." See what I mean about railings everywhere? I want them to blend in with the walls more.

To the kitchen. I love how big the windows are on this level but not digging the half circle ones.

We are super excited for a gas stove. The dishwasher and fridge are the nicest things in house and the only thing that doesn't need work.

To paint or not to paint this light?

And here's the plan: The flooring will be LVP but a warmer wood tone than this picture but the cabinet colors are spot on. The backsplash is my favorite.

 I don't have a great picture of the master bedroom. It is huge and full of mauve carpet.

I'm digging this panel moulding look but undecided on the headboard and wall color.

Oh the bathroom. I'm so excited to take a sledgehammer to this. 

We'll put in a double sink vanity, tear out the tub and shower and put in something a little like this.

And onto the other side of the house.

These bedrooms will get new carpet and paint.

The bathroom. I'm very excited for this linen closet. We don't have one at our current house.

This bathroom will get new flooring as well. We are still deciding if we replace the entire vanity or just paint it and put on a new counter. You can see how damaged it is.

Downstairs. Family room will get the same white paint and carpet as the bedrooms.

The bedroom.

Storage area that will turn into our games storage by adding more shelves.

And my least favorite room, the downstairs bathroom. I am bound and determined to make this room one to be proud of instead of grossed out.

I've never had grout before. Wish me luck on cleaning and repairing this.

We can't end on that photo so we'll head outside to remind myself why we are so excited for this house. The backyard is just so awesome. It is big and square and aside from the several fruit trees it is a blank slate. I'm looking forward to having the house redone because it's going to be quite the dramatic transformation but that will also mean we can focus on the outside next year.

Demo day is May 1!

April Fools and Easter Kids

I pranked the kids good this year. They are such good sports. I didn't remember to do any pranks last year because lockdown felt like a big prank and I just wasn't in the mood. This year though.....

After they went to bed Justin and I made this box.
And I dipped Cheerios in pink frosting. They look like Barbie doughnuts. 

The kids thought they tasted good and actually ate them all up!

For Easter my family got together at my parent's house just like we're supposed to. I was so excited for this day. I saw my brother and his family for the first time since July, my parents since Christmas and my sister since November, I think. The weather was beautiful, the food was delicious and the kids were so dang cute with their Easter baskets. 

The "seeker" group is getting smaller each year and the "hider" group is getting bigger.

We may have had enough eggs for 20 kids. I am not without blame as I filled 183 eggs. Erica adapted quickly and filled her pockets.

This tree was made for hiding eggs.

I had to pass out grocery sacks to the kids when their baskets  and pockets got full.

And then the dumping and sorting and trading begins.

Hey everyone, look at the sunset! Gotcha!

(We also snuck in a second showing for a house in Mapleton we saw the day before. That evening we put in an offer so I was all distracted and anxiety filled this day too.)

Sunday we watched conference and made it a restful day since Saturday was pretty hectic. After conference we went to Justin's parents house for a ham dinner and an egg hunt in their yard. I was also still so distracted wondering if we got the house or not. Kind of made it a weird day. 

Justin's parents are good hiders! The kids had to try really hard to find them all.

It took a game of warm and cold for them to find this blue egg on the boat trailer.

We ended up with so much candy but you just have to because Easter candy is the best. There's something about chocolate in egg form that just tastes better.

And a week later the kids got to wear their new Easter church clothes.

On Tuesday we found out our offer was accepted! No bidding war, no competing offers. There was some back and forth about the AC and furnace to work out but it is a done deal. We've done the inspection and don't need an appraisal.

We close with our buyer on the 19th but stay here until June 18

We close on our "new old house" on April 30.

We'll have 6 weeks to make it awesome. May is going to be crazy.

News, Easter prep and "Doughnut Spree" is now a thing

What's this in my yard, you ask? Why that's a for sale sign. We are moving! We don't know where but we do know will be out in June so we will have to go somewhere else. 

Our newest Easter tradition is to paint wood eggs. This is our second year painting eggs and the kids enjoy it. It's less stressful than dying them plus I get to keep them as decorations for next year.

This makes me so happy. I think it will be so fun for the kids to see their collection grow and their artistic abilities evolve.

Last weekend while our house had dozens of showings, Justin and I went to Salt Lake for a couple of nights. The kids stayed with Justin's parents because after working on the house nonstop for a week, I needed a bit of a respite. And I hadn't been away from the kids since our anniversary last May and that was for like 24 hours.

Thursday night we ate dinner at Afghan Kitchen. I had never had Afghan food before. It's similar to Indian and I liked it because I love Indian food. 

On Friday the only thing on my agenda was to do a doughnut spree. If you've never done a doughnut spree (I'm just now making this term up), it's where you go get doughnuts from different doughnut spots and then eat them to decide which doughnut place is the best. We chose Donut Boy, Darla's Donuts, and Fresh Donuts and Deli based on their proximity to each other (I didn't want to spend all day driving all over Salt Lake county.

Donut Boy had the best old fashioned doughnut I've ever had. They are my favorite kind of doughnut.

This chocolate and peanut butter doughnut from Darla's was Justin's favorite. Darla herself served us at the drive thru! Plus someone earlier that day paid for a bunch of doughnuts so ours were free!

Sadly I didn't take a picture of the doughnuts from Fresh Donuts because they came in a bag, not a box and we didn't eat them until later. But they had the best doughnut holes. I'm going to remember that forever. And their chocolate cake doughnut was the best too.

So it wasn't a scientific outing but a delicious one! We weren't consistent on the kind of doughnuts we got at each place--we just chose what looked good wherever we were. Our not-so scientific conclusion is: All the doughnuts were dang good. Doughnut are good. Doughnut shops are much better than grocery stores. Donut Boy and Darla's are both in West Valley so I don't see my life taking me near there again but if I am, I'll stop. Fresh Donuts is on State Street in South Salt Lake so I'm more likely to cross paths with their shop again.

In between doughnut tasting, we ate lunch at Taqueria Los Lee because they had a picture of an authentic gordita online and I had never had a real gordita. This pocket stuffed full of meat is a gordita.

Below is not a gordita. What the heck, Taco Bell?

And this Taqueria Los Lee was just a few blocks from Fresh Donuts and Deli. So if you need a suggestion for a fancy lunch in South Salt Lake, there you go.

Next doughnut spree may be a southern loop to hit up a few places in South Jordan and Draper. 

Who is super excited about Easter? I am going to see family I haven't seen in months and months!

Random Story Saturday: The Scary Pool of Danger

Somewhere between here and Colorado Springs, Colorado there is a Travelodge Motel. My parents and my younger brother and I stayed at this motel on our way home from Colorado Springs in the summer of 1995. We stayed just one night but before we started the last leg of our journey home, Thomas and I took a morning swim in this pool. (Please keep in mind neither of us had proper swimming lessons.)

In addition to modest accommodations at a reasonable price, the motel sports a normal sized pool surrounded by white plastic pool chairs. Motel pools are grody at worst and unremarkable at best. This pool is unforgettable. It is rectangular in shape. One end is 3 feet deep; the other end is maybe 8. The floor and sides of this pool are tiled with blue and white ceramic tile--the slippery when wet kind and here is where things get a little dicey. I was 11, my brother 6 or 7. We entered the pool down the steps and instantly lost our footing. It was fun at first--where the water was waist or chest high. We'd joke around chasing each other and slide right under and pop right back up. But we quickly learned of a second danger lurking under the water.

Like this but steeper. So. Much. Steeper.

The shallow end of the pool was actually a very narrow portion on one end. The slope of the pool down to the deep end was so sudden and steep. We found it the hard way. We would drift close to this slope and slide down on our feet and then struggle/swim to get back to where we could touch, continue to play but lose track of where we were and then panic/slide as we drifted back down. The pool quickly lost it's fun as we were in a constant fear or struggle for our lives. We didn't whine when my mom fetched us to go home.

The tiles of that pool were so dang slippery! Who tiles a pool with slippery tiles? What the heck?

We are taking a trip to Colorado Springs in May. I wonder if we can stay there on the way back. My kids are better swimmers.

Not for Granted

Where has the month gone? I can't believe March is half over. Remember where you were a year ago? Everything was getting cancelled. Let's never take anything for granted again.

Like NCAA tournament brackets. I don't care for the games but I think it's fun to compete with my kids for the best bracket.

Henry was super methodical about it. Sarah was mathematical about it. Erica chose her by whatever name she liked the best.

I helped James fill his out. As I read him the matchups, he invariably chose whatever school I said second. So then I reversed the order I said some of them to increase his probability of getting it right.

Don't take getting dressed for church for granted. "Mom, will you help me with my buttons?"

"Yes but let me take a picture first." Bwahahaha

Some things happen, pandemic or no pandemic. Like doing tricks on the trampoline bars.

And losing teeth. She pulled it out all on her own when she was supposed to be asleep. I'm just glad she didn't cry about it.

"Mom, this is the best strawberry ever. Take a picture of it."

And moments like these when my kids sit so quietly together and don't fight. Thank you Where's Waldo.

Other things to never take for granted:

School (Please please please never close again for any reason), library, church at church, primary, concerts, family reunions, girls camp, movie theaters, free samples at Costco (which will be the hallmark of the end of the pandemic because that's the first thing that went away).