Before Pics: Holiday Projects 2 and 3

So I mentioned a couple posts ago that there are four total holiday projects.  The biggest though, is the gift from Molly's Mom to Molly's Kids (hear by known as Baby A and Baby B) of decorating their bedrooms.  Molly's Mom is not officially a decorator, but she plays one on TV.  She has all the skills of staging (remember how she staged the old house?) and decorating but she just doesn't have the official license to do it.

Anyway, when we moved to Dream House the kids got their own rooms separated by a Jack and Jill bathroom.  Since they moved from 2 cribs in one small nursery to each having their own big room, the rooms stood pretty empty and unfinished for the past 6 months. 

Below are the before pictures for Baby A and Baby B.

Baby A's old room in Dream House:

From the doorway

From the closet

From the bed

From the bathroom

Baby B's old room in Dream House:




From the doorway

From the bed

From the bathroom

From the closet

The rooms were pretty much the same but with different lamps and one had a dresser where one had a bench.  OMG, wait till you see them now.  Can you say Pottery Barn Kids Catalog in my Dream House???  Stay tuned...

Merry Christmas

Although it's been said, many times, many ways, Merry Christmas... to you!

 

Project #1 of 4 Complete

Over this holiday break we have 4 main projects going on.  One is easy and already complete.  The other 3 involve paint and will be done before the new year.

Right now I just have before and after pics for Project #1: Hang the fabulous laundry rack.  Remember how it was on back order for 6 months?  So happy to have this guy in his rightful spot.

Before:

After:

Laundry bliss!  We will be putting some letters above the rack that say LAUNDRY or CLEAN or something. 

Project #2: Baby A's room
Project #3: Baby B's room
Project #4: Master bedroom and bath. 

Stay tuned!!!

Christmas enhancements

She came, she saw, she changed. 

I told you that I did the best I could with the holiday decorations and I knew Molly's mom would come and modify and enhance everything.  She arrived yesterday around 2:30pm and by the time I got home at 5:30pm she was almost done with the changes.  I didn't take pics but here's what she did:

• Enhanced my dining table centerpiece with two candles in candle holders that she brought.
• Totally removed the garland I had above the fireplace and replaced it with lighted garland she brought that has fake fruit in it and bows on the ends.
• Removed half the snowmen from the collection display and interspersed them with the garland on the mantle.
• Added about 50 presents to the pile under the tree.
• Added a nutcracker and numerous candles, candle holders, door knob covers, and various hanging things around the first floor.
• Put Christmas cookies on my snowman platter (6 different kinds).
• Prepared the garland that I had on the mantle to be strung along the staircase complete with bows she brought from home (project for today).
• Set up her iPod and speakers to play a special 3.5hr holiday play list on loop.
• Added her and Molly's dad's stockings to the mantle complete with their own stocking hangers.

Coming up next... the before and after of the kids' bedrooms.  Painter is coming the 29th and 31st.

Holiday Season

Well, I did the best I could before the arrival of Molly's Mom.  I feel like for this year we're just not going to do the house justice and that's ok.  Next year, that's when it will all come together.

So here's what the outside of Dream House looks like.  These pics were taken at 10pm so it's very black.  But honestly, I'm never home in the light anymore.  I managed to get up the candles in the windows, a snowman mat, and the wreath.  I did not get up the garland on the fence, the garland on the posts, or the lights on the bushes.
Next year.

 

 

 

Inside is a little better.  My helpers pitched in:

Molly's Mom sent me a package, and it turned into this:

This picture makes me happy.

Note the train under the tree... I don't have it lit up and moving and singing in this pic.

This area is also festive:

Though what would make it really good would be some lighted garland on the stairs.

Next year.

 

 

Over here we have the snowman collection and manger scene:

And in the kitchen we have our advent wreath and another little tree on the china cabinet:

I think that the dining room came out really nice (thanks to Molly's mom's shipment):

Did you spot Charlie the Elf?

 



So that's about it.  I'm missing a lot of stuff outside but the inside is pretty cozy and that's what really matters.  The kids are really enjoying the fact that the Dream House has a FIREPLACE so Santa can finally come to OUR house for the first time ever.  Should be really fun!

And now I am headed to BFF's house to finish up my shopping list and love on her kiddos.  Au revoir!  And good luck to Mr. Molly!

Christmas Miracle! Immediate Need Pt. 2

So remember on JULY 10TH when I wrote this post about needing a couple of things for the house? 

The number one item on there was the laundry rack that Jim and Cindy stole from the laundry room.  I ordered it in mid-July and it got back ordered, and back ordered, and back ordered.

Finally this week I got an email saying it's on its way to Dream House!  Just in time for Molly's Dad to install it!!  I'm so very excited!

As an update to the other items.  We did buy that exact sectional and ottoman shown in the picture.  We did not get the windows tinted... haven't really done anything about that at all and we keep the blinds open all day long so undoubtedly in a year or so our furniture will be all faded.

We also never got a treadmill.  Turns out in 4500 sq ft of space we don't have room for it.  HA!  #FirstWorldProblems  Mr. Molly runs outside and I don't run at all so it's not really an immediate need item.  More of a pipe dream.

Instead we have more immediate need items that I can add to the list:

PAINT!

Molly's Mom is decorating the kids' bedrooms for their Christmas and to go with that they need to be painted.  Apparently it needs to be a professional job because it is very complicated and involves wood.  I don't know.  But anyway, if we are going to have a guy come out and paint the kids' rooms we might as well have him do our room and bathroom too since we already know the color (our Christmas gift last year was Molly's Mom redecorating our Master). 

Fireplace Gas Logs!!

This is a project in process but will be so nice when we can literally have a fire at the touch of a button.  Probably not going to happen before Christmas.  Luckily, Molly's Dad knows his way around a wood pile.

GAME TABLE (AGAIN!)

This guy is still on the list (not this particular one) but is probably postponed due to the more immediate need for paint.