Our new hardwood flooring and a living room reveal!

Hey y'all! Thank you so much for all of your thoughtful, wonderful comments on the last post about the kitchen makeover. I can't adequately express how much it means that you take the time to read my blog. I was so nervous to share the kitchen, because I had put so much energy into it, and I tend to suffer from lack-of-confidence syndrome. So, thank you for such sweet feedback. If you missed the kitchen reveal, you can go here. 

Our Kitchen Makeover: Mistakes and Learning Lessons

The Renovation Has Officially Begun: Part One

Hey you guys!!! I'm so excited. 

The renovation has finally begun! 

As many of you know (especially if you've been following on Instagram), we've been in our new house now for a little over a month, scheduling contractors and doing some light renovation work ourselves (aka me painting in my sweatpants every night). But, finally this week, we began the actual renovation.

Progress Report: Painting away the Tuscan

Hey y'all! First and foremost, thank you so much for being so kind about the new house tour in my last post. I know it's a total mess and really dated, but it was such a relief to know that you guys 'got it', (and if you didn't read the house tour, you're prob not going to understand why I love this house based off this new post, so just be kind and rewind.). So, anyway, these are trying times and you guys are the best.

And now it's time for a progress report!

New House Tour!!!!

Hey y'all. It's finally new house tour time!

Thank you for being so patient with me. I've wanted to share these pics with you for nearly a month now. But, I've been busy...and also busy...and also scared.

I'm used to sharing ugly before pics followed by a nice after picture, and it's really hard for me to be vulnerable and just be like, 'Hey look at my house! It's still ugly, y'all!'.


But, I've been thinking a lot about it, and I realize that I miss out on so much when I don't share the entire journey with you guys, so let's just do it. I'll be uncomfortable. I can do it. There are worse things.

Master bedroom decorating updates!

Hey ya'll. 

So, I changed our master bedroom a little bit, and I thought I would pop in really quick to share a few pics of the updates with you guys.

DIY Bathroom Remodel on a Budget

So, it's been about 3 months since I've last blogged, and I just want to thank you guys for being so supportive via social media. The time constraints that come with being a new mom have been a really difficult adjustment for me, and since I don't have many mom friends in real life, it's been such a soul-balm to have this community of women online who have been down this new-mom road and can offer words of kindness and reassurance when I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. 

Home Office Decorating Ideas: My Latest Office Makeover

Welcome to the fourth time I've redone my home office.

Here's the thing: Having a new baby makes it almost impossible to get anything done. I've all but lost my ability to focus and my desire to be productive has left the building (because when Ava is asleep and I have a free minute, I usually just want to eat chips and watch RHOBH.)
You understand.

How We Updated Our 1970's House on a Budget (and the living room REVEAL!)

Hey guys!!!

So, I haven't blogged in nearly 4 months. It's crazy.

I barely even know where to begin! There's so much to say and so much to share, so let's just jump right in and pick up where we left off.

Our New White-Washed Hardwood Flooring (and why we had to rip out the old ones after only a year!)

Hey ya'll! So, I've been keeping a little secret from you. In the 9 months that I've been pregnant, not only did we renovate our entire basement, but we also installed new white washed wide plank hardwood flooring in the entire upstairs level of the house. And I've been waiting to share the story with you until everything was 100% finished. And now it's time...I can finally tell you the story of why we had to redo our upstairs floors after only a year.

Our 1970's House Makeover: The Basement Makeover is FINALLY Done!

The basement is finally finished!!!!!!!!!

Ya'll. When I first showed you the beginnings of the basement renovation, I had no idea it would take us 8 months to finish it. I just looked back on the date of that first post, and lo and behold, I pretty much wrote it the day I got pregnant.
Sooooo....that's way too much information, but I feel like it's my best shot at explaining why I moved at extreme sloth speed on this one.

The Basement Renovation, Part One: The Demolition Begins!

Hey ya'll! So, after spending the first 10 months of the year working on the upstairs main level of the house, it's finally time for us to venture downstairs and start renovating the basement level. I know you guys have been so curious about this part of the house, and I'm so excited to finally be able to share it with you. 
By the end of today's post, you'll totally understand why I've never blogged about the basement before, but we're just going to be honest about things and enjoy the journey that is renovating an old 70's house.
I'm feeling excited, terrified, hopeful, and slightly nauseous. 

Our 1970's House Makeover Part 10: The Dining Room Reveal!

Hey ya'll!
So, the dining room is finally finished. It feels like it took a lifetime to piece together, but nonetheless, it's done. And I'm so excited to finally be able to share all of the little details with you. 
I was tempted to type out a little warning for you, telling you that this is a very long post filled with very weird pictures and very weird stories, but then I realized that my entire blog is that. 

And then I kinda felt like hiding.

But, anyways, enjoy!

Our 1970's House Makeover Part 9: The Office Makeover

Hey ya'll! If you've been following along lately, you know I've been spending most of my free time* finishing the office. And I finally feel like it's decent enough to share. Kinda.
*Free time = that one weekend in August when I wasn't traveling to visit family/friends or traveling with Jesse for his work. For those of you who've been curious, Jesse is part of a media startup and the more it's grown, the more frequently he travels. And I go with him because it's just a great opportunity to spend time together, travel, read books (a passion I totally forget I have unless I'm stranded in a car), stay in a comfy hotel room, and eat multiple breakfasts at Cracker Barrel. 
Plus, I just kinda hate being home alone, which I fully blame on Macauley Culkin, circa 1990.

Our 1970's House Makeover Part 8: The Living Room Updates

Hey ya'll. 
I'm drawing a blank.
So, I'm going to fill up this little space next to the tiny picture with non-important words so that we can quickly get to the meat of the post and talk like normal people.

Because sometimes I have a million things to tell you, but my brain jams up when faced with an introductory paragraph.

New rule: Virginia is occasionally excused from introductory paragraphs and can instead just quote Lionel Richie lyrics or take a picture of her hand. I'll save those options for later.

How To Paint Furniture with Chalk Paint (and how to survive a DIY disaster).

Hey ya'll. So remember the $50 Craigslist dresser I found last month for my TV stand project? And remember how I said I was going to stain it? 
Well, my first attempt at staining a dresser was a total fail. I spent two weeks on this thing, stripping it, staining it, hating it, painting it three different colors, and ultimately saving the day with some new chalk paint.
Welcome to the latest episode of disaster blog.

Our 1970's House Makeover Part 7: The Painted Door & Stair Rail

Hey ya'll! So, remember a month ago when I debuted the new stair rail? Well, I truly thought I would be able to get everything painted in a week or so. And then it basically took me a month to get it all finished. 
It's ridiculous, I know.

I've come to accept that this will never be a blog that makes things look quick and easy.
Welcome to the opposite blog. Take off your shoes. Stay awhile. Enjoy the disaster that unfolds in every post.

Our 1970's House Makeover Part 5: My Biggest Flooring Mistake

Aaaaaand we're back.
So, if you've been paying attention, you may have realized that I just fell off the face of the Earth mid-renovation. 

Obviously, something went awry.
Let's not beat around the bush.

I temporarily messed up my floors. 
And, rather than divulge my mishaps as they were happening (Get. Real.) I instead spent a few weeks crying into Cheese's fur, planning my escape to Paraguay, and wiping pizza grease on my sweatpants uniform. 

Our 1970's House Makeover Part 4: Behind the Scenes

Hey ya'll. I don't have any house pictures for you today. I know you probably want to smoosh me. But, this is real life, and real life is messy and rarely goes as planned. However, I can officially confirm that the floor stain is in the building!!! 
We have lift off. 
I might have pictures for you next week, or I might just have another picture of a breakfast sandwich. 
I'm learning to stop predicting things.
Watch me do it 5 times in this post.

Our 1970's House Makeover Part 3: Progress Report

Hey ya'll! 

Our renovation is about to go into week five, but you won't be hearing any complaints from this girl. I've been waiting for this all to happen for four years now and I'll survive five tiny little weeks of dust.
But just between you and me (we're whispering right now), I could really use a brain massage, a ballpark hotdog, a fully put-back-together house, and a weeklong nap in Jamaica. 
End whisper.