New Home, New Challenges

In purchasing a new home, as joyous of an occasion as it is, it always entails a plethora of home projects. I should start by telling you that it took my husband and I over a year and a half to find the house of our dreams. We knew what we wanted in the bare bones of the house and finding what worked for our family took some time. Anyone who is looking for the perfect house, know that the perfect house with everything exactly how you want it doesn't exist unless you have a 1.5 million dollar budget, but creating the perfect home is possible with some hard work and a positive vision. Granted we don't have the perfect home, YET, but it will be after we are through with it. We had a must-list like most people do and luckily we were able to see past bad wall color choices and outdated cabinets when we found the ONE for us.

After the long and tedious process that is buying a home, from the inspection to the negotiations, once you have the keys the first step is deciding what projects to start first. The most obvious is painting the walls preferabble before the furniture gets moved in. Take it from a person who loves to paint rooms, it is ALWAYS easier to paint with an empty room than one that is filled. Choosing wall colors is not a difficult decision for me because I know what I want but convincing my husband that those are the best colors isn't always the easiest task. I like to live my life in color. I have a vibrant personality and my house is an extension of myself like most people. I do not live my life in shades of white and cream. My room choices are intinctively earthy tones in deep naves, copper golds, mossy greens, earthy purples, and shades of grey. I won on most of these colors and will be uploading pictures of the rooms very soon.

Then comes the larger projects. My first project was to white-wash the fireplace. Even thought the fireplace was beautiful it didn't go with the decor and overall look for the family room. Click here for in-depth tutorial for white-washing a fireplace. I just finished yesterday the fireplace project and will soon be starting the next project. The next major project will be the baby's nursery and painting the built-in bookshelves next to the fireplace. More updates to come within the next few weeks and months so check back in.

Last but not least their are the never ending challenges that owning a home entails. WIthin the first 2 weeks of moving in our furnace broke (and it was the dead of winter). Of course fixing the melted circuit board cost a small fortune but it wasn't as bad as replacing the entire furnace (which we will have to deal with in the next 5 years). Sitting there on that 22 degree night with no heat and every blanket in the house on our bed, my husband and I wondered what we got ourselves into. Now that we are through the challenge that was the dysfunctional furnace, we are as happy as ever in our new home. In every new journey, challenges will be presented, a positive attitude, perseverance and a little hard work will get us through.