Paper Trail

I have not posted in forever and this is why.  I have been buying EVERYTHING to finish out the house.  And unfortunately no one could do this but me.  I mostly knew what I wanted and went on a search to find.  From the looks here Home Depot and Lowes topped that list followed closing by Lamps Plus.  But also, Amazon and Vintage Tub and Bath were great places to find what I needed (aka wanted).  Also, I am a sucker for Pottery Barn.  I just like the look.  Oh yeah, and I threw in the HEB receipt because its the only place I could find REGULAR CLEAR light bulbs...who would have know!  I can not wait to post the finished product.  Floors and base boards this week and the painters return next week to paint the base boards and touch everything up.  Almost done. 

the white dove minority

I don't like White Dove.  I don't hate it, I just don't like it as much as I had hoped I would.  And after my hours and hours of online research and long conversations with my very tasteful friends I am definitely in the minority when it comes to the infamous White Dove. 

I am not sure if you are supposed to capitalize names of paints.  But, it is White Dove right?

Ok, so with that being said I am still hoping the secret to White Dove comes after the floors are laid, electric lighting is in place, counter tops installed, back splash is done etc etc. 

Here is a pic of the kitchen, White Dove and all.  Or Off-White Dove.

 

The Long and Winding Road

This post may be a little long winded.  For starters I am super excited that we have our "driveway" in.  If you call it a driveway.  I prefer "our road".  It should be OURS as much as it cost.  Geez.  And not just the rock.  Oncor should be able to give out nice Christmas bonuses this year for what we had to pay to run the electricity back to the house.

 

So the rain that is coming this weekend will not prevent anyone from working on the house.  And after it rains I can not wait to wash my car!  Of course from here on out I realize I will never have crisp black tires again...unless I don't go home for a few days.  To me its like a passage of some sort.  We traded cement paved roads for a little dust and rock.  We will forever have that gray dust line that coats the edge of your tires.   

The Front

 

Notice the pretty S curves all the way down.

Almost there (keep'em coming)

 

You can see the peak of our house behind these Mesquites.  Almost there.

And here we are.  All roads lead home.

 

I love coming to the house and just walking around.  I usually (okay always) have a list to go over or someone to meet.  But when they leave I take a few minutes to breath it all in.  This is it.  Our home.  Our life.  What I wanted.  And that's where I get a little confused. 

 

Yes, this is exactly what I wanted.  (Well mostly...if that dirty little word budget didn't exist I can only imagine the overwhelming decisions).  But its good.  Budget.  I am not trying to have the best of the best.  By far we are blessed and have more then we need.  But I want limitations.  My purpose was never to be glitzy.  My purpose was never to be showy.  My purpose was to change how we were doing things.  And we are so not there yet.  Its slow.  Its gradual.  And I am not patient.  But I have a vision.  And its no different then any other person's vision. It is not something new and undiscovered.  Its taking things back to basics.  Putting first things first. 

 

Life is a long and winding road.  When you put your faith in front of you and accept all the S curves that come you actually find out they lead to something great.  And not only do they lead to something great but the view along the way is peaceful and tranquil.  

 

Yesterday my youngest and I walked from the house to the front of the property.  She stopped every few feet to pick up a rock or grab some dirt or touch a leaf on a tree.  It was one of the most relaxing things I had done in a long time. You could hear a little road noise but other than that, nothing.  I took a deep breath, thanked God for making this happen, and watched my almost 2 year old chunk rocks. 

 

And that my friends was what this venture was about.      

 

 

    

PAINT.

In a nutshell that is about all I have to say.  PAINT.  I have been studying it for days now.  Can't sleep without dreaming (or nightmaring) about paint.  Ridiculous. 

So to keep from sounding to negative I have definitely narrowed down my choices. And I am really excited to have a white kitchen.  

front runner = BM White Dove
close 2nd= BM Simply White

maybe = SW Divine White

Oh but I am not done yet.  Still have 2 samples waiting for me at SW.  The Divine White and a 50/50 mix of BM White Dove and BM Glacier White. 

My kitchen looks like a spotted cow (a white on white spotted cow).

I have tried SW Snowbound, SW Pure White, SW Westhighland White, BM Cloud White...and a few others that I instantly weeded out and have forgotten their names. 

Whites and I have become pretty close lately.  But at the end of the day I have to be sure.  This will be kitchen cabinet color as well as all doors and trim through the whole house, stairs, mantel.  No stain.  I am sure you understand.  Its an expensive mistake to mess this up! 

Good news...the downstairs bath, and all kids rooms are chosen. 

This White paint...its an animal.  By this time next week it will be all over and I will have to live with my decision.  And I am SOOO ready for that.

Here are some pics of our progress! 
The sheet rock has been installed and is tape/bedded/and textured.  To keep in line with our budget we went with a very light orange peel.  Best choice when you want the untextured look but do not have the budget for the walls to be hand sanded.

I picked the paint color and...





I like LOVE it!!!

 

Yay.  Thank you Zaco Creations (http://zacocreations.com/) owner, Courtney, for the suggestion.  And I also love the porch ceilings and actually picked that myself...with the help of the hubs of course.

 

{Exterior=SW Snowbound, Porch Ceiling=SW Atmospheric}

If this does not look like your "country home" I don't know what does! 

Sheet rock is staged!  Things are about to get busy and crazy!

Our view from the master bedroom...perfection.

I say, just go for it!

"Your home is your sanctuary.  It should reflect the EMOTIONS YOU WANT to surround yourself with". ~Joy Cho

 

 

ahhh...the floors

And last but not least....

 

 

White is White, Right?

I am about ready to throw in the towel!  I have pinned and pinned and googled and googled until I'm blue (or white) in the face.  I need a classic white paint color for the outside of the house and the inside trim and kitchen cabinets.  I do not want beige or cream nor do I want too bright of a white that it has blue undertones.  Just a nice clean crisp white.  Please help!!

(feel free to leave a comment or send a private message via our facebook page if you have any suggestions). 

Thanks in advance!!

      (sans the halloween motif going on here)