Monday, December 6, 2010

Top Ten Tuesday- Things I Would Change...About My House

Katie over at Sluiter Nation does a Top Ten list every Tuesday about something. I keep wanting to join in. She is a teaching mama like me, lives in the Midwest and I tend to think, she may not, that we are very alike in our beliefs about family, school, traditions and life in general.

This week the Top Ten List is all about things you would change in your house. I am going to give you ten but also take the opportunity to update you on our progress related to a few of these.

Let me give you a a little back story. We bought our house, which is over 100 years old, when I was pregnant with Brady. We knew it would not be our forever home. Today, I am convinced that it will not be our forever home but 1.5 years later it is totally "home" for my family. If we were staying in it much longer, we would be working HARD on this list but I think we have made some good progress.

TOP TEN THINGS I WOULD CHANGE ABOUT MY HOUSE
1. The PURPLE bathroom. This is what we started with.
This is what it looks like now. Mighty good improvement right?

2. I would screen in the back porch. I am from Central Illinois. I grew up sitting on a screened in porch. I love to sit outside in the summer to drink a beer, read a book or just think. But, I HATE bugs. I hate mosquitoes specifically and they love me. So, I do not sit outside on our deck very often.

3. Family Room Windows. I know, the windows are old and have lead in them which apparently makes them very valuable but they are OLD and that equals cold. Enough said. I am tired of having to put plastic on them each winter to try and keep some of the chill out. Yes, they are beautiful but I am cold always.


4. Lights- I hate the light fixtures in our dining room and kitchen. I hate them. They look old and they look cheap. Good thing my husband's business partner owns Lightopia.

I told you these were unedited so yes, we have a bulb out. It has been out forever and we have no replacements. Hmmm...

5. Garage- I swear to god, Glenn and I talk every time there is a big storm (snow or wind) and wonder if the damn thing will fall down. Then we always talk about what if we just *tapped* our car in to, would it fall? It needs helps, in a bad way. But the thing is solid as a rock. Just ask our insurance agent.
See that beauty behind us. Look at the rust on the door. It is the ugliest of the alley!

6. Zone A/C- I am glad that we have central A/C but it gets HOT (hhhaaaaa if you are Brady) in our upstairs in the summer so I would love to install zone air conditioning instead of the window units we currently have upstairs. A girl can dream right?

7. Laundry Room- It is in the basement, the unfinished portion mind you. It is cold, dark and dirty. I LOVE to do laundry, love to organize, fold, iron and hang things. I dream of the day that I have a laundry room with neatly divided areas, hangers, and a paint color on the wall that is inviting. Maybe I just want some heat in there since I spend so much time in there. It was the "hub" of our house when I was growing up. Bringing our laundry down, washing sports uniforms, and making sure the best jeans were clean each week.

8. Kitchen- As you can see, the before was okay. The after is better but we have a small problem. The microwave DOES NOT FIT. So, we have to figure this out. We are getting quotes on counter tops and cabinets and I think the end result will be fabulous. Just in time for us to move.

This is before. I will post the after when it is all done.

9. Back Door- Here is the thing...when you move in to an old house, people will tell you that your house has "charm". That is baloney. It is old. It has quirks and things that are flat out annoying. Our back door does not lock from the inside. So anytime we open it, you have to turn the lock on the outside to lock it, using a key, and then delicately turn it so it locks from the inside. It's a deadbolt so we know it's safe, super safe. So annoying. Just ask Glenn...

10. Basement Carpet- It is a lovely space except for the fact the carpet is nasty. It could be a great place for me to workout. It could be a great playroom for Brady. It could be another area to watch TV and wait for laundry but the carpet is gross. It is Berber and stained. It can't cost this much.

After reading this, I feel like I am whining. I am not. I love my house. I love the things we have done. I love the seasonal decor and the new elements we have brought in. I firmly believe that home is what you make. Material possessions don't make a home, a family does. So, even if the floors creek, the garage tumbles, the microwave stays white, and the door never locks from the inside, it is my house. Not my house, my home and my favorite place to be with my favorite two boys.

3 comments:

  1. This is a GREAT list! It's true...I felt whiney too...even though I really love our house too...but there is always stuff that can better! And girl, I HEAR you on carpet issues. Why do people even put crappy carpet IN houses? Gah!!!

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  2. I can imagine I'd have quite the list if I owned my home. I already pine over decorating and I am a renter. :)

    thanks for the comment on my blog!

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  3. This is a really great list! :) And I am with you on the carpet too! I forgot that in my post...

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