That's a lot of dirt!

Four yards to be exact. It's for our raised bed vegetable garden. John moved most of the dirt, but we all pitched in. Aaron had a good time helping. He wanted to help shovel. Sometimes he wanted to shovel the dirt back out of the raised bed. We got some seeds planted. Mostly lettuce, beans, tomatoes, jalapenos, squash, pumpkins, peas etc. Hopefully we will be eating fresh veggies soon!

Aaron did a great job helping! I'm pretty sure he enjoyed playing in the dirt all day.

Home Improvements!

We are still finishing a few details, but our master bathroom is pretty much done! We did the remodel ourselves. When I say ourselves, I mean John remodeled it. I held stuff and picked things out :)

I still can't believe what an awesome job John did! It took a while, but it was worth the wait! He expanded the shower which makes a big difference. Eventually the white shelves will have a door. We would like to add a glass frame-less shower door to the shower stall. We still need to put the trim back up. The last step will be adding some decor!

It has been wonderful to have the extra bathroom. We especially appreciate it when we have company. This has been our biggest improvement to the house so far. We are quite pleased with how it turned out!

Before:

You can't see the sink in this picture. It was baby blue and absolutely filthy. The walls were really dirty as well. The flooring was very dirty and marred up. The smell was pretty bad too. We referred to it as "psycho killer bathroom".

We could not believe the shower. There was so much mold! On the side that the water was hitting, the owners tried various fix-it methods. There was a rubber mat glued to the wall, under that was a piece to wood, next was some foam. It was pretty bad!

After:

I love the slate deco!

Granite counter top. The deco is the same as the shower.

New cabinet!

John tiled the ceiling in a diamond pattern. It looks great. He also added a little shelf and ledge. The toilet is new. You can't see the floors, but they are slate as well.

Thanks John for all your hard work!

Home Improvements!

Three years ago John and I bought our first home. It was a foreclosure in need of some TLC. Slowly but surely we have worked, improved, cleaned and updated. Although it has been a lot of work it is amazing to see the changes and what a difference they make. It has been really cool to work together on this house and turn it into a home.

Here is my first before and after picture. I will try to continue posting before and after pictures from time to time. Enjoy!

Before:

After:

We replaced the front door and added a security screen door. We also did some landscaping. The lawn needs mowing, but you get the idea!

Homeowners

We are officially homeowners! John and I closed on our first house last week. Since then it's been non-stop work, but we are loving it. Last Saturday both families came over to help us paint, we're so thankful for the help and support. We move in this weekend, it will be exciting to sleep in the new house for the first time. Here are some pictures, I'm sure there will be more to come.

Front of the house

Back of the house

We're under contract!

Last Monday John and I made an offer on a house we really like. Two hours later, our Realtor called to tell us a second offer had been made. The seller wanted our best and highest offer by morning. We didn't want to go to high, so we increased our offer by a couple thousand dollars. Two days later we found out that our offer was accepted but that the seller was planning to counter. I was hoping that the seller would only counter with closing dates, but was certain they would want more money.

The following day we found out that the counter was just for the closing dates! It seems that God has had a hand in the process. Even though there was a bidding war for the house, we still got it for 6k under asking price! John and I are really excited to be a step closer to buying a house. The next hurdle is the inspection, we're hoping that there isn't too many things wrong with the place. We will see if this is the house God has for us. Say a prayer for us, we will keep you posted!

Future Homeowners

We have decided to buy a house! John and I have both dreamed of owning a house. We finally feel that we are ready to be homeowners. We have seen lots of nice houses and we excited that one of them could be ours. God has placed wonderful people in our lives to help make our dream a reality. We are so thankful for supportive family and friends!