Our 4 Year Houseiversary: Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of our 4 Year Houseiversary!  Last time we looked outside; today we're going to take a gander inside around our 1st floor and some of the changes that have happened over the past 4 years.  Two of our big projects early on were installing recessed lighting in three of the rooms (living room, master bedroom, and one of the upstairs bedrooms) and getting replacement windows.  I don't really have any pictures of these projects, but trust me, they were needed.  Our yard is shaded, and our rooms without ceiling lights were sooo dark.  And our windows...some were painted shut, others let a draft in...it was definitely time for some new windows.  Our heating and air conditioning bills are quite happy about that decision also.

I've already given a living room tour, talked about our hideous kitchen, and early on in the life of this blog I posted about our "dog room" turned laundry & mud room, so we'll skip those for today, but feel free to go check them out!

Our dining room served as an office for our home's previous owners.  Here it was back then:

And here it is now (you can also see another view here):

The previous owners had their dining room where we now have a toy room.  Then:

Now.....hello there, clutter:

You can also see more toy room pictures here and here.

Our Master Bed & Bath are also on the first floor.  Here's a bedroom before (yep, it's small for a master bedroom!):

It's looking like this nowadays (wishing I would have fixed the curtains before I took the picture):

We haven't done much to the master bath yet, but just for kicks here's a "before"....

(Nope.  It clearly wasn't enough that nearly all the trim in the entire house was painted blue.  The toilet paper had to match).  We have gotten a new toilet since the "before" picture was taken during our home inspection.  There's just something that wasn't working with the faux wood look....plus I kept thinking I could get a splinter on my....well, you know!

Disclaimer:  I'm sure the previous owners probably loved their home, and this post isn't meant to diss their style (is "diss" still a word?)  Everyone likes different things, and some of you might be thinking I'm crazy!  That's okay!  Life would be boring if we all did everything exactly the same.  I just enjoy seeing the changes and progress we have made in making our house ~ our home.

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Remember a few weeks ago when I posted about my 31-gifts fundraiser, with all proceeds going toward our adoption??  The good news is:  I'm sooo excited about how well it's been going!  The even better news is:  we've decided to extend the fundraiser until Wednesday!!!  Need some great Christmas gifts?  Head on over and check out the fundraiser....click here for a direct link.  This month's special:  For each $31 you spend, get 50% off specified items.  

Looking for a great deal?  Zipper pouches (9"Hx7.5"Wx1.5"D; available in 8 different patterns) are normally $12.  Buy 3 and get the 4th one for only $6!  Stuff them with some treats and they would make a great gift!  Think....school supplies for teachers, makeup for your sister, a manicure kit for your babysitter, or maybe it's just a really great way to give a gift card!

Linking to a few of my favorites ~ check them out!

FREE Decor from Paper Coterie

I have another great deal to pass on to you, and this one even deals with home decor!!  Have you heard of Paper Coterie?  If you haven't already, I am insisting that you go check it out.  They offer great personalized photo products like calendars, growth charts, wall decals, and photo books.  Right now, for the entire month of August, they are offering an incredible promotional deal ~ $40 off your purchase!!  (You just pay the shipping).

The last time they had this deal, I bought two wall decals.....one for each kiddo.  I put a picture, their name, and the verse we picked for them when we dedicated them at church.  I was so impressed when they arrived!  The decals have a fabric-feel, not plastic-y at all. 

We finally put them up in the toy room tonight and I love how they turned out!

I was super excited when I saw Paper Coterie is offering the same deal this month.  Just use the code BEGINANYWHERE at checkout, and it will take $40 off your purchase (again, you have to pay shipping which varies depending on your order).  I have already taken advantage of this deal, but I can't show you what I got this time because they might end up as Christmas gifts ;)  Again though, I was totally impressed.  I put my order in last week and already received my products!  For my order, shipping was less than $5.  It's a great company that I recommend 100% - go check it out!


Side note:  often, when there are great deals like this available, the site can run slow.  I did not have this issue at all, but I have heard that it has affected some people.  If it happens to you, just try again at another time!

Disclaimer:  These opinions are my own, based solely on my experiences with the company....Paper Coterie has no idea I am writing this review.  I just wanted to pass on an amazing deal from a great company to all my friends! 

Chalkboard Wall

I'm pretty late in hopping onto the chalkboard wall bandwagon, but I'm super happy with our new one nonetheless!  We decided to paint part of our toy room wall with chalkboard paint to give our budding artists a new canvas.  We already have a chair rail going around the room, and a shorter wall that would be the perfect spot.  Here's the "before" picture:

 A little chalkboard paint, 2 little hooks and cute buckets later...

The buckets are cute Hobby Lobby clearance finds for 89cents apiece!  I put white chalk in one and colored chalk in the other.  (Not that I have high hopes of them staying separated for long!)
Here's the kids getting creative...

Maybe a little too creative...

We've had the chalkboard wall for a little while now and are still loving it.  I didn't take into consideration all the chalk dust, but i just have to wipe the floor up a little more often.  Carly had previously only played with sidewalk chalk, so I have found her in various parts of the house drawing on the floor with her new easily accessible chalk.  And, the dog may have eaten a few pieces of chalk.  Other than those minor inconveniences, I'd do it all again!

 Linking to a few of my favorites!

Toy Room Art

Looking for an easy way to add some fun to your toy room?  Use your kid's artwork!  I bought a pack of multi-colored frames from IKEA and put one of Jackson's drawings in each.  My intention was to change them periodically with new drawings, but three years later, his scribbles are still there.

I hung them low on the wall so the kids could enjoy them.  A totally simple and frugal way to decorate!

And speaking of frugal, head on over to The Frugal Girls today where I'm guest posting about one of our latest projects!!