Operation "House to Home" - stage 1

Sunday C & I went over to the house for the first time as home owners and primed the living room walls. We knew they'd need at least another coat, so today I painted a second coat over all of the living room walls, and a third over the two formerly red walls. That's right, it took three coats of primer to cover the red paint. I easily polished off the 2-gallon bucket of primer on that project, so we'll definitely be buying more to cover the other walls and the ceiling. 


After I finished painting, the air duct cleaner guy came, and then the carpet steamer guy. While they were working on that, I started ripping down wallpaper in the kitchen and discovered that the previous owners wallpapered over old wallpaper! So, it's almost double the work... *sigh*

Here are some photos to document the process, sorry they're so blurry! I'll do better next time.

1st coat of primer

1st coat of primer under the stairs

a blurry spot where some of the paint ran b/c it didn't stick to the semi-gloss

another yucky spot, same problem

just another shot of the kitchen - love the potential for that open shelf! Not sure if I'll put plates or cookbooks there yet....

the most photogenic room of the house - ha!

off the right side of the great room through those French doors is a covered brick patio

just another shot of the kitchen looking through to the living room

the downstairs bath - probably going to paint that oak, and definitely removing the wallpaper, although not any time soon

most of the brass in this house will soon become oil rubbed bronze... just wait :)

the small bedroom that will become my craft room

the view through the future craft room window into the backyard

view up the stairs - that door is the bathroom

after more primer (2nd coat)

first coat on the left, after second coat on the right

painted tile backsplash --- gonna go when we get new countertops! I'm pretty sure there's old wall paper under it, too.

I finally figured out that the fridge should go where those cabinets are on the left - it's way too cramped where it is now. It'll really open up the space, and be more functional. This change also won't happen until it's time for new countertops.

see how it sticks out into that narrow hallway? that's why we're going to move it. When you open the right door, there is about 6 inches of clearance between it and those cabinets you see across from it.

after 3rd coat on the red - much better! the room is so much brighter now!

3rd coat on the red here too

blue bedroom - downstairs - guest bedroom. Planning to knock down that wood on the walls and reuse it for shelving later. 

master bedroom - bed will go on the right

the little [sitting/reading] nook in the master next to the closet

Carlyle's closet - ha! and the master entry to the bathroom on the right, hall in the center

master shower.... with a sliding glass door and transom at about 5 feet... what were they thinking....

not fond of those lights above the sink, and they aren't really necessary.... might try to find some sconces in the future

looking down the stairs

the OLD wallpaper underneath the newer paper. I totally remember this pattern - weren't there dishes to match?? So late 80's / early 90s! 

here's the matching border that went around the soffit

wallpaper ripped off

more progress ripping off the newer paper

if you take a beagle to a house when you're painting....
they're gonna get some paint on 'em.
Luckily, Daisy got more paint on her than I think I did on myself - yay for a neat paint job!
She just brushed up against a wall I think. 

Sorry to jump all around the place, I didn't feel like rearranging all of the pictures.

Here are the plans for the living room:
-paint the trim white
-install white chair rail
-paint between the chair rail and the baseboards white
-paint above the chair rail the color we've purchased - "frosted lemon" - a very very pale yellow
-install picture frame moulding or some other wainscoting detail below chair rail
-rip off the carpet from the stairs, strip, and paint & stain

Hopefully we can install chair rail this summer so things won't look silly when I paint yellow up top and leave the bottom primed white.

That's all for now - probably won't do too much more to the place until the weekend.

First comes Love, then comes Marriage...

then comes a Mortgage! (Sorry parents - we only have grand-dogs for you for now)

We bought a house!

It's a charming little Cape Cod - 4 BR/2BA with a lovely great room with a fireplace and a rec room and lots of patio space. I haven't taken many photos yet on the inside of the rooms that were shown on the MLS listing, so I'll just post what I have for now. We're so excited about making it our own and finally having a backyard for the girls (Rosie & Daisy) and plenty of space for friends and family to come visit.

Here's the tour...

When you first walk in, you see the stairs and the living room. Notice the terrible paint scheme (that has now been covered in primer - a few more coats of paint to go before it's completely history).

Yes, the walls couldn't be a closer match to ketchup and mustard. What. Were. They. Thinking.?

Obviously, that was the first room that we wanted to paint (for our sanity), so we just unloaded all of our supplies at the door.

Here's another shot of the room:

Here's the bay window in the front of the house (the red walls face each other, and the yellow walls face each other). Notice the previous owners tried painting the trim with the red a little, so that's gonna have to go, too.

Just to the left of the previous is the wall you see when you walk in the front door. Through that opening is the kitchen and great room.

Of to the left again is the hallway. There's a closet under the stairs, one bedroom next to the stairs, another bedroom straight ahead that you can see, and a full bath and the kitchen around the corner.

Here's the view of the great room and the kitchen from the living room. Isn't it beautiful?!

The rest of the photos are from the listing because I haven't taken photos of it all yet.

Here's the great room - it's actually an addition to the original house, but we intend to call it the "great room" because it's the greatest feature of the house.

Here's the view from the fireplace area looking toward the kitchen and living room.

Here's the {ugly} wallpaper-covered kitchen. 

Downstairs bedroom - I'm planning on making this a guest bedroom & my craft room since it gets a lot of light.

Downstairs bedroom #2 - The main guest bedroom.

The downstairs full bathroom - ceramic tile on the floor and in the shower, so not much to change in here except wallpaper removal and painting the trim and changing fixtures. 

Master Bedroom (upstairs) - and yeah, that blue carpet is gonna go really soon - at least there are no ugly colors to pain over!

The upstairs smaller bedroom - we'll be making this our office.

Master bathroom - shower, double vanity. I want to completely re-do this whole room. The baby blue trim and vinyl flooring have got to go!

Here's the super cool shed in the [fenced] backyard.

the eat-in park of the kitchen, and the door to the rec room & laundry room

another view of the kitchen and the hallway to the bathroom and bedrooms

This is the rec room - this bay window faces the front of the house.  Check out all of that lovely {read: ugly} wallpaper that I get to take down. *sigh*

They didn't even apply it straight - notice the different heights on either side of the door. 

The laundry room - washer and dryer hook-ups on the right, and cabinets above. The color scheme will basically be reversed. Instead of white walls and blue trim, I'll paint the trim white and the walls a very pale blue.  

C & I sanded, patched, and primed the front ketchup & mustard walls this weekend, and it has really brightened up the room! We'll post each room as we make the changes - it's hard work but it's fun and nice to have our own place. :)

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Dog Treats

My husband and I have two flower children, Rosie and Daisy, and yes, we love them like little babies.

They are the two cutest beagles on the planet, if I may say so myself. :) We adopted Rosie in November 2010 after she was rescued at the eleventh hour from the county animal shelter by Annapolis Dog Rescue.  We adopted Daisy in February from the county animal shelter. Both of them have sweet dispositions and have unique personalities. Daisy is adjusting to our home (she's been with us just over a month now) and is becoming close friends with Rosie.

The following dog treats are so easy to make and they are definitely Rosie & Daisy approved!

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Dog Treats

Ingredients:
~2-1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 apples (whatever you have hanging around in the fridge)
lots of cinnamon
1 + 1/4 cup hot water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Process or blend about a cup and a half of oatmeal until it's almost like flour. You'll need one cup of oat "flour" in the mixing bowl, plus the extra for rolling.
Add to a mixing bowl one cup of rolled oats, and one cup of whole wheat flour.
Peel and finely chop two apples, being careful to avoid the seeds and the core; add to the bowl.
Add cinnamon - one or two tablespoons is usually what I do - then mix.
With the mixer on, slowly add one cup of hot water. If the dough is holding together, then you're ready to roll it out on your floured/oatmeal surface. If it's not quite coming together, add the 1/4 cup of water. If it's sticky, then just add more flour.

Roll out onto the floured surface until it's about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut out with a small cookie cutter and place on an ungreased non stick cookie sheet. I use a little 1 1/2 inch cookie/biscuit cutter I got from Macy's. It's by Martha Stewart, and they all fit inside each other - so cute & functional!

I use the scalloped side because I think it's fancier.

Bake the treats for 40 minutes at 350 degrees and voila, happy doggies! Shake the treats on the cookie sheet - they should move easily - let them cool completely and store them in an air tight container, in the fridge if they'll be around for a few weeks.

We usually give some of ours to our neighborhood doggie friends. They make a great thank you gift for dog walkers or neighbors that take the dog out when you can't get home on time! You'll get about 50 treats if you make them in 1-1/2 inch rounds.


Linked to Women Living Well.

Cinnamon Rolls

If you're from the south and you grew up in a church, then you know that the best cooks are those lovely women that learned from their mothers and grandmothers! Their talents really shine when there's a church dinner on Sunday - they pull out their best dishes that are everyone's favorite. You always have enough of each dish, and everyone has their special touch that they put on it. Ergo, church cookbooks have tried & tested recipes that are usually very trustworthy and tasty. Over the years, every time my mom would buy a cookbook from a church or family/school group, she'd buy one for herself and one for me and for my sister. I plan to do the same thing for my daughters one day - what a great way to pass on your favorite recipes! Also, don't be scared to write in your cookbook. Make changes that you like, mark recipes that are "good" so that you know you've tried them and what you thought about them. On the cinnamon roll recipe I use I have "Very good!" written, and I also have the ingredients halved since it was easy to split for 12 rolls. I've been searching and searching for a good cinnamon roll recipe, and these are moist and soft and probably not very good for you at all. :) But they're good.

The recipe for "Our Favorite Cinnamon Rolls" is by Harriet P. Hodge, and is from the Plyler Family Favorites: Past and Present. It's the family cookbook for a woman at my church in Winnsboro, SC. The original recipe makes 24 cinnamon rolls. I've always made them twelve at a time and put them in a glass or metal 13x9x2 baking dish to bake them in, although the recipe calls for them to be baked individually on a cookie sheet. If you just want to make 12 (which is plenty, unless you're feeding a crowd like a Sunday School class), I've put the halved ingredient in parenthesis.


"Our Favorite Cinnamon Rolls" - Harriet P. Hodge, (January 2004), Plyler Family Favorites: Past and Present


2 (1) packages yeast
2 (1) c. lukewarm water*
2 (1) tsp. salt
1/2 (1/4) c. sugar
6 1/2 (3 1/4) c. plain flour, divided*
3 (2) eggs
1/2 (1/4) c. melted shortening*
2 (1) sticks margarine, softened
2 (1) c. sugar
cinnamon

Combine yeast, water, salt, and 1/2 (1/4) cup sugar in a large bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes, then add half of the flour, eggs, and melted shortening. Stir well. Mixture will be rather moist. Add the rest of the flour. This will make mixture very dry. Cover with damp cloth and let rise* until double in bulk (about 2 hours (1 hour if kept halved in 12 servings)). Punch down and knead 6 to 8 times. Roll out on floured table or board. Spread 2 (1) sticks margarine* on rolled out dough; sprinkle 2 (1) cup sugar over margarine. Add cinnamon to taste.* Roll dough in jellyroll fashion. Cut with string/knife/pastry cutter into 1/2 inch pieces*. Place on greased cookie sheet. Let rise to double in bulk again. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly browned*. Make an icing of confectioners' sugar, water, and vanilla (or just buttercream) and spread over or drizzle on the baked rolls while still warm.

*Post notes:
If you have a digital read thermometer, you want your water to be between 110 and 115 degrees.
I've found from research & experience that unbleached flour is best for working with yeast.
Instead of melted shortening, I just use butter.
When it comes to rising, I usually turn the oven on for a minute of two and turn it off when it feels warm inside (85 degrees or so). It's the easiest way to let the cinnamon rolls rise. Also, after you cut them, if you want to wait until the next day to bake them put them in the fridge, covered, and let them rise the second time right before baking.
I usually melt the margarine in the microwave a little and can spread it on easily.
I've added (soaked) raisins and chopped toasted walnuts - you can add your favorites if you wish.
To cut, I cut off the raw edges, then start in the middle, then cut each half in half, then do it again to each piece and voila, 12 pieces.
When baking, I've found that 350 works just as well, and go easy on the time - when they're browned on top they're done - it doesn't always take 20 minutes!

As for the icing, when I made them for Sunday School, I whipped together a butter cream icing in my mixture. I like orange - iced cinnamon rolls, so I zested two oranges and added the juice of both to the buttercream and whipped it in the mixer until it was soft and fluffy.

Enjoy!!

it's been awhile!

Well, as you can probably tell, Carlyle & I have been pretty busy the past two months! In February we adopted another beagle, "Daisy." After being a part of our family for a month, her personality has finally started to shine. She is adjusting very well to living with us and she and Rosie get along great.

When we first brought her home, she went into heat, so she was in these adorable little diapers  for a week and a half.

Carlyle and I began looking for a house to buy in the Bowie/Crofton area. Today we put in an offer on a home in Bowie that we have fallen in love with, so prayers for an acceptance would be appreciated! :) We are constantly envisioning ourselves living there and imagining what we'll do with the space. It is a 4 bed / 2 bath cape cod in the Levitt-built part of Bowie. We'll have so much space - it'll be a big adjustment moving from a 1 bed / 1 bath apartment to a house with 4 bedrooms and three family / living spaces! It has a big, fenced back yard that I know the dogs will love. We'll have plenty of space for friends and family to come visit us, hint hint. We're even prioritizing the purchase of beds/mattresses in our renovation / purchase expenses, so that hopefully you'll come check out the house even sooner. :)

I owe some church friends a beloved recipe for cinnamon rolls, so I'll post that next. :) I'm on spring break this week from the university so I'll have time to catch up on blogging!

New Year

The first month of the new year is already half-gone and I can't believe it! Carlyle and I finally took down the Christmas tree today and of course the living room looks huge now. Carlyle is in his busy season at work - seasonal adjustment - and is working overtime a lot right now. My classes start next Monday and I'm looking forward to getting back into a rhythm again. Rosie has enjoyed having me around the apartment while on break. She loves to follow me around the apartment and curl up on the couch next to me.

Rosie is now a solid 16 pounds and stands 13 inches tall. Her ears are finally clear of infection and mites, and she's finally worm-free. Thankfully, she no longer chews on cords or wires and is less interested in plastic grocery bags. We walk her about 2 miles everyday and don't play with her very much in the house, and that's helped her be more calm inside. She is however very excited when Carlyle comes home from work. She whimpers and whines and jumps up and down and runs circles around in the apartment and follows him everywhere for the first few minutes. It's cute/annoying. :-)

When we first got back from SC after New Year's she was so well-adjusted with her crate that she got up off the couch the first night and walked to the bedroom and got in her crate all on her own to go to sleep! It was the cutest thing! She did it the night after that too, and we've encouraged her to do it ever since. Of course, at night when we're ready to go to bed and start turning lights off, she hops up on the couch and curls up. Her eyes say, "it's okay - I'll just sleep here... don't worry, I won't destroy anything while you're asleep." She does the same thing when we fuss at her and she knows she's getting in trouble. She'll hop up on the couch and sit like she hasn't been doing anything wrong. :)