a "new" dresser for Sophie

Today was our first rummaging day of the season. 🎉 We went to three rummages and had great luck. The best pick was a sturdy dresser that needed rescued for ten dollars. We need dressers pretty badly. BA thought I was crazy. The guy selling it had been using it in his garage as a work bench since his son went to college. It was filthy, had paint & other stuff spilled on it, & had five big holes drilled in where he attached his...vice? saw? I don't remember. BA loaded & hauled it, then Sophie & I made it our Saturday mother-daughter project. I let her choose the color of paint for both the dresser and the pulls, since it would be her dresser. We filled the holes with wood putty, took off all the hardware, lightly sanded everything, and scrubbed it down. We painted three coats of paint with primer, spray painted the pulls, & reassembled. It was a fun project to do together, & she's very excited about her new dresser. It's not perfect, but it's pretty darn cute for ten dollars, materials on hand, & a few hours of our time. I noticed in one drawer a Broyhill tag; it's a nice piece of furniture.

Donkey Planter

Last weekend we went to a couple thrift stores, mainly looking for a dining table. We didn't find a table, but I had to buy the wooden donkey when I saw it. The lady said they'd been there forever, and she'd throw the second one in for free. I love donkeys! Yesterday I screwed the donkeys to an old pop crate I've had laying around forever, painted it all gray, & now it's ready to move to our new home and have some colorful flowers planted inside. That six bucks is bringing me quite a bit of donkey happiness.

We Are Moving!

Both BA and I grew up in in small towns. We had great childhoods and lately have come to feel more and more of a desire to offer our own children a more similar upbringing to our own. That, along with our frustration of being packed into a too-small house, being so over having a pool that sucks our time and money while hogging our yard and posing safety risks, prompted us to start looking at roomier properties in small nearby towns. After we looked at this house in Kingsley, we were both enamored with the idea of making it ours.  We secured pre-approval, gave it a second look within the week, and made an offer that day. Our first offer was accepted, and we've been excited to live there ever since, while being overwhelmed with the thought of moving at the same time. Sorting, packing, and moving are such daunting tasks. Fixing up and selling our current home will be stressful. Doing all of this while sleep deprived and raising a baby is probably just plain crazy. But it will all be so worth it. We are both on the same page and share a common vision of the life we want, and we are going to make it happen.

This house was built in 1979, has been very well maintained, but could use a few updates. It is so seventies! I love many things about the seventies style, like the huge fireplace surround and knotty pine planking. But there is too much wood paneling for my liking.  I plan to prime and paint it. I have so many plans and limited time and funds. I have to be careful not to take on too much too soon and will have to prioritize my projects so as to not neglect my family or make myself or my people crazy. But I have the best ideas and visions for this home. I can't wait to get started!

I plan to share my progress and projects here, for anyone interested. I'll start by showing the "before" pictures I took the second time we visited the new house. I wish I could also share the pictures in my head for how it will look if and when I get all of my projects done. We are closing on the new house April 7 and moving in the week following. We'll take any help that is offered and hope our strong kids can all help.