We're staying put

We had our house up on the market for 2-3 months this summer/fall. We did get an offer (a low one), but we weren't willing to go as low as those potential buyers were hoping to get it for. The experience helped us to realize that we actually didn't want to move quite yet. We looked at TONS of houses for us to potentially buy, but none of them were "the one" for us. So we just were not thrilled with the idea of moving altogether. We thought that it would have sold quickly, given what was currently out on the market. We didn't anticipate it taking so long. Keeping a house in show condition with three young children and a dog...is well...VERY difficult. We did it. And over the course of time it was on the market, we had about 15 showings. Talk about exhausting!

Anyway, we have total peace about staying here now. We love this location and we really do like the house. But what is truly keeping us here are the neighbors. We live on a quiet cul-de-sac with LOTS of young families, many with children the same ages as our own. They have become our childrens' best friends. We LOVE our neighbors! And we are excited to stick around for a while longer. We are thinking another few years, at least. :)

So the first thing I decided to do was convert our kitchen island into a fun chalkboard! :) We are also getting new carpet throughout the entire house. And will likely replace other things to make it different and "new" to us! In the spring, we're planning to paint the front door and shutters, as well as a couple of rooms inside. But for now, here's the first project that I have complete...

I did this entirely on my own. I purchased plywood, had it cut to fit, primed the wood, used the chalkboard paint on it, nailed it to the existing island, bought the molding, used a miter saw to cut each piece, then painted those and nailed them to the board, used a nail set to get the nails sunken, used wood filler to smooth out the nail holes, then touched up that paint. It was a lot of work and my first ever project like this!! LOTS of fun, though!

This was a fun idea from our family night. :)

Isaac enjoyed using the miter saw too!!

While I had the paint out, I decided to paint an end table room our living room.

Love the color pop!