Getting Ready!
We have been busy little bees over here at the Kadwell house. There weren't any major projects that we felt like we needed to do to get the house ready - just a bunch of small ones. We shipped the kids over to Courtney's house one weekend (she attempted to organize her laundry room with 4 kids!!) and got to work. I am not gonna lie - it was a glimpse into life pre-kids - and it was a nice break. We got to sleep in until 9 (!!), work at our own pace instead of rushing to get something done before/after nap time, and we got to actually help each other instead of one being on kid duty. So...what did we do??
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| Took down our fluorescent overhead light and added 2 recess cans and 2 hanging pendants. Well - I can't say "we" - it was Mikhail who did it. And it was NOT an easy project because... |
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| apparently our upstairs plumbing is right above the kitchen. A job that should have taken 2 hours, took almost all day! It was very frustrating and it took some serious thinking and problem solving. But he did it! And we paid him in beer for all his hard work! |
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| Took down the old white fan and put in a much nicer one that was donated from my in-laws (they replaced it with another fan) |
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| Took the old one from downstairs and replaced the bright, primary colored fan that was in the guest room |
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| Remember this guy?? |
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| Gone! And in it's place - something MUCH nicer. |
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| Painted the Laundry Room and replaced the vent grate (it was all rusted and nasty) |
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| I also finished the doors for the cabinets and we hung a bar to hang things on. It looks SO.MUCH. nicer in there. |
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| We added a closet system years ago that left huge holes in the wall from the wire shelving that was there before. We did not have the original paint, so we patched and painted the alcove area the same color as our bathroom |
We also caulked the shower, toilets, and sink for a fresh new look. And we of course touched up paint everywhere. The worse was that the previous owners could.not.paint. You could still see the colors that were there before at the edge of the ceiling and the walls - so I went through and painted the edge of the ceiling in the two worse rooms - our bathroom and library. It was tedious and tiring - but makes such a difference!
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| We refinished the door knobs and hinges |
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| Such a difference from the brass builder standard - it looks SOOO good!! |
I will have a DIY: How to refinish door handles soon! And the last thing we did was clean out the garage and take a whole truck load to the dump! I also went through my clothes (since they were all on the floor so I could paint) and donated/consigned 3 bags worth of clothes. It feels good to purge!!
The house looks really great and now we are just focusing on finding a system that works for us. Here are some tips/ideas we have come up with:
1. We run the dishwasher right after dinner no matter how empty/full it is. This is typically is not a problem - it is usually at least 3/4 full every night. Then, before bed, we unload it. This is actually something I want to do for the rest of my life! Dishes are sooo easy! We start the day with an empty dishwasher and every thing goes straight in the dishwasher - never in the sink. It is glorious.
2. We pick up every night. This includes folding/putting away clothes. I find this is easiest during bath time. Sam does bath, I pick up/put away clean clothes.
3. Vacuum the rugs every night after kiddos go to bed.
4. Run the wood vacuum in the morning while kiddos are eating breakfast.
5. We have started the "put away before you get out another toy" rule. This is a work in progress - especially with a one year old that wants to dump everything out!!
Those are just a few things we are starting to do to get ourselves in the selling mind set. The only snafu is that I think my vacuum (the carpet one) died yesterday. I prayed really hard last night that it was just tired and was pitching a fit - we will see later tonight! Anyone else have any good tips at keeping a home in tip top condition?