My husband, the redneck vintner

I really love a nice glass of wine. Nothing expensive or fancy, necessarily. I just like wine.

So, my husband has made it his personal mission to make some wine. And, he did it. And, it's actually quite tasty.

And, would you believe that this wine started with a bottle of Welch's 100 percent grape juice? The entire thing is actually quite comical.

But, I kid you not. It's yummy. If you are interested, he used this video about making wine the redneck way. He added a little oak for flavor (from our backyard).

It took several months of "aging," but when we drank it, I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. So, this means that Ryan just started another batch for us.

I think we've just taken the DIY to the next level.

And that is love, friends. Making your wife homemade wine.

Husband points, all the way.

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7 best chair makeovers

I'm thrilled to be guest blogging for Michelle at Decor and the Dog today.

I'm spotlighting my seven favorite chair makeovers as part of her "Before and After" week. Come over to Decor and the Dog and check it out (and leave us a comment)!

Happy weekend!

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Renovation progress report - week 42

Floors were the name of the game this week.

And, oh my goodness, do they look good!

As in, dying and going to heaven good. (And not literally, because apparently the Rapture did not, in fact, happen last weekend. Phew! We wouldn't have even had a chance to enjoy the house.)

Ryan ended up staining everything once and adding five coats of poly. We went with Miniwax Red Oak. We're in good company, it's the same color The Flipping Couple used. I decided on satin poly this time around (we've use semi-gloss at both other houses) and I LOVE the satin finish. (We used water-based, if you are curious.)

I have been interested in satin poly since Carrie at Brick City Love went with satin for their floors. (Which are gorgeous. Check them out.)

I think these old floors look better with a satin finish, because the semi-gloss sometimes highlights imperfections (at least in our experience). I also hope that they will wear better and show better throughout the years. I just have to say, that's another example of how the practice simply makes perfect better. The first time we finished the floors, we had NO IDEA what we were doing. It was honestly a joke. We're no experts, but this is the best that our floors have turned out.

Because I'm feeling that it's time to see the progress (for me), I'm just going to make my way through the rooms that have finished floors.

Kitchen
We are officially ready to begin putting the kitchen cabinets together (and get trim up). (I thought Papa Bear was going to begin crying when he saw all those IKEA flat packed boxes. He volunteered to help before he understood that you really have to put everything together.)

From the beginning... this is probably the room with the most progress. From ripping out cabinets and walls, drywalling, adding lighting, painting, and now floors. (And pay attention to the floors in the top right photo.)

Better, right?

Be honest. The floors are totally rockin', right?

Master bedroom
This is such a huge room. I love it. I love everything about it.

From the beginning... a previous owner really loved carpet adhesive. It was everywhere. With new lighting, paint and floors, it looks like a better version of itself, right?

Front bedroom
You may remember that I really didn't like this color on the walls. But, I'm hating the grey less now with the floors refinished. But okay, I'm still repainting the room. And I can't wait to get some trim up. But the floors... perfection.

From the beginning... more adhesive. Some crazy wacky nooks (that became part of the master closet). And, just a lot of ugliness.

Now... it's just nice.

Hallway
My mom thinks this could be my "for realzies" reading nook area. What do you think?

From the beginning... it was just a strange little space, with a huge radiator and a little potential.

Stairway
The floors aren't done here yet. But, we're hoping this long weekend will see some more progress. Ryan's been stripping the stairs with chemical stripper (nasty) and we are still ripping out nails. Fourth times a charm. Some of the nails are large enough to hold the house together.

There was so much carpet adhesive on these stairs. Horrible! But the fact that we can actually see wood tone is promising. And it's come a long way in 42 weeks...

Plus, we've been painting the trim in the stairwell. Ryan has decided that this is a LOT more work than he realized. (He doesn't usually paint.)

(Why, yes. That is the same shirt I wear every time I'm painting. Thanks for asking.)

And there's a new light fixture at the bottom of the stairs. (It's from Jenny and I's jaunt to Guilded Salvage in Minneapolis.)

So, that's this week in a giant-sized nutshell.

What do you think?

(Psst...The house list is updated. You can check it out here.)

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Roadtrip 2011: Seattle to San Fran

Ryan and I just booked flights for our summer vacation - a road trip through the Pacific Northwest. And following the lead of my very smart friend Emily who is also visiting the area, I am asking for your help to plan our trip.

Here's what we know:

• We're flying into Seattle on a Saturday afternoon and flying out of San Francisco the following Saturday.
• We will rent a car to get from one end to the other.

I'd like to fill in the rest of the blanks. Can you help? So far, I have about 300 visitors guides. So I could probably keep myself busy for a year. Will you help me narrow it down?

The general plan includes:

• A day in Seattle, Washington
• A visit to Mt. St. Helens on the way
• A day in Portland, Oregon
• A drive down the coast of Oregon, hopefully stopping along the way to check out the best beaches, parks, hikes, lighthouses.... (any recommendations?)
• Stops in the Redwoods
• A day in San Francisco

As you can see, this is a LOT to fit in. But, I have faith. And I hope we can use the drive to see some things, too. I've heard it's a lovely stretch.

We like to stay busy on vacations, so we're totally okay with booking us all up! (We aren't really the lounging and relaxing types. You may have noticed.) Ryan loves hiking and nature and I love cheesy tourist traps and great views. Neither of us have any shame about appearing to be 100 percent tourists. Strap on a fanny pack and tennis shoes and put a camera around my neck.

Who has recommendations? 

• Must-see state parks and hikes
• Gotta-visit beaches and lighthouses
• Do-not-miss attractions
• Yummy and casual restaurants and eats (we aren't really looking for anything fancy)
• Anywhere we can kayak or raft (but not a full day). I've always wanted to do this on vacation and never gotten the chance.
• Any budget-friendly tips.

Thanks, folks! Your help is appreciated! (Links to your own resources are also welcome!)

(P.S. You know I'll keep you in the loop as the route and schedule is formed.)

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For realzies

If I had this reading nook in my home, I don't think I'd ever leave the chair.

(Martha Stewart via Pinterest)

Ever. I think I need a reading/blogging/knitting/ whatevertheheckIwanttodo nook in the new house. And I'm really digging the yellow.

For realzies.

What colors are you drawn to?

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Flowers, finally, and other curb appeal progress

Well, this weekend managed to provide me with a little time to finally plant the flowers I've had on the porch for weeks. Thank you, Mother Nature.

I also thought it may be time to swap out the Christmas door mat. So, I picked up this great geometric door mat at IKEA.


And do you see those lilacs to the left? We cut them to the ground when we moved in because they were so out-of-control. This the first year they've really bloomed. Such a great scent in the open windows.

All of our massive and out-of-control iris have bloomed.

Once they are finished, I'm planning to break them up because they have taken over the garden bed. It's been three years, so it's time. I may devote an entire garden bed to them at the new house.

And my tin can containers, all are now full.

So, that's my little attempt with flowers and curb appeal. Pretty flowers make a happy house.

What do you think?

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My dream curtains, at my dream price.

I have a pretty good idea of how I want our new dining room to look. I've been really digging all the yellow I've been seeing on the web lately, so I was hoping to bring some yellow into the dining room of the new house.

Nothing crazy, just something to brighten up the dark upper walls and make it a little less formal and more... well... sunny.

So, when Jen and I hit IKEA, we also took a detour to Crate & Barrel (love). And of course, I fell in deep love with some curtains.

The Bella Porta Citrine curtains, to be exact. Have you seen these beauties in person? They really aren't done justice in a photograph. They are pretty, still a little traditional and just so darn perfect. I like that the yellow isn't the blindingly primary color, but not mustard either. The grey details are a nice tie-in to the walls.

So, I wanted them. Right then. Get into my cart, now. Jen can attest that I was beside myself about them. Until I checked out the price tag.

$139/panel. I need four of them. That's nearly more than we spent on the windows themselves. Crazy. I may have cried inside.

So, I walked away. Even though I was silently telling myself that all the money I spent on cabinets at IKEA could go towards these curtains. (This is Kim math in action.)

But, when I got home, I immediately got to googling. And what to my eyes should appear, but Dwell Studio Bella Porte Citrine home decor fabric at fabric.com. For $16/yard. 

So, I could make each panel for less than $45/panel. While it's no steal by any stretch, I can kind of justify it.

What do you think? Worth it?

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Renovation progress report - week 41

While we were loading 600,000 boxes at IKEA this weekend, Ryan was relaxing.

Psych! (That never gets old.)

Ryan's been finishing the floors. As with every other large project, Ryan begins by insisting it's going to be quick, smooth and easy. By the end of day one, he's screaming expletives and swearing he will NEVER do the project again.

Welcome to Sanding Floors 101 with Ryan Woodward. He's really quite good at refinishing floors and this is his third time doing it. While the efforts are rewarded at the end, it's really not a super fun job. With that said, he finished sanding the kitchen, two bedrooms and upstairs landing.

He began with these rooms because they all have the same pine flooring with wider boards. He had to rent a drum sander the first day and come back with an edger on day two to get the edges.

These rooms are seriously large, so it was a big job. But by the time the sanding was done, it looked really great. The boards were just lovely. It's truly amazing that 120-year-old boards can look so good.

I took pictures of all the rooms after sanding, but of course I accidentally deleted them from my camera before uploading. (One of those days.) So here's the only one I have at this point, when we began staining.

That wood is seriously gorgeous, right?

Considering, this is what we began with.

When the floors are totally complete, I'll do a proper before and after.

Last week, I mentioned that Ryan and I were at odds on stain color. We were. Usually, Ryan just gives me creative license to choose colors/styles/decor items and the like. But floors are unique in that Ryan has a strong opinion. Ryan wanted reddish-toned floors. I wanted a dark walnut. As you can imagine, these visions are pretty different from one another.

So, when we went to Menards to pick out stain, we had a little battle of the wills. Neither of us were thrilled with the other's choice. Then, we found a compromise. But, before we could check out, I had a change of heart. Why should BOTH of us compromise and then risk NEITHER of us being happy? Instead, I decided that Ryan should choose the color he wanted because he did all the sanding.

Of course, to this he replied that I should really pick out the color. He wanted me to be happy.

It went back and forth like this for a bit before I finally convinced him to pick the color he wanted. (I'm sure it was quite entertaining to other customers.) We went with Red Oak by Miniwax.

And wouldn't you know, I love it. Ryan thinks he should make all decorating decisions now (fat chance). The color is really rich in person and goes super well with the doors, which we plan to keep stained. Here's a sneak peak of our bedroom with the still-wet stain and no poly.

Ryan and I tag-teamed the staining. This is unique, because we typically work on our own projects independently. But doing it together made the process relatively quick and less painful. He put the stain on and I followed behind him to immediately wipe it off. (We didn't want it too dark or to soak in too much.) We use old socks for the task which work like a charm.

Here's the extra bedroom.

We've still got to stain the kitchen and poly everything, but progress is being made. And nothing is better than finishing the floors. Just so gratifying.

(We aren't really the tutorial types. If you are interested in steps to refinish floors, head over to Chic Little House. They did a nice job explaining everything.)

So, that was the week. We are both tired and reek of stain. And my knees hurt. Did I mention that we're tired? But, the results are well worth the pain, right?

What do you think?

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You-musts

You must:

• Bid on a handmade succulent wreath made by Beth at Unskinny Boppy. All proceeds go to Alabama tornado relief efforts. Right now, it looks like I'm in the lead and you know you want to give me a run for my money.

• Make these awesome and relatively simple DIY wire baskets to fit all your hard-to-fill spaces with That's my Letter.

• Check out the bedsheet-to-curtain tutorial at Welcome to Heardmont. (It's an oldie, but new to me. Thanks, Nikki.)

• Whip up some homemade potato chips and avocado ranch dip with Food for my Family.

• Drool over this fabulous upcycled jewelry display/organizer at Create Celebrate Explore.

• Warm up your printer for these great free printables for bathroom and laundry at Sprik Space.

• Be amazed by this DIY version of the Pottery Barn stand at Lizard & Ladybug.

• Find a use for all those wine corks with this great wine cork monogram at Green is Universal.

• Convert a music tripod into a lamp with The Painted Hive.

That is all, friends. Go forth and blog stalk.

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The birds

The grill birds have hatched. And they resemble slimy aliens. In a cute way.

I think they think I'm their momma.

That's awkward.

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IKEA nearly broke me

Jen and I journeyed to and from IKEA to order my kitchen cabinets in a day, and we lived to tell about it. I'll do a more detailed post once the cabinets are out of boxes and installed (if that ever happens). But there's just so much to tell you.

(All the boxes with my kitchen cabinets in the garage at home.)

I want to tell you that Jen met me at 6:45 in the morning with six muffins and a smile. I knew it would be a good day.

I want to tell you that the only photos I have from the day were on my iPhone, and there is nothing interesting. What a bad blogger I've become.

( I do like these shelves, though.)

I want to tell you that we walked in when the store opened at 10 a.m. with a plan. We immediately rushed to the cabinetry area to try to beat the crowd and promptly ordered our kitchen cabinets. I was so darn nervous about the whole thing, I felt ill.

I want to tell you that then we made our way through the entire store, taking nearly four hours.

I want to tell you that we didn't have a sip of water or bite of food during those four hours. I was so thirsty when we hit The Cheesecake Factory that I may have drank 7 glasses of iced tea. (No joke.)

I want to tell you that we got to the checkout and realized that we missed the entire "eating" section. And Jen needed some pretty bowls. So, we headed back up to the third floor immediately. It was necessity. But, we still don't know how we missed the entire area.

I want to tell you that when I saw the four cartloads of cabinet boxes and heard the worker tell me to check each one to make sure I have them all, I wanted to cry. But, Jen just shot me a determined look and we went through them one-by-one. Even the hinges and the drawer stops and the legs.

I want to tell you that Jen earned her lunch by loading around 60 flat-packed boxes into the truck bed. Did I mention that the countertops were approximately 8,000 pounds and approximately 3 inches too long for the extended truck bed? And then we had to take off the packaging to get the tailgate to close.

(The lovely oak countertops.)

I want to tell you that it was raining and cold when we were loading and I was wearing a t-shirt because I'm silly and didn't look at the weather before we left.

I want to tell you that there was a scary moment when I really didn't think it would all fit in the truck. Since it was raining, it had to squeeze under the soft cover so it didn't get soaked on the three hours home. We had to fit several of the furniture boxes in the backseat. (Luckily, Crate and Barrel bags can just go on top. Which reminds me, I adore Crate and Barrel.)

I want to tell you that I am so thankful that Jen was with me that day. Seriously. I could have never done it alone (obviously) and Ryan and I would have made a very large scene that would have ended with yelling and crying. We don't do well under pressure. Jen and I do. I adore her, too.

(It doesn't look like much, but these boxes could have broke me.)

I want to tell you that if you have an IKEA in your area, you don't know how lucky you are. Doing this with 6 hours of driving in a day is hard work. But...

I want to tell you that I wouldn't have it any other way.

Anything you want to tell me about IKEA... or your weekend... or anything else?

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