Wowza. One year later.
This week, we are celebrating our first anniversary here in this new(ish) house and it’s surreal. It’s weird to think that just 12 months ago we barely knew this little country town and the ins and outs of our big beat up house. It seems to fly by. even when you are looking. and snapping photos of time whizzing by. it still flies. I thought it would be fun to look back a little. Here’s a little of what’s whirling around in that crazy brain of mine….
Just a year ago we sat down with The Commish and signed all that paperwork that made our dream house our house.
The journey began the moment we signed our lives and third child away the dotted line because our bruised whale of a foreclosure was still in need of a lotta lovin. We had to pick replacement carpet, install a new furnace, water heater, and appliances, and garage doors. And 10 thousand Laura Lynn milk boxes and no moving vans later, we were moved into the new house….thankfully we unpacked our favorite accessory before we chunked them all to the recycling center. (here’s the post explaining more!)
We ended up choosing Martha Stewart for the carpet…and the mistress of Good Things delivered. One year later, I feel confident that it was the best decision to replace all the carpet in the bedrooms BEFORE getting all our furniture into the house. (you can see more about our carpet replacement here)
Then we had everything out of our old house and we tearfully handed the keys over to the new inhabitants. (see the entire empty house tour here) (read about how we executed a lease purchase here)
Right before we left, we dug up Will’s birth tree and replanted it at our new house. (see fat Katie photos here)
But that was about all we did. The rest of our stuff was lookin’ messier than Polamalu with bedhead. (see the completely chaotic house tour here)
Even though we had a slow start with really moving in, we did pull the ripcord on a couple important purchases – a new fridge (see how we talked the delivery guy into posing with it!) and a new dishwasher (read read all about it!)
The entire year felt like we were just getting our bearings in this new house. We did small projects and added small (aka cheap) purchases- nothing too intense just simply because we knew this house would take more money and more planning due to the size (bigger rooms = bigger scale furniture, more paint, more time). Plus, in true Bower Power form, we were attempting to be frugal in our big purchases.
Of course, that didn’t mean we stopped doing home improvement. Inside the kitchen, we switched out the table and then refinished it…
added some new-to-us-old-to-my-mom chairs and a made-over chandelier and a renovated bench and later stenciled the picture window to add a little sumpin-sumpin.
and got to work on our first floor bathroom. (here’s the painting process, the new lights, the vanity makeover and the mirror & art post)
We also flexed our bathroom-makeover muscles with the kids bathroom (by painting the trim, installing a new light, painting the walls, making some art, and creating a shower curtain outta a flat sheet)
put the living room through a workout with a new layout and then a new $200 rug and then a coffee table makeover (oh and mounted a shiny new 3D tv after our old one kicked the bucket). And did I mention that we removed the stained glass sticker off a side window? and replaced the sconces? and redecorated with orange?
The Master bedroom got some minor improvements….we added some blinds in the bedrooms to block out the blinding morning sun, hung curtains, made a herringbone mirror, hung some art work and Pinterest Challenged the bathroom window.
and we installed some old lights in new rooms. (here’s the post about the dining room light) (read all about the bedroom light here)
The dining room also got a new coat of paint and some new sconces…
And that guest bedroom got a some things hung on the wall…
Will’s room received a little de-sushi-fication,
and eventually a whole new makeover with new paint.
In the basement, we had to pretty renovate everything in preparation for the biggest event of our year – my little sister’s wedding which we hosted in the backyard. (here’s my photos from the party and the professional photographers too)
In order to get ready for all the blissful chaos that comes with backyard weddings, we renovated our basement entertainment room (here’s part 1 and part 2),
built some outdoor seating & fixed the outdoor stone columns,
Oh and renovated the basement bathroom…so that all the wedding guests could opt for something a little classier than a shovel 🙂 (here’s the before, during & after)
Outside we started working to make it look a little more presentable too. (here’s the tour!) (we added a swing, did some serious landscaping, replanted some shrubs from the woods,
added some accent rocks in the front,
and prettied up around the deck (which we had to pressure wash years of gunk off), added an outlet for the DJ,
switched out door hardware and gave the front door a fun new color. (oh and the back doors too!)
But it wasn’t all work and no play…we got to use the house for lots of fun too. We definitely partied it up at Will’s 1st Barnyard Birthday Party…
and had a grand time at my sisters bridal shower…
Holidays were a blast too.
Halloween decorating was definitely fun….bigger and better in this house. We did the inside too 🙂
And for Thanksgiving we worked the tablesettings (here and here) before hosting the big family dinner,
and we wrapped up the year with a big Christmas sha-bang. We spread the cheer on the outside and the inside. (here’s the link to our kid-friendly tree)
I think it comes down to this…I’m excited that we did more than just move in. We didn’t mean to do much. It was our goal to take it slow in the renovations of this house. It was also our goal to grow to love this place.
Most of you guys know I had a little bit of a hard time letting go of the last house. That it was something weirdly special to me. That it felt right. And that this house was just that….a house. Well, I am happy to say that yes, it’s been a full year. and yes, it’s official….this is now more than just our house….it’s our home 🙂
what a fabulous first year! I’ve just celebrated one year in my first home and I have loved watching it become my home. One of the most special things was hosting my family for Christmas. You guys are so inspiring, thanks for sharing so many projects – I need to get on with replicating some of them!
What a fabulous year it has been. I can’t believe it’s already been a year, I remember reading about the entire process and being so excited for you all to just move in already!
The home is so lovely, and you have really done so many amazing things already, can’t wait to see what you have in store for us this year!
That stairway gallery wall must just make your heart smile every time you walk in the door. I love it! And your recent kitchen desk makeover and toy storage in Will’s room totally rock my world.
xoxo,
Jen
I am so glad it feels like home to you! You have done such an amazing job putting you stamp on it, Katie. It has such a happier feel to it now! 🙂
You deserve a huge pat on your back! It has been so exciting to see the progress on your home and I can’t wait to see what else you have in store!
Congrats on a year in your new home! I especially love the gallery/stairwell wall — and I totally recognized your previous Target (tar-jay) dining room chairs — I have the same ones in my apt right now:)
Be proud of all your hard work. Love how far you have come. Enjoy the ride as you renovate and make memories.
B.
Yay!!! So happy for you Katie! Love that it feels like home now. What an amazing feeling!
Happy One Year!
You all have accomplished so much! I think the staircase is still my favorite project though.
I love your blog….I think it is my favorite! Your posts always make me laugh and I love how much you love your family :-). My favorite thing about your year in review (besides that amazing house!) is seeing Will in the background of pictures, growing with the house. Can’t wait to see what you guys do next…you inspire me!
So glad you’re finally in love with your home! “Polamalu with bedhead” made me crack up. I guess I always picture him waking up with perfect hair. 🙂 Go Steelers!
Emily
Congrats on 1 year! It’s been exciting to see all your progress. Can’t wait to see the progress during year 2!
You accomplished so much in a year! Can’t wait to see what the next year holds for your home.
Hey Katie!
So weird…I had a dream last night that I married your brother, Tim (which I wouldn’t mind..mmm) and we had a paintball fight in your house. Then you and Jeremy pinned us against the wall and chucked waffles at us because we ruined your living room and kitchen…
I think I read your blog too much…
With that said; this post makes me sad/happy. I remember it was hard for you to leave your first house. We just left ours and I cried all day thinking of past memories. But, I must say, I am so happy you now feel at home. And we all can’t wait to watch you transform it even more. We will all be reading!
We love you!
xox Melissa
Oh my gosh. That’s an insane amount of stuff to get done, especially since you’re busy being a mom and a photographer too. So impressed.
What an amazing year! My body did the same thing when I was last pregnant. I gained 50 pounds and about a week after my little one was born, I woke up each morning and had lost another 10 pounds. I was back at my pre-pregnancy weight in a matter of days. It became like a game: I would weigh myself in the morning, nurse and eat ice cream (and healthy things!) all day long, and weigh myself before bed and I would almost always be about 7 pounds lighter! Crazy times.
I can’t believe that’s been a year already. Crazy. It’s nice to see some of the projects you’ve done, because you really do get so much done! Congrats!
Oh Melissa – if you ever play paintball in my house as my sister-in-law, I promise I won’t chuck waffles at you. I’m more of a pancake chucker anyway 🙂
xo – kb
I love those chairs – they get moved around the house constantly 🙂
xo – kb
i’ve loved following all of your improvements/updates this past year in the new HOME! and watching will grow and change throughout the pictures was an added bonus – it’s amazing how much they change 🙂 congrats on a job well done!!!
Congrats on your first year!
Wow… what a journey. I loved your old house, but I have begun to think of this as your home, too! Its size and the grandeur of all its spaces give it so much potential… and it is filled with inspiration, too – all you have to do is look at what Napoleon did and do the exact opposite! Easy peasy!
I think this is my favorite post yet! I started following your blog sometime last year, so I recognized a lot of the references. Glad your house now feels like home!
This was an AWESOME post! A lot of the links were new to me and took me all day, here and there, to read. I love your blog and love your humor! 😉
p.s., we pray nightly for you to get pregnant. 😉
Hi Katie!
This is such a great post! A little more than a year ago, when you first began praying about buying your new house is when I began to read your blog. I feel like I went through the excitement of the new house, the sadness about leaving your old one and the difficulty getting started with decorating in your new house with you! But after looking at all you’ve done in the last year… wow, Katie, you have got to be so proud of yourself! You all have conquered some majorly big projects! I love getting to have a window into a little bit of your life. You are an inspiring person to know. Thanks for sharing with all of us. 🙂
Love to you and your family,
Rachel
You’ve done an AMAZING job with your casa! I can’t wait to see what’s coming next! (:
aww thanks Marie.
xo – kb
I have only been following you for a couple of weeks and just wanted to say congrats on one year. I plan to spend my evening clicking on your links and seeing everything you have done (in a total blog stalking oohing and ahhing and pinning and annoying my husband with all the pretty pictures type of way)! Love your style and your photography!
Aww thanks Jackie! And welcome to our little site – hope you stick around for lots more future fun 🙂
xo – kb
Amazing progress in one year. We’ll be hitting a year in our house (and out of NYC) in May and while I felt like we’ve done a lot, it doesn’t seem like a ton of progress compared to you guys! We’ve still got some door-painting, upstairs-bedroom-using, breakfast-nook-color-choosing, and honeybee-keeping to do on my list before we hit the big 1.
Your stuff is always an inspiration!
Y’all are sooooo blessed! I raised 3 boys in a 2 bedroom/1 bath house. Home is where you make it!
You guys have had a busy year. It looks like you guys are really starting to turn that house into a home 🙂
The past year did fly by quickly! I’m so glad that your house feels like a home. Are the same people renting your old house or have they bought it?
Somehow I missed your stairway “gallerification”. It looks great! I love it!
They still have 9 more months till the deadline so I am sure they are gonna wait until that time to purchase. I’ll definitely let ya’ll know all about it when it happens.
xo – kb
Wow, it has been a year already?! Time truly does fly. I amazed at all that has been done in such a short period of time.
I am so happy to hear that this house finally feels like home to you. I know it was a hard road to get there and I am so glad that you have arrived.
Wow, that year went by so fast! This post must have made it really feel like home when you remember all of the celebrations, holidays, and things you’ve done in this house. I cannot wait to see what else you do this year 🙂
Howdy! I was clicking through one of your old links, and you mentioned how spendy plants are. Boy, howdy, are they ever. Last year, I found a GREAT new source for inexpensive plants: there’s a local high school in one of the surrounding rural counties that has a pretty big agriculture program, and one of their biggest fundraisers is a plant sale in the spring. I got a BUNCH of perennial flowers for less than $2 each – I think I ended up averaging about $1.50 each. I easily saved $3 per plant over the costs from other plant sales and retail shops I’d been looking at. They had everything from small flowers to bigger trees and shrubs, for prices that couldn’t be beat.
How’d they grow? Last year they were definitely small and spindley, but doing okay! It was a dry year too, and I’m hoping they’ll come back fat & happy this spring – especially after the mild winter we’ve been having.
Just thought I’d share that tip…
We just bought our first house and I told me husband that we can never move because it would be too depressing. But you’ve done a great job with the new house. It looks more and more fabulous all the time! Happy One Year!
Man, I wish I had the Commish to close on my house! I’m soooo jealous, but that’s just because you’re a celebrity!
Congrats on a job well done!
Oh goodness time sure does fly, huh?!?! I’m in awe of all of your DIY makeovers in your new home (way gorgeous BTW) and am constantly hassleing my husband to step up our game with our home projects. I’m always tellling him if them Bowers can do it so can we!!! He just gives me the stink eye and has no clue what I’m talking bout. HA! Thanks for all the inspiration and can’t wait for more!!
1 year already? Time has flown by. I love your style and can’t wait to see what you come up with next. How is the burlap wall holding up in Will’s room? I’ve been toying with the idea of a fabric accent wall…
Congrats! I love what you have done so far and I am looking forward to seeing what you do in the future. Especially for the holidays, you have the best ideas for holiday decorating!
Man, what a trip down memory lane! I had forgotten how crazytown things used to look in there–like the red bathroom of doom, for example. You’ve done so much in a year!
Happy Houseiversary!
It’s still hanging 🙂
Seriously though – it still is fine – it’s on the opposite side of the room than the fun stuff so I think he isn’t interested 🙂
xo – kb
Wow, that is a lot in one house, in one year!
Love the stairway!!! so much work, but worth it
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