The Palmisanos

Happy Hidden Trash

2009-09-06T09:00:00.008-04:00

Don't get me wrong, I love my simplehuman slim trash bins. As far as trash bins go... these are hands down the best. Seriously, check out the reviews on Crate & Barrel. They really are great, especially if you are a recycler like me.

With the ginormous cabinets in our new island though, it just made too much sense to install pull-out trash bins. This would not only free up some floor space, but also keep the trash hidden. Again, I went with simplehuman. They make two similar size pull-out bins that fit our cabinet with room to spare. One holds two smaller bins that's perfect for separating recyclables. With a 20% Off BB&B coupon and a handy $50 housewarming gift card – I was good to go!

I even put little labels on my recycle bins that should help people figure out which bin to put their junk in. I hope.

Removing those trash bins really opens up that corner! Plus, I have the perfect spot to put my little step stool now. Oh happy days...

Sandra's Island Story

2009-09-04T09:00:00.001-04:00

In between all my own fun house decorating projects, I managed to help my best friend Sandra with one of hers! Sandra has a beautiful kitchen, but it just isn't big enough for a table. We all know how everyone likes to hang out in the kitchen, so this was not her favorite feature about her new gorgeous home.

I love to scour Craigslist for inexpensive treasures and I happened upon this cutie for only $150 beans. I convinced her it would be the perfect size, provide some much needed seating and also some precious counter space.

It is hard to tell from the photos, but this cutie-patootie island needed a little lovin'. One afternoon I swooped in and helped my BFF. We sanded, sanded and sanded some more. Then, we painted the legs a fresh coat of ivory to match her cabinets. Last, we treated the top with butcher block oil. Oh, I can't forget about the stools. We spray-painted them black to coordinate with her lovely black granite countertops and to let those gorgeous turned legs on the island get all the attention they deserve.

KITCHEN BEFORE:

KITCHEN AFTER:

Isn't it the cutest? If it wasn't all wood and splintery, I could eat it up. Oh, and most important – Sandra couldn't be happier. Now her guests have the perfect place to rest their toosh while she does her thang in the kitchen. Mission accomplished!

One Year "House" Anniversary

2009-09-02T09:00:00.001-04:00

Can you believe it has been a year since we started our house building adventure? In honor of this landmark, watch the fun little video of our house evolving over the past year.

Our Porch Makeover

2009-07-31T09:00:00.029-04:00

We had a TON of outdoor furniture from our old house because we had two front porches and a pretty sizable back porch. However at our new house, we only have a tiny front patio and a smallish 12x12 screened-in porch. As I mentioned before, I am trying to make good use of things we already own, so I did my best to coordinate our mismatched items. Here's what it looked like...

I called it our "Kumbaya" room because of all the random furniture arranged in a circle around the room. Here's a look from outside.

Somehow I convinced Andrew to help me stain the porch one weekend. I explained that it would make a huge impact for a small price tag. Of course, we seriously underestimated how much time it would take, but it was worth it!!

Here's us working...

Look how amazing that expresso stain looks against the green siding already...

Not only did we stain the railings, but we also painted the cement floor, hung a ceiling fan, spray painted many accessories, put down an area rug, installed window boxes and hanging plants and did some other stuff too. It took us about 2-3 weeks to finish everything.

Oh, and most importantly, we had a yard sale. I told Andrew that I would put all our mismatched furniture out there and whatever money I made would go toward a new patio set. When I didn't sell everything, I put the rest on Craig's List. Wouldn't you know... I sold everything!! And you better believe I bought a new patio set!!

A reminder of the unimpressive before...

Here's the dramatic after!

I originally had my heart set on a different set from Target, but Andrew was luke warm about it. I finally found this La-Z-Boy set that's only sold at Sam's Club... on sale of course. I had to pay $40 for the membership, but it was well worth it. The cushions are so plush and comfortable and isn't the fresh green color so delicious?

Do those lanterns and planter look familiar? See if you can find them in the before pictures... it is amazing what a little white spray paint can do!

I owned the copper window boxes outside too, but they were a grungy galvanized steel. I sprayed them this copper color to match the hanging planters. I love the way they pop against the green siding. I even planted some herbs in them, so they are more than just decoration!

Our new rustic outdoor fan makes it easier for us to handle the North Carolina heat. It is hard to see in this photo, but the glass bowl is actually bubble glass. I have a bit of an obsession with bubble glass so this was a no brainer for me.

No doubt Andrew's favorite feature in the entire patio is this mounted tv. It wouldn't surprise anyone to know that this was one of Andrew's biggest priorities when we moved into this house. I believe it was hanging up by Day #3. We scored the mounting kit on Craig's List, and I found the wire hiding kit at Lowes.

Remember those other two hanging pots I mentioned in an earlier post? Planted with green sweet potato vine and yellow lantana, they now flank our porch.

I am so proud of all the work we did on our own. I love how coordinated the back of the house looks now with the deep browns, soft white accents and vibrant pops of green.

Now you know where to find us on most evenings... enjoying our new cozy porch!

Where We Hang

2009-07-29T09:00:00.019-04:00

I was really worried about how our big 'ole sectional was going to fit in this space. Now that just seems silly because it's as if this couch was made for this room.

Did you notice the rug? It was a very generous birthday/housewarming gift from my parents. (My mom was a bit obsessed about getting us an area rug for this room.) After a LOT of looking, we found this rug on clearance at JCPenney.com. I love how it is chic and sophisticated, but colorful and fun at the same time. Thanks Mom & Dad... you know we would still be rugless if it wasn't for you!

The console table our TV sits on is a loaner from Andrew's mom until we get something of our own. Stay tuned for updates on that in a future post.

Here's a look at the other side of the room. This is where Andrew gets most of his work, I mean fantasy baseball, done...

A view back into the kitchen area. I don't think we realized how much more space we had in this house until we got our furniture in here. We're no longer tripping over everything. Happy, happy!

Next up: Our screened-in porch makeover! Here's a sneak peek...

Who's coming for dinner?

2009-07-27T09:00:00.018-04:00

Remember our blank slate of a kitchen...

Well, it has been gaining a bit of a personality...

I finally got my island! It is big, beautiful and I love it!! The butcher block adds such warmth and character to the room. Once I get new barstools, I'll be able to seat four people at it.

Plus it has a huge cabinet base where I'll be able to hide pull-out garbage/recycling bins.

I kept my word on getting rid of that hideous faucet. After a bit of grunting and cursing, Andrew's father did a bang-up job of installing this beauty for us. Thanks Al!!

Here's a sneak peak into the living room. More on that later...

It's been awhile...

2009-07-25T12:59:00.013-04:00

Sorry for making everyone wait for a new post on the house... we've been busy bees working on it!

We still have several empty rooms, nothing hanging on the walls and a few unpacked boxes. We have made some significant progress though and it is really starting to feel like home. I'll be posting photos of some of our more complete rooms over the next few days. For now, enjoy some photos of our more lively front patio!

The boring BEFORE:

The bright and sunny AFTER:

I've been trying to repurpose as much stuff from the old house as possible. I scored this charming bench at the Raleigh Flea Market a few years ago for $60. It just happens to be perfect here! It could use a new coat of paint, but I'll get to that eventually...

These copper hanging pots were hanging from our old front porch (I have two more that will make an appearance in a future post) and the side table was on our back porch. The only new things you see are the two striped toss pillows, the plant hanging hardware and the actual plants.

Yippee for low-budget improvements!

Moving Day

2009-04-30T13:00:00.003-04:00

This has been the longest month ever, but it finally happened – WE MOVED!! This week has been a whirlwind. Friday we closed on the old house, Tuesday we closed on the new house, Thursday we moved and in between – there was a whole lot of packing. Here's a photo of the Uhaul parked in front of our brand new home.

After bringing four loads of boxes to the house on Karen & Al's pick-up truck, we were shocked when we still couldn't fit everything in the Uhaul. I wish I got a photo of how stuffed the truck was. Here is a photo of it partly unloaded. It was literally packed front to back and floor to ceiling.

The funny thing is that all this stuff still doesn't fill our new house. You know what that means? SHOPPING!!!

SOLD!

2009-03-25T09:00:00.001-04:00

I feel like it is official now that the sign is up!!

You will never guess who our buyer is..........

...only the best, BEST MAN ever!!!

You can imagine all of Ted's lofty ideas about what he is going to do with the place. Some of my favorite are:

1- Turning the office into a bar/game room
2- "Are these columns load bearing? They have got to go!"
3- Filling a guest room with balls so people can just jump in (like Chuck E. Cheese)
4- Having his father replace all the cabinets
5- Turning the entire second floor into a casino and allowing golfers to come and gamble in the middle of their rounds. (This was an elaborate plan that including putting a sign in the backyard along with painting lines in the grass for golf carts.)

I could go on and on. My response is always, "Ted, I can not wait to see how you improve the place." With a smile, of course.

House Update

2009-03-11T21:42:00.004-04:00

Our new home is officially sitting, ready and waiting for us to move in. We have had no offers on our current house and little to no traffic. With an Open House every Sunday for the last two weeks and gearing up for another one this coming Sunday – life has been hectic. I will not lie, it has been an extremely frustrated process. I always try to be optimistic and look on the bright side of things, but I am starting to unravel from staging my house for so long. How do people do this when they have kids? I can't imagine...

I can't help but sit here and think of all the things I need to get (but can't afford) for our new house. For instance:

Kitchen Island:

Faux Wood Blinds:

A Beautiful Patio Set:

Just to name a few...

Our First Walk-thru

2009-02-26T17:00:00.000-05:00

Today we had our first walk through of the house. This was our opportunity to point out any imperfections in the house that we'd like to have fixed before our closing. Our field manager also showed us a lot of the cool features of our new home.

They finally painted our front door!! It looks so sharp in black!!

Surprise!! They put up a metal fence on the other side of the house. I guess because of the retaining wall, they are required to put up a fence for safety reasons. I was holding out for solid wood fences, but these are free so I guess I can't complain.

Did you notice the sod in the last photo? Funny how they lay down dead sod huh? Whatever...

The screens are finally up on the porch and check out our cute little white door!

Last, but not least, here is an excellent view of the hardwood floors. I am SO, SO happy with them!!! You can also see our new snazzy oven!

Garage Door & Landscaping

2009-02-21T15:00:00.001-05:00

Do you see it? Isn't it purdy?

Our garage door... I really do love it with the window and the handles. It finishes the house off perfectly. Who would've known that a garage door would make me smile so much?!

They've also done some landscaping, which looks really nice. Hopefully I don't kill all this stuff... yikes!!

We even got two trees in the front yard. Our field manager says he thinks they are maple trees, but we like'em whatever they are.

Shaggy Carpet

2009-02-19T14:00:00.001-05:00

I was so anxious to see the rest of the hardwood floors that I came back to the house again this week. Unfortunately, they have covered the whole floor with white paper, so I can't really see it. Total bummer!! On the other hand, I did get to see the new carpet they installed. Andrew put up a big fight to have this "shaggier" type carpet. I will admit that it looks (and feels) awesome, but I could've lived with regular old carpet. Ruthie is going to be in heaven pulling at it!

I haven't really showed you the closets in the master suite yet. They are off the master bathroom and admittedly, a bit ridiculous.

My closet:

Andrew's closet:

Master Bathroom:

Some shots of the hardwoods in the Powder Room and Coat Closet. I love them, they are perfect!

Close-ups of our brand new stainless steel appliances. We have been waiting SOOOO long for a new microwave... ours is tiny and ancient. We can't wait until we can start using this big beautiful one!

Is that floor right?

2009-02-16T12:00:00.001-05:00

After seeing that little bit of hardwood floor in the bathroom, I wasn't convinced that it looked right. I thought it was going to look more rustic with more variation in color. I wrote a note to our field manager and he said it was probably just because it is such a small sample and with more floor down that it will probably look closer to what we saw in the design center. He told us to stop by the following day because they would be installing the rest of the hardwood floors.

He was right, they look fantastic. See the workers in action:

The garage door and opener are also installed. I am so anxious to see the door down, but Andrew yelled at me when I almost asked if we could put it down. Until next time...

Hello column!

2009-02-15T14:00:00.003-05:00

It is about time... we finally have our column. I feel much more comfortable that the entire patio roof isn't going to collapse now. Sheesh!!

We also got our mailbox. Love the iron scroll detail... so cute!

Did anyone ever see Andrew's ghetto cable cord hanging out on our back porch? If you did, then you'll understand my excitement when I saw this beautiful outlet cover on our screen-in porch.

Here's some fancy new equipment on the side of the house!

I haven't really shown the work being done at the clubhouse, so I thought you'd like to see the progress on the pool. We've been told the pool will be ready for the summer.

A look at the cozy back deck on the clubhouse. Can't you just imagine sitting back and enjoying a cocktail after taking a dip in the pool?

Let there be light!!

2009-02-12T09:00:00.009-05:00

They've installed all the lights inside and out. Mostly, they all look great. This is when I am beginning to see all the details and options that caused me such angst while at the Design Center though. There are a lot of things that we decided not to upgrade because we didn't like the available options.

Love the way these outdoor lights look!!

I really like this fixture, but want something fancier for the dining room. I am planning to move this into the kitchen.

These are the mushroom lights that are all over the house along with the foyer pendant. I am really happy with our decision to go with the "pebble brown" color as opposed to the brushed nickel. I think it is going to coordinate well with our darker wood furniture.

Look at all the progress in the kitchen! They've installed the microwave, the dishwasher, the counters, the sink and the faucet. And look... they were installing the tile back-splash while I was there. Not terribly excited about that tile. Looking forward to my brother Scott to visit, so he can put up the white subway tile that I REALLY wanted. This will do for now though...

Ick... that faucet will be one of the first things to go!! Look at how perdy that countertop is though... I love it!!

Here are two faucets that I am considering. I am leaning toward the one on the left because I like the pull-out feature. What do you think?

Bathroom counters, toilets and vinyl floors. Again, the floors are temporary until we have them tiled.

Here's a sneak peak at the hardwood floors. I think they had to put a little section down, so they could install the sink and toilet in the powder room. It is so dusty that it is hard to get a good idea what it's really going to look like.

Bricks

2009-02-07T11:30:00.000-05:00

It was a sad visit to the house this morning because it was locked!! We expected that to happen eventually, but I didn't think it would until the appliances were in there. I think they must have the light fixtures in there or something. Oh well, it didn't look like much happened anyways. They did lay the bricks for the base of the column:

Doors, Paint, Molding...

2009-02-04T22:30:00.000-05:00

All the details of the house are really starting to come together. I get really anxious to see it every day to make sure I don't miss anything. Here's a look at the cabinets uncovered...

I can't wait to see the countertops now. Eeeee...

The railings unwrapped and all the molding at the top of the stairs...

I was pleasantly surprised by the crown molding in our bedroom. Check out our double doors... fancy!!

Cabinets!!

2009-01-29T22:30:00.003-05:00

I have so much to share! Here is our pretty driveway all uncovered...

Sidewalk...

Electricians are digging a trench for something...

Railings...

Molding and mantle from front door...

Molding...

Last, but not least, Cabinets!!

I was disappointed that Centex didn't have an option for darker cabinets, but I am quite happy with how these look. YAY!!

Driveway

2009-01-24T16:00:00.001-05:00

A few new surprises at the house today. It looks like they poured our driveway, but there is a tarp over it because it is rainy. Boooo!

Mantle...

That is the top of our column for the front patio... I can't wait to see it in place!!

Snow in the South

2009-01-20T18:00:00.000-05:00

We had a snowy inauguration day here in Raleigh. I know our friends and family back in CT are more than sick of snow at this point. It was exciting for us though because they shut everything down... it is crazy!! It was the perfect day to be stuck at home though... we got to watch all the inauguration day festivities. Go Obama!!

Walls are Wonderful

2009-01-17T13:00:00.014-05:00

They have finished the siding on the house and I can not stop looking at it. I am SO happy with how it turned out. We chose this house because of the interior floor plan – this was not our favorite exterior. These colors with white trim though – it looks fantastic. YAY!

They better get that brick column up quick, that flimsy piece of wood doesn't look like it is going to cut it!

Those busy workers also had time to put walls up in the ENTIRE house this week. It is unbelievable how quickly they work. I was walking around the house today with a big 'ole grin on my face.

A view from the foyer:

Kitchen:

Family Room:

Looking back into the foyer:

The Loft:

Master Bedroom (see the trey ceiling!):

The floor looks like a disaster. I can't wait to see it covered in beautiful hard woods. That is going to be a very happy day :)

They even sheet-rocked most of the garage. I am looking forward to seeing the garage door!

For Sale!!

2009-01-14T23:00:00.006-05:00

A big part of the house building process has been getting our current house ready to sell. FINALLY, it is is on the market. Hopefully it will sell quick because I am not sure how long we can keep it looking this neat and clean. You can see the awesome panoramic Virtual Tours the realtor posted here. Also, here are some photos:

The office:

The kitchen:

The family room:

Master bedroom:

Top porch:

Andrew's man cave:

The guest bedroom:

Siding Makes Me Happy

2009-01-12T16:00:00.006-05:00

Today we had our first walk-through of the house with our Field Manager, Chris. He's such a nice guy. Here he is striking a serious pose:

He walked us through the inside of the house to make sure all our options and wiring is set up correctly. It all looked good to us, so we are ready for drywall!

We got another wonderful surprise -- they were installing our siding! I love, love, love it! It makes me so happy!

Thank goodness Andrew doesn't have to get up on that scaffolding. It was VERY wobbly!

Shingles!

2009-01-03T15:37:00.002-05:00

Andrew and I swung by the house again today. They've put the shingles on the roof.

We also got to walk around the inside... carefully...

Fireplace...

Our shower...

New utility thingies on the side of the house...

Windows and doors and railings! Oh, my!

2008-12-30T21:28:00.004-05:00

They delivered on their promise... we have windows and doors. So shiny and reflective!!

I love the little square ones. These are in our laundry room... so cute!

Our front door...

When I walked around the back of the house, I got another surprise... our railings on the porch are up! I am in love... see the high ceiling?

Our back door...

I think someone has been four-wheelin' in our back yard. Hmmm...

Green wrapping for Christmas

2008-12-29T17:30:00.003-05:00

We are getting ready for windows and siding to be installed, so the house is all wrapped up in a green wrapper now. They timed it just right for the holidays.

The roof shingles are piled up in the front and the windows are leaning up against the wall in the garage. They told us to come back tomorrow... the windows should all be installed. Exciting!

They installed new lamp posts on our street too. Aren't they cute?!

Framed on Lasilla!

2008-12-23T19:09:00.004-05:00

Holy cow! Andrew went to check on the house today and... umm... it's a HOUSE!! Last week it was concrete in the dirt, this week it's a house!! I feel like we missed a whole step.

It doesn't look so small anymore...

Look! They even built our stairs!!

Here's a look at the back of the house. We can't wait to enjoy our screened-in porch. No more flies in our barbecue!!

Dry Foundation

2008-12-14T13:00:00.006-05:00

Today was the grand opening of the new clubhouse, so we took the tour. It is beautiful!

It feels like a lodge with a fireplace and cushy furniture and balconies overlooking the pool. My favorite part was the fitness center on the first floor with brand new equipment. Andrew's favorite part was the game room on the top floor with a pool table, poker tables and a fooseball table.

We swung by our lot on the way out to find that our foundation is all dry.

It seems kind of small with no walls.

Can you believe that all this wood is going to be our house?

Andrew is standing in our garage. Can't you sense his excitement?

Pre-construction Meeting

2008-12-02T12:30:00.002-05:00

Today we met with our Field Manager, Chris, for our "pre-construction meeting." He showed us all the blueprints of the house and also verified all our options. He is a really nice guy and made us feel totally comfortable about the stressful process we are about to experience. After our meeting, he brought us down to the lot where the workers were leveling our foundation.

The foundation is framed!

2008-11-29T17:30:00.003-05:00

After a bit of delay, we are excited to finally see some activity on our lot. The following photos show the framing for our foundation is all set and ready for the pour!

Received the permit!

2008-10-06T11:14:00.001-04:00

We think they should start building pretty soon because we received a copy of the Permit Plan in the mail today. YAY!

Sold!

2008-08-30T15:00:00.003-04:00

They put a SOLD sign on our patch of grass. How exciting?!

Design Center

2008-08-27T00:00:00.000-04:00

I knew that customizing our new home would not be the easiest thing in the world, but HOLY STRESSFUL DECISIONS!! The last thing I ever expected to argue with Andrew about was crown molding on cabinets (he really, really wanted it... go figure). We got through it though and all the decisions have been made (albeit a tad over budget). Now we just sit back and wait for them to start building. Tick, tock, tick, tock...

It is kind of weird looking at your future home as a collection of 12 x 12 swatches piled on a table. Here are some of our major choices:

We picked our patch of grass!

2008-08-17T18:00:00.007-04:00

It is hard to believe that our new house will soon be sitting on this small patch of grass. (I think we are actually standing in our breakfast nook.) I know that it is hard for you north-easterners to get over our lack of "land." For us though, our .19 acres is the perfect fit!

Our New Home

2008-08-14T00:00:00.000-04:00

Andrew and I bought a new house this week. Yes, you heard correctly, WE BOUGHT A NEW HOUSE!!

On Tuesday, we had a meeting with a Sales Representative in a neighborhood we were interested in building a new home in. The deal they presented us with was too good to pass up, so we arranged an appointment to see a model home on Wednesday. It was amazing and we fell in love with it instantly. By Wednesday night, we had picked a piece of property and contracts were signed.

Wow - what a week!! The house is scheduled to be ready in late February. I'll keep you posted on the progress. This is what the floor plan looks like... we are SO excited!

Welcome to our new blog!

2008-08-10T20:30:00.000-04:00

It is no secret that I am the worst phone correspondent ever. I am terrible at keeping in touch with people. (Andrew is much better at keeping regular phone contact.) What I do constantly though is – take photos and send emails. I usually share photos with anyone I think might care what is going on in our life.

Now, with this blog, you can tune-in and catch up on our lives any time you'd like!