Changes coming soon!

We've been in our house for 11 years!  It's hard to believe it's been that long already.  When we signed the escrow papers, we could hardly stand to be inside this house without a breather on!  The smell.... oh how horrendous!  You could actually smell the cat urine across the street when our garage door was open.

Both Jason and I have put so much of our blood, sweat, tears and heart into making this house our home. We've tackled some pretty big remodel projects... a complete overhaul of the garage, guest bathroom, and the front 2 bedrooms.  We've painted, decorated, and laid tile/bamboo/hardwood.  We've changed out appliances as the older ones have died.  We've put in drip lines, sprinkler lines, trees and countless plants/flowers/shrubs.  I'm happy with all that we've been able to do over the years.

Still, we've never tackled a few bigger projects.  Projects like the mater bath, the kitchen and new flooring. These have always felt out of reach.. until now.

We've decided to start a little bit at a time.  We were lucky enough to have a friend give us some incredibly beautiful tile, which will be perfect for our bathroom.  We're pretty confident that we will be able to upgrade the vanity, mirror and lighting very cost effectively!  Doing the work ourselves helps to keep our cost down. It will be so exciting to have a vanity and not a pedestal sink!  Really.... I wonder what the previous owner was thinking!

I am so excited to finally get started!  The biggest drawback to the project... we'll have all 4 of us sharing 1 bathroom during the remodel!  Jason and I haven't shared a bathroom since we got engaged!  This will certainly be interesting!

(This is not our  bathroom... but it's not far off (imagine sea foam green walls and floor!)

Catching up with a Parmentier

Time passes by... new opportunities present themselves... new challenges faced, new struggles overcome... and a new life welcomed into our family.

Since I last wrote, I've started a new job with a great company.  Hubby broke his back and had spinal surgery to fuse three of his vertebrae together.  We've excitedly welcomed an amazing little boy into our family... he's smart as can be and is a spitting image of hubby!  Keira has continued to amaze us with all that she does.

Hubby and I have shared more than our share of trials and tribulations.  We've survived more tests than I thought we would be faced with during our first nine years of marriage.  We're stronger together now than we were just a few short years ago.  Our little family is incredible... still I want more for us.  I want more happiness, I want more togetherness, I want more laughter and more quality time as a family.

All that's happened.... and  I've reached a place in my life where I'm excited about the future.  I often wonder what the right decision is.  When faced with a life changing decision, will we make the right choice?  What is the right choice for our family?  Will this be better for the kids or not?  Will we be happier?  How will we know what is right?  For years now, I think it's been easier to not make any big changes, but I think the reasons for not doing so have been fear based.  I've realized that being afraid of change/failure is no way to live... at least not the kind of life I want for myself and my kids!

So that leaves the unknown... and I'm welcoming it!  The only thing scarier than the unknown... is staying the same.