Our 1st Christmas >>> Featuring: Our Tree!!!

Wow, it's been a while since I've been back and boy it does it feel good! =) I missed ya'll! Since my last post back in June, there has been so much goin' on in our lives... IE: Our home is no longer under construction! YAY! It is now complete... well, almost... now we are filling up the rooms, slowly but definitely surely! I am one happy camper =)

On another note which may be the biggest contributor on me coming back is that it is CHRISTMAS! My most absolute favorite time of the year. Truth be told, I think I'm a little crazy about it. One would ask themselves, "Why would Jaryce be so crazy about a holiday?" and my answer to you would be, "Well, all my life I have been the Christmas elf. I've helped pretty much everyone in my family decorate their trees as well as decking their house out with holiday cheer. Come to think about it, I can't recall a year where I haven't decorated at least 3-4 houses dueing the holiday season. Through the years of decorating others homes, I have been able to make mental notes of what I would want and what I don't want. I've pretty much been imagining how my home would be on it's first Christmas and I am ecstatic to finally dress it up in everything I hoped it would be.

But in order to make my dream a reality, I started shopping for decor a few years back. No, I did not have a tree to decorate nor did I have a house to fill up, but I did know that one day, I will have a home and it will be ready for the holidays. And when that time comes, it will be nothing short of spectacular.

So for the last 3 years, I did major "after the holiday" sale shopping and am excited to finally display my treasures! =)

So, without further ado, I present, our 1st CHRISTmas Tree!

All warm and toasty... {below}


Upclose & Personal


To dress up a simple topiary, alls ya gotta do is add lights and poinsettias and BAM.... gorg!!

For me, vintage ornaments gives trees that sense of comfort, that homey feeling, that little warmness we all love to feel... especially, when they are passed down from someone near and dear to your heart.... like a grandmother ♥ {below}

I went with a color scheme of gold... typically, when decorating within a certain color, I like to give it more depth by using all different shades of that color. In this instance... golds, champagnes, taupes and other colors of the same palette such as browns and bronzes give this tree the perfect glow without being overbearing with GOLD.

The key to my heart, which Mr. Everything holds!

Dripping crystals make me smile =)

This is EXACTLY what I was looking for when shopping for a tree skirt.

1. The color cream to soften the overall look
2. The crystals to shine when reflecting from the lights. {{There's nothing like a little bling}}

3. And the faux fur to give it the glam that this tree is SCREAMING!

Some ideas I've been pondering...
1. Possibly adding some copper swag throughout the tree
2. Adding bunched up pointsettias in browns, golds and creams to act as a tree topper

3. Giving the tree more texture by adding twigs sticking out

Welp, there ya have it. Our 1st Christmas Tree! =)

Up Next: Our Formal Dinning Room filled with Yuletide Glee!

Demo Part II

So, the demo has been a little sluggish since we haven't gotten the electricity up and running. Our contractor brought in a generator but unfortunately isn't producing the power that is needed. Cross your fingers that we get our power on by next week!

Although its been slow, progress has been made...

The pergo has been ripped out and tiles are in the beginning process of being laid! YAY!

foyer before

after: with previous pergo ripped out

family room before

family room after

Good ridden yucky carpet.

Garage before

garage after

the illegal wall is finally gone!

bar in family room before

bar in family room after

see ya never!

kitchen nook before

kitchen nook after

laundry room before

adios linoleum

laundry room after

guest bathroom before

guest bathroom after

good bye to linoleum and hello beautiful tile!

Well, this wraps this demo post for now. I apologize in advance for my "picture posts" and not much words of detail. Life is super busy filled with dings on my hands, paint drippings in my hair and suit on the tip of my noise. But have no fear, I have a ton to say. Boy do I have a ton to say! lol.

Until then, Peace, Love and Sanding Paper!

HOME DEMO: Part 1

okay readers. This is the post ya'll have been waiting for! Please caution yourselves as this home is my little diamond in the rough but to others, it's just a big fat mess!

Here is what we will be working on...

Good bye yucky carpets.

{we'll be laying down pergo floors)

Adios Mr. Big Ginormous Hideous bar in the family room! I will not miss you!

See ya later linoleum in laundry room and bathrooms.

Mr. Pergo, sad to see you go. Although you're in perfect condition, I just can't have you in the kitchen...

or the foyer. Tah-Tah!

See you never weird wall in the garage! Your purpose in this home did not serve a good one. Both you and I know. I think it's only right that I tear you down!! You've been a very bad wall! A hazardous one at that!!

Oh Mr. Electrical... you have been a pain in our a$$ during the time of purchase. NOT COOL! I am so happy to have PG&E replace you. PEACE OUT!

Oh my poor sweet sink. What ever happened to you? You leak, your faucet isn't attached and you do not have a sprayer. Poor thing. It is time to retire you.

That are a few spaces I did not post that will be getting a new face lift. I will update that soon.

But for now, it's DEMO TIME!!!

House Hunting: WE GOT THE HOUSE!!

and then ends in such a sweet ending.

After 90 days of hustling, this is what we got.

Isn't she a beaut!

Mr. Wonderful and I decided we wanted a fixer upper to make our oWn. What was most important was the layout, space and foundation that brought warmth and charm. We are truly blessed to get exactly that!

There are a few things that we will be changing in this home and in fact, our contractor has been ripping A LOT out this past week! YAY! But before I get to the fun stuff, I would like to take you all down memory lane of what really happened while purchasing this home.

Are you ready? I's suggest you buckle up because this, my friend, is going to be a bumpy road!

TIME LINE TO HOME OWNERSHIP!

1. JANUARY 12 - Submitted our first offer with an FHA loan (offer wasn't accepted due to home not being up to FHA level of expectations)
2. JANUARY 13 - Submitted 2nd offer using a Homepath loan
3. JANUARY 20 - Offer accepted
4. JANUARY 27 - We're in contract. Loan process begins
5. FEBRUARY 20 - Didn't get approved with Homeloan and switch to a 203k Rehab Loan. We spoke with the sellers (Fannie Mae) transaction Coordinator and made a verbal agreement that we were doing so. The coordinator said to proceed with the new loan
6. MARCH 7 - Fannie Mae PULLED THE DAMN PLUG! Looks like there is no such thing as a "Verbal Agreement" in the Real Estate world. RULE OF THUMB: If there is any changes when purchasing a house... WRITE AN ADDENDUM!! No Qs asked! Just do it!
7. MARCH 8 - House was put back on Market and we resubmitted our offer.
8. MARCH 9 - Bidding War with two other offers! (UGH, so annoying)
9. MARCH 14 - WE WON and is back in the house! Wahoo!
10. MARCH 15 - {A 203k loan is a rehab loan meaning you must hire a contractor to fix the home in up and running condition} Got 3 bids from 3 different contractors to fix the house.
11. APRIL 15 - Got an appraisal done on the home. It came back 20k under our contract price! {OMG! You have got to be kidding me, right?!}
12. APRIL 16 - Negotiated with Fannie Mae to lower the contact price.
13. APRIL 20 - Fannie Mae met us half way and lowered it 10k and we had to come up with the other 10k to meet appraisal.
14. APRIL 28 - LOAN WAS FUNDED!!
15. APRIL 29 - WE GOT THE KEYS!!!!!!

And that's a wrap ladies and gents. Mr. Everything and I have a home! A home to finally call OUR HOME! Yeehaw.

Tomorrow's post: DEMO TIME.

HOUSE HUNTING: Signing Docs!!

And we finally get to meet face to face with Mr. Escrow!

Oh hello Stewart Title. What a pleasure meeting your acquaintance. Especially under these circumstances. Rather special I must say! ;)

Below is a picture of the million pages of signing. Thank goodness for our mom to be there to read between the lines. She has been a saving grace in this process and I am so glad she was with us till the end.

{{Note the tired look on my face! This is how one looks after 90 days in contract. Swollen, tired and just doooone! lol}}

After a few hours of signing docs and submitting our deposit we decided the best way to end the night is to have breakfast as our dinner! And that is exactly what we did. Yummmm. The best!

Just a few more days until it's ours!! YAY!