Ceiling Progress

While we were away (trip blog to come) the contractor came to resurface our ceilings and some of our walls, as well as add a new door and frame to the laundry room to garage door and install some new fans. Here are some of the pictures that he sent to us while on vacation. I love that he took the time to keep us updated. The final product is AMAZING...I will post some before and after photos as soon as I get them uploaded!

Lots of joint compound....used to make the ceilings flat

Some crazy stuff man

Prepping the floor in one of the guest rooms

Prepped and ready to go

Master bedroom ready to go

Entry way sans wallpaper and popcorn ceilings...about to be re textured

Guest bathroom ready to go

Beginning the 4 day process...

ahhhhhhhhhhhhh

Our new steel door!!!!

Flat kitchen ceiling!!!!!!

Flat living room walls!!!!!

Flat master bedroom ceilings!!!!!

The ceilings still look a little odd because they need to be primed and painted...but still they are amazing and a vast vast improvement. This week we are also having the carpet replaced in all the bedrooms! Those pictures to come as well. Once again, to save even more money (story of my life lol) we will be priming and painting ourselves as well as re caulking doorways (and a million other things) and painting walls and woodwork. We are going to start this weekend. One room at a time starting with the master bedroom and bathroom. Wish me luck!

Renovation Update

This weekend, and the past 3 weekends in general have been hellacious around the Mixon house. We have been working tirelessly to remove our awful popcorn ceilings. It is a messy and difficult job but to save about a dollar per square foot we have decided to remove it ourselves (that about $1,700 for those of you who think we are nuts). We also took off all of the wallpaper our selves which was even harder than the ceilings.

In case anyone out there is curious here is how you remove popcorn ceilings:

1. Fill a fine sprayer with a solution of 1 gallon water and 2 cups vinegar. (oh yeah my house reeks on vinegar now)

2. Spray the ceilings in 3x3 sections until soaking wet (but not too wet, so that you don't ruin the drywall).

3. Use a ceiling scraper or putty knife to scrape off the texture, reveling clean dry wall underneath.

4. Snap at your husband numerous times throughout the process and swear over and over again that the next house you buy will be brand new.

This is by far the messiest thing I have ever done, we have swept and mopped about 10 times and we have yet to rid our house of the dust. All in all it took us 3 weekends to do our entire house. I want to kill myself...but it was worth it because all we have to do now is sit back and let the contractor do his thing (re-texture the ceilings to a smooth finish) The contractor starts Wednesday and we are leaving for the week to go to Philly so hopefully we will be coming back to a whole new house!

Here are some pictures of the process:

Living Room Before

Holy Mess!

Matt working away

Glamorous right?

I will post more pictures later, they are too shocking to keep all to myself ;)

The Cove

I'm not up on my soap box much, well not on my blog anyway. But please please please watch this movie and please please please visit this website and please please please try to do what you can to not support such an awful industry. I'm not asking you to donate your money, or time...just care and don't support dolphin swims or shows etc.

http://www.thecovemovie.com/

I personally will NOT be swimming with the dolphins while on our Caribbean cruise in August. I really wanted to, I loved the idea and looked forward to such a fabulous experience. I mean can you imagine? Swimming with dolphins? However I had no idea what was really going on. My heart hurts for theses animals. We are all gods creatures and dolphins are one of his most amazing creations...I cannot bare to see what is happening to them.

I know we are all entitled to our own opinion and some of you may not agree with me on this one. So I am sorry if you do not agree, but I was moved to tears (I cried for hours) by watching The Cove and I just had to tell you all about it.

Water Babies

Several posts ago I promised pictures from our pool play date. Today I will deliver! Last week when the weather was just right baby cheeks and I played "beach bunnies" with our very best friends Sharon and Ayden. We both love them so much and could play with them everyday...ok we DO play with them everyday :)

Dressed and ready to go.

This is when they began to squeal with delight!

Sharon got this water play mat from One Step Ahead...awesome toy.

Pure baby joy!

We turned the water off for a bit so they could play together. Sam decided that she wanted Ayden to "come here now!"

"gimmie those sunglasses!"

Happy Ayden Bear

And then the baby lips turned blue so it was time to get out.

Drying off with a snuggle.

Ayden and Mommy.

Samantha and KK

More playing...this time slightly rough ;)

I'm pretty sure Sam took the sunglasses right out of Ayden's hand 2 seconds before this picture was taken. I love that Ayden is so upset and Sam is like "what did I do?"

My sweet baby cheeks...with a slight wardrobe malfunction ;)

Trying to get one of us all together...take one.

Take two! Incredibly flattering ;)

Not even 2 minutes after getting home this is what Sam looked like...guess all the pool fun wore her out!

She barely kept her eyes open through a diaper change, and clearly there was no getting clothes on this baby.

Hope you enjoyed these sweet photos as much as I do...come on everyone loves a baby in a bikini?!?!

Current Events

I logged on to my computer this morning and was bombarded with news, some good and some not so good. So here is a run down of what has caught my eye this morning on good old yahoo, minus the political stuff. I promise I do care about real issues (really I do lol) but I just don't find it smart or appropriate to discus my political views on my blog, you know the old saying "never talk politics with friends" plus I doubt any one really cares what I think about politics anyway ;)

-John Stamos to join the cast of Glee? ummmmm yes please! This is one of the rare times I will use the phrase "OMG" !

- Heidi Montag files for a legal separation from her crazy pants husband. About damn time. Wonder how may years of therapy it will take her to function normally again?

-Darth Vader popped up on yahoo as the number 7 most searched topic today. Gee because I have been wondering what that guy's been up to? These people do realize that he is not real don't they?

-Morgan Freeman is making a trip into space. Really space program, that's the celebrity you choose to go to the moon?

-Apparently the media thinks that Lady Gaga is starting a "cultural war"...um no, she is most defiantly jocking 80's Madonna and stirring up controversy to sell cd's...and HELLO, it's working. Me personally, not a fan.

On a more serious note:

-Joran Van Der Sloot has finally been caught, and has confessed to killing another poor girl. No joke here obviously, I am just glad that sick man is in jail and I hope he finally comes clean about Natalie Holloway so her family can finally have some closure.

Pick a Purse

First of all the word "purse" is so weird to me. Growing up in Philly we never referred to hand bags as "purses". We crazy northerners use the term "pocketbook" which now also sounds odd to me...I think I'll stick with hand bag for now.

Anyway, I'm attempting to pick out a new summer HAND BAG. You would think this would be a fairly easy task for me considering my OCD and meticulous attention to detail, but sadly I have found that wedding planning has drained me of all decision making abilities. Here is where you come in lovely bloggers, I need opinions on which of these fabulous bags should be on my arm (filled with toys and covered in cheerio crumbs) all summer long. This list is far longer than need be, but like I said, Im off my game people.

Coach

I have sort of "out grown" Coach, but this new pattern has me gitty all over again.

Tory Burch

Not sure this one is springy enough?

Marc Jacobs

It's vinyl...perfect for the beach...and baby messes.

Juicy Couture

Normally I am not a Juicy fan, but this little number caught my eye.

Cole Haan

I'm afraid the orange may clash with most of my clothing?

Tory Burch

Comes in every color imaginable. Love.

Last Tory, promise.

Michael Kors

Literally 1/2 my bags are his...but I just can't help it!

Longchamp

Wouldn't this make a fabulous diaper bag? One day people...one day ;)

Now that I see how long my list is I have decided to buy two. I really could use more than one and I can't bare the thought of having to choose just one...I know life is rough. So feel free to give me your top two picks. Thank Ladies!