a year's worth of "before & after"

I have so much to be thankful for this holiday season. First and foremost, I am extremely blessed to have a family who loves me unconditionally (even when I slip and fall). My family is supportive of every ambition, dream and the occasional nightmare! I also have a great group of friends. Even though many do not live close to Tulsa anymore, I'm lucky that I can pick up the phone and pick up right where we left off. I have two little puppies who live with me. I'm thankful for their "protection" and warmth at night when we fall asleep. I'm also quite thankful that last year, I was able to purchase my first home. Another reason to be thankful for family. If it wasn't for them, I would not have accomplished the drastic changes made to the place. As of October 21, 2010, I have owned my house a full year! It's been a long road and besides the constant seasonal decor change, I think I'm done with renovations (aka) "before and after" projects. This means, I will need to occupy my time with other "before and after" projects. I know I will be posting these upcoming projects, but until then...I thought I would share the last year of my life in my first home.

Around 5:00 p.m. on October 21st, I crossed the threshold into my first home. No. Not carried across the threshold in someones arms, but with my own two feet, I leaped across the door jam and planted my feet right where they belong.

Little did I know that when I purchased this dusty treasure, I would want it near perfect before moving in. Previous to my December 19th move in, I renovated (in no particular order) the kitchen, dining room, living room, master bedroom and bathroom. I also attacked the ugliest front porch and fake-flower-filled landscape.

Kitchen befores: 

This is the view of the main part of the kitchen. Aren't those curtains wonderful? Ewwww....

  

 

Wonderful wall paper border and ugly red paint job. Pictures don't show the detail left on the cabinets...cat hair, dust and peeling paint. Absolutely gross. I don't know where or how I saw the potential in this place, but I did.

Kitchen afters:

  

 

 

The kitchen became a dream for my first home complete with stainless steel appliances, glazed cabinets and a wallpaperless walls.

Living and Dining room befores:

 

 

 

Again with the hidden potential and wallpaper. It's going to be a recurring theme throughout the post. Before tackling the wallpaper in the biggest room in the house, I had the hardwoods refinished throughout the house and then stained darker. The dining room, again with the wallpaper plus a filthy, dusty chair rail and chandelier.

The living room is the biggest and most utilized room in the house. It needed to be cozy. Enough said. Currently, fall and Thanksgiving decorations adorn the fireplace making this room an ever-changing room.

 

Besides the baskets on the wall in the dining room, I am not completely finished with this. My dream is to have a pub table that expands with (matching) chairs. Yet, I can't seem to find one that I love for a price that I love equally as well. And I can't move on with this post without thanking my Grandma Dixie for lending me the table, chairs and bakers rack.

 

The master bedroom was simple and easy...until we reached the west wall. Whoever lived here before me, or before them, put a layer of wallpaper over the wallpaper. I know, right?! Next time you're going to do a job halfway, think of those who follow in you and what they will have to go through to "correct" your job to their liking. Finish it and do it right the first time. Stepping down from my soap box...now.

 

After the corrections were made, paint was applied and then applied again because I didn't like the way the first color turned out. The color I ended up falling in love with was chocolate brown. I always thought I would hate to have a dark room, but I really love it. I like to play with the decorations. For instance, I have changed the comforter 3 times and I like to change them so I don't get bored. And...here is the "final" product, that I'm sure by the time this post goes live, it will have changed.

 

 

Oh and I added a photo of my proudest innovation moment. I found a window cover from an old house, turned it sideways and it now is home to many necklaces and scarves behind my bedroom door.

Moving on to the hallway and bathroom. Let's start with the hallway. Covered in metallic, leafy, paper. The good news about this wallpaper? It took about 7 minutes to remove all of it! I don't know why it just peeled right off, but I was happy and I'm not complaining.

Seeing that the hallway isn't wide enough to place furniture in, I decided to decorate the hallway with old family photos. Each photo frame is matted with wallpaper removed from the pre-renovated house.

The bathroom was painted an awful red color with some striped natural colored wallpaper. It didn't feel like much of a bathroom. The mirror was about 8x10 in size and housed the only storage for the entire bathroom. The sink was cracked and if you ran the water hot enough, you would see the crack grow up the side of the bowl. Aren't these sinks made to handle this kind of heat and use?

Finally, a bathroom I can primp and pretty myself in everyday. I am constantly looking and adding antique and unique hand mirrors to the space above my window and heater closet. It's only a matter of time until its full.

 

After I moved in, I decided to take a break from renovations. That is until some friends decided to come visit me and I needed to provide them with a place to stay. The befores...more wallpaper. Another room's potential covered in Laura Ashley flowers and topped off with a border.

 

As wallpaper peeled off, blank canvas was revealed. Paint was necessary. What color? That took some testing and much thought. Creating a place of comfort for yourself is easy - you know what you like, want and how the designs you choose make you feel. Creating a home away from home for guests is an entirely different animal. I thought about what most of my friends that would be staying would enjoy. One word came to mind: Anthro. I'm still in need of wall art and maybe a make-shift head board (unspoken thoughts have not been released, but I'm excited to find what I'm looking for and will keep you posted).

 

And this is what I call home. My nest and place of retreat. A dwelling place...with a porch to watch the world from. And I thank God everyday for this humble little abode that I get to call home. Paint color might change, decorations will come and go, but this will always be my first home and for that, I am thankful!

"my friends are my estate" - emily dickinson

Once again, this weekend, I was reminded why I "work" to keep my long distance friends close. Don't get me wrong, long distance friendships are difficult, but somehow we always pick up where we left off so it's not really "work"!
What brought two of my best friends to town this weekend, was a sorority sisters baby shower. I couldn't have asked for a better night out with my friends. Most of my Tulsa girlfriends moved away after college and all my college friends moved back home or followed a job/career to another city. Although I'm coping by branching out to other groups and friends, nothing beats my besties. I especially love their [short-lived] visits to Tulsa and this weekend was no different. Until next time, I send my love to all your respective cities!

As far as this weekend...here is to you, Morgan and Evan! Thanks for the unforgettable memories and may all your dreams come true.

Love is the greatest refreshment in life. -Picasso

My best friend, Ashley, married the love of her life, Luke, on October 2, 2010. Many people know their love story, but for those who don't, here is my point of view.

Ashley and Luke met because we all lived in the same apartment complex. It was pretty much love at first sight. Jordan and I used to sit on the balcony just to see what he was up too when he pulled in the parking lot or we caught him leaving the apartment. We like to think we were Ashley's personal spies and looking out with her best interest in mind. Okay. I take all that back. We were just being creepers!

 Luke and Ashley loved each other and it showed with abundance. They had planned a trip to Colorado to visit Luke's brother and sister-in-law. There, in the Garden of the Gods, he proposed! See the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13Wbf8FGOY4

Close to 7 months later, they were walking down the aisle. Time flew by. The wedding was beautiful! I don't know that I can write about it. It was an experience that can't be explained or justified with words on this blog. Utterly perfect! But, I did include some pictures from the fabulous Saturday night affair. 

After the rehearsal dinner, we went back to Ashley's parent's house to have a last Ashley Stone slumber party. And what would a slumber party be without a trip to Wal-Mart? Not much beauty sleep, but a fun last night with Ashley Stone. The next morning was the bridal brunch. It was delicious. I brought my "infamous" sausage rolls--find receipe here: http://lindsayepps.blogspot.com/2010/10/infamous-sausage-rolls.html. After brunch, we kind of separated to get ready and reconvened at Ashley's to ride to the church together. We got ready, took pictures and they got married and we took more pictures. Forgive my lack of pictures, this is where the photographer's job came in.

After the wedding, we danced the night away at Five Oaks Lodge. Everything was esquisite and divine. To top it all off, Ashley and Luke escaped the wedding frenzy by HELICOPTER! Perfect ending to a perfect night. They spent the next week in the Dominican Republic.

 

 

...and they lived happily ever after!

More photos should be up soon at www.armasphotography.com/emert

"infamous" sausage rolls

Ever since I can remember, my mom has made these delicious sausage rolls. These rolls are almost indescribable. They are flaky and crisy, but also creamy and savory. These little bites were a hit at every breakfast related event. I, myself, have only attempted to make these a couple of times. The latest time was for Ashley's bridal breakfast on the day of her wedding. I can't decide if this was a good idea or not, because I love the delicious breakfast item, but stuffing my face when I'm supposed to fit into a non-elastic dress might not have been so smart. What's done is done. And the dress still fit, oh by the way.

I thought I would share the "infamous" sausage roll receipe with ya'll! So here it goes...
1 pound sausage rolls
1 brick (8 oz.) cream cheese
2 packages crescent rolls

Crumble and brown the sausage in a frying pan. Drain grease and place in mixing bowl.

Unwrap cream cheese and drop in mixing bowl. Stir thoroughly until well combined.

Now for the "scary" part. Unwind the crescent roll wrapper until it pops violently (or so I think)! Roll out the crescent rolls and keep in their rectangular form. Pinch the perferation line together and pat down flat. Turn over and pinch the same line and pat down again. This will prevent the roll from separating in the middle.

Next, scoop out some of the sausage and cheese mixture on to the roll. Smooth flat across the rectangle and roll up. Store on a plate, in a tupperware, or some other kind of coverable dish and place in the refrigerator overnight. 

Now for the next steps, I am photo-less. I brought these to Ashley's house for her bridal breakfast and they were cooked and consumed so quickly, pictures were simply impossible. Take the cold rolls and cut into slices. I usually cut into slices about an inch thick. Place slices on a cookie sheet and place in 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Keep your eye on these little bites, they are delicate and can burn quickly, especially on the bottom. Let cool for about 5 minutes and enjoy!

One Woman and One Man

I never thought the weekend would come. I last posted about a couples shower Brooke, Amber and I hosted for our best friend, Ashley and her fiance Luke. This particular weekend was full of wedding activities for the big day...October 2, 2010.

I took a vacation day on Friday to spend time with the bridal party. We started the day off with a manicure and pedicure. The entire wedding party wasn't in attendance and it still took us about 3 hours to get all fixed up.

Cindy, Brooke and Ashley

Van making Ashley perfect for her special day!

After our beauty fix, we decided to eat lunch at Nibbles, a local cafe with delectible food. For the afternoon, we split up to get last minute errands run. We gathered at the church for rehearsal at 6:00 p.m. Ashley was calm and organized. Rehearsal lasted about an hour and it was off to Spaghetti Warehouse for dinner.

(While downtown one day, I had mentioned to Blake how we should go there to eat because it was very delicious and I hadn't been there since I was in middle school. So I was estatic when I received the rehearsal dinner inviation.)

Dinner was wonderful. I filled my belly with garlic butter, bread, salad, chicken, and a bite or two of Blake's 15-layer lasanga. It was just like I remembered. Great Italian food! Dinner and dessert was consumed, bridal party and groomsman gifts were handed out after. All the groomsmen and ushers received Magellan shirts in an array of colors. All the bridesmaids received these gorgeous boxes and inside them was a pair of earrings we were to wear to the ceremony. All the house party ladies received different necklaces.

Later that evening, we gathered at Ashley's parents house to spend the night with Ashley Stone one last time. We had to make a trip to Wal-Mart to help with some last minute honeymoon packing items - shampoo and conditioner, kleenex, etc. We stayed up until about 2 a.m., but we quickly realized we needed our beauty sleep. First appointment on Saturday was bridal brunch at 9 a.m. Lights out!