We spent a good chunk of Labor Day weekend doing home improvement chores. The hard work paid off. because we now have two completely different rooms in the house and they look amazing. Saturday morning, we woke up early and went to U-Haul, where Dan had set up a reservation to rent a truck. We have two Smart Cars and a Mustang, none of which will work for hauling massive boxes. Renting from U-Haul was relatively inexpensive and painless, we would definitely use them again. We had the truck for only four hours, so we had to hustle to get everything done.

This sticker was on the inside of the truck and I thought it was cute!

First, we went to Lowes and filled the truck with so many heavy boxes, that we had to dump them off at home before heading to Ikea. Here is a small portion of our purchases.

I am going to leave this as a teaser with the promise of more blog posts to come. Our house is transforming and it's exciting.

I have one more small thing to share, This is a small thing that made a huge different. Dan has replaced all of the door knobs up stairs. Here is a picture of the old ones that are original to the house and grimy from over thirty-five years of use.

Here are the new ones...

Besides being new, shiny and not an awful brass color, they also latch properly. For years, the knob in my bedroom didn't catch and the cats could easily push the door open. I love my cats, but Slinky turns into a devil at two am, when he decides that he wants to play. I would stack things against the door to keep them out. It looked terrible and didn't always work. A big thanks to Dan for small improvement that made such a big difference.

I have to give credit where it's due...Dan has made a huge impact in my life, not only as a fantastic boyfriend, but he has made me love my childhood home again. This has been no small feat. Four and half years ago, my mom passed away and I inherited my childhood home, a two story townhouse built in the 1970's. When it first became mine, I was emotionally distraught and set out to make several major home renovations without really thinking about what I wanted. I listened to the advice of others, some good and some bad, but failed to follow my heart. Over fifty grand later, I realized that many of the changes were not quite right. I also used Home Depot for most of the remodel, which was mostly a disaster, but more on then in a future post.

Until meeting Dan in January, living in my house was sad. I didn't feel motivated to decorate it or arrange the furniture in a nice way. I felt like the house was a burden that I inherited. It had lots of things that needed fixing beyond cosmetic. It didn't help that I was out on a work injury and stuck at home for nearly two years. I was in such a slump that I couldn't even recognize it. It took meeting Dan to have him snap me back into reality. He is a very proactive person and just set out making changes and making me happier than I have been in many, many years, maybe ever.

We have embarked on several home improvement projects to turn my house, into our home. Here are a few little things that have been done over the last couple of weeks.

Dan changed the lighting in the kitchen and dining room. The first picture is the original light fixture from the 70's that has always been in the kitchen. The second picture is the new light from Ikea, which is also the same in the living room. So much nicer!!!

One of my birthday presents was a completely cool surprise, Zebra print knobs from Anthropologie. The first picture is the old knobs that my ex-husband had picked out from Home Depot, next to the funky new zebra knobs! They really make the kitchen unique and fun.

Dan also gave me Zebra switchplates which are all over the kitchen and living room. The Zebra theme is also carried in the living room with two of Dan's zebra print chairs.

I am writing this from the couch and looking out at the living room makes me smile. I no longer feel a heavy weight when I am home, I am only happy. Lots more changes to come, stay tuned!!!

Home Sweet Home - Big Things are Happening in Glendale!

Home Sweet Home- Perking Up The Kitchen