Paint Party: Before/"In Progress" Pics

We still haven't slowed down and I think it might be starting to catch up with me! I am hoping these are just allergies and not something I caught at school.

I am sorry for the wait...but I NOW finally have the in-progress photos from our paint party. Please note that labeling anything "After" may be a little misleading as we have a few things on our "to do" list--but I am sure you'll get the idea. To give you a little background, the house was built in 1929. You will notice radiators throughout the rooms and, yes, they still function as our heat source in the winter. There are tons of little characteristics around the house that make my heart sing like crystal doorknobs, original tile, barrel ceilings, and gum wood molding. We painted all the rooms in the house except for the 2nd guest bedroom, the living room, and basement. Those rooms and the exterior of the house are not featured below.

Here's the palette we worked with (thanks for your help, Mom!) and, I must say, I absolutely love it and would not change a thing.

(From Left to Right) Mountain Air- Guest Room #1, Sleepy Blue-Chris' Bath, Ramie-Dining Rm, Favorite Tan-Kitchen (not tagged with a post-it), Netsuke- Foyer, Gray Screen-My Bath, Balanced Beige-Master BR

And now, for (an abridged) tour of our new house! If you want to see the WHOLE thing--I guess you just have to come visit. ;) Drum roll please....

Foyer (Before)

Foyer (After)

 I am a HUGE advocate for getting things put up on the wall. And the entrance rug is NEW from Target! 

Dining Room (Before)

Dining Room (After) 

You'll see our fur babies in several of the pics...they like their time in the spotlight too. :) We definitely took our chandelier with us from Summit Dr. Thanks to Jeff and Chris, it's already hanging! Oh, and aren't you glad the mustard color is g-o-n-e? Umm..me too.

Kitchen (Before)

Kitchen (After)

We'd like to add curtains in the kitchen over the window. You can't tell from this pic, but there's also a nook to the left of the door. I'd like to repeat the curtain fabric on two bench cushions, make a small rustic table  and create a quaint breakfast area. I already found a fabric I like and may just have to put it on my birthday list. ;)

My Bathroom (Before)

My Bathroom (After)

 My next purchase will be a dark gray bathmat and white monogrammed towels. I am going for a crisp/refreshing look in here. Btw--I am IN LOVE with the original mosaic tile floor and the dove gray walls.

Guest Bedroom #1 (Before)

Guest Bedroom #1 (After)

We are adding a bed once we get a new mattress in our room. This is one of our first projects on the list to conquer this Fall. If you're planning to visit before then, have no fear! We still have an extra bed for you!

Left side of Chris' Bathroom (Before)

Right side of Chris' Bathroom (Before)

See the left side for a better idea of the 'before' color. As this is Chris' bathroom--the pink had to go!

Chris' Bathroom (After)

I would like to get some new brown towels and add a more masculine block-style monogram to them for Chris. The blue shade is just one shade darker from the color in Guest Bedroom #1. Subtle but just enough change to add some interest (and GREAT for resale!).

Master Bedroom (Before)

Master Bedroom (After)

We need to add a rug at some point (I am thinking a white-ish alpaca/fluffy to add some texture) and I still want to add a chocolate brown pillow between the two Euro shams to make everything really "pop." Also, I'll probably dress the windows in linen (maybe chocolate brown also)?

There's still plenty more of the house to see and I have to leave ya hanging a little bit. That's it for the painting portion of the Before/Afters. Stop by again this week--I am planning on recapping our first weekend here alone!

Love,

A Sherwin Williams Fan

A Winchester Weekend

Another weekend flew by and we had more special guests come to stay--Debbie, Jeff, and their golden, Cassie! It was a pretty fabulous time! Here are some highlights...

Friday night they got in at about 4:30pm so we decided to make it a relaxed night in. We had some drinks and appetizers on the screened porch then cooked out pork loin on the grill. Their favorite app I make is called "Bruschetta Bake" (I stole it from my cousin, Logan's, blog!) and I have been meaning to share the recipe with you.

Bruschetta Bake

Bruschetta Bake Recipe:
Preheat oven to 350
Layer the following ingredients in small pyrex (you can also pile them on top of each other on tin foil for a less structured look):
-8oz cream cheese (I use 1/3 the fat! No one can tell.)
-Pesto
-About 5 Diced (ripe!) Roma tomatoes
-Black pepper
-Mozzerella cheese
-Fresh Parmesan cheese

Bake for 30 minutes or until dish is bubbling. Serve with crostini or pita chips. EASY and YUMMY!

Saturday morning we woke up and ate a quick breakfast then Debbie and I adventured around town. The guys were busy hanging our chandelier. Our first stop was the Co-Op market. This little market is in walking distance from our house and nestled in the cute downtown area we will continually refer to as "Grandin Village." We live in a neighborhood area called Raleigh Court off of Grandin Rd--so it's not too far at all. Grandin Village is home to a fun coffee shop, furniture shop, various quaint restaurants, a vintage movie theater, and boutiques.

These remind me of my Italy days.

Co-Op (Market!)

BEA-U-TIFUL cherry tomatoes!

Fall is on its way!

Debbie and I ran into a fun custom jewelry stand on the way out of the market and she bought me the most beautiful necklace. The artist called the piece the "Sundance" necklace and it was too appropriate to pass up! You'll see me wearing it in some of the pics coming up. After the Co-Op and walking through Grandin Village, we drove out to see the school I work at then to a home furnishings shop that my mom and I have fallen in love with called "Present Thyme." I am dying to have a painting from there by an artist named Osterhaus. His work is uhhh-mazing!

We picked up the guys (who did an awesome job hanging the chandelier!) then ventured out to Virginia Tech to see the campus and have some lunch. VA Tech was Chris' second choice back in the day and I can definitely see why! The campus is beautiful and very similar to Clemson. The trip to Blacksburg was about 40  mins from our house and we got to see a whole lot of farmland.

April 16th Memorial

Paying respects.

Tree from 1896!

Lane Stadium

After touring around campus for a bit, we decided to grab a bite from Cabo Fish Taco downtown. This food was awesome! Thank you for the rec, Ashton! (We want an official tour when you and Mike visit us, ok??)

Cabo Fish Taco

CFT has famous margaritas! I tried the Pomarita and it was delicious.

Tavarua (Tav-A-Roo) Tuna Tacos

Blackened lemon-rubbed tuna in a kiwi-pineapple fajita sauce served in two flour tortillas, stuffed with lettuce, tomato, avocado, Mixed cheeses & topped with our honey wasabi sauce with Jalapeno Cheddar Mashers on the side

We took the interstate back towards Roanoke and, yes, we went to Mill Mountain for our (mandatory) Star pic.

 Virginia Lovers

The fam!

We drove back down from Mill Mountain and went to Black Dog Salvage. I have been seeing this place for weeks now and it had me very curious. Since Debbie and Jeff are in the process of building their home on Lake Keowee, I thought I'd be a fun stop. What more could you want?! It's a huge warehouse type place with antiques, salvage materials, and the like. Katie Harrison--you'd LOVE it. I took some pics for you!

Old bathtubs

Black Dog of "Black Dog Salvage"

Look what we found!

Claw feet--KATIE, this is for you!!!

We didn't make any purchases but I am feeling a future project coming on. We found some pretty cool old arched windows that I'd love to make into a headboard. There is also a section upstairs of old prints from books--talk about an easy wall art project. Stay tuned for that!

Saturday night we went downtown for dinner to one of our favorite local bars, Corned Beef & Co. We ate up on the rooftop and indulged in pizza, beer, and burgers.

My handsome hubs and father-in-law!

Me with my beautiful mother-in-law! :) Oh, and that's the pretty "Sundance" necklace she got me.

It was a wonderful weekend to say the least. After breakfast, Debbie, Jeff and Cassie headed back to Greenville. We are already looking forward to them coming back up! Oh, and the weekend wouldn't be complete without some pup pics.

Cassie (left) and Sundance (right)

Sundance, Cassie, & little Stella

After ALL that, Chris and I finished our last painting project in the house--dining room trim AND took the dogs to one (of the many) local parks for a walk! I have to say that this move has been amazing for me and Chris so far. The next few weekends will be just the two of us and we're already planning our adventures. It's pretty fabulous to be stuck in a new city with your best friend. ;)

Love,

The Local Tourist

P.S. Before/Afters REALLY are coming next.

Ebb and Flow

I know I promised before/afters in the next post. I have to get some more things on the wall before then so, please, bear with me.

As I was out driving today, I felt very compelled to write a new post. My life has drastically changed in the last couple of weeks and I am guessing it will really start to hit me soon as things quiet down. I have been riding the "high" part of the roller coaster with moving in, having guests, making our house a home, and keeping busy. In those rare moments of sitting still, I think too much, and the wave I have been riding dies down to meet the sand.

Yesterday and today I had a few moments like that and started to get down. I try to be upbeat as much as possible, but sometimes, life gets tougher. I was basically born and raised in Greenville/Spartanburg and know those areas like the back of my hand; It hits hard when you rely on a GPS to find a grocery store, a hardware store, or really anything for that matter. To top it off, today I met a lot of literal "Dead Ends" and even Wanda (my GPS) couldn't help me find my way back to the main streets. Also, I have always had family to call when I needed a lunch date; today I sat at the table in Chic-fil-a alone. Silly things like this start to add up and that's when reality strikes--this is new. This is not Greenville. Things are not what they were.

The most important aspect I am missing right now is the best thing to fill an empty hole in my heart--a strong dose of God through church.  We JUST found the best church for us in Greenville, became members, and now we find ourselves starting over not even knowing where to begin. Sometimes I want to just yell, "WHY?!"

As these tides of emotion ebb and flow, I have to remind myself that it's "all good" and it's all "happening for a reason." I believe changes and transitions are for the better and always make a person stronger. I know for a fact that God wants us here in Roanoke. He wants us to live in this beautiful home and to have our wonderful jobs and to, eventually, make new friends and strengthen our existing relationships. I try to remind myself that He has a plan for us (Jeremiah 29:11) and it is good. Those moments when my thoughts drift or I get sad and lonely will happen and it is okay.

This too shall pass. This too shall pass.

Love,

Surfer Girl

Paint Party 2012

This weekend was fabulous; (most of) my fam came to Roanoke, saw most of Roanoke, and conquered a $&*%-ton of painting!

 That's the short version. So stop here if you don't want to go through a zillion pictures and hear the nitty-gritty deets.

Overlook at the Roanoke Star from Mill Mountain

For you poor brave souls reading on--there's plenty more to share. Friday my Mom, Dad, and brother, Robert, came to the Valley to see our new place and to serve as "The Help" (as they referred to themselves). ;)  They got into town late on Friday and we quickly decided the painting could be put off until morning. After a full tour of the new house we got into the car and set out for a tour of our new city. We drove up to the Roanoke Star on Mill Mountain. For those of you planning to visit (and you better!), we've decided this is a must-see when you come up. If you don't get your picture taken from THE STAR at some point when you visit, you're missing out. On second thoughts, we might just make it mandatory.

After the driving tour of downtown and our adventure around the neighborhood/other parts of town we indulged in a happy hour (or two) (or four) then got the grill fired up to cook out some burgers. We ate all together in the (new to us) dining room.  We broke out the backgammon set and had a low key night. We knew the tasks ahead of us Saturday were looming and inevitable. 

Man's BFFs: Dog & Grill

The grub line.

Oh, there's strategy involved.

 Saturday came early and after a good dose of coffee for everyone we got to work (except for Chris, who, insanely enough, doesn't drink coffee). We had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, the dining room, foyer, and kitchen to tackle. Chris and I chose a different color for every room and the "Paint Crew" was just thrilled with that. ;) We (with some hearty advice from Mrs. Jennie Morgan) decided to choose a very neutral palate so that the rooms would flow. Actually most of the colors downstairs are on the same paint strip (they just vary in tint). [Special shout out to Robert Farry for hooking us up at Sherwin Williams!!]

Complete Before/Afters are coming soon (in the next post!) but, for now, I am gonna show you how much fun the Morgans/Winchesters can have (even if we have to paint 7 rooms in one day).

The task force.

Mrs. Jennie Morgan

Chris had a little helper

According to Robert...(L + C = WORK) 

As you can see, we have an amazing support system! They MUST love us a whole lot to drive 4.5 hours to help paint our whole house, right?! We finished up the painting at 5ish, cracked a few well deserved beers, and had time for a little R&R before our night out on the town. Here are a few action shots:

Backgammon again.

This was the first time Dad beat Chris in ping pong!

Me and my Stella

Cheers!

We managed to pull ourselves together, shower, and head out on the town for a late dinner. Each time we go out, Chris and I are also trying the restaurants for the first time with our guests (for the most part). We elected to try Blue 5 and, boy, was that a good decision. They not only have a great menu with a little bit of everything for everyone, the atmosphere is incredible. This place has Blues inspired decor and they even had a guest band to entertain. After a few songs, we all had to pick our jaws up off the floor. Robert even commented that they were (by far) the best band he has ever seen in a bar. Come to find out, there's a big reason for that; the band, Mac Arnold & Plate Full of Blues, has some serious history. Mac Arnold has played with the likes of James Brown, Muddy Waters, Otis Redding, B.B. King, Eric Clapton, produced Soul Train, and he originates from Greenville, SC! We not only got to watch him perform, we all MET him and got autographed CDs. Talk about a reward for a day of hard work.

Mac Arnold & Plate Full of Blues

Mac playing his wireless Gasoline Can Guitar around the restaurant

All of us with Mac Arnold

Dad and Mom chatting it up with the band members...Those groupies.

Needless to say, we had a phenomenal night out! Sunday came early and after a small breakfast of cinnamon rolls and grits, we had to say our goodbyes until next time---the Ball State v. Clemson game. A few short hours after my fam departed, we had our second round of visitors! Katie (Chris' sister) and her boyfriend, Danny, stopped by on their way back from their summer roadtrip to Long Island & DC for lunch and quick tour. It was SO sweet of them to come and we had a great time. We ate at Grace's Place, a little pizza joint, in the small downtown called Grandin Village area near our neighborhood . Here's the proof!

Clearest day yet from Mill Mountain

(Mandatory) Roanoke Star picture

Grace's Place

 This weekend I learned how to play backgammon, that I love Blues music, painting parties actually fun, and family is completely priceless. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to all our visitors this weekend. The support our first weekend here together is huge. BIG thank you to Mom, Dad, and Robert for your love and hard work!

Love,

Someone Seeing Stars