Just a Geek Named Jess: Virginia

Monday, June 3, 2013

It's all coming together...

So finally I can say we are unpacked... I've got about 90% of the boxes either by the road or bundled up for when recycling day comes. I can't tell you how great it feels to finally have the clutter cleared out and feel more like we are actually living in this house now! We had our first "dinner party" last weekend. The hubs's best friend came over with his two sweet girls and he made a beautiful "welcome home" dinner! We had a juicy roasted chicken with roasted veggies smothered in rosemary and tyme and some buttery corn on the cob. We also did "make your own sundaes" for dessert which the girls LOVED! We set up a buffet of toppings along our counters with everything from gummie worm, hot fudge and caramel to marshmallows, M&M's to strawberry syrup! Oh my was it incredible and we all felt fat and happy afterward LOL! This week my in-laws are coming in from Florida along with my bro-in-law, he has spent the last four years stationed in Germany so it's been a while since we've seen him... so we can't wait! Along with all that hubby has his first pen testing assesement to go to next week and the kiddo is finally getting out of school for the summer on Thursday. My classes are starting this week for college (if my financial aid office can get their crap together... but that's a whole other rant) so it's been exciting and I have a feeling it's going to get even more as the summer kicks off! In the mean time here's some pics I've take of the house to show you how "it's all coming together" ;) Hope you all are having a fabulous week!

One of our most favorite parts of the house... our "movie theater" room! It's in the basement and we've set up the projector to watch movies on, I've even set up the old microwave for popcorn and all!

I had to find the BIGGEST bowl for hubbies popcorn addiction and well... the rest of the bows... they are for the rest of us LOL!

I have to say I LOVE Kirklands for having all the movie decor I bought for the room on sale for half off!

I just love these signs!

Ok, well this one is from Bed Bath and Beyond but hey it was $4.99 and I couldn't pass that up!

In the middle right where the folding chair is sitting is where the tv will eventually go on the wall...

And EVENTUALLY we will have some nice movie theater style seats down here too...

HAHA! Ace's favorite spot in the house... in the dining room where the sun shines bright and he can nap!

The "Library"... or Jess's room... or whatever you pretty much want to call it... it's where I've hung my paintings, my trinkets from around the world and all my awesome books!

Don't you just love the transome windows?! I know more about colonial architecture now that I ever did before owning this house LOL!

Yes that is my hubs face in the corner and I so badly want to write with a dry erase marker "I don't often read books, but when I do they are computer related" because that is his Dos Equis man quote for sure! LOL!

There is a space at the bottom for my Virginia state board, I just have yet to make it... but I seriously love this room!

And because a part of my heart is still somewhere in New Orleans... and I think it always will be. I miss that city...

I just love how the light is in this room... I almost don't want to put up permanent blinds...

My fireplace and mantel I love all the subtle colonial revival details put into this house. It makes all the difference and can make you learn to appreciate architecture.

A more close up picture of the mantel with its dentil trim around it.

I found this little bird and cage at michaels and just had to have it! And yes that picture is real... it's of my grandparents in 1941, standing in front of the very first house they bought together in Johnstown Pennsylvania.


And for my love of the South... my beautiful Magnolia arrangement, my antique candle holder, and a picture of my Great Aunt Evelyn (My Grandma's sister) in 1933 in Norton Virginia (where she grew up).

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Home Sweet Home... Finally

Sorry for the delay in details... and to have left you all hanging. It's been crazy busy here for us. So as you can guess from the title of this post we are in the midst of "new home owner heaven"! Our loan was approved earlier this month and we closed on our house on May 10th. We've been moving stuff in and moving stuff around and unpacking like crazy ever since! It's still not ALL done yet but we've got most of it under control. It's huge and lovely and it feels so nice just knowing it's all yours! Having military base housing for the past 7 years really can make you appreciate having your own home and realizing you can do what you want with it is even more priceless! It's a bit awkward at first because you hesitate at throwing away those cardboard boxes or your tv box or your crock pot box, and then you realize this is it! Final destination found! No more moving!... yes, you really can throw that box out LOL! Along with that goes... yes, go ahead... nail that picture to the wall... remember you won't have to worry about the hole until you take it down to change the theme not to move! Or... it's ok... go pick out that paint color... you can paint whatever you want now... no more standard issue military white walls! It's a new found glory I tell ya! The neighborhood is amazing too, It's only 14 houses but we have found our neighbors to be really amazingly nice and very welcoming. About two weeks ago we went out for dinner because we had such a long day of emptying our pack rat container and we came home to find a pretty flower arrangement and a card sitting by our front door. It turns out it was from our neighbors right next door to us, they just wanted to welcome us to the neighborhood, along with the flowers was a gift card from the family for home depot. I thought to myself how incredibly nice of them! I don't know people who even do stuff like that anymore! I feel like I should go bake cookies for everyone and go door to door with them (and I might just do that after I find my baking stuff!) Everyone we've met so far has been very nice and very friendly, and it's so great to finally live somewhere where you actually love your house, have neighbors that care and look out for you and feel welcomed. We have been truly blessed!

And because I know you all want to see it... I'll post some pics of the house here for you... Welcome to our home! :)