Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Living Room Remodel

I have been working hard to revamp some of the rooms in my house. The first project I started on was removing the wallpaper in the living room.  The wallpaper came off easily.  I then fixed up some of the walls and did some priming before I was able to paint.  I was able to find some inexpensive used furniture. I also installed hung some new curtains. I have some more work to do related to decorations, but it's coming along well.  My next project is removing the wallpaper in my bedroom. Here are some before/after pictures of my living room as well as some flowers I found in my flower bed.  Enjoy! 

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Making Changes

I returned back from a great visit to Kazakhstan in early February. Since then, I have been doing some subbing, setting up life here in Muncie, as well as doing things around the house to get more settled. In the last week, I have been able to set up my internet as well as purchase a car. Things are definitely coming together quickly, although at times it feels kind of slow.  

I am learning that being a home owner means having lots of unfinished jobs. My biggest challenge right now is prioritizing what should come first. I have started with my living room and game room (dining room) and things are slowly starting to feel more like home. 

The dining room is definitely the easier of the two projects. Since it was already painted, I just had to do some caulking, spackling, and sanding in order to prep for a new paint job. Some friends came over last Friday and we got the first coat of paint on the walls. Then, I was able to finish up the second coat yesterday. Other friends came over to play games and helped me hang the pictures I purchased in Kyrgyzstan as well as one photograph I took while living in Kazakhstan.  

The living room has been a bit of a bigger project. First, I had to remove the existing wallpaper. Then I had to caulk and spackle. This was followed by a coat of primer. It is now ready for two coats of paint (whenever I am ready to paint again).  

In the process, I have learned a lot about what it takes to prepare for painting and painting itself. I am thankful for all the friends who have given me advice and helped along the way. I am excited to see how things come together. 

Here are some pictures of what I've been working on.  

 My new car - 2001 Honda Accord

 Photo I took in Kaz (stairwell)

 Dining Room

  Dining Room

 Dining Room