My husband and I recently looked into Amish fireplaces. For our new home, we need something that is chimney-free but yet will help provide a similar warmth much like a regular brick and mortar fireplace. An Amish fireplace seems to be our best bet at the moment as it gives off warmth, is appealing to the eye and basically does the same thing a regular fireplace does. The funny thing is, even though it is called an Amish fireplace, the designs are lovely and modern!

We are in the middle of a project here on the compound. We are trying to put down some no-slip garage flooring. Our project consists of an epoxy solution mixed in with some of those floor decorations. It’s supposed to help the garage floor fight stains and also to be resistant enough to prevent slipping when wet.

We picked a subtle white-gray floor paint. It looks really nice and very clean. I can’t wait to see the end result of our hard work!

Husb and I are in the process of looking for new lamps for our room. We would like to buy online because I feel that there is more to choose from. So with the better selection and better chance to find discount lighting fixturers, I think that looking online is the route we will go.

Not to mention, perhaps we will be able to find new lighting fixtures for the other rooms in the house as well!

Where do you get your lighting fixtures (lamps, ceiling lights, etc.)?

Husb has been home since Thursday and it has been lovely! Our long weekend together is much-needed for sure. Yesterday, my mother-in-law decided to take all three kids for a sleepover at her house. So husb and I had almost a full 24 hours together sans kids. It was great from the aspect that we got to hang out and do grownup stuff for awhile. But we both missed our little ones. Still, there is the knowledge that being together is good for our marriage and essentially our children. So, whatever guilt feelings I may have had, diminished on the note that it is good for us. I am lucky to have such a wonderful mother-in-law who is fully supportive of our marriage and loves spending time with her grand kids.

We ended up getting so much sleep last night that we were quite motivated today. We installed a fence in our backyard (something that was on our list for quite awhile). Tomorrow, i’m going to look at swingsets and pools. I would love to turn the backyard into a kiddy-fun park. The kids would love it!

This evening husb and I sat back and talked about our wishes for the inside of the house, including talk about getting new zero radius sinks for the bathroom and kitchen. The look of them is pretty modern. We’re looking to change up the kitchen and I think installing a zero radius sink is the way to go!

Right now we’re all about home renovations and DIY tips and tricks. Perhaps we watch too much home and garden television?

It seems like just yesterday we were deciding if/when to buy a house. Then BAM! The moment is upon us and boy it has come so fast! We are planning on buying mom’s (husb’s mom’s) house. We love it here. I feel so spoiled to be so near the beach. Don’t even get me started on the all of the beautiful trails that are not far from our house! The only thing we need is an extra bedroom. So, to accomplish this, we are finishing the basement.

We already have an egress window (a second exit) in the basement. We’re going to put in a bedroom, a family room an office and storage. We have been watching so many home-improvement shows lately, it’s not even funny. One of the best tips that I have taken from watching those shows is to make sure that the finished basement simply looks like an extension of the home. So true, don’t you think?

We are trying to decide whether or not we want to put home theater seating in the family room. I think it would be neat to make a family/ movie room. I suppose as we spec out the room, we’ll get a better idea of the space we need to do what we want. This week, I am cleaning out the basement so that we can start construction!

If you guys have any basement finishing ideas… i’d love to hear them!