We have a house, & it's being painted!

Goodness I need to catch up! Here's a quick recap since last Wednesday:

1. We bought a house! We closed last Wednesday.

2. We bought a LOT of paint at Lowe's on Thursday - & have been back to Lowe's many times since.

3. On Friday, mom & dad came to town to lend their cleaning, wall taping, & painting skills. On Friday night, we washed walls & taped them to prepare for painting on Saturday!

4. On Saturday, the painting commenced. We finished the master BR on Saturday. The kitchen became a lengthy project - the previous owners had textured the kitchen walls, so we had to sand them then prime them before we could paint. Then we put one coat on the dining room.

5. On Sunday, Todd had to work but mom, dad, & I got a lot accomplished! Dad completed the kitchen, & mom & I completed the foyer & the laundry room. Mom had to go home, but dad's here through Wednesday!

This morning, Todd & dad will finish the dining room then move on to our master BA. The living room is the big project - higher ceilings & a much bigger room. That will be the afternoon-Tuesday project.

We are excited! I don't have all my pictures downloaded, but I've included a few I took on my phone. A work in progress - but I couldn't be happier. :)

Our house!

Dining room

Master BR (dark grey)

Kitchen

Kitchen

1 week away! And "thank you" in advance.

In one week, we'll close on our happy little house in Apex! I couldn't be more thrilled (neither could Todd - he just doesn't show it as much as I do). I love Apex & I love that house - but more than anything, I love that we're finally settling & putting down roots somewhere. And after the transition of the past year & the early moments when I wasn't sure what we'd done was right, I'm truly thankful that "somewhere" is here. :)

We'll have our townhouse till February 28, so we're going to take a week to paint then move bit by bit. I think February 12 will be our big moving day! I already know this will be one of those times when "thank you" is never enough for all the people who will give of their time, talents, skills, & muscles to help us. My dad is taking time off from work & will spend almost a week with us helping (errr, doing a lot of) the painting. Then Todd's mom & aunt will be in town to help with projects & packing. Then our amazing church friends & family will help us with the hoisting, lifting, & transporting. And my mom & Todd's mom will be back in town bringing the last few things we left in Orangeburg - a china cabinet, & the baby grand piano! (A side note, we crossed many houses off our list because that baby grand piano would not fit. Fingers crossed that the measurements are true & the intended corner for the piano will work!) And then, after it all, we'll be settled in our house & will make it our home.

So "THANK YOU!" in advance to so many people for all that you'll do for us in the coming weeks. "Thank you, thank you, thank you." :)

Why a blog? Why now?

"Never have so many had so little to say to so few." - blogging quote

I'm usually pretty terrible at making new year's resolutions. Mainly because there's a lot of pressure to keep them & make them work. So instead I like to keep a running list of things I'd like to do - not just in January, but always. Less pressure. The freedom to dream. The right to always add to "the list." It makes the whole process much easier.

A year ago, in January 2010, Todd & I found out we'd be moving to Apex. There's no need to rehash all the stories & emotions that came along with that move a year ago, but I'd thought of creating a blog then. To account for picking up & moving from Atlanta, Todd starting a new job, me transferring with my company (which may as well have been a new job), & starting our lives in NC. But I didn't. Partly because I didn't think I'd do a great job of controlling my emotions well enough for all to read, & partly because - let's be honest - who would want to read a blog about the Arants? But now - this year - I've decided we'll have a blog. We'll keep up with friends & family, I'll get to write & rant - no pressure to read it, but it's here if you want to.

I told Todd what I was doing - & the first thing he said was the quote at the beginning of this post. "Never have so many had so little to say to so few." It made me laugh. So here we are - joining the millions & writing a blog. We hope you'll follow if you want to. Remember - no pressure. :)

Cheers to the new year & new beginnings!