Just let me get this out there first - I like starting in the middle. Who needs a preamble? Not I! Is Chapter 1 really all that interesting? NO! Who needs background story? No one...oh wait, maybe you do!
My husband, Jeff, and I purchased our first home, a 1200 square foot home on two acres outside of Austin, Texas in December 2010. We moved to Austin from St. John, US VI with two dogs, no jobs, no car, and no real connections (aside from my mother and one of my four brothers). My mom graciously offered us a place to live. And so we lived there for two years while we got our feet wet and found a house. We were both tired of paying rent and it was the perfect time to purchase a house - the right house.
Enter our house. A two bedroom, two bathroom home that sits on two acres about 20 miles from downtown Austin. The neighborhood is quite and a breeze is always blowing. There is a wraparound porch and a dilapidated chicken coop, which I jokingly call Shiner's kennel (our male Rhodesian Ridgeback). The house is sturdy and charming if not somewhat behind the times. Only 16 years old, the pink tile and white walls and carpet are accentuated with brass everything. Brass door knobs, fixtures, and lighting/fans. The cabinets and wood throughout the house are pale and the door pulls are white with hand painted detailing: a cabin scene in the kitchen and flowers in the bathrooms. The bathroom countertops have sinks that are shaped like sea shells. The outside is painted a buttercream white with dark brown trim. The yard hasn't a single flower or ornamental detail. All things considered, it's screaming for a little love.
Our first task was deciding what color to paint the walls. Jeff is living with patches of paint on the walls and hasn't complained! What a man, what a man. I tackled the bedroom first, one wall in the living room, and recently managed to paint the downstairs hallway. Which is where my first post picks up...
