Adventures in Ikea part 2

Since we moved into this house last August we've been overwhelmed with several different remodeling projects.  Andrew's parents own the house and are SO kind to let us live here. They have allowed us to do whatever we want to make it feel more like home to us.  It's taken a lot of time and work and forgiveness (when we all learned that I am not gifted in choosing good paint colors) haha.  When Andrew's mom Marti and I first found the house we were ecstatic.  It wasn't the brown paneling or outdoor carpet that made us so excited, but the POTENTIAL of what could be..I think we both walked into this house and caught the vision of an opportunity to create within these walls.  It has a really open floor plan which we love and the 4 bedrooms allows us to welcome guests on short notice.  I wish I had pictures of the "before" because the "after" is pretty remarkable.  

So on our date night to Ikea, Andrew and I had a blast picking out new furniture and decor to spice up the house and make it look more like we live here.  At one point I was so tired from walking, I sat down on some cushions that were in between two huge boxes. The cart with Ellie's carseat was in front of me and without realizing it, it was blocking anyone from seeing me.  Andrew had gone off to look at something so I was talking on the phone.  Through the cart I could see this couple walking very, very slowly in front of me and then all of a sudden the woman saw me and said, "Oh! I'm so happy to see you...I was wondering who on earth would leave their baby alone in Ikea!"...glad to know there are such observant people out there that are watching out for my baby! I am also equally relieved that upon seeing no adult nearby, they did not try to kidnap her. I think we all know that would not have gone down well.

Anyway...here are some pics of the house! More will eventually follow as I finish painting and cleaning and cleaning and cleaning...

This is the front room...the paintings on the wall were a great Ikea find :) The yellow wall was actually brown paneling that we quickly painted over. The house also has a few really big mirrors..like this one over the fireplace.  We're going to make a frame for it with some dark wood so that it will stand out more.  Usually the couch and rug are spread out more..not sure why they're so close together in this picture.

Here is our dining area although we rarely dine here.  The kitchen is to the right, but it was messy so I didn't take a picture of it.  The white cabinet was also formerly brown..an awful brown that was proof this house lived through the 70's.  My mother in law painted it white and I'm so glad she did because it really brightens up the room.  Also, the chandelier came with the house and was transformed from a rusted, brass disaster into something I'm proud to have hanging over my table.  I think I will take the clock down eventually and put up some family pics in unique frames.

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BIG thanks to the guys who helped us move this extremely heavy piano, (from a 3rd floor I might add) while I was pregnant.  It's the first thing you see when you walk into our house and we love it! Someday maybe someone will live here that knows how to play it :)

More pictures to come featuring our new Ikea stuff! Love!