Warranty time

We're taking stock of any and all repairs our house needs for its one-year warranty. Yes, you heard me right—one year! Our house is quickly approaching its one year birthday and I honestly can't believe it. The year has gone by so fast, and honestly, we haven't made many changes or dressed it up, but that's fine with me, the less we change, the more is covered under our warranty.

While Jonathan surveyed every nook and cranny, I looked up anything we found in our warranty book to see if it was covered and recorded it on our warranty form that's due at the end of the week to the builders. It's a tedious and time-consuming job, but it's really showed us how to take stock of our home on an annual basis. I hope that we'll continue this every year on our own now that the builders will no longer be responsible for repairs.

I do daydream about painting and decorating, but I'm trying to keep those daydreams at bay until the little one is here. He'll be my life until I get a hang of having a little monkey in my life, and then it'll be time to live really live in this house. I'm not sure which project we should save for first: fencing the backyard, furniture pieces, finishing the basement, getting our foyer professionally painted.

Book page wreath

Image: Jones Design Company

A friend of mine told me about All Things Thrifty. It's a great blog right up my alley in wanting to decorate (eventually) on the cheap. And as always happens, one blog leads to another blog and then inspiration (!) and self-discovery.. I stumbled upon Jones Design Company, and she's crisp, clean, and a little whimsical just like me. In her tutorial section, I found a wreath that I just need to make (at some point; all projects are pretty much on hold until my little man arrives, unless some serious decorating and crafting nesting hits). I'm a huge wreath judger. I like clean lines and a lot of wreaths scream "I just exited my grandmother's 1970s house." You know what I'm talking about! All fake flowered out and wishing to be put to death or dismantled and upcycled.

But not the book page wreath. It speaks to me on so many levels. From using old books as the craft source to all those beautiful magical letters in a serif font. Mmmm. Now I need me a hot glue gun.

I also discovered the lima bean wreath too that I think would be a great holiday wreath for next year. I love the fact that it's simply white and the fact that it's made with beans. Beans? Come on!