empty nest fixer upper

#bloggerblockparty: A Blogger Adventure with HGTV

 

HGTV Blogger Block Party

HGTV – Don’t you just love it?

Sometimes you just have to say yes and figure out the rest! That is how I decided to go all the way to New York City to attend the Blogger Block Party given by HGTV Magazine – A blogger adventure!

Can I just tell you how lively, invigorating, colorful and fun it was? I honestly had no real idea what it would be like, but had complete faith that HGTV does everything right, so this (free) event would be no exception.

How I learned about the HGTV Magazine Blogger Block Party –

A little back story…

As you know Craig and I have been living the downsizing/renovating house adventure of our empty nester lives! We sold our larger home in Orange County and moved to Pasadena to be closer to our families, find a smaller home and a new fixer upper project.

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The Pasadena Empty Nest Fixer Upper Update!

 

kitchen remodel
The refrigerator and freezer panels are waiting for the appliances to arrive. Next up: The hardwood floor to be finished and hardware for the cabinets. There is paper covering the new floors for now.

Another update for the empty nest fixer upper…

More progress, more decisions, more changes, rinse, repeat. It does seem that the little house in Pasadena has made some significant progress, but with that progress came a couple of setbacks.

Every time we are cruising along at a healthy pace, something happens that slows it all down just a bit. The tile that I had originally picked for the front of the fireplace arrived and I was taken aback at what I had chosen. There was nothing about it that I liked. The architect urged me to choose something more traditional, more “old Pasadena” and we made the choice together. I now see that the colors were wrong, it seemed old fashioned, but I made this decision in the middle of the last few (horrific) months of my dad’s life. I made a mistake.

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The Empty Nest Home Renovation is Delayed… a little

Original Backyard home renovation
The original backyard – There was a super odd looking (and useless) planter in the middle of the pool deck. All of the back of the house has changed with new windows and doors and the second story addition.

The Empty Nest home renovation is…DELAYED, but just by a little.

I know many of your heads are nodding and you are silently saying “I told you so”, but we do have a slight delay of our home renovation. We cannot blame it on El Niño, we cannot blame it on the contractor, we cannot even blame it on me.

building the wall home renovation
Without the planter in the middle of this small yard, it will add more usable space. The new wall being built will add privacy along that side of the yard.

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It’s Time for a Fixer Upper Update

  Phew – it has been a busy time at the fixer upper.  One month ago was the last time I reported to you the changes in the renovation and although they may not seem that monumental, they really do to me. Our little Spanish señorita is starting to look like a real house again! No …

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