A Splash of Baileys: Housewarming Tailgate

We decided there wasn't a better day to have a housewarming party than the day we knew MSU would kick UofM's butt in football! When we chose the date we also started making the to-do list. The list quickly grew over the following week as we started picturing what we wanted to do with each room. But then as we started the projects we realized just how much easier things are said than done! Nate decided to start with mounting the tv in the basement. He was nervous that the mount wouldn't hold and I tried to reassure him it was fine and to just go to bed. The next morning on my way out the door I noticed that he had moved the futon loaded with pillows up to the tv just in case :)

Next, our new couch for the living room and new bed arrived. We were so excited to see things start to come together. But we were still overwhelmed with how complicated some of the other projects were and the extra time it took to work it all out. Hanging the dining light just didn't want to go easily with the wiring all backwards and hooks not holding the weight they stated that they would (yes, this resulted in the fixture falling nearly out of the ceiling but thankfully Nate was there to catch it). Next came changing out the faucet in the main level half bath. Let's just say that was enough of a challenge that Jonathan had to assist just so we wouldn't go crazy and eventually the guys got the stinkin thing out!

The next entertaining mishap was touch up paint. We have several buckets of paint in the basement left over from the sellers so Nate grabbed the one that matched the color in our living room. We assumed this was the same color going up the stairs so we used it there too. After it dried we realized they were NOT the same color...

So now we know every little project takes a LOT more time than we think and that our house is two-toned even though you would never notice unless you tried the paint on every wall. That led us to minimize our original to-do list a significant amount. It was a great lesson that we should take our time with all the things we want to do :)

With all the finishing touches on the house before the party coupled with the excitement of the game and everyone visiting, we completely forgot to take pictures during the party! But we had a blast, cheering on the Spartans as they kicked UofM's butts during the game (4 years in a row baby, woo woo!!). It was great to have people over and we got to get to know our next door neighbors who have two adorable (and energetic) little boys. The house held up well though. Here are a few pics of how we've set up the main rooms so far...