The Show Low Project - Before and .....

Jace showed me this beauty on the internet weeks before we bought it.  And as usual I thought to myself and said to him, "No thanks."  But as we pulled up to the house one sunny late summer day - it came to me.  Yes!  I remember now.  I remember this place.  This neighborhood.  This house.  My childhood.

My sunny childhood took place just down the street from this house.  I rode my bike down this dirt road.  I hid in it's dark places during summertime capture the flag marathons.  I later would speed by this house in my Toyota truck - late for 1st hour english or work at Dairy Queen.  This house very quickly became near and dear and FULL of potential.

You may remember Jace leaving my side and closing the deal on this day.  My newborn baby is now 5 months old.  Mikael and the house have grown and changed so much.

Well, the after picture you ask?

Follow me here. 

My new blog will feature all the before and after pictures of the Show Low house, future houses, and maybe a few oldies.  We will talk houses, paint colors, Jace's good ideas, Lindsay's better ideas, and it will not require an invitation...so spread the good word. 

You now have a front row seat to the tears, the sweat, the swear words, and the work that we call our life day job.

What I learned in Realtor school

Back when Jace and I were very first married I took a job at a little place called Homestore. I worked as technical support in a department called Realtor.com. Here I took calls from realtors all over the U.S. They would call to complain about how slow their computer was. Or call to tell me that their listing on 5th Street was actually a 3 bedroom home and not a rental in the trailer park down the street. I would kindly explain to them that all the information was information they submitted - if your listing is wrong on Realtor.com, then go fix it in the MLS.

Then I would go throw up in the toilet.

Not because I thought Realtors were very unsmart because I did but because I was pregnant with a little miss Macy. But ya....It was here that I started developing ideas about Realtors.

I thought that there must be a place somewhere where they hand out real estate licenses, for any taker to take.

So, when Jace suggested last spring during the sale of our Chandler barn-home that I should save us some future $ and go to Realtor school, I thought sure, why not? I signed my 5 month pregnant self up for the 2 week course.

And? Did I meet unsmart Realtors and future unsmart Realtors there? Yep. Sure did.

But as I walked the streets of downtown Scottdale on my breaks I had to admit that Realtor school was tough. Really tough. 90 hours of law school/language trickery/boredom. Maybe it was the fact that I hadn't done any schooling for 9 years. Or maybe all the blood that should have been going to my brain was instead nourishing my unborn fetus but regardless I was nervous and quickly changing my mind about Realtors. That was a TON of information to memorize in a two week period.

My exam was scheduled on the same day as our closing date. That is the day you have to pack up your house and drive away (for all you who did not attend Realtor school). Nothing like a little pressure for little Lindz. I was cussing Jace and all his great ideas.

But I passed! On the first try. Jace patted my back and told me he wasn't nervous for a minute. And if my embarrassed memory serves me right, I think I texted my scores to everyone in my phone. I was ready to sell some real estate people.

So what did I learn in Realtor school, you ask?

Not a clue. Don't remember.

p.s. The home for sale in the above photo? You are going to la la love it. I want to move into it. But Jace wishes someone else would. Come back for some amazing before and afters. She's a beauty.

Milestones

10 Years

(The anniversary picture taken in bed. 10pm. One picture I'm sure we will treasure. And look who's still up.)

The 1st year was a dosey. Year 7 had us itching. And the years in between were mostly crazy. But we are happy to announce that we made it to year 10.

What have I learned? If I'm nice to Jace, Jace is nice to me. It really is that simple.

What has Jace learned? As long as he is home for dinner (every night), as long as we don't have any of his relatives for dinner (every night) or breakfast, and as long as he doesn't bring the pickles and goldfish with him to bed at night - he has a pretty happy wife.

I love Jace. Way more than I used to. I think he is sexy and smart and funny. Even more than I used to. Jace got his first gray hairs this year - right in his side burns. His hands are always calloused. His face is tan and always full of scruffy facial hair. And he started wearing his cowboy hat around the house this year - just for fun. He makes me laugh. He makes me crazy sometimes but I'm so glad he picked me. I'm buckled in tight and can't wait for the rest of the ride with him.

4 Months

Check out little Miss. She really has no idea what she is suppose to be doing in her "Jenny" Jump Up. But we get a kick out of it.

She is currently 15 lbs 4 oz. She currently is experiencing her first ear infection. She's kind of ticked about it. She has started rolling over and rolling off furniture.

I can count on one finger how many times all my other children combined rolled off a couch. Maybe that is what is wrong with Jace and I, we are both numeral quatro -which means we both hit our heads more than once rolling off furniture and was tortured/ignored by older siblings. But hey - you don't become the most "special" child laying around. You got work for that position.

p.s. don't ever let me hear you call my Mikael "special" - she has made a full recovery from all her rolling adventures.

Pictures I Took At Christmas.

Two. That's it. But these two Christmas pictures will tell you a lot.

PHOTO #1

1. Mikaelly Belly Baum (as she is known around these parts) got an owl beanie from Santa.

2. I am wearing my owl shirt. We are twins. We didn't even plan it.

3. Noah bought me two rings for Christmas. I love him (and the rings). Sometimes Ezra borrows one of my rings and wears it for the day.

4. Santa knew Mikael would need a beanie for our future bike rides. That is right. Santa brought me a bike. If you see me cruising down 2nd West in Snowflake, just honk....wait, don't. I will think that you either just almost ran me over or that you are making fun of me. You can wave if you want but there is no promises I will wave back....I'm biking precious cargo, remember? Hands on the handlebars at all times. There will be no Paloma, hot rodding, good ol day tricks, ok?

5. Macy did not include my face in this photo because wow. I was tired. And it showed Christmas morning, probably showed all Christmas season. Anyone else feel like they ran a marathon the month of December? Every single day? I'm going to get that month figured out one of these days. December kills me every year.

6. Mikael is a little tub of goo (her other nick name). Do they come any cuter than this? Man, this is some of Jace and I's finest work. Do you agree?

PHOTO #2

1. I did not take this picture to preserve any fond memory. I took this picture to remind myself, Jace, Santa, and any boy residing under my roof that Legos are for engineers, maybe their children, and my vacuum. Next time buy the age appropriate set for the 6 year old boy.

2. Jace spent approx. 3 days putting this Star Wars set together. He stayed up late. He woke up early. He cussed.

3. Jace is way smarter than any engineer I've meet. (Sometime I will tell you about our Chandler ward and how every single one of them worked at Intel as an engineer and how they didn't know how to turn off their kitchen faucet.) Jace finishes every thing he starts. He loves a project and a challenge. He won't stop working until it is done. I love him for it, especially when I am in bed asleep or eating a meal and he is still slaving away.

4. Notice Noah's wet hair? Noah and Ezra bathe at night and Macy showers in the morning. Why do you need to know this? I don't know except that I'm very proud of my children who can cleanse all by themselves. And all 3 of them know how to play "Jolly Old Saint Nickolaus" on the piano. I know. I know. It's a tight ship we run around here, with extremely high expectations.

5. Santa brought Ezra a Buzz Light Year. He is obessed with all things "Toy Story." And frankly, so am I.

There you have it. The Baum's very Merry Christmas day, wrapped up in 2 photos.

Milestones

3 Months

What can I say about this gal? Blue eyes. Long eyelashes. So quiet. So content. Loves her Mother. Laughs at Noah. Smiles at her Father. She can arch her back and scoot herself down when she is in the swing....I have walked into the room multiple times only to find her laying on the floor. She is basically a gymnast. We love her so. Heavenly Father could not have sent a sweeter 4th child to my home.

9 Years

And what can I say about this gal that I haven't already said? She is still so sweet and takes such good care of all of us. She is right now talking on the phone to Grandma Mikey asking if she would like a group Christmas number with her brothers or would she prefer a solo for the Christmas Eve program? I love it. Macy got to take a couple friends to the movie for her birthday. That is the closest thing to a birthday party this little lady has ever had. And a funny thing about this picture. Macy has always known what she would like to wear and sometimes it isn't what her Mother would like her to wear. She cries because "everyone at school gets to wear cool clothes except me. (you know the High School Musical and Hannah Montana clothes) I have to wear shirts with birds on 'em. Not cool Mom." Guess what Macy got for her birthday? Yep. A shirt with a penguin on it. Oh what sad stories she will have to tell about her childhood. Love you Macy. You will always be way cooler than your Motherdear.

9? WOW. Are Jace and I really that old? Funny cuz I sometimes still think we are the newlywed couple in the ward.

Meet Millie

Millie is our new puppy. I've said it before I'm not much of a dog person. I'm really not.

But Mille is cute. Kind of. I will try hard to remember to feed and love her. I will try hard to not to give her away when she poops out the food I tried hard to remember to feed her.

But! this is the last time I leave Jace alone with a laptop when visiting Gilbert. Jace has taught himself how to direct the laptop to www.Craigslist.com. And when he calls me at Old Navy and says to stop by Wal-Mart on the way back, he has a surprise and needs me to pick something up, I will stall, cry, tear up my debit card and then probably buy the blasted dog food. Jace wins. Every time.

So to recap. Caring for 4 hungry children (we should stop here and point out- one of those hungry children is 2 months old), 1 husband with new found computer skills, and 1 barking 6 week old puppy does not make Lindsay brave (and definitely not smart). It only means that sometimes Lindsay does not get a choice. Sometimes she takes one for the team. Her adorable, babbling, bacon winning, dog loving, single pink glove wearing team.

By the way...let's not try to put a number on Millie. I have decided I'm no longer taking inventory on my life. When you ask me at the grocery store how many times I've moved, how many houses I've lived in, or how many dogs/pets I've owned, or how many times have I lived in Snowflake....I will simply shrug my shoulders and act very confused. Of course, this new life strategy is for my sanity/reputation only.

Milestones

2 Months

Macy has been waiting a long while to dress Mikael in this shirt. She and I find the shirt hilarious. Navajo county hands these bad boys out. For free. Any thoughts? Makes me wonder. Would a low income mother contemplating the the convience of formula or the benefits of the breastfeeding see this shirt and think "True. True. I'm convinced." Nope. They may have to see Mikael in the shirt to be convinced. Isn't she the picture of health? I want to eat her for breakfast.

4 Years

This guy turned 4. Yes, he is tall for his age. Yes, he loves the wii and pbskids.org more than his family. Yes, he still sucks his thumb, while holding his blue blanket.

And yes, we still can't get enough of him.

I worried how he and I would get along after the baby was born but he has been a champ. He loves his "tinsy, little baby" and tells me at least twice a day that my "tinsy, little baby is crying." He waits patiently all day for "those other kids" to come home. He is the sweetest boy.

Happy Birthday foofie pants! We love you.

The House Tour Continues. Follow me this way......

to the master bathroom. The old layout only had a sink and toilet and a water heater closet. That handy Jace moved the water heater across the hall to make room for a tub/shower. Still tiny but much more functional.

Master Bath Before:

Master Bathroom After:

Master Bedroom Before:

Master Bedroom After:

The king size bed barely fit. Less carpet for me to vacuum.

Laundry Space Before:

The original fireplace in the front family room became more closet space for our master bedroom closet and a water heater stand in the laundry space.

Laundry Space After:

This space has officially become the mudroom as well. Jackets, purses, backpacks, shoes, and dirty clothes all come off here. One family sized dirty clothes basket on wheels resides here.

I hope shelves will eventually adorn the back wall and my iron will stop wiggling to the front and hopping to the floor every time I wash a large load.

Hall Bath Before:

Yes, that hole in the floor was there when we purchased it. Jace and I are always amazed at the conditions people will live in and tolerate.

Hall Bath After:

The only linen storage in the house. Custom built by my Uncle Lamell.

Girls Room Before:

Our children were horrified that their parents would buy a house that had writing all over the walls. You'd think they'd have a little more faith than that. This ain't their first remodeling rodeo.

Girls Room After:

Artwork on the walls is coming soon. A lot of my walls are what some would call "bare." It takes me a while. I really only buy and/or hang things that I LOVE. And what I love is "Junk". The more unique the better. And they don't sell that at the local Wal-Mart.

Boys Room Before:

Boys Room After:

Who is in love with the vintage picture of the chin-up competition? Noah and Ezra are. I bet.

That concludes our tour today. Thanks for stopping by. We are offering attractive financing packages, if you will step this way, we can show you how affordable home ownership can be.

Oh wait, this house isn't for sell. Not yet.

Not that I know of anyway.

We are about 1/2 way done on the Show Low project. Can't wait to show you that one. Jace just called and said the garage that was framed today is big. Really big. Like we should of gone smaller big. Crap. Does he think I'm going to be able to sleep tonight with that news? I'm this close to driving myself there to see this BIG garage in person.

I have a disease. I have had it my whole life. I studied Better Homes and Gardens as a child (and adult). Just stepping into Home Depot makes my heart race. I love the smell of cut lumber and hardware stores. When I go anywhere I'm studying people's homes. And yes, I have probably studied yours. What do I love about your house? That goes into my mental "love that house" folder. What would I do different? Would I tear out that wall and paint the siding a different color? Maybe. I lull myself to sleep at night dreaming of what pictures on the wall or trusses I could rearrange. I dream of houses I haven't built yet. I am sometimes jealous of Jace's work. He gets to talk about houses all day long with contractors and homeowners (he also gets to snake out toilets and other glamorous things). If I could have any job and get paid for it - it would be making the world a prettier place - one house at a time.

Jace loves to make a buck and doesn't mind moving. He knows I would follow him to the end of the Earth. Throw these facts about him and my above mentioned disease into a pot and there you have our life. Or as I sometimes call it.....our predicaments.

Even though you've probably already driven by....

I am documenting the largest project we have accomplished yet this year, aside from Miss Mikael. We bought this small house in the middle of town for a song - with no intention of moving in. The 1st day of school was coming fast. And a new baby was headed our way. We had to make a decision. This was to be our new home - our tiny, new, and probably temporary home. We had 8 weeks to make it work. And of course my Jace pulled it off......

Before:

And after:

New siding, landscaping, windows, roof, driveway,and a framed in garage.

Kitchen Before:

Kitchen After:

Most of the cabinets were salvaged. Painted and rearranged.

Dropped ceiling was tore out and new lighting installed. Ikea butcher block counter tops. I'm loving them.

Dining Area Before:

Dining Area After:

Entry/Office Area Before:

(as you can see most of the before pictures were taken after a lot of demo. sorry about that. blame it on the heat. and the pregnancy.)

And After:

Two small closets were tore out to make room for my office.

Family Room Before:

We tore down a wall that separated the family room from a very narrow hall way. See the hanging light switch box? The wall ended there. We tore out a fire place. See the new framing on the back center wall? It was there. We also replaced the large window with french doors, they open onto a newly poured patio in the back.

Family Room After:

Want some more?

Come on back for bedrooms, bathrooms, and laundry pictures. We will have a lesson on how to fit 6 people under a roof this size. Not a easy task. My garage could furnish another home. How do I keep ending up in these predicaments? We'll talk about that tomorrow as well.

Blessing Day

Her Dad gave her a sweet little blessing this morning in front of our families and congregation.

Her dress was a hand-me-down from her cousin. I forgot the headband at home.

Today I was relaxed. I was happy. I was extremely grateful. For her. For family. For gospel. And a loving Heavenly Father.

It is unfortunate that my other children's blessing days were not as cheerful and relaxed. I am just now learning to be relaxed and grateful for what I am and what I have.

Dang it.

Mikael,

You should know that today was that is was a happy day for our family. We publicly thanked Heavenly Father for you. Your Grandpas and Uncles stood in. We ate Cafe Rio tacos and pumpkin cake. Everyone agreed you are positively plump. Growing fast. You slept all day. Never messed your dress. And smiled at your Mother approximately 13 times day. Your Father can no longer pretend he does not notice that I am positively your favorite.

Love,

Mom