derwin sump: Pictures, Pictures! We're Making Progress on This Old Detroit Home ...

We?ve been living in our Detroit home for a little over two months now and?I?m going to great lengths to get some pictures to all y?all who have been patiently asking for that amount of time. ?It?s no easy task to blog these days- there?s construction happening right now and I don?t want Baby O around all that- you would have laughed to see me standing on the edge of the couch while trying to hang a protective curtain over our office door.

Speaking of Baby O, we met our midwife this morning and had an ultrasound. ?He or she is quite the kicker and bouncer. ?It was quite exhilarating to see our baby loving life in the womb (of course Josh and I would have a bouncing baby) and displaying a strong heartbeat. We continue to pray every day for this little one and are so thankful for your prayers as well.

But back to the house. ?We haven?t gotten quite as much done on the house as we had originally planned (I can no longer put in 12-hour painting days), but things are coming along nicely. ?Particularly, our downstairs has been party-ready for about 5 weeks now and we have enjoyed a lot of entertaining. ?Just after Christmas, we were able to host a Christmas party for the Detroit West Day Camp Team. ?One of my former staff members and friends, Aleesa, came to help us get ready for the party and I sent her around with my camera to capture the space for you. ?It?s all a work in progress, but we love everything about this old house.

Here?s a quick tour of our downstairs space:

We re-painted our living room and Josh re-finished the floors himself (he?s amazing). ?Already, we?ve hung those frames around the window and that gorgeous staircase is being stripped and re-finished as I type. ?I still need to strip the paint off of those original french doors and hang some artwork, but this space is almost finished. ?We love it.

See that gorgeous Secretary in the corner? ?Can you believe that we haven?t bought one piece of decor since moving in? ?My parents and some family friends have been so generous with their antiques. ?It really makes our 1920?s home feel like it?s seen generations of parties.

We have two sitting areas in our Living Room! ?This is the play area- we have a bunch of toys that were gifted to us as well, so bring your kids on over!

Speaking of toys, Baby O had a stocking, too! ?It was an amazing first Christmas as a married couple. ?God has been so good to us.

This house has so many cool features- like built-ins to the right of the fireplace. ?We already have a large collection of Children?s books on display!

Speaking of cool features, check out our trapezoid door that leads to a huge closet under the stairs! ?I?m so excited to get those stairs done and paint the front hallway.

As soon as the rose wallpaper goes away, we?ll have the most awesome half bath in all of Detroit. This is just to the right of our front door.

Remember how we were a week from closing on another house in Detroit and it fell through? ?(Click here to read that story and see BEFORE PICTURES of our current house). Well, it didn?t have a window by the sink and it pretty much had no backyard. ?I was sad about that, but knew I wouldn?t get everything on a wish list. ?Can you believe I get to look out of these huge windows onto our big backyard that was once glorious enough to be on the Indian Village Home and Garden Tour? ?I mean, really, this house is more than we ever dreamed.
The Kitchen Sink

I also never knew I wanted a baking corner. ?Those of you that know me are laughing because ?I?m still learning my way around the cooking thing. ?An awesome kitchen to work in does make the learning more enjoyable.

There were no appliances in our home to begin with, and due to custom measurements, we couldn?t find anything off of Craig?s List that would fit. ? So, we got new appliances on super sale from Sears- including a double oven which I?ve already used all the time as we fill our house with people.

All of this gifted furniture holds special memories for me. ?This is my Grandma?s kitchen table. ?I love putting kids around it or sharing a meal with my love and thinking about how happy it would make her that it?s in our home now.

Our dining room is yet to be painted, but it?s one of my favorite spots. ?We hosted Christmas Eve brunch for family and comfortably fit 13 around the table. ?Check out the woodwork and those french doors that open to a screened-in porch. ?Please note that the porch has screens but no roof. ?That?s pretty much how we roll around here. ?We have many features that need the love and life of a family to bring it back to the glory days. ?We?re up to the task, I think?

All of this dining room furniture was sitting in my parent?s first house (where I was brought home from the hospital), so I love the idea of carrying this furniture through another generation of family parties. ?You might even recognize this buffet as the backdrop at our wedding! ?We?re use what we have kind of people!