The transformation

I am sure you watch HGTV, just like I do. One of the mantra's on the show is that the house you live in is not the house you sell. Here is the proof for me...

The original foyer, and the "staged" foyer









The couch has had several positions over the years.... and the walls needed to be toned down












Final staged result











The dining table has come and gone and come back












The fireplace has changed from shabby to chic, along with a much more manageable TV size














The kitchen had a two stage approach, first, get rid of the border and the wall color, then clear out the clutter.

































Pink bathrooms scare buyers.













An over-personalized master bedroom makes way for a more mature, neutral room






















One empty guestroom and a craft room becomes two staged bedrooms












Finally, the best signs are the places you never photograph:













I am amazed at how much you can change your house by boxing up most of your belongings and decluttering. The best advice the stager gave me was to flip the way the rugs were on the floor in the foyer and kitchen, and to group pictures together on the same wall, rather than on walls near each other. It was surprising how long this process took, because some of the painting I got done before I went to Japan. But now it is done, we just have to maintain the cleanliness and hope someone buys.

Thankful Thanksgiving

The annual tradition begins...

November 1
1. I am thankful I still can enjoy birthday dinners with my family
2. I am thankful for skype to keep in touch with grandparents
3. I am thankful for Project Runway

November 2
1. I am thankful for Pandora because my playlist was getting really old
2. I am thankful my mom and dad taught me how to paint houses by letting us help them as kids (remember those closet doors at noblewood?! hahaha)
3. I am thankful for a nice neighborhood you can walk through

November 3
1. I am thankful for a job on campus
2. I am thankful to be working on a Masters degree
3. I am thankful for friends to celebrate birthdays with

November 4
1. I am thankful for my mom helping me to paint the living room ceiling
2. I am thankful for Tim taking down wallpaper and painting the bathroom
3. I am thankful to be done with the painting projects for now

November 5
1. I am thankful for a weekend getaway
2. I am thankful for pretty snow that sticks to the grass and not the road
3. I am thankful for Tim's coworkers who have a fantastic cabin

November 6
1. I am thankful for heated seats
2. I am thankful for christmas tree farms
3. I am thankful for the Blue Ridge Parkway

November 7
1. I am thankful for a strong husband who can move furniture
2. I am thankful for the Amazing Race
3. I am thankful for Bertolli frozen dinners that truly make it possible to throw it in a pan and slap it on the table

November 8
1. I am thankful for gift cards from our wedding
2. I am thankful for home improvement stores
3. I am thankful for the fast removal of christmas hooks

November 9
1. I am thankful for getting grades on some assignments
2. I am thankful for excellent classmates who make studying easier
3. I am thankful for my sister and I's favorite Mexican place in Chapel Hill

November 10
1. I am thankful for a husband who speaks spanish
2. I am thankful for a good realtor to find services like carpet cleaning
3. I am thankful for fresh, clean sheets

November 11
1. I am thankful for fresh vegetables from the farm
2. I am thankful for 1.50 movies
3. I am thankful for the invite to hang out with my mom and sister

November 12
1. I am thankful for friends who get holidays off and call to hang out
2. I am thankful for outlet malls
3. I am thankful that my husband's stuff has arrived from Japan, so this will feel more like home

November 13
1. I am thankful for the time to do homework
2. I am thankful for gorgeous North Carolina weather that make outdoor activities like frying turkeys fun
3. I am thankful for a good group of friends to enjoy dinner with
4. I am thankful to discover that root vegetables taste really good with maple syrup

November 14
1. I am thankful for Tim's friend who helped put together a shelving unit
2. I am thankful for my nervousness going away halfway through my lesson
3. I am thankful for mashed potatoes that taste almost as good as mom's

November 15
1. I am thankful for the progress on my house list
2. I am thankful that I can have fun trying to be the "favorite" sister
3. I am thankful for Krispy Kreme

November 16
1. I am thankful for a morning run outdoors
2. I am thankful for friends who help out with the long house list
3. I am thankful for Tim who slices all of the vegetables and meat

November 17
1. I am thankful for a seriously clean and empty house..... Maybe I don't want all that stuff in boxes to ever come back :)
2. I am thankful for a husband who helps me realize when I am being overly neurotic
3. I am thankful for beautiful fall flowers on my table

November 18
1. I am thankful for a shiny sink
2. I am thankful for carpet cleaners, who worked hard while I did homework
3. I am thankful for a great review of the house by our realtor

November 19
1. I am thankful for the sun shining through my windows that warms up my whole house
2. I am thankful for quesadillas which make really good lunches
3. I am thankful for a weekend of new recipes that involve farm fresh produce

November 20
1. I am thankful that I could run in the turkey trot with my mom
2. I am thankful for the confidence to try a new recipe from the food network, pumpkin custard, and the fact that it tasted really good
3. I am thankful for a warm shower and a relaxing couch after a race

November 21
1. I am thankful for friends who have fun games to play
2. I am thankful for two great dinner recipes: beef stirfry with cabbage, and tortellini soup with kale.
3. I am thankful for Sundays that include home teachers, helping people, and relaxing

November 22
1. I am thankful that the photos are done of the house
2. I am thankful for giftcards
3. I am thankful for beets, which tasted surprisingly good, and for being forced to try new things

November 23
1. I am thankful for free printing on campus
2. I am thankful for a good visiting teaching companion
3. I am thankful for chocolate cake

November 24
1. I am thankful for pop-out windows that make cleaning them easy
2. I am thankful for time to get outside and walk in this gorgeously sunny 75 degree November North Carolina weather
3. I am thankful for pies