House Update and Living Room Reveal

I own a home!! I'm forever grateful that I have been blessed with achieving one of my top goals at such a young age! I always wanted to do it earlier in life, but it just didn't pan out that way.  It's ok though; I'm still excited about it.

(I made the sign myself!)

PROS: My colonial style home was built in 1900.  It has wood floors, details in the molding, a nice floor plan, just overall nice charm.  3 bedrooms, walk up attic, 1.5 baths, a flat backyard.
CONS: I already knew copper was stolen from the basement. It has quite a few issues (more like every pipe in the damn house needs to be replaced) to fix, but I'm ready for it. I know this old home is going to be perfect when I am through with it. 

Here is a glimpse of the good, bad, and ugly:

For a foreclosed home, it's in really great shape. But do you see what I see? Projects galore! Especially that bathroom!

One of the biggest projects is the unseen: plumbing. Lookie what my plumber came across 

Issue #1

Issue #2

Yuck! Rotted iron. I was 5 minutes away from having my basement dug up, but luckily it was fixable and I have running cold water. Hot water is another issue.

Have you ever taken a Kuerig shower? It's when you use the hot water from a Kuerig to bath your body. Not kidding. Between that and showering at my parents, I'm managing to keep up with myself. A few more tweaks to the gas line and I should have hot water and fuel for my stove for me to cook with. I can't wait. 

While the dirty work has been taking place, I've been busy painting the living room: 

Before

After: (for now)

Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter

Rug from Rugs USA w/ cat bed

All of the items (other than the rug) I already had. I'll buy decor I really want once I know the plumbing, electrical, roof, etc are all taken care of. As you can see from this last picture, I still have lots to do. Yes that's a bathroom vanity in my living room. It's just so nice to have at least one functioning room. 

Stay tuned to see how long I will have to live like this.  So far, it's been a little over a week and I have to admit, it's very hard to live in a house that is under construction.  I cry some nights.  Other nights I thank god for granting me what I wanted.  It'll be worth it, but right now it's definitely a struggle.