...because home doesn't happen overnight.
05.31.12 / We’re Here!

It’s official. We’re living at the Underdog! The move itself was pretty painless. Mabrey deciding not to sleep and, instead, fuss a lot over the past few days has been rough. Yesterday, I would have sworn I was a walking zombie. That and getting internet service set up at the house have been the reasons for the blog hiatus. I feel so out of the loop.

As far as packing and moving go, I’d been moving car loads of smaller items little by little over the past few weeks. Handy Hubby bought a groupon for movers to haul the larger items and stuff we had put in storage. We had them for four hours today. It cost us $200 and it was the best $200 we’ve ever spent. Remember?…we were living on the third floor of an apartment complex…with no elevator.

So, yeah, we’re here. Boxes are everywhere and probably will be for a while. I’m taking it one box at a time.

Do you like the cardboard runner?

HH is hard at work hooking up the washer and dryer per my request. They’re a necessity around here.

The placement of furniture is not permanent. We just had the movers throw it wherever. And I didn’t get to snap a picture of Mabrey’s room. She was sleeping {hallelujah!} in it and I didn’t want to risk waking her. Just imagine more of the same with a two-month-old sleeping in a bouncy seat in the corner.

My favorite part of the move? Not having to pack Everett and Mabrey up to get Layne on/off the school bus! We’ve driven Layne to and from the bus stop at the Underdog for the last nine months. Now I get to send him off to school from the comfort of our front door…with only six more school days remaining.

So, we’re safe and sound. And I’ll be blogging from the Underdog from here on out. I quite like it.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

 

115 Comments

31.May.2012

Congratulations!!! I have been anxiously awaiting a move in update! It looks great! I can’t wait to see what you do next!

31.May.2012

Yay! So excited for your family! I’m looking forward to watching you make this house a home!!

31.May.2012

Dana, it looks so good, boxes and all! I can’t imagine the relief you must be feeling to just be there. Can’t wait to see more pics as you guys settle in. Congrats!

31.May.2012

many congratulations! take it easy unpacking–it’ll all get done eventually!

31.May.2012

OMG! It looks sooo awesome already! I’ve been checking up the last couple of days, just for this post! Can’t wait until you have everything where you want it to be :)
So cozy and family friendly!!

31.May.2012

yay congrats on moving in :) you’re my hero doing all this with a newborn!!

31.May.2012

Congratulations on the move! Cannot wait to see all of your existing furniture fall into place. The house is looking just incredible; many kudos to you and HH for all the hard work you’ve put in these last many, many months. It was all worth it!

31.May.2012

Dana, how exciting! It’s strangely moving (har har) to experience this big step with you after following along through the whole downsizing and renovating process. I know you guys will love being home in the Underdog. (But you’ll have to come up with a more fitting name for it now that you’ve worked so much magic on it.)

31.May.2012

Way to go Dana!!! I was thinking about you and your family over the weekend. You guys are moved in so that’s all that matters. Can’t wait to see more but take your time.

31.May.2012

I love it already. . .it looks so homey! I can’t wait to see all the tweaking you do. =)

31.May.2012

WOOHOO!! I’m so excited for you & I honestly don’t even know you! It has been amazing watching all of the hard work pay off, and I can’t wait to see how this house transforms into your home :) I”m loving the looks of the mudroom already (and everything else). Best of Luck getting unpacked…take your time!

31.May.2012

This post makes my heart sing for your little family. I can’t get over how spacious the house looks with all that light! You guys have done an amazing job and I can’t wait to see you grow into the space :)

31.May.2012

Wow! I know stuff is just piled everywhere and it feels chaotic to you, but now the Underdog suddenly looks like a home instead of just a house. Love seeing you and your things living in it finally. :)

Congratulations!!! I know it must feel wonderful to finally be home! Has it felt like home yet or is that truth still settling in?

http://www.domesticblissdiaries.com

31.May.2012

Congratulations! So happy for you and the family to have moved into the Underdog! Time to celebrate – you’ve got a lovely long while to tweak this one :) Hats off to HH – surely a contender for renovator / husband of the year?

31.May.2012

Congrats on a fairly smooth move. Now begins the fun part. :)

Yay!!!!!!

‘Nuff said, I think.

:) Liz

31.May.2012

Now that you’ve moved in at last, the Underdog has the best name of all: home. (I don’t know what medals are available for your guy, but he sure deserves one, and a whole lot more.) Welcome home, Miller family! It’s already looking terrific.

31.May.2012

Awesome!! Glad to hear y’all got moved! Can’t wait to see things as you “tweak” and get settled!!

31.May.2012

Congratulations! I’m glad to hear everything went well, and your all settling in comforably.

31.May.2012

Welcome home! Can’t wait to watch it all unfold.

31.May.2012

WOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOO……….looks fabulous! Can’t wait for the process to move forward. :)

31.May.2012

The difference you guys have made to that house is already astounding! I’m enjoying being with you through the experience. A big huzzah to HH. He’s been working awfully hard and deserves some blog love. Great work HH and beautifully finished too. I hope you get to sit back with a cold beer and put your feet up sometime very soon!

Congratulations to both of you and thank you for sharing your journey with us.

31.May.2012

I’d vote for him!

31.May.2012

YAY!!! Congratulations! I’ve been silently cheering you guys on from this side of the screen… So excited for you and your family! Can’t wait to see your ideas for the new home!

31.May.2012

It sure feels homier than the apartment!

31.May.2012

The transformation of your house continues to amaze me. Even with boxes everywhere the potential is evident. I can’t wait until you share more.

31.May.2012

I’m so excited for you guys!!! I can’t wait to see your furniture and personal items were they belong. It has been great watching you and HH working on the Underdog but to see if filled with furniture will really give us a better idea of space available. Congratulations!!!!

31.May.2012

Wooo! Apparently woo is too short of a comment. So… Woooooo!!!!!

31.May.2012

Happy Housewarming! It looks wonderful already. What a relief to be in. One box at a time is an awesome philosophy and will get you through it. Let The Tweaking Begin!

31.May.2012

Congratulations on being moved in. Looks like home. Cannot wait for the tweaking to commence.
I had to chuckle at your comment about seeing your son off to school from the comfort of your front door with only 6 school days left.

Wow. So excited for you guys!

31.May.2012

YAY! I’m so excited for you guys! It will take time to get through all the boxes and stuff but enjoy it! I’m happy you are home now! :)

31.May.2012

Hi Dana. I am so happy for you. Go easy on yourself with the unpacking! Did I spy a new head board in master bedroom?? OHHHHH I am so excited to watch the decorating unfold.

31.May.2012

Hooray! What great news, Dana!! I knew you would make the Underdog look good, but seeing some of your things in there makes it look really GREAT! And most of it is still in boxes! :-)

31.May.2012

congrats on your move! I love seeing your pictures and reading your updates. Just one question.. you have a beautiful dinette set. Can you tell me where you purchased the table and chairs. I have a white kitchen that would work perfectly with that set.
thank you and congrats again.

31.May.2012

Hooray!!! I’ve been checking every day…I can’t wait to see what you do with it now that you live there!!

31.May.2012

It’s amazing to look around your home and see that you have completely renovated every part of that house, AND your husband has done it almost entirely by himself, while also having a full time job. It is really wonderful looking, all the choices you made were right on target, and it is going to be a lovely home. Congratulations.

Congrats! So exciting! Can’t wait to see everything come together as you unpack. Good luck!

31.May.2012

congrats! it’s been fun watching the progress so far. can’t wait to see how much more gets done now that you are in!

31.May.2012

Yay! So happy that you are all moved in. I LOVE your kitchen!

ColorHug.com

Sweet! Movers are the best, so I’ve heard….I’ve never actually used any. Wah wah

31.May.2012

Yay!! Looks so fresh and nice!! Even amidst the clutter you can see the beauty – isn’t it great to have all the new stuff? Ahhhhhhhh – can hardly wait to see more development – so glad you like it!

Congratulations on the move! Its looking like home already.

31.May.2012

Welcome home! I am so happy for your family!

31.May.2012

So excited for you and your family! Such a lot of hard work and love put into this house. Almost inspires me to want to downsize :) Can’t wait to see you style the house!

31.May.2012

Congratulations to you guys! I bet it’s such a great feeling! Can’t wait for more posts :)

31.May.2012

How exciting!!! Congratulations and good luck!! I’ve very much looking forward to the progress and seeing it all come together. I spy a lot of your new pieces already!

31.May.2012

Congrats! What a great feeling to finally be home. We are hoping to make our own move soon as well. I spy some awesome looking stools at the island that I don’t think I’ve seen before. Would you mind sharing their source? (If this info is for a future blog post, I’ll wait for the details! :) )

How exciting!! You know we’re all eager to see things take shape, but take your time! What an accomplishment to finally be living there!

31.May.2012

CONGRATS!! That is awesome!

31.May.2012

Yay! I’ve been waiting to see this. I love how it’s already starting to look like your home. Congrats!

01.June.2012

Congratulations to all of you! Even though little Mabrey probably isn’t enjoying the transition right now, soon this will be the first home she’ll remember! Amid the boxes and the chaos, I bet you are so happy to be under one roof and the “underdog” looks like a rock star!

01.June.2012

That’s some good news !! You guys must be relieved to be home … now let’s the tweaking begin !! Take care !

01.June.2012

Ohhhh, so glad to see you are getting settled in your place! We moved into our place the day my second son was born. Quite an ordeal! We also completed a full DIY remodel during my 7th and 8th month of my third pregnancy. Well, maybe “completed” isn’t really accurate. We lost our steam, but we’re picking up on it again. I’ve started a blog to keep me more accountable.

Like you, we have two boys and a baby girl. Anyway, I am a new reader as of yesterday and I have added your blog to my favorites. I look forward to reading more! I came across you while looking for butcher block island upkeep tips. (We are replacing the laminate on our builder island with a bb top). If only I had seen your blog sooner I might have an extended island with shelves like the one in your old house, but at this point I don’t think I can inflict another design change on my husband! We just finished cutting it down to size and sanding it, and oiled it for the first time last night. There are pics at the link above, and I linked to your blog in the post. Take care!

01.June.2012

I am So happy for you Dana! Tha last months have not been easy for you at all.
Enjoy the Underdog and have fun decorating it!

01.June.2012

Congratulations!!! Great idea to hire the movers too! I can’t wait to see things start coming together.

01.June.2012

I am sure you are excited and relaxed at the same time. I just want to know what poor HH will do with all his spare time now.

YAY! Congratulations!!

01.June.2012

I am so excited for you all! I can’t wait to see the results! Congrats to you all. What a blessing and what an undertaking! Great job on the renovations HH!

01.June.2012

Congratulations! Can’t wait to see all the tweaking!

01.June.2012

Congratulations! What a huge accomplishment…all your hard work has paid off. Welcome Home!

01.June.2012

Yay!! Congratulations!

01.June.2012

Congrats on the move!! I know you guys are so happy to be there! Everything looks great, even if it is everywhere!

Hooray! Congrats on the move! I totally agree with you on hiring movers. Moving from an apt to our first house was so much of a pain in the butt we happily paid for movers to go from house 1 to house 2.

01.June.2012

How exciting!!! You are now out of the transition phase and officially starting the next chapter of your family’s life!

01.June.2012

Yippee! Congrats on the move. I can’t wait to see it once you’re settled in.

01.June.2012

CONGRATS!!!! I’m so excited for you guys, I started following you when you were just beginning the Underdog journey and I’m so happy that you have gotten moved in! Everything continues to look amazing!

01.June.2012

yay! for moving day! congrats on making it into the digs! may you have many happy years in your new home :)

Congratulations! It’s so exciting to see furniture (and you guys) in The Underdog!

01.June.2012

Hi Dana,
I’m looking for a pendant light to hang above our dining room table. I found one at Lowe’s that looks similar to the ones hanging above your kitchen counter. Are yours the Allen and Roth bronze pendant light? If not, do you mind telling me where you got yours from?
Thanks, Aimee

01.June.2012

I was so excited to see a new post for HouseTweaking on my google reader because I knew it meant move in day!! Congratulations. I cant wait to see updates!

~tara
http://www.aslongasitsfancy.com

01.June.2012

this is my first time visiting your blog and its so lovely….good luck on the move! cant wait to learn more about your blog :)

Congratulations! Even though it’s messy, I bet just having the furniture in really makes it look like home! Enjoy your first weekend in the Underdog. :-)

Erin

01.June.2012

Yeah!!!! Can’t wait to see how it all comes together—Congratulations!

01.June.2012

Hi Dana! Congrats on the big move, so happy for you guys! Would you mind sharing your feelings on the overstock stools? I’ve been waiting or your review since your “recent purchases” post, as I desperately need some stools for our new island. Thanks!

01.June.2012

Oh hurray!!! I can’t WAIT to see the Underdog with all the furniture and everything. It’s gonna be even more fab! Noticed some hardware in the mudroom… :) Can’t wait to see what you picked – they look great from afar!

01.June.2012

YAY!! Im dying to see how it will look when the furniture is in! You guys are inspiring! xo

01.June.2012

Awesome! So happy for you and your family. Remind us again when you started renovating? I’m really impressed by how much has been accomplished already!

CONGRATULATIONS!!! It must feel so good to finally be in the new place, boxes and all :)

01.June.2012

Congratulations!

01.June.2012

I know from experience how overwhelming things can feel after a move- ugh. But soak it in and remember what at amazing milestone this is! You’ve come so far! Congratulations!

01.June.2012

Congratulations! I’m kind of envious of you in that I know you’ve throughly gone through every single possession of yours and weeded out so that only the most functional and precious made it to The Underdog. I hope to do the same this summer, even though we aren’t moving (nor are we planning to any time soon). Still, I might have to set a pretend “moving date” just to keep me on task.

Congrats! A move is always a caotic issue at some point, but stay at home, finally, feels like a great relief! Your HH has been made a great job, as you did too, go ahead for the next step!

01.June.2012

WELCOME HOME!!
Have fun unpacking..and watching what the kids create with the boxes.: )

Congratulations! I’m so excited for you guys. I can already picture how beautiful everything is going to be. I can’t wait for your upcoming posts!

01.June.2012

Congratulations !!! Now I am waiting to see your new home all set…:-)

01.June.2012

Hooray! Ho exciting! Go slow. You don’t want to be in Zombie mode when you unpack–you may never see some of your things ever again!

01.June.2012

Yayayay!!! Congrats!!! I cannot wait to see what you do with the place!!! Love your blog!!! :-D

01.June.2012

It looks beautiful already! I cannot wait to see how you decorate. :)

01.June.2012

Hooray! Congratulations! So happy for you and your family! I look forward to witnessing the rest of the Underdog’s transformation.

Awesome. Congratulations!!

01.June.2012

I nominate “WONDERdog”!

Dana, congratulations on your new home, and I wish you many happy years there!

01.June.2012

Congratulations and WOW! Your new home looks incredible, boxes and all. Truly happy for you and your family. Enjoy it!

02.June.2012

Congratulations! Dreams come true!! Definitely starting to see the first glimmer of your mudroom idea come together…. it’s gonna look awesome. You are such an inspiration! Congrats!

02.June.2012

Would you believe, even after all the purging, I’ve still got a Goodwill pile going?! If I can’t find a spot for something no matter how much I like it, it’s gone.

02.June.2012

We bought the house last May…May 2011. We started demo right away but had to wait until our previous house sold before we could renovate. We’ve been renovating for about 9 months. Still not done, but at least it’s livable!

02.June.2012

A future post about that coming soon!

02.June.2012

Sure thing!

02.June.2012

They are the West Elm globe pendants. Got them this past fall on sale!

02.June.2012

Oh, I’m sure he’ll find something to do. If not, I’ve got a few honey-do’s for him! ;)

02.June.2012

Your progress looks great!

02.June.2012

I shared when I bought them here. I’ll be writing up a review on them shortly though as I’ve already had requests for that!

02.June.2012

The table was a craigslist find. The chairs are from IKEA.

03.June.2012

It is a major accomplishment to work full time, devote time to your children AND gut-rehab a house.
My husband and I have been there and salute you for both the excellent choices you’ve made in your place and the consistent progress you achieved, MOST of it hands-on by you and your super-hero HH.
You have SO much to celebrate! Thanks for letting us share in the experience.

04.June.2012

Woohooooooooo! This is amazing news…I’m so happy for your family that you are finally getting settled in your home! :)

Congrats!!! So exciting. The house looks amazing all moved into…even with boxes everywhere. What a great feeling! Enjoy the unpacking.

Congrats on the big move!!! I’m sure you will have the place looking like a million bucks in no time at all.

:)

05.June.2012

I’m finding it difficult to get things unpacked with a newborn and two other kiddos in tow. They’re priority and they could care less is the house is a mess or not. Back in the only-two-kids days, I would stay up past their bedtime and knock things out quite efficiently but Mabrey has thrown a wrench into that! Ah well, she’s only little once.

06.June.2012

Congratulations! It looks amazing. Hats off to you & HH. Don’t sweat the unpacking, it’ll get done in due time. It may be hard getting things done with Mabrey & the boys off for the summer. But your boys have been so good, living at the apartment & throughout the renovation…it will be nice to be able to enjoy some fun & relaxing time with them & Mabrey this summer. ENJOY your new home~it’s beautiful!

Congratulations on your move!! Everything looks great!

09.June.2012

Question: The white, round table-is that the wooden one you got from your dad’s house or a different one? I thought you decided to leave it a natural wooden color. I’m seriously considering a wooden table but I’m not sure it’s going to finish?

09.June.2012

The white table is one that we bought off craigslist a few years ago. We used it in the living room of our last house and as a dining table in our interim apartment. It’s here just until we get the warm wood one from my dad’s. The white one is a little smaller than the one at my dad’s. The one at my dad’s also has a leaf that can be added to seat 6. My *bonus* mom has been working on it; I saw it today and it looks great! Such a surprise! I was planning on re-finishing it myself.

17.July.2012

Hi Dana- I am catching up on your past blog posts (looks great by the way!) and am wondering where you found the bunk for your boy’s room? I am currently looking for a bunk for my kiddos and can’t find anything I like! Thanks, Trisha

17.July.2012

IKEA!