Home Sweet Home!

We've officially closed on our house!

Steve is traveling again for work this week...

The kids are both recovering from Strep...

and we will slowly be receiving our household items this week!

I'm SO grateful my mom came in town to help me!!

Furniture Shopping

We are FIVE days away from closing on our house!!

I am SO ready.

This weekend we went out furniture shopping with GREAT success. We ended up finding a beautiful grey headboard and a wicker patio set at a Consignment shop. I am SO excited about these pieces!

Can you see it back there? The color really is a beautiful dark grey. 

We bought the love seat and chair, but not the table(it was from a different set). I also didn't get the pillows so that I can style it myself. 

We also were able to buy our couch and bed. We kept with the grey theme we were eyeing with IKEA, but ended up buying an Ashley Furniture Sectional. We also bought the ottoman in the picture. I love the yellow pillows that come with the couch, but not the patterned ones. Thankfully, they are zippered pillow covers so I can easily change them! I can just imagine the four of us all curled up on this couch watching a movie.

Finally, we made the plunge and FINALLY got a king bed! We've had a Queen Tempurpedic that Steve had since before we were married. I am SO excited to move up to a King AND pillow top.

We got just this mattress, and a regular bed frame. We will attach our own headboard above. I'm thinking a big, white and fluffy comforter with pattern sheets.


What do you think??

I can't wait to show you photos of these pieces in our new place as we make this house our home.

Pinterest Inspiration

As our move gets closer and closer, I am getting SOO excited about decorating our new house.

The past 4 years we have been moving every 6 months - 1 year. So I haven't really done a lot of decorating. We just made due with what we had and what we could find for cheap.

This time, I plan on doing it right. Planning out each room and really considering what I want the room to look like, feel like, and portray for our family. I don't want to buy anything just because it's on sale.

So of course I've been glued to Pinterest looking at ideas.

Here is a few photos I've found to inspire the look around our new home.

I absolutely love these barstools. Our kitchen is not white, but we have plans on the horizon to paint the cabinets while pretty soon. 

I love this living room. The neutrals with a pop of color is what I love. The window treatments are particularly my favorite. 

I think I could feel right at home in this romantic and cozy master bedroom. 

We actually have an outdoor fireplace in our new house. I can't wait to decorate the area and add some big comfortable furniture. I think I might just live out there. 

More inspiration coming... in the meantime, feel free to follow me on Pinterest! 

We're Moving THIS week!

We've been "home" Stateside from Korea for almost three months now...

and we are finally moving to Texas THIS week!

There's a lot going on with packing, shipping our cars, and coordinating household goods to be delivered from THREE different locations! But we can't wait to finally settle into our new home.

We will be living in a temporary apartment for a few weeks, but I am SO excited to bring to you ALL of the projects we will be doing in our new home.

I'll be sharing ALL of our home improvement and decorating plans on here.

I am also REALLY excited about starting our kitchen, pantry, and cleaning supplies from scratch.

I plan on taking this opportunity to really consider and think about what I bring into my home.

I hope you'll stick around the join me on this journey!

House Hunting in Korea

Today, we had the inspection for our Apartment. Before I get into this, let me back up a bit to when we first arrived. It was a bit of a confusing process, so I hope this can help anyone else coming to Korea anytime soon!

Once we arrived to Camp Carroll, one of the first things on our list was to check into housing. We were told we could have a three bedroom apartment on post, but we opted instead to live off post. Those families with school aged children benefit greatly from living on post since the school is right next to the housing. However, we decided we wanted the full experience of living in the city. We had to sit in a short "briefing" with the manager of housing and sign off on a sheet accepting the consequences of living off post.

Next, we received a packet with the approved realtors to use. The army has contracts with this realtors and they are used to working with Americans in finding places to live. In Korea, there is no website that you can check to search for homes available. The best thing is to stop by as many realtors as you can, until you find the place you want. You are welcome to call the realtors to set up appointments, but we just went straight away and walked into each one. They are pretty much all in a row on one street right outside the gate at Camp Walker. We spoke with about 5-6 different realtors and saw about 9-10 different properties.

Over the next few days, we viewed the 9-10 different homes, until we found one we loved. It is a brand new apartment complex in downtown Deagu. There is a lot to do for Sadie and me and we are a short subway ride away from post. Steve can easily hop on the expressway to get to work.

After you find your apartment, the realtor fills out paperwork for you to take back to housing. Housing then gives you a date and time for an inspection.

We rode with our realtor to the inspection. The landlords were present and a man from housing came with paperwork. We walked through the entire apartment opening all doors and turning on all lights. Very similar to in the U.S., we wrote down anything wrong with the apartment so that we won't be charged with it when it is time to move out.

The next step to take will be to sign the lease. We have another appointment set up on September 15 to sign. The housing office will be present as well as our realtor and landlord. We will move in just a few days after! We are so ready to be in our own place.

Until then... here's a sneak peak of our view!

(Sorry it's from behind the screen.)

On Moving

There's no turning back now. Half of our household goods are officially packed up and placed in a storage unit somewhere. The first set of movers showed up on Monday morning and packed and loaded in one day. The biggest item I stored away is my beloved dining room table. But with a leaf and 8 chairs, we just didn't need a table this big in Korea. So this is how we've been eating dinner for the past two nights.

Next Monday, our final movers come to pack up the rest to ship to Korea. We probably won't see our items until September at the earliest, so I've got to pull out some Fall clothes to pack in my carry on for Korea's early fall weather! Hard to do when it's 90 degrees outside.

Friday is Steve's Graduation from his Career Course and we have both sets of parents coming in town. It'll be a fun weekend of eating out, because we all know there's no cooking going on in this house now that we've dwindled down that refrigerator! We are looking forward to the family time and Sadie will be in heaven with both sets of Grandparents doting on her. Until then, I'm off to enjoy the last few days in this home... well enjoy as much as I can in between all the cleaning.

The PCS Notebook

Is it Monday already? The weekend passed by WAY to fast. It didn't help that I didn't feel well on Saturday. I think my body was just physically exhausted from all that has been going on that I literally took two naps on Saturday. Steve was awesome and kept Sadie occupied and even woke me with dinner ready. After an even better nights sleep that night, I woke up Sunday feeling ready to go.

We did a lot to help prepare the house for the big move, considering we have the first set of movers coming in exactly 3 weeks to pack the items going into Storage. It makes me sad to think we have items that will be going into storage for two whole years that won't be touched, but they are also items that we're not ready to get rid of yet, such as baby clothes and Steve's expansive set of tools.

In the meantime, I am going to try to stay as organized as I possibly can while this craziness happens around me. I bring you The de Leon Notebook. It's basically a PCS notebook, full of all the important stuff we need to keep track. So military wives, take note, because this will make your life SO much easier when PCS time comes around. Heck, something similar will come in handy to anyone moving.

The front pocket carries extra Copies of Steve's orders. Different departments are constantly asking for copies, so we made multiple and I stuck a bright sticky on the last one to remind me to make more copies before handing it out. I also have a binder clip holding all the business cards we receive, with a pack of sticky notes and writing utensils. I also have a handy travel hole punch for those items we receive during travel.

The first section contains our calendar timeline. We have a lot going on in-between now and August 25, including leave time. Steve will be on leave from about July 24 until we hop on the plane to Korea, so we needed to plan out where we are staying during that month. We are getting as much family time in as possible. All unconfirmed plans are in pencil and then get changed into pen once they are confirmed.

The second section contains our To Do list. We have received guide sheets from the Army, as well as our own to do list, of course!

The third section is important information. Steve completed a mandatory security briefing and this contains his certificate of completion along with some other information we want to have on hand when we arrive.

The fourth section is for Medical. Most of the Army medical system is done electronically now, but I like to have a copy of Sadie's immunizations on hand, as well as any information Tri-care gives us while transferring overseas.

The fifth section is Personal Identification. It includes birth certificates and passports. Very important section.

The sixth section is Housing. It contains our lease agreement at Fort Lee and what needs to happen to hand over the keys as well as information about house hunting in Korea. The packets that can't be hole punched, because they usually have to be signed and turned back in, go into the pocket dividers.

The seventh section is Travel. The contains anything about our flight, dropping off our car to be shipped, and our household goods being shipped. I am also going to stick an envelope in this pocket for all our receipts during travel to submit for reimbursement.

Finally, we have a section for Misc. I've taken notes from briefings in this section as well as any other random brochures we receive.

Behind this I have a clipboard to use when writing. We recently went through the house room by room to list what we wanted to take in Checked Bags vs Household Goods vs Storage. This will come in handy on moving day.

Since most of our stuff will be packed up and this will go everywhere with me, I also have a file folder in the back containing information about our Myrtle Beach vacation while Steve is on leave. This will come in handy so that I don't have to go searching somewhere separate for it.

Well, there you have it folks. My life for the next couple of months in a notebook. It helps having it all in one place, so anytime we are asked a question or for a form, there it is. I would seriously recommend anyone PCSing or Moving in general to whip up one of these. It'll make your life so much easier. If you have any tips on enhancing it, please share!

Life on the Move

Growing up I used to beg my parents to let us move. I craved the idea of starting fresh and new. Well boy did I get it! As a military wife, we've moved a couple times in our short three year marriage. Here's a look at our timeline.

Late August 2010: We moved from Statesboro, GA and bought a house in Savannah, Ga.
One week later, September 4, 2010: We Married in Savannah, Ga.
One week later, September 10, 2010: Steve deployed to Iraq.
December 2010: Steve returned home just in time for Christmas!
August 2012: Our first baby girl was born in Savannah, GA.
September 2012: Steve deployed to Afganistan. Sadie and I moved in with my parents in Atlanta, GA.
June 2013: Steve returned home!
December 2012: We sold our house in Savannah, GA.
February 2012: We moved on post in Fort Lee, VA.
July 2012: Destination unknown!

Whew! That's a lot! And that doesn't even include the trips we took in-between to include New York, Venice, Germany, Napa Valley, and Disney World.

I can't wait to make one of these. You can buy them here. 

The reason I'm writing about this is because we find out in the next couple of days where our next home could be. I am completely excited and a bit nervous. There's a chance we could stay near. There's a chance we could be moved across the US. And there's even a chance we could be stationed overseas. There's an exciting thrill factor to it, but there's also a scary unknown. Every military spouse knows what I'm talking about. And you just have to let it go and make it work.

I can't wait to share with you in a couple of months where it is that we chose was chosen for us. Wherever it is I know we will make it a home for the next couple of years. As long as I have my husband home and little girl by my side, I will be happy.

After all, Home is where the Army sends us!

Our House 2010

My husband and I closed on our house one week before we got married. Then a week after the wedding, my husband was deployed. That's a lot in just a couple weeks! Not to mention I was left to make this house our first home all by myself. Almost a year later, and my husband is back and our house has improved greatly; however, I'm saving that updated post for the one year mark. So here it is, our house when we first moved in as newlyweds...

Yupp, that's our little house, with an empty lot next to it. And those people in the picture would be my parents helping us with the big move. 

This is our back yard, pre-fence and and pre-patio furniture.

The little pond in our back yard... and see that huge bush in the way.. I know what you're thinking... that's gotta go!

One year later and the house has come a long way, and I can't wait to show it to you!

until next time,

Kacie