HAPPY FRIYAY! Who else is so excited for a long weekend?! Since so many of you have been chatting with me via DM about home projects, I figured I’d do a little first week update. We closed two weeks ago and have been moved in for just over a week. I mentioned here that we took the move in week off to get settled and check some house items off our list with my Daddy-o. I wanted to share what things we have checked off our list and then what our focus is for the coming weeks!

ONE: WINDOW BLINDS
We knew right when we closed, we’d want to get blinds up on all the windows for privacy. We had three large windows, a bunch of regular windows and our sliding door to get covered up. At first, I thought we would go with plantation shutter window treatments, but after experiencing them in real life I found them to block too much natural light, even when tilted open. They are such a beautiful option, but we opted for plantation blinds instead.

We purchased Levolor Cordless White Wood Plantation Blinds which I’ll link HERE in case you’re on the search for new blinds for your home! We love the cordless style, especially on our three large windows so that there is no cord tugging warping the blind’s frame.

What’s really cool is that Lowe’s basically carries all blinds by one brand, Levolor, and with that they have a huge machine by the brand that chop the width blinds to meet your custom needs. My dad and I measured each window and noted the ideal size of the blinds so that they would fit comfortably and wouldn’t bang up the trim. From there, we found the closest width blinds in store and the associate chopped the blinds in the large Levolor machine to become custom fitting blinds! For the length, each set comes with instructions on how to remove the extra panels. We are very lucky to have had my dad help guide us through the process because it sounds easy, but we would have been lost and made a mistake which = wasted $. My dad installed them all, but I think you could find an experienced contractor to do so.

TWO: GRANITE SEALING
Talk about adulting 😆 I can’t believe I’m talking about this on my blog HAHA, but hey it may help someone that buys a new house!

When we moved in, we realized our granite counters were soaking up water rather than repelling it. My dad immediately noticed and said it wasn’t yet sealed yet and we will want to do so soon to avoid any staining from oils or products since they are light grey and white.

We grabbed this granite sealer on oe of our many Lowe’s tripe. You just clean your counters and when dry, spray the product and let it set for at least an hour. The bottle says 20 minutes, but that’s not long enough. After it sets, use an old cloth to buff it in. For brand new granite that’s never been sealed like ours, you’ll do the process beginning to end twice. Once you set water on the granite, you should see it bead, rather than soak in.

THREE: CUSTOM DOORMAT
I held off on purchasing any home decor items until we moved in and I’m super happy I did! After moving in, I realized the pieces we currently owned that I thought wouldn’t definitely work [couch] in fact did work and pieces I thought for sure would work [entertainment console, coffee table] didn’t! There were also details I thought I was sure on, like the color of the barstool and the style of formal dinning table, have actually changed.
custom front doormat etsyThe two pieces I did get for a little excitement and make it feel like home? A cute custom doormat and a gorgeous front door wreath. You can shop our doormat I shared on Instagram stories HERE. I opted for the largest size and the fonts listed in her stock image.

Ignore the coloring on the mat,we are stick breaking it in. It rained on only half of it making it dark in some areas and lighter in others. It’ll even out!

FOUR: FRONT DOOR WREATH
After posting this pic, I got LOTS of questions on where it was from. I searched high and lows for a huge, thick wreath that could be used season through season. I grabbed ours off Etsy from the sweetest shop you can find HERE. I loved the cotton detailing, how huge it was (size XL) and the initial monogram option!
large front door wreath etsyFIVE: LAWN WORK
We’ve been loving to enjoy the outdoors by getting our lawn fixed up! While we are heading into fall, there is still a lot of work we can do now to be in better condition this spring. This have probably been my favorite project because it is a serious work out and it fun working with S outside.

My dad got us set up with a lawn mower and weed waker on top of lots of other house tools. Him and I would run to Lowe’s and he’d end up with a palette full of things he knew S would need like ladders, tools, etc. which he was right.. we ended up needing them!

We’ve done both a couple times already and have moved onto raking to find the dead spots and pull up a lot of weeds. We just purchased seed and a seeder so this weekend we are going to reseed the dead areas. Since our yard was so green, I didn’t even realize it was in ‘meh’ shape when we moved in. It’s green, but it’s all weeds haha! Hopefully with the major weeding and reseeding dead spots, we’ll be in great shape next spring!

PS – super excited for some mums on our porch soon eep!

SIX: WASHER AND DRYER
We had planned to use an old washer my dad had kicking around [seriously so my dad if you know him IRL.. he has one of everything house related kicking around to give to friends]. Then come LDW or Back Friday, we would purchase a set, but my dad surprised us with a brand new set when he visited! We are so appreciative and have been loving them!

S and I had a few totes of childhood things stored in my dad’s garage that he was planning to bring down. He then texted me with the washer and dryer boxes in the back of his truck saying “IDK how much more I can fit in here”. I was like “WHAT?!?!?”. So very nice of him!!

SEVEN: DECK SEALING
Our deck was pressure treated after being built and with that, you usually wait 6-12 months before sealing. Once water beads up instead of soaking in, you’re good to paint or stain. We saw it bead up during the last rain, so we are good to go! We purchased a hand sander and pretty sealant/stain so that’s a project for this weekend so it’s protected before winter.

EIGHT: PANTRY ORGANIZATION
You may have seen last week we headed to The Container Store AKA heaven on earth and grabbed items to organize our pantry. I have a few more items to source and from there, I’ll be able to share with you via a blog post. Our pantry is an itty bitty closet, but I’m just ecstatic to have one as we never have when renting! I’ll have lots of tips form what we’ve learned for any of you needing to organize a small pantry 🙂

What’s next?
We’ve made a monthly budget and prioritized our expenses, projects and decor. It sounds odd, but I realized I’m going to take my sweet time decorating and take in all the fun projects for now! We are finishing up a bunch of the projects above, but here are some things that are top of mind for the next two months.

Security system: My #1 priority when we moved in. We are looking at Ring! We’ve heard rave reviews from family members. What system do you use? Tell me in the comments!
Barstools: I’ve drooled over the barstools we are buying for our island for years. I’m ecstatic to get them. They are an investment, so we’re thinking that’s an October purchase!
King Bed: I’m looking at mattresses and headboards for our master bed. We have a queen right now, but want to move that into the guest before our House warming party and Thanksgiving as we will have overnight guests.
Kitchen Backsplash: I need to decide on a tile to kick this off. I’ve browsed some options with my dad at Lowe’s, but need to head to a tile store once things settle down a bit. I’m thinking a light grey and white mix with a herringbone design or maybe sleek white glass tiles. Once I find the tile, my dad will install it for us. He’s so talented.. look at his master shower HERE! He built his house and I love all his tiled showered he did.
Extend Driveway Width: Our dooryard is quaint and will fit three vehicles. Luckily our driveway is off a quite road so we can use the sides of it if we have a lot of guests over, but for now we want to extend our driveway a couple feet so we can comfortably fit one more car. Our paved driveway have crushed rock on the side, so we think for now we will just extend the rock rather than more tar.

My dad is coming down to visit again this month too! I’m so excited. Him, MCB and S are all my BFFs and I love when we are all together. I wish we could teleport my Grampy Thompson and family Cat Cloe too 🙂

Yay. Anyways, if you’ve made it this far you deserve a hug hehe. We’re having so much fun and sharing the experience with you guys. I had a lot of feedback asking for information on the process of buying a home and also the financial saving aspect. I’m working on two blog posts that will cover these! Thanks for the ideas!

Enjoy your long weekend and as always – thanks for stopping by and spending part of your day with me! Xo Mindy

SHOP MY OUTFIT

SHOP MY HOME DECOR

  1. Perfect doormat and shows‼️❤️

Comments +

Servello & Co. Interiors

Follow along

Hi there

I'm a Maine native residing in the Boston 'burbs sharing my love of interiors through decorating my husband and I's first home.

Through this experience, I discovered I have a knack for curating spaces that feel warm, cohesive and inviting. That passion turned into friends and family asking for interiors help and now we are here! 

Home should be a place you love to be. I'm here to help you achieve that!