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I blog about my McMansion, because God wants me to.


keeperrox

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That toliet was a before shot, I can't blame her for that. I suspect from the front shot and a few other things, like the toliet, this was a foreclosure or a that it sat for a while before they purchased the house. I lean towards foreclosure, which made it a much cheaper house then it looks. The toliet looks like it got stained from sitting with standing water, and they since replaced that toliet, which is why it looks clean in the after. I think the house is stupid huge, and the after pictures for some rooms only look so much better, because she took horribly out dated looks, and made them neutral. But honestly she took them too far in my opinion and a lot of rooms just look dull, and some of the pictures on the wall look cheap and boring. But in the case of that first bathroom and the basement, almost anything would be an improvement on the before.

After that I have zero opinion, she seems dull from what I have seen, and I feel bad that poor kid is getting beat by such a shallow, Mother :(

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I can't remember exactly how much they paid for the current house, but it was under $250K. Their first house was less than $200K. Depending on where you live, that may seem reasonable or like a lot; from my perspective, that's unbelievably cheap. (I live outside a major East Coast city.)

Depending on the town and the school system, something like that would start at about 750k in my area.

And while it's clear she has awful decorating taste, it also seems they really can't afford to furnish it. Here's the "after" of the dining room.

IMG_7187b.jpg

All mismatched furniture, the chairs look like they belong in a sun room, and my mother had a table like that in her kitchen for about 20 years. It looks like a collection of stuff relatives donated to them.

And while houses in her area may be cheap, they still have to be heated and cooled and maintained. That won't be cheap.

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The kitchen table and chairs. Hey, let's paint the legs of these tables white but put walnut stain on the tops! And pair them with red chairs. WTF?

Pick a color/scheme and stick with it. Judging by the rest of the kitchen that must stick out a LOT.

Also, I'm not sure why EVERYONE has to make an entire room white or a really light color, then decorate it with black furniture etc. or paint the walls some neutral or sort of dull color and then decorate it with white furniture etc. dafuq? It does not make the room look cozy to me, but rather cold and impersonal and not part of a real home at all. It's something that really annoys me, and then the people who do that have to go and add in some really bright color that sticks out, or fill the room up with shabby/"vintage" chic.

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On her Feb. 23, 2011 post she wrote, "SIKE!" No, sweetie, it's psych, as in I psyched you out. Sorry, it's a pet peeve.

I do like the old house a lot. Obviously, a great deal of care went into it.

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I'll be to lone voice to say I like her new house. I also like the paints she chose and some of her decorating choices. That being said, while it's a nice place, I'm not sure why it's perceived to be at the level where it's worthy of its own blog. Unless I'm really missing something, she mostly just paints things and hangs up photos? Not really a treasure trove of DIY *shrug*

Still, at least it looks like they just spank and they're not plumping line psychos *shudder*

EDIT: Yep, it says somewhere the house was a foreclosure. You can get good deals in the metro-Atlanta area on foreclosures, even in nice areas that are likely to have their value rebound. I wouldn't be surprised if they decided to buy a big house now while the market is favorable, with the eye of filling it with kids down the road. At any rate, they wouldn't be the only ones doing such a thing around the city.

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EDIT: Yep, it says somewhere the house was a foreclosure. You can get good deals in the metro-Atlanta area on foreclosures, even in nice areas that are likely to have their value rebound. I wouldn't be surprised if they decided to buy a big house now while the market is favorable, with the eye of filling it with kids down the road. At any rate, they wouldn't be the only ones doing such a thing around the city.

I was flipping through the pictures and kept thinking "Is this house in Ga?" My Aunt lives in a house that looks very much like this one in Roswell. A lot of the features are very similar if not identical. I only visited my aunt's house once, but I think it may be a bit smaller..it wasn't cheap! It's gorgeous though! I like the house in the blog, but I don't think her decorating choices are really something that need their own blog.

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I'm not sure why it's perceived to be at the level where it's worthy of its own blog. Unless I'm really missing something, she mostly just paints things and hangs up photos? Not really a treasure trove of DIY *shrug*

I feel the same way.

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I'm really kinda annoyed that she screencapped the photographer's work from her sister's wedding to put up on her blog.

http://www.bowerpowerblog.com/2012/01/w ... -pictures/

She does admit it and even links the company but still - she didn't have the right to do that. And DAFAQ? She mentioned the brownie bar several times but never had a photo of it! That's not fair. :lol:

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I also found her horribly annoying. I had never seen her blog until now and couldn't resist a quick tour of the "About Us" page. She is one of those who has to throw around comments about her "Studmuffin" and "Boyfriend" and even publishes a letter she has written to him on her blog that you can click on. In my experience the ones that have to flaunt to the world what a great marriage she has and what a Studmuffin God has blessed her with are the ones who are insecure or wanting to wow us mere mortals with how great her life is or making her own Storybook world. Perusing her blog is like eating a whole bag of circus peanuts. I need a barf bag.

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I was wondering if she was in the ATL the house had an Atlanta feel to it. I grew up in the suburbs and now if you don't mind if your kids go to shit schools you can snag a mcmansion for well under $200,000. There are forcolsures everywhere especially in the county where I'm from. And her remodels aren't really remodels. I painted most of the rooms in my apartment but I didn't call it a remodel lmfao.

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I disagree with the posters who think her second house is hideous. I think it's a really nice house. I think the problem is that the decorating style doesn't go with the house. Or rather the 7 different, mismatched decorating styles don't go with the house.

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I can't remember exactly how much they paid for the current house, but it was under $250K. Their first house was less than $200K. Depending on where you live, that may seem reasonable or like a lot; from my perspective, that's unbelievably cheap. (I live outside a major East Coast city.)

I don't think that's right. I think it was under $300K, not $250K. I know that under $300K was their criteria when looking. Even still, it was a good deal, even for a foreclosure. She does claim that they are pretty much house poor in several posts from the post-move era, though.

I disagree with the posters who think her second house is hideous. I think it's a really nice house. I think the problem is that the decorating style doesn't go with the house. Or rather the 7 different, mismatched decorating styles don't go with the house.

I don't think it's hideous. I think it's excessive for 3-4 people. I also think her decorating choices are questionable.

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I disagree with the posters who think her second house is hideous. I think it's a really nice house. I think the problem is that the decorating style doesn't go with the house. Or rather the 7 different, mismatched decorating styles don't go with the house.

I agree with this. I love the house, hate the decorating.

I'm a huge YHL fan. But the thing is, their house GOES with their decorating style. They like unassuming mid-century ranch-style houses, and this sort of decorating really looks great on them. Plus, mid-century houses/decor can get pretty hodge-podge-y anyways, so if you have slightly different decorating styles in some rooms, it works. I'm moving into a house that has text-book 1940's decor, and I have a pink bathroom and a green kitchen (literally text book by the way, you can find my pink sink/tub and kitchen cabinetry in a textbook under 1940's house, as my friend showed me).

The Bower's have taken YHL's decorating and transplanted it into a McMansion, where it is yuck. This house is not a throwback to mid-century houses, it has a lot of the features of an Edwardian/Victorian house. Richer colors as seen in that era would do WONDERS for this place. Classic architecture/features are AWESOME, but the do really limit your decorating choices.

I know this is their "dream house", but I really think they pulled the trigger prematurely. The house just doesn't "go" with their personalities or style. It's not usually an issue, unless you purchase a home with such strong features like they did. They were lured in grandeur instead of choosing a less-luxe house that fit them better. Now, no matter what they do, they're either going to hate it or look cheap/trashy.

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Am I the only one who likes the color of her kitchen? I wouldn't actually put that color in my kitchen, but it's a pretty robins egg blue.

Scanning further... holy shit, is her whole damn house that color???!!!!

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I agree with this. I love the house, hate the decorating.

I'm a huge YHL fan. But the thing is, their house GOES with their decorating style. They like unassuming mid-century ranch-style houses, and this sort of decorating really looks great on them. Plus, mid-century houses/decor can get pretty hodge-podge-y anyways, so if you have slightly different decorating styles in some rooms, it works. I'm moving into a house that has text-book 1940's decor, and I have a pink bathroom and a green kitchen (literally text book by the way, you can find my pink sink/tub and kitchen cabinetry in a textbook under 1940's house, as my friend showed me).

The Bower's have taken YHL's decorating and transplanted it into a McMansion, where it is yuck. This house is not a throwback to mid-century houses, it has a lot of the features of an Edwardian/Victorian house. Richer colors as seen in that era would do WONDERS for this place. Classic architecture/features are AWESOME, but the do really limit your decorating choices.

I know this is their "dream house", but I really think they pulled the trigger prematurely. The house just doesn't "go" with their personalities or style. It's not usually an issue, unless you purchase a home with such strong features like they did. They were lured in grandeur instead of choosing a less-luxe house that fit them better. Now, no matter what they do, they're either going to hate it or look cheap/trashy.

Give her twenty years. Maybe her tastes will grow up.

I'm with the, nice house but yuck decorating. Does she thrift and yard sale? Looks it. What does he do to pay for this? It seems maybe they are house poor.

Her writing is tres annoying. She seems to be copying Pioneer Woman's writing style. I dislike both of them, but Pioneer Woman at least knows how to co-ordinate architecture and decorating.

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I just spent WAY too much time looking at her blog and my opinions are as follows:

1) She and her boyfriend (now husband) spent time on a vacation together in Orlando for a friend's wedding when he decided to pop the question. I'm kind of guessing they were having sex during that vacation. Which is totally not the "Christian" lifestyle. So calling herself a "Christian" was really never accurate. She also admits she had a pissy attitude during that vacation until suddenly after the friend's wedding, it was all about HER. And then things got better. Her husband is such an idiot supporting that. It's interesting how she never says anything on her blog about what she does for HIM.

2) She has an entire page on her website about how to pose properly for photos. Apparently she dabbles in photography, but the page shows nothing but beautiful photos of HER. I guess she had done some modeling at one time, but really, does anyone want to see so many photos that someone else took of HER? Uh, no.

3) I would love to know how a couple that young could possibly afford the house they live in, and all the improvements they have made to it. Remodeling/redecorating rooms one by one, the landscaping. There has got to be some kind of income stream (inheritance?) going on there. That house has to be 7000 sq. ft. I would think. A house that size on a property that appears to be big would be 1.5 million where I live, and that's AFTER our decline in real estate. I would love to know what they pay in utilities. They must have a lot of disposable income to be able to renovate the house and continue to go on vacations. If they truly bought that house for under $300K, I could trade in my 2100 sq. ft. house for that mansion. Wow.

4) She has a big post on her blog about how much she hated breastfeeding. It's nicely honest (because yes, breastfeeding can hurt and be a huge drain on you as a mother), but she really goes on and on and on. I feel sorry for her son. I think she still feels like she should be #1 in her family status and was feeling woefully sorry for herself when she realized she wasn't anymore. I think she has a hugely inflated ego and hasn't felt at all the humbling she should have when she married and became a partner and then became a mother. I hope she doesn't have any more children.

5) What DOES her husband do for a living, anyway?

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I can't remember exactly how much they paid for the current house, but it was under $250K. Their first house was less than $200K. Depending on where you live, that may seem reasonable or like a lot; from my perspective, that's unbelievably cheap. (I live outside a major East Coast city.)

O_O The cost of the first house isn't much more than the cost of my two-bedroom flat!

I quite like the first house. I don't understand why they'd go to all the effort of doing it up only to move out less than five years later.

The new house looks generic. It reminds me of somewhat upscale holiday rentals; the places that are done out nicer than one's own house but without the personality of a real home. The rooms also seem mismatched, whereas in the previous house there was a particular "feel" to the whole rather than individual rooms.

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I haven't even gotten into the meat of the article yet, but seriously -- "Brass tax"? What??? :shock:

I saw that for the first time a few weeks ago! I haven't seen this instance, but did she talk about getting down to brass tacks and use the wrong word? That's how I saw it used before.

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For me personally, I don't care what you spend your money on (whether you have it or not), but I do care if you monetize your blog and cry money problems in hopes to up your income, yet blog about your super great vacation. Just turns me off and seems skeevy to me. So I personally chose not to read her blog anymore.

I absolutely agree with this 100%. So sick of the monetized bloggers, who mine their lives for $, crying poor, when they are showing "aspirational house porn".

I don't understand, at all, why this blog is popular, but, then, I don't understand the mass popularity of a lot of blogs. Guess I am not their demographic.

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I just spent WAY too much time looking at her blog and my opinions are as follows:

3) I would love to know how a couple that young could possibly afford the house they live in, and all the improvements they have made to it. Remodeling/redecorating rooms one by one, the landscaping. There has got to be some kind of income stream (inheritance?) going on there. That house has to be 7000 sq. ft. I would think. A house that size on a property that appears to be big would be 1.5 million where I live, and that's AFTER our decline in real estate. I would love to know what they pay in utilities. They must have a lot of disposable income to be able to renovate the house and continue to go on vacations. If they truly bought that house for under $300K, I could trade in my 2100 sq. ft. house for that mansion. Wow.

Nah, I'm guessing the house is under 5000 sq feet (livable space, not counting the garage, and any basement space, if there is any- I haven't read enough of the blog to find that out). And, for a large kitchen, there's a serious lack of counter space. Where I live, in the desert southwest, you can easily buy a 5000 sq ft house for under $300K. In fact, there are 4000 sq ft houses for sale in my neighborhood for $180K (or less if it's been sitting for long).

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For whoever was wondering if she lived in Georgia, you were right. It says on her blog that she lives in Loganville. (Which holy shit, some of my in-laws live in Loganville -- off to stalk their facebook pages to see if they know them.) For those of you not in the greater metro-Atlanta area, it's only a small trek to Atlanta. It's in Gwinnett county, which is a little northeast of Atlanta/Fulton County.

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I lived not too far off from Gwinnett County last year, and Georgia Power had some mighty expensive electric (added surcharges for that new nuclear plant they're building). I live in a house with 500 more square feet, insulated more poorly now in KY and it's half as much as GA Power cost me. I'm guessing in the summer she has $700 electric bills... probably can't afford that pottery barn furniture for the dining room.

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I'm oddly fascinated by people who are figuratively in my backyard (*cough* Lyndsay *cough*), so I've snooped around a bit. It says her husband is a preacher's kid and now I'm dying to know which church they go to and what her husband does for a living. And no, I'm not shocked if their house is a forclosure, Gwinnett county is full of them.

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Yes, the house was a foreclosure. She has claimed that the house is a little under 4000 sq. ft. The house was stripped of some pretty important things when they bought it - the water heater was gone, the main power line was cut (and there was a large exposed cable just hanging in the basement), bathroom fixtures, including toilets were gone or never installed. I was able to read her archives when I found her without wanting to punch things. Now however, every time she posts, she's just so smug. Gah.

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