Entertainment Center Decor

Entertainment center with Samsung 55 Inch Smart TV (tv from Amazon) Paid Link. https://amzn.to/4boBmCJ
Samsung 55-Inch Class 4K HDR Smart TV (Paid Link)

It’s beginning to look and feel more like home, here at Royalview!

We are really enjoying getting everything set up, and we’re also beginning to decorate here and there. Some of the decor for our entertainment center are things that we brought with us, and some are new. I suspect that this centerpiece will be an on-going project, but at least we have filled the blank spaces for now with some cute things.

The one “big” thing that had to be filled was the center tv area. We arrived at Royalview with a much smaller television, but soon realized that between the size of our living room, and the size of our new entertainment center, we had to go big in regards to tv size. Willie was very happy with this situation, especially with the Super Bowl right around the corner. This was a must get-now item.

We shopped on Amazon, which is our go-to, especially for items that we would like to receive quickly, and found the Samsung 55-Inch Class 4K Crystal UHD DU8000 Series HDR Smart TV w/Object Tracking Sound Lite, Motion Xcelerator, Ultra Slim Design, Gaming Hub, Alexa Built-in (UN55DU8000, 2024 Model), and said perfect!

Also perfect, (which was actually the first time we realized that Amazon had this service), was their delivery + set up package for this tv.

Samsung 55-Inch Smart TV (Paid Link)

The guys showed up on-time, were super friendly, and got it all unwrapped and set up very quickly. We are super happy with everything! They turned on the set and explained how to get everything started, and gave us the little manual for the television as well.

The tv was really easy to set up. We followed the instructions on the screen and got signed in to all our streaming services.

Samsung 55 Inch Smart TV from Amazon. (Paid Link) https://amzn.to/4boBmCJ
Samsung 55-Inch Smart TV (Paid Link)

We are loving it, and can now see the tv very well. Plus the entertainment center looks much better with the larger tv. It even covers up the internet wires on the wall behind it. Bravo!

Entertainment Center with Samsung 55 Inch Smart TV. Paid Link https://amzn.to/4boBmCJ
Samsung 55-Inch Smart TV Paid Link

We also purchased a couple of cute little faux plants from Amazon to put in the middle shelves, and the most adorable little stands to go with them.

The plants came as a pair, both being in white ceramic pots, and the stands we purchased separately. These can all be used in different areas of the house, together or apart. They’re very versatile.

Faux Ivy Plant in White Ceramic Pot (stand sold separately) Paid Link https://amzn.to/4k7D6nO
Set of 2 Faux Plants in White Ceramic Pots Paid Link
Faux Houseplant on a Decorative Pedestal Stand (sold separately) Paid Link https://amzn.to/41lRAcb
Decorative Wood Riser Pedestal Stand Paid Link

The little stands are a perfect fit with their distressed white-wash look and darker wood legs. So cute!

Next thing on our list for the living room is an area rug to tie everything together. You can see in the delivery pics the area rug that we brought with us. It’s lovely, but no longer matches, so it will have to be utilized elsewhere.

Okay gang, till next time, stay safe, and follow your joy! God is truly good!

Johanna and Willie

acrossthelake.blog

Entertainment Center Decorations and TV, Samsung 55-Inch Smart TV, Amazon Finds, Home Decor, Faux House Plants

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Front Porch Decor at Royalview

Artificial Topiary Cedar Trees from Amazon (Paid Link)

It’s been really fun shopping for front entryway decorations for Royalview.

I knew I wanted faux plants, and the main reason why, is because I have the opposite of a green thumb. Willie gets good laughs from this fact. I love plants so much. I don’t know what’s up with my efforts, because I certainly try…

So, artificial entryway greenery, it had to be, and of course we needed a beautiful front door mat that ties in with the colors we’re utilizing indoors.

As soon as I saw this CHICHIC Door Mat, I knew this was the one. I love the mosaic design and the colors are so gorgeous in blue and beige tones! It has a nice heft to it, and it’s been wonderful, even during some of our recent storms. The size is 24×36 and it weighs 7.2 pounds. We love it!

CHICHIC Door Mat from Amazon (Paid Link)

For our plants, I was so happy to find a pair of cedar trees. I searched for a while to find just the right look and size for us, and I really like the size of these trees (height and width). I chose 3 ft. trees, but they also come in 4 and 5 foot tall varieties. They really do look real. I already received the highest compliment from my niece, Amy, who, when I was telling her about ordering these, she replied, “They’re not real?” We’ve been interviewing landscapers recently, and they’ve commented favorably on our entryway trees. And we of course are very happy with them, so yay!

Classic Home and Garden Spartan Urn from Amazon (Paid Link)

For our pots to hold our beautiful trees, this was a more difficult decision it seems, but when I came across these cast iron look planters, we knew they would contrast well since our home is detailed in black. These are not a stark black, but have a more “worn” iron look. They appear to be very heavy, but they are not. They do have a nice heft to them, but they are easy for me to lift and put into place. These are made of  a silicone, polypropylene, and stone dust blend. 

The urns arrived already assembled, so we were ready to go!

Artificial Topiary Cedar Trees from Amazon (Paid Link)

The cedar trees did arrive needing to be assembled, but it was very easy. Everything was wrapped up very well. The trees are put together like a Christmas Tree, with the top part fitting right into the bottom connection. The plants came in their own pots and are set in cement, so they are a nice weight. We fluffed out the branches (they have an instructional provided to show you how). The branches need to be going upright to give them a real cedar look. It’s not difficult to do, as they look best a bit unkempt to seem more natural.

Before putting the cedar trees in the urns, Willie drilled holes in the bottoms of the urns for drainage.

Once we had placed the tree pots into the urns we added white rocks, and now they aren’t going anywhere. They are very steady and stable. We are loving the whole look together.

We are debating adding chairs to our front porch, and which type. We’ll keep you updated of course.

In our conversations with landscapers, we may add a swing or a bench or two to the bottom of our hill area, so we’ll see what kind of look comes together for everything.

Till next time, stay safe, and follow your joy!

Johanna and Willie

acrossthelake.blog

Links to our Amazon finds:

CHICHIC Door Mat

Artificial Topiary Cedar Trees

Classic Home and Garden Spartan Urn

Front Door Decor, Front Door Decorations, Artificial Plant for Front Door, Faux Cedar Trees, Faux Cast Iron Planting Urn, Beautiful Welcome Mat in Blue Tones

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View from Across the Lake

Willie and I had a fun time yesterday, adventuring around to the other side of our lake. It is so beautiful!

There is an area for residents to visit, with a pavilion, boat ramp, and picnic areas.

I could stay out here all day, taking in the beauty. It was an overcast day, but it was still so gorgeous, and it was nice and breezy.

I was very excited that I could see our home. I was able to zoom in and capture Royalview, across the lake.

There she is, high upon her hill, overlooking all the beauty.

I also got a pretty good shot through the pavillion (from the road).

I can see the pavilion from my kitchen window, so we are directly across from each other.

We drove around the lake soon after we moved in and saw the side of the pavilion, but it wasn’t until yesterday that we found the right road to continue all the way around. I’m so glad we did. I think we’re going to have a wonderful time visiting this area often, and bringing guests as well.

Till next time, stay safe, and follow your joy!

Johanna and Willie

acrossthelake.blog

Lakeside View, Lakeside Pavilion, Conroe, Texas, Lake Conroe Area

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Choosing Furniture for Royalview

Such a fun, and important part of our move, has been, and still is, choosing furniture pieces for our new home.

We are going for a lake house/French country home aesthetic and vibe. The kitchen island generously included with our home, has been a source of inspiration in the creative process.

We’re really loving the vintage white-washed look, so that is the direction we are going for our wood-tones.

We decided before we moved that we wanted to keep our dining room table and chairs as well as our coffee and end tables that we’ve had since we moved into our former home back in the 90’s. Everything is still in very good condition. The color was the only issue, so we had all the Hunter Green areas painted white. This was done outside our former home in our driveway.

The transformation was amazing, and we are both very happy that we made the choice to preserve our wooden furniture pieces. Here they are now, in our new home:

Willie and I also made the decision to not bring much of our other furniture pieces along, so we did some shopping before our move, for our living room furniture so that we would have something to sit on soon after our arrival. We purchased a living room set consisting of a couch, love seat, and 3 chairs, which were delivered the day after we moved in. We went with a blue toned set to fit in with our theme.

Soon after our move-in, we went furniture shopping again, this time for bedroom furniture, as well as an entertainment center, plus we both had been wanting an electric fireplace.

We had great luck in finding pieces that really appealed to us.

We really loved the look of this set, with the distressed white-washed wood, and thankfully this is real wood, so yay! Look at the tops on these pieces, so beautiful!

And the attention to detail. I love the brass handles.

We came across a really pretty entertainment center that came with an electric fireplace insert. So fabulous!

Of course, we choose the white-wash finish. We were really excited to have found these pieces, and before we left, we came across some beautiful bar chairs that go very well with our repainted dining room set, so we chose 4 of these to really bring the look together.

Nice! Let’s get it all to Royalview!

Things are progressing very nicely here, and at a good pace. It’s going to be really fun when we begin to get into all the decorating ideas/details. But we have a good foundation going, and we’re liking the look of all the colors/styles that we’ve chosen thus far.

Till next time, stay safe and follow your joy!

Johanna and Willie

acrossthelake.blog

Furniture Shopping, Lake House Furniture Ideas, French Country Home Style Decor, Furniture Refinishing

2

Fun Photo Shoot Day at Royalview

Capturing the vibe of Across the Lake, Royalview, and emoting more of our personalities…

Those were our goals yesterday, and I believe we met that, with a lot of help from our dear nieces, Amy and Loralie.

They are bright lights in our lives, and bring us much joy! Loralie had jokes at the ready, to keep us laughing, and it worked! Just having them around keeps us smiling.

Amy also acted as our stylist, and she hit it out of the ballpark with the right look to capture the vibe of our lives now at Royalview.

We had such a lovely day. The temperatures here in Texas were in the 80’s, and we enjoyed sandwiches, and a delicious Across the Lake cake.

Here are some of our favorite moments from the day:

Willie and I look forward to sharing much more content with you about our journey here at Royalview. We are enjoying every moment and are very grateful to all the wonderful people who have helped us along our way.

Today’s special thank you’s and shout outs are to Amy and Loralie! You ladies are the best, and we love you dearly!

Johanna and Willie (Aunt J. and Uncle Willie)

acrossthelake.blog

Fun, Photo Shoot, Lakeview Home, Texas Lake Home

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Dining In our New Home

AELS Melamine Small Salad Plate and Bowl in Light Blue (Amazon Associate Paid Link)

So thankful to be settling in and getting back to a more normal routine in our new home.

I was just speaking with my Niece, Amy, about how crazy our eating habits had become during our travels searching for a new home, and then getting ready to move, and then moving, etc. etc., and how glad I am to be back to planning and preparing meals. It’s still busy around here, but we are finding more time to do meal prep, so it’s getting better every day now.

AELS Melamine Small Salad Plates and Bowls (Amazon Associate Paid Link)

A new (and pretty) addition to our home is our Melamine dinner set. These have been so wonderful, and go with the vibe of Royalview so well.

AELS Melamine Small Salad Plates and Bowls (Amazon Associate Paid Link)
AELS Melamine Dinner Plates Light Blue (Amazon Associate Paid Link)
AELS Melamine Dinner Plates Light Blue (Amazon Associate Paid Link)

These Melamine dishes come in a 20 piece set (Plates, Salad Plates, Bowls). They are lightweight and easy for me to handle, but yet very sturdy (a lot more sturdy than the paper plates we began with), and we both adore the design. They are so well done, they look like ceramic dinnerware.

In case you’re wondering why the dinnerware advertisement, Willie and I have decided to become Amazon Associates during our journey here. Amazon has been such a wonderful way for us to shop easily during/after our move, so we thought we’d love to share some of our favorite finds along the way, that you may love as well.

But, yeah, definitely a fun set. We’ve been enjoying them very much.

We look forward to getting our new kitchen all set up. I’m sure Amazon will be a huge part of getting everything organized in our cabinets, kitchen drawers, and pantry, and we look forward again, to sharing with you along the way.

Till next time, be safe, and follow your joy!

Johanna and Willie

New Amazon Associates! Yay! We’re very excited!

acrossthelake.blog

Dinnerware, Melamine dishes, Food Pictures, Amazon Shopping, Home

AELS Melamine Dinner Plate – Light Blue – Cracked Ice Pattern (Amazon Associate Paid Link)
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A Busy Day at Royalview

Can you hear the construction going on over here?

Hey everyone! Things are moving onward and upward at Royalview. Yesterday was a hub of workers and excitement.

We had a propane tank delivered, and gutters installed.

A couple of weeks prior to the propane tank being delivered, there was prep work completed, and also a generator installed, including electrical work to get everything ready.

One of the things that Willie and I promised ourselves before moving is that we would definitely get a whole house generator installed as soon as possible. If you’re anywhere in the general Houston, Texas area you know the reason behind that promise to ourselves. If not, well, we’ve been very attractive to hurricanes these past few years, as well as some winter weather situations that this region is not accustomed to, resulting in multiple (long lasting) power outages.

Okay, on with the show!

I did capture a couple of photos when the ground-work began:

We had 2 sites behind Royalview that were prepped and cemented. Our generator contractor is Texas Direct Generators, LLC, owned by Mr. Alex Martinez and his partner. These guys have been on-point with everything.

The generator was delivered a few days after the cement had time to set, and yesterday our propane tank arrived. This was a necessary step since Royalview is all electric, and the generator runs on gas.

We are leasing the propane tank from a company called Suburban Propane. We wanted to be sure to give Suburban a shoutout since they have been super nice and we had to call around for a propane company that would lease a tank for generator purposes only. Some require that you have at least 2-3 other things that will run on propane.

Thank you Suburban Propane! You guys are the best! Everyone there is so friendly. We had a lady that came out to survey where the concrete was to be laid, to make sure everything was a safe distance from the house and from each other before any work began.

Our other project going on at the same time yesterday was the installation of gutters. I really enjoyed this process. I never knew that gutters could be so cool. I thought they always came standard with a home, but I found out that is not the case, and the company we hired actually custom made the gutters just for Royalview, on site! They had a machine in their truck that made the gutters. Not just measured them, but fabricated them.

And these guys were brave. Getting up on ladders on our hilltop.

Mr. Smith and his crew were fabulous. They arrived around 8:30 am, and worked till 2:00. The crew consisted of his Son, and another employee, Marty, who also does gutter cleaning and repairs.

The name of Mr. Smith’s company is Smith Seamless Gutters. A huge shoutout and thank you to these guys. Mr. Smith came by and gave us an estimate, and they were at work the next morning fabricating and installing the gutters. We got to pick out our colors. Black and white of course, but Mr. Smith showed us the “white” samples, and Linen was a perfect match for the downspouts.

We cannot even see the black gutters unless we really look for them. Oustanding job!

Royalview is beaming and beautiful.

We are truly thankful to have gutters in place now. It’s been raining quite a bit here lately, so they are a very welcomed addition, as are the generator and propane tank.

Willie has future plans that include an outdoor kitchen, so I’m sure that propane tank will be put to good use! Not to worry Suburban Propane! (Winks**)

Till next time, be safe, and follow your joy!

Johanna and Willie

acrossthelake.blog

Propane Installation, Generator Installation, Gutter Installation, Conroe, Montgomery, Willis, Texas

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Finding the “Right” Texas Realtor on our Journey to Royalview

That was one of our biggest challenges.

Hey everyone!

If you’ve shopped for a new home, I’m sure you know exactly the challenges in finding a realtor who is the perfect fit for you in your journey.

I at first thought that this would be the easiest part of looking for our new home. Willie and I soon learned the realities of this feat.

We were looking in multiple counties across East Texas in our quest for a new home. We came across many realtors, and of course everyone was nice, but we soon realized all the different personalities and different approaches that each one offered. Some favorable, and some not so much.

At that time, we certainly would have loved to come across a blog from someone in the East Texas area who was referring a special realtor that they had found and loved, so we’re sharing this information with you in hopes that it may help in your search and journey.

One of the areas we were considering was the town of Navasota. That’s where I came across Kristin. That was our lucky day!

Kristin is a realtor with Brazos Land Company. I knew from our very first conversation that she knew exactly what we were looking for. We presented her with several scenarios in which we were considering in our search for a home, and/or property. She understood our hopes for our journey and immediately got to work looking up properties to suit our needs.

We of course had been looking online at all the favorite real estate sites and set up searches for ourselves, but Kristin’s vast knowledge of her area was invaluable. Her knowledge extended past that area as well, and into the Huntsville, Bedias, Montgomery, Willis, and Conroe, Texas areas. Our first visit with her at a property took us past Huntsville to Madisonville and then back down through Bedias and Navasota, in which she had a new property that she had just listed and showed us that particular property that same day.

Kristin went out of her way on several occasions to visit properties beforehand since we were traveling from out of town to view potentials. She would take pictures and videos and send them to us to see if we were interested enough to take a trip to see a home or land.

Anything we had a question about, Kristin was always happy to answer us, or find an answer for us. She is so organized, I tell you. I thought I was an organized person, but she keeps everything and can always refer back to information very swiftly and easily.

This came in very handy once we actually found the property of our dreams, Royalview. She walked us through every aspect of the entire procedure and answered questions we had pertaining to the loan process, dealing with lenders, banks, the seller’s realtor, just on an on… She helped us with it all. Honestly, we couldn’t imagine our journey here without her.

After finding Royalview, she helped us with finding contractors, getting quotes for work that needed to be done, meeting us and contractors right before we signed, and then also meeting contractors on our behalf after we signed. She met contractors here and let them in for us. She would stay until the work was complete, contact us to let us know how things went, and locked up after the workers left.

Kristin helped us with tax appeal issues, and sent us all the necessary documentation we needed to file online. She is an invaluable source of information on every single topic necessary for relocating.

Willie and I truly feel like we met more than a realtor in Kristin, we think of her as a true friend.

Kristin McCandless, Brazos Land Company (Non-Sponsored) We love her!

Kristin on Facebook

Till next time, be safe and follow your joy!

Johanna and Willie

acrossthelake.blog

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A New Beginning, Moving to Royalview

Our moving day to Royalview was a whirlwind of excitement for us. We’d been getting ourselves (mentally and physically) ready to move for quite some time, so definitely, we were excited to finally be on our way to our new home.

It’s so nice to begin with a clean slate. We’re looking forward to turning Royalview into a very comfy home.

We did have new flooring put in right before we moved in. Such a big difference (See before photo below). Shout out and thank you to Skinner’s Carpet and Flooring in Montgomery, Texas for doing such a beautiful and timely job for us, coordinating/meeting with us, and getting it all installed prior to move-in. (FYI, Skinner’s Carpet and Flooring is owned by my dear Uncle Russell Skinner. He treats all his customers very well. Not just his Niece and Nephew.)

When we moved, we decided we would begin anew with our bedroom furniture, so our first few nights were spent with our mattress set on the floor.

We had our dining room furniture repainted before moving in. The white areas were previously Hunter Green. We are very happy with the outcome and how the set now fits in with the feel of our new home.

New living room furniture was delivered the day after we moved in. We’re going for a Lake house/French country home style. We’ll see where we end up once the decorating truly begins. I’m looking forward to that part!

By the second night, we were feeling a little more at home.

There are many projects ahead for us to settle in here at Royalview (interior and exterior). We’re looking forward to it all, and also look forward to sharing the progress with you.

Till next time, be safe and follow your joy!

Johanna and Willie

acrossthelake.blog

0

Royalview Shining Bright Again

Hello everyone!

Purchasing a white house… So, of course we both fell in love with the beauty of the exterior in the listing photos. That was what drew us in for a closer look. Upon our very first visit we were greeted with the actual reality up close. Not going to lie, my first reaction was “Ewwww…. what??”

But she was so beautiful, we both said, “We can get it cleaned!”, and that’s exactly what has been at the top of our move-in to-do list.

I know we’re getting ahead in the sequence of move-in happenings, but this transformation is so dramatic, just with a good pressure wash cleaning and bleach, that this post gets moved up in the line-up.

Here’s the front porch facade before – You’ll see what I mean:

Ewww…. what? ? Yep! She was a bit dirty…

Willie contacted a company called Window Genie (not sponsored), and they came right out. Ty was the lead on this job and he was absolutely fantastic. This turned out to be a 2 day job, and he returned on Saturday to complete everything. Here are some before and after photos:

Thanks to these guys, Royalview is shining bright and beautiful again. We couldn’t be happier.

As we’re getting this blog launched and tuning the details, one thing we’ve decided upon is giving shout-outs to people/vendors who help us along our journey. We will give names of people and companies who have really gone out of their way to be helpful, professional, and friendly. The Category, for future reference is Vendors. And also of reference is our general area. We are in the Conroe/Montgomery, TX area. If you are in this area or are planning to move here, we hope that our experiences can be of some help to you.

So, big thank you to the folks at Window Genie, here is their info:

Till next time, be safe and follow your joy!

Johanna and Willie

acrossthelake.blog

Pressure Washing Company, Conroe, Montgomery, Texas, Home Restoration Project, Lakeview Home

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