Tag: Lifestyle

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

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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

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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)

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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

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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

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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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Aerial View from Across the Lake, to Royalview

Good day friends!

Today’s post is a bird’s eye view from (literally) across the lake, to Royalview.

These photos were captured prior to us purchasing Royalview. They were on our home’s listing and really brought joy to our hearts, to see the area from this vantage point.

And speaking of “bird’s eye view”, we have seen a couple of eagles that must live here in the area. We look forward to getting to know about all the wildlife here. When we first moved in we could hear coyotes howling, and did see one on the road one evening. That was fun. We of course do have squirrels and birds. We’ve seen a few ducks on the lake, and there is a very friendly neighborhood cat that was our first new “neighbor” to pay us a visit. He is known by our other neighbors and everyone seems to take care of him. We do not know what his name is, but we’re calling him Carlton.

We’ll be back soon with moving in updates and pics. We’ve been busy this week with contractors coming by to put in bids for things that need to be done on the outside. There will be power washers out tomorrow. We’re really looking forward to the outside getting cleaned up. Will post some before/after pics. It’s sure to be a big transformation.

Till then, take care and stay joyful!

Johanna and Willie

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Hello, and Welcome to Across the Lake, to Royalview

Hello everyone! So thankful to be here!

My name is Johanna. My husband, Willie, and I just made a huge change (and move) in our lives. We uprooted ourselves from our hometown and home of 31 years, and moved to a (new to us) small Texas town, in which we have purchased our new home, that we’re lovingly calling, Royalview.

We have been on a soul-searching and across-Texas journey for the past 2 years, longing to be a part of a smaller community, and to be in an area that still possesses a good amount of God’s natural beauty that we can enjoy right outside our own home.

We are both still pinching ourselves to believe the wonderful blessing that we have received in finding Royalview, and now being able to call her our home. Royalview is a 4 year old custom built home that sits on a hilltop, overlooking a beautiful lake.

We invite you to join us, in this new leg of our journey, as we get moved in (official move in date was December 18, 2024), get things fixed up, decorated (inside and out), and also as we get familiar with our new surroundings here, and around our new hometown.

Willie and I are in our early 60’s. Well, Willie is. I will be joining the 60’s club here in January. We have been married for 41 years, and are very excited to be embarking on this adventure together.

Introducing, Royalview:

We are loving the hilltop view of the lake.

View from our front door steps.

View from our driveway.

We will be sharing a lot more photos of Royalview in upcoming posts, sharing the inside of our home, as well as our backyard area. There are a lot of fun projects coming up, so we hope you’ll come along for all the excitement.

Sincerely,

Johanna and Willie

acrossthelake.blog

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