Remodel Update

First, I want to give a big shout out to Jeff Iverson, who did my new banner. His wife is Jenny Iverson, who has a fantastic blog, called "The Imagination of Jenny Lynne"- you should check it out. When I saw her new banner, I inquired. Jeff did her banner, and graciously offered to help me out with mine, when I expressed to Jenny, how I loved her banner but wasn't that savvy :). He did an excellent job. Thank you Jeff!

A remodel update is in order, but before I get there, I thought I'd give you a little background...

When I was younger, imagining my future life, and even when Bobby and I were newly married, I dreamed of a big house with plenty of room, then lots of babies to fill that space. Somewhere between having two kids, doing two huge moves, having a brain that serious never shuts off, and trying to manage anxiety/panic/and minor depression, I have been forced to rearrange my ideas of a "perfect" life- which doesn't exist anyway- and try to be fully present where I am at, which is really challenging, by the way. I began to appreciate the simple. The joys in my life have not come from the things we have, or the space we dwell in, altogether. The true joy I have found comes from the people I love, and the roots I have gained in my relationship with Christ. Though it's so fun to tell you about our remodel and show off what we're doing, I don't ever want to come across as someone who has it all together, or has this totally balanced life, and that's why I wanted to write this. To be honest with my issues, and very publicly acknowledge that what I do have, has not come from anything I've done. I'm living one day at a time, asking for refreshment and new mercy every morning because I need it. Big time. This remodel is a gift, beyond what I couldn't have asked for.

I tell you all of that to say that this remodel we are embarking on, is sort of an outer visualization of an inner transformation. What I mean is that my ideas of what I thought my life would be like right now, are different than what they really are. Not bad, just different. And what I want now, is different than what I thought I wanted, then. For my life right now, I don't want a big space to take care, the thought of it makes me anxious and overwhelmed just thinking about it. Though I'm not ruling out the idea of more kids, I also find myself at my max pretty easily with the two I have. And one manifestation of my anxiety is that I am very affected by my environment, and crave less of everything- toys, stuff, clutter, etc... All of that leads me to one word. "Simple." This remodel is the simplifying of our life as a family, and my life as an individual. We are moving into smaller square footage, and I couldn't be happier. We are purging what isn't necessary, and I couldn't be happier, and we are making a real home for ourselves, and I couldn't be happier. All of the outer things that are being done are also the things being done is my heart. Focusing on what matters, getting rid of what doesn't, learning about what makes me tick, figuring out how to take care of myself, and trying to love Christ and make him my center, my home. Somehow the idea of a new home, so well corresponds with my new perspective on life. Peace on the inside, creating peace on the outside. A new home on the outside, a new home on the inside. It's really cool timing.

See, for all the craziness our family has had in the last 3 years, this new home is really a visual for finally feeling settled, and a little more grounded. Not completely together, but secure- if that makes sense. It's our little nest that reflects the happiness, joy, and fullness that is offered to us and that we feel. All of my expectations I thought I had to live up to, are "whatever" now. My soul is beginning to feel at rest more and more, and even when I am filled with fear, anxiety, and worry, I am more aware now, than I've ever been, that I have access to every resource I could want/need through Christ, and that gets me through anything. Our new little home is simply a reflection of the fullness and wholeness I feel in my life right now, and a reminder that even in the midst of the bad days, I am loved, cared for, taken care of, and safe.

Now that I've spilled my guts, you can see why I've so enjoyed this process and am putting so much energy into our new space. It's quite near and dear to my heart.

Here is what I have so far. More pictures to come as everything starts coming together. Enjoy! And feel free to comment with any brilliant ideas you think I'd like :)

*Let's start from the beginning. Aren't these black doors to die for?! I had been trying to figure out what color to paint our front door, waiting for a vision, and then I saw this beauty-the one with the wreath, on my favorite blog, www.jonesdesigncompany.com, and just knew this was the "one." ;) I'll post some pictures of our door when we actually paint it, but until then, here is my inspiration for our entry door.

*For a gal who doesn't love cooking, I am very excited about our kitchen. Well, mostly about making it look pretty. I'm grateful for a husband who likes to cook, and is good at it. Lucky for him, I don't mind cleaning. A match made in heaven. Here is our kitchen accent color.

 

Quiver Tan- Sherwin Williams

Kitchen Accent Color Around Cabinets

A clay-brown neutral color- swatch not completely true to color

*Our kitchen cabinets are going to be white. I love the feel of a cottage, and nothing makes me think "cottage" more than beadboard. Beadboard cabinets it is! I absolutely LOVE the look of open cabinets, and we talked about doing then, and maybe someday I'll be sane enough to pull it off, but I think they would make me more obsessed about order than I already am, so for my well-being the doors are a must for now :).

*I think a good backsplash is so fun. I'm really diggin' "subway tile." Matte Black is what we settled on to go underneath the cabinets, with a lighter colored grout so you can see the definition in the tiles- not unlike the black tile picture shown. We'll probably do a more gray-ish white grout. Allow me to show you the inspiration...

 

*We're doing granite tiles in the kitchen and bathroom. Same tile in both. Here's the winner. Neutral and incorporates all the colors we're using. Cream, black, brown, gray.

*I hate carpet. No, wait. I loathe carpet. That may not even be strong enough word. We're only putting it in the kids rooms to keep them warm. Everything else is a beautiful laminate flooring. How grateful I am we'll be kissing carpet goodbye and welcoming in this....

 

Wide Slat, Long Plank, "Saddle" laminate flooring

                    

Here's another amazing inspiration from Jones Design Company. She entitled this "Painted Wallpaper," and I can't stop looking at it. I am going to attempt this pattern in our bathroom. We'll see if I can pull it off. Wish me luck.

 

Amazing, huh?! 

This whole room and color scheme makes me so happy.

*Stripes are so much fun, so we're painting them in Cullen's room. Here is my inspiration for what Cullen's little room will look like. His crib is black, so this color scheme is really close to what his room wil consist of. The name letters are a personal touch that I am SO excited about. Sassy lil' Thangz custom made them for us and I would highly recommend their work. Well done, and great price. 

 

 

                      

  
*Layla's room is stumping me a little bit. Here is bedding that I picked for her and the name letters that match. I'm waiting for color inspiration to strike! I'm really loving neutrals, so I've been looking for the perfect color to pull everything together. I will let you know when I figure it out.

*For mine and Bobby's entire marriage I have accented and decorated with the color red. Well, I'm over it now. I'm all about neutral colors that give warmth and make a room feel cozy. Simple. This is the color I chose for the entire living area, the rest of the kitchen, the dark stripe for Cullen's room, and the base color for the bathroom. At least that's the plan right now. Once it's actually painted, we'll see for sure. This color is in the same color sample sheet that "Quiver Tan" is in, so I think it will be a great match! Let me introduce to you "Wool Skein."

 

Wool Skein- Sherwin Williams

Everywhere color

 A lighter clay-brown color- swatch not completely true to color

   

 Things are moving along well! We think we're about 3 weeks out. Bobby has invested a lot of his time into this project, so ti's been a fun thing for us to have collective energy about. I'll keep you updated as more things happen.

Thanks for letting me share my excitement with all of you. It's fun to share life together.