Blessings and Raindrops

seeking joy in the midst of the ordinary

Fresh Perspective for the second week of December.

1 am found me tossing and turning. As the clock ticked, I wrestled with sleep. As it always goes, the more I tossed and tried to will myself back to dreamland, the more elusive sleep became. My mind wouldn’t shut off. This weekend finds us busy and I knew this morning would be packed with all-the-things. We have out of town guests arriving, parties to host, projects near finishing (and last minute details to be covered), decor to hang (this year, Christmas decorating has been a progressive thing), cards to address and send, gifts to buy, gifts to wrap, food to prepare, on and on….

This morning, equipped with caffeine in my mug, I sat for a quick read and prayer time before tackling the to-do’s. Rather than the few minutes I had planned for, I still find myself in my favorite chair by the warmth of the fire an hour later processing. Jesus stopped my swirling thoughts and met me here.

Assuming I’m not the only one who needs these words today, I had to share this brief-yet-poignant thought from IF: Emmauel Advent Study:

If the second week of December has you feeling frantic, a little behind, and weighed down, be spurred on by the words Moses had for the Israelites when they too felt truly overwhelmed: “Do not be afraid…the Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:13-14 NIV). The words Jesus spoke to His disciples hours before his death were, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27). Peace won’t magically wrap the presents, it’s true, but it will set the tone for the encounters others have with Jesus through you, which is the very best gift you can give.”

Filled with fresh perspective (it really doesn’t matter if the garland is lying in a pile on the porch rather than draped over the door frame and my guests don’t care if the dryer is full of laundry yet to be refluffed – always refluffed – and folded), I am ready to tackle the necessary tasks before me. Yes, there are things that must be done today, but rather than frantically trying to do it all with a resentful heart, I can rest in the peace He gives abundantly. I can view the list of to-do’s from an eternal perspective and determine which items can fall to the wayside.

I recently read this quote and it resonates so deeply with my desire for our home this holiday season (and always):

“Hospitality is when someone leaves your home feeling better about themselves, not better about you.” 

May this second week of December find us all worrying less about perfection and more about creating a warm and safe place for others to feel loved.

Trust Him.

As I sit by the glow of the tree, steaming coffee in hand, reading about hope and fear and faith… I glance up, right into these eyes.

My Sylvie girl… the ornament we hung five years ago, with aching, hopeful, anxious, longing hearts. Our first Christmas with a daughter across an ocean. We didn’t know of the fight in front of us. We didn’t know the days of waiting would turn to months and the months would turn to years. We only knew God called us to say yes to this little girl, yes to an unknown path, yes to hurting and pain and loss and boundless love. He also continually whispered the words I read again just this morning before looking up to the tree and this ornament, “Don’t be afraid. Just trust me.” (Mark 5:36b)

Don’t be afraid.

Just trust me.

I don’t know what you’re facing today, as we enter the season of Advent and walk toward Christmas Day. But I know when you are grieving or longing for healing or waiting for your baby or hurting deeply, this season can be harder than most. It can be a reminder, not of the Hope we look to, but of the one miracle or unanswered prayer just out of reach. If you’re in the pain, desperate for Hope, hear His words again: “Don’t be afraid. Just trust me.”

He is faithful and trustworthy. His story for us is never our story for us but it is always good. He has a plan and a purpose and every tear and every moment of waiting and hurting will someday be redeemed. Maybe this side of eternity, maybe not. But someday, it will all be made new. That is the Hope we can cling to.

“The Yellow House on the Corner” becomes a home.

**Note: if you’re new to this post – this was written in 2017 when the pilot aired. I don’t want anyone to be confused by the air dates and times!**

I’ve been dying to share all of the details with you about the home transformation from the pilot episode of Almost Home and now that the show has aired, I can share all the photos and details! Apologizes in advance for the ridiculous amount of photos… you know I can’t help myself.

** And, good news! If you missed the episode the first time around (or if you just want to support us again:)), you can catch it this weekend when it re-airs! It will be on HGTV this Saturday, 11/18 at 2pm Eastern/ 1pm Central! **

Dave and I were honored when our friends, Tim and Genessa, asked us to renovate and restore this 124 year-old (3 bedroom/ 1 bathroom) home for their family of five. We have a soft spot in our hearts for historic homes and this house is no exception — it has been a part of our town for over a century and we love all of its quirks and character. Restoring the original charm and updating the home to accommodate a young family of five was a super fun challenge.

EXTERIOR

The exterior trim was an extremely bright yellow – earning the house the name “the yellow house on the corner” with everyone in town. For some reason, the house also had two front doors on either side of the home – one leading into the kitchen and one leading into the master bedroom.

Dave and I wanted to incorporate as many original elements back into the home as possible. We were able keep the overall character of the home in tact, while freshening up the look.

We replaced the rotting front porch, tore out the cement staircases leading up to the multiple front doors and replaced those with one brick walkway and entryway. For the walkway, we used the original brick from the old fireplace inside the house. We kept the original front door (the one that had led into the kitchen) and gave it a fresh coat of paint. I really wanted to keep a little yellow on the exterior and a yellow front door felt like a good compromise from the neon yellow trim. We also removed the strange “extra roof” in the front gable and added a stained glass window our friend Adrian at Olde World Door and Sunshine Glass salvaged.

(Because I have SO many photos, I thought I’d share in gallery form – be sure to click through to see them all!)

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One really unique feature of the house was the original hardware on the doors. Adrian (from Olde World Door and Sunshine Glass) was able to restore the original door knocker and doorbell and reinstall it on the front door for us. The door knob contains a built-in doorbell that still works! It is probably the coolest front doorknob I’ve ever seen! You simply push the button on the doorknob that says “push” and the internal doorbell rings. I’m sure the Newberry kids have had a lot of fun with that feature… (sorry, not sorry, Genessa. Hehe).

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LAYOUT

We really needed to update the layout of this historic home in order to make it functional for a family of five. In order to do so, we moved the staircase entry out of the kitchen and into the living room, then added a pocket door from the kitchen into the new laundry room. We also knocked down a wall in between the foyer and the living room, creating a large and welcoming space as you first enter the home. We also moved the door entering the powder bath out of the master bedroom and into the living room. We completely transformed the attic space from a non-functional floor with one pseudo bedroom, into an entire second floor with two bedrooms, an office and a bathroom.

Because this photo of the schematic in our office was used during filming, we didn’t include the layout of the en-suite master bath and walk-in closet which are now just off the master with an entry in the far left corner. There wasn’t time in our very tight filming schedule to include that portion of the renovation, yet I know there were questions about removing the powder bath entry from the master bedroom so I want to be sure y’all know the Newberry’s have a master bathroom:).

Overall, we went from a 3 bedroom/1 bath home to a 3 bedroom/ 3 bath home with a new office and laundry room.

A gallery of “before” photos…

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KITCHEN + DINING

We modernized the kitchen and dining space for the Newberry family with custom cabinetry, a zinc stove hood, granite countertops and a window seat nook behind the dining table.

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FOYER + LIVING ROOM

After opening up the space, we created one grand room for the Newberry family. We were all disappointed to find the existing chimney was shot, and it wasn’t in our tight budget to install a new fireplace. Even still, I really wanted a cozy fireplace feel for the family and was able to re-use the original mantle as a focal point in the room. I also created this map with the words “Home Sweet Waka” painted on to represent their ties to home here in America and in Uganda, the birth country of two of their kiddos. Waka means “home” in Luganda, which is their kiddos first language in Uganda. It was so important to me to make this first home in America representative of their entire family and to honor the birth country of their adorable little ones.

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POWDER BATH

The original floor plan did not include a bathroom for guests. Yet I wanted to give Genessa and Tim privacy and prevent all of their guests from having to use their master bath, so we reworked the original (super small) bathroom into a powder bath for guests. I found the vanity at a local thrift store and love how it looks in this space!

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MASTER BEDROOM

My goal was for this space to be a quiet retreat for Tim and Genessa at the end of a long day. You can spot the door to the en-suite master bath and walk-in closet to the right of the bed. 😉

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KIDS’ ROOMS

After tearing down walls and reframing the attic space, we created rooms for the boys and for Izzy upstairs. Izzy’s room has such fun angles and cozy nooks throughout while the boy’s room has a custom bed Dave built with a fort underneath. The fort goes back into a closet space under the beds as well. My kids literally cried when they had to crawl out from under there so we could film and reveal this room to the Newberry boys. I think I have Dave’s next project in mind for our own boys’ room…

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OFFICE + BATH

We created two extra spaces in the attic – an office for Genessa and a bathroom for the kids. I love the angles in the office and the kids’ sink is my absolute favorite.

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The Newberry family had lived in Uganda for the past five years, and I cannot tell you how incredibly rewarding it was to surprise our dear friends with their very first home back in America as a family of five. It was an absolute joy!

(I have to give a BIG thank you to two of our producers, Stephanie Ellis and Rachelle Lazzaro, for the photos! I didn’t take a single photo during filming… so thank you both for sharing yours!)

What in the world is Farm Fancy?

I can’t stop scrolling through these gorgeous images of last week’s Help One Now gala at The Berry Farm. Our talented friend Brennon captured the evening so beautifully. I had to share a few with you all because words just can’t convey what a special evening it was.

Words also fall short when I attempt to say thank you to everyone who came to the farm last week to celebrate the good work being done globally by our dear friends at Help One Now. What a privilege it was for Dave and I to open our doors for this evening together. Truly, we are honored and grateful for the incredible community we have here who give of their time, energy and resources so generously.

Prior to Thursday evening, we kept getting questions about what to wear to the event. It was a “gala” but on a farm. Seemed like a juxtaposition. So, we came up with the term “Farm Fancy” for attire. Which was hilarious because no one had a clue what that meant. Clearly #HONFarmFancy has become the hashtag for the evening. Which I love and feels appropriate. Boots and a skirt is about as fancy as I get.

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If you want to learn more about Help One Now, please check out their website and ask me any questions you have! Their model of coming alongside local leaders to resource and empower these brilliant men and women to change their own communities is unique, impressive and the only way to sustain long-term change.

The team at Help One Now are dear friends and truly work every day to serve others. Dave and I (and our kids) have traveled to Help One Now communities in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Haiti and have met the leaders in these countries and have seen the impact of the work being done through a committed group of folks who are crazy enough to actually believe they can change the world. And, the thing is, they are. They’re doing exactly that – changing the world one community at a time. It’s a beautiful thing to be a small part of.