Home Tour Archives - Blessings and Raindrops

December 16, 2015

a farmhouse christmas. {2015}.

Dave was thrilled to lug all 50 billion totes of Christmas decor down from storage earlier this month {okay, yes, I tend to exaggerate…but it felt like 50 billion}. He was even more thrilled when I decided to dismiss 99.9% of the decorations he had just hefted down a flight of stairs.

This Christmas, I felt a need to simplify. Decor, calendar commitments, gifts… all of it. The Christmas season has increasingly become frenzied, lacking margin to simply slow down and breathe in the good gifts of the season. Recently, I embraced the phrase, “good enough is good enough.” And, do you know what I’ve learned? It’s true. Good enough really is good enough.

This means, my Christmas cards are yet to be mailed. And, if they don’t make it to my loved ones’ mailboxes before the 25th? It’s okay, they were sent with love and, that, my friends, is good enough.

This means, my tree top is all kinds of droopy.

We had the best time cutting down our own tree this year. Dave helped the boys use the saw and we all cheered and yelled, “timber!” as the tree fell. Y’all, this tree. She certainly isn’t the sturdiest thing: ornaments consistently slide off the branches and she has already toppled over soaking the rug in lovely tree water.

Between the flimsy tree branches and all of the little hands in this house, she is most certainly not picture perfect. Even still, we love this goofy tree. She makes us all smile. And, that, my friends, is good enough.

This means, when my littlest love is sick, I let the laundry pile up while I hold her and we sing Christmas carols together.

I know how quickly these adorablely, squishy, hilarious, frustrating toddler years will pass and I do not want to miss a moment. If she wants me to hold her and rock her, I will scoop her up and hold her tight.

So, when I take a photo of the no-frills Christmas centerpiece on our table and notice that I forgot to move the laundry basket out of the shot, it’s okay. I have a table to feed my loves and I have clean clothes for them to wear. And, I have photo documentation of both. That, my friends, is good enough.

This means, when the wreath keeps falling from it’s perch above the kitchen sink and I decide to hang it on the back porch and it falls yet again, I can simply set it on the porch swing. Then, I will still see a pop of color as I’m doing dishes and looking out the window. That, my friends, is good enough.

This means, when I tried to hang garland above the front door {but the darn command hook commercials are big, fat liars because they fall down EVERY.SINGLE.TIME. you hang anything weighing over 0.5 ounces}, I gave up and hung them below the crown molding.

And, then, I snapped a photo to document my accomplishment: I hung the garland that has been laying across my chair for two weeks. Hurray!

But, I tried to open the front door to let the dog out and realized this is not functional. I had to pull down the garland and accidentally ripped off two giant chunks of paint {command hooks! I’m talking to you!} and decided to just lay it across a table and pretend that was the plan all along. Because, well, who really cares about garland anyway? That, my friends, is good enough.

I forgot to take a picture of the second location but wasn’t it pretty above the door for five minutes?

You see, it’s all about perspective. About letting go of guilt and striving and perfection. Slowing down to soak in the joys of this season.

Deck the halls of your home: go all out or simply place a few small branches of pine in a glass jar. Do what is good enough for you.

Keep some blank space on your calendar. Drink hot chocolate in front of a roaring fire {even if the weather is unseasonably warm and you have to open a window before you melt}. Turn off the lights, turn on Christmas music and sing along under the soft glow of the tree.

Read advent devotions to your kids, yet give yourself grace if you miss a day or two (or ten) and do a big catch up on the weekends.

My favorite advent devotional: The Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp. We also read her family devotional during our Jesse Tree readings {this doesn’t happen every night and that’s okay, we do this as often as we can and let go of the guilt. Let’s face it, I can’t remember to do anything consistently every day…}.

Have y’all seen these? They are pretend snowballs for indoor snowball fights. I feel like they are just giant cotton balls but my kids LOVE them.

I’ve had these Christmas glasses since college. I worked at Pottery Barn and would buy the most random things with my discount since I lived in a 10X10 room and had no need for nice things. I’ve never unpacked them until our first Christmas here in the farmhouse because I finally had open shelving. Apparently, they are a classic that stood the test of time since it feels like college was decades ago.

Wishing you all an intentional, joy-soaked Christmas season, my friends. <3

*Today, I’m linking up with Becky at This is Happiness for a Christmas Home Tour.

January 20, 2015

our first home.

I was recently inspired by a project Compass is hosting called “starter stories.” {Compass is a new real estate company based in NYC looking to connect people with their best match for a home. NYC friends- you should check them out!}

As I reflect back on our own “starter” home, I can’t help but smile. We had just moved to Arkansas on a whim, Dave knew he wanted to build homes and his parents had recently relocated to this little corner of the world. His dad had built homes back in Colorado so they decided to start a business here. We arrived with all of our earthly belongings in the back of a U-Haul. We had both quit our jobs and had to return our company cars when we resigned, which left us with the U-Haul truck as our only means of transportation. We scoured the want ads trying to find a place to rent and drove up to the little house that we would call home in the U-Haul. The owner met us there to show us around and then we asked if we could move in. Like, right then. We needed to move in. He looked out front, saw the U-haul in the driveway and gave us the keys.

We spent the sweetest year and a half in that little house.

Did I mention that we were broke? Completely and utterly penniless. Dave bought an old used red truck that we SHARED. You guys. I had moved from Tampa then to Nashville and then to Arkansas. And I was driving a pick-up truck. Life had taken some interesting twists and turns. It was just hilarious. We coordinated schedules and Dave would come home from work when I had a job interview so that I could take the truck to my interview. It took about a month for me to get a new job (that I really loved actually) and Dave’s business started taking off that first year, as well. Things were looking up.

Looking back on photos of that time, I have two thoughts: we look about twelve years old and we had a LOT of fun.

Urban Compass had asked me to share stories of remodels and how we made that little house a home. Honestly, at that time, we were just happy to have a roof over our heads. We settled in and made it cozy but there weren’t any major home improvement projects happening, especially since we were just renting. We painted old furniture and walls and filled the home with new and old friends and family at every opportunity.

Karaoke was a staple. I miss that karaoke machine now that I think of it.

We painted the free table and chairs my parents gave us and used all of the furniture from my old apartment — I was clearly in a red phase. Red at every turn – the walls in the kitchen, the dining chairs and the sofa.

Isn’t it interesting to look back on how our tastes and styles change through the years?

Per his usual, Dave had visits from the local fire department on several occasions. In fact, we have lived in five houses together and we have had the fire department visit every, single one. Without a doubt, the visit to this little house was worthy of re-telling over and over. We still laugh about the time Dave cooked a turkey on “the fire chief” over an open fire in the backyard (why?!?!) and the neighbor called the fire department. We explained the situation and they called it in with the line that is likely still circulating in their break room over laughter, “sir, everything is fine here. He is just… umm… cooking a turkey.”

In the meantime, we were building our first home together. It all felt like a big adventure. We were full of excitement and anticipation of this new place.

We decided on a traditionally southern home and we lived there for three years. This was the home where we held block parties with neighbors and lived the quintessential American suburban life. We borrowed milk and eggs from friends next door, shared dinners together often, and stayed outside until well after dark talking and laughing with our neighbors. It was such a special time.

This was also the home where we struggled silently with the loss of our first pregnancy and each subsequent month brought sorrow and grief.

When the market crashed, we decided to move into a home Dave bought and refinished and I was ready to start fresh. Our life felt like it needed a change. I look back now and see that we moved to this new place where we didn’t really talk with our neighbors and were surrounded by trees and quiet, and it was exactly what I needed. I needed to be still and quiet. I needed to seek God and rest in Him. It was the home where we finally walked through the front door with our babies. It was the home of miracles and answered prayers.

This home had a cozy basement and we added exposed brick everywhere we could manage. There were still darker colors yet it felt right in this place. I was also still clearly obsessed with red.

When the boys were a year old, we moved downtown to the home where we planned to stay. We were done moving.

That lasted three years.

Oh, I loved this house. I went away from all dark colors and wanted bright, clean, fresh rooms. We spent such a joy-filled time in this home. {Home tour photos: kitchen, bedrooms, playroom }.

When we decided to move to the farmhouse, I was ready. We were ready to start a new chapter. I was seven months pregnant and we were still waiting for Sylvie to come home. It felt like our waiting was coming to a close and we needed to get away, quiet our souls, slow down and be refreshed. We found all of that and more out here in this cozy little farmhouse. {Home tour photos HERE}.

Growing up, we lived in the same home my entire life. I loved that house. I can still close my eyes and picture every room, every memory created there in that special place. It’s hard to believe that I have moved this many times in my adult life. I don’t believe I would have planned it this way. But, as is always the case when God leads, I wouldn’t change a thing. Each home brought about a change, a closing of a chapter as well as a fresh start- a blank slate. In decorating and in life. As I reflect back on our journey, I am grateful for these places and how they have imprinted themselves on my heart.

I’ve also had the privilege of learning that a house is just four walls and a roof until you fill it with love and laughter and joy. That’s the good stuff of this life.

What about you? How has your home reflected your season of life? Have you moved often or have you stayed in one place? Are you in your first home now? I would love to hear about your journey!

May 9, 2014

farmhouse renovation. {the kitchen}.

Alright guys, it’s time to start these renovation posts already. I’ll kick it off with the kitchen since it is the heart of our home and where we spend the majority of our time.

I wish I had taken more “before” photos. For some reason, I thought I had taken a few before we moved the house, but I can’t find them anywhere. The oldest photos I have are from February of last year, after the big move…

February 2013.

These photos were taken after we {I always say “we” when I clearly mean “Dave“} removed two layers of ceiling tiles. There were large acoustic ceiling tiles at 7 feet and then another layer of ceiling tiles were removed a foot below the first. Finding the cool beams and wood underneath was like finding a buried treasure. Don’t you just look at these photos and think, “Score! Buried Treasure!”? Me neither. Dave kept assuring me that it would look great eventually. He clearly has the ability to see the “vision.” Me? Not so much. I just see a big mess. {That’s probably a life lesson of some sort…}

We also changed the layout of the kitchen, removed all of the cabinets, and added windows in the dining nook.

September 2013.

A lot of progress had been made at this point. We covered all of the walls in wood wainscot with plans to paint it white. We were able to repurpose a few extra cabinets that Dave had to create a large island.

These windows were all new and added during the renovation.

The entry way in the back of the house. We kept the siding with plans of painting it white, as well. We also kept the original back door.

These cabinets were added along a hallway wall to create pantry space.

November 2013.

Ben and Dave hard at work…

The entry way received a few old lockers for storage {before paint}.

And, after a coat of paint…

The “pantry” cabinets painted.

Also, we were able to keep the original wood floors after we found them underneath the black and white checkered tiles.

Dave also built this new staircase. The original stairs were a rod iron spiral death-trap.

May 2014 {“After”}.

I absolutely love the open shelving. I was worried I wouldn’t like it and would find it hard to keep clean and organized. In reality, it makes my life easier because we use just one set of dishes {instead of a mismatch of several different sets} and they are within easy reach for use and for clean-up.

And, I am officially obsessed with my farm sink. I have wanted one for as long as I can remember but we have never been able to incorporate it into our other houses because of the placement of cabinets. It was worth the wait. 🙂

The floors turned out so amazingly beautiful. I love all of the nicks and dents that have been created over the past one hundred years. I can only imagine how many pairs of feet have walked on these floors. Pretty cool.

Y’all. We splurged on the coffee maker. And, it was completely worth it. In my book: coffee = joy.

We actually “bought” all of the appliances in this home with reward points from a loyalty program that Dave uses for work so we didn’t feel as guilty when we decided to splurge on the greatest invention of all time: a Bosch built-in coffee machine {built into the cabinet pictured on the lower right}. It makes me smile just looking at it. We used to come out here before the house was finished just to drink coffee. Seriously. It is that good.

The “pantry.”

At one point when we first moved in, this was all organized and neat and photo-worthy. That lasted 2.5 seconds. Now it’s messy but I can close the cabinet doors and pretend it’s not. Except that I just shared a photo of the mess…

I love the natural light in this space. We had considered getting shutters for the windows in here but decided to go with cellular blinds that can be pushed up to let in all of this gorgeous light.

This chalkboard has hung in our laundry room for several years. This verse has been the first thing I’ve seen as I walked in the door for the past two years, ever since Beth Moore read this exact verse after I had been guided to these words in a desperate search for God’s hand in our journey.

The laundry room back entry. {Notice Nathan’s artwork displayed so nicely? He is slightly obsessed with duct tape and hangs random pictures all over the house}.

That’s it! I wish you all could just come on over for a hot cup of coffee and a chat. Thanks for coming on a little tour. More to come soon. 🙂

You can read more about this old farmhouse HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Paint Colors:
Kitchen cabinets and walls: Benjamin Moore’s White Dove
Kitchen Island: Sherwin Williams Riverway
Staircase railing: Sherwin Williams Porpoise 7047

June 8, 2012

Show Us Your Life {Kitchens}

Fellow NWA’er Kelly hosts a weekly series on her blog {Kelly’s Korner} called “Show Us Your Life.” I love this series and it’s always fun to see what she is featuring each week.

Today, she is featuring one of my favorite things… kitchen tours! How it works: folks posts photos of their kitchens on their blogs and then share the link on Kelly’s blog.

I LOVE to see other people’s homes…to see how they live and to get new styling ideas.

Decorating our home is an ongoing process for me. I am constantly moving items around from room to room to mix things up. I really don’t buy new house “stuff” often at all. I like to repurpose things I already have and find interesting ways to display meaningful objects. I get bored with decor and find myself making over rooms one section at a time really often. Dave loves when I find a new project for him. He does. He won’t admit it but trust me on this.

So, without further ado…here’s our kitchen!

I took this photo in Pienza, Italy and it reminds me of that magical trip each time I look at it…

I LOVE our butcher’s block counter top that Dave built {ignore the pan burn on the counter… I wasn’t thinking and set a hot pan down. It gives it a “distressed” look…right?}

We have moved this light fixture with us for five years…it’s in it’s third house of ours and it fits perfectly here in our kitchen.

I know. Our fridge is gigantic. We had this same fridge/freezer set in our last house and I couldn’t go back. It is just my favorite fridge in the world.

Our hidden pantry… check out more on the pantry here.

LOVE all the cabinet space in the island 🙂

The Breakfast Nook. Dave built the table and benches and Grandma Marrs made the cushions.
I know. I am SPOILED.
And, I am working on changing out the canvas images above the table of the boys…they are a little “wintery” don’t ya think? I have an old window that I’ll be hanging there soon.

So, that’s our kitchen. Hope you enjoyed the tour!

I actually missed last week’s “Show Us Your Life” series on Living Rooms and I couldn’t resist sharing a few shots… here is our “formal living room” {as if there is such a thing in a house with two two-year-olds and three dogs, really}.

That fun chalkboard there? A little project Dave whipped up for me last night after I saw this. LOVE.

My basket of favorite things…books about Italia… sigh….

I can’t remember where I found this little old chair but I adore it. It’s lived in several rooms of ours and I think it’s found it’s perfect spot with this cute pillow that the boys always try to pull apart. It’s a super fun game.

An image of my favorite sculpture of all-time. Michelangelo’s Pieta.

A chair I’ve had forever. It is my favorite spot to curl up with a good book.

LOVE my new chalkboard. Remember that verse? It brings hope and peace each time I read it.
Also, I am using the galvanized tin from the boy’s birthday party to hold their chalk. Could be dangerous. We’ll see how long this lasts….

I thought I’d go ahead and share family room photos too… I have them because we had to submit home photos with our dossier…so, here they are…

The boys were asleep when I took this. Obviously. Otherwise, that basket of toys would be empty and the toys would be EVERYWHERE.

Our old stove fireplace is one of my favorite things about this house. The bricks surrounding it are from an the first apple cider vinegar plant in an adjacent town, Rogers, AR. We’re so historic. 🙂

See the drawers under the TV? I have toys in one and diapers and wipes in the other. Stuff is hidden EVERYWHERE in this house. You never know what you’ll find. Play-doh in the Dining Room cabinet? Yep. Books and toys under the stairs? Yep. Treasure boxes under the bench in the breakfast nook? Yep. Surprises are at every turn around here.

I snagged this awesome sign from this shop on Etsy.

Some random weed/flower things from our flower bed. I love fresh flowers and try to always have them somewhere in the house.

Whew! Thanks for coming by…I totally feel like you did :).

Next week, Kelly is featuring bedrooms. If I can snag a few photos of bedrooms with beds made, I will share then :).

Have a WONDERFUL weekend!!!!