good morning all. It is a dreary one here in the Quiet Corner. It is exceptionally quiet which is odd for this time of day. I guess we can blame daylight savings for that one. One child slept late and the other went down for an early nap. So this mama has a few minutes to spare. I am about to enjoy my second glass of iced loveliness this morning and that will help keep me on track:)
So, I have started a new book (among three others I am in the middle of lol) Perhaps you have heard of it?
what a perfect time for me to come across such a great book! I am often pretty negative about the home we live in. It is not OUR house...we actually rent it from my inlaws. It belonged to my husbands grandfather forever...and circumstances happened about 5 years ago that lead us out of our last house and into this one. (family issues etc long story) anyways, thankfully the grandfather offered up this house to us b/c we had no where else to move. It was all a very last minute thing. We were planning a wedding when we found out that my husbands cousin was going to be moving into our "then" house and we had to move out. We had 6 months. We literally got back from our honeymoon and moved. It was a super stressful situation. The house we were in was also owned by the grandfather. Years ago before any of us were around, these houses were tied into the dairy farm the family owns. They are all on the same street. My hubs cousin works/owns the farm with his dad now and it was easier for them and their growing family to be right next door. So, they moved in and we moved out.
 |
| here she is...awkward roof, chipping paint, and empty flower garden |
now, I must say first that we were and are incredibly grateful to have had this as an option. We are lucky to have a roof over our heads, and we do not forget that. We did not have the time nor the funds to find somewhere else to go. We moved into the little "yellow dollhouse" as I refer to it. It was built a long, LONG time ago. It has had some updates to it, but not too much. I am super thankful for the bigger kitchen space. It is nice to be able to actually have a table in there to eat at. We have a decent size yard that allows us room for chickens, gardens, mens and kids toys lol and our pets. However, it is not where we want to stay. It was not really a choice to move here...we just had no other. It is a small house, square in shape. Four rooms downstairs and four rooms up. There is wall paper still in some rooms that we have not gotten to. Our bathroom is the size of my pinky...it is just not where we see ourselves.
this house has a lot of potential...but we cant afford to do all the upgrades, and since we have decided that we want to own our own property we are not going to put any significant funds into updating.
so I go back and forth with hating this house and then sometimes loving it...when it was just me and the hubs it wasn't bad space wise, but now with two littles on the move, it really shows us how much it is lacking in the size department.
 | |
| bathroom...imagine being 9 months pregnant and trying to bathe your toddler! UGH! |
after reading the first few chapters of Melissa Michaels book, I have had time to think...I really need to look at this space in a different way, because chances are for at least the next two years we will probably still be here. And I don't want to focus on all the things I dislike. Melissa says in her book that we need to love the HOME we have...not necessarily the house. What a great way of looking at it. They are two separate things! The house is what we reside in, but the home is what we make. I need to learn to love my home. My husband and my kids are my home.
 |
| perfect little reminder |
instead of focusing on the negative, we should focus on the positives and what we can do to make our space a home for as long as we live in the house. There are actually many little things we can do to cozy our nest up and be happy here for the time being. I had my husband do one the other day! Simple, cheap and something I have wanted for a while.
It is a dark photo (horrible lighting) BUT I wanted plants in the window in my kitchen. Hubs found a piece of plywood, I painted it and he bought the shelf holders at Aubuchons for like 3$ each. On sunny days it looks so nice in the window!!
we also added a small TV in the kitchen (hubs request, not mine) so he added this little shelf and installed the tv. So now at least when Disney Jr is taking over the living room, we can put on some adult noise in the kitchen. You know, like "The Golden Girls" or " That 70s Show" haha. I LOVE the coffee stations I see on pinterest all the time. This is the only spot in my kitchen I can have one. Not exactly how I want it, but works for now. My plan for here is to find some type of vintagey looking fabric and to hang it from the shelf and cover where the radiator is. I've seen it done, its adorable.
I actually did this last year, I painted the cabinets white (they were a hideous dark shade of brown) and removed the doors to a few of them. I love the idea of open cabinets, and when we have our own home they will look 10x better. But I do like this, and for living in an old farmhouse we really have to just take what we can get. You cant see in this picture, but I painted the knobs a coral color. I love pops of color and I try to do it where ever I can.
these are just a few areas of my house and I could go on forever talking about the rest of it. But the point of this post was to say that thanks to this book, it is really opening my eyes to other ways of looking at where I live. I may not love the house, but I should do what I can to make it a home. A place that while we are here, we can enjoy together and while raising a family.
one quote from her book says, "living within your means brings more contentment that struggling to get what you don't have." This is so true for me. When you have only one income, you cant typically afford lavish and brandy new pieces to add to your space. I do a lot of Target trips and Amazon shopping. Sometimes I look at other families homes and I get a little bitter b/c they have new counter tops or have busted down walls and redone their bathroom and we can't do these things right now. But it is what it is. We chose for me to be home with our kids and we knew that losing my income (while not nearly what my hubs brings in) would make things tight. Our choice and I would never change it, but stings sometimes when you see what others can do while you cant.
i'm going to end this by mentioning the 31 day Home Challenge that is inside this book. It is something that I am going to try. I really and truly want to love my home and right now I do not. Sometimes we need to be forced to look at things in a different way and I really think picking up this book was a great idea...I believe it will help me to do so.
if you are interested in the book and/or the challenge...click the link below and have a peek. I am really looking forward to appreciating this little place more than I do...(I'm sorry Little Yellow!)
xo
No comments:
Post a Comment