Sweet and Simple Photo Display :: Remodeling This Life

Ranch Redo :: The Painted House (Exterior house before and after photos – my favorite!)

photo from Playing Sublimely

The Most Impractical Room in My House :: Playing Sublimely

Pretty Little Things for Your Walls and Furniture :: The Inspired Room

photo from Nesting Place

How to Accessorize Your Coffee Table :: Nesting Place (it’s easier than you think . . .)

A Beach Cottage & A Vintage Milk Bottle :: A Beach Cottage

(not really a house-y post, but definitely a house-y blog. Every photo smells like the sea. Check her out.)

Enjoy your weekend!

I tend to take photos of stuff like this. Because, hello? How cute. While chatting with Stephanie, she asked me if I am ever intimidated by the fact that my sister is The Nester, and whether or not that makes it hard for me to measure up in my own house.

People actually ask me this question a lot, so I thought it might be helpful to answer it here. As you know, my sister hasn’t always been The Nester. But she has always, always nested. And she’s always been creative, brave and free when it comes to crafting house into home. When I got married nearly nine years ago, I thought those instincts might kick in with me as well. They did not. In fact, the exact opposite happened with me. I became a ball of insecurity, not necessarily in comparison with my sister, more because I lacked confidence in my own taste or ability. I didn’t have that same sense of freedom.

Where my sister would paint a wall, hate it, repaint it, hate it, repaint it, and change her mind, I would leave it white and worry. Afraid to try. Afraid to fail. Afraid. Over the years, she has helped me to know how to think about my house, to not let fear be a motivator, and to give myself permission to fail.

“Is your home a place to be or a place to be careful. If you can’t make a mistake at home then where can you try out something new? If you are determined to worry about something, worry about cancer or a meteorite hitting the earth or the end of the world. DO NOT worry about paint colors.”

~The Nester

You have to admit, she makes a great point. Because the truth is, there is an uncanny parallel between how we approach our home and how we approach our life. The heavy, hovering cloud of fear does not discriminate. If we let it, it will overwhelm all areas of our life, from cancer to curtains. So to answer Stephanie’s question: No, I am not intimidated by the fact that my sister is The Nester. If you have met her, you will I’m sure agree that she is simply not an intimidating person. But there have been times where I was envious of her freedom. I wondered why I couldn’t just let go and live in my home and feel free to make it rather than letting it undo me.

I sincerely hope this doesn’t sound too cheesy or dramatic but I’m going to say it anyway. I credit my sister for ushering me into a place of healing and freedom when it comes to expressing myself in my home. I now feel fairly confident in my own taste and style, and it isn’t because she told me what to like or because I copy her. It is because she has encouraged me to try, play, mess up, have fun and try again. I would do well to apply that same philosophy to the way I live my life.

But I am a lazy girl with two books to write. So instead I changed the curtains.

In the two years we’ve lived in this house, the curtains in the kitchen have been changed three times. Currently, they are dressed in this buffalo check from Country Curtains. They have brightened up my writing space quite nicely. And it has been a much easier change than re-painting the top cabinets.

For more mantel inspiration, visit my sister at Nesting Place.

I wasn’t going to have a linky but then my sister told me about this image linky that works the same way as the others and thought it might be fun to try it out. So I’m taking a risk at being that girl with all the linkys this week. Still, I look forward to seeing what home is for you.

I love the idea of doing a 365 project where you take a photo everyday. Maybe next year I’ll discipline myself to do that. One thing I’ve been doing in place of that is to take snapshots of home, of the familiar corners and quiet spaces that make up these walls where we do life. The memories captured and framed out on shelves, the faded pillow fabrics and even the overflowing toy baskets all make up this place where our souls to breathe, and its rhythm and pulse changes as we do. I don’t want to forget what it is now, so I plan to post glimpses of home on Fridays. Want to join me?

Welcome and Merry Christmas! It’s time for the annual Christmas Tour of Homes at my sister’s place, the one she so happily inherited from BooMama. I’m so naggy and little sistery to be first on her linky (tee, hee!) I always look forward to walking through other people’s houses for these tours because it satisfies both my creativity and my nosiness. Here’s to hoping no one spots the blanket fort I forgot to clean up before I took the photos.

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Thanks for nosing around my place. You’re always welcome here. Feel free to find out a little more about this space, but I have a feeling you are busy breezing through other people’s houses. I know I am.

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*The mini pre-lit tree, the Jesus sign and the Christmas cards are all from DaySpring. The kids table I got at a yard sale, chairs from TJ Maxx. The color on the walls is Tobacco Road. The fort was free.

Here is the front living room when we first considered buying the house. And just behind that wall on the right is the crematorium back living room.

I think dark paneling must have been the law in 1964. And wood burning stoves that get to be ten million degrees. Here is the room now.

Let’s see that again, shall we?

The room the night before construction…

…And the room now. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. And Amen.

**For anyone who is under the false impression that The Man and I did this ourselves, let me give you a hearty laugh and a firm never-in-a-million-years. They are called Billy and Walon and they work magic.

I have nothing to offer today but this little preview of our living room. The wall is down! I’ve been measuring and sitting and staring and thinking. And then I move to the other side of the room and measure and sit and stare and think. This is most definitely my idea of a good time. It’s like I have half a new house. I’ve secretly been scoping out other walls in our house, wondering what if we just…?

(Just kidding, honey. I’m not really doing that. This is our last big project. Really.)

Remember this room from this post? The one where I asked for your advice on knocking out this wall? Well, you spoke and I listened. So now, it looks like this.

One step closer. Of course, the kids immediately brought toys down from the play room to junk it up because being present in an empty room without toys is evidently against kid law. Construction starts on Wednesday. We’re sittin’ on ready, as my sweet, Southern mother-in-law would say. Actually, we’re sitting on nothing if you want to be accurate. Can’t wait to show you after photos. It won’t be long now!

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Bloggy friend Kimba just moved to a new address. I know you read her. Now go update your feeds and check her out!