It’s hard to say good-bye.
“That’s what Momma always says. She says that beginnings are scary, endings are usually sad, but it’s the middle that counts the most. Try to remember that when you find yourself at a new beginning. Just give hope a chance to float up.” – Hope Floats
The house is mostly packed up. The last three years have been reduced to a mountain of boxes and bubble wrap. I’m not gonna lie; I’m emotional as I write this. We’ve poured so much love into our home these past three years. That’s what we all do; we move into a house and make it our home. It really is our hopes and dreams that we pour into every corner. Whether we decorate a little or a lot, it’s these touches that make our spaces uniquely “us.”
The Mean Man and I have poured our sweat and tears into this place; and yes, even a little bit of our blood! Decorating and craft projects are not for the faint of heart! I always joke about how something a simple as hanging a picture can bring us to the brink of divorce. Don’t worry, y’all, we’re 32 years deep into this marriage, we’re too stubborn to let a little thing like a complete renovation of a 1901 Victorian farmhouse come between us. We have a ton of memories of our time in our current home (that will belong to another family come Tuesday). We thought it would be fun to look back at our journey from when we found this house until now.
Looking Back
We found this house in March of 2015. It was just about in the dry and the brick was started. I fell in love with the entryway immediately. The floor plan was great and we actually put in a contract the next day.
We added hardwood floors, a fabulous antler chandelier and started the projects.
The Craft Room
This is really the heart of the house for me. The Mean Man and I have spent an amazing amount of time coming up with ideas to share with y’all while in this room. From shooting video tutorials to brainstorming ideas we’d like to share, this room has seen it all. The new owners wanted this room converted back into a bonus room so we were happy to oblige. We have packed it all up and are excited to do it all again in the new old house.
The Laundry Room Makeover
We next tackled the laundry room. It was a nice-sized but not functional room. We did a faux shiplap wall and added awesome industrial pipe shelving. It went from blah to fabulous in a few short days!
Dining Room Style
I love the sweet, romantic look of our dining room. It’s a pretty feminine room, the most in the entire house. From the antique plates on the wall, to the pretty flowers on the table, it’s just pretty.
I Even Explore Bathroom Style
The decor of most of our house is Texas, pure and simple. We even carry this theme into our guest bathroom. Don’t scrimp on your style! The bathroom is a great place to start if you’re a beginner. Make it great, make it you!
I adore our bedroom!
This is my place of peace. I love how we managed to make this room not only comfortable for me, but not so girly that The Mean Man can’t be comfy too. He helped me create the awesome hanging mason jars that are over the headboard. I mean, let’s be honest, he created the board the mason jars hang from, I added the jars and flowers.
Outdoor Living was my Favorite!
We expanded our living area to the backyard by adding a pavilion, gazebo, and swimming pool. We generally spent almost every weekend in the fall under the pavilion watching college football. The Mean Man would set up four TVs out there so we could watch all the games. Lot’s of cheese trays and bottles of wine were consumed on these days.
We got dressed up for the holidays!
And into the great unknown!
“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” -Thoreau
And so now the time is upon us; the time of which we move on to the next adventure. One that will allow us an opportunity to have a fabulous home that moves us closer to our grandchildren (for now anyway, you know the Air Force makes some decisions for us). This adventure will allow us a bit more financial freedom; which is always a good thing. We expect to face a few obstacles along the way, but we intend to share the ups and downs with y’all and hope that maybe our experiences will help to spare y’all from the same ones should you venture in a similar direction.
Get ready for projects, projects, and more projects! We’ll get started as soon as Wednesday- that’s close day. Pray for us, we could use all the help we can get. And most of all, thank you for being on this journey with us. We can’t wait to see what the future holds. #WingingIt
Danna
April 17, 2018 @ 2:43 pm
I love your Victorian house. That’s my dream home but since ours is paid for I’ll keep the one we have. I can’t wait to see the updates you and The Mean Man do. My mean man loves doing crafts with me and decorating. He’s always coming up with new ideas. I’m the one who keeps telling him to slow down because I don’t want anymore clutter. I just got rid of clutter. LOL
Kelly
April 17, 2018 @ 3:10 pm
Danna- I love this! It’s so special when you can share hobbies with your spouse. My Mean Man indulges my whims and ideas and makes me better. We’re so blessed to really enjoy working together (although we definitely get sideways with each other through the process!). I’d love to have a house and no mortgage. That’s one of the reasons we bought our lovely new/old house. We can have it paid off in a short amount of time- I sure don’t want a mortgage when I’m 80! Thanks so much for taking a moment to stop by and chat. I’m glad you’re along for the ride. Blessings! -Kelly
Barbara
April 10, 2018 @ 12:30 pm
Can’t wait to see what all you guys are going to be doing. Love older homes. Will say a prayer that everything goes well.
Kelly
April 11, 2018 @ 1:45 pm
Barbara- We are just trying to wrangle problems at the moment! I can’t wait to get to the fun stuff (decor) in a couple of weeks. Our cabinets are being built and will hopefully be ready to go in by the end of the month. Once the kitchen is together, things will really start happening. I’m glad you’re along for the ride. Thanks so much for stopping by. Blessings- Kelly
Donna
March 26, 2018 @ 12:08 am
You are so fortunate your Mean Man helps you with projects! My Mean Man says (in a mean voice) “That is not necessary!” and does his own thing. So, I pick my battles carefully. Enjoy your new home!
Kelly
March 26, 2018 @ 9:55 am
Donna- The Mean Man is an awesome partner in crime for sure! He really enjoys the projects that we do so I don’t have to fight him to get something done. There are other areas that I definitely have to choose my battles! I think every marriage is like that. We’re just blessed that we truly enjoy working together. I’m glad you stopped by! Blessings. -Kelly
Carolyn Gregory
March 25, 2018 @ 10:34 pm
Thanks for carrying us along with you. I really like the older home, and look forward to all the renovations that you show us.
Kelly
March 25, 2018 @ 10:51 pm
Carolyn- I appreciate those kind words so much. Thank you. I’m so glad you’re along for the ride! Blessings- Kelly