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Home sweet home!

Deck the Halls

December 18, 2014 Pamela Stephens

Deck the Halls Christmas is in full swing at the Petrus household, and I only barely got the Christmas decor up before the madness of the season arrived. Christmas tends to be a little hectic for us with so many places to be and things to do, but I love every minute of it.

PRESENTS! For the past couple of years, I’ve put up two Christmas trees and since the new house has more space, it was even easier to do this year! The big tree is my “themed” tree. Everything matches, and it’s more decorative. (Shout out to my sister for making me that “P.”) The second tree is more of a hodgepodge of old, sentimental ornaments…most of which were made by my mother. I also put my retro Santa with this tree that I’ve had since I was a little girl and used my Grandmother’s quilt as the tree skirt.

Vase with Mini Ornaments I snagged those Southern Living books at the Nashville Flea Market. Long live the 80s! The jar sitting on top was given to me by my mother-in-law and is filled with mini ornaments that were my grandmothers. I loved finding a way to incorporate those into the decor this year. That vase was something Matthew and I picked up on our trip to Memphis, and he surprised me with those flowers (and strawberry shortcake!) when I got home from a work trip recently. Using the vase here gives me a good excuse to keep fresh flowers through the season!

It took me what feels like forever to decide on mantle decor that I was somewhat happy with. I just couldn’t quite get it right. Those stars are from the same flea market as the books. Thanks to my sister (again) for the “Noel.” I really do hate that my sweet niece got the flu, but I certainly don’t mind all of the handmade decor I ended up with from my sister being trapped at home. Let’s call that a silver lining.

I wish I would have had a little more time to decorate this year because I would have loved to go “all out” for our first Christmas here. No worries though…I’m still happy with the decor that I was able to do and it’s plenty to enjoy while I drink all of the hot chocolate. (Seriously, check out my Instagram feed. I’m literally drinking all of the hot chocolate.)

Chalkboard Tree I hope your Christmas season is off to a wonderful start! And remember, be sure that you don’t get too caught up in the hustle and bustle…it’s time to enjoy this magical season!

P. S. If you’re looking for fun Christmas things to do around the Monroe-West Monroe area, be sure to check out the Christmas on the River website.There’s still a ton of fun Christmas events on the agenda. Oh, and shop local when you can!

I’m Thankful for a New Home

November 10, 2014 Pamela Stephens

The month of November seems like the perfect time to focus on things to be thankful for. I started a series a while back focusing on things I’m thankful for to help myself draw attention to the positive things in my life. A month or so ago, I started a note on my phone with a list of reasons that I’m thankful for our new home. I thought this would help me to not get discouraged with the mountains of boxes and updates we hadn’t gotten to yet. I didn’t really intend on this becoming a blog post, but since this is the month to focus on thankfulness, I thought I’d share with you.

Remember, just because I’m sharing some things that I love about my new home, doesn’t mean that there aren’t negatives. Instead, I’m just choosing to focus on the positive. Hopefully this post will encourage you to search for the positive in your homes too. Even if your current residence isn’t the house of your dreams, I’m certain that there are things you like. Let’s focus on those.

We’ve lived in our new home for a little over three months now. We’ve made a ton of changes in a short amount of time and still have lots to do. In this short amount of time, I’ve found several things that I absolutely love about this house. Here are a few of them:

Natural Light & Blinds: This house has a TON of natural light. The entire living area is filled with light the majority of the day. Windows are abundant, and the blinds are easy to open. I’ve learned that being outside and having lots of light is sort of the key to my overall happiness. I mentioned that a little in this post. If I were forced to live in a dark house with few windows, I’m fairly certain that I’d have to be medicated. Having this abundance of light and connection with the outdoors has been such a blessing to me.
Windows That Open: If you can’t tell, I’m really thankful for my windows…even if they are still dirty. Our old house had a lot of great windows, but they were painted shut. I didn’t have the opportunity to open them on nice-weather days and actually couldn’t hardly open the blinds on some of them. Even though it had decent windows, that house still had an overall darkness to it. I honestly think the windows here have increased my overall mood dramatically. I love being able to come home and open those windows on days when the weather is nice (which is like twice a year in Louisiana).
Hot Water: This may seem like a joke but I’m seriously pumped about the abundance of hot water here. At our rent house, I’d be in big trouble if I had to take a shower right after Matthew. If I needed to wash my hair and shave my legs, I had to prep for a marathon first. I’ve seriously never shaved my legs as quickly as I did in that house. Before you knew it, you’d be struck with freezing cold water. This was especially true during the winter because the water heater was outside and apparently not insulated very well. Today, I’m so thankful to be able to take a full shower without having to race to the finish line. I can even take a shower directly after Matthew and still have plenty of hot water! It’s the little things, folks.
Bathroom Heater: Speaking of bathrooms, this house has heaters in the bathrooms and that’s amazing! Our last bathroom didn’t even have electrical outlets so we didn’t even have the option to plug in a space heater, much less have one built in. Instead, we took showers in a freezing cold bathroom with little to no hot water. Doesn’t that sound like paradise?? I’ve already used the bathroom heater twice and I’m pumped about it…even if the master bath heater does rattle a little much. Noisy heat is better than no heat! (We also have plugins in both bathrooms….modern conveniences are amazing!)
A Clean Kitchen: Our new kitchen may have old cabinets and basic appliances, but it is soooo much better than our last kitchen. I’ve never shared pictures of that old beast because it was so dreadful. I can’t even appropriately describe its awfulness. Having a kitchen that is a good size and CLEAN without floor tiles on the walls has been a joy. I don’t mind being in there, and I’ve even cooked since living here! One day I may have the courage to show that old kitchen, but it’s still too fresh. Just know that it was bad. With a capital B.
Painted Walls: The walls in our rent house were all the same dreadful color of tan. Every. Single. Wall. was the same color. This wasn’t even a good tan. This was that tan that sort of looks pink. They were full of nail holes and bad patch jobs. Even though I had scrubbed every surface, the walls still had this dingy, dirty look to them. Our new house has fresh paint and no nail holes. Plus, the rooms are different colors! It is so refreshing to walk into a room that doesn’t look exactly like the room you just left. I already want to repaint some of the rooms here, but nonetheless, I’m pumped to have good paint on the walls.

As I’m writing this post, I realize that old rent house might have been sucking the life out of me. I knew that towards the end, I sort of hated being there and I was never, ever inspired by that space. Yes, I’ll always love that little house and the memories we made there because it was our first. However, I’m incredibly thankful to be in a new home that feels like it has endless possibilities. This house is so much more inviting and inspiring, and I feel so lucky that it’s mine. Again, it’s not perfect. However, my goal in life is to draw on the positive. I don’t want to focus on the negatives. I want to be thankful for this place and what it’s already done for me in this short time.

What do you have to be thankful for in your home? If your mind immediately starts thinking of the things you hate or wish were different, stop it!! Tell that negativity to leave and instead try to list some of the positive things. Focusing on the positive has a profound impact on your qualify of life. Make a list or leave a comment here with at least 5 things you’re thankful for in your home. After all, we all have so much to be thankful for.

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Happy Halloween!

October 30, 2014 Pamela Stephens

It’s Halloween! When I planned out my content for the past few weeks, I penciled in “Halloween post” for today. I figured I’d post pictures of our Halloween decor or details on our costumes, but as I began writing, I quickly realized that this post was going to be very different.

On Saturday morning, I sat down on the couch after cleaning up from Friday’s Halloween party. I could have written about how exciting it was to host our first get-together in our new house or about the fun we had with friends. However, after finishing the dishes and cleaning the spots of who-knows-what from the floors, I sat down and realized something profound.

This house is ready.

First of all, let me clarify what I mean by “ready.” In this case, ready does not mean perfectly decorated or organized. It doesn’t mean that everything has a definite place to go and all of the gold light fixtures have been replaced. Instead, it means that my dining room and foyer aren’t full of boxes. From where I was sitting, I couldn’t see a single piece of cardboard and that’s amazing! In this story, “ready” means we have shower curtains hanging in both bathrooms. Even if I don’t like them, there are curtains hanging. Today, “ready” means that even though closets may be stuffed a little full with things I still need to address, there aren’t piles of stuff sitting here and there on tables and countertops.

One of my October goals was to host a Halloween party. Of course, I wanted to have this party to be able to spend time with friends and to dress up because it’s my favorite. However, the main reason for my decision to host this party was to give myself a deadline for getting this house unpacked. Even though I was knocking things out one box at a time, I still felt like the boxes would never end. I’d never get around to putting away those paint cans, and we’d never get the floors clean enough to put those rugs down. I knew that if I agreed to invite 30-40 people to our new home, I’d really make some magic happen. And we did. The week before a party would usually be spent hanging holiday decor and planning a menu. Ours were spent reattaching light fixtures, moving in furniture, and trips up and down the attic ladder.

I’m certainly thrilled that everyone came in fabulous costumes and we spent the night laughing with friends. However, now that everyone has gone home and the remnants of a party are cleaned up, I’m so incredibly thankful to have made it this far in the process of setting up our home.

I’ve written a couple of posts that I’ve yet to share about how my goal is to get to a point where we’re not always working on and cleaning this house. Today, it feels like I’m there. I still have lists of updates to do, and I haven’t even made a small dent in the decorating, but now that the boxes are done, I feel like I can spend my time working on the fun things like searching for new furniture and pretty things. I’m thrilled that I can sit down on a Saturday and not feel guilty for resting. I’m excited that I can tackle one packed closet at a time until they’re finished, but there’s no immediate rush to get it done. I feel relieved for the chance to do fun things with my free time instead of feeling pressured to work on this house nonstop. If you’ve moved recently, you can probably relate to how I feel. And if you’ve accomplished something major lately, you can likely relate to how I feel in this very moment, which is amazing!

I mentioned last week that this blog is where I tell my story. I really thought that today’s post would show snapshots from last week’s party or links to some of the Pinterest projects I attempted. Instead, this Halloween party gave me so much more than material for a crafty blog post…it gave me peace of mind. I’m walking away from this experience feeling so incredibly accomplished and relaxed. I will still make this home beautiful over time, and I will empty those closets. However, I will take a deep breath before doing so, and I’ll sit back and enjoy how far we’ve come. Today, I’m thankful for progress and for motivation. I’m thankful for good friends who can look past works in progress, and a husband that’ll work nonstop to help me knock out my massive pre-party to-do list. I’m also thankful for the ability to host gatherings of this sort for my friends.

I hope you have the happiest of Halloweens. Be safe and make lots of memories!

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Grown Ups Buy New Mattresses

October 28, 2014 Pamela Stephens

If you were to make a list of those totally non-glamorous adult decisions/purchases that you have to do when you’re a grown up, buying a mattress would be on the top of that list. As a matter of fact, it’s a little disheartening to spend your hard earned money on something that no one else will even see! Buying a car is exciting…you can show that off. Fabulous new living room furniture…people will see and use that. Even new bedding can be exciting…you can share a pic on Instagram and folks will see it when you give a tour of your home. Spending thousands of dollars on a new mattress? Not that exciting.

However, I can honestly say that spending what I’d consider a large amount of money on this hidden gem has been one of the best decisions we’ve made! Neither Matthew nor I have ever bought a new mattress. (Raise your hand if you’ve lived with hand-me-down mattresses too!) Even the king sized mattress we got when we were first married was given to us by his parents when they had to buy a new one. Personally, I just couldn’t ever justify spending my money on something like a mattress when there were cool shoes to buy and vacations to take.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with hand-me-down mattresses, but Matthew and I were in desperate need of a new one. You see, my wonderful husband doesn’t roll over gently when he sleeps. Instead, he flops. There are seriously no words to describe the way in which he does this. With our old mattress, I’d bounce around like a little baby on grandpa’s knee and wake up every. single. time. he rolled over. Not only was the bouncing an issue, but I’d constantly be pulled into the dip in the middle. With Matthew being so much bigger than me, I’d have to fight being pulled to the middle whenever he’d get into bed. All night, I’d fight gravity pulling me into a hole and trying to stay asleep when he decided to roll over. I don’t even need to mention how badly our backs hurt when we woke up in the morning and how we were the exact opposite of well-rested. Needless to say, it was time.

It took us months to make the commitment, be we finally selected a Temperpedic mattress with Breeze Technology. (I get terribly hot when I sleep, so anything that’ll help me to be cooler when I sleep is a blessing.) When I say that this mattress has changed my life, I am only barely exaggerating. It does take a bit to adjust to the feel of a Temperpedic mattress, but within just a week or so, I was adjusted and in heaven. I do NOT feel Matthew flopping around and sleep peaceful through the night. Most days, I don’t even wake up when he gets out of bed! We both wake up feeling much more rested and without all of the aches and pains.

We were in Lafayette a few weekends ago and it was our first time to stay in a hotel since getting our new bed. Not fun. After the first night, I completely remembered what it was like to sleep in our old bed and missed our new one terribly. I told Matthew that there should be a website where you can choose a hotel based on whether or not they offer Temperpedic mattresses. (Take note of that, Temperpedic. Let me know when I can register on the new site.)

For the record, I was not compensated in any way for writing this post. (Although, that would have been nice.) I just wanted to share with you how very much of a difference this mattress has made for me and that I regret not buying it sooner. If you’re considering a new mattress (or other furniture), I highly recommend visiting Sleepy Hollow Furniture at 900 Louisville Avenue in Monroe. Their showroom is great and they’ll let you try different options for hours (speaking from experience). As a matter of a fact, I’d suggest asking for my friend, Benay. She’s the absolutely sweetest and knows her stuff! (She’s also not one of those crazy salesperson types which we all hate.) Y’all know that I always encourage shopping local when you can, and this would be my top suggestion for furniture after just going through the process myself.

If you’re interested in reading about other grown up purchases that Matthew and I have made, check out the post about buying a car and of course all of the posts about our first house. Guess I’ll go shop around for some 401k packages and car insurance…

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DIY Halloween Rug

October 16, 2014 Pamela Stephens

This old, worn out rug was left at our house by the previous owners. I’d been meaning to pick up a new one but just hadn’t gotten around to it. The list of things that I need to get for this house is incredibly long. For example, light fixtures…I still need to pick out new light fixtures for every room in the house. One thing at a time, Pamela. One thing at a time.

Anyway, I was waking around outside, thinking about Halloween/fall decor one morning, and I decided that I should give this old rug one last ride before tossing it out. I decided to add a little paint and use it as part of my Halloween decor before replacing it. I could have just bought a Halloween rug from the store, but this option gave me a chance to use something that I already had, and I won’t have to try to reuse or store a new rug until next year.

I used simple craft paint for this project because it’s what I had on hand when I had the idea. This rug is under the front porch, so I don’t have to worry much about it getting wet. Also, I only needed it to last for a few weeks, so I didn’t spend too long worrying about the paint choice. If you’re going to do something similar in an area exposed to weather or want it to last longer than a couple of weeks, you’ll want to use a more durable, exterior paint.

Looking back, I should have probably painted the top and bottom portions instead of the middle where most of the feet-wiping will take place, especially since I used craft paint. However, I feel pretty confident that it’ll make it through Halloween anyway.

So there you have it….a quick and easy way to give a new life to something old. Do you have anything lying around your house that a little paint might spruce up? Even temporarily? This project took about an hour to complete. That includes the idea process and hunting up supplies. If you have an old, ugly rug lying around, you should try it!

See more Halloween decor ideas on my previous post.

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October Goals

October 9, 2014 Pamela Stephens

Somehow I went to sleep one day in September and woke up to October 1st! I don’t know how it got here, but it’s October now and I’m excited about it. The weather was nice and cool in Louisiana for the beginning of October and it just felt right.

September pretty much flew by, so when I looked at my September goals, I realized I didn’t quite accomplish as much as I’d hoped. If I’m being completely honest, I didn’t really accomplish most of them until October 5…when I sat down to write this post to be exact. You appreciate my honesty, right??

My full disclosure above brings me to a couple of thoughts. First, sharing my September goals was a good thing because even though I didn’t accomplish most of those things in September, I knocked them out quickly when I realized I was going to have to report back to you guys this month.

Secondly, the timeline doesn’t really matter than much. I could easily have gotten discouraged because I didn’t accomplish everything in the time-frame I set for myself. However, the important part is that it still got done! Have you dropped the ball on something lately? Don’t fret. Get back on that horse and knock it out! (Not the horse, of course.) How you get to the finish line really doesn’t matter that much. The finished product is what counts, so set aside your frustrations or failed attempts and mark that item off your list!

Here’s what I accomplished from my September goals (even if I did some of it in October):

Closet: Lots of progress! It’s not a finished project, but we’re getting there.
Kitchen: Most of the boxes are unpacked, and we’ve cooked several meals in there. We still have approximately 5-8 boxes left to handle.
Unpack major boxes: I have certainly made a dent in the boxes. Our bedroom is clear of anything that doesn’t belong in there, and most of the dining room boxes have been emptied. Progress feels good!
Garage sale: Didn’t quite make it to this one. The new goal is October 18. (That’s my only free Saturday in October.)
Hang 5 things on the walls: We hung the first items on the wall on October 5. I’m totally counting that as a win!
Using the master bath: Didn’t quite make this one either but once we get the shower curtain up, we’ll be almost ready!
Settle on living room furniture placement: Is this even possible?? I’ve moved the couch 4 times. It’s staying where it is for now, so I’ll mark this one as a win too.
Purchase a shower curtain: It’s not the Anthro ship curtain that I’m drooling over, but I ordered one that’ll do for the hall bath…..on October 4.
Halloween party: We are having a small party, so I can mark this one off too!

Since blogging my September goals helped me get so much done, I’m going to try it again for October. This month I hope to:

Put up fall/Halloween decor.
Host a Halloween party.
Begin using the master bath. (Let’s see if this one gets marked off on round two.)
Empty every box in the dining room. (This is a big one!)
Bring the dining table in from storage.
Do something with the boxes in the foyer. (Most of the boxes are photo albums and keepsake-type items. It’s time to get serious about what “stuff” I keep in this house and decide what should get to stay. Even if these boxes aren’t emptied this month, I’d like them tucked away somewhere other than our entry way.)
Finish all kitchen boxes.
Put down another rug. (I don’t even care where it goes…I just want rugs on the floor!)

So there you have it! I’m determined to get this house in order. I’m also determined to not keep any of the extra stuff that we don’t really need. I’m ready to have free time instead of always having a house to work on. It’s time to make that dream a reality!

What are you hoping to accomplish this month? I also plan on drinking lots of coffee and wearing cozy sweaters. You too? Let’s be friends.

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#mapfirsthouse – Closet Plans & Inspiration

September 11, 2014 Pamela Stephens

I had a closet room in our last rent house, but I never quite made it into the room of fabulousness that I had hoped for. In this house, I have pretty large plans to make this room a dressing room paradise.

My overall inspiration for the room came from this nursery. I loved the black and white stripes with hot pink and orange accents. I even ordered this flamingo print from Elise! (Once upon a time, I really hated pink. However, since this spring I’ve really kind of liked it.)

My original idea was to hang black and white striped curtains, but when reading this post by Myquillyn, I saw the striped wallpaper and fell in love! Striped wallpaper would make such a grander statement than just curtains, and I’m pretty excited about my new idea. (Also, I love the idea of those Style Saturdays by Lowe’s and would love for one to take place near me!)

As for other inspiration, I plan to paint our current dining room chandelier and use it in the space. I’m also thinking I’ll spray paint/update my dear mannequin a copper color to pull from the orange. The yellow worked great at Salt & Pepper, but I think it’s time for an update. Have I mentioned that I’m loving copper these days?? I’d paint everything copper right now if it made sense. (P.S. That’s my wedding dress that she’s wearing.)

I certainly hated to take down my old shoe shelves, but I was excited to make a new plan for this closet. I brought in this shelf as a temporary solution for my shoes until I could decide exactly how I wanted things done. However, I think I might love this option! This shelf was built by my dad with 100 year old wood from our old barn. That’s amazing, right?? I’ve always used this shelf for picture frames and such because the shelves are too narrow for books and taller items. I never considered it as an option for shoes, but I’m thinking that I might be in love!

As of right now, I brought in the orange printed rug from my last closet. I’ll wait until more of the decor comes together before deciding if it stays, but I definitely love this rug. I’m thinking that I might end up with an ottoman in the center of the room, but I’m still thinking on that too.

My next plan is to recover my grandmother’s cream vintage chair in this black and white printed fabric. I purchased this fabric from a clearance rack years ago with no plan for it. I’ve been waiting on the right project, and I think this is it! You might remember this chair from my old living room. I’ve used it since I was a little girl. Speaking of recovering chairs, if anyone has any tips for that project, I’m all ears!

Things are definitely coming together around the house. Of course, it’s a slow and steady process, but I’m feeling good about what we’ve accomplished so far. I’ve enjoyed dreaming up plans for this closet space of mine, and I can’t wait to pull it all together. Have you seen any fabulous closet spaces lately? Send me a link!

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Hello, September.

September 4, 2014 Pamela Stephens

I think September is quite possibly my favorite month of the year. (Full disclosure: I will likely say that for other months too.) I think that I love September because I feel like fall is just around the corner. Temperatures start to cool off but it’s still warm (especially in Louisiana). I feel like it’s time to pull out all of my fall attire and start getting ready for the fall holidays. I want to wear boots and sweaters and oversized hoodies.

This September, I’m thrilled to be in a new house. Even though I’m still unpacking and decorating, I can’t help but begin to think about Halloween decorations. I’m excited about decorating for the holidays that are ahead…so much so that I might just skip regular decorations and go straight for the holiday stuff!

I’m excited to get the ball rolling on September, so I thought I’d share a few goals I have for this month:

Work out my closet organization – yes, I still have a bedroom as a closet in this house. I’m a lucky girl.
Get the kitchen unpacked and squared away.
Unpack most of the major boxes.
Host a garage sale (or make a gigantic donation to charity).
Hang at least 5 things on the walls – I’m chomping at the bits on this one!
Begin using our master bathroom instead of the hall bath.
Settle on living room furniture placement.
Purchase at least one new shower curtain – This has been tough….everything I’ve fallen in love with has been $60-$150. Like this one. And this one. Swoon.
And decide if I’ll be “ready” enough to host a Halloween party.

From the looks of this list, I better get busy! September is going to be fantastic!

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#mapfirsthouse: All the Small Things

September 2, 2014 Pamela Stephens

If you didn’t burst out into a Blink 182 song when you read that title, you need a little fun in your life.

Now that Matthew and I are actually living in our new home, I figured it was time for an update. We made a ton of progress the first weekend with squaring away furniture and unpacking boxes and such. Unfortunately, most of the progress was the small, not-so-fun-and-exciting things. You know, those things that have to be done but aren’t exactly glamorous. Here’s a list of some of the small things we’ve been working on lately:

1. Cabinet knobs and hinges: We had to replace most of the cabinet hardware. There were 7 different knobs in the kitchen alone! I’m still looking for the perfect knobs for some rooms.

2. Door knobs: We replaced all of the exterior and interior knobs in the house. While it’s a relatively easy update, it can certainly cost more than you might think. If you only have one or two to replace, you could always consider spray painting them. Since we replaced all of the knobs, we decide to go ahead and buy new ones. It cost us over $300 though, so be sure to budget accordingly!

3. Kitchen plumbing: We had to replace the plumbing under the sink and install a water valve for the refrigerator. Like I said, we’ve been working on the not-so-glamorous projects.

4. Hanging blinds: We kept the blinds that came with the house, but we had them taken down and cleaned. When the painters re-installed the brackets, they weren’t quite in the right spots, so Matthew had to go back and move them all. What we thought would be a quick and easy project ended up taking much longer.

5. Installing new toilets: We weren’t originally planning to replace both toilets, but as our renovation progressed, we ended up needing to. My video of the soft-close lid cracks me up a little bit.

6. Closet rods and shelving: I totally underestimated how much it would cost to add shelves and new rods to most of our closets. It also took quite a bit more time than I expected. Again, these are simple updates when making a home your own, but you want to be sure to plan accordingly.

7. Mopping and other cleaning: The amount of mopping that I’ve done in this house is simply mind-boggling (especially when I HATE to mop). I have never seen so much lingering dust in my entire life. I spent pretty much an entire day mopping, over and over again, and I still don’t feel like they’re clean. (By the way, I still stand by my statement that this is the best mop in the world. Hands down!)

8. Hauling off garbage: Matthew spent one morning hauling all of the leftover materials to the dump. We had molding, scrap pieces of Sheetrock and wood…you name it. I think he underestimated the amount of trash we’d accumulated so far. We had 0.4 TONS of stuff to drop off at the landfill…that’s almost 1,000 pounds!

9. Laundry repairs: We had to install new shut off valves for the washer because one of them had a slow leak. This was another one of those items that we weren’t planning to do. We also added a new dryer vent because the other one wasn’t sealing off properly. I can’t wait to show off my new dryer vent….said no one ever.

10. Cable outlets: We had to install new cable outlets because we are planning to put our TV and router in different places from where the previous owners had them. You should ask Matthew how much he enjoyed hanging out in our attic mid-August in Louisiana. Doesn’t that sound fun??

11. New shower heads: This one is something that you’re likely to not think about until you’re living in a new home. The shower heads in our new house looked fine. However, after taking our first showers, we quickly realized the current shower heads didn’t provide enough pressure. It took FOREVER to get the shampoo out of my hair! I absolutely love the new waterfall shower head that Matthew got at TP Outdoors.

(By the way, if you’re local, you can order things from the True Value website and have them shipped to either the Monroe or West Monroe stores for free! We also got our door knobs (and practically every other supply) from there. This is a super easy and convenient way to shop local!)

This list is just a few of the things we’ve been working on since moving in. It’s important to keep these sorts of things in mind when you’re renovating because they’ll not only cost money, but they’ll also take up a lot of your time. I must say that I’m very thankful for such a handy husband. He’s done all of these projects himself and done a fantastic job…with my supervision of course. J

Now that we’re through with most of the small/boring things, we can move on to the fun parts! Like looking for new rugs. And hanging things on my freshly painted walls. I’m getting excited just thinking about it! I’m pinning quite a bit of inspiration on Pinterest lately. If you’re up for seeing all of my crazy ideas, go follow me!

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Farewell First Home

August 7, 2014 Pamela Stephens

Only July 31 we moved out of our very first house together…our sweet little rent house. In preparing to move and talking so much about the new house, I realized that I never shared a tour of our rental. I shared bits and pieces here and there, but I never shared any full room tours.

Check the archives for our antique mirror gallery wall, bathroom makeover, and living room sneak peek.

In thinking back on it, I didn’t share any tours because I never felt like things were “finished.” I had ideas for making things even better, so I’d wait to share the space until all of those little projects were done. Well, a lot of those projects never happened. I’d be too busy or it wouldn’t turn out like I hoped, so I never shared the spaces.

I’ve recently stumbled upon this blog, and her mantra is that things don’t have to be perfect to be beautiful. This approach really struck a cord with me because I’ve waited on perfection to share my home on the blog or invite people over. However, perfection isn’t really my goal, and I don’t actually ever want to feel “finished.” Instead, I hope to make things beautiful (per mine and Matthew’s standards), not perfect. My goal with the new house is not to wait until everything is perfect and finished and instead celebrate the beauty in imperfections and progress along the way.

Since I never shared a full home tour in the rent house, I’ll share a few highlights today. In these pictures, you’ll see what one version on my living room looked like. My favorite piece of furniture is that white piece that held the TV…absolutely love it! The gun rack hanging over the entry table was my Dad’s. I loved using it for something other than it’s intended purpose. I think it may end up going in my closet room in the new house.

In looking back on these photos, I regret not sharing our space simply because things weren’t finished. I can’t wait to decorate the new house and will definitely make a better effort to embrace the in-progress stages. I may need your help reminding me that “it doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.”

By the way, that leopard rug doesn’t have a home in the new house. It’s up for grabs if anyone needs it! It’s great at hiding puzzles. 🙂

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