Let’s talk about home renovations.

July 15, 2014 Pamela Stephens

When Matthew and I started looking for a house, we definitely wanted something “move in ready.” It was mandatory. We’re busy people…no time to work on a million projects at home. Welllllll….the house we ended up buying was not exactly move in ready for us.

While the house was in good condition, it just wasn’t quite our style. It had popcorn ceilings with flooring and paint colors that weren’t quite “us.” However, the house was in a great neighborhood where we could easily ride our bikes and walk together like we enjoy. So, we went for it and decided to budget for some updates and changes instead of insisting on a fully updated home. We have quite a bit of plans for our new house, and I’ll likely share my inspiration/plans for each area as we go along. For now, we’re working on having the popcorn ceilings scraped and everything painted. We’re also hoping to have the current floors demoed and replaced before moving our things in. Here’s some of the bigger plans we have for our new home.

Ceilings scraped, leveled and painted
Entire house painted (walls, cabinets, closets, trim….the whole house!)
New flooring throughout
All new light fixtures (except for 2)
Painting the exterior brick
Installing wood beams and shutters out front
Renovating both bathrooms

Most of these are immediate things that’ll be done rather quickly. Some of them (plus a lot more) will be done as we go along. Just changing the flooring and paint before moving in will make a huge difference in making this home feel more like Matthew and I. Even though we have several projects up our sleeves, we’re very excited about our new place to call home. We’re looking forward to making lots of wonderful memories here (hopefully they don’t involve construction mishaps), and we know that this home has amazing potential. It’ll still be a couple of weeks before we can move in, but we’re shooting to be in there the last week of July.

We’ve gotten so many sweet comments from you all! Thanks so much for sharing in our excitement. You can keep up with the daily progress by following the #mapfirsthouse on Instagram. (That stands for Matthew and Pamela’s first house, by the way.)

Here’s to new homes filled with lots of projects! (See the before pics here.)

#maptennessee: Stone Mountain, Georgia

July 10, 2014 Pamela Stephens

Matthew and I just wrapped up our first “real” vacation. I say “real” because it’s the first week-long trip that we’ve taken, and it wasn’t tied somehow to work or family holidays. Needless to say, it was much-needed and fabulous.

We ended up getting to leave a day early so we took the long way and stopped in Atlanta for the night. We chose to stop here because Matthew wanted to see the laser show at Stone Mountain. I’ll be completely honest…I was not excited about seeing this show. I pictured a big rock in the middle of a field with lasers flying through the air for 45 minutes. I would have lost interest after two! Boy, was I wrong!

Picnic at the Laser Show First of all, the park was lovely. There was an old town area with food and various merchandise vendors. There were picnic tables and plenty of places to visit while waiting on the show to start. After grabbing a bite to eat, we headed over to the mountain area to pick a place to watch from. We enjoyed a little picnic while waiting, and those chicken strips were phenomenal! I loved seeing such a diverse group of people here. There were adults, families, young kids and teens….and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves equally. If you have kids, this would be a great place to take them because they could play for hours while waiting on the show. They were throwing balls around and playing all sorts of outside games. (As a matter of a fact, I wish you could have seen the face of the little girl behind us when her ball rolled through my ketchup! Luckily, I brought extra.)

Now for the show. Again, I wasn’t looking forward to it. I had enjoyed the park and our picnic but I was trying to prepare myself to make it through this show. I was totally off base here. They combined music and storytelling to make the show so captivating. Plus, it wasn’t just lasers flying through the air…they used the lasers to draw pictures on the mountain for an animated show that matched the music. At one point, they even animated the General Lee carving in the mountain. Needless to say, I didn’t even realize that it was time for the show to end and was thoroughly impressed. What I found the most interesting was that everyone loved the show and was very attentive…young and old. I should also mention that there’s no charge to see the show. It’s a win-win!

We stayed at the Stone Mountain Inn, right up from the mountain, which was lovely. The grounds were kept immaculately. It had nice landscaping and a great pool/courtyard area. The interior rooms have a little porch with rocking chairs where I could have sat for hours and hours. In addition to the scenery, the staff was so nice and friendly. Usually, there are one or two people who are nice and then you have those other people. Not at Stone Mountain Inn. Everyone that we came in contact with was very nice and helpful. We also added the breakfast to our room at the last minute. Honestly, we almost skipped this because we figured it was your run of the mill continental breakfast with a make-your-own-waffle station. Not at all! It was a restaurant-style breakfast with a full buffet. (I could have eaten French toast for days.) Again, everyone was happy to see us and friendly. The best part was the balcony where you could enjoy your breakfast while overlooking Stone Mountain and the beautiful landscaping. I wish we would have had more time here, and this is definitely somewhere I’d like to return. If you’re considering a visit to Stone Mountain Park and the laser show, definitely plan on staying at the inn. I loved it!

I think what made this part of our trip so exceptional was the attention to details. Both the park and the inn focused on making the experience a good one. From maps to customer service, it was obvious that they wanted their guests to enjoy themselves. We loved our time here and look forward to going back soon.

Have you ever been to Stone Mountain or somewhere similar? Please share! I’d love to hear your stories.

P.S. You can see more photos from our trip through #maptennesse on Instagram.

2 Comments Marriage - Travel #maptennesse - 2014 - husband and wife - travel

Our First House – Before

July 3, 2014 Pamela Stephens

Yesterday Matthew and I closed on our very first house together! It’s such an exciting time, but we have a bit of work to go before we make this house into our home. As a matter of a fact, it’ll be several weeks before we even move into the house, which is sort of sad.

Nonetheless, we are very excited to have a new place to call our own that we will make into a home that we love. I wanted to go ahead and share these before photos, so everyone could see what we’re starting with. These are the photos from the MLS listing (taken by my sweet friend, Anna Kay), so you can see the home just as Matthew and I saw it when we made the decision to purchase this home.

We have several big ideas in mind for this home, so you’ll have to stay tuned for the final product (if there’s actually such a thing as a “final” product). My biggest goal for this home is to create a place that we love to come home to. We’ve thought a lot about what that means, and I plan to be very intentional about every decision that’s made for this home. The ultimate goal is to create a space that reflects our personalities, is free of clutter and excess, and full things that we love. I’ll certainly be sharing our journey here, and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Now I’m off to choose more paint colors!

Before Dining Room Before Living Room Before Master Bedroom

Photo credit: Anna Kay Springer, Realtor

10 Comments Home - Marriage - Our First House #mapfirsthouse - 2014 - grown ups - husband and wife

Antique Mirror Gallery Wall

July 1, 2014 Pamela Stephens

antique mirror gallery wall When we did our original bathroom update, I knew that I wanted a gallery wall on the top half of that wall. However, after painting and putting up the new shower curtain, I didn’t particularly care for the items that I’d collected to put there. I hung the two old sconces there in the meantime, and it took me several months to come up with a better idea.

Finally, one day it dawned on me. I should do a gallery wall of antique mirrors in there! After all, there’s little that I love more than gallery walls and antique mirrors…why not combine the two?? It took me a few weeks to gather enough mirrors that would work in the space, but I finally collected enough and had some spare time to work on the project.

When planning out a gallery wall, it’s very important to play around with your layout before you start hanging things on the wall. Otherwise, you’ll likely end up with a bunch of excess nail holes and something that’s hung just a little off. I measured the size of the wall and marked the corners on my floor with masking tape. I cut slips of paper the size of the existing mirror, lights, and light switch and taped them on the floor according to their location on the wall. Then, I spread my mirrors out and moved them around until I was satisfied with the layout.

My darling husband hung the mirrors for me, and to do so he used the toothpaste trick. At first he thought I was a little crazy when I mentioned it, but then he agreed that it was genius! Basically, you just dab a little bit of toothpaste on the hangers of whatever you’re hanging. Then, you press it against the wall where it’s going to go and voila – you have a temporary mark on the wall, exactly where your nail needs to go! With the mirrors already laid out and using the toothpaste trick, I think it took him about 30 minutes to get them all hung. Aside from collecting the mirrors, the whole project took roughly 1-1 1/2 hours.
antique mirror gallery wall
I have to say that this is likely one of my favorite projects to date. I simply love how it turned out, and I enjoy getting to look at my collection of mirrors on a regular basis. Plus, it made our tiny bathroom feel a little bigger. Most of the mirrors I used are vintage from various sources, but the 8×10 filler mirrors are actually from the Dollar Tree! That’s right…I only paid $1 for those!

What do you think about the finished product? Think it looks better or worse than before? If you like gallery walls as much as I do, be sure to check out my first one from the living room.

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Dear May, I love you.

June 17, 2014 Pamela Stephens

May was the most fantastic month. Big things happened around here. During the month of May, I closed 14 houses for a volume of over $1,100,000! This number put me as the #3 agent in our office for this month (out of over 100 agents). I was also the #6 agent in our entire market with hundreds of agents. I definitely don’t mean to brag but this is such an amazing accomplishment, and I’m so excited!

I also post this to say that I am incredibly thankful to have everyone’s support in this journey. I would not been able to accomplish such things in one month without you all sending business my way. (Remember, if someone is looking for a new house, call me first so I can help them! They don’t even have to pay me!) Most of my May transactions were from friends and family calling me to let me know of someone looking for a home. This means the world to me! I simply cannot succeed in this business without you all spreading the word for me. You’ve done that, and I’m THANKFUL! If I could drive to each of you and hug your neck, I’d do it!!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Please keep the referrals coming. I’m looking forward to a successful June too!

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“Good Morning”

May 12, 2014 Pamela Stephens

It’s been a little quiet around My Neck of the Woods lately. I have/had 14 transactions set to close in May, which in the world of real estate means I’ve been working A LOT. (I certainly appreciate everyone sending clients my way, so I’m definitely not complaining….keep them coming!) When you’re working as much as I have been, some things have to fall to the wayside. That’s ok though because I’m here today!

I posted something last weekend about being grateful. I’d had somewhat of a tough week between struggles at work and a rough experience with a dental implant. I went for a walk on Saturday morning because I finally felt somewhat normal. Going for that walk really turned my outlook around. You’d think I would have been expecting it, because I always get a dose of inspiration when I take walks down the levee.

However, today was a little different. As I was strolling along (rather easily because I still wasn’t 100%), a couple jogging by made a point to say “Good Morning” to me. As I was walking, I’d been thinking over the various challenges from the week, wishing I felt like riding my bike, wanting to go and do things that I wasn’t able to because of work…so on and so forth. Basically, even though I was enjoying the walk in the sunshine, I was still allowing a lot of negativity into my mind without even realizing it. Then, a simple ‘good morning’ turned that all around.

I’ve blogged about this before, but here’s what I took away from this little experience — There are a million simple things you can do to change someone’s day…or life! The people that ran by me on the levee have no idea what they did for me last Saturday. However, it made a huge difference. From that point on, I made a point to say ‘good morning’ to everyone that I passed, only hoping that I could pass on a little bit of what those joggers gave me. Were some people shocked? Certainly. Do you think it made a difference to at least one of them? I can bet that it did.

Every day that you wake up, you have a chance to make someone’s day better. When you focus your attention on bettering the days of others, you’re bound to make a monumental difference sooner or later. In turn, you’ll make a huge difference within yourself. Of course, it’s difficult to look outside of your own problems/struggles sometimes, but DO IT! Every single person that you pass is dealing with some issue of their own that is at least equal to or worse than yours. And sometimes, something as simple as whispering ‘good morning’ or ‘hello’ can make a world of difference to them.

The moral of this story is that we all have the ability to change the world, and that doesn’t require large donations to charities or adopting every hungry child. Often times it’s the simplest things that make the biggest differences. Don’t waste your opportunities to make change. Go out and search for ways to make a difference. Say ‘good morning’ to people. Wish them a good day. Compliment someone’s hair or outfit. Look for opportunities to say positive and encouraging things to the people you come in contact with. You’ll not only influence their day but yours too. Let’s go make this world a happier place…it all starts with you and it starts today!

Leave a comment Inspiration & Thoughts 2014

Salt & Pepper – New Ownership!

March 12, 2014 Pamela Stephens

As most of you know, I opened Salt & Pepper Accessory Boutique with my sister in 2009. Almost 4 years later we sold the business to our wonderful friend, Jessica Pollard. Both Sherri and I wanted to pursue other things, (I am LOVING new real estate career by the way.) and we knew Jessica could take the reigns and make magic happen with the business. Since taking over, Jessica has added her own spin to our little shop, and it’s been so fun to watch it evolve. I thought I’d take a minute to formally introduce Jessica to my readers and friends.

Pamela: Thanks for taking the time to do this interview for my readers. Tell us a little about yourself.
Jessica: I am originally from Oak Grove, Louisiana and this is my second retail store to own. I have a degree in fashion merchandising and have worked in retail for 19 years…it’s in my blood! I love being able to be creative with the business and styling customers based on their individual personalities.

Pamela: Nineteen years is a long time. What makes you love the fashion/retail industry?
Jessica: Fashion is ever changing…from styles and seasons to colors…there’s always something new to explore. Plus, getting to interact with customers is very exciting.

Pamela: What sorts of products have you added to S&P?
Jessica: I’ve added more clothing options, new boots, sandals, and the well-loved Minnetonka Moccasins. I’ve also expanded our collections of customer favorites like Lenny & Eva and Natural Life.
Pamela: (You all MUST go see the new Lenny & Eva products…they’re my favorite!!)

Pamela: What have you done to make the store your own?
Jessica: I have taken the clothing options in a different direction, offering a different style than the store had before. I’ve also added local art from our area.

Pamela: What do you feel sets S&P apart from other similar businesses?
Jessica: We take great pride in our customer service…you just don’t find that everywhere. Plus, our merchandise is so versatile that it fits any age group.

Pamela: What have been your biggest challenges from owning your own business again?
Jessica: It’s always tough to find unique products that aren’t offered just anywhere, and that’s something I’ll always be pursuing. Staffing is sometimes a battle because it’s important to find employees that work hard and represent your business well. On top of that, I’d saying finding the balance between a work like and a personal life is something I’m continually working on.

Pamela: As we wrap up, please tell us what your favorite trend is for the Spring 2014 season.
Jessica: The boho trend is my favorite! I love boots with dresses because it’s funky and fun. Plus, I’m in love with fringe!

Thank you, Jessica, for the interview! Make sure to stop by the store on Antique Alley soon and show her some love! You can also follow Salt & Pepper on facebook and Instagram. She’ll ship items nationwide, so be sure to snag some of your favorites! We want you all to welcome and support Jessica just the way you did us. We truly appreciate the love you’ve shown her the last 8 months, and we hope you’ll keep it up!

As for me, I truly loved getting to know you all and have missed seeing your faces regularly. Please add me on Facebook (Pamela Bryant Petrus) so I can keep in contact with you. (You can also follow me on Instagram or twitter.) Furthermore, if you know of anyone hoping to buy or sell a house, please call me! My contact info is on my real estate page.

Before we wrap up, there are two more things to talk about.

First, Jessica is hosting a FASHION EVENT this Saturday, March 15 at the store (400 Trenton Street, West Monroe). The fashion show starts at 7:00 pm and there will be food and lots of fun. I will be there cheering Jessica on and I really, really hope I’ll get to see lots of familiar faces there. Please join me in supporting Jessica’s first event at the store!
Second, Jessica and I are teaming up to offer my FIRST EVER giveaway on the blog! You can enter to win a $25 gift certificate to Salt & Pepper just by heading over to the S&P Instagram (@saltandpepperboutique). Take a look around and then come back here and comment with your favorite item. (Be sure to click “follow” because you don’t want to miss seeing the spring arrivals.) Leave a comment here and a random winner will be chosen on Friday, March 10, 2014 at 4:00 pm!

Thank you again for stopping by! Don’t forget the show on Saturday, and be sure to comment for a chance to win! Much love – Pamela

10 Comments Business - Fashion 2014 - Business - local love - real estate - Salt & Pepper

DIY Winter Wreath

March 5, 2014 Pamela Stephens

Winter Wreath

It’s no secret that I love wreaths…wreaths that are different and unique to be exact. As a matter of a fact, I have a Pinterest board dedicated to just them! This year, I was a little late switching from a Christmas wreath to a winter one. I didn’t put up a new wreath until the first of February, so I knew I wanted something that was wintery but could also welcome the first of spring without looking too dark.

As usual, I didn’t actually like my first couple of strategies. The finished product is sort of a combination between this wreath and this one that I saw on Pinterest. I used a foam ring from Hobby Lobby, rope from Tyner Petrus, sticks from my yard, and flowers from my wedding hairpiece (They were originally from Hobby Lobby.).

Just like with my yarn wrapped wreath, wrapping the rope took a little longer than planned. I had planned to do something similar to that first inspiration wreath with brown rope, but it looked like it belonged on the door of a cowboy’s house. Unfortunately, neither of us are cowboys, so I scratched that idea.

I loved the winter stick idea from the second photo, but I wanted something that had a little brightness to it so it could be left up through the beginning of spring. I went digging through my craft supplies and came across leftover flowers from making my wedding hairpiece. They were light and airy enough to brighten the wreath but not too bright to be inappropriate for this cold February. Plus, every time I walk through the door, I think about marrying my husband…not a bad bonus! Finally, I added a little bit of raffia to give it a whimsical look and some ribbon for a hanger. And there you have it…a new wreath that looked nothing like my original idea!

I wish I could end this post by saying how many people love my new wreath. However, during our little ice storm, my wreath literally froze and broke into several pieces. That’s not even a joke… click here to see my poor, little broken wreath. It wasn’t even up for a week!

Now I’m faced with a dilemma. Do I remake the same wreath or do something completely different?? Help me decide!

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Joyce’s Journey: Post Surgery Update

March 2, 2014 Pamela Stephens

If you’ve been following along with my facebook updates, you know that Mom’s surgery was completed on Tuesday of last week. It was roughly a three hour procedure, and everything seemed to go smoothly. As with any major surgery, she’s had ups and downs along the way, but overall she’s doing well.

Here’s where we stand as of today…

The surgeon assured us that they removed the entire tumor. Pathology reports did show Stage 1 cancer cells around the area that was removed, so there’s a chance we’ll have to do more chemo. We will know more about that strategy once we meet with her oncologist back in Monroe. However, the report showed that her lymph nodes were clear, so that’s wonderful news.

The staff seems to think that she may get to go home tomorrow. We’ll meet with the post-op staff before leaving to discuss her new care routine. She should be able to care for herself once we leave, but they’re considering having home health come by periodically for a bit. We won’t know for sure until the doctor comes back by in the morning, but keep your fingers crossed that we get the green light!

All in all, she’s done really well. She seems to be in pretty high spirits, and her mood is conducive to a speedy recovery. The facility and staff at Willis Knighton Pierremont have been wonderful. The room is nice and spacious. We even have a couch for us to sleep on when we stay overnight with her! This was reason to celebrate in itself, especially if you saw what we had to sleep in during her last hospital stay. The staff is so very caring and helpful, and Mom has been very appreciative of the good care she’s received.

For now, we’re going to camp out and see what the doctor says in the morning. Thank you to everyone who’s messaged and/or called to check in or send well wishes. We’ve appreciated each and every word of encouragement, and my siblings and I feel so lucky to have such great friends and family. We love you all!

You can read more about our journey here. You can also follow along with the #JoycesJourney on facebook, instagram, and twitter.

3 Comments Inspiration & Thoughts 2014 - cancer - Joyce's Journey

2014 Goals Review – February

February 11, 2014 Pamela Stephens

We have one month of this new year behind us. I want to try to reflect upon my 2014 goals at the beginning of each month. That should help keep me working towards them right?? I shared them here so you’ll would help hold me accountable. I want to hear how you’re progressing towards your goals, so please leave me a comment below. I love, love, love encouraging people, so I’ll be more than happy to send some positive thoughts your way.

So, here’s my progress so far:

exercise more: I have been exercising fairly regularly, but not quite as much as I’d like. The abnormally cold weather here lately has made it a little tough, but I’m trying to not use that as an excuse.
obtain an organized house: I have seen a little progress here too, but also not as much as I’d like. I have made a list of most of the problem areas and plan to start tackling them one by one. I think I’m going to do a version of the 40 Bags/40 Days project, but I’ll talk more about that later. Overall, I’ve been happy with the cleanliness of my home lately. For example, there is currently no dirty dishes in the sink or clothes to be folded. You can also see the floor of my dressing room…this is progress folks!
blog at least twice a week: I haven’t quite met the twice a week goal just yet, but I did make 4 posts during the month of January. As I see it, that’s about half way to my goal, and since it’s progress, I’m satisfied.
try yoga: I have tried yoga and done it 4-5 times so far. I have liked the results and plan on trying a slightly harder routine today.
finish decorating: I have done little things here and there to move towards a home that I love. There haven’t been any major breakthroughs, but I’m certainly finding more inspiration and wrapping my head around what I’d like to see done. If nothing else, I’ve been pinning lots of things I like!
start and maintain a Project Life album: I have started a Project Life album for this year, but I’ll be completely honest…I’ve only completed the title page (and there was a spelling error…gasp!). I have worked very hard on a system that works for me to print photos and failed miserably. I think I’ve found a solution though, so I’ll try it sometime this week.
create books for our last two years: This is a pretty daunting task, but I’ve made quite a bit of progress. So far, I have gathered all of the photos from 2012 and 2013 and printed them. They arrived a week or so ago, so I can’t wait to get started with putting them in the books. I should also mention that I got a killer deal on printing those. It only cost me $10 to have 160+ photos printed and delivered. Score!
update our travel journal: I’ve done nothing to work towards this goal. Oops…better get on it!
dedicate more time to things I enjoy: I have been rather focused on this goal. It could possibly be the most important one to me. While I haven’t reserved a ton of time for myself, I have been very conscious about little rewards like taking time to enjoy my coffee or moving a little slower through the day. I still need more work in this department, but I’ve definitely seen (and felt) progress.
say more nice things: My original goal was to say something especially nice at least once a day. I can’t say that I’ve done it on a daily basis, but I’ve certainly been making a point to do it regularly. I find myself complimenting strangers more, as well as offering positivity to the people around me. The most important take away from this goal so far is that while I hope it’s made a difference to those around me, it’s also made a tremendous difference to me personally. I feel like a better person after I make a point to say something nice, and I plan to keep it up.
wake up earlier: This is a killer. It’s like the black sheep of my goal list. During mine and Amanda’s first goal review meeting, she suggested that I try to just this just once a week at first, then add subsequent days. That was huge for me because it helped me not feel guilty if I didn’t reach this goal every single day. All in all, I feel pretty satisfied with my progress. I’m getting up earlier than usual at least once a week, and I’ve gotten up early enough to have some quiet time before work on several occasions.

All things considered, I feel like I’m moving along nicely, and I plan to make lots of headway in February. (If you missed it, my “one little word” for February is determined.) I think I’ll make these goals review posts at the end of each month to keep myself focused. There is no better accountability than having to share what you’ve done to accomplish them with the world!

Have you made any progress towards your goals? Whether you’re doing great or not-so-great, please share anyway. I’d love to feel like I’m not alone out here! Plus, I’d love to help encourage you along the way. If you’d like your goals to remain private, feel free to shoot me an email at pamelapetrus@gmail.com. Much love!

1 Comment Goal Setting 2014 - goals - monthly goals