Serendipity

Serendipity. It's my favorite word. Some of the best things in my life have been a direct result of it. Now I have something new to add to the list- this perfectly wonderful work table that Sweet Hubby bought me last night for my studio. I went antiquing earlier in the day yesterday and found a drop leaf table that was priced right and that I thought would work great for me. After working hard all day Sweet Hubby came home & offered to take me to the antique store where they were holding my table because he knew how anxious I was to get it. When we got there and they cleared the table off so that we could get a better look at it we decided it was really unusable. Since we were parked in front of another antique store that I had been in earlier in the day, I took him in to show him another table. One that I wasn't sure would work & that had a sticker on it saying "Not for Sale". I had already enquired about the table & was told that the owner would have to get back with me the next day. I was sure they would want $300-$400 for it anyway, so I wasn't hopeful. When we got in the store the owner was there & went with us to see the table. She said the sticker had been put on the table by the previous owner & that she would be happy to sell us the table for $200. I was thrilled! Even so, it didn't stop me from saying "Oh, that's a shame. This is a birthday present from Sweet Hubby and my cap is $150." Sold she said! On the way home I was totally amazed. "Serendipity" said Sweet Hubby. I couldn't agree more.

I'm happy to report that I finished my first project on this table tonight. It is perfect. We may spiff it up a little in the future with a larger table top, different paint and definitely adding caster wheels but for now it's wonderful and check out all that storage underneath the table! There are 4 bins on each side. Amazing! By the way, if you look close you can see the new wall color in the background.

Stay the Course

This morning as I sat with my morning chai, tucked into my favorite corner of the world, I opened up pinterest to obsess over today's renovation to do list- namely, subway tile backsplash for the kitchen and bathroom tile designs. I have a lot of things on my checklist right now and have been feeling a little overwhelmed. Ok, a lot overwhelmed but also just so thankful to get to do this. There has also been some second guessing my choices as I work to stay true to my style, what I've always loved and not fall into the trend trap. Yesterday required me telling myself several times to "stay the course" and when I found out that our cabinetmaker sent our order to production there was great relief (and a tiny bit of anxiety) about that now being out of my hands.

So there I sat, ready to noodle through some choices when on the home page of my Pinterest feed is a white kitchen (of course) with a description that says "It's All White Now Momma" so obviously I clicked on it and it took me a minute to realize it was a link to a blog post that I wrote in 2010 with an ode to my love of the white kitchen and a description of what my dream kitchen would look like and I have to tell you...relief FLOODED through me because... that is the very kitchen I am designing! 

SERENDIPITY.  

I was struck by two things while reading that post- first, I am on the right path and these are things I have always loved and will always love- second, I have been waiting a very long time for this kitchen and while it hasn't always been easy to be patient as "we will do it next year" rolled over year, after year, it will be so worth it because I am getting exactly what I want and if we had done it before now I would have had to sacrifice parts of the dream list that are very important to me. 

The lessons here for me are: Patience pays off and block out the noise, rely on the design elements that have always made my heart sing and stay true to the house and to myself. There are always going to be people who don't approve because I didn't do...file in the blank- but this project is going to be uniquely me and that's just the way I like it. Nay sayers gonna nay. ;) 

So I thought I'd take a moment here to share some of my inspiration for the project before I share the layout and finishes we've chosen. This is just a small sample and just for the kitchen/dining/boot room part of the project which all tie in together and which make up the bulk of our project and budget. All of these photos are from Pinterest and you can follow my Village Renovation 2022 board over there for more if you're interested. 

I'm waiting to hear back from the contractor now that our cabinet order is in. There is a 20 week lead time so that information will allow her to work backwards to form a schedule. As soon as I get that I should probably find us a place to live as well as choose and order tile, light fixtures, plumbing fixtures, flooring, doors, windows...

STAY THE COURSE

A Love Letter to My Home

 

Dear Home,

You are my first. Well, technically I guess that's not true. I've lived in many before you, a few that I even thought I loved, but as with any true, first love, I later came to realize that the ones that came before you were cheap imitations of the real thing.

Those other houses were important and necessary. They taught me what I did and didn't want. They hold special memories and taught me how to recognize true love when I finally found it. Or when you finally found me, for I'm sure it was not an accident that we ended up together, but serendipity. You, dear home, with your sloping floors, bathrooms and kitchen in need of remodeling, wonky woodwork, small rooms, lack of storage, cozy nooks and charming front porch are the one I will never forget.

You are the one who taught me who I really am. The one I hope to spend all of my forevers with. The one who will live in my heart forever as the houses that came before you fade into blurry memories.

You are my one, true home.