Want To Be My Neighbor?

WANT TO BE MY NEIGHBOR?

That’s right! You can be my neighbor! The apartment across this gorgeous hall is available for rent. Trust me, you want to see this charmer!

Come On In

I mean, could you just die?! That exposed brick…gets me every time. The hardwoods are just as beautiful as they are in my apartment, and I love the bead board wainscoting. So charming. You can see that it’s an open floor plan into the kitchen which is equally as charming. I’ll show you in a second. Here’s another view of the living area. This is looking at the front door. There’s enough space on either side of the door for a small dining table, much like our side of the building. A hallway to the two bedrooms and bathrooms is to the right and the kitchen to the left.

Let’s have a closer look at the details, shall we? I just love the bead board. It’s such a simple detail, but isn’t it all in the details anyway? That’s what “they” say. And I agree. Come on…. I fall in love with this apartment even more every time I see this brick wall. Such a beautiful part of the history of this building. 

Let’s Look At This Kitchen

Who doesn’t love a white kitchen? It’s bright and get’s the BEST afternoon light. You can watch the sunset right through that window.

Plenty of space and great cabinets. Lots of storage here too. Also, to the right of the fridge is the door to the back porch we share.

Here you can see how open it is to the living space. I love this about my apartment too. I can cook dinner and not miss all those Hallmark movies that are always playing on my television this time of year. 🙂
This wine rack built-in is such a cute feature. I love this so much because I need this! Keeps them off the counter, because that’s prime real estate, people. Just off the kitchen there’s a laundry room. It’s very spacious and has folding doors to close it off.

Guest Room

There’s already a bed for you! And look at those windows! What a way to wake up every morning. So much delightful natural light in this apartment. Closet is a good size too. All of my clothes (and shoes…and purses) fit in a closet this exact size.

Master Bedroom and Bathroom

Four glorious windows, y’all. FOUR. The pictures don’t do it justice on how big the room is either. It’s so beautiful.  I love the built-ins in the closet. This is a game changer in closet organization and maximizing space.
Large en suite with the cutest linen closet. (My apartment doesn’t have this, and I am jealous!) The guest bathroom looks identical to this bathroom just flipped around. Shower on the right, toilet and vanity on the left. The guest bathroom has those charming cabinets too. 

On second thought, maybe I’ll just move across the hall and you can move into mine.

Kidding!

Kind of.

It is truly a hidden gem in this sweet town we live in. If you know anyone that’s looking for a great apartment, I know just the place.

Details

Rent: $1,100 a month-includes all utilities and Dish Network

PET FRIENDLY

Contact Info: 334-382-8740

Thanks for having a look around with me. What are you waiting for? Be my neighbor!

XO,

Elizabeth

My Newest Obsession- Lighting

MY NEWEST OBSESSION- LIGHTING

Just as the title says, I’ve got a new obsession. I never used to really think about lighting so much. Mostly it was an afterthought. When the rest of the room came together I never really thought about changing it. But let’s be honest, most places I’ve lived had ceiling fans and that was just the way it was. Because the south is hot and we need our ceiling fans.

Boob Light

Most places I’ve lived had the dreaded “boob light”. Who invented these? Why did they feel the need to add a “nipple” to the light fixture? Good grief!

I’ve mostly been thinking about changing the lighting in our living, dining, kitchen and hallway-which isn’t terrible, but I found something I love and of course I want to have it.

The main living areas in our apartment are all open to each other, so I’d like for them all to complement each other.

Living Room

This picture is from shortly after we moved in, and some changes have been made like the rug, the curtains, and the artwork, but do you see that boob light? She’s a big one too! It’s a shiny gold/maybe polished brass that I just don’t love. Luckily I have the best landlords (in-laws) in the world, and if I want to change out a light fixture, they’ll pretty much let me. It comes out of my pocket, which is fine if it fits in my budget, so I’m in a great position here to personalize this home to my liking.

Dining Area

Same polished brass/gold-tone base that the one in the living room has. The glass shade is just dated. There’s nothing wrong with it, just looking for something a little more my style.

The Kitchen

This fixture is apparently still available at some stores. I am not looking to change up any wiring or anything, so this one will probably stay the same, but I’m thinking of painting the wood accents black or antique bronze. I’ve not actually run this idea by my in-laws, so I’ll for sure be asking for permission there. I just think I would like it more, and it would complement the other fixtures I like for these open areas.

New Lighting Options

I didn’t think I’d really ever go for anything like this in my own house, but I’m completely in love with this chandelier for my living room. It’s a show-stopper that would be so lovely.

Savoy House Byanca 5 Light Chandelier- Walmart.com

This one would be a little less dramatic but just as pretty. I love a little sparkle, and why not let it be the part that lights up your room?Crystal World Inc. Cornelius 4 Light Antique Brass Chandelier

This is one of my favorite options for the dining area. I love the clean, white drums and the overall sleek lines of the whole fixture. She’s a beauty. It’s the Sea Gull Driscoll 3140403 Chandelier that I found on walmart.com.

I love this globe pendant. It would take me a long time to get tired of this one. Timeless and chic.

Frosted Glass Globe Hailey Pendant- World Market

This is one that simply wouldn’t work with my decor and the direction I’m going for our home, but I do love this piece! Those bubble globes and edison bulbs are spectacular. Someone scoop this one up asap!

Alessa Chandelier- World Market

This is the flush mount that I like for my hallway. I think the black would look the best in our home, but that white and gold is speaking my language.

Bell Black Flush Mount Lamp- CB2

Well, there we have it. My newest obsession. Can’t I ever find an obsession that doesn’t cost so much money? Story of my life…Do any of y’all have lighting that you love in your home? Or lighting that you love that’s on your wish list? I didn’t even touch on sconces or lamps. Oh boy! It’s quickly becoming one my very favorite things about home decor. Share some of your favorites with me in the comments. I’d love to see what you love!

XO,

Elizabeth

House For Sale

HOUSE FOR SALE

Happy Saturday, y’all!

Guess what? My family has a house for sale. 

It’s a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom house with a kitchen, dining room, living room, and den. The dining, living, one of the bedrooms, and hallway have hardwood floors. The den and other two bedrooms have brand new carpet. The backyard is very spacious with a storage house and plenty of room for a trampoline and playsets.

My grandparents and great aunt lived there for about 10 years before they passed away over the course of this past year. The house has been cleaned up and cleaned out and needs some new owners.

Let’s Take a Quick Look Around

This is the dining room looking into the living room. These rooms are on the front of the house and get incredible natural light. We’ve had so many wonderful meals in this room. Many Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, birthday celebrations and Sunday lunches too. The room is quite spacious. Granny had some pretty substantial furniture in there, and there was room for everyone around the table along with her precious furniture.

The living room is also a great size. It gets great light and was a perfect napping spot since it was far enough away from the den with the westerns on the TV Granddaddy liked to watch and is closed off enough from the hustle and bustle of the people in the kitchen.

Just off the living room is a hallway that leads to one of the bedrooms and a bathroom. The bedroom has a sliding-door closet and those pretty wood floors. It gets good natural light with two windows, too.

The bathroom is a full bath with a tub/shower combo. It has lots of shelving (out of frame) for towels, personal care products, etc. It’s a great bathroom. It has an interesting L-shaped design to it that I always kind of loved. Let’s just say people can’t exactly barge in on you in case you forget to lock the door-you have time to shout out first. 🙂

Leading into the dining room is the kitchen. If only I could taste my granny’s cooking again. You know Grandma’s cooking is the best! The room is actually a great size. I know the trend is huge islands and open floor plans, but this kitchen is a functioning space that has held 1-10 people at once. My grandparents also had a little table pushed against the pushed against the wall (out of frame) where they sat with my great aunt to have breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. There was still tons of room to move around in the kitchen, even with the table.

On the other side of the house, just off the kitchen, is a den, two bedrooms, and another full bath. This is the larger of the other two bedrooms. It has brand new carpet. The sliding door closet is actually a very nice size. My current closet is the same size as this one, and I have plenty of room with some to spare.

This room gets great natural light with that big window. This is another room that is actually really large. My granny loved her furniture. She filled this room with itand still had plenty of room to spare.

This is the third bedroom. It is a little smaller than the one just above, but this one has a walk-in closet. This room did have a full-sized bed, dresser, chest of drawers, and bedside tables.

The second bathroom has a shower but no tub, toilet, sink, and built in cabinets for storage. None of the rooms have an en suite, but all bathrooms are in such close proximity to the bedrooms that it wouldn’t be any inconvenience.

Out back, like I said there is so much space. This is the storage house. It has a brand new door and is up to code. It might need a coat of paint, but that’s not a big job at all. It’s also really spacious. Granddaddy had so many tools from his workshop stored in there plus plenty more. And if you didn’t need any storage space, think about what a fun playhouse or art studio it could be! There you have it. It’s really a sweet house. That front porch is wonderful on those perfect spring and fall days when it feels so good here.

It’s located on Hillcrest Drive here in Greenville. If you know anyone interested in buying a house, please let us know. There is a For Sale by Owner sign in the yard with contact information on it. But I’d be happy to help you out if you needed a phone number or wanted to schedule a time to come by and see it.

Please share this post on social media to help spread the word. Leave me a comment if you’re interested yourself!

Thanks for stopping by today. Those sweet Grandparents of mine had a great house. I’d love for someone else to come in and make it their own.

I hope y’all enjoy your weekend! Come downtown to Open House at some of the shops downtown today and support our local businesses.

XO,

Elizabeth

 

Porch Update

PORCH UPDATE

Before school was over in May, I posted a Before post on our back porch. I had all of these wonderful plans set in motion to really update it and make it an awesome place to hang out this summer.

Before

It was a hot mess (still is). I have done a bit of cleaning and rearranging, but we still aren’t finished yet.

I bought this beautiful black and white striped umbrella that I just knew was going to look amazing and fit our umbrella frame that we already own. Well….That was a big ol’ no. I spent $50.00 on the umbrella thinking it would fit our frame, then I thought I might as well just buy the new frame and stand, but that was $50.00 more, and I just didn’t want to spend that much. I can do better than that. (Just so you know, I’m still looking.)

Then, in my rearranging and cleaning process I was moving our water hose out of the way and found this! Yep, that’s a snake skin. Now I’m paranoid about snakes being coiled up along with the hose. But to look on the bright side-at least it was just the skin and not an actual snake. Pretty sure I’d have told Paul to start packing because we were moving.

Progress

Basically I’ve rearranged the furniture. I put the table in the middle and the bar cart off to the side.

Yes my dead ferns are still sitting there. When my niece was staying with me one afternoon, she wanted to go outside. Well, she took one look at my ferns and said, “Oh, we need to water your plants.” 🙂 Bless her heart!  

I don’t have a pretty pot for my Zinnias yet, which aren’t doing so well. My mother-in-law is an amazing gardener. She just has that green thumb that I was not blessed with. She planted the colorful flowers in the terracotta pot on the cart and gave me the zinnias on the table. She said to water them and talk to them. I do both, but I don’t think they like what I have to say.

My pineapple rug got so dirty from all the rain and water runoff. 🙁 

So that’s as far as I’ve gotten. Maybe by the fall, when the weather gets nicer, it’ll be ready for some al fresco dinners and entertaining. Until then, I’ll enjoy the air conditioning and searching for a cheaper umbrella (preferably one that will fit my existing frame) and keep my eye out for more slithery friends. Let me know in the comments if you’ve seen any striped umbrellas that are cheaper than $100. Thanks for stopping by today! Have a great one!

Recent Home Updates

RECENT HOME UPDATES

After I completed my leopard living room curtains, I kept feeling the itch to check more things off of my summer to-do list. I decided to start with the kitchen curtains.

Breaking Out the Sewing Machine

For these curtains you’ll remember that I was planning to use this fabric.

Waverly Sun-n-Shade fabric “Seeing Spots”

I am not very well-versed in the use of a sewing machine, but I got one for Christmas a few years back and busted it out for this project. I have to read the directions every time I get it out, and sometimes I have to search a YouTube video or two. I thought I was ready to go so I took my picture expecting my next one to be of something complete. And then something just didn’t seem to be going right and here’s what I managed to accomplish:  Oh boy…..

So, I regrouped, reread my instruction guide, and tried again. I also put my camera away at this point and decided to just focus.

New Curtains

I sewed the curtains, hung them on a tension rod and hated them. They were gathering like Granny’s old kitchen curtains, and I didn’t like it. I didn’t like the gather at all. My original plan was to hang them from hooks like I did the leopard curtains, but I did not like the look I was getting. The fabric, to me, looked better when it was flat. I decided to cut them to fit the width of the window and hung them on small tension rods. They just add a little bit of accessory to the white kitchen. I have enjoyed having them up. And enjoyed even more that I didn’t have to ask my mom to make them for me. 🙂 She was probably glad too.

I just love this fabric, and I recently saw it in black as upholstery on a chair. It was beautiful. The above picture doesn’t do it justice. My camera and editing skills are not up to par at all, but you get the general idea. I think it’s better than the before that you can see below.

Another Rug Switcheroo

I also switched a few more rugs around this week. You can see in the picture above the old orange rug I’ve had for way too long. It doesn’t really “go” anymore and, honestly, needed to be retired.

I think I have enough room for a runner along this stretch of cabinets, but I just can’t pull the trigger so quickly on rugs/runners. Plus, “shopping” my house is much easier on the pocketbook, so that’s exactly what I did.

If you remember my first post that shows the entry foyer to our building you’ll see that I had a rug at our door. Since we don’t use this door much anymore, I decided I would bring this rug inside and put it at the back door. I took the rug I was using at the back door and put it in front of the sink to replace the old orange one. 

Not a major transformation, but something different to enjoy. Always shop your house first! You’d be surprised at what you actually have that works in new ways and in new places.

I Tried to Better the Painting

A few posts ago I showed you an abstract painting that I did to go in our dining space. But if you remember, I didn’t love it. So I decided to add a bit of gold brush strokes around the edges to help it look a bit more like it was “framed”. I didn’t want it to be perfect like I was trying to actually frame it, but I just kept thinking it needed something. I am still deciding if I like the changes. I like it better than before, but I’m still not sure if I love it.

BeforeAfterLike I said, I don’t know if I love it, but I definitely like it better than before.

Anyone else crafting or having fun playing in your homes this summer? Share them with me in the comments.

Sometimes I think something as simple as switching a piece of furniture with another from a different room or rearranging your bedroom furniture is just as much fun as a full on room overhaul/makeover. I encourage you to do that! Especially for your kids. I was always asking to rearrange my furniture when I was little. Putting my bed on a different wall or in a corner. It gets your creative juices flowing and inspires you to make your home a place you truly love. And bonus to you moms who find it keeps your little ones occupied in their rooms while you get some downtime. 🙂

As always, my point here on this blog is to encourage you to make your house a home, a place that you loved to be, a space to express your creativity, and a safe haven for you to be yourself and make mistakes along the way. That’s part of the fun. Lord knows I’m making plenty of them, especially in the way of decorating, but I’m definitely having fun doing it.

 

Leopard Curtains

LEOPARD CURTAINS ARE FINALLY UP

This past week I decided now was as good a time as any to start dressing my naked windows. I knew that these would most likely be the most labor intensive since I was going to have to hem them by hand. This is how that worked out before I got into the groove of stitching…

I have family members actually cringing at this photo. Haha! Anyway, I quickly realized this was not going to work, so I cut out these stitches and started again. Those stitches aren’t perfect either, but they hang by clips and hang up pretty high, so hopefully no one notices that those aren’t straight or very pretty. You can kind of see them in this picture. 

Lucky for me I was able to binge watch more shows on Netflix while I was sewing. Let me just switch gears really quickly to tell you about my two, okay three, new obsessions. If you’re wondering what to watch since summer prime time television is less than desirable, here you go.

The OA 

Google Images

Holy crap! I can’t even begin to explain it. It starts weird and gets weirder and then in the last episode you’ll be left with chills all over your body wishing there were more than eight episodes.

Riverdale

Google Images

Did you ever read Archie comics? You know, with Archie, Jughead, Betty, and Veronica? Well, this is a dark and twisted spin on these characters. There’s been a murder in the town of Riverdale, and these four main characters just might have something to do with it. It’s really great! They even incorporated Josie and the Pussycats, and I remember watching that cartoon as a kid. The acting is amazing, and all those teen/young adult actors of the 80s and 90s (Molly Ringwald, Skeet Ulrich, and Luke Perry) are all parents in this one. It’s really very cool and very well done.

And last but not least- Gossip Girl

Google Images

I know. I know. Shallow, lame, teen-geared television. This was popular when I was in college, but it is so fun. I only got into it toward the end of the series when it was being aired originally, so I am catching up and refreshing this go round. It’s a mystery as to who Gossip Girl really is, so it’s interesting to have that knowledge and watch from the beginning. Mindless entertainment, for sure, but fun.

These shows helped me through the sewing! Hope they are good suggestions for you if you’re in any summer TV slump. Any other suggestions are appreciated! Leave them in the comments!

BACK TO BUSINESS

So, after sewing and measuring and cutting and sewing some more, I finally have curtains hanging. I will say that I knew I wanted leopard print, but I wasn’t sure how it would look. As it turns out, I really like them and think they are quite fun. And why not? It makes me happy and Paul likes them too. 

I like that they’re shear and don’t block out the natural light that I so love about this apartment. It’s filled with natural light all the time, and I didn’t want that to be covered up in the living room.

The curtain rod is not the original rod I was going to use. I had a smaller one that was a silver color. I knew I didn’t want silver, so I spray painted it black, hung it up on the wall, and it was too small and just didn’t work. Luckily, I didn’t get rid of my old curtain rods, so I tried this one, and it worked! (Sometimes it pays to keep things.)

I also like how it pairs with the rug. I think that since both are neutral colors that they don’t compete with one another. And again, they make me happy. That’s what’s important when it comes to decorating your home.

Jack wouldn’t move out of the shot, so I just told him to sit. At least he’s obedient. 

Thanks for stopping by today. What are your thoughts on leopard print curtains or anything leopard print for that matter? I’m kind of in love with it and hope to one day have a leopard rug and, of course, a few leopard throw pillows. 🙂 Let me know in the comments. I hope y’all have a great week!

 

New(ish) Rug

Hi, friends! Remember those summertime projects I said I had planned in my last post? Well, I got started on them. I showed this picture and was very excited to get this all started, but the more I thought about these curtains in my living room the more I began to second guess myself. I am all for mixing patterns, and I love bold fabrics paired with even bolder fabrics, but I couldn’t seem to make the leopard print work with this rugI just felt like it was too much. The rug is huge and so are the windows, so there’s going to be a lot of fabric up there. And I just wasn’t feeling too good about it. CRAP!

But Wait….I Think I May Have A Solution!

In our Louisiana house I was dipping my toes into the rug world for the first time, and I went with this one.(Forgive the screenshot; I didn’t have an actual picture on my phone or computer.)I don’t remember where I found it. I think somewhere online like Overstock or Wayfair. But after learning more about the “rules” (that don’t really matter, y’all) to certain areas of home decor, I decided it was time for a bigger rug for our pretty-large living room. Enter the blue ikat rug that allowed my furniture to “float” like it’s supposed to. (It did look better, so that’s one rule I did decide to follow.)

Then We Moved

I moved in to this apartment naturally wanting to use the blue rug, so I just put it down in the pretty-much 8×10 living space and placed all of my furniture on top of it. (Side note: You know, I don’t know all the rules, nor do I really care about them, but I probably shouldn’t have done that. I’m guessing it didn’t adhere to the “rule”. Oh well…whatcha gonna do?)

Then The Light Bulb Turned On

So one day this week I was reading The Magnolia Story that I mentioned on InstagramAnd I don’t know if I was just feeling inspired or what, but out of no where I thought, “Your blue rug does not fit in your living room, but you still have that old one, and you should totally try it because those leopard curtains are going to look way better with that rug.”

Google Images

Ha! I was so happy! I could keep the curtains and not spend any money on a new rug!! That’s a win/win in my book.

Because all of my furniture sits completely on top of the rug and doesn’t just “float” on top of it, I knew I’d have to enlist some help to lift the furniture and pull the rug at the same time. Paul happened to be in a golf tournament this weekend, so my parents came to help me out. Those two were the biggest help! I definitely couldn’t have done it without them! They even vacuumed and helped me shake out the blue rug and roll it up and reset my furniture, and so much more. Thanks, Mom and Dad! You’re the best!

The New(ish) Results 

Don’t look too hard back there at my stack of dishes.

So here’s where those rules come back in. Not one piece of furniture floats on this rug. BUT, I feel like the space is brighter and is definitely a better fit for those leopard curtains. 

I like it, and ultimately, that’s all that matters. And just to affirm my decision, when Paul came home, he immediately said how much better he thought everything looked. 🙂 Score one for me. So, rules or no rules, I think this is a better fit, and I’m happy with the outcome.

Even Jack And Bernie Approve

I can’t wait to get the rest of this project (the curtains) going so that I can be one step closer to an actual complete area in our home. Have a great week everyone!

Painting DIY Fail

I have been getting really tired with my blank walls. And with summer break a mere five days away, I’ve been planning some ways to spruce up my home.

I always start with Pinterest when I’m looking for inspiration for home decor, and this time was no different. I have been wanting to put something on the walls in the dining area of the apartment. 

I searched for something that would “go” if I decided to do a piece on each wall. Something that would match but wouldn’t be too matchy matchy. I didn’t have much luck searching for something like that, but I did find one piece I like.

I tend to gravitate toward abstract art, so while searching Pinterest I found this one

Well it just so happens that I already own two square canvases that I got when Paul and I got married. They were one of those mass-produced canvases that came from Bed Bath and Beyond. Well, when we were living in our house in Louisiana, I decided I didn’t like them anymore, and I decided to paint over them. I decided to not use them as a set so I painted different things on each one.  I was a little obsessed with the dalmatian print that I was seeing all over Pinterest. I saw it as art, bedding, and lots of fabrics. I still see things upholstered in that print all the time. It’s quite beautiful and maybe even better in blue and also in pink. 🙂 So, this was one. And the other one……….

Yeah….so….if you’ll let me, I’ll tell you the story behind this. When Paul and I got married, his brother, Ben, wrote us a song. Composed the music and wrote the lyrics-the whole 9. I love it, and it is so special and personal and the coolest thing to have your very own song! But y’all, this was a terrible idea to think that I could free hand anything pretty onto something that would hang on wall, especially not the lyrics to our song. I should never have done it, and it’s definitely the one that got used for this current paint fail. Maybe it’s the canvas. Not the girl who has ZERO experience in painting. Ha!

I mentioned here that I was working on a painting project that I had hoped to share with you before Mother’s Day. But, of course, other things got in the way and the canvas sat half-way painted on this table for (shamefully) weeks. Once I set my mind to it, though, I finished it. Here’s the end result.

Womp womp.

Before I rip it to shreds I’ll say this: I like the way the blue turned out. I like the way it’s darker in some places than others. (Is that what artists call dimension? Or depth? Or just that I need to add another coat?) But I feel like it needs something. Paul said I need to put a word in it, but we see how that turned out in the picture of the song lyrics. Nope.

Another thing I liked about the one I found on Pinterest was the gold frame. I decided instead of a frame I would just paint the sides of the canvas gold. I really like this part, but I wish you could see the gold more head on.

Another thing I’m not sure that I like is the amount of blue in this space. Blue is definitely one of my favorite colors. Probably my most favorite color if I had to choose, but perhaps there really can be too much of a good thing.

I’m living with it for now to see if it grows on me or if I’m inspired by what I’d like to add to it.

I guess it’s not a total fail. It is a completed project, after all. I’m not sure what I’ll add to the other wall of this little nook. I originally wanted to do two similar abstracts, but now I’m not so sure.

If you’re like me and like to try your hand at new things, I hope this is encouraging in some weird way. Even if you mess up a little or fail miserably, don’t give up! I may not be satisfied with what I’ve turned out, but I did it, and I can fix it. And let’s face it, if I can’t fix it, there are always local artists or Etsy shops or my current favorite store, At Home, that can come to the rescue.

So, of course, I want to know what you think. What should I add? Is it fine as it is? Let me know in the comments. Have a great week, everyone!

 

 

Porch- Before

It’s that time of year where I’m in the end-of-the-year teacher mode which, unfortunately, comes with other things that take precedence over projects for the house.

Case in point: I’ve started a painting project that is taking an unnecessarily long amount of time, but I’m hoping to put my nose to the grinder (or is it grindstone?) and get it done this week after school. Fingers crossed that that actually happens and that I’m sharing it with you next week!

I’ve also been scheming a design plan for my back porch. I’ve purchased two things already to be used for the “after”, but I haven’t quite gotten to putting any of it to use yet.

I’m showing you the before of the porch today. It’s a mess, and I’m almost embarrassed to show you just how bad it is, but I’m pretty real here on the blog, so here it is…pollen-caked table, dead ferns, and all.  This bar cart was something my parents had on their back porch that wasn’t getting much use, so I happily took it off their hands. I had it inside at our house in Louisiana, but it lives outside here and clearly doesn’t do anything useful. That’ll be changing soon. We’ve had this table set for nearly seven years, so it needs some love and sprucing up.

Bernie just can’t help herself. She’s always getting in the shot.

Isn’t it a mess? Oh my goodness! *Insert face palm emoji.* You can see that it’s an area of our home that’s been pretty neglected. We spend a decent amount of time out here supervising the dogs so that they don’t run away when they have to do their business, but I’d like to spend even more time out here now that the weather is pretty warm. And once things look pretty, well why wouldn’t I be out here more? 🙂

So here’s a sneak peak at what started the design wheels turning in my head.

Rug from Target

Isn’t it great? I am having quite the moment with pineapples; I totally jumped in head first on that trend. I also love pink, and let’s be honest, that is one pink doormat, but I knew I had to have it when I saw it and saw that it was on sale for $10!

I have a lot to do (and clean), but I really want to be able to enjoy this space this summer. So that’s where I’ll be for the rest of the month-cleaning up, organizing, planting, rearranging, etc. Can’t wait to share the “after” with y’all.

The Kitchen- The Heart of the Home

 

If I had to describe this kitchen to someone who hadn’t seen it, I would initially say it’s small. But it’s actually not that small. Then I would say that it doesn’t have a lot of storage. This is actually true. Or maybe I just have too much stuff. You’ll see upper and lower cabinets and a few drawers, which should be enough space for a couple with no children, but we have so many dishes. I count this as a huge blessing. We were so incredibly fortunate to receive many pieces for our kitchen when we got married. I don’t remember if I registered for all of those mixing bowls, but I will say that I’ve used each and every one of them and therefore find it extremely hard to part with any of them. I also have things like waffle makers and quesadilla makers that live in upper cabinets that may not get regular use, but when I need them, I know where they are. I guess I’ve got just enough of my Granny in me to justify hoarding all of these things (and much more) and also just enough of my Aunt Sharon in me to truly appreciate (and use) a pretty dish. I still have unpacked boxes in our guest room labeled “dishes” and “glasses”. One day I’ll need them. Right?! 

The deep windowsills in the kitchen have acted as extra shelves and are holding fruit, dish cloths, spices, and coffee. The corner to the left of the stove is so full of things that don’t always get used on a daily basis, but get used often enough, so I put up with the cluttered look. The upside of this: everything is easily accessible. And the windows are going to get a makeover soon with this beautiful fabric I found at Joann’s. I thought it tied in nicely with the rug from my living room. Sort of a reverse version of it. 

One of the things I’ve really enjoyed about this kitchen is the gas stove. I grew up with one, but I’ve only encountered electric stoves in all of my other homes. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed cooking on it these past seven months. It’s the little things.

Behind the slatted doors is our laundry room. It is quite spacious, and I’ve thought about adding some sort of shelving system to act as a pantry. It’s just one of those things that I’ve thought about but haven’t put into action. It would probably make my life a little easier, but though things are a little cluttered, we are making it work just fine. I wasn’t kidding about those bowls. I had to get a yard sale shelf just to have somewhere to put them. 

We also have access to the back porch from our kitchen. This is super convenient for the dogs. Since we live on a main street, there is no front yard or grass for the dogs to run in, but we do have a really nice porch with a spacious grassy area in back. I love the rug from Target that my sweet mama bought for me not too long ago. I wanted another one to replace the old orange one in font of the sink. Unfortunately, I can’t find it online at Target. I’m hoping it’s still in store. If not, I found several cute options here

One thing I absolutely love about this kitchen is the natural light that comes in. The sun pours in every morning making everything feel awake. I just love it. In our last house we didn’t have many windows that allowed for maximum sunlight in common areas like the living room and kitchen. I said then that if we ever moved back to Alabama that I hoped to find a place that had lots of natural light so we could open up the windows and let it in. Mission accomplished.

Though it isn’t big or have as much storage or that big island I had in my last kitchen, it works for us. We make some delicious meals here; we open some pretty tasty take-out containers here; we do a lot of dishes here; I’ve even been known to have a dance party or two here. It’s a great kitchen. It’s already filled with memories, cooking failures and successes, blood (I’m not the greatest with knives), sweat, tears (onions, y’all), and I believe a scar will be the result of a recent burn from the oven. So, even though it’s unlike any kitchen we’ve had before, we love it.

Anyone else have a small kitchen? More importantly, does anyone have any budget-friendly organizational tips? Anyone have any fun small kitchen stories? Or any kitchen stories for that matter? Share them with me in the comments. It seems like so much happens in the kitchen. I guess that’s why they call in the heart of the home.