BACKYARD REVEAL | BEFORE & AFTER

I have been wanting to share this reveal for awhile now but we were still finishing some things up and then we decided to sell our house! It has been a crazy month but our house is officially on the market as of today and we already have a couple showings scheduled for tomorrow. It is very bittersweet.

There are so many things I will miss about this house but this new backyard space is high on the list. The boys would play in the yard of course and they loved the gravel pit but it was not a place we liked to hang out in. Now, it's a different story. I'm so disappointed we won't get to spend crisp, fall nights out here!

THE BEFORE

It was pretty sad. We have a large deck but most of the boards needed replacing and the area below the deck was filled with pea gravel. Along the side of the house was completely filled with river rock. It was so hard to walk on and both areas became weed gardens.

THE AFTER

I am so in love with it. Like everywhere else in this house there are some things I had still planned on doing but I am thrilled with the progress made back here. Pictures do not do it justice. When the lights are on it's so cozy and magical. Longworth Property Services is who we used to pour our patio and sidewalks and we cannot recommend them enough. They are so nice and such hard workers. Their work transformed this space!

We had a small cookout for the Fourth of July and we rented this huge inflatable slip n slide for the kids. It was so much fun and our best purchase. It kept the kids entertained for hours so even though it killed our grass (it's started to grow back but you can see some of the remains damage in the above photo) a month before we listed our house for sale - it was totally worth it!😂

BEFORE & AFTER

A few of these angles are easier appreciated when you see one right after the other instead of scrolling back up to see the before! This first shot is up on our deck and the before photo was taken in April and its after Jeremy had already replaced all the deck boards. I snapped the "after" as an afterthought so it's dirty and not styled (with a table, flowers, etc.) but you can see how big a difference paint made.

Jeremy also had to replace the stairs and in the process he added risers. It makes such a difference and really cleaned everything up. 

 

Now that we've got the house show ready it's time to get unpacked and settled in our rental house. We'll only be here about 4-6 months but it is home in the meantime so we've got some work to do! I'll be back shortly to share the dining room and maybe a few other spaces. I've got to see what all I have photos of!

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ENTRY REVEAL | BEFORE & AFTER

We finally got the entry finished (as finished as it's going to get, that is) and I wanted to share it with y'all. This entryway is one of my favorite things about the house. I love that you're greeted by the staircase and that there is a dedicated space to greet guests.

THE BEFORE

I snapped this photo in November 2017, the night we closed on the house and got the keys. I was so excited and couldn't believe that this beautiful home was ours. I had so many plans for this space and while I didn't get to see them all come to fruition, I'm really happy with how we're leaving it for the next owners.

THE AFTER

The change we made with the biggest impact is the upgraded trim Jeremy installed around the doorways. The original trim had been replaced with MDF and we switched it out in the entry for oak and a beefier profile. We had plans to gradually switch out the trim through the rest of the house but unfortunately this is as far as we got. I wanted to make a statement in this space and since wallpaper can be pricey and time consuming I opted for contrast trim. Contrast trim has been around for years but it's currently a pretty big trend and was the perfect pop of color for the space. I chose Williamsburg Wythe Blue from Benjamin Moore's Williamsburg Paint Color Collection. I love it so much and it really makes the updated trim pop.

We also painted and switched out two of the doors (our bedroom and the entry bathroom) for antique doors. They add so much character and really made an impact in the space. I would have loved to replace the boob light and the front door, and continue the white oak hardwoods in here as well. I also really wanted to refinish the banister. It is one of the only original details left in the house and I would have loved to highlight it but Jeremy and I were not ready to deal with lead paint which it more than likely had been painted with at some point. All that being said, I'm happy with the progress we did make in such a short time.

Now it's time for me to take all the photos down to pack up and it's making me so sad! I know I keep saying this but I never expected to leave this home so soon and I am going to miss it! I still have our dining room, bedroom, the playroom, and kitchen left to share and that will probably be it. We didn't make enough changes to the other rooms to share in a full post but stay tuned for the others!

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SAWYER'S NURSERY REVEAL | BEFORE & AFTER

A few nights ago we started transitioning Sawyer to a big boy bed. I'm not done refinishing his bed frame so we just put his mattress on the floor with his inflatable bumper rails*. He's done so well and tonight we moved him in with his big brother. I have always wanted them to share a room eventually but now that we are moving I wanted to get them used to it as soon as possible. We will be renting a house between the sale of our current home and the new build being completed and it only has two bedrooms so they will have to share a room. I think the transition will go much smoother starting here. They've been in bed about 2 hours and so far, so good. I'm hoping we make it through the night with no issues!

I was able to clean up Sawyer's room tonight after moving his bed over to Tucker's room so I wanted to make sure and snap some photos so I can always remember this sweet space. My aunt Christie helped me paint, decorate, and organize on one of her trips to visit and I spent many hours rocking and nursing Sawyer in here. Hard to believe this chapter is closing!

THE BEFORE

Like the other rooms, this one was a great blank space to work with. I wasn't crazy with the gray paint - I had already done the gray walls years before when it first became trendy and these leaned a little more blue than I'd have liked. Other than a coat or two of paint it just needed some decor. I do wish I had gotten around to changing the light fixture but like a long list of other things, that will be up to the new owners.

The playroom is the room you see through the doorway. You have to cut through the nursery to get to it.

 

THE AFTER

I just love this sweet room! I reused a lot of stuff from Tucker's nursery (it was navy and cream and lots of baby lambs) but I added the shades of green this time around. I also added some fun details that were left over from Sawyer's 1st birthday party like the wool ball garland and detail added to his mobile and the pennant name flag on the door.

Another room down and ready to be decluttered for listing photos and then packed up for the next house. I know I sound like a broken record but it's all so bittersweet. I'm going to miss this beautiful, special house so much and I'm just so grateful for our time here!

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SUMMER BBQ PLAYLIST

We are having a small cookout with some friends today to celebrate Independence Day and I wanted to put together a fun, summertime playlist. This was harder than I expected because there are SO many songs I love and I wanted a good variety. I'm pretty happy with this but will probably continue to add to it. You can listen with the player below. I'd love to know what songs you would add to the mix!😊

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THE BACK TO SCHOOL BUNDLE

*This offer is only available July 2020.

I know there is still a lot of uncertainty in our world but I am choosing to believe that school will be back in session come August. My sweet Tucker is heading off to preschool and I can hardly believe it. He'll be going (unless things are modified) 4 days a week from 9-12. I am so excited for him and I can't wait to see how he will flourish in that environment.

Since there is only a little over a month until we start our new normal, I'm trying to be prepared as possible with supplies and our routines. First up, oils and supplements. If you have been wanting to get started with Young Living this is a great opportunity because it is so versatile.

The Back to School Bundle is HERE! I’m so excited to pair the amazing Premium Starter Kit with a handful of focus supporting oils, Thieves Cleaner, pre/probiotic supplement, PLUS your choice of a second diffuser or a set of miscellaneous amber bottles for FREE. Here’s how to take advantage of the deal:

STEP 1

Grab your Premium Starter Kit (it includes 12 oils, Thieves Hand Sanitizer, Thieves Spray, and other samples) and opt in to Essential Rewards. (You get even more free product and you can cancel in August if you want but I’m willing to bet that you won’t.😉)

STEP 2

Customize your Essential Rewards order by adding Thieves Household Cleaner (14.4oz), KidScents MightyPro, Tea Tree 15ml, and Orange 15ml. Your total will be $258.

STEP 3

Get excited! You’re not only getting a 5ml KidScents GeneYus, 5ml Common Sense, and 5ml Envision for free from Young Living, but you will also get your choice of a second diffuser or a set of miscellaneous amber bottles from me. Need to set up an Essential Rewards order for August? Grab some of my all time favorite oils like Grapefruit, Northern Lights Black Spruce, and Cedarwood.

I'll be sharing all kinds of diffuser blends and ways to use these products in the next couple of weeks. I’m so excited to help you out and welcome you to our community. If you have any questions at all please do not hesitate to reach out (DM me on Instagram, email me steph@homemakingish.com) or get started here!

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LIVING ROOM REVEAL | BEFORE & AFTER

I wish this were titled Living Room Progress but since we're moving (incase you didn't see, we're building a house) this is as done as I'm going to get it. I love our living room and even though I didn't get to make all the changes I wanted, think it's a cozy, pretty place that's come a long way.

THE BEFORE

These aren't the greatest pictures but I snapped these in October 2017 during our inspection. The room had good bones. It was basically a blank slate with large windows providing lots of natural light and nearly 10' ceilings.

THE AFTER

Jeremy recently updated the trim work in our entryway and I love the way it frames the living room. It's a little larger and better material (the previous was MDF and this is oak). I would love to know what the woodwork looked like originally but unfortunately it was long gone before we got our hands on it. We had plans to replace the trim throughout the house but that will be left to the next owners if they so wish (and I hope they do).

This year we were planning to install a ventless gas fireplace and build it out with built-in shelves and cabinetry on either side. That diagonal wall is not original and would be an easy fix to remove. This may be the one thing I'm most bummed that we didn't get to tackle in this house. The antique mantle we have been using adds a lot of character and the room would have really come to life with the addition of the real thing. I hope somewhere down the line someone adds it!

We also had plans to carry the wood floors we put in the dining room and kitchen throughout the rest of the house. It was pretty expensive since we also had to have the floors leveled (y'know, since the old girl is 150 - things are sagging a bit.🤣) so we won't be doing that before we leave either. And besides adding an area rug I would have loved to plank the ceilings. They're so tall and I think the added texture would have been so beautiful and cozy.

Now that I've photographed the living room how we have it (I wanted to make sure I always remember this special place) I will start to declutter and pack away some of our family photos. I think it's ok to leave a few out when listing a house but I definitely want to simplify. Makes me sad to think about but I am also SO excited for our next adventure. I'll be sharing more spaces as I clean them up before packing them away so stay tuned for that!

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