You Can't Rush a Home

I just hit publish on the big “reveal” post for my dining room makeover a few minutes ago, and I’m feeling a lot of feelings about it. I’ve been trying for weeks now to try to put words to the feelings I have about finishing the first big makeover in our new home, but it’s been hard. There’s a mix of joy and excitement, tinged with something a little more complicated. I’m going to be trying to unravel these thoughts down in the subscriber-only section - it might be a little messy, but I think it’ll be worth it.

My kids are off school this week for spring break, and they spent the first couple days of the break at my parents’ house, being spoiled and going on adventures. They’ve had a blast and I’ve enjoyed the peace and quiet. But, as always, I’m so ready to have them back home with me!

We plan to spend the rest of the week having play dates, shopping for plants, and treating ourselves to ice cream and movie nights. I truly can’t wait.

• Corey and I watched One Battle After Another and loved it. I told Corey midway through that it was so refreshing seeing a “parent chasing after their kidnapped kid” movie where the parent is just as bumbling and chaotic as I would be in that situation. Leo nailed it!

• I have a lot of painting projects on my agenda this week and I’m really excited. Corey is digging into work on the LEGO room, so I promised I’d get painted. I’m also hoping to tackle our bedroom and if you give a girl a freshly-painted bedroom, who knows what she’ll end up doing. It’s gonna be fun.

• I’m reading the second book in this series and really enjoying it! I’ve already got the third one lined up and I think I’m going to fly through them. I’ve got this one ready to go after I’m done.

• Just me, or are you also taking photos of every flower, leaf bud, and blade of grass you see these days? I think I’m more ready for spring than I thought I was.

• Ordered this new sideboard for the living room and I cannot wait to set it up!

• I needed some flats for spring and summer but my old lady feet can’t handle most of them. I found these inserts for flats and I’m excited to try them!

• This sweater has been my go-to when I need spring vibes but it’s still too cold for short sleeves.

• This little leaf vacuum has made keeping up with backyard maintenance SO MUCH EASIER.

• This striped tee is my new favorite addition to my closet!

I’ve been doing this whole “updating my house for the internet” thing for fifteen years now. It feels wild to put a number to it, but there it is. Along the way, I’ve watched the landscape of online home renovations go through many iterations. And, even if you don’t spend much time on the internet or in social media, you’ve probably seen and felt the shift too. There was a time when we were all spray-painting everything, putting ceramic animals in every inch of our house, and everything was IKEA hacked and budget-friendly. Then, over time, I watched things shift a toward bigger, grander makeovers. We weren’t just painting furniture anymore - in order to keep things fun it needed to involve demo and a budget breakdown.

Don’t get me wrong - a big makeover is so fun! I love a good demo day, and I truly cannot wait for the day when I get to rip up the “feature tile” on my kitchen floor. I promise, we’ll be throwing a party when that happens.

But, I have to admit that both as a creator and a consumer, I find the whole thing exhausting.