When we purchased the house, we also inherited a lovely hole-in-the-wall.

No, I'm not talking about the state of our house.

Shame on you!

Our house is beautiful! (Yes, I'm aware that we are clinically crazy.)

The hole in the wall that I'm talking about is a literal one. Take a look:

See that white paneled door at the top of the stairs in these horrible pictures? That hole, led out to the crawlspace above the back part of our house. Since our second story only goes over half of the house, they put this door in as an access point for the electrical and other stuff that runs through the ceiling.

The way that they had covered it was nice enough, but I thought that my carpenter could do better. Together, we dreamed up a design that would make the opening more practical and not such an eyesore. I wanted something that looked pretty intentional and didn't scream, "LOOK AT ME I'M AN ACCESS POINT!"

While we were working on the space, it was left "open" and temporarily covered with plastic to keep out dust. And that is how it stayed until two weeks ago.

As we saved for the materials, we became used to the plastic.It was a good temporary solution.  Keyword: temporary.  With our air conditioner blowing, the plastic would make noise throughout the night. Plus, the crawl space wasn't insulated and the plastic wasn't thick enough to keep out the hot air. Needless to say, we were anxious to get the hole covered before it became too hot this summer and definitely before the cold chill of winter.

So two weeks ago, a day or two after Jonathan did the closet, he also built a bookcase for our wonderful hole. A bookcase that can be pulled in and out when we need it to be, but will provide a bit of function in an otherwise nonfunctional space. First, he insulated the crawlspace with insulation (duh!) that can be used when we add on the rest of the second story. A bit more on those plans here and  here.

That morning, this is what we started off with...well after Jonathan accomplished the insulating side of things.

The puppers was just so curious. She would stand outside the hole while Jonathan as inside spreading the insulation and just whine. We tried to coax her in, but it was a no-go.

Finally, the shelving was done! We decided to see if it was puppers approved. Yea, that was a no-go too.

A horrible picture, but look how unhappy she was. Ears down = get me out of here!

Finally, after two coats of paint, the bookcase was ready for some accessorizing. 

Since the bookcase is one of the first impressions that you get of our bedroom, I wanted to use things that would sort of define our space. I decided on pictures of Jonathan and I and a basket of leftover yarn, from crochet projects, to go on the top shelf. Then a bunch of blankets topped with some random accessories, for the bottom shelf.

I have to tell you, I contemplated putting a really cool moonshine bottle that we have, on one of the shelves. But I was afraid that it would be taken too literally and may catch people by surprise. Something along the lines of, "Oh my goodness the baptists drink!" instead of "Oh what a cool vintage piece, I wonder what other vintage things they used to decorate their room?" So, I nixed it.

Oh and for the record...I'm a baptist, a Christian, and yes I have a drink on occasion.

Cue the oo's and aaahhh's.

I'm a spectacle. I know :)

And for your viewing pleasure, and to hopefully distract you from me, a bit of side-by-side-before-and-after action.

 And the best thing about this little renovation is that it freed up a bit of space next to my side of the bed. Time to add some books and more accessories! :)

God Knows

When you really start to struggle with something, God always seems to know.

Well of course He does!!!

Duh.

You just need to be aware of the little gifts that He is bringing you while you wait for the big things. In the grand scheme of things, the little gifts may not be important, but it is His way of showing His love. Is your heart open and ready to receive?

I have been struggling a bit over the past few months, but I have to say that God has been wrapping His loving arms around me and reminding me, in little ways, of His love for us. When I say "in little ways" I mean ways that would be insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Yet, when God provides for the small things, it becomes the perfect reminder of His faithfulness in the big things.

For instance, I don't know if you noticed our new bedspread in Tuesday's post.

And here is the bed made in a different way, with the same comforter. 

Plus, what do you think of our pretty new shower curtain and bath mat?

Isn't it all beautiful? Well, the bedspread, pillow shames, decorative pillow, euro pillow covers, a shower curtain, a bath mat, and an entire set of towels, were all given to us by our new friends! We have known this wonderful couple and their adorable son for about a month now and they have been an answer to prayers! God has blessed us and our church with their friendship. Plus, I have been thinking about replacing our shower curtain and bedding for awhile now and this gift was perfect! It definitely wasn't a need, and I was by no means praying for this, but God still provided!

Another thing that God has taken care of is a plumbing situation that arose recently. Jonathan informed me the other night, that our sewer was backing up into our basement. (I spared you a picture of our sewage and instead thought a picture of our basement door would be more acceptable---you can thank me now.)  I had horrible visions of a sewer issue that cost my parents thousands of dollars and was pretty worried that this sudden issue would bankrupt us. Thankfully, it had only been backing up for about a day, so not too much damage was done. Yet.

As we snuggled into bed that night, we asked God to let the whole thing become a non-issue by morning. Lo and behold, the next morning, when the plumber arrived, we spent $75 to have our drain snaked and everything is back to normal! Praise Jesus!

Finally, there are other things that have just been too coincidental to be luck. A friend contacting us at just the right time about some organic meat she is selling at a great price. A couple financially responsible options for chest freezers,  just popping up (in time to store all that meat). A queen mattress set, up for grabs, from a great couple we go to church with (a mattress that would be perfect for our future guestroom). Things falling into place for our first "grandparent's dinner" in our new house. The list could just go on and on.

One thing is for sure, God is so amazing and I cannot believe that He loves us as much as He does. I'm glad that He has opened my eyes to the wonderful "little things" that He provides us on a daily basis. It has really given me the right perspective. Even though we may be wishing something huge was very different, He will always provide for us and we should never doubt His love. That huge thing may be the next small thing to change.

You never know :)

Fixing The Lack of Storage

I love our house, really I do. But there is one thing that I completely overlooked when we were seeing her for the first time: STORAGE. I didn't realize that there was a complete lack of it. There is no attic, the basement isn't what I would call a "storage-grade" basement, and there were three closets total, in the entire house. One in the dining room and two small ones in the upstairs bedroom. So, that is why most of our stuff has landed in the unfinished guest room and in the sunroom. 

When one doesn't have an attic or a basement, where does one store big boxes of seasonal decorations, miscellaneous items, and things for the future?

Yea...

Two weeks ago, the carpenter decided that it was about time to build out our master bedroom closet. I totally agreed and practically did flips when he mentioned it--if only my body could contort that way. We had this huge space just waiting to be filled with our clothes and other odds and ends that we wanted to store in our bedroom. You know a girl has to have a place for her purses, shoes, and well, anything else she decides is, um, bedroom worthy. 

Here is a picture of our space before...

and here is all of the stuff that we wanted to put into the closet. Most of Jonathan's "dresser" clothes where just sitting in various piles, in boxes, on the floor. We also had been storing sheets, beach towels, and all of our hoodies in a giant fake-fireplace box. We had a basic system, but it was getting really frustrating.

So, while I went strawberry picking with this adorable little man and his mom, the carpenter spent the afternoon putting together our closet.

When I came home, I ran upstairs and this is what I saw...well it wasn't 100% finished yet, but I will just fast forward a bit for you wonderful blog readers :)

Look at those huge shelving units and the great bar to hang clothes on! I was so excited and couldn't wait to get her all painted up and ready to hold a bunch of our stuff. Finally, our bedroom was going to have some storage and I wouldn't have to worry about tripping over clutter as I moved around our room!

After a first coat of primer, the whole unit was looking pretty good. The bottom three shelves just have primer on them and the top shelf has a coat of primer and of semi-gloss. I ended up doing two coats of semi-gloss, just to be on the safe side.

Let's do a bit more fast-forwarding and here is what the closet looks like all painted and filled to the brim pretty much filled. We still have plans of adding our rarely used TV, a few other clothing items that are currently being stored under our bed, and I may see what else I can fit on the shelves.

For now, things are really starting to look up when it comes to the storage situation in our house. Plus, our room is looking much better and with all that clutter gone, I really enjoy the space so much more. Just take a look at how things have changed. Let's go all the way back to the two-bedroom-layout that was present when we bought the house. 

Do you remember the little "bedroom" that was directly at the top of the stairs and then the "master bedroom" that was down the hall a bit? 

Then, we moved in with all of our clutter and started throwing things together.

And present day is offering up a much more polished room. There are still plenty of things that I want to do, but it's really starting to come together. 

I'm pretty sure it won't continue to always look like this--I will probably organize and continue to tweak things around the room until I'm satisfied. Yet, this closet has already made me feel SO much better. It is amazing how lack of storage can have an affect on you.

Plus, what makes this even better, is that we now can use our closet downstairs for storage!! Things are a-changing!

Time to start making over another closet!

The Real Reason

I have decided to change up the blog a bit!

Why?

Yesterday, our Pastor talked about the "Comparison Trap." His sermon was based on the one given by Andy Stanley. Wow. What a powerful message. To put it simply:  we all compare ourselves to others and it needs to stop! 

Still confused? Check out the video (this is just the intro video, but you can watch the entire sermon on YouTube).

Have you ever been there? I know I have. My comparison trap looks a bit different, because I don't have kids, but it is a trap nonetheless. I always compare myself to those around me. Especially when it comes to this blog, our house, and my current stage of life. I want to make sure that I am 'up to par' with those around me, so I am constantly weighing my life against someone else's.

Andy refers to this battle as the 'Land of ER.'

"If only I were pretti-ER."    "If only I were rich-ER."    "If only I had a nic-ER      fill in the blank       ."

As sinful people, we do this and hope to eventually reach the 'Land of  EST.' 

"I am the pretti-EST"  "I am the rich-EST"  "I have the nic-EST            fill in the blank         ."

It's just such a tangled web to weave and I have submerged myself so deep, in that web, that I am about to strangle myself. I guess that means it is time to get out. :)

Can I get an amen?!

First things first. This blog needs to change a bit. I love blogging, but I have been blogging for the wrong reasons. To be honest, I felt like I had something to prove. I'm a stay-at-home wife and wanted to show everyone that I wasn't just wasting time--as if blogging is somehow a better use of my time. I wanted to prove that I was good at something and valuable in this world. I wanted to bring others into the 'Land of ER' and make them compare themselves to me. This isn't OK.

I wasn't listening. I couldn't hear God telling me that I don't need to prove it to all of you and instead should be proving it all to Him. And you know what the funny thing is?? He already thinks I rock...just check out Psalms 139. Yup...I'm fearfully and wonderfully made. I'm going to start believing that myself.

I am taking this blog to a new place. I want it to glorify God and Him alone. I still want to write about my passions: my husband, family, decorating, renovating, and the puppies. But, I also want every post to first reflect the appreciation and devotion that I have to my Heavenly Father. I'm not perfect, no Christian, or person for that matter, is. But I sure-as-heck can stop comparing myself to others, trying to become perfect.

This mind game is o-v-e-r.

Instead, I think it's about time that I start realizing that I am my ER and EST -- and that is definitely more than enough.


P.S. Check out the updated 'about us' page!

Today I...

...am excited to celebrate my grandfather's birthday!!! This time last year, we thought that he was dying--he was in a coma and not doing well.  It's amazing how much can change in one, short year. 

Happy Birthday Grandpa Pete!!

...am excited to wish my sister-in-law 'happy birthday' from far away!!! I hope it is a sparkling and awesome day for you Cristale!!!

...am a bit too tired from a late night spent with my college roommate and her family. It is wonderful to play catch-up and watch as two worlds collide. Who would have thought that they would ever visit small-town-USA?! I'm sure glad they did.

...can't wait to run. I didn't get up early enough this morning, but I'm going to pound the pavement tonight once it cools off enough.

Wait.

Who am I and how am I looking forward to running??

The heat must be getting to me.

Yea...that has got to be it.



Picture Credit

A Melody

Waking up this morning was a chore...I love sleeping in on rainy days.

There is just something about rain that makes me want to snuggle in for the day. When we have children,I am going to teach them that a rainy day means movies, lots of snuggles, and tons of time as a family. Instead of rain meaning that the day is going to be dreadful, it will become a special day for all of us. I hope the 12 kids we will have, love our future rainy-day traditions. ;)

12 kids...ha! Oh how the carpenter would be surprised! 

Do you know what the best sound in the entire world is?

Rain on your rooftop.


My family owns a few small cabins in Algonquin Park, Canada. It is my favorite place to vacation. After driving about six hours to get to the lake, we then take a half hour boat ride to the cabins. 


Yes, you can only get to it by boat.

The definition of amazing.

There are no phones, tvs, or electric (other than the generator that we use at night). We bathe in the lake and go on canoe trips daily. It is wonderful.

Yet, I love this place infinitely more when there is a storm rolling through. The sound of the rain on the rooftop is such a beautiful noise to fall asleep to. Nature at its finest.

One thing I never expected, when we purchased this house, was to have a little piece of our Canadian haven, here in New York. The first night that it rained this past month, I about peed my pants. Well maybe not really, but I was pretty darn excited to say the least. Our bedroom has the perfect rain-on-the-rooftop sound!!

We don't have an attic, so we don't have that sound barrier between the roof and our bedroom.

Perfection.

The most simple things, make me ecstatic.

This house is a keeper.


picture sources: here, here, and here.

Being A Stay-At-Home Wife

It would seem that a stay-at-home wife has tons of time on her hands. Wouldn't it?

Wouldn't you also assume that her house would be 100% perfect all the time because she actually has the time to clean it and organize every square inch of it?

And wouldn't it be safe to say that she is the most perfect wife in the sense that she is never overwhelmed and always has plenty of time to fulfill all of her husbands desires and wishes--meaning that the laundry is always done by the time he gets home, there is always a hot meal on the table, and she is ready to spend an evening waiting on him hand and foot.

Yea...

Not.

True.

I am a stay-at-home wife and I do have tons of extra time on my hands...but the pressure that is associated with this role is overwhelming and often leaves me paralyzed. I am so overwhelmed by all that I could and should do that I sometimes don't accomplish anything!!!--its a tangled web that I have weaved.

It's funny because I think I put on a pretty good front. I think people assume that I have it all together. My house is usually straightened up when people come over and I am able to do a lot of work for my church because I have the extra time to devote to it! But, this is sooooo not the case. I soooo don't have it together. In fact, it is rather the opposite. I'm usually a second away from going utterly crazy.

Behind the scenes I am frustrated, overwhelmed, and I feel insignificant at times because I'm just a stay-at-home wife. I mean seriously, what do I do that is so important?!

Well, I will tell you what. I'm determined to change this mindset that I have. As a woman, don't we always seem to have such a self-defeating attitude?? Why can't we ever be good enough for ourselves, when we are such a blessing to those around us?! If aren't stay-at-home moms, we want to be. If we don't have a career, we want to have one. If we don't...then we want....

Being a stay-at-home wife isn't really what I had in mind when I started college almost six years ago. I originally started off going for international business. I had high hopes and dreams of taking my family's local business and turning it into a national real estate investment and developing firm! I had huge dreams and knew that someday I would be traveling all over the world via my own private jet.

Well, that is not what God had planned for me.

Little did I know that I would do so bad in accounting (i.e. have NO interest in it) that I would end up changing my major because of it. Sure I got the basic gist of things and I still feel like I could have passed that class if I tried harder, but I really believe that I wasn't meant to go into business. So, I graduated from Messiah with a degree in Human Development and Family Science. This degree was nicknamed the "M-R-S" degree. Yea...I'm the poster child. Nice to meet you.

Life really hasn't turned out exactly as I thought it would six years ago (echm who's does?!). But I'm learning to be ok with it. God has a plan for me. I don't know what it is. But really, yet again, who does? I just hope that mine involves a quiver full of kids ;)

Yup, that one if for you Jonathan! Love you!

All of that to say, I read this post today and it made me realize a few things.

1.) I really need to get my butt into gear--there is so much more that I could and should be doing.

2.) I need to be realistic about what my day to day routine looks like.

The type A personality that consumes me, craves for organization in every area of my life. So, that is what I'm aiming to achieve over the next few months. It is time that I work towards something.

That is why I signed up for a half marathon.

 That is why I am taking my extra time and putting together a slue of healthy-go-to recipes--so I have no excuse to eat poorly.

That is why I am going to kick this whole boarder-line-diabetes and overweight thing in the butt.

That is why I am going to organize our things down to the items that I really do need and not the items that seem to be filling up empty space for no reason.

That is why I am going to work on my poor excuse for a spiritual life.

I believe that God wants our lives to be pretty, but more importantly I think He wants them to be practical and not filled with frivolous clutter. So, my intention is to focus more on Him and rid my life of the things that take away from that focus. I don't want to be perfect, I just want to be intentional.

I am a stay-at-home wife. I don't have children, nor a job, which takes up most of my day. So, I'm going to learn to enjoy this place in my life while I can. I'm going to work on enjoying this place even though I want so badly to be in another. God has a plan. I just need to learn to be patient and learn to enjoy this crazy ride!