Hey friends, happy Saturday! Where in the world did the week go? I have to admit, January usually seems to pass by rather slowly for me, but not this year. Perhaps it's because my family has so many things on the calendar- birthday celebrations nearly every weekend this month, youth activities at church, and lots of work and school prep happening on weekends, too. My husband is spending pretty much every waking moment of the weekends at our new house, working hard to continue with progress on our renovation. 

While the waiting period to get into our new home has seemed so long, and so hard to go through, we are getting closer. It's funny how much it feels like we're building a house. With our new home, the framework is all there, but we basically ripped its guts out and have started over. We're not flippers, and we're not looking for quick fixes. We're trying to do things the right way so we'll be happy with the appearance and quality, making the work long-lasting. The more I think about getting into the house and getting everything set up, the happier I become, but I'll tell you- it's work.

My husband and I now feel as though we're each working three full-time jobs. We have our day jobs, of course, and then parenting always feels like a full-time job. Add in designing spaces for a new home, and then the actual physical labor, and voila- three jobs, not enough time to do them all in, and bam- sheer exhaustion. There's a bright side, though- we're seeing very happy children who are so excited to help design their rooms and their play space. If you know me, you know I love interior design and finding fun pieces for every space of my home. 'I need you to come and help me decorate my house,' is a phrase I hear often from family members and friends, and it tickles me to feel wanted in this way.

I'm at a point in my life where I want to move past hand-me-down furniture and flat packs, except for a few pieces that have been in the family for a long time and are meaningful to me, like my parents' old sideboard and my grandmother's farmhouse dining table, custom-made by my uncle. I'm really excited to take you through our new house, room by room, and show you the spaces, as well as what we've chosen for design and decor elements. I am often asked, 'Where did you get that?' I promise to try my best to share that here, so you can see how easy, and affordable it is to give a lift to a space in your home. Trust me, I have a small potatoes budget for our renovation, as well as decorating and furnishing this new house. Mixing old with new is going to be key for me. 

Tune in next weekend to see how our playroom is coming together for our kiddos. It'll be the first room finished in the new house, and I'm looking forward to showing you that space.

Are you working on refreshing any spaces in your home this winter? Which ones?