Life feels really heavy right now, you know? The virus, the election, the nastiness of the Internet…if I stay too long in that stuff, I can start to feel very anxious and overwhelmed. So to combat that a little, I’ve been using my home as a distraction. Projects, new décor pieces, paint – it’s all frivolous and silly, but it helps me have a little perspective. Even if the world around me seems to be going crazy, I can make my home a refuge for my family and all who visit here.
Today let’s chat about a few things happening at the farmhouse:
PLANTS EVERYWHERE!
I’m so excited about the dwarf calamondin orange plant I just purchased from Gurney’s Seed & Nursery. It’s currently living in my bedroom for now since we get the best sunlight there. Everything I have purchased from Gurney’s has arrived healthy and in great shape and this one was no exception. Can’t wait to see how it grows.
I also just bought some paperwhite bulbs to force for Christmas from another favorite gardening company, Eden Brothers. My first time and I’m excited! (This is also 100LT #45.) Now to decide what containers I want to grow them in – the images I’ve found on Pinterest are so inspiring.
In other plant news, I’m slowly collecting houseplants to line the big windowsill in my master bathroom. I like to plant them in vintage milkglass containers and I just bought a really cute hobnail version on Poshmark. I used my earnings from things I’ve sold, so it ended up being “free!” Love when that happens.
LIVING ROOM
Big things are happening in the living room! We finally ordered a new couch. Our current couch is about six years old (a sectional from Ikea), didn’t make the move well and has generally been uncomfortable to sit on ever since. Not to mention that as a puppy, Lucy ripped a big section off the back, so it’s been not only uncomfortable but unsightly too! We put off replacing it until we reached debt freedom, but you better believe I started saving immediately after we made that last payment. With COVID, we aren’t really sure when it will be arriving, but praying it comes before Christmas.
The fireplace is also getting a face lift: we’re removing the propane insert and replacing it with a wood-burning one. (The picture above is the official “before” photo.) This project has been on our radar for awhile now, but the craziness of 2020 helped us finally pull the trigger. Even though wood is much more work, we see it as an insurance policy for any possibility of losing power during the winter. When we’ve lost power here in the past, we never used the fireplace for fear of carbon monoxide poisoning and it was cold. Having a wood-burning fireplace gives us peace of mind for whatever winter throws our way.
The fireplace itself is stone with a brown mortar and I’d like to whitewash it or maybe do a German schmear. I’ve done tons of research, but still haven’t tackled it because it just feels so….final? What if I hate it? What if it screams DIY? I’m plagued by indecision. I’d also like to add a thick mantel and I need to deal with that ugly clump of wires too.
MASTER BEDROOM
Last year around this time, one of the kids was jumping on the side rails of our metal bed frame and broke it. A replacement got pushed to the back burner, but now I’m trying decide if I want another metal version or something different. I’ve been checking Facebook Marketplace for a deal, but no luck yet.
In other master bedroom news, I’ve been cozying up the room with a new throw blanket, a new candle, and books everywhere. Is there really anything better than that?
We had the same qualms about painting the brick on the front side of our house outside, and I had so many worries about regretting it but I didn't one bit! I'm so so glad we did it. It does feel like such a final decision though so I feel where you're coming from. 🙂
That's encouraging! Did you have a Plan B in case you hated it or did you just dive in?
I kind of figured we'd just repaint it close to the original color of the red brick or pay to have someone sandblast it off if it was that bad!
My Plan B is to rip everything out and start over with a beautiful aged brick, but Mark isn't too thrilled about that idea, ha! Here's hoping Plan A is successful. 🙂
Ooo, can't wait to see the 'after' shot of the fireplace and new couch! I'm a bit of a perfectionist about home projects too, but after staging my home and doing a lot of things pretty last minute, I discovered that usually doing SOMETHING almost always looked better than keeping it as it was. I will forever be a recovering perfectionist, but I'm trying to make myself just try things and see what happens more–it's liberating!
Completely agree and I'm usually much the same way – just jump in and see what happens! Not sure why this project has me so jammed up…I think I'm just going to read a few more tutorials and force myself to get started. 🙂
I love seeing your book stacks. Makes me happy for you!
I may need to go on a book buying detox in 2021 – they've definitely been my comfort during this crazy year!