#PrayForWest

There's something about raising your baby somewhere that makes it feel like home.

West, TX is that place for us.

Please pray tonight. That the lost be found, the the injured be healed, and that the hurting families be comforted.

I can't tell you how wonderful a place West is, and was for us. A modern day Mayberry. A place where keys left in your front door are just that.. A simple oops.

We sold our first home, a little blue Czech bungalow just a couple of short months ago-- it's blocks from the blast area. I was stopped in my tracks to hear the news last night, to see houses I RECOGNIZED on fire, the little track I walked when I was 41weeks pregnant, now flooded with ambulances as a community-wide triage staging area.

We called our neighbors last night-most are safe (still trying to get in touch with some) but their hearts and windows are broken. So many more weren't as fortunate.

**update** it is believed one of our neighbors & long-time friend is deceased. He was a first-responder & volunteer firefighter.

#prayforWest

It's BAAAAACK!

This is a story all about how brass is making a comeback.. I can't help but laugh thinking about all the DIYers spray painting their brass fixtures while haute designers are drooling over the same fixture in a slightly different patina. The question is, after two decades of polished nickle tyranny & an attempted mutiny by oil-rubbed bronze, is brass poised to make its way into our homes again? Are the children of the eighties emotionally prepared for this? Will the 'lazy' homeowner be rewarded for their 20years of "I've been meaning to change out those fixtures."

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, how do you feel about brass? Would you ( by this i really mean... Should I) put it throughout the entire home? Just the kitchen? Curious to hear your thoughts.

Or maybe (like my husband) your corneas have been so burned by the glare of polished brass, you can't stand the sight of the stuff!

Fill me in here :)

On home(less) ness.

I've been missing you guys lately. I'm a natural introvert, especially during times of stress, transition, and uncertainty.. and I think that was the real reason behind my little blogging lull.

Sometimes I just need a bit of quiet to get my thoughts and my heart together. Blogging is something that I do to connect with others, and just like in real-life relationships there can be trials and strife when relationships become close. I just haven't had much practice in dealing with the intricacies of negotiating relationships with people I feel close to but have never met in 'real life', so my first reaction to hurt feelings and strange feelings of discord was simply to turn off this part of my life. Maybe it wasn't the best decision, but it certainly proved to me that just like I would call a friend and make-up over a cup of coffee, that it's time to put on my big girl blogging panties, confess my heart, ask for forgiveness and blog on!

My little (big) girl is just growing like a little weed! This was her first ice-cream cone. I think it's obvious that she's now 100% thrilled about me taking pictures of her..

Let me catch you up on the most recent happenings of our crazy move to Dallas:

• Our adorable little blue bungalow sold really quickly. So quickly that we had to move in with my parents and send all of our things into storage while we began building our new house. 
• Daniel is working away during the week, and coming home on the weekends :( We are going on our fourth month of commuting like this, and it's hard!
• That house that should have been built already..yeah. They never even started it. 120 days, a fat deposit, and the builder didn't even have our foundation poured. Super scammy booo!
• We found a 'new' old house to restore! By 'we' I mean Daniel did. I thought he was a crazy goon who wanted to buy a house that others were just going to tear down. 

How is it that we went from building a brand new home to buying the oldest one we could find? I'm still not sure, but I can say that I'm 100% in love.. with this house, and with my sweet husband who spotted & inquired about this house months before it ever went on the market. It has all the makings of being a place of warmth and love, and through all of the negotiations, repair bids, appraisals, re-appraisals, and further negotiations, I never allowed myself to fully accept that it could really be ours. But Daniel did. He did from the beginning. He wasn't willing to settle, he fought diligently with sound reason and much prayer. I almost cant believe it, but it's finally settled. Papers are being signed, and restoration will soon begin on our 'new' home!

These are some little mock-ups I made of the renovated exterior. Do you have a favorite?

For now, we are blooming where we are planted, enjoying lots of time with our family, and looking forward to the new adventures around the corner. I promise to keep you posted! 

Lots of love,

Lindsey 

Little Miss Inspector

Admittedly, I ate a hot Cheeto, or three.

Selah hears the bag and comes running, but I manage to quickly throw it back in the cabinet before she turns the corner. 

She eyes me and asks, "What you have? I want some."

In true motherly fashion, I attempt to brush her off by nonchalantly replying, "Nothing.." but it's too late.

Her toddler-radar food-ninja skills hone in on my two now pink stained fingertips. She leans forward to closer inspect the scene, and exclaims, "Red fingers! I want a chip!"

Busted.

Grits on her face, like a true Southern lady.

House Tour 2.0

Well friends, here it is. Out own little parcel of dirt. We're finally moved out of our home, and settled temporarily while our home is being built. We were terrified that it might take forever to sell in our little bitty town, but it surprised us all and flew off the market at a great price. Moving is the pits ya'll! We are thankful beyond measure to be surrounded by loving friends and family, all who are pitching in to make this transition as easy as possible! Our home should be finished in February, and until then we're building memories with my sweet parents.

Am I excited about our new home? Yes! I think it will be perfect for us. Although I will say that I never expected to settle on a new construction home in one billion years. Honestly, it is exactly what I was opposed to when we began looking.

We looked and looked. At places close to Daniel's work, in the country, foreclosures, suburbs  historical homes, and on and on. At some point we realized that much of our life in the past four years has been about the home we just sold. We loved that little historical treasure back to life, but it took us years of working, and saving, and doing project after project to finally complete our home. Somehow that little house became attached to my identity. Silly, I know.

Simply put, we didn't feel led to go in that direction again for our new home. This upcoming season will be one of enjoying our time together as a family and focusing on doing things together, other than re-doing a house. So, we decided on a new construction home. This affords us the ease of moving in a clean (gasp), finished (gasp) home, and simply unpacking our boxes.

I'm still coming to terms with living in an actual neighborhood, in a suburb, in a 'new' house. All of those things feel foreign, but I know that what we've decided is best. I'll get to pick the paint colors, and make decisions regarding the flooring, and counters, etc.. which will be fun!

I'll keep you posted on construction and our fun antics in the meanwhile!

Lots of love,
Lindsey

Cyber Monday

Partially because it's Cyber Monday, but mostly because we just finished moving out of of house (and i can breathe again), I wanted to offer you guys a great deal on holiday silhouettes!

P.S. I'm never moving again.
P.P.S. life update coming soon!

Real Estate 101

Do you know what it's like to try to sell your house, while living with a toddler?!
...Maybe you super-moms do, but I didn't! It's hard!

I am constantly fighting off the ever-lingering poop smell, and trying to pick up messes all-day-long.

We went quite a while without any showings at all. So, after being cooped up a few days (and accumulating quite a mess) I decided we should get out and run some errands. I debated whether or not to clean before we left, but I decided to chance it JUST THIS ONE TIME.

It goes without saying, then, that as I was in the checkout lane at the grocery store that a lovely realtor called and asked if I would mind a last minute showing of the house... in about 45 minutes.

AHHHHH! I raced home (got stuck in a massive traffic jam), took a clever back route through my little town, and flew past the police station about 12mph too fast. As soon as it happened,  I knew it was too late. I knew I was going to see those flashing red lights, so I panicked and turned on my windshield wipers in an attempt to...blend in? I don't know. I just..knew I couldn't slam on my breaks, so I had to do something!

Yep. I got pulled over. I sputtered and talked a million miles an hour about dirty dishes, and my sleeping baby, my house showing, how I was only three block away from my house.....and I think the officer just wanted me to shut up, because he sent me on my way before I could even finish.

*Phew*

The lovely (and well-trusted) neighbor was in her yard, so I asked her to keep an eye on Selah as she napped in the car, and I raced through the house and completed the world's fastest house tidying. I felt adrenaline in my fingertips, friends. There was no time for crying, just shoving dishes in the oven, throwing trashbags out the back door, and furious frantic cleaning.

The showing lasted less than 10 minutes. It was a single guy. He didn't did my grandma-chic vibe, or the chandelier in the bedroom. Oy vey.

p.s. We have since accepted an offer on the house! Fingers crossed the rest of the process goes through smoothly. I'll keep you updated!