Our Home

It's official, our home is now on the market.

The sign and lock have been out for almost two weeks now, but due to the MLS site being down last week, our home has officially been listed for six days.

There are certainly plenty of  mixed emotions as we begin the process of saying goodbye to what has been our home for the past 3 plus years.  Just like our first home, this home has provided a place where the unexpected has changed us.

We said goodbye to one precious baby shortly after moving in, and for the first time I understood the grief that so many mothers-to-be face with a miscarriage.

We watched our second daughter take her first steps and learn to talk.

Our hearts rejoiced as we welcomed our third child, our first son.  And with his life came the unexpected journey of Down Syndrome that has forever changed us.  

Our fourth child came home from the hospital to this house, and she's growing and learning here.

We've entertained friends and strangers, praying that their hearts would be encouraged and they would see Jesus in our home.  

My home has been a safe haven for me during some of the most challenging years of my life. These walls have seen my tears, heard my cries, felt my angered footsteps and leaps of joy.

So, I guess I'll be saying goodbye to a friend when I close the door and walk away to begin a new chapter in our journey.

This journey that we're on has taken us to many places, and now we're just three months away from another new place.  There are countless unknowns on the horizon, of which I'm both terrified and excited.

In the midst of it all, though, I'm so thankful that God remains constant.  Walls cannot contain Him.  God is with us, Emmanuel.  He remains steadfast, unshakable, unchanging, always wise, always loving, always good.

It is with confidence, eagerness, and joy that I can embark on the unknown, because I know the One who goes before me.

Decorating our home for us & Framed French Words

Our home has been a work in progress over the three years we've lived here.  We moved here from a 700 square foot apartment, so it's taken a while to fill in the rooms and decide how to decorate each space.  During this time, I've also discovered what styles I like and the things that make a house a home, for us.

It's so easy to look at pictures in magazines, on the internet, and even gaze in our friends' homes wanting something that everyone else has, or longing to have our home look like a certain space.  Falling into the trap of comparing and envying is easy to do, and I found that I was looking at too many things, causing me to strive to create a home that reflected other peoples' tastes and interests rather than our family's.

I've discovered that I like cool colors, linen, framed pictures that my children create, simply decorated spaces, Scripture placed where I can see it and be reminded of truth, cozy spots, handmade pieces, and photos of special memories we've created.

I don't need my home to be a place that other people fall in love with; my home should be a place where my family finds comfort and security, and where strangers and friends alike can come to find love and encouragement.  

One of the spaces in our home is our guest room.  We intentionally have our children share rooms so that one bedroom can be saved for guests.  Most of the time this room is vacant, with the exception of laundry and piles of yard sale items, but I strive to keep it ready for grandparents, out of town guests, and the friend at the last minute who needs a place to sleep.

Now that our house is on the market {more about that next week}, I'm finally putting together some of the finishing touches on this room.  I had decided about a year ago to go with a nautical theme {you can check out my Pinterest board}.  My husband is in the Navy, and I thought it appropriate to have one room that sort of reflected his career.  A few weeks ago I stumbled across a photo that completely captured what I've been wanting to create in this room.  Below is a picture of the page I tore out of the catalog.

So, slowly, I'm putting together a gallery wall to finish off the space.  Yesterday I hung a 'steering wheel', as Mallory calls it, and framed some Ballard inspired French words.

There are many items I like in the Ballard catalog and it's always fun to try and recreate them for a fraction of the cost.  My inspiration for this art, at a mere $259 :

Cost for mine:  $0.  I had the fabric, the frames, a printer, and some paper.  You could certainly make this as more of a knockoff, closer to the original, but I'm happy with my solution for now.  Down the road, I might change my mind, but for now it's finishing off this space nicely for us.

The quick how to:
Create a document in a word processing program of your choice; I used notepad.  Choose your favorite font and type out your word of choice.  This font is 'Mistral', and I chose two French words, joie = joy, and merci = thanks.

After I typed the word, I just kept increasing the font size until it was as big as it could get in a portrait page setup.  Then, I printed it out, placed it on top of a piece of ticking fabric--cut to the size of my frame--, inserted it into the frame, and hung on the wall.

Total time was about 10 minutes.

And then, my oldest daughter and I had fun taking pictures together of the finished project.

Oh, and like I said, this room is usually vacant.

Just keeping it real, folks; I'm getting ready for our neighborhood yard sale next week.

If you have a little time this weekend, and want to create an easy craft/project for your home, this one might fit the bill.  But, make sure that it's what fits into your family's style and function.  

Make your home a place where those who live in it are secure and where those who visit it are loved.

Happy Friday!