Be sure to check out all of her other episodes because they are so encouraging!
Be Nourished Podcast Interview
Be sure to check out all of her other episodes because they are so encouraging!
Living Room Renovation
Our living room was the quickest transformation of the whole renovation project. We finished painting it all in just one day! Luckily we only had two coats to put up thanks to our Behr premium plus paint. (Totally not sponsored, we were just so happy with the quality!) As stated in the previous post about our bedrooms, we used the same paint color throughout the house: Subtle Touch on the walls, and Bakery Box for the trim.
Thankfully the floors were in good shape when we bought the house, so all they required was a good scrubbing with our mop. Just a few coats of paint was all this room took to fix up.
Once we finished painting the bedrooms we felt like pros so tackling the biggest room in the house was a breeze! The paint edger we used mentioned in the previous post saved us hours of carefully working around the trim and baseboards.
Thankfully the floors were in good shape when we bought the house, so all they required was a good scrubbing with our mop. Just a few coats of paint was all this room took to fix up.
Before
After
Once we finished painting the bedrooms we felt like pros so tackling the biggest room in the house was a breeze! The paint edger we used mentioned in the previous post saved us hours of carefully working around the trim and baseboards.
Painting tips:
- Make sure to have all supplies ready before you start! This makes it so much easier to complete the task at hand because getting started is truly the hardest part
- Paint the trim first. You will not have to tape off twice if you paint your trim and baseboards before painting the walls. Pro tip: you won't have to tape anything off if you use an edger!
- Speaking of edgers, get one! I cannot emphasize this enough! It is an amazing tool that will save you time, money, and tears.
- When you reload your brush, paint in a "W" formation on the wall. This distributes the paint evenly which gives the best finished look!
- Use a drop cloth. I underestimated how much paint I would spill/splatter when painting our bedrooms. Using a drop cloth, especially in carpeted areas, will insure the protection of your floors!
- If you spill latex paint, use rubbing alcohol to clean up dried spots. Most spills you will see and wipe up immediately, but for those little dried-on bits that you didn't see, rubbing alcohol will help you clean them up like they were never there.
- And lastly, be patient, especially if this is your first time painting. It takes some time to get the knack down. Don't try and rush through your project because the final product will show it! Trust me.
Make sure to follow me on Instagram to stay up to date on where we're at in house projects. Keep an eye out for our kitchen renovation post. This was by far our biggest project and change in the whole house! I will be adding subsequent posts after the big projects series to showcase our home decor which is one of my favorite parts of home ownership. Thanks so much for continuing to come along through this series on our fixer upper projects!
First Birthday
I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
and he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
and steadied me as I walked along.
He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the Lord.
Psalm 40:1-3
I opened up my bible today and this was the first passage I read. Waiting is not something I'm unfamiliar with. I should be setting up for a birthday party tomorrow. Maybe there would have been a cake with flowers. Maybe one decorated with dinosaurs or trains.
I always wonder what would have been for the precious life that I carried in my womb for 9 weeks. You made me a mother. Although those around me don't see you and when I'm asked if I have any children, sometimes I lie. I am a mother. Your life mattered.
My love will never end for the two babies I carried. I will always hold them in my heart and if there's one thing I've learned from this journey, it's that I need to give myself space to feel. Sometimes it's grief and frustration and other times it's joy in remembering that because of Christ's blood shed for you and me, all hope is not lost. Don't you feel a longing in your soul for something more than this world can give us?
Even as a Christian my life is not promised to be easy or free from death. This is the symptom of the fallen world we live in. Because of one man's sin, all of us are subjected to living out a life that we were not intended to live. One look at the world around us and we see this, but because one man lived a perfect life, you and I have hope for a future when we leave this earth. My hope has always been to share my story with others to give them hope and understanding. If you have gone through miscarriage, I want you to read my words and know you are not alone. I see you, but more importantly Jesus sees you.
I want you to know that even though I have carried another child only to end up with the same heartbreak and loss, God has given me a new song to sing because of the hope I have in Jesus. He can give you one too if you allow him into your heart. There is no "fix-it" in this world that will promise you a happy life, but we have Jesus and he is enough.
Even if I am never satisfied of my longing and desire to carry a child full-term and live a life as a mother to that child on earth, Jesus will be enough.
Please share so that these words would reach the eyes of those who may be suffering. Please reach out to those you know are suffering. It doesn't need to be eloquent. There is nothing "right" you will say to fix the situation. Sometimes it's best to sit in silence. Just being present to sit with someone in their sadness or grief is all it takes to let someone know they are not alone.
Thank you, God, for the new song you offer to everyone. Thank you, Jesus, for dying for all of us, including my babies, so we have a new hope. Thank you for continuing to read my story.
Bedroom Renovations
Every room in our house was (some still are) a work in progress, but the bedrooms were our first big project. One of the biggest problems we noticed was a heavy amount of soiling on the carpet once the previous owners moved their furniture out. We negotiated in our contract to have the house cleaned - carpets being one item on the list. We were certain that with a good scrubbing, the stains and smell would come out.
We were wrong, unfortunately. So a carpet change was in order pretty soon down the road!
If you are buying a fixer upper that needs new flooring one tip I would suggest is to paint before you change out the carpet or hardwood. This saved us so much time and hassle because we didn't have to worry about paint splattering or tipping out onto the floor, which it inevitably will no matter how careful you try to be. Trust me on that one.
Aside from specific changes and upgrades we did in each room, the paint color we chose for the house is the same throughout. It was really important for me to create a neutral, cohesive backdrop in each room because I like to change out decor every now and then - which usually means swapping pieces from room to room.
Our color of choice for the wall was Subtle Touch by Behr. The trim is Bakery Box, also by Behr. We opted to get a "middle of the road" paint. Not quiet the best of the best, but better than the lowest grade. I cannot stress enough how much I suggest getting this if you are undertaking a whole-house redo. It took only two coats to cover some of the darkest and brightest paints in the house. Definitely worth the money!
Painting was a fun adventure for us because neither one of us had ever painted any walls before... ever. The best tool we picked up was an edger like this one. This was a life saver because we did not have to tape anything... I repeat ANYTHING off. Amazing. Bless you, creator of the edger. *Disclaimer - make sure you paint your trim first and then use the edger so you don't have to tape anything!*
We started in our bedroom, which wasn't too drastic of a change - from sandy brown to light grey. It was our first taste of how transformative a fresh coat of paint can be.
Once we felt like we had a grasp on how to properly paint, we tag teamed the guest rooms. This is where the transformations become a little more dramatic! The first guest room was a dark green color that made the room feel a little like a cave. After we finished this room, it felt much more airy and welcoming!
Probably the most drastic change in the entire house was the second bedroom, which started out as a tart lime green. There wasn't anything subtle about the touch up we achieved in this room.
After all of the rooms were transformed, we painted the closets with a coat of Bakery Box to clean them up as they had some scuff marks. Shout out to our friends Tanner and Claire for helping us accomplish this one weeknight last fall!
Once we allowed all of the paint to dry, we quickly made a choice on a new carpet. We went with a neutral grey Stainmaster carpet since we have a sweet pup who is always tracking new, fun things in the house especially on rainy days.
The biggest bonus that came with replacing the carpet was that it helped eliminate about 90% of the funky smell we noticed during our walkthroughs. We are so thankful for the changes that we were able to make with the bedrooms. My inner Joanna was singing with joy. Next up to tackle was the Living Room!
We were wrong, unfortunately. So a carpet change was in order pretty soon down the road!
If you are buying a fixer upper that needs new flooring one tip I would suggest is to paint before you change out the carpet or hardwood. This saved us so much time and hassle because we didn't have to worry about paint splattering or tipping out onto the floor, which it inevitably will no matter how careful you try to be. Trust me on that one.
Aside from specific changes and upgrades we did in each room, the paint color we chose for the house is the same throughout. It was really important for me to create a neutral, cohesive backdrop in each room because I like to change out decor every now and then - which usually means swapping pieces from room to room.
Our color of choice for the wall was Subtle Touch by Behr. The trim is Bakery Box, also by Behr. We opted to get a "middle of the road" paint. Not quiet the best of the best, but better than the lowest grade. I cannot stress enough how much I suggest getting this if you are undertaking a whole-house redo. It took only two coats to cover some of the darkest and brightest paints in the house. Definitely worth the money!
Painting was a fun adventure for us because neither one of us had ever painted any walls before... ever. The best tool we picked up was an edger like this one. This was a life saver because we did not have to tape anything... I repeat ANYTHING off. Amazing. Bless you, creator of the edger. *Disclaimer - make sure you paint your trim first and then use the edger so you don't have to tape anything!*
We started in our bedroom, which wasn't too drastic of a change - from sandy brown to light grey. It was our first taste of how transformative a fresh coat of paint can be.
 |
| Bedroom before |
 |
| Bedroom "after" aka in progress - notice how we didn't have to lay a tarp out - the only perk of having gross carpet! |
Once we felt like we had a grasp on how to properly paint, we tag teamed the guest rooms. This is where the transformations become a little more dramatic! The first guest room was a dark green color that made the room feel a little like a cave. After we finished this room, it felt much more airy and welcoming!
 |
| Guest room #1 before |
 |
| Guest room #1 after |
Probably the most drastic change in the entire house was the second bedroom, which started out as a tart lime green. There wasn't anything subtle about the touch up we achieved in this room.
 |
| Guest room #2 before - the worst of the worst carpet was in this room |
 |
| Guest room # 2 after |
After all of the rooms were transformed, we painted the closets with a coat of Bakery Box to clean them up as they had some scuff marks. Shout out to our friends Tanner and Claire for helping us accomplish this one weeknight last fall!
Once we allowed all of the paint to dry, we quickly made a choice on a new carpet. We went with a neutral grey Stainmaster carpet since we have a sweet pup who is always tracking new, fun things in the house especially on rainy days.
 |
| Beautiful, fresh, new carpet. <3<3<3 |
The biggest bonus that came with replacing the carpet was that it helped eliminate about 90% of the funky smell we noticed during our walkthroughs. We are so thankful for the changes that we were able to make with the bedrooms. My inner Joanna was singing with joy. Next up to tackle was the Living Room!
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