How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Wow!  It really has been a minute since the last blog post.  Goodness how time flies when you are running with your hair on fire, and truthfully – with only a minor amount of hyperbole – ON FIRE is how this summer felt, not only because it has been as hot as molten lava in Alabama and sometimes my hair really did  does feel like it was is on fire, but also because my life was waayyy out of control when it came to things that needed to get done.  All were good things, mind you, but there were deadlines and lots of work, frustration, tears, and stress.

There was no day that seemed to have enough hours in it and no day short enough to fast forward through the sometimes hard soil I was tilling. You know what I mean?  I’m sure you’ve been there too in some way or another.

These last few weeks have been fairly low key, and I finally feel like I have some breathing room to sit back and reflect. And yesterday, everything seemed to click into place like a long-lost puzzle piece I’d been searching for.  That is when the tears came.

Of course.

Because crying (and sometimes laughing at the same time) is how I express every emotion I feel.

So, what did I spend my summer vacation doing?  Moving and upgrading my new house.

In retrospect, I look back on that word “upgrading” and realize I was in denial because what actually took place – and, more importantly – the level of destruction it required to get to those upgrades – was clearly renovating.  We’ll chat about that process on a future post perhaps.

But y’all! It was so worth it!  I hesitated for a moment to include these photos because in this day and age, photos can come across as bragging and such.  It kind of makes me crazy.  BUT…If you know me at all, my heart overflows when I get to share things I love and things I learn with those I love, so I hope you’ll see it with those eyes.  There are so many, many lessons God taught me in the process, so don’t think I won’t share those down the road.  But for now…let’s just sit and enjoy the aftermath of good, hard work and lots of blood, sweat, and tears.

Kitchen before….

Can we chat about this room for a minute?  There is not one single thing wrong with it except those cabinets are not my love language, and that floor color is something I haven’t words to describe, and it had two-toned walls of moss green and baby poo all of which I’m sure you can pick up at Home Depot.  But seriously.  This is totally do-able, functional kitchen.  But I couldn’t leave it alone.  I had a hankering for something different.  And like all things Nikol, I just kinda mishmashed the things I liked together and it kinda worked out.  Or at least I think so.

..and after…

And that backsplash…I did it all by myself.  Not gonna lie…I might be bragging about that part.

Living Room before…

That color, y’all.  I called it pumpkin puke.  All of my walls downstairs looked like something that went in a baby or came out of it.

…and for now…

I’m not done with this space, but I still love the transformation.

Master Bath before…

Again, that floor design.  It kind of looks like a baby did a finger mashup of food and other things.  I don’t have words.

…and after…

The monsters love to lay on this rug.  They blend in perfectly.  Can you see them?!  Isn’t that crazy?!  Yea.  I made that up.  But they do love to lay on it.

Great Room before…

I blame this room for the start of all the renovations.  This color is called “baby-poo-you-never-want-to-see.”

This photo is really one of my favorites because you can see all three types of flooring and 3 different paint colors all in one shot.  It longed for unification. 

…and after…

Reunited and it feels so good…one color…one flooring.  Ahhh…feel the consistency.

And that’s it.  That is what I’ve been doing this Summer.  And it was a hard but rewarding endeavor.  It is has only been 2 1/2 years since I had a sanctuary from life’s battles, but it seems more like a decade with all that has passed, and since I felt like I could take a deep, cathartic breath and let go.

And things are far from perfect.  It wasn’t the way I pictured my next house purchase.  And it isn’t with the people I hoped or in the location I was looking. And perhaps those things will come again with time.  But when I would dream of better times, I dreamed of a home that was cozy and inviting in its own way.  I dreamed of a place that invites rest and peace.  I dreamed of a space that calms the mind and gives your soul room to stretch its feet out and just be.  Deacon is feelin’ it…

It is still a work in progress.  Goodness knows I need to hang some stuff on the walls.  But I reckon, just like us, a home is always a masterpiece in progress.  In the meantime, I think this place is a good space to breathe.  So, if you have some time and long for some breathing room, come on over to the country house and relax a bit.  My door is always open, and I’d love to sit and chat with you awhile.

-N