Tales of a Crafty Mama

the story of our little 50s rancher

 

{Self-portrait early March 2010 in our kitchen}

A little less than a year ago we moved into our little rental cottage. We have seriously loved our time in this sweet home so much! After living out in the country for almost two years in a basement apartment, it has been such a treat to live in town in such a cozy, beautiful house. Every single time we come home and walk through our front door, Erik and I always turn to each other and say, "Our house is so cute!"

Lately though, our little cottage has seemed awfully squished. The cute factor can only go so far and the past couple of months we have begun to feel more and more restless and unorganized. The house is about 1000 square feet, but we really only use about 650-700 square feet of it and well, for a family of four, that is not very much. I want to say that I love small house living and simplifying my life and and only having the bare essentials, etc. etc., but lately it has gone beyond simple living and has really become lack of functioning. That coupled with the fact that the kids' bedroom never gets played in because it is in the basement and is just, well, very basement-ish. We have really really been wanting them to have a cozy bedroom that they love, that is also on the same floor as us.

So we talked of what to do. What could we do to make our space work for us better? None of these talks were very serious though. Both Erik and I assumed we would make do in the cottage for at least another year or two.

Then Easter Sunday everything changed. On the way home from Erik's parents house, the kids fell asleep in the car and we decided to drive around and look at houses that were for sale in our area. Not seriously considering buying, more just for fun. But as we drove and talked, things just kind of fell into place. We came home and started casually looking online at houses, still trying on the idea for size. We have been married almost ten years and it has never ever felt like the right time to buy a house. Ever. But literally all of a sudden, out of the blue, it was. It was the perfect time. We felt it so deeply.

Over the next couple of days we started slowly looking at homes. We picked a couple out online that looked interesting and set up an appointment with some agents to go take a peek. We did the walk-throughs, but did not find "the one". Over the weekend, we met with the agents again and looked at about eight more houses. None were right. I prayed and prayed and still felt like this was the time to look and that God would lead us to the right house. I asked God to make it really really sure to me when we found the right one; that there would not be any doubts. 

Location was one of our top priorities in looking for a house. There were two main areas in our town that we were focusing our attention on: the park area where we live right now, and the southern end of town where many dear friends live. The problem we kept running into though was that most of the homes in those areas were simply out of our price-range, unless we wanted to buy a major fixer-upper, which we just don't feel ready for. But still we kept on looking.

In the mean time though, our agents kept on sending us listings to look at in other more affordable areas of town. And I was honestly getting really annoyed! I was dead-set on not compromising on location. Then two and a half weeks ago, they sent me a listing that stopped me in my tracks. It was in the area of town that I didn't want to live (not a bad or dangerous neighborhood, just not where I thought I wanted to be), but looking at the photos online, I just knew it my heart that it was our house.

I prayed hard all the way to go see the house. That if that neighborhood was where God wanted us that I would obey. That I would trust Him to know what is best for us. I walked into the house and unlike any of the other houses I had looked at, I immediately could picture our life there. Hardwood floors- check. Fenced in backyard with a door off the kitchen- check. Three bedrooms on the main floor- check. Vintage charm- check. Plus other wonderful things that I was not expecting to find in our first home- carpeted family room in the basement, the perfect little room to use for homeschooling, built-ins, a two-car garage...

I went home and could not stop thinking about it. Dreaming about it. When Erik got home from work, I told him all about it- he had missed the showing because he couldn't leave work. He was immediately frustrated because it was compromising location, which like I said, was of immense importance to us. I drew out a floor-plan (a horrible, not to scale at all floor-plan) of how amazing and perfect the layout of the house was for our family. I talked on and on and on. And he kept on saying, "I can't believe you are willing to give up location. I just can't believe it." Finally, I said, "You just have to see it." And left it at that, knowing in my heart that if it was God's home for us (like I believed it was), that the Lord would make it clear to Erik as well.

The next day we took Erik to see the house. The dear little 50s rancher/rambler of a house. I was already in love. Hard. We walked through it together, me watching him intently to see what he thought. All he said, over and over again, was, " I can see why you love this house." But then when he had to leave to go back to work, he left me hanging with, "We'll talk tonight when I get home."

And the rest is history! Erik fell in love with the house too; there was never any question. It is really all so surprising how the whole thing has fallen into place. Erik and I are seriously two of the most indecisive people ever. We take forever to pick out ice-cream in the grocery store. On dates we almost always go to the same restaurant and order exactly the same thing so that we will not be stalled by foreign menus. In the past, we have taken weeks to decide on apartments to rent, visiting them numerous times before applying. Yet this house was different. We knew and we didn't go back and forth and around and around over-analyzing it. We make a decision and stuck with it. Which is so so out of character for us! But shows me so clearly that we are doing the right thing.

So we put in an offer. Kind of a crazy offer, actually. We offered full-price, but asked for a lot in return. A brand-new roof in our pick of color, all closing-costs paid by the seller, and all appliances to stay (washer, dryer, stove, + fridge). When we put it in, I thought, 'there is no way that they will agree to all this'. And them paying closing-costs was a non-negotiable  for us. And in a huge, huge, huge confirmation + answer to prayer, they agreed to all of it!

So, my dear friends, all this to say...

* house-hunting and buying is why I have been majorly MIA in blogland, email-land, and facebook-land lately- it really is a full-time job!

* God is so so very good! I have been seriously overwhelmed by His goodness, provision, and the amazing way He surprises us and rearranges our plans for our lives.

* I can't believe we are almost home-owners! So crazy. Seriously crazy and unexpected! 

* I miss you all terribly. For reals.

We close on May 24th, and I promise to share pictures on May 25th! In between now and then, I hope to be blogging a little bit more, but we'll see with all the craziness that packing with two little ones brings...

Until then, please keep us in your prayers- that everything with the house will go through and be processed quickly, and that packing up our life in this sweet home would go well and that I wouldn't go too crazy in the midst of it all! I appreciate your prayers so much.

xo

i love my fireplace mantel

I've always wanted to have a fireplace mantel. A little place to create happy displays that change depending on the season and what I love at the moment. Two dear friends of mine (Nancy + Misha) are amazingly beautiful and creative homemakers and I have always admired how they make their mantels so lovely. Family photos, flowers, art, books, vases...almost every time I am in their homes, their mantels look a little different. And I love it.

I have my own mantel now. And I am very selective about what goes up there. I get annoyed when my sweet husband, coming in the door from work, tosses his keys and wallet and phone on the mantle. I just want it to be my own beautiful little corner. No clutter. Just peaceful and simple beauty. Right now the left side of my mantel holds what you see above. I am starting to collect letters- the A is from Anthropology and the E is an old letterpress letter that I got this last weekend. A peonie that has not blossomed yet is in the little vase and the old floral frog (also a find from the weekend) is waiting for an inspiring quote to be placed in it. 

What's on your mantel or favorite shelf right now?

P.S. I went back and forth- "mantel" or "mantle"?

a little sneak peek!

 

 

 

Remember that new home I told you about? Our move was delayed a bit- some plumbing and furnace issues that needed to be fixed, and a new bigger window put in the kids' room. But we are now in the process of moving in! It will probably take a good couple of weeks to actually really get in- the next two weekends are really busy for us, so we are just doing what we can on the weekdays. But I wanted to at least share a few little peeks of our new place and share how God has truly answered our prayers in providing this home for us.

- hardwood floors: We have always wanted a house with hardwood floors. We just really love how they look.

- the cutest kitchen ever: True we will be living without a dishwasher, but I think it is worth the sacrifice to be able to cook and hang out in such a happy, sunny space! I think every woman needs a kitchen that they want to be in. And I am in love with the retro refrigerator- that really works! (The door in the kitchen leads to the backyard.) 

- a fenced-in backyard: I have prayed and prayed for a fenced in backyard for the kids to play in and we have one!I also love the brick patio- perfect for the new grill I promised Erik for Father's Day + his birthday in June.   

- a great location in town: Not only will we be living in town, but we will be literally 1/2 a block from a great park (another thing I prayed for!) and only three and a half blocks from my sister! I could not have asked or dreamed of a better location.

- a sunny house: Our current basement apartment gets quite a bit of sun for being in the basement, but it is still definitely lacking. Which not only means that we have to have lights on most of the time, but it also makes it really hard to take photos without the flash on- they always end up with this weird orangish tint. I can't wait to take pictures in our new home!

- a cozy home: Erik and I are thankful for each and every home that God has provided for us over the years. Each one was such a blessing and we did our best to make them all cozy and welcoming. But this is the first home that we will have that we truly feel is us. A place that when we walk in (without it even being decorated yet) feels like home and is cozy and warm. And that is such a great feeling!

- great storage spaces: Tons of cupboards in the kitchen. Nice closets and shelves and a good sized garage. I am so inspired to get really organized! 

- a small home: I am not sure how the house is going to work long-term for our family- it is super small and as the kids get older, it might be difficult. But for now, I feel like it is the perfect size. I really, really want to be intentional about how we live and what we bring into our home. And a small space definitely helps with that!

I am sure that I could think of more, but Mr. Elliot is currently hammering walls and furniture and I better go before he destroys something...

xo

happy spring!

{photo credits found here}

There is this little slip of paper tucked up on the driver's side window shade of my car. I got it in a fortune cookie about six months ago. It says,

"When the flowers bloom, so will great joy in your life."

Today our sweet little house closed! Technically it is not "our" house- we will be renting it from Erik's parents- but still, it will be our home. I am so excited to move in and create happy new memories there. To fill the walls with Elliot + Audrey's giggles, the smell of freshly baked bread + chocolate-chip cookies, Frank Sinatra + Iron and Wine + The Weepies (of course), art projects galore, kisses, friends + family, and as cheesy as it sounds, lots of love.

And I think that it especially lovely that it all happened today- on the first day of spring. I guess my fortune was right after all.

random things on my mind today

 

I do still love to scrapbook. This last year it has just been a constant struggle to find the time/energy to do it. But now that Elliot is a little older and officially not sleeping in our room, I am rediscovering how much I love paper and glue. That coupled with the fact that I finally, finally have a friend to scrapbook with! My dear friend Courtney and I have been getting together every couple of weeks at a local coffeeshop and scrapbooking together. It is a super fun way to get to know each other better and have a little time away from the kids and create! I treasure our little dates so much. I made this card when we met last Friday night. (Sidenote: I used one of this sweet friend's yo-yo's- currently one of my favorite embellishments. You can buy them in her Etsy shop).

Thank you for all the encouragement regarding our (gulp) mouse situation. I have seriously never been so grossed out in my life. I know that almost every one deals with them at one time or another, but this was my first time and I was not a happy camper. It all started with the random stashes of rice we found on Saturday morning in Elliot's dresser drawer (yuck, yuck, yuck). Then on Saturday night we found the evidence of the big party the little stinkers had thrown while we had been in Montana in my pantry. Thank you, thank you to my sweet mother-in-law who spent hours cleaning up that disaster with me. After locating a couple of other spots they had been, I think we have somewhat "dealt" with the problem...hopefully. And thank goodness that even though there was evidence that they were in our room, they did not raid my patterned paper or fabric. Whew.

But the animals were not done with us! On Sunday night, Erik almost got attacked by a random Cockatiel in our front yard who had obviously escaped from some neighbors or something. Yesterday afternoon I arrived home to a baby pig huddled by our garage, from another neighbor we're assuming. Remember, we do live in the country...Then this morning, Erik opened the front door to see the biggest beetle I have ever seen- and I have traveled in both the Philippines and Mexico! It was seriously the size of one of our little mice...What the heck is going on around here lately!? Have I mentioned that I am totally not an animal person? This is crazy!

On a completely different note, my little Elliot has been really sick lately. He came down with it right before our vacation and it has continued for the last couple of weeks. He acts okay most of the time, but something in his body is not right because, well, he has to go to the bathroom a lot. I took him in to the doctor right after we got back from Montana and found out that he had lost a pound, which is not good because the boy does not have any weight to spare! The doctor gave me a dietary supplement to add to his food to pack on the calories. We went to see her again yesterday- he has put on 1/2 pound since Friday (putting him at a whopping 18 pounds), but he is still pooping a lot. They are doing some tests now to see what's up because 15 days is too long for just a normal virus. Tonight I noticed that he is getting some big molars, so part of me is wondering if maybe he had a virus at first, and now he is just reacting to teething. I don't know. I would appreciate your prayers though!  

I had a fun little late night date with Erik tonight. We went out after 9:00pm- so late!- to dinner and a drive through one of our favorite local neighborhoods, dreaming of living there someday when we can afford to buy a house. Can I just tell you how much I love hanging out with my man? Even when it is way past his bedtime and he chooses to drink diet Coke instead of beer in order to stay awake on our date, he is still my favorite person to be with.

I am currently obsessed with eating Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds for breakfast.

I missed playgroup this week because of Elliot's doctor's appointment, but can I just tell you how excited I was to hear that my friends sewed while the kids played? Seriously made me so happy.

My kids have been napping at the same time in the afternoon lately which means that I get lunch to myself and a short nap. Bliss. I have decided that if the opportunity to take a nap presents itself, I have to jump on it. A happy, rested mama is much more important than a spotless house.

Oh, my goodness! Did I forget to tell you that we got a new car? Well, actually it is a...minivan. Yes, I totally have a real mama car and I am not the least bit embarassed of it. I am actually quite in love with it.

Oh, geesh. Here I am again, staying up way too late. I better sign off. Hope you are all having a happy week!

we're escaping to the lake today

So much to do. So much to blog about. But after spending nearly four hours cleaning up a little situation in my pantry last night- starts with an "m" and ends with an "e"- I cannot handle being in the house today. Any guesses as to what I'm dealing with? Encouragement needed!

corners of my home

I have a little ritual of going around my home and taking pictures before I pack for a move; I have done it before every move of my married life. It is fun for me to have the pictures, to compare the different places we have lived and how our decorating style has evolved over time. And I think that it will be special for my children to have photos of homes that they have lived in, especially ones that they are probably too young to really remember!

So here are some of my favorite little corners of my home right now:

Above a window in the kitchen

My stove

The side of my refrigerator, displaying Audrey's lovely artwork

The door in my kitchen that leads into the laundry room

Audrey's art/play/cooking table, also in the kitchen.

Sidenote: Do you see the little stool with writing on it under the table? It says "Andrea Mae" (my name) on it and was painted by my mama when I was a little girl. I remember using it all the time as a child- for standing and sitting on (of course), but also as a baby bed, a boat, a Barbie house...It is so fun to see my own little girl enjoying it now!

The view from the doorway leading into the kitchen from the living room

The top of a bookcase in the living room

More to come!

a home...

I know I said that I was not going to post until next week, but I couldn't help myself. Last night I was looking through a vintage Better Homes and Gardens magazine from 1925 at my in-laws house and I found the loveliest little essay that I wanted to share with you...

I Want to Build  by Chesla C. Sherlock

I want to build a house to endure. A house of generous size and low-flung roofs, caressed by the gentle shade of great trees, where Permanence and Strength shall be reflected. A house where little voices may babble in the ecstasy of babyhood, and grow to the full blush of youth, and, in the fullness of Time, come to maturity and age, and grow old, and nod, and sleep. A house where my children's children shall be nourished and fed and protected by these same walls which have sheltered and protected me.

I want to build these little lives which have rooted in the garden-soil of my soul so that they, too, shall endure. Build them so that they shall know the glory that Love is, the joy that Happiness is, the peace that Contentment is. I want to root them in the eternal truths and nourish them with the true ideals of usefulness and service. I want to build them unafraid-gentle as the daisies nodding in the fields, sturdy as the rock-ribbed hills, strong as Love.

I want to build a garden where Loveliness dwells. A garden where the lingering pictures in Memory's eye come into being and all the dreams I have dreamed of Paradise nestle at my feet in my own door-yard. A garden where mine enemy dare not come lest he, too, be charmed into forgiveness! A garden where the divine laboratory of Eternity lies in my hand and speaks in untold tomes the delights, the mysteries, the wonders of the Hand behind it all.

I want to build a home where Love will dwell. A home valued not by the dollars it cost, or the richness of materials or furnishings going into it so much as by the happiness it has created. A home which has grown dear and near because of the stress and storm it has weathered, the tears it has dried, the smiles it has caused. A home where patience and effort and denial have brought their treasures of happines and contentment and peace. A home where Love comes like the fluttering dove, and perches and dwells- unwilling to search elsewhere.

I want to build a home!

a lovely weekend

Thank you for all the sweet birthday wishes! I had a really nice day- it was pretty mellow, but I got to spend it with my two favorite people, so what could be better than that? Erik and I celebrated my birthday a little early when he took me out on a date a couple weeks ago. We went out to dinner and then he took me to buy jeans that fit (yes, they are already getting too tight!) and to Barnes and Noble to pick out a fun new book.

Thursday we celebrated our first ever Thanksgiving away from our extended family. Erik had to work on Wednesday and Friday, so it was just a little too stressful for us to drive 3+ hours to see my family in one day OR 8+ hours to see Erik's. Thankfully we have several friends who also don't have family in town, so we all had dinner together- eight adults and four kids. We definitely missed being with our families, but it was also really special to be able to celebrate with some of our closest friends. We all contributed different things to the meal- we brought the mashed potatoes, green beans, a cranberry/apple pie (see picture above), an appetizer, and sparkling cider.

Then, on Saturday we got our Christmas tree!

We have never gotten our tree this early; usually we end up getting it a week or two before Christmas. I am really excited about having our house feel festive early in the season. This year we went with some friends to cut our tree ourselves on a tree farm about 15 miles outside of town. It was fun to be able to pick a tree in the snow (although kind of cold!); usually its raining when we go tree shopping!

P.S. As you can see, Audrey was a little bit more into going to get a tree this year than she was last year...

We woke up yesterday with the perfect weather for decorating our tree...

We were all set: Erik got our Christmas decorations from the garage, I turned on our favorite Christmas cd...we hung up the lights and then...

Our hot water heater started to leak all over our kitchen floor! We spent the rest of the evening mopping up water with every spare towel and blanket in the house and following instructions from my Dad over the phone on what to do about the leak.

Today our landlord sent someone to replace the heater, but we went almost 24 hours without hot water. No showers, tons and tons of dirty dishes (of course the dishwasher was full of diry dishes when the heater went out), and a serious mound of laundry. Yet, I feel very thankful because we are just renters, so we didn't have to pay for any of it!

So our tree still just has lights on it, no ornaments yet. But I am kind of enjoying the simplicity of it right now. We still have about a foot and a half of snow outside, with more expected tonight (which is actually really rare for where I live), and I am loving how cozy and Christmasey my house is feeling.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend too!

small joys friday

Just a few small things that have been bringing me joy this last week...

Watching this little girl grow up! It seems like Audrey has matured so much- both in looks and personality- since she turned one. Its only been two weeks, but all of a sudden she just seems so old! These two pictures capture so much of what I see on a regular basis-the goofy, silly side and the more serious, introspective, perceptive side. And she's officially walking now! It is kind of hard to judge just when it became "official"- I think its when she started choosing to walk over crawling without any encouragement from me or Erik. She still crawls quite a bit- especially when she is tired or frustrated, but she is definitely walking more now than she was even five days ago! And it is so cute!

Can you see that funky quilt in the background of the pictures of Audrey? That has been bringing me joy. I found it thrifting a few weeks ago for $7.00 and I love it! I had been wanting to find a cool, old quilt to just have to curl up under while watching movies and reading books. And it is perfect. One of my favorite things about it is a little handwritten note on one of the corners from a grandmother to her grandson. I will have to take a picture of it and show you. It is really sweet.

I just picked up these two albums super cheap this week and I feel so much happy nostalgia when I listen to them. Did anyone else listen to these as kids? They are seriously making me giddy! This music brings back so many great memories from my childhood. They were probably the most played records in our house-aside from these two. The songs are even cheesier than I remember, but so so fun. How can you not love songs like "Have Patience" with Herbert the Snail and "I Like Knowing God the Best" with lyrics like "Riding bikes, jumping rope, blowing bubbles out of soap. Slides and swings are all good things, but I like knowing God the best!" Now I just have to find a copy of Down By the Creekbank...ever heard that one?

Speaking of great music...I just found out that one of my favorite more modern musical artists-Mindy Smith- has a new cd coming out October 10. I first heard of Mindy when she opened at a Nickel Creek (another one of my favorites!) concert a few years ago. She has not had a new cd for ages, so I can't wait!

Audrey is giving us tons and tons of kisses lately. Affection from your child is seriously one of the best things ever.

These letter stickers make me so so happy.

I finally mailed off the very last of the circle journals! Like I said before, I really enjoyed this project, but I was getting anxious to move on to new things, so it feels really good to be done. Now I just have to wait to get my journal back...Here are pictures of the last three journals I contributed to:

Claudine's theme was "Martha Stewart". My layout is basically a rant about my sadness/bitterness/disappointment over MS Kids magazine being canceled. Still can't get over that one. I designed the page on the right to look like one of the feature spreads they always had in the magazine. (You should be able to read all the journaling if you click on the picture to enlarge it- let me know if you still can't and I will write it out)

Andrea's theme was "Your Top Five Whatever". Andrea was the organizer of the whole circle journal group. By the way, if you are interested in participating in a circle journal, Andrea is planning another round in January. Just leave her a comment on her blog to let her know that you are interested!

Last but not least, Jaclyn's (she does not have a blog, or I would link her too!) theme was "Quotes". I have so many favorite quotes; it was really hard to narrow them down! I really like how I did the title page on this one. I was inspired by this gorgeous layout.

I am looking forward to a super relaxing night tonight with Erik. We have Gray's Anatomy Season 2 from Netflix to watch (we're finished with LOST Season 2. So sad that we're done and have to wait until next fall to watch Season 3 because we don't have cable!), and I think that I am going to make us some of these (scroll to the end of the post) for us to eat!

I know I already mentioned Audrey in this post, but I am enjoying her so much! She just wandered in here from her room, where she was reading books and playing with her babies, to smile at me and then ask for one of the pretzals I am eating by signing "more"- that's how she asks for everything now days! This age is just so much fun!

Happy Friday everyone!