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planning our forever home
So the time has come for us to start prepping to build our forever home. We built our current home in 2014, back when we had 1 small child and dreams of having another or even 2 more. Fast forward 8 years, and we now have 4 kids, 2 dogs, and lots of new ideas of how we’d like our forever home to look.
While we have loved living here, and are blessed to have a safe, warm place to call home, we have known for quite some time that the house we built in our 20s would not the be the house that would carry us into our 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond.
We have been plotting our style ideas on Pinterest, House, iPhone Albums, etc. for as long as I can remember. Our style has shifted over time, from more traditional style colonial homes, to the rustic farmhouse, to now even more Nantucket/Cape Cod style.
Some of this has been influenced by our time spent at the beach house and proximity to cedar shakes, some by our desire for a nice, inviting, open living space, but none of our design is more driven than by the desire for light. From day to night, we’d like wide windows, bright sunshine, and light abound.
Our options are most likely limited to finding a country lot, or finding a current home, demolishing, and then building to suit. The latter actually sounds like a decent option as that allow out to use the prior footprint without additional storm water management considerations with can runs 10s or thousand or more for compliance.
Our wish list is high, with proximity to Tom’s office, girls activities, close to a good school, proximity to everyday staples like Target, Starbucks, various eateries, etc., but still have privacy, some acreage, and most impotently, southern exposure for abundant light.
We have been in talks with several builders, along with some auction houses, and also on constant monitoring on sites like Zillow & Realtor.com. There have been some possibles, but none that have met all our criteria.
You can check out my recent Instagram story to see our attempt this weekend to see a demo/rebuild land situation which did not make the cut.
As we carry on this journey, we plan to keep updating the progress here with photos and text. Feel free to ask questions, comment, and we will talk with you soon!
jess & tom
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shop.my.look
it’s no secret that fashion has always been a passion of mine. From shopping trends, to nails, hair, and makeup, fashion & beauty have been a big part of my life. One of the reasons I decided to start a blog and go public on Instagram was to share some of that passion and knowledge with the world.
As luck would have it, in addition to this blog, I have a terrific new outlet for this: Like to Know It, now known as LTK. Started as an influencer tool, LTK allows me to post my looks, like the on above, and link it to the actual products (or if not available, the closest ones we can find) with stoppable links. This provides for a quick, seamless process for you to see the same brands I am wearing and even make purchases.
You can get to my LTK page via the “SHOP.MY.LOOK” link at the top of this page, and be sure to check back often for app exclusive content. In addition to my outfits, I will be posting stoppable links for decor, makeup, and also family/fitness oriented products. Even though I may earn small commission from purchase made through the site, the main reason I started this whole endeavor is not driven by monetization, but instead an outlet for a passion and skillset of mine that gives me great joy to share.
So go ahead, check out my LTK page: here. And be sure to check back daily for new fashion trends, home decor, and chilren’s/men’s fashion.
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christmas.decor
Deck the halls! As you can tell, Christmas is magical time for us. Included are some snippets from our home this year, which include homey touches, clean lines, and bright whites contrasted with earth tones of green, red, and saffron.
Like what you see? Stop on by my shop at LTK: here : to shop these looks. More looks added daily.
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sleeps till christmas.
Christmas season is in full swing, and while we feel pretty set with decor, we are always on the lookup for simple, authentic, and fun items to help populate the home or replace old items.
While at @Target today, we saw this adorable little countdown calendar which complements our upstairs decor perfectly near the kid’s bedrooms. Now, in addition to moving the countdown calendar, they will have a reminder of just exactly how many sleeps until Christmas.
Three double A batteries power the lights which are adorable in the darkness of the evening.
Feel free shop this sign here.
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inspire.play.room.
Christmas decor carries on into a playful, bright playroom for the kiddos.
My style tendencies lean more towards eclectic purchasing, meaning I like to find individual pillows, blankets, and other items from various retailers, rather than finding a uniform set of items sold together. Blending different items into a seamless room tends to give a soft, cohesive flow without feeling disjointed or forced either.
The above pillows were found at Target (of course), complemented with Ikea bookcases, an artificial tree from Target that was green prior to us flocking it in the driveway, and books from various retailers collected over the years.
The bean bag chair is a comfy blue chair that appears red with the addition of a festive red fleece blanket and chunky gray knitted topper.
Subtlety is a difficult process – how do you make a space feel rich and full, without overcrowding it or without leaving it empty and sterile. The addition of a nutcracker at the top of the bookcase by a simple, festive wreath help to define the upper part of the room without overdoing the “knick-knack” style that harkens to an underwhelming yesteryear style.
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don’t wait. decorate.
our season prep continues today as we move towards Thanksgiving. It is hard to believe November is almost over and December beckons around the corner. With a below 30 degree chill outside, the weather has already brought in some of that Christmas spirit.
After several days of bringing up bins and decorating, we have gotten down to the final few items. We spent today mixed with enjoying the kids being home from school, to finishing up the few pieces of garland and starting getting some of the outside lights ready for Christmas.
While Tom was outside working on the lights, I snapped the picture above with the benefit of some great natural light. My green, long North Face coat paired with a CC beanie were the perfect accessories for a cold Fall day.
The large, bedazzled blue ornaments typically are part of our front-door display, but are still in limbo this year as we work through the difference options this year.
Tom, I, & the kids also had the opportunity to make little turkeys from: brownie, a nutter butter, little candy eyes, candy corn feathers & a twizzler gobbler.
Our apple pie still awaits baking, but it is common for us to peel, slice, and sprinkle the apples in during the Thansgiving Day Parade procession.
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Tis’ the Season…to decorate
A tiny glimpse into the glory that is Christmas decorating season, an absolute favorite of mine. Throughout this past weekend our garage was loaded up with at least 20 large tubs of holiday decor, plus some reindeer, throw pillows, blankets and a whole lot of artificial trees.
The kiddos and I blasted some Christmas music, broke out some hot chocolate and got to work sprucing the place up.
We flocked this beautiful tree outside this afternoon. If you are looking for that classy, white frosted look pick up some flocking powder (amazon -24.99 dollars) and simply add it to any artificial or real pine tree. It took us about 15 minutes to complete (I can’t promise it won’t be a bit messy and you may have some kiddos that look a bit snow tinged when done, but its well worth it).
With only a few finishing touches left to go and the “real” tree to be found and placed (Friday), the home is feeling all decked to the halls.
** This amazing illuminated, canvas, Santa photo was purchased from Kirklands and is one of many various images you can buy. They are so cute and easy to use with a simple switch of a side button. I have this one currently hanging in Autumns bedroom, Santas workshop in Camerons and a Christmas train and fireplace in Natalie and Savannahs room.
Stay tuned for more of the finished home/holiday decor. and check out my instagram for a short (pretty awesome) little reel of our completed master bedroom.
Love , Jess
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more.decor.
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home.decor.
Home decor is my thing. I started decorating our first home while still in nursing school, and the bug has never let go. This is the first of many posts around decor – I decorate rooms in our homes each season, and will continue to document and update with images, tips, and also my favorite spots to land unique, exciting items.
