Scrapbooking the Old House

*I started writing this post a few days before our buyer closed on it (think May 15th). I was WAY emotional about leaving this little (SO LITTLE) fixer-upper behind. I never finished the post because, yall, moving is the worst. Why did no one warn me?! But now that we've been in the new house for a few weeks (we rented the old place from the new owner until July 1st) I can look back fondly but not miss this old place at all! that's how much of an upgrade the new place is.*


My eyes well up a bit when I think about leaving this treasured, frustrating-at-times, labor of love little house behind after almost 9 years here. 

Luckily part of the selling process was having a professional shoot our (so.freaking.clean. WE SLAVED) home for the listing, So we will always have great photos of the space (even if it was denuded of our personal stuff and some questionable staging props added). 

There aren't pics of the kids room because it had already been thoroughly shot professionally by IKEA (and we were using it as a cesspit to throw all our junky personal stuff into on the day the rest of the house was shot), nor of the main back yard because Jesse didnt have it quite ready in time for the photographer. 

(all photo credits: Brenda Stewart unless noted)

front view from road. remember when we painted the door?

That fence project (we were the mission field for that youth group!) was really the DIY that got us moving and in love with our home.

Putting in new floors and getting a couch I had a love affair with were huge. 

$10 oversized chair and ottoman remains our garage sale benchmark. #notmytulips

did a skin graft on that IKEA rocker to make its footstool match

love our 3 goodwill stools that have been reupholstered thrice now.  The perfect bar lights were c/o the wonderful Shepard Lighting, who positively ruled at picking out just the right fixtures for out style.

jesse built the table and dining banquette bench custom from scratch. those stayed at this house. It's underwhelming as a dining room until you realize we used to have NOTHING for dining on because this was my sewing "room"

Hheaven lawd this kitchen was the biggest improvement of the entire 9 years. The cabinets that nearly finished me, but turned out SO worth it (and in that same project was when we painted the countertops from beige to black---SO easy and impactful).

Deciding to take the doors permanently off one set of cabs was a move that totally worked for us. Fabulous gooseneck sink light c/o Shepard Lighting . #notmyfruit 

moving the microwave from the countertop and turning it into a built in above the stove was a major coup!

Behind those doors was a very sexy project that was the creation of a pantry where once there was none...also that post was where I shamelessly hinted that I was pregnant with a 3rd baby. The fridge is/was black. The photographer used sorcery of some kind to make it silver!

We never did much more with this room after it became the first true made-over one. #notmyferns

#stillnotmytulips

full blown master bath upgrade in one easy weekend.

the guest bathroom with so many cool things that I never blogged about. I LOVED that room

the junk room, turned sewing nook (that was so terrible yet I was so proud!), turned Layla nursery, turned actually great sewing studio, turned white walls with hand painted herringbone accent, turned shared sewing room/Noa nursery.

Goodbye, sweet first home of ours! We brought 3 kids, 2 dogs, 3 cats, and a whole lotta cray into you, and you, in return, did not poison us with mold or radon and taught me a deep, abiding love for red-hued wood and popcorn ceilings.

Another Hilarious Ebay Moment

I already had one hilarious encounter on eBay regarding athletic apparel, and today I had another. 

I was trying to find some Georgia Tech sweatpants to buy online because the university doesn't just give me like 4 free pairs per year any more (lame, right?), and all the pairs I had during my volleyball career as a player are starting to disintegrate from 15 years of use (they lasted longer than my muscle tone!).

So imagine my surprise when my search results included...myself, staring back at me along with two of my (badass all-american superstar) teammates. In the form of the media guide from our senior year.

Even my maiden name is part of the item title!

I am pretty sure I already have one of the priceless vintage relics of sports memorabilia somewhere in the attic, but for just $25 now you can have one of your very own! 

I am not a fan of that action shot they chose for the cover--my pony is way limp and my dumps too much like a truck (truck, truck)--so here are some fonder snapshots of that time that I will now compare to what's in the mirror, and try not to downward spiral facefirst into some doughnuts.

Um, why the HELL would this chick ever put on sweats?!?! I should have been walking around pantsless (well I basically was, I guess).

Fun fact: Layla asked to see me do a volleyball jump the other day and I got about 3 inches off the ground and was sore the next day. #CrushingIt.

I could probably recreate this arm-look right now, but with a mid-flight fat flap in place of a tricep.

 A white girl with cornrows. Majestic. 

Safe Sects: Love the EVERYONE

*I shared this on Facebook originally but wanted to put it here where it won't get lost or buried. And I added a bit to it.*

I haven't said anything about some of the hot-button issues lately (Caitlyn, McKinney). I have been watching and reading and pulling my hair out--cringing, and feeling sick at *some* of the things that people who look like me and label themselves like I do (white, heterosexual married, christ-follower) have been saying about and to their fellow human beings.

I have been wondering if/how to even inject my voice into this maelstrom OF SHOUTING and "them versus us." But it's not really my jam to outsmart or argue (I lack the intelligence and the patience of Jesse) or to even be "on a side."

So here's the best I can come up with:

I feel like my job, my calling, and my heart as a Jesus-follower is to be a safe person for YOU. If you're a transgender decathlete, a white cop, a black teenager, a right-wing conservative, a Buddhist, a nerd, Sammy Sosa, a vegan, my BFF, or WHATEVER. Please hear:

I want everyone who crosses my path to always feel safe with me. Your story, your pain, your "stuff," who you are---> I'm not interested in changing, minimizing, calling out or arguing against any of it. 

My #1 only "strategy" for how I--a clueless dummy--can best show you my Jesus, is for you to feel safe and heard--never rejected or judged. I'm probably going to mess it up, but I aspire to be that first and foremost. I think that being a safe haven for my neighbors speaks so much louder and is much more effective than trying to convince them of my ways or their shortcomings ever could be.

I have been zapped, whammied, blasted, and stomped by people wielding Jesus as a shame weapon and it SUCKS. If that has been your experience, I want to apologize and tell you that I don't think that is an accurate picture of Him in the slightest. 

I wasn't able to put any kind of articulate, biblical and personal thoughts together about these things in the past few weeks (mostly I was just all "OHHHH THE ANGST OF MEEEEE") until my friend shared a blog post originally written in 2013. It helped put words to my response to the hoopla and the hate. It was my, "YES! THIS IS IT!" moment.

The writer, Beth Woolsey, speaks my heart and my Jesus-reasoning on this topic better than anything I have read so far and it's a message I hope comes across from me PLEASE read it if you A: like to point out sin in others (me!) or B: have ever had your stuff called out by a Christian whose advice you weren't asking for (me too!) or C: are human (also me): 3 Reasons I Quit Loving the Sinner and Hating the Sin.  

When it's no longer my agenda to identify your sins (and put them in your "THINGS I MUST HATE ABOUT YOU" file), I have a lot more time and energy to spend actually hearing and understanding you. I have heard so many Christians say, "I was so sure that X group of people were wrong/awful, until I found out my son/brother/friend was one." The relationship can often be more powerful than issue--but only if I don't use the issue as relational TNT to obliterate any chance of a relationship and Christlike love ever developing. 

Safety first. 

Safety Officer.