The Day's Journal

Finding beauty in the everyday pieces of life

Big Rapids

10 Things I’ve Learned Since Moving to the Country

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Last month marked our 1 year anniversary of leaving suburban life in Grand Rapids and transitioning to a more rural setting in Big Rapids.  We’ve made a few adjustments to our home, which was pretty much move in ready, just not filled with 100% all of my décor choices and with any home, I think there’s a learning curve and time you need to take to figure out how it really works for your life and your family.  Houses are not one size fits all.

Amongst the projects that we’ve tackled and the ones I’m still scheming about, there have been some realizations.  Life here is just… different.  Last month I was at a wedding and I told someone that I moved from Grand Rapids to Big Rapids and his response was, “On purpose!?” Yes, we intentionally moved here.  I read an article about a family that moved even further off the grid, I think to New Zeeland or somewhere similar, and lived technology free with kids wandering barefoot through the woods.  After my one year of living in this more serene setting, I have to say the idea is becoming more and more appealing.

But for the moment, I’m sharing just a few of the biggest lessons I’ve learned since relocating.

Shelby | The Day's Design | On Country Living

Photography: Hetler Photography

  1. You might have to walk a ¼ mile to get your mail

Regardless if it’s raining, snowing or hailing – if you want your mail, you’re going to have to work for it.  The mailman does not come down our road, so we must walk or drive to the mailbox daily.  And word to the wise, there are no streetlights out here so make sure you’re walking during daylight hours, otherwise you may not be able to see your hand in front of your face, much less the mailbox.

  1. Chickens are mean

Next to said mailbox, lives a farmer and his chickens.  These are free range chickens who roam wherever they please.  I now know why the chicken crossed the road.  It wasn’t necessarily to get to the other side, it was to guard the mailbox and their territory and I have been chased down the road on more than one occasion in fear of being pecked to death.  They’re fast and they’re angry.

  1. The stars twinkle in the most dreamy way

I’ve heard tails of how many starts are in the night sky.  I certainly thought I knew what the twinkle of starlight looked like.  But moving out here where they’re the only illumination in the air for miles around gives you a whole new perspective and they’re stunning.  So far beyond beautiful, they’re breathtaking and I cannot imagine why anyone would want to cover their beauty with the glow of city lights.

  1. The moon is really bright

I have an entirely new appreciation for the moon.  I watched shows from the old west and wondered how they could possibly travel by night.  I’ve also hear my dad and husband speak of deer who stay up all night and are really active when there’s a full moon.  But until you have an uninhibited view of the world without streetlights or any electricity in the night air, I don’t think you can truly appreciate just how bright a full moon really is.  And then how dark it is when it’s gone.  Suddenly, I find myself fascinated with the mood and its phases.  I also now very clearly understand this line “the moon on the crest of the new fallen snow gave the luster of midday to objects below”.  It is so bright.

  1. Wildlife is free to roam, including your dogs

The neighbor’s dog is constantly in our yard.  At 7 am, he’s pawing at my back window wanting Polly (our dog) to come out and play.  Polly doesn’t really like him.  I don’t really like him.  He doesn’t seem to get the memo.  But I don’t complain, because our dog also roams the “neighborhood” is a frequent visitor at the lady’s house next door, despite the clearly worded signs in her yard to keep the dogs out of her grass.  Sorry.

There’s also sausage shaped dog that occasionally musters up the energy to wander to our yard.  The chicken roam up and down the street, usually making it just to the very edge of our property.  Surprisingly, there are less squirrels and rabbits than I saw in Grand Rapids but we make up for it with visits from deer, turkey, more deer and I even saw a fox one day.

  1. There’s no delivery service

You want Jimmy John’s or pizza?  Then go get it, because they’re not coming to you.  We did find out that if the right driver is working at Pizza Hut, he might decide to drive out to our road but that’s up to each driver’s discretion, and most will pass.

  1. Its quiet

Like really quiet. And still.  You can feel nature all around.  Except at the very start of spring when the bullfrogs and crickets in the nearby swamp are so loud you can hardly even hear your own thoughts.  But it’s such a welcomed noise, who could really care?

  1. Your husband may start picking up some strange “country like” behaviors

Since we’re in a more outdoorsy and rural part of the state, I expected to have a couple battles to pick.  I was leery of camo, flannel and Wrangler jeans making their way into his wardrobe (I can thankfully report, they have not – well, maybe some flannel but that’s okay).  I’ve pushed aside his desire to get chickens of our own and even the fleeting idea that we should get a goat (no thank you!!)  And the notion that we now have enough space to get a bigger dog is brought up quite often.

But the stories I did not expect to tell are the ones involving him army crawling across the lawn in his pajamas and slippers because it’s turkey season and some poor little guy had the misfortune of eating breakfast on our property (don’t worry, the turkey made a safe get away).  I did not expect there to constantly be a pair of binoculars on our bedroom window ledge with the sole purpose of spying on deer and a flashlight that sweeps across our hill each night to watch them sleep.  I guess I was naive to think that these behaviors belonged at hunting camp, not on our back yard.

  1. There is no such thing as clean

Forget about ever having clean shoes, a clean vehicle, clean anything ever again.  Living on a dirt road with only a partially paved driveway means that there’s mud everywhere.  Just leave a change of shoes in your car.

  1. Going into town is a big deal

Hitch up the wagon and ask the neighbors if they need anything, we’re heading to town for the day’s big outing.  We really only live 10 to 15 minutes away from town, depending up your final destination, but the mentality is so different.  We all make sure that no one else needs anything while you’re out and there isn’t a quick grocery store to pop into if you should happen to run out of milk.  If you’re shopping for clothing or life’s finer accessories, that might involve at least an hour of travel.  Thank goodness for Amazon Prime.

By far the biggest lesson I have learned is that I never want to live in a subdivision or close neighborhood again.  The idea of closing my blinds and putting up a fence is not appealing.  While I’m not certain that Big Rapids will be our forever home, it has become home for now and I love wandering in our woods, exploring down the dirt roads and am even starting a garden this year.   Country life is where we belong.

Our Master Bedroom Retreat

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The onset of slightly slower winter months means we’re finally getting around to a few home projects that have been pushed to the backburner since we moved in.  While the list will inevitably go on forever and ever, I’m glad to say that we’re finally seeing signs of progress in our master bedroom.

I shared a couple quick behind the scenes in my Instagram stories over the weekend but I think I should probably explain exactly what this project entails – it goes a bit beyond a new comforter and a little paint.  We moved into a three bedroom house, which is seemingly pretty perfect for a family our size.  However, one of the bedrooms is in our basement, which I’m not totally thrilled about.  Now it’s a really nice, finished basement and not a concrete, creepy space like so many others I’ve toured.  But just the same, it separates our family and functionally just doesn’t work for us.

Sometime during our home’s 70 years of life, an addition was added to the backside.  It’s sort of a sunroom/bonus room, with tons of windows and great light.  It overlooks our beautiful back yard and has a ton of potential.  But the long of the short is, it’s a really long long awkward room that I’ve never really found a purpose for.  Until now.

We moved our bed into this gigantic room last spring, just to test out my hypothesis – which was that it would make an amazing bedroom.  I finally got my husband on board and all we need to do was add in a wall to give the space some definition and that would also provide a place for a closet.  After nine months of throwing my clothing on the floor, I am excited to say that I finally have a framed closet and a bedroom with a door.

And as another bonus, my husband also finally gave into my pleas to hang a chandelier over the bed, he bought me the most amazing gold and crystal chandelier for my birthday earlier this month and it just got installed this weekend as well.  I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves, add a little paint to the dismal brown shade and have the most perfectly serene master bedroom that I’ve always dreamed of.

Antique Chandelier | Master Bedroom Makeover | The Day's Design

Fingers crossed I’ll have final results to share soon, but until then, here’s a glimpse at my Pinterest board which is full of my bedroom inspirations.

5 Months in a New Town

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I think I was a bit delusional during the moving process last spring.  I had it in my mind that I would have plenty of time to unpack, organize our lives and even decorate prior to the pending wedding season.  I even had visions of having my studio being set and ready to go.  Life is always more work than anticipated, then throw in two little girls and its game over.

#thebigmovetoBigRapids has disappeared from my feed.  Life is messy right now.  But in the name of progress, here’s where we stand since our relocation.

The House

A 1950s ranch located on 6 acres of woods, fields and within walking distance to a small lake.  It’s quiet, dirt road living.  I love the location and the serenity.

The house was completely gutted and remodeled by the previous owners.  They bought it as a foreclosure and spent the next year of their lives redoing everything.  They pride themselves in nothing original being left of the 1950s shack.  I, however, find this really sad.  From past pictures, I understand that much needed to be improved upon but I would have liked to retain a bit more history and preserved some of the home’s original integrity.

I’ve also found very few people in this area share my passion for white cabinets, light walls and cottage chic décor.  There’s a lot of brown in this town.  I’m on a mission to infuse a bit more of my style into this home without making it clash with the brand new pieces that have been so carefully selected, such as the deep espresso cabinets, the chocolate bathroom vanity and rusty gold tones of the travertine fireplace surround.  The one project I have been able to tackle so far is painting all the walls in my living room and kitchen white (naturally, I tackled that project the night befor Willa June’s first birthday). It’s a step in the right direction, even if I’m not completely sold on the chosen paint color.

The Studio

Our house has a fully finished, walk out basement.  It’s very homey and not at all your typical dingy, damp basement space.  This is be a space where I can work, design and meet with clients.  Half will be designated as a “work zone”, with shelving, counter height tables and – fingers crossed – a sink.  The other half will be more of a cozy, meet and greet space.  I have an antique sofa that’s just waiting to be reupholstered and I’m looking for a few other cute pieces in my travels.  I love any excuse to purchase new furniture.  I’m even hoping to include a small play area.  And the best part is there will be a door between the two halves, so when the studio side gets a little messy, we can close it off to the living area and hopefully keep the floral disaster contained.

As far as progress goes on this space, we’ve ripped out half of the carpeting since I can’t really work with flowers on carpet.  But other than that, there’s been a lot of dreaming about potential.  I’m hoping to select a paint color before we lay new floors but I’m stuck on what color.  It’s all dependent upon what color I want as a backdrop for my flowers to be Instagrammed against.  So sad, but so true.

The Gardens

This is another big dream area.  We simply didn’t have time to plant anything this year and I really wanted a summer to see what grew naturally on our property.  So far we’ve found wild raspberries, mock orange (or something that looks a lot like it), apple trees, irises, lots of autumn olive, sweet peas, more ferns than you could possibly imagine, chokeberries, grapes, daffodils and oodles of things I cannot possibly name.

I very much want to plant and grow some things to add to my floral designs and am looking forward to that sense of accomplishment.  However, I’m a little scared.  I don’t exactly have a green thumb and I think this might be a huge, frustrating challenge ahead of me.

There you have it, the last five months, in a nutshell.  Living here feels so natural, I can hardly believe it’s only been four and a half months.  I’m excited for the autumn and dreading the winter a touch, but I definitely have enough things in mind to keep me busy all year through.

Cat in Highchair | Vintage Aqua Highchair | The Day's Deisgn

Photography: Justine Simmonds  

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The 5 Most FAQs for the Month of March

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I’m full on having an ADD month.  I start one project, leap to another, tackle the unpacking of one box, grab a paintbrush and splash some color on half a wall, check my email, forget to respond to the message I just read and end the day feeling exhausting and unaccomplished.

Moving.  That’s what’s on my mind. And of course the impending wedding season which is full of flowers.  Ah, flowers.

Through the shuffle and the driving, I’ve had some amazing blog posts run through my head.  But when I actually stop to sit down at a computer.  Poof.  My mind immediately goes numb.  I forget how to form a sentence, proper grammar and all forms of punctuation go out the window.  The three parts of a story – gone.

So today’s post will be in list form, between to-do lists, project lists, packing lists – this just seems fitting to have a blog list. The answers to my 5 most frequently received questions over the last month.  Here’s everything you need to know, even if you really don’t care to know it.

How’s the move?

Such a loaded question.  Moving is hard.  It’s emotional, time consuming and strenuous.  I’m so sick of looking at boxes, wondering where things are and feeling unorganized.  But if I can put all of that aside, it’s really good.  The house is great so far, we’ve had our challenges of being in a rural setting, but overall I think we’re going to be really happy here – if it ever stops snowing.

How’s the new house? Are you getting settled?

See above.  The house is great so far.  A sweet friend texted me today reminding me that even small steps are progress.  But it’s hard.  I really want things done NOW.  Patience is not a strength of mine.

How are the girls adjusting?  Does Gretta like her new room?

Packing and moving an entire house up is hard.  Packing and moving an entire home AND business is harder.  And packing and moving both of those things with two small children is crazy.  What were we thinking??

Gretta is adjusting great.  She loves it.  The first change we made to the house was painting her room pink (actually a subtle blushy white, but it’s pink to her – she is 100% girly girl).  And everyone who comes over gets to see her pink room as the first stop via the Gretta home tour.  Willa June, on the other hand, has been very out of sorts.  I didn’t expect it to be such a struggle for her, I figured she was young enough that the environment change wouldn’t have much of an effect.  I was definitely wrong.  She’s been a little extra clingy and doesn’t seem quite herself.  I think we’re finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with that as the last couple days have been much improved.

What’s the house like?  I can’t wait to see what you do with it!

I don’t think I’ve shared much about the house we bought here so I’ll give you a little history on the home.  (You may remember me contemplating a couple of choices back when I posted this here).  We ended up buying another 1950’s ranch.  It was foreclosed on a couple years back and last January a couple bought it to flip.  They did a ton of work, it’s completely remodeled and brand spanking new – which really isn’t like me at all.  It feel strange not changing things out of pure necessity.  But it’s pretty nice not having all the projects lingering over my head.

I will, however, be adding my own touches to the space.  While the finishes are really high end and the couple who fixed it up did a great job, not everything is completely my style or how I would have done them. My sister summed it up perfectly “it looks really nice, but it doesn’t look like Shelby.”

I’ve had so many people share how eager they are to see what I do to the new house, how I decorate, etc which I think is really funny.  While I love home décor, I’m not an interior designer and have never pretended to be.  I’m just a girl who likes to keep up on style and binge watches Rehab Addict whenever possible.  However, you can follow along with my tweaks and updates #thedaysinteriordesign, just be nice.

One of my favorite parts though is the location.  We have six acres of wooded lands, wild grasses and rickety old fences.  There are birch trees, an apple tree and lots of potential for foraging.  I found a pussy willow a couple days ago.  Chickens live across the road and we’re within walking distance to a little lake.  And the crickets and bullfrogs sang us to sleep on the couple of warm nights we experienced.  I am aching to have the windows open and smell sweet scent of fresh country air.

When does wedding season start?  How is the move affecting business?

These are big questions.  Part A – wedding season starts at the end of this month.  I have a huge wedding April 30th in Grand Rapids and I’m so excited for it.  It’s going to be a beautiful explosion of spring flowers and vibrant colors.

Part B – what many people don’t realize is that even though I previously lived in Grand Rapids, I really didn’t do that many weddings in the city itself.  I think only about 25% or so of my weddings were local.  With that said, I wasn’t really afraid of the move.  I’m closer to my Traverse City/Leelanau brides and it’s not too much further from those Southwest Michigan and lakeshore brides.  And I’m working on having a proper floral studio within my home, which is going to be amazing and help with my workflow and productivity so much.

Willa June | The Day's Design | Moving to Big RapidsPhotography: Justine Simmonds

Last week I stayed up for a couple of late nights painting our living room.  And on Saturday we hosted our first of many family gatherings, this one in celebration of Willa June’s first birthday.  We still have a huge horse trailer full of belongings sitting in our driveway and I’m just trying to take one day at a time.  I think we have finally found reliable internet service, so we feel connected to the world again.  Week three of country living and all is well for the night.

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Note: Just to clarify, I don’t really have ADD – just days I mindlessly hop from one task to another and cannot sit still as I’m overthinking every little piece and project in my life.  Focus Shelby, just focus.

Big Rapids Beige

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Grand Rapids Wedding | Rainy Wedding | The Day's Design | Jamie & Sarah Photography

Photography: Jamie & Sarah Photography

Mud, muck and icky mush.  So much brown.  It’s all I can think about.

We’ve been here a 7 nights now.  The days attached to the nights have been filled with packing, sorting, boxing, taping, loading, traveling, unloading, resorting, unpacking and the piling up of so. many. boxes.  The reoccurring question of the moment is how am I liking Big Rapids so far? So far, I feel like a work horse tromping through the sludge, splashing, mopping, sweeping and dealing with an endless trail of mud.

I know March is a naturally muddy month in Michigan.  I’m realistic enough to realize that.  But somehow living in an asphalt neighborhood you forget.  You see the gray and the undesirable tones left behind on the snow piles.  And of course the mile long lines at the carwash on a sunny day don’t go unnoticed.  But when you head out to where the blacktop ends the word “dirty” takes on a whole new meaning.  I have worn rain boots out of pure necessity for the last week straight, with no end in sight.

In other news, my house is very brown as well.  There’s a reoccurrence in the palettes of this area that I’ve come to know as “Big Rapids Beige”.  It’s everywhere.  The warm and fairly unwelcoming tones of brown, brown and more bland brown.  Perhaps is to camouflage the mud.  Maybe it’s what soothes people here. Perhaps the locals know something I have yet to learn.  But at the moment, I cannot wait for a fresh coat of paint. And I’d like to feel clean.

Redecorating adventures are just around the corner, I’m trying to fit as many in as I possibly can before wedding season swings into full gear.  I’m so excited to add a dose of personality into our new home and create a space I am proud to call home.

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An Undecorated Life

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The Felt Mansion | The Day's Design | Weber Photography

This weekend we took down the Christmas tree. Packing away the Christmas tidbits is always a bit bittersweet. There’s a big empty space in my life.

And then we started packing. Not just the décor, but packing up our lives. I feel like 2016 is a huge mass of unknowns for us. We’re planning a huge move without an exact destination determined yet. I have complete faith that it will all work out, but just the same the unknown is a scary place to be.

We’re stripping down to the bare basics. I’m living an undecorated life. That’s not an easy realization for me. Pretty things inspire me. I don’t deal well with living in ugly, chaotic clutter. I’m struggling with the idea that we may find a home without floral wallpaper, thick crown molding and crystal chandeliers.  I’m seeking to find the beauty in the situation.

The new year is also the perfect time for my little blog facelift, which I’ve been envisaging about since last spring but struggling like crazy to make it happen. One of the biggest changes is actually quite minor, but I’m changing from a blog to a journal. So many of my post should really start with “dear diary” and I’m pushing myself to be more real, more open and more vocal on certain matters.  Somehow having a journal seems more natural. I’ve had a journal ever since high school when writing was the only real way for me to clear my mind. My sporadic thoughts will continue, along with insights on moving, home buying and the redecorating journey. And of course this will forever and always be the home for wedding planning and flowers. Lots and lots of flowers.

2016 goals? Surviving and living to the fullest. I can’t be specific about my goals quite yet because I’m not sure where life is right now. I have lots of dreams though for the road ahead.

dreaming is a form of planning | The Day's Design

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Photo above is by Cory of Weber Photography.  If you find a house with beautiful moss like this is the greater Big Rapids area – call me!  I’m on the hunt for my dream home 🙂

A New Adventure

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Adventure | The Day's Design | Katie Grace Photography

Photography: Katie Grace Photography

On November 2, a new adventure began for our family. My husband accepted a new job. It’s a great job and excellent career move. However, for the past 2 months he’s been commuting 60 miles back and forth each day. The situation is less than ideal.

The remedy is for our family to relocate, plain and simple. So the adventure is really beginning in the New Year. We finally have our house listed for sale, we have been scouring the real estate market and we are packing our bags.

I’ve held onto the dream of living in Northern Michigan for so long now, and I’m falling just shy. Our proposed destination town is Big Rapids, a mere 12 miles south of what most consider to be the cutoff line to living up north. So close. We’re almost north. At least it’s a step in the right direction.

And as far as business goes, I don’t foresee much change on that front. Only a small fraction of the brides I currently work with are local, and I really do very few wedding right in the city of Grand Rapids itself. I’ll be that much closer to my Leelanau brides and my Southwest Michigan brides will only be a stone’s throw further. The dream is to find a place with a potential floral studio, perhaps a small garden, or I’d at least like to get out of my formal dining room so maybe I could actually host a dinner party once in a while.

Right now I feel like we’re living on a prayer. We’ve had so much interest in our home, but the housing market in that area is a bit… challenging, to say the least. It’s a faith journey, trusting that we’re making the right decision and that it will all work out in the end.

Merry Christmas week – we’ve had 5 showings of our house this week, which is also less than ideal. It’s cutting into my wrapping and family holiday time so if your gift was late or not perfectly wrapped, I’m sorry – I don’t know how Martha Stewart does it all! I hope you’re all enjoying this season of laughter, joy and togetherness.

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