The Day's Journal

Finding beauty in the everyday pieces of life

new house

Farmhouse Dreams

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Anyone who knows me knows my love of all things vintage, shabby, cottagy, classic and old.  I’ve come to adore living in the country and while I had dreams when we moved to Big Rapids of finding a distressed little old farm house that just needed a little love, that was not in the cards.  I never found my diamond in the rough and as antique of a house that I could find (that wasn’t in town or that was within our budget) was a little 1950s ranch.  We’ve lived here 2 1/2 years and have made this house our home.  We love the property and I’ve gotten over the fact that we have modern espresso cabinets and an electric fireplace, redecorating and making this place our own.

Sometimes we have to wait for the things we pray for.  While there are instances where dreams may never come a reality, I’m hoping that this is not one of them.  We have purchased a little farmhouse!  I could possibly be jinxing all of this by sharing my exciting new before we close but it’s really out of my hands anyway.  I’m choosing to have faith that this is where we’re supposed to be and if we truly are headed in the wrong direction, then the doors will be closed to us.

White Farm House | TownLine Journal

Right now I’m basking in the joy of a longtime dream come true.  If all goes well, we’ll soon be living in an early 20th century little home, perfectly white with charming little shutters, the orginal wood floors, a darling screened in porch and my very own (seperate!) floral studio right on the property.  I cannot wait to share more about this little dream of ours soon.  Until then, I need to get back to cleaning our existing house because it will soon be on the market.

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.

Shelby signature

Patience is a Virtue

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My family is one of those families that can take about any word or phrase and turn it into a song. So today’s lyrical inspiration comes from Mr. Tom Petty because “the waiting is the hardest part”.

I was awake at 6:30 this morning with thoughts of home décor, moving and endless possibilities floating through my brain. I just laid in bed pondering it all. We put an offer in on a house over the weekend. And while we did give them an acceptance deadline, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they adhered to it. So we’re still waiting.

I was reminded of a time back in high school when I prayed for patience. It might be a virtue, but it’s never ever been one of my strengths. Once I set my mind to something, I like it to happen NOW – like instantaneously. So I thought it would be wise to ask for some assistance in this area of my life. I said a few prayers and soon forgot about it. Little did I know that there was a lesson on its way.

You see, there was this boy. This boy was the apple of my eye. Remember high school crushes? My world revolved around him. And finally, I got his attention. We went to homecoming. We dated for 2 whole months. Pure high school bliss. Until he broke up with me. My world ended. I didn’t give up on this romantic dream though, but for months I lived in tortured misery. He didn’t go to the same school as me, so he didn’t know that I had practically given up on life (that’s a little teenage drama for you). Six months after the worse day of my life, he wanted me back. Oh joy! Life was worth living again! We went to prom, had an awesome summer and everything was right in the world once more.

There was an epiphany moment a little while later. I realized this was a lesson in patience. It wasn’t that I couldn’t have what I wanted, but rather I needed to wait.

I have faith there is something amazing down the road for me, for us and my family. But waiting for it is not the fun part. It is however, just another learning period in life teaching patience.

Waiting | The Day's Design | Hetler Photography

“You take it on faith, you take it to the heart, the waiting is the hardest part”

-Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

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And speaking of waiting, can we give a little shout out to Kellie of Hetler Photography, she never keeps me waiting for gorgeous pictures.  The one above is from a little project on Saturday, talk about a quick turn around time!  You can see more from our project together here.