When we arrived the house looked like this….
There was spider grass literally trying to grow under the front door. Our sweet friends had already come by to work on stump grinding and clearing fallen trees. Each and every neighbor we meet talks about the fallen trees and wondering who on earth lived here. Since then we have dug, and uprooted, thinned out, dug a little more and had a gardener come and do the final digging of the spider grasses that had a million root bulbs. The previous owners had put in azalea bushes and a funny variety of things that could have been pretty but they were so overgrown. So we started trying to trim them back and give them some shape. We wanted to keep as much as we could. But as much potential as they had, they had grown out of control for too long. I promise I won’t spiritualize every part of this house renovation but honestly I see so many similarities with our faith. The plantings were good intentioned but not maintained and disregarded. When things built up the homeowner just didn’t care or chose not to put in the time. Fortunately or unfortunately the plants continued to grow even without the proper care. But they were not living up to their full potential to be beautiful and enjoyed by the viewer! We literally dug up cement chunks that had been buried between the bushes. Do the regular weeding folks, the jungle grows fast and the nasty roots go deep.
So in the end we kept 2 small grasses (that got transplanted) and a couple of flowering plants, tore everything else out and shopped garden sales to fill the rest.
Over the last weeks we have added Crepe Myrtles (that reminded us of Texas), knock out roses and lots of perennials that we had in our garden in Switzerland like cone flowers, Black-eyed Susan and lambs ear. A couple of days ago I spread mulch so that everything won’t die in the winter and then today we put the finishing touches on the yard with the addition of 2 trees and 2 hydrangea bushes. We bought a tree for each boy…(check out the end of season sales if you are in the market for trees….who knew Christopher Columbus was a good reason for markdowns)
It will be along time until these boys can climb these trees but our hope is that they will one day enjoy them! And that they will provide pretty shade.
Here is the finished product! Just like the trees it feels like it will be a long time before everything is matured and looking full but in the meantime it looks fresh and rid of the jungle!
ps- I am still resisting every urge to paint the front door red while Seth is at work one day…probably because I know once I do the door red I will have to get going on all of those shutters! Someday!
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Happy Monday! House tours are pouring in from friends! I am scrambling to get them all sorted and ready to roll! This has been so much fun for me to see so many spaces. I hope you are enjoying it as well!
Today we are getting to see my friend Jenny’s space. Jenny and I were roommates at Dalat School (a boarding school for missionary kids in Malaysia) when we were in 5th and 6th grade. Jenny was always spunky and fashionable…you know the cool girl with the puff paint shirt and side ponytail. (SOOOOO wishing I had some time to dig up old pictures right now!) She is still a fashionista in my mind, just without the side pony! I caught up with Jenny again when she was living in West Africa. I found
her blog, Madame Eclectic, and had so much fun seeing her sense of style and also her journey into motherhood! Her house is just so full of love. She does such a beautiful job or mixing modern with vintage and all on a budget! See for yourself!
Last year, my family and I packed up our life in West Africa, where we had been for the past four years, and moved back to the states. We had no idea where we were going to live, or what we were going to do, but we knew that God was calling us back from the mission field and that he was going to open doors for us. And open doors he did- literally and figuratively! My hubby got a job offer right at the end of our much needed summer break, and before we knew it, we were starting a completely new life in Charlotte, NC.
One thing led to another, and before we knew it, we were first time home-owners! We were super excited and jumped right into making it ours. I ‘ve always loved decorating and I’m even more passionate about doing it on a dime! I thrift, I craigslist, I yard sale, I IKEA…I’m a bargain hunter, through and through. Not only do I like to get a good deal, I like the idea of mixing old and new, ugly and cute, retro with modern- my style is eclectic to say the least. I don’t know how else to describe it! When I left Africa I told my friends that I was going to go more neutral with my new place…no more crazy colors and patterns. False. I just can’t help it- I am drawn to patterns…to many of them…and the brighter the better. But…they make me happy and they make our house feel like “us.” We wanted to create a place that is fun, bright, and happy- a place where our kids can be silly and creative. One thing I have learned over the years is that I want my house to be cute, but it has to be functional as well. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this little sneak peek into our home!
who doesn’t love a red door? and a red door that opens to this sweet wall?! I love it, Jenny!
I love the mix of colors and textures! And the owl collection, and chalkboard…
Do you ever have bad days in this space, Jenny?! So cheery!
And the family picture above doesn’t include a sweet little someone, Jenny recently had another little boy. This is his nursery below!
if we ever have another child the “Hush Little Baby, no seriously” sign might be painted in jumbo letters on the wall! I love the combination of fabrics, wood, stitching, pictures.
look at the Master bedroom!
Jenny has recently started an etsy shop with some of her creations! Her shop is
Free Spirit Jenny . Hop on over and check out her shop for your holiday shopping! Here are a few pictures of her stuff to wet your appetite! I know Jenny also does lots of custom orders so message her on etsy if you don’t see what you are looking for!
Thanks for sharing, Jenny! And for all of you readers, feel free to leave questions or comments for Jenny. I will tell her to watch today in case anyone has questions for her!
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