House Update

Throughout this process, Jay and I have tried hard to seek what God wants for us. I chose a word to focus on when we were looking at houses, making an offer and other decisions that are house related : LEAD. 

We prayed hard that God would lead us to the right house. And when we found one we loved, we prayed. And when we offered and got it, we thought, surely we are done. 

And then there were some termite issues. There was about $3000 worth of work that needed to be done. And to be clear, we do not have $3000 left. And when we heard that the seller did not want to pay for all the work[he would only pay half], we were upset. Why would we get our hopes up if this wasn't the house for us? God, don't you know that I already started a blog with the name 'Verde' in the title? It was a sure thing. We knew that. God should make it happen. At that point, I knew I needed to pause. We knew we needed to be open to what God was telling us. What is to be patient? Was it to move on? Was this not the house for us?

Last weekend, we just waited. And waited. And talked about our waiting. And texted each other, "Have you heard from the realtor?" We had made our decision that we would not put anymore money forward. And so we waited. And if we lost the house over $1500, we would be fine. God had other plans. I thought a lot about the house last weekend. It made me realize I am accustomed to things going my way. And if things did not go my way with this house, I felt okay. I was fine.

And in the end, we heard yesterday that the seller is going to pay for all the repairs. And we are moving forward. However, without last weekend's waiting, I probably would not have done the amount of self evaluation that I did. Thanking God for patience, self awareness, and humility. Extra thankfulness for the house. Our house. So excited.

One of the few iPhone photos I have of the inside of Verde Street!

Dinner honoring Nolan!

There is nothing better than time shared with the ones you love. That's real, people.

I want to share photos from the dinner we had honoring Meghan's 3rd baby boy, Nolan. The dinner was held in Oleander + Palm's Downtown Studio in Bakersfield. The studio was an awesome location! It is a small, white space - perfect for a small group. There are great big windows and it has that downtown vibe. Totally fun. And since my of my house is packed away in boxes waiting for the big move, the studio was a lifesaver! A big thanks to Jeran for being flexible and open-minded and sharing your awesome space.

To help the girls find the studio, I made this coordinating sign[that matches the print I made for Meg and guests] that I taped downstairs in the lobby of  the O+P Studios. 

Here is the print! For the dishes and materials I used for the dinner, we went with the real stuff. I borrowed some dishes and silverware from a friend, but those dessert plates you see there are the ones I found thrifting a couple of weeks ago. Although it was more work to lug all of those dishes up three flights of stairs, real glassware and dishes add so much to a dinner. [And I saved money by not buying disposable.]

Thankfully, Spring in Bakersfield does not disappoint in the garden! All of the flowers were cut from my own garden! Definitely another money saver! I like to add rosemary to my flower arrangements. Works as a great filler if you are low on flowers or are doing small arrangements. The buntings I made looked perfectly simple over the big downtown windows.

The menu for Meg's dinner:
- Caprese skewers.
- Cheese/Walnut spread on crusty bread
- Summer salad with Dijon/Honey White Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Homemade Mac + Cheese
- Strawberry Shortcakes

The menu was a collaborative effort. Thanks girls for helping out!

I don't think there was a low point. Lots of laughs, great conversation, tears shed. Life is so busy with kids that these moments seem even more special. Meg, I hope this dinner encouraged you and reminded you just how loved you are. Motherhood is hard. Life is hard. We support you. We love you. Now c'mon baby!

E.B. Browning quote.

Today, I want to share a special detail from the Nolan honor dinner I threw last week.

I wanted to make a special addition for Meghan's dinner, a little favor that all of the guests could take home with them. I thought long and hard about Meghan and how she treats her boys and responds to motherhood. And a memory came back to me. 

Last summer, Jay and I were having dinner with Meghan and her family and we were talking about life dreams and goals. Playing the 'What would you be if you could be anything?' kind of game. And I remember Meg saying that she had realized her dreams and she was living them right now. Being a mom to her amazing boys was what she had always wanted and it was better than she could have ever imagined. I love that.

This E.B. Browning quote is a match made for Meghan and moms everywhere. Isn't it so true that babies are more of a gift than you could ever have imagined? Our dreams about what baby will be like pale in comparison to God's gift of a baby.

This print is an 8x10 printed on white cardstock and can be found in my shop for only $12. I hope you enjoy!

DIY Buntings on a budget

As you may have already read, I threw a little dinner last night honoring my friend Meghan's 3rd Baby Boy! Welcome Nolan! We love you already!

To prepare for this event, I decided some buntings were in order!

The whole bunting trend has been around for quite some time, but I am still digging it! I think they are cute and fun (and easy enough to whip one up). So here are the materials I bought (or had on hand) that I wanted to use for the buntings:

5 squares of white felt

5 squares of gray felt

2 yards of geometric fabric (heavy weight, almost like an outdoor fabric)

Baker's twine

Hemp twine

I let the materials inspire me and got busy!

I started with the white felt. I first cut the felt squares into four equal strips. Then I cut those strips into squares. And circles out of each of the squares. (Tip: get good scissors and you can cut two pieces at a time) After I had cut a whole slew of circles, I just ran them through the sewing machine. Literally, that was it.

Here is me sewing a straight line through the circles. The thread from one circle connects to the next, and the bunting grows and grows! I did not have any special technique to do this. I just stuck one circle behind the previous circle under the sewing foot and let the feed dogs catch the material and push it through! Again, that is it! So simple!

Here is one of the finished buntings! I alternated gray and white and it turned out super cute!

I did put "on a budget" in the title of this post... Let's talk money. Each square of felt costs 35 cents and I bought 10. So that was $3.50. Plus thread. Which I already had. And 10 sheets of felt made 3 buntings. $3.50 for 3 buntings; not bad at all.

On to the fabric buntings!

I like to look for a fabric that has some lines to it. They make for really interesting buntings and they also give you some natural guidelines when you cut out your triangles. Or whatever shape you go with. Because of the great lines on this fabric, I cut all these triangles by hand. I selected points on the fabric to make the size triangle I wanted and I went for it. After I cut a whole slew of those, I began sewing.

To make these buntings a little more interesting, I wanted to incorporate the baker's twine. I ran the baker's twin along the top of my triangle where the seam was going to go. But instead of doing a straight stitch like I did on the circles, I did a zigzag stitch to trap the baker's twine in between. It was obviously more time consuming, but I say, it was also worth it.

Here is a close-up of the zigzag stitch with the baker's twine in between. On the gap in between two triangles, the tread just encases the twine. Just keep sewing even if there is no fabric directly under the needle and it will twist the tread around the twine.

Once again, here is the "on a budget" portion. I got two yards of this fabric for 80% off at Hancock Fabric's Sale for $2.86 a yard. (Total was $5.72) I had the baker's twine but you can get it off of Amazon for around 5 dollars. I made two really long buntings and have enough fabric to easily make 8 more buntings(if not even more than that!). So, 10 buntings for under $6. I'm not complaining! 

Let me just end with saying, I am not a perfectionist. I did not worry about if each triangle or circle was exactly the same. I did not worry about perfectly straight seams and perfect spacing. I was going more for a completion of a project! And you know what, imperfectly finished looks just as cute!

A Tuesday Treasure.

There is nothing like wandering around a thrift store looking at old stuff. Am I right? 
I have enjoyed it since my early teen years. Mostly because it is a sort of relaxing, mindless activity. You never go thrifting with the intention to find a specific item. That would be crazy. No, you wander the shelves until a treasure stands out to you. Another reason I love thrifting is because you can find a steal of a deal!

This week, I have a small dinner coming up for my friend Meghan's 3rd baby boy! While preparing for the event, another friend showed me these gorgeous crystal water glasses that she was going to lend me. They were my inspiration for the dish selection for the dinner.

Then, last Saturday, I went into Ryan's Rust. Found these beautiful crystal dessert plates and little bowls, and let me tell you, they were a steal of a deal! If you are a Bakersfield Local, I totally recommend Ryan's Rust on Kimber Ave. The family who owns it is super nice and helpful. We go in there often to look for a dresser that Jay wants to re-purpose as a vanity in the master bath on Verde Street. Still keeping our eyes open.

All of these for $12. I was immediately drawn to them because they remind me of Granmom's crystal that I inherited. What do you think?

The new neighborhood.

The first day of Spring was just yesterday, and it has been feeling quite Spring-y, so what better to do that go and enjoy the park? 

Sisterfriend, as I normally call her when I am writing (Sho-bey in person), thought that a lovely spring day was a perfect reason to get the cousins together. And an even better idea was to get them together in my soon-to-be new neighborhood to check out the local park scene.

We met at Beale Park which is located just 5 blocks north of the new house.

I love a park with lots of trees! And this park has multiple picnicing areas, playgrounds, a spray park, and an area for horseshoes!

Sun casting light on glowing tree leaves is such a simple and detailed beauty. 

My sis and I are quite different. However, in these photos, our forearms appear to be mirror images of each other. Lucky us.

And how could I get through an entry with some pictures of my love! There he is - my CaseyBoy! He seems to be liking the swing even more than he did last time we tried it out around 8 months! It even got some elusive giggles out of him. Also, his mouth is now perpetually stained with blueberries. I don't think he can eat enough of them. There comes a point when I just have to cut him off. I mean, enough is enough! Thankfully, he is stuck on a super fruit full of antioxidants....

Potted Jade

I have many people in my life who say they aren't plant people. They say they kill everything they touch. If you are one of those people, I recommend Jade. It is a succulent type plant and is very hardy. 

When Jay's aunt moved 2 years about, her Jade plant lost some stems. She gave those stems to me. I left them soaking in a Tupperware of water for far too long and forgot about them when I went on vacation. While I was on vacation, I asked my Mom to plant the stems. She found an old pot, stuck them in the dirt, and there you have it. The Jade took off. 
 Since we are moving, I decided it was time to reassess my potted plants.

This Jade plant is in a pot that is rapidly decaying. I decided to add a little gold spray paint to the bottom half of the pot to liven it up and also, in hopes that the spray paint might protect it a bit. We are on a budget here, people! 

I used blue painters tape to make a line (and I didn't even check if it was straight). Added the spray paint. I think this pot is a little more dressed up for the new house.  Super easy, 20 minute project that made me appreciate the Jade all the move. 

Back to packing...

Packing has begun.

Our adorable packing helper. Or should I say destroyer.

When I talk to anyone of my friends about their home-buying experience, they can't remember any of the details. It is such a whirlwind experience. And with a 30 day Escrow, who can keep track of any of it?

Time to document...

The packing process has started. We have a proposed closing date of April 3rd, which leaves us 14 days to get this place packed. Casey is obviously very serious about helping. He likes to violently shake any type of packing material.  

And while we think we only have two weeks, it could be more.

Yesterday, we got the termite inspection report back which indicated that there was potentially several thousand dollars worth of repairs needed to the home. This is to be expected in a 1925 Craftsman. However, we cannot pay any more to get it fixed. There was also some major issues with the AC unit(more thousands) and the electrical panel listed in the inspection report. We are standing firm on requesting these repairs be fixed or replaced because there really is no more money for us to spend. Really. Standing firm. Not backing down just because we want this house. Don't give in. Not worth the financial stress. (Mental pep-talk over.)

The inspection report was page after page of repairs. Jay read each one and said he was just going to use it as a guide and go through the list little by little and make repairs. Who is this guy? And what makes his this way? Really thanking God I found someone who has this attention to detail.

So, as of now, we have submitted our list of repairs and are waiting to hear if the seller will accept them and see how this will affect our closing date. 

Packing has made both Jay and I a bit sentimental about this house. It has been so good to us. A great price. Lots of space. The deck. The nursery. The house we brought Casey home to. Lots of great memories. 

The house buying process has gone smoothly and quickly. I know it is a good step for us. Excited to have a new house to be sentimental about.

To Begin.

To Begin.

Hello there.

I am beginning again. It has been several years since I have practiced keeping this type of journal. I remember enjoying it when I wrote for That Sort of Thing, and I still visit there from time to time. Looking back on silly things we used to do in our early married life. 

But now, 5 years have already gone by and it is time to write some more of this stuff down. Life is going by faster and faster, with Baby Casey consuming most of my attention. But in order to remember any of it, I have to document! So let the documenting begin. 

We have added a new addition to the family. A House!(pictured above, very professionally photographed with an iPhone, I might add.) We are moving across town to that adorable 1925 Craftsman bungalow on Verde Street and we couldn't be more excited! We are very excited for this fixer-upper and home ownership, as we have been renting a house for almost 4 years, and look forward to having more freedom in our projects. We are excited for downtown living and a new area to explore. And really, just doing it all together. None of this would be exciting if I wasn't doing it with my best friend and master-project-accomplisher. [Gotta keep the worker happy!]  So, here we go. Off to Seize the Verde.