the renovation : the master bath begins! ('before' photos + inspirations)

The time has finally come.  We have lived in 'the dream home' (a Victorian fixer-upper built in the 1850's) for over three years, and it has always been in our minds to transform the bedroom adjacent to our master bedroom into a big, beautiful bathroom.

When we bought the place the room looked like this:

Both the master and this adjoining bedroom were blue.  The blue was a little depressing for us...so we painted them gray immediately.  Because gray is not depressing.  Obviously.

When we eventually moved in, after selling our previous home, the room became the Cormac's nursery. Well, baby boy is now four, and the room has transformed into a giant toy wonderland!  

this room has had lots of playtime in it!  

We have done nothing but paint the walls in this space - there is a lot that needs to happen cosmetically and structurally to transform it.  It is so dingy and dark!

that is a LOT of toys under that IKEA bed...and do you spy a blondie or two?

I never even put anything on his walls, because I have always had in my mind this was a temporary "boy room."  Three years later...

Now that we have two babes (and they are actually no longer babes but rambunctious kiddos) we are finally mentally ready for him to move to what has been referred to for years as "Cormac's future room" -- currently a guest bedroom.  

It is time!  Time for the master bath reno to start! Ah!  Pretty darn excited. 

We had been struggling with the layout for many months, and finally we brought in professional help.  Thankfully, our designer came up with a layout that made much more sense than any of our ideas, so we are gonna go with that.

In the end, hopefully, we will have a space that is light, bright, functional + stylish.  

Here are a few inspirations that best represent the vibe I am hoping for in the space...

//housebeautiful//

I am clearly a sucker for black and white - and yet I want to keep the historic charm in certain elements. Ceiling medallion, chandelier, ornate clawfoot, original hardwoods are some of the ways I hope to achieve that.  I'm sure we will end up with some sort of subway tile in there.  I am sort of a freak for the subway tile. 

//thedesignfiles//

I really love the eclectic vibe of the bathroom below, with the tile,  mismatched wood, mixed metals, and of course the subway tile shower!

//mydomaine//

Our wishlist:

• clawfoot soaking tub
• spacious shower
• separate toilet room (!!!!)
• walk-in closet 
• double vanity

Seems reasonable for the space.

Now the budget is another story.  To have it fully contracted out we were quoted a whopping 50K. OMG.  Now, that may be on the high end for an estimate, but still.  We will not be spending 50K.  

Hubby is going to have to work some serious magic on this one.  (aka do the electric and plumbing and tile work himself. Or everything.)

We'll see what happens.  If there is one thing I have learned throughout this renovation journey is that while everything takes at least three times as long as you expected, patience truly pays off.  You end up with something that you love, that fits your style, and hopefully didn't make you go broke.

I'll keep you updated on the progress of this space as we go along!

What projects are you working on in your home? 

 Anyone who has survived a major bathroom reno, I am open to advice and encouragement! :)

minne-snow-ta.

Ever think about where your "happy place" is?  I do.  Maybe it is a thing all mamas do, while their kids are fighting and the house is crazy-messy and the you feel like you might burst into tears if you don't squeeze your eyes shut and mentally escape to the aforementioned "happy place." 

(Or just burst into absurd laughter.  Sometimes, if you don't laugh, you'll cry!  Am I right?) 

Anyway, while I certainly appreciate a nice, warm beach in Mexico, ocean waves crashing and adult drink in my hand, if I had to vote for my happy place it would be my parent's farm in Minnesota.

I am happy to still be able to go there, the same eleven acres I grew up on, and walk/run the trail around the property, thinking big thoughts and listening to the silence of the woods.
I do my best dreaming and planning on these walks.

It doesn't matter the weather.  In fact, our recent visit we were blessed with a snowstorm the day after we arrived, which made the jaunts around the farm even more beautiful.

Colbie waited patiently while I snapped most of these shots with my phone.

I tried to run around the trail with Colbie each day...we both need the fresh air!

looking towards the playhouse from the trail.

I'm always amazed at how intricate details of nature can be.

Occasionally I would stop to warm up in the playhouse.  Cormac is a BIG fan of playing in this - which my dad built from scratch a few years ago.  

Hubby is a big fan of napping up in the loft of the playhouse.

I am a big fan of finding old books my parents have kept since we were little.

Colbie was sometimes allowed into the playhouse.

this was our first "snow experience" this year, so the kids were ecstatic!

Finola enjoyed eating the snow whenever possible.  "Don't eat the yellow snow!" she would parrot.

occasionally we stayed cozy inside!

me and my dad.

Cormac would only cooperate with photos if the fireplace could be in them, too.

sunny winter day out the kitchen bay window.

Bottle of peppermint schnapps that my parents brought back from our ancestors farm in Germany.  They are still distilling after many years, and running a large orchard.  My dad had great stories to tell about meeting them and seeing it all!

the window seat is always a favorite spot.

serious snowy selfie.

at my brother's farm hanging with the cousins.

my little animal lover.

One of our traditions - frozen pizza night!  Nothing fancy for us...we prefer it frozen. :D And with wine, of course! (Besides, I'm not sure there is any place that would deliver out there...)

tired mama - on the long drive home.

sleeping babies.

It was another lovely trip, treasured time with the fam.

Wherever your 'happy place' is, I hope you make it a point to get there as often as you can.

2015 : an honest look at the year

This year has been...well...hard.  And beautiful. 

The beauty came in things we did...

I ran my first marathon.  Training and seeing the incredible things my body could endure was really an awesome journey for me.  Hubby and I travelled to London and Holland and explored - an amazing trip I am grateful for.  We also hung out on a beach in Mexico for a week, drinking in the sun and the ocean waves and just being lazy.  Much needed while in the throes of parenting two little ones.   We did various road trips to Minnesota/WI to hang out with family.  I flew to Montana for an awesome long weekend with my big sis, bro-in-law and their twelve children.   Did a clean eating challenge with Hubby and started a whole new relationship with food...and lost six pounds in the process - yay!

My little girl became a talking, bold, spirited, stubborn two-year-old.  (So, if you are keeping track, that makes two loud, spirited, bold, stubborn children in my house!)  That means a lot of noise and stimulation for this mama!  Ah!  Adjusting to all of that has been the hardest stage for me as a parent. Harder than anything during the newborn/infant months.  Learning to filter noises and find my zen place in the midst of commotion is going to take a lot of practice and patience.

Cormac turned from toddler to full-fledged little boy - very independent, thoughtful, and smart.  The first time he told me he needed his "alone time" (basically to escape from his annoying little sister who is always in his biz) I had to laugh heartily...because I can relate so well.

these two keep me on my toes.

The hard part of this year came through self-discovery...

After training for months and running my marathon in early May, I became kinda depressed.  No longer having such a huge, exciting goal to focus on left me with sort of an emptiness and questioning of what I was meant to be doing.  With both kids growing - and Finola becoming older and "easier" in some ways (harder in others) I began looking at outside ways to spend my time. Should I work outside the home again?  What creative outlet can I find?  (You know, besides this tiny blog.)  The fact is, I'm a girl that needs a goal...and suddenly I had no tangible goal.  And I'll be honest, I sometimes feel like I'm the only person I know who "just" stays home to raise their kids.  Most moms I know, even if they stay-at-home, also have some sort of other gainful employment...whether they need to or they just want to.  This year I watched many, many of my friends find their dream job.  Or the right school to teach at.  Or something they were passionate about selling.  Or they decided they wanted to be a fitness instructor (I now currently know about twenty certified yoga instructors!)  Don't get me wrong - I am incredibly happy for my friends - amazed by them, even!  To have such drive and clarity!  But while my joy for these beautiful and smart women was huge, I began to feel like I wasn't doing "enough." I began to question myself : Should I find a "career" or start a business of some sort?   I didn't really feel called to do anything in particular, though I floated some fun ideas around.  Nothing seemed like something I could do at this point, whilst my babes are at home, and alongside our home renovation and my other hobbies.   Still, there was some sort of irrational pressure I was putting on myself to be something that I'm not.

Feeling utterly overwhelmed by that self-induced (or maybe social media-induced) pressure to add "more" combined with my intermittent bouts of depression, led me to seek outside help - so as not to drive my little family, (excuse the term) crazy.  I desired to be happier - for me and for them.  Long story short - I got a surprising diagnosis!  I bawled tears of relief to finally have a name for something I've struggled with since childhood...and because this particular disorder can be overcome through therapy.  I may write about it someday, but for now I am still figuring things out.

My little story, at the very least, shows that even at the age of thirty-four you can learn something brand-new and useful about yourself.

So, this year has been one of testing my physical endurance, personal growth, and many fun adventures, both solo and with the fam.  I am grateful for it all.

I don't know what 2016 will bring...but here are my hopes:

• more writing
• more running and outside adventuring
• lots and lots of getting rid of unnecessary stuff (using Marie Kondo's lovely book, which I am re-reading to get me re-inspired!)
• backyard hardscaping complete and ready to be landscaped by April 1!
• master bathroom renovated by Sept. 1 - so excited to design this space and actually have one of those things they call a closet to hang my clothes in.
• most importantly - more focus on God's word + family + close friendships, less focus on anything that doesn't "spark joy," as Ms. Kondo might say.

our fam in 2015.  crazy, dramatic, driven.

the backyard fence in progress.  yes, this sad, torn-apart mess will hopefully transform into a beautiful backyard in 2016!

my desk nook.  trying to keep it simple and inspiring.

That's it.  Rather, that's a lot!  Phew.

Let's take 2016 one day at a time, the good with the bad, with hopefully some amount of grace.

Happy New Year!

PS : You might notice the SkinnyMom.com badge in my right column.  This is a wonderful website for mamas striving to be healthy, both mentally and physically!   I have become a contributor for the site and recently got to participate in a test-run for their new healthy eating + workout program The 21 Day Shred.  I can tell you that from my experience, the workouts were easy to do, yet effective, and the food delicious!  It kicks off officially today! Various women in our test-run lost 8-10 pounds! What a positive way to start 2016!
Click HERE to check it out!