The laundry relocation project is DONE! I’m sooo happy with the results and glad we decided to regain our 5th bedroom. From upstairs in a bedroom to a main level closet under the stairway, think it was totally worth the money. We reused everything we could and just made a few little fun touches for a farmhouse chic laundry closet.

The wood shelves were the highlight of this project. Finding the live edge wood from a local antique store was a steal for $20. I sanded both sides and removed most of the bark. Once smooth, I used a satin poly all over. This seemed the easiest solution so I could just do in one large piece before cutting to fit. Willie found and installed the big black brackets at Home Depot and cut to size for me. Then viola!

Just had some knickknacks for staging but thinking of getting glass jars for pods or things like that. The little fairy garden I thought was funny, because how many of us wish there was such thing as a laundry fairy. The mini canvas prints I also made on PicMonkey with design and quotes and then printed with CanvasDiscount for $5 each, so that was such a cute/inexpensive touch. The greenery theme did match the wallpaper I was going to put up but decided not to when I saw the space.

This is the bedroom before (such a waste of space) and after (still work in progress). But for now super cute for Finley girl. Just painted with SW Mindful Gray and picked up a big rug from At Home to cover the vinyl floor until we replace the entire upstairs carpet. She will move to her big girl bed in a few months so didn’t want to go crazy decorating when I’ll be changing soon anyways.

Do you all have a cute space for laundry? If so share with me! I love seeing ideas – @howdyliving on Instagram!

Well 2020 is almost done. Hallelujah!! Last time I posted we were just about to put our Virginia home on the market and in a whirlwind of 48 hours (with 15+ offers) we were under contact and about to have a home inspection on a new house in North Carolina (which ended up falling through). Fast forward a month and I stood for in my beautiful backyard balling my eyes out while I pushed my two girls on their swing set for the last time and took in all the memories we had in our Virginia home. We knew our next chapter was going to be scary and after losing multiple homes in North Carolina from the competitive market we were even more nervous we had made a HUGE mistake. We were very thankful we had a place to crash while we were searching (thanks parents haha). Almost two months later we closed on our new NC home. It wasn’t our dream home we had pictured but we loved the commute to my new office, cul-de-sac, schools and established neighborhood. And to be honest, it wasn’t the smoothest closing and the first few weeks were a rough transition and moving in a pandemic did not help things one bit. Then amongst all things we helped my husbands parents sell and move to North Carolina and start their home search while they stayed with us. Now it’s December and we feel like new people and we have everyone settled and starting to make changes to our home. I started little with the office remodel (follow @howdyliving on Instagram to see reveal) and some light fixtures. This was my BIG first renovation along with a kitchen change (but I’ll save that long story for another kitchen specific post).

So here’s the girls bathroom! All inspired by a stunning remnant piece of quartzite I found at a local granite store. Always check with your granite folks if they have anything leftover for smaller projects to save you money! I had some leftover Sherwin William Agreeable Gray paint from Willie’s parents condo spruce before market so that’s the neutral color of the walls. I reused the mirror that was already in the bathroom but painted it using Fusion Mineral Paint in Raw Silk. I then painted the vanity using Fusion Mineral Paint in Homestead Blue. As I posted from my Instagram stories, I prepped the vanity starting with a scuff sand using 60 course sandpaper, next sand entire vanity with 220 fine sandpaper, then clean with a TSP diluted solution. Wipe again with water and wait to dry for at least an hour before painting. I took the cabinet doors off but left the drawers on and taped around. Tape all around the edges so you can get small areas with a chip brush and then try using a small paint roller for everything. The finish is so much smoother with minimal brush strokes. I finished with the Finishing Oil All in one Natural as an extra protective measure for a kids bathroom. The oil is like poly and can be frustrating because it will show shiny and dull very easily so apply slowly and carefully to cover everywhere. Let dry for at least a full 24 hours before using bathroom. New black hardware, black vanity light, and new black faucets to finish everything off! 

Full renovation budget = $1,090.64 – $700 remnant granite/sinks, $64.35 faucets each (Home Depot Black Friday special), $173.99 light fixture (Wayfair), $4.59 black handles (x5), $50 of Fusion Mineral Paint (used one pint for vanity and one pint white for mirror and in-laws coffee table + 1/4 oil can), $15 extra paint supplies.

I’m so happy with the results and LOVE the bold blue color of the vanity. I struggled between going safe white or trying something new and I’m thrilled I just did it! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and holiday season. I know we are all excited to have 2020 on the past and look forward to what 2021 will bring for us. We are feeling great about the New Year and our new home!

As much as I would love to be back on an island right now with our current world situation, I can’t. But, we all do have the power to create and enhance ourselves. We have control of our own story always but even more during these uncertain times.

I learned through taking DISC training at work that I’m predominantly an S Personality Type which is motivated by safety and security. I want to exist in peaceful environments, so right now this especially hard for me. I also learned that books that do not encourage, motivate, inspire or teach me something, I do not care about them (sorry cheesy romance novels). This was a very interesting point for me as I would classify myself as not a reader. After graduate school I couldn’t even look at a stack of papers without wanting to throw up. So for years I don’t think I picked up a real book (well expect for the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, because I mean how could I resist the hype). But now I’m excited to pick up a book and get a little “me” time.

The last 6-9 months have really been some of the most stressful and life changing moments in our family of four as we have made the decision move to Charlotte, North Carolina, for my job. We are excited and hope and pray that this is a great decision for our family. The anticipation and planning for this move has actually really helped me during this quarantine time. It was something I could track progress on and have goals set. If you saw my Instagram story (@lovesthefind) yesterday you saw the Coming Soon sign in our yard. Our Virginia home will be for sale this week…ahhhh! This has been our absolute favorite home. We have been blessed with so many wonderful neighbors, an incredible backyard that our girls adore, and worked our tails off to renovate it top to bottom and endless hours of yard work. It’s our pride and joy and it’s going to be a hard home to beat! I will keep you all updated but we may have a North Carolina contender (fingers crossed). Buying and selling a home during a pandemic will be an experience we will always remember, for sure!

But anyways, finding a little sanity of reading when I could/can has really helped to manage my fears and emotions (along with a healthy dose of wine and about a million calls to my mother). These books all have taught or made me think of the future I want for my children, marriage and myself. I hope that you enjoy my little reading corner (books are linked) and you find some laughter, peace, life lessons, inspiration and motivation.

I would love to hear if you read any of these and what your thoughts were. Did they motivate you to try something new? Take a leap of faith? Think about your finances, choice in partner, parenting relief, or just a new beauty trick (I am dying to try Stassi’s green primer she recommends for face redness). Happy Monday!