Our Project Approach

I  t h o u g h t  I would write a short note about our family to clarify our approach to this project and our blog. Our philosophy may change as we make adjustments along the way, but these are our thoughts to date.

Andy and I are so excited about the new house. It definitely feels a little overwhelming to be taking on such a big project. There is something that needs to be done in nearly every room in the house, and the outside needs a lot of TLC as well. Before we get started, I thought I would preemptively answer some questions that readers might have.

1. Are you going to mess up this house with modern updates? I suppose the answer is maybe. We want to stay true to the home’s history as much as possible, but we will also make some budget-friendly and/or eco-friendly choices that might make historians cringe. We will do our absolute best, and I know that will include mistakes along the way.

2. Where are the pictures of your kids? Andy and I have four fabulous kids. They range in age from 7 to teens. Their participation in this blog is voluntary. If they want their picture in the blog, I will put it in. If they do not, I will not violate their privacy. We are not a family who takes yearly photos in coordinating outfits. I adore blogs full of family photos, and I secretly covet (ok, not secretly anymore) gallery walls full of stunning black & white photos of the precious moments of my childrens’ lives. However, Andy and I are in a different phase of life in our household. In some ways, it is the best part of parenthood to date. The wonderful moments of connection between older children and their parents do not translate well to photograph, but every day, those moments are there. If it was possible to create a gallery wall out of the intangible, I would certainly try.

3. Where are the pictures of the kids’ rooms? This is another issue of privacy that our family is choosing to respect. If my kids ask us to do some DIY work to their rooms, We will do what we can. I will not be presenting them with mood boards to ask them how they want me to decorate their rooms according to a plan that I created. Sure, I will ask them if they are interested, but if they are not, it is their call. I think it is important to let them decide what they like, and to have the freedom to change and rearrange their rooms to their liking. I feel like my job as their parent, in regards to their rooms, is to teach them how to keep a clean and tidy space. That is pretty much it.

4. I found a typo, and you ended some of your sentences with a preposition. Don’t you edit? We do edit, and we do our best. Typos happen. Poor grammar happens too. If we ever write a book someday, we will make sure to get a good editor. I promise.

5. How would you define your style? Um..economical?  Honestly, I have no idea. In our last house, I didn’t decorate at all. We were always actively remodeling, so decorating just never happened.  By the time we got around to buying new furniture and putting some pictures up on the wall, Andy got transferred from California to New York. I even put off buying address labels for 15 years because moving was always imminent, yet it didn’t actually happen until December 2013.  With this house, I promise to at least buy address labels. We will be here for awhile.  Maybe the labels will be the jumping off point for our decorating style.

Feel free to ask a real questions in the comments section below. They will probably be better than the fake questions I just asked myself.

~S t a c y