New Year, New Home & New Projects to Share

Well hello! It has been awhile and I’m back from my blogging hiatus. If you are new here – then welcome! I typically blog more often but recently took a much needed break because of well, life. To make up for my absence I’m sharing a few areas of our new home that we have been working on – because it’s a new year, new home and new projects to share!

New Year + New Home

Here’s a recap of what we have been up to over the last 2 months! We sold our home in San Diego in 2 days towards the end of September. We were so excited to know that all of the hard work and love we put into our fixer upper paid off. The buyers (who are the sweetest and we keep in touch with) agreed to allow us to continue to stay for 5 weeks for free so I could recover from surgery.

After the 5 weeks living among boxes the moving truck picked up our items and we headed to a hotel for a couple weeks so I could attend post-operative appointments. We then left San Diego the end of November and made our way to our new town to close on our new home!

Moving to a New Home + New Town

I know you are wondering – where did you move? Many of you who are close to us (family/friends) know. For my readers and followers/friends on IG I decided to keep where we moved private. There are a variety of reasons. And trust me it’s not because I want to keep you hanging or I think I’m so special. We left the San Diego area we called home but are still within driving distance and will be back to visit family and friends often.

Ultimately we felt as a family we needed boundaries. Sharing every detail of our life on the internet is something that doesn’t feel natural to me and frankly feels a little scary sometimes. The internet can be wonderful for connecting us but also frightening at the same time. So for the sake of our children’s safety and our privacy we didn’t make a big announcement of where we moved. Someday when we feel it is right we may decide to share.

I really appreciate those of you who messaged me saying you understood and that truly it was nobody’s business but our own. However I do understand the curiosity and wanting to know. It seems to be pretty standard for so many people on social media to make big announcements of where they move. I often go against the grain and don’t share things just because everyone else does. I like to remind myself that it’s important to make your own path and do what is right for you!

New Home + New Projects

We moved into our home 9 days after we closed, completed a few renovations projects and made it in just in time {2 weeks before} Christmas. It was a little hectic to say the least! I took a home video tour of the {before} and I’m working on sharing little bits and pieces as we complete more projects so you can see how things looked when we started.

What we accomplished in 9 days:

• Removed the old tile, baseboards, lighting.
• Removed stone/rock from our kitchen and fireplace area.
• Installed new flooring, baseboards, lighting + ceiling fans.
• Painted the interior walls, doors, trim and ceilings.
• Replaced the toilets and updated the kitchen faucet.

Shocker – we still have a laundry list of home projects to tackle. We will be working on many of these home projects over time. One thing we have learned from renovating houses is that it does pay to take your time and truly be intentional about your choices. Our new home is only 10 years old and nothing like our 1970’s fixer upper. Yet it is in need of some major updates and we can’t wait to complete them! I’m in love with all of the arches, windows and natural light – we are so grateful to have found this home.

New Home Projects to Share

Home Projects in Progress

Kitchen: Our next project is going to be the kitchen. I keep sharing on IG that I’ll be giving you more details soon and then I held off so I could get all of my sources together for you! So a separate kitchen design post will be coming your way very soon! We will be working with what we have – keeping the cabinets and existing layout.

Fireplace: We gave our fireplace a major update by removing the stone surround that spanned from the hearth to the ceiling. Dion made a custom mantel by following our last mantel tutorial. The final stage was hanging our Frame TV and then lastly we will be finishing the surround and hearth with tile.

Future Home Projects (sharing in order)

New Window Coverings: We are updating our window coverings throughout the main areas of our home.

Exterior: Paint body & trim. We just put in for HOA approval and once landscaping is complete we will tackle the exterior paint and trim.

Backyard Landscaping: Add new olive trees, native bushes and flowers.

Courtyard + Patio: Hang string lights, update exterior lighting and update with new patio furniture.

Powder Room: Replace vanity, faucet, lighting, add a wall treatment and update the paint.

Laundry Room: Update countertops, sink, faucet, paint cabinets and add cabinet hardware & new recessed lighting.

Girl’s Bathroom: Update the vanity, mirror, sinks, faucets, shower and tile floor.

Master Bathroom: Update flooring, tub, shower, countertops, sinks, faucets, lighting & paint the cabinets.

This might seem like a daunting list to some but we actually get excited about it – ha! We love making a home truly feel like “us” adding our style and special touches. We feel it’s what home is truly about – making it yours. A place you can come home to that puts you at ease, makes you feel comfortable and at peace.

If you want to follow our home renovation journey make sure to subscribe for the latest! What’s on your home project list for 2021? Let me know below!