August 20, 2014

DIY :: Fireplace Makeover

I feel like a broken record. I haven't said it on my blog, but my husband is tired of hearing me say it. I'm antsy. I'm ready for change. I can blame it on a number of reasons. My childhood was filled with nonstop change. New houses, new siblings, new friends. I lost count of the number of times we moved (in the same town) by the time I got to high school.

College was filled with crazy change. I moved to Nashville. Moved back to Missouri. Got married. Moved back to Nashville. 

Life since we moved here has been nothing if not exciting. We've moved three times. Our "church friends" became extended family members. We both landed our dream jobs (well, both of us landed my dream job). I traveled a ton. We had a BABY. I quit my job and have had two others since then.

And now. Well, life is pretty predictable. Most days feel like Groundhog's Day. I'm so thankful for this season. I really am. I know so many people are praying daily for life to settle down. For predictable days. I'm not ungrateful. I've just become so accustomed to change that now I seek it. I thrive in it. Change I choose, that is. Good change. 

If it were up to me I would sell our house tomorrow and buy some land. Crosbi would have a treehouse and a tire swing. We currently don't have a single tree. I would grow a garden and have big outdoor dinners for friends. We would play horse shoes and badminton. Maybe one day. I don't let go of dreams too easily, so I'm not writing it off.

But that day isn't today. Today I'm choosing to be content where God has me. To soak in the moments with my daughter at home instead of traveling the country. To not worry about crayon marks on the doors because we're not going anywhere. To embrace boring because my life could be filled with hard change and I would be begging for things to be predictable. I believe God is stirring something inside of me, but I also believe he's asking me to be patient. To be thankful. To know that this too shall pass and I'll miss this season. Every second of it. 

So for now I'm making small changes that make me smile. Like little updates to our home. To make this current space a place I love. I'm going to open our doors more and invite friends in. Good coffee and conversation is just as sweet in a small kitchen as it is in anywhere. 

That was a long way around to getting to our fireplace makeover!

To make our home a bit more cozy, we decided to update our fireplace and give it a stone finish. While actual rock can be expensive, we used AirStone from Lowe's. All in we spent $65. Such a great reminder that home updates don't have to be expensive to be impactful. We borrowed a tile saw from my dad which made the process even easier. The entire project took about half a day. I'm pretty thrilled with how it turned out.









Now to decide what to change next!

xoxo

2 comments

  1. Wow! The transformation is certainly amazing. It's as if the tile installation was done professionally. The fireplace certainly adds to the overall charm of your living room. Kudos to you guys for a job well done! Thanks for sharing that! Wishing you all the best with your future projects!

    Lindsey Mckenzie @ Buchanan Fire and Outdoor

    ReplyDelete