Swamped....literally

This is what my past few days has been full of - airing out our poor little apartment.  What a mess it turned out to be!  Who knew the power of a little leak?

Needless to say, our complex finally decided to put us in a hotel until the mess clears up - new carpet and drywall are on the agenda for tomorrow.  

Earlier today I had to stop and think - why this week?  Why, of all weeks, would our apartment flood and cause so much chaos?  And then it hit me!  Almost every time I'm leading worship for an event or speaking {I'm doing both this Saturday}, some sort of madness breaks out whether it be bronchitis, the flu, two flat tires, or a flooded apartment - it's always something.  {Thankfully it's nothing physical at the moment.}  

So I took a time out - I dropped the pup off at hubby's office and packed my "day bag" so I wouldn't have to return to my soggy home and I made way to the sunshine.  I sat under blue skies and watched the rays of sun peep through the trees, I ran my fingers through slightly dewy grass and my eyes enjoyed following crisp, golden leaves from branches to the ground beneath.  I fully enjoyed my Creator.  Just what my soul needed.  

It was here, at the park that I spent my quiet time and put finishing touches on my talk for this weekend's conference.  For a few short hours my soul was nourished, my heart was made glad and my skin a bit less pale.  :)  

I totally realize that water in my home is not the end of the world.  In fact, it's not really a problem at all when I consider some of the trials dear friends are walking through.  But it has consumed me for the past few days.

Get away from whatever it is that's consuming you - hand it over.  Carve out just a few precious minutes in your day to enjoy Jesus, cast your cares upon Him and breathe deep - experience the burden lifted, even if it's just for a short time.  

You, sweet friend, are dearly loved.

XO


- images via instagram

Home : The DIY Patio

It's almost midnight and hubby's been asleep next to me for roughly 2 hours - I'm a late night internet junkie.  I love the quiet, the glow of the computer screen against the dark of the night, the silence between subtle mouse clicks and key pecking, and the never-ending inspiration that lies only hyperlinks away from my fingertips.  I sound like someone with a serious problem, right?  {In my defense, I did down a massive cup of coffee around 8:00 pm. We had company and they were drinking it...what's a host to do?}

One of my favorite things about our tiny apartment is the adorable {and incredibly stark} patio space. It counts for about 1/3 of our living space and somehow, 5 months later, we haven't done a thing to it. *sigh*  I've been on the hunt for quaint and budget-friendly patio furniture for quite some time now, but have yet to find anything.  Not without trying though...I bartered with a Target manager for 25 minutes today, hoping she would let me walk out of the store with a super cute bistro set for $125 that had been on sale forever and hadn't budged....it's seriously overpriced.  I lost. {But I'm not so sad anymore.}

During this evening's midnight internet binge, I found some super cute sites of DIY patio inspiration and I couldn't be more excited to get my hunt on!  Forget the store bought sets...I'm going DIY all the way, and I'll be happy to share the end result asap.  Until then, I have some shopping, brainstorming, creating and sewing to do!  Take a look at my inspiration....

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

Do you have a cute outdoor space??  I'd love to see!  Hope you're having a lovely week.

Apartment Sneak Peek

Oh and here's a late night sneak peek at our new apartment....things are very much still coming together, but I'm happy with where things are headed.

Happy Weekend!

xoxox.d

- Image via my iPhone

Help!

Good news.  We got the apartment!  {hands up & little booty shake}  So now that the "house" hunting has come to an end, let the decor fun begin!

This is my expertise {well, I'm not an expert but I do totally enjoy decorating}, however.  I'm at a standstill & I need your HELP.  You see, my last home was warm - hardwood floors throughout most of the place, warm colors on the walls, neutral textiles and dark wood furniture.  Several people who walked through my home said it had an "Anthropologie" feel, and to me, that was a compliment.  While I LOVE me some Anthro, it was never my intention to have that feel, it just sorta happened.  Hubby and I got married, acquired a few furnishings from my family, found a few craigslist gems and voila - we had a furnished home!  But this time I actually have an opportunity to decorate the place with purpose.  I have a chance to give it a real sense of my style.  And that's where my dilemma lies - I love two very different styles and yes, I can mix them and make it work, but I want to go all out - one way or the other.  I love modern - mostly white with a pop of bright color here and there, straight lines, clean, simplistic, chic.  While I also love Rustic/Eclectic - warm, woodsy, bright textiles with mixed colors, comfortable.  Like I said, I could totally mix the two styles and come up with my own unique blend of things, but for once I'd like to just go all out modern or all out rustic....what to do, what to do???

The apartment is SMALL - 1,000 sq ft smaller than what we're used to, so I don't want it to be cluttered.  {Not to mention, we just did a major overhaul of our belongings and shipped only the essentials.}  One thing I loved about the place when we did our first walk through is that it has lots of natural light, so despite it's size it actually feels quite roomy.  Another thing to consider is it's very tan {and can't be painted} - not a color I love, but one I'm willing to deal with.  I can see tan walls and tan carpet accompanied by warm furnishings - but just as easily I can see it accompanied by lots of white and bright colors here and there.  Starting to get my drift???  What do you think??  Any suggestions?  I need to decide fast - we move in Sat and we have NO furniture.  Help!

Here's a peek of our Florida home:  {this is for you Nicole}

{& the quality isn't so great - they were snapped on my phone before we began packing everything up}

{Entry Room}

{Living Room}

{Kitchen - and I thought this was small :}

{Master Bedroom}

And here's our new apartment:  {Lots of tan...}

{Bedroom}

{Bedroom}

And what I can't decide between:

{Clean. White. Light & Airy.}

{vs}

{Rustic. Eclectic. Anthropologie-esc.}

{but not so cluttered}

{Eclectic.}

What's the verdict?????

From Coast to Coast....

We made it!  Today marks one week of being California residents and it's also hubby's first day at his new job.  It's a bit surreal we're here. I don't know that the magnitude of what we've done will hit me for a few more weeks.  Oh. My. Goodness.

I did manage to pick up some sort of flu bug while in transit and was feeling pretty cruddy for the first few days.  (Flu + living out of a suitcase + emotions at an all time high = one hot mess of a girl)  Hubby took great care of me though, and Blakely was one sweet snuggly pup; I'm happy to say I've recovered.

The past few days have been filled with house hunting.  I knew shopping for a place to rent would be stressful and even a little depressing, considering housing is sooooo much more expensive on this coast, but nothing could have prepared me for just HOW expensive and tiny housing is here.  Our first few days of this were just sad - we found that most landlords don't allow pets, and if they do, you pay a pretty penny to keep that furry friend under your roof.  (Which is a little confusing, cause this is one dog friendly area.  Most shops have dog bowls and treats outside their front door, and some allow pets inside their businesses.)  Saturday our spirits were lifted - we found a great little apartment complex just 5 minutes away from downtown Monterey and just off the interstate for easy access to hubby's work.  And guess what??  They take pets!  We applied for the apartment yesterday and are hoping to hear back from them today or tomorrow.

While I'm thrilled we finally found something clean, close to budget and pet friendly, I have to say I'm still a bit shocked.  We came from a beautiful 1,666 sq ft home in FL and (if all goes well) we're headed to a 600 sq ft apartment.  Talk about an adjustment!  My wheels are turning - I've been scouring the internet for tips on decorating and making the most of small living spaces.  Any tips, hints or suggestions from seasoned small space dwellers, or interior designers are welcomed & appreciated.

Blakely's dying to be walked, but here are a few pics from our last few days home in Florida.  Monterey pics coming soon, I promise.