Our Home

Every year of our marriage we have had to move for one reason or another. It seems by the time we finally feel settled and “home” we end up moving again. But not this time. We were just able to renew our lease for another year! Hip Hip Hooray! Moving every year has been emotionally & physically exhausting (not to mention expensive). I am really just so relieved. So, in honor of that I thought I’d share a few pictures of our space. It’s a continual work in progress, and there’s still a lot I would want to do, but we love it so much and feel so blessed to get to live here for as long as we’re able!

This house is so above & beyond what we ever could’ve hoped for. Our good friend Monty saw that his neighbor was moving, and asked her whether she was renting or selling. When she said that she was renting, Monty said he knew of some people who may be interested (and loved the idea of finding some awesome people to be his new neighbors). It was way out of our price range but Monty showed it to us anyway and was trying to convince us we could do it with a roommate. But we were newly pregnant with our second, and my brothers had just moved back with their mom, and I really needed to have a place to ourselves again. So when we saw it and met the owner we told her we loved the place but that is was over our max budget and so it wouldn’t work out. So several weeks went by and we kept looking, and found a little two bedroom/two bathroom condo in a nearby town and were just about to sign the lease &  put our deposit down. But then that very day who should we get a call from?! The owner of the house… saying she felt like she was supposed to rent to our family AND that she would come down to what we could afford (even though it would be losing money for her)!!

I had been longing for a home with a little more space for our growing family, but everything in Southern California is just so expensive, so we’ve only ever lived in condos. I never really even prayed & asked for it, because it felt selfish. Like I should just be happy with wherever we live and not be so set upon “a house.” But God totally provided and knew the desires of my heart & completely blew us away. So for the same price as a condo we get this amazing three bedroom/three bathroom house by the beach with an ocean view! And the most amazing part is that we are literally neighbors to some of our best friends! We all get to do life together & live in community — which is really what it’s all about!

We are so incredibly thankful and love to share the story because it is such an awesome testimony of God’s amazing provision!

With love,

Monika

Baby Girl's Nursery

It has been so fun nesting these past few months, and getting baby girl’s nursery ready for her! I can’t believe she will be here in eight weeks (give or take). This pregnancy has gone by so fast & yet so slow at the same time. Funny how that happens!

Her nursery has quickly become my favorite room in the house. I love the natural light in the room and wanted to stick with a light, airy, and simple feel. I chose a pale grey for the walls and accented with blush pinks and a touch of antique gold. At the bottom of this post I listed all the items in the room and where they can be purchased.  :)

Crib: DaVinci Jenny Lind, from Target

Rocker: NurseryWorks Empire Rocker, from Fawn & Forest (this was my dream rocker, and way out of my price range. But hubby surprised me by having several of our family members go in on it as a shower present!)

Tassel Garland: From Tuck and Bonte

Throw Pillow: From IvieBaby

Crib Sheet: I Heart Crib Sheet from Land of Nod

Area Rug, Moroccan Pouf/Ottoman, and Lamp: From Target (purchased in store)

Side Table: From Ikea

Gold Frames: From local antique store

Ceramic Owl: 99 cent store (score!)

Gold “E”: Craft store “E” sprayed with glitter gold spray paint

Dresser: Antique given to us by a friend, then we restored & refinished it

Gallery Frames: Purchased on clearance from Joanns and spray painted white

Gallery Prints: Various (some made by my husband, some found on Etsy)

Grey Minky Changing Pad Cover: From ModFox

Ornate Grey Frame: From Target

Grey Caddy: From HomeGoods

Curtains: From Target

White shelves: From Ikea

Chevron Hamper: From Walmart

Grey Feather Basket: From HomeGoods (using this as our toy/stuffed animal basket)

Thanks for stopping by!

Ours.

Since our recent move to California, many people have been asking to see some pictures of our new place. I was hesitant to post because it is still a work in progress, but I decided to just show you where we are at with the process. We still need to add more color and also need more wall art… but all in due time. We love California though and we are loving our new place. It’s certainly not much, but it’s ours.

♥,

Monika

                                                             [awesome bookshelf tips, here]

                                 [We replaced the hardware on the cabinets for a more updated look]

[Some friends of ours gave us this great iron frame bed. We sanded it down and repainted it a dark walnut color]

[We replaced the medicine cabinet/mirror in the bathroom with this one that we found marked down from $150 to $20. We just cleaned it up a bit and painted it black to match the bathroom tile]

[This cabinet was also given to us by some friends. We just took off the cracked travertine top that was on it, sanded it down, painted it, and replaced the hardware]

Decor/Furniture Inspiration

{Modcloth Pillow, West Elm Sofa}

Ryan and I will be moving into a new place soon, so apartment style/decor is fresh on my mind. The possibilities are endless (well, sort of). Granted, we are keeping most of our furniture, BUT we can still rearrange and go for a slightly different look, if we wish. So, with that in mind, I have been browsing some websites to look for inspiration. Just thought I’d share.

I hope you are having an inspiring week thus far.

{Anthropologie Bed, Urban Outfitters Sofa}

                                                             {Room Service Bed, Z Gallerie Decor}