A New Adventure - We Sold Our NJ Home!

Hello friends! I know it has been a while since I've posted anything here but since this blog was mostly dedicated to the renovation of our New Jersey home, it feels only right to share about this news in this space.

The decision to sell the home where we raised our family was not an easy one. We are so proud of the family and home we created here! This home was a dream of ours, our family lived in two previous homes that we fixed up and sold for a profit in order to get here. At the time, every single room in this house needed updating but we chose it based on its proximity to where my husband worked and the great school system. Now that both of those factors are no longer in play (our "kids" are young adults and Billy has retired from his career in law enforcement) we began to feel like we needed a change for the next chapter of our lives. I turned 50 this year and I've lived in NJ all of my life and began to feel like it was beyond time to spread my own wings. After all, I was encouraging my kids to do the same, why not Billy and me too?

Of course, letting go of a place filled with so many milestones and memories gave us pause. There were many sleepless nights full of uncertainty. The idea of sorting through and packing up ALL THAT STUFF and putting the house on the market was beyond daunting. Were we letting our kids down in selling the home they grew up in? They assured us that was not the case. I still love the kitchen and primary bathroom that I so carefully designed for our family, could I leave it all behind? Well, that kitchen is now 17 years old and will need updating again soon. And the primary bathroom that was my escape after those busy days as a mom? Turns out that with the kids out of the house living their own lives, there wasn't really anything to escape from within the house anymore and those rooms began to feel a little bit empty. No one swam in the pool this past summer except the dog because we spent all of our family time together in the Adirondacks.

The decision we came to was YES, we could let go. In fact, we often need to let go of something in order to make space in our lives for something new. We are tired from the upkeep required on this house and, truth be told, our Schroon Lake cabin has grown to feel more and more like our true home over the years. Our life in the Adirondacks is much more affordable so we will no longer need to feel burdened by the high cost of living that came with residing in such close proximity to New York City as we did in NJ. Our three sons have either moved to upstate NY or have plans to move in the near future. We will be a 3+ hour car's drive away from our parents and while that's definitely a downside, it feels manageable to us right now. It's not so far that we can't visit often and be there within a half day's notice when they need us.

We put our house on the market and had 6 offers that first week. A young couple will begin their lives with their own dream of building a family here. The family before us raised 3 daughters and we raised 3 sons - now it is time to pass it on. That feels right too, why stay in a house so perfect for a family when it's just the two of us? 

We aren't exactly sure what our future plan is and that feels both good and scary! Billy and I have both been extremely goal oriented and have put our kids first every step of the way. It feels incredibly refreshing to lighten our load and make choices based on what is best for each of us - both as individuals and as a couple.  We know that we will spend at least a season of life living at the cabin full time, enjoying the time in nature and everything that brings while we are still young and healthy enough to do so. We have a list of projects to get to - we don't currently have a washer and dryer or even a dishwasher since this was primarily a vacation home. I am dreaming of a greenhouse, a screened porch and other updates. We love a good project so we are looking forward to all the possibilities. Some ideas that we have floating around in our heads for down the road include a fixer-upper farmhouse in Vermont, a seasonal cabin on a lake, or maybe even opening a retail store. Or perhaps none of that, maybe we choose to stay here and travel - one thing we know for sure is this cabin will stay in our family to pass down to our kids. Hopefully, our future plans will include grandchildren - our oldest son is recently engaged and as a boymom, it will be exciting to have a daughters-in-law in my life. The list of possibilities feels endless and for that I am grateful. 

I do plan to share more of our projects and adventures in some way or another. Thank you for continuing to follow along. While the landscape of what that looks surely has changed over the years from blogs to magazines to Instagram, the only constant is change so we might as well embrace it. I hope the our paths cross once again, friends! 

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Affordable DIY Bathroom Sources

Hi friends! 

We are finally completing a bathroom renovation in our home that's been long overdue. We wanted to create a space that fit in with the rest of our home but also fits into our budget. Below you can find some of the affordable choices we selected to complete this project.

Sources from Lowes:

Vanity - 30 inch Canterbury 

Mirror - Arch Black Frame Mirror

Flooring - Satori Hex Tile

Shower Niche Tile - Satori Hudson

Sources from Amazon:

Faucet 

Lights

Shower Curtain - West Elm

Here's a few "during" pictures of this project.

Vanity, Mirror, Floor Tile

Shower Niche Tile

I'm excited to finish up this project and share it with you all. I am just waiting on the shower curtain and window curtain and then I'll be able to finish styling and photographing this space. Thanks for stopping by today!

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Christmas Decor at the Cabin

 Hello friends! Today I am back to share some of the holiday decor at our mountain cabin in the Adirondack Mountains in Upstate NY this year. 

We made a couple of changes this year that were fun to work with for adding holiday decor. The pot rack in the kitchen and the updated fireplace were two of the main projects we worked on. There are still many more projects on our to-do list but it's also fun to step back and see all that we've already accomplished at this time of year.

Adding the paneling to the fireplace wall made a huge difference in making this room feel more our own. It took us a while to figure out a paint color but we ended up going with Farrow and Ball's Lichen and I really love how this color changes with the light in the room and also seems to invite the outside in.

My friends at VHC Brands are always kind enough to send me textiles for the cabin and I am just loving their Cumberland Merry Moose line this Christmas. It's just perfect in here! The subject of Moose have become a big joke in our family. Seeing a moose in the wild is a bucket list wish for pretty much everyone who spends time in the Adirondacks. When we were on a hike with the whole family a couple of years ago, everyone spotted a moose in the woods. Everyone except me and my son's girlfriend who had lagged behind. As we caught up to everyone else, I was "lecturing" my kids to slow down and appreciate nature when my youngest son said "um there is a moose behind you" and by the time I turned around it was gone. So seeing a moose remains on my bucket list. And my kids love to remind me at every opportunity that I've never seen one while they all have.

 

Cumberland Red Plaid Moose Pillow, Cumberland quilt/throw

The big tree in this room is the Fraser Hill Farm 9ft Foxtail Pine.

Merry Christmoose pillow

I like to keep lots of blankets and quilts and puzzles/games on hand for the winter months.

Winter Forest Pillow

On the mantel, I added a faux garland from Home Goods (this one is nice and full and by Martha Stewart) and added in the birch lighted garland from Plow and Hearth along with some beautiful plaid glass ornaments from Balsam Hill a couple of years back.

There is a small mudroom off the family room that leads to the back porch of the cabin. I love adding some Christmas touches to this space too.

Back inside the cabin, the kitchen is the heart of the home and it's no different here. Two of my favorite changes we've made to the cabin are big island to gather around and banquet style seating to fit lots of us around the table.

I used a garland I had in my Christmas bins for the pot rack and it doesn't quit make it all the way around. I've been looking for another that is similar to add but haven't found one yet, so it's half decorated and I'm calling that "good enough" for this year. Oh, hello there Dax.

Dax is our 8 year old Golden Retriever who also happens to be the namesake for Camp Lucky Dog. This fall we discovered a growth in Dax's mouth that was surgically removed and turned out to be malignant. I know that many of you have come to love Dax too so I wanted you all to know. Sometimes our social media accounts tend to show a perfect picture of life when in reality it only reveals a small positive snapshot of an entire family. We love this dog dearly. The prognosis is good and we remain hopeful that Dax will remain the center of life at Camp Lucky Dog for as long as possible.

Dax's smile may have been slightly altered from the loss of a tooth to make sure they got the whole growth out, but that smile still shines as brightly and we appreciate it even more now!

The front porch of the cabin is decorated too.

Finally, here's a look at a couple of the bedrooms. Cozy Christmas bedding is one of my favorite parts of the season. We have the softest flannel sheets from LL Bean on this bed.

From our family to yours, we wish you a very happy and healthy holiday season!

And one more smile from Dax, just back from an adventure to Vermont in the snow.

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Holiday Housewalk 2023

Hello friends! Welcome to our holiday home tour!! This has always been a favorite day for me to welcome you all into our home. Thanks to Jen for hosting once again. If you're coming directly from Jen's beautiful home, welcome! If you want to go back to start at the beginning of the your you can do that clicking the link below. And please be sure to click the link at the end of the post to continue on the tour.

Being a part of the housewalk has become a bit of a nostalgic part of Christmas for me. It is always such a joy to return to my blogging roots, it's pretty incredible just how many opportunities grew from my little corner of the internet. Thank you for returning year after year to see what we are up to.

Starting in our kitchen, I went with a deep red and green color scheme this year. I've taken a break from the whimsical decor of years past for now. I'm sure once grandchildren enter my life I will bring all that out again but for now this feels right for our family of adult children. Our youngest graduated from high school and turned 18 this year so we have officially entered a new chapter of life. 

Many of the items I use for Christmas have been collected over many years but I always freshen it up a little each year. The vintage sled over the island just had to make a return appearance although I did briefly consider leaving the pot rack that usually hangs here for the season. I found this sled at a vintage shop but you can find a similar one here. I did keep out some of our copper pieces.  I like their classic feel and shine and if you add some greenery and a velvet ribbon, they are easy Christmas decor!

The tree in our kitchen this year is from King of Christmas and is their 7.5' Alpine Fir. I have it tucked into a large basket from Mainly Baskets. I find that I really enjoy the streamlined look of a tree in a basket. We use a spackle bucket of cement with a PVC pipe added and I find that the tree is very sturdy that way.

I re-used a garland (actually 2 garlands layered together) from Hobby Lobby and added some picks and balls that coordinate with the tree. Our kitchen tree is in a basket this year as well. My kitchen ornaments have been collected through the years some from Sur La Table and some from Old World Christmas. The sink skirt is sewn from a tablecloth purchased at HomeGoods.

I love collecting cookbooks and often display them on my counter. This one  by Roxy Kelly is a favorite of mine throughout the seasons.

Over in our dining room, I kept the color palette warm this year. Because I decorate early, I feel like this allows for an easy transition from fall to holiday decor.

The vintage paint-by-numbers over the mantel was a recent Etsy find. I love how it depicts that serendipitous time when seasons collide as it is a fall scene in New England with a snowfall. Since I take most of my decorating cues from Mother Nature, this felt like a perfect piece to add to our collection.

The curtains are made with fabric from JSH Home Essentials. The tablecloth is made by Natural Habitat. 

Next let's head into our family room, which is just off our small front entryway.

Our big Balsam Hill European Fir takes up a lot of this room but I love it. I added even more lights to this tree this year and it seems to glow in this space. I like to keep a Classic Christmas feel in our family room with the stone fireplace. This room is the most reminiscent of how my mom decorated my childhood home for Christmas each year. In fact, the painting over the fireplace is a recent gift from my mom. It was hanging on the wall in her bedroom and when I commented how much I loved it, she insisted I take it home. There's truly nothing like a mother's love and the older I get, the more I appreciate it. So now not only do I have a winter painting I love, I think of her each and every time I see it.

The Santa boot stockings on the fireplace are from VHC Brands and the navy and red plaid ribbon is new this year from Michaels.

We also have a mudroom off this room that I enjoy adding some holiday decor too as well.

Finally, let's head upstairs to take a peek at our primary bedroom and bathroom. I always enjoy having this space decorated for the holidays.

Thanks so much for stopping by our holiday home today! Please feel free to ask for sources of anything in the comments and I will do my best to get you more info. I will also be sharing a tour of our Christmas cabin in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate NY this week so be sure to follow along through email or on Instagram.

  

From our family to yours, we wish you and yours a joyous holiday season!! 

Next up on the tour is Ann from On Sutton Place. Ann's home has been a favorite of mine for many years, be sure to visit her as well as the rest of the tour.

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