We're Under Contract!

After being on the market for five days, our home went under contract. Our realtor called us Wednesday night to let us know that an offer had been made. We were ecstatic! But then that night-- it hit me. Oh wow, we're really doing this. This house that we've lived in, that we've renovated together and made our own... we're really selling it. I thought we would have more time to get used to the idea before it sold. More time to pack and to wrap my mind around the idea of leaving Frederick. But no-- five days and one month is all the time we have. 
That night, I could hardly sleep! My mind raced with a ll the things that needed doing. How on earth would I get everything done in time? You know what, I decided, I'm just going to make a list of everything that needs to get done. Lists are the ultimate salve to stress, in my opinion. 
Here is my game plan for the next few weeks:
Our deadline to move out: April 28
1. Clean out the basement.  This will be our biggest challenge. How is it that we manage to accumulate so much stuff? My first main project will be to sort through the basement junk and determine what can be sold, what can be donated, and what will be stored. I hate working down there though because its a old-timey cellar... dirt floors, stone walls, low ceiling. Ugh! 
2. Sort through and whittle down our wardrobes. This project is pretty much already completed. You may remember my capsule wardrobe project last spring. Who knew then how much time that would save me this year? Since then, I've lost about 16 pounds so I ended up having to whittle down even more. Together, our winter wardrobe-- including shoes, coats, snow gear, and accessories-- fits into four Rubbermaid crates. Not bad in my opinion! 
3. Sell all large furniture items that aren't going to family or into storage. One thing about this move that is both exciting and challenging is the fact that we have to get rid of everything. I'm not joking. Every piece of furniture is either going to family, being donated, being sold, or being stored. Only small decor items and essentials are coming with us. My for sale list includes: our couch, the entry way table, our dining set, and pretty much everything else. 
4. Sell my Jeep. Since we'll be living in DC, there's not point in having two cars. We'll have access to public transportation and still have Mark's truck for longer distances and road trips. Plus, there's no sense in paying for two parking spots when we don't have to. So sadly, my car of 9 years will have to go. 
5. Throw a yard sale. Sometime in mid-April, we'll be hosting a yard sale to hopefully part with all the items we're not keeping. Any tips for yard sale hosting? 
6. Donate what's left over.  Whatever doesn't sell will just have to be donated. Here's a good tip for donating items and clothes: make a list of what you're donating. Because come tax-time, you'll be asked what you sold to determine the value of your donation. If you have a list and a receipt, then you're golden. 
7. Rent a small storage unit.  Living on a boat will present unique storage challenges I am sure. Thankfully, the boat we're buying has a lot of built in storage but certain things-- like out of season clothes and outdoor gear--may have to go into a small storage unit. Hopefully it'll just consist of clothing, Mark's mountain bike, and out golf clubs.   8. Box up and pack what's coming with us.  And it's not going to be much! Our clothes, our kitchen essentials, our food, our books, and some basic home necessities (sheets, towels, small decor items). We'll probably have to just haul this around in our cars for a bit until we can move onto the boat. 
9. Locate a temporary housing situation. Because the money for the boat purchase will largely come from the house sale, we have to wait until that's over to actually purchase the boat. Thankfully, we're assured that that process isn't nearly as long as a house sale. (We will get the boat survey and haul out done prior to closing on our home.) So hopefully we'll only have a week or two that we need to figure out a temporary housing situation. 
10. And move!  Once the boat is ready, we'll move onto our floating home! So in May, we should be in DC and finally finally finally no longer commuting 4 hours a day! 
It's a lot to do. But I've discovered that it's better to look forward and be excited for what's ahead than to look backward and be sad for the memories left behind. I'm confident that together Mark and I can tackle this move! 
Do you have any good moving advice? Or advice for getting to know a new (much bigger!) city? 

There are Strangers in my House

Lat weekend, our house went on the market. Since then, we've had about six showings with positive feedback. I'm certainly thankful that we've had so much traffic so far. But I still find myself biting my fingernails, wondering if and when an offer will come... and what that offer might be. Increasingly irrational thoughts stream through my mind: Will the offer be reasonable? Will it be enough to get us the down payment we need for our next place?  Will there be strange, impossible demands with the offer? Will a home inspection turn up some unknown, crazy issue that none of us expected? Or... what if an offer never comes, and we have to live here for the rest of our lives? Okay, I know that last one is a little far-fetched. 
When we bought the house, it was a fixer upper. We've since invested a good bit of money and a lot of sweat into the property, essentially transforming every single room. But you know, it's still 117 years old. And you can't make an old house exactly like a new build. I find myself wondering "Will it have all been worth it?"

My husband--rightly so--tells me to stop worrying. To trust that would should be will be. Logically, I know that we don't have to accept--or even reply to--unreasonable offers. We can't foresee the future; we can only plan for and do the best we can. We just have to trust for the rest. 
Yet every time I take the pup and leave the house so a realtor can show the home to a potential buyer, I feel a nervous flutter in my stomach. When I come back and catch a whiff of a stranger's perfume, a small sadness twinges in my belly. We've made good memories here. Enjoyed so many home-cooked meals at that table. Laughed over drinks with friends in this living room. We've patched and repainted the nail holes where my artwork hung, fixed the dent in the stairwell where Mark fell down the stairs, repaired the two little scratches in the hardwood from Solo's puppy paws. 

I have to remind myself that it's not the house that matters: but the family and the memories made within beneath its roof. After all, we're just a little blip in this house's long history. Many families came and went before we arrived; and more will come and go after. 
I'm trying to look forward, towards our next adventure, but it's hard to feel a little nostalgic for what we're leaving behind and nervous for what lies ahead. 
Have you ever sold a home? Have any advice for surviving the process? 

10 Favorite Springtime Rituals

Let the record show that this week in Frederick, Maryland the temperature reached the high 70's. Last I checked, the high actually tipped out at 77 degrees. In March. In Maryland. I could get used to this. Oh, I could get very used to this!
With the arrival of this spectacular weather, I have come down with a substantial case of spring-fever. When I say substantial, I mean wearing bright colors all the time, busting out the flats, stalking the flower department at my local nursery. As soon as the first trays of pansies appear, you'll find me roving the nursery aisles, greedily collecting trays of blooming pansies left and right. 
Here are a few of my favorite rituals for welcoming the spring season. 

1. Open the windows As soon as the temperature gets into the high 50's, I try to open my windows. I immediately start to shiver and regret it. You can bet with these beautiful 60 and 70 degree days, I've had the windows wide open, ceiling fans whirring overhead. I love feeling the gentle spring breeze and watching the currents gently rise and fall. And nothing beats the smell of fresh air in your home after a long, stuffy winter.
2. Bring home fresh flowers. Nothing makes a home feel fresh and airy like fresh flowers. I love bringing home a bunch of hot pink carnations and arranging them in my favorite vase for the front window. Plus, carnations seem to last forever. Another spring favorite: hyacinths only bloom for a little while but they will fill the room with their sweet fragrance! 
3. Start wearing flats. With the warm weather comes freedom from boots and socks. And I love it! It's just liberating to slip into a pair of flats with jeans after months of trudging through snow in thick-soled boots. 
4. Eat outside.  My absolute favorite thing about spring is eating outside on our patio. Sometimes on Sundays, we'll grab takeout and toss a tablecloth over our patio table. Somehow food just tastes better when eaten outside, doesn't it? 

5. Get my hands in the dirt. The one house chore that never gets old to me is garden work. Grubby fingers and dirt under my nails is not a bad way to spend a day. Holding myself back and not planting flowers too soon is always the hardest part about spring. The nice weather allows lulls me into thinking that there will be no frost ever again-- but we know that's not true! This time of year you can plant leafy vegetables, lavender, and pansies. 
6. De-clutter the house and clean out the closets. Around this time of year, I find myself wanting to clean out all my dresser drawers and closets. Bulky winter sweaters and coats take up so much room don't they? At the end of each season, I go through my clothing to determine what I wore and what I didn't wear. Inevitably there are always a few items I purchased and somehow never wore, convinced that some change overcame them between the store and home. What I don't need I always donate or sell. 
7. Deep clean the entire house. Inviting all the natural spring light into the house illuminates the dust and grime that winter leaves behind. A good deep clean is not the most enjoyable spring ritual, but it always pays off. Not just the carpets and hardwoods... but the baseboards, ceiling fans, windows... all those places the get neglected in the regular cleaning cycle. 
8. Create a summer-y playlist on Spotify. An excess of streaming sunshine puts me in the mood for all my summertime favorites: Simplified, Jack Johnson, Dirty Heads, Sublime, etc. Together they create a perfect playlist that puts me in the mood for sunshine, pool-side livin', and something fruity in a tall glass. 
9.  Wear bright colors. In winter, I tend to gravitate toward neutral or dark colors: greys, blacks, navy blues. Yet my springtime closet explodes with pinks and blues and greens-- the bright Lily Pulitzer-esque, spritzy colors indigenous to every Southern girl's wardrobe. 
10. Add some bright fabrics to decor. Swapping out my thick throw blankets for bright floral print pillows is another favorite ritual for welcoming spring into my home decor. Other spring decor favorites: citrus-y candles, boxwood wreaths, and fresh hyacinths from the grocery store. 
What's your favorite thing about spring??
Art pictured: aptly named "Spring Fever," 24x36 available at my Etsy

Our New Living Room Wall Color

A few weeks ago, I debated whether or not to repaint our living room. I loved the hearty shade of chocolate brown-- it was so unexpected in a small space and gave the room a cozy library feel. But at the same time, I was ready for a change. The style of our house had really progressed, especially when we refinished our kitchen and master bedroom. The chocolate brown living room felt left behind, a relic of a design style I no longer really appreciated as much. I still liked it, but I no longer loved it. Does that make sense? 

So last week, I rolled up my sleeves and got to work repainting. To save money, I decided to paint the room the same color that I had used in our kitchen. I loved the color and knew it would work well in our living room. Plus, we still had an entire can of paint left over! 
The color I used is a soft dove grey called "Chinchilla" by Behr. We purchased the paint several months ago; so I'm not sure if Home Depot still carries it. However, I'm sure they have a similar shade. We always use Behr paints in our house, and I'm always very impressed with their product. Our entire house-- interior and exterior-- is painted with Behr. For this project and our kitchen, we used a paint-and-primer combo in a semi-gloss finish. It went on so smoothly. Other than the trim, I really only needed one coat. If you're looking to paint a room, I highly recommend popping over to your local Home Depot and considering Behr. 

The finished product really amazed me. I couldn't believe how much brighter and bigger the room felt. Even though it's the beginning of February and we just experienced Snomageddon 2016, our living room feels fresh and springy. Now, our entire house has a seamless color theme: grey and neutral wall colors with blue accents. Re-painting the living room was an excellent choice. I'm so glad I did it. 

That's what I've loved about renovating this old house. As things come together, the house really comes back into it's own, becoming something pretty and unique once again. A loved, happy space for family, good food, and good times. 
Stay tuned for more renovation updates!   

Help Us Pick a Living Room Color!

As most of you know, I am a huge fan of using bold color in your home. My own home is an eclectic mix of jewel tones and dramatic dark hues. For the most part, I feel like I never go wrong with going bold. It suits my eclectic style. However, I've gotten a wee bit tired of our living room color.
Currently, our living room is painted a snuggly warm shade of chocolate brown. I still really like this color. It's very warm and sophisticated and works well with the natural light the room receives during the mornings. We still get a lot of compliments on the room, usually from people surprised that such a dark paint works in a small space.
Our living room has been this chocolate shade for over two years, but lately I've noticed my style changing somewhat. I'm leaning more toward blues and greys and have begun to feel somewhat trapped by the chocolate brown wall color. As if I must forever and always use warm spice hues and only warm spice hues. Meanwhile, the rest of the house is grey and blue. So, while I still love the chocolate brown... it's the only room in the house that's brown. It's time for a change. After all, it is a new year. 
Here's a look at the room currently: 

I'm leaning toward using grey on the walls, similar to the color we used in our master bedroom or the kitchen. I think it would preserve the cozy-study feeling while blending with the rest of our home. However there's still that one rogue part of me that wants to go crazy and paint the room blue... although I'm not sure if that would be the best call. 
Here are some spaces that have been inspiring me lately. 

What do you think? Go grey? Go navy? Or go bold, like the bright turquoise? 
What color is your living room? Do you have an over-riding color theme for your house? Or do you just kind of go with it? 
All images curated from my Pinterest boards.
Original image sources:  1. via Style Me Pretty / 2. via Orange Drive Design / 3. via House of Turquoise / 4. via Centsational Girl / 5. via Decoholic / 6. via Residence Style

Dill House Diary // Master Bedroom Makeover

Hello, everyone. You may have noticed that we were MIA for a week or so there. We've been undergoing some major changes around here, with the hubs getting a new job in Washington, D.C. and starting up his personal training business as well. Then, last week, we took an impromptu trip to Virginia to visit Mark's family there-- so blogging fell by the wayside for a few days.  We've returned though with another makeover post for your reading pleasure. Today, I wanted to share our master bedroom makeover. Like every other room in this little house, it underwent a big change-- going from drab to dramatic. Here's a glimpse at what the master looked like when we purchased our home: 

Can you say "depressing"? We were the proud owners of off-white walls, a clanking window unit, a rusty radiator, and one window shade. I tell you, that one window shade made all the difference. Yes, that was sarcasm. 

Because the carpet was brand new, we decided to leave it even though it wouldn't have been my pick of carpets. We decided to paint the walls and the radiator, and just give the room and entirely new vibe. Instead of drab and sad, I wanted a dramatic, eclectic look. So without further ado... here's a look at what the space looks like now. 

Because our bedroom faces north, we're limited on how much natural light we get through the day. Most of it streams in during the morning and then gradually diminishes throughout the day.  I knew a pale color wouldn't work well without the correct light; so I took a risk and went with a dark, dramatic shade of charcoal grey. we chose Arabian Veil by Behr Paints, available at the Home Depot.

It turned out to be the best idea. The charcoal grey has a deep purple-blue undertone that shows up in different ways over the course of the day. It's so pretty and works so well with the blue accents in that room. 

When Mark and I registered for our wedding, we decided that one major item we would register for would be good bedding. Having really nice bedding--sheets, duvet, comforter--  really can give your room a luxurious feel. Even if the rest of the room isn't totally perfect, crawling into a squishy, hotel-soft bed will elicit the most content sigh imaginable. 

We currently have these sheets by Cariloha and this duvet from Bed Bath & Beyond. 

Our dresser and Mark's beside table are painted in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint's Paris Grey. I did two coats of the Chalk Paint on both pieces of furniture, sanded to add some distressed touches, and then added two coats of the Annie Sloan Soft Clear Wax topcoat. The pale grey color matches our charcoal walls and somehow has a modern yet vintage touch at the same time. I absolutely love it. 

You can read more about the dresser makeover here. 

My favorite feature in our bedroom is the blue stained glass window that hangs above our bed. It makes such a big, bold statement and really sets the mood of our room. Can you believe I found that beauty at an antique warehouse for only $45 dollars? They had three others which I didn't buy. And to this day, I regret that I didn't! 

All in all, I love our master bedroom. I feel that it really encapsulates and showcases my style. Its eclectic, colorful vibe makes me happy everyday. It's cheerful and cozy at the same time, with lots of layered texture and bright hues. 

Like what you see here? Check out our kitchen renovation and home office tour. We're always renovating and DIYing around here. So stay tuned for more projects and makeovers! Thanks for reading!

Dill House Diary // Workspace Tour

Today, I wanted to share our home office space. It's where I write everyday and also our "home base" as we set up Mark's personal training business. (Wait, what? Mark has a personal training business? More on that later. Stay tuned!) 

Our home office is located at the top of the stairs in a large, open "loft-like" space. The room stays flooded with natural light, which I love. I would love to show you a "before" picture, but sadly... this space did not even exist before we bought the house. Originally, this large open space was bisected by a wall, carving the area into a skinny-minny hallway and the tiniest bedroom you've ever seen. It simply made no sense. Unless your name was Ichabod Crane, you weren't going to be comfortable sleeping in that teensy bedroom. So, we decided to ditch the pint-sized bedroom and create one big open area. 

Originally, we contemplating making the area an upstairs lounge spot. But did we really need two living areas in a 1000 sqft house? A home office just made more sense. 

Can you guess who did the decorating? No, the pink orchid was not Mark's first choice. 

After knocking down the bisecting wall, we laid new flooring, repainted, and added new closet doors. I love the large plank-style flooring. Talk about fast and easy-- we laid the floor in a few hours. The sleek, sliding closet doors are ideal for our small space because they take up such little room. And their dark walnut stain perfectly coordinates with the dark flooring. 

I love this little spot. I spend hours a day, sitting here writing and working on Etsy orders.  So, trust me, the desk is not always quite this neat! Usually its covered in sticky notes, scrawled outlines, receipts, and a jumble of color-coded pens.

Most older homes don't have a designated office space; you end up having to sacrifice a bedroom. So it has been so nice to have our own separate "work" area. If you work from home, I think it's important to have a designated spot that is your working space, something distinct from your relaxing/living space. At least for me, having a distinct office helps me get in the correct mindset. I know that when I'm here, I'm at work. 

For people who do work from home, another option would be to utilize coworking office spaces through a company such as WeWork. With flexible memberships suited to your specific work needs, companies like WeWork allow you to cut down on your commute and have the flexibility you need while simultaneously still having an actual office. Because let's face it, sometimes you need a fax machine or a meeting room-- and not all houses come equipped with those amenities.
Plus, coworking spaces provide interaction with other professionals. The main drag about working from home? No more office banter, no bouncing ideas off your coworkers-- just you and the work. While sometimes this focused environment is beneficial, not everyone prospers in that type of environment. So if you crave interaction and hate the solitude of working at home, something like WeWork could be the solution. 
WeWork has several locations in the Washington, D.C. area. Currently, there doesn't seem to be a location in Frederick, but CoWork Frederick on E. Patrick Street offers a similar opportunity. 
Do you work from home? Do you love the solitude or crave interaction? If you do work in a shared office space, let me know how you like it!

Dill House Diary // Kitchen Reveal

Beyond excited to finally be able to share our kitchen reveal. A few months ago, we started work on our kitchen, and I rather foolishly thought the project would only take a few weeks. Instead, it took several months. My poor husband pulled so many late nights working to finish the tile, the shelves, everything. But the wait was so, so worth it. I'm so excited to finally share photos of the amazing transformation. 
When we bought the house, the kitchen was rather bland. White cabinets, white countertops, white floor, white appliances. Rickety ceiling fan with only one functioning bulb. You get the picture. And if you don't, here's an actual picture: 

Wop, wop, wop. Sad music. Yep. 

Not horrible, but not great either. Thankfully, my husband and I can make a blank slate work. We put off the kitchen renovation until this year because so many other massive projects had to be done first. But this summer, we finally were able to take  sledgehammer to the cabinets and get to work. Drum roll please....

So what's new? Where to start! 

We knocked out the cabinets over the sink and replaced them with open shelving. We also added a subway tile backsplash all the way to the ceiling. Rather than replace the rest of the cabinets, we refinished them using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old Violet, a beautiful grey-blue color. Additionally, we extended them to the ceiling to create a custom look. Finally, we replaced the wobbledy ceiling fan with a new light fixture and the ugly linoleum floors with hardwood. 

The decision to install open shelves was perfect for our space. You would think that a small space wouldn't work well with open shelves, with everything on display, but it so works for our little kitchen. Open shelves do require that you arrange your kitchen goods in an eye-pleasing way. But, it's nice to have everything right at my fingertips. An unexpected perk: no one ever has to ask "where's the glasses?"  or "where's the coffee mugs?" 

Having a small kitchen does require that you come up with some creative storage solutions. Other than open shelving, we added a basket for our cutting boards and some cute cannisters for things like coffee and tea. Just because things are in the open doesn't mean they can't be pretty. 

I don't know about you, but I love our little kitchen. Coming downstairs to this adorable little space just makes each morning so much better! There's something great about DIY projects too. You not only get to put your own spin on the place but you actually to create it, to make it your own. I think I'm extra-proud of our kitchen because we did it, tile by tile, brush stroke by brush stroke. 
Thanks for visiting our little kitchen! Hope you like it as much as we do!