Renovation: Week Nine | walls & stuff

Do you follow me on Instagram? I share a lot more of the day to day stuff going on with the renovation over there. It’s hard for me to sit down & write. I like to be on the go. Move move move. The more I work on this project, the more I fall in love with the process. I love construction sites. I love the mess, the blank slate and the people working to make my vision come to life. I love interacting with my can-do team that is doing all the hard work in our home every day. Every crazy idea I come up with they seem to make happen. I know I say this every time I write here, but I absolutely love with this work.

I have tried to fill my “down time” with books instead of social media lately and shared some of my favorite little excerpts over on IG but I couldn’t help but notice the contradictions in two of the tidbits I recently shared–the story of the wrestle of my life between work & home. While reading Present Over Perfect (a sweet & easy read, probably more applicable a couple years ago) this resonated with me:

“The love I was looking for all along is never found in the hustle. You can’t prove it or earn it or compete for it.” –Shauna Niequist

YES. I wholeheartedly agree. Our work at home is so very important. I have always, always believed this. & then Brene Brown’s new parenting series came out & Marianne Williamson’s beautiful quote crossed my feed.

That little voice in my head was loud: you’re doing the right thing, focusing on home & your personal project and your kids and your husband. I have heard that little voice for a good long while now.

& then on the flip side, just a week later, I was so so moved by the hustle I read about in The Magnolia Story. Can we find life and love and fulfillment in both the hustle and at home? Or is the hustle AT home? Or is it both? Can we manage both? I feel like we can weave a story where we balance a little bit of it all and still come out okay. But back to that seasons thing I used to talk about all the time. The “little voice” Joanna spoke about in her book, the one that I have heard so loudly in my own head, urged her to close her shop and raise her babies. And now what she has done when they’ve gone back to school is remarkable. Seasons. It’s all about making choices and recognizing seasons. 

“I always thought that the “thriving” would come when everything was perfect, and what I learned is that it’s actually down in the mess that things get good…if you can’t find happiness in the ugliness, you’re not going to find it in the beauty either.” –Joanna Gaines

Well, isn’t that the truth.

I love working on this project and also taking time to catch my breath while my kids are in school. I know I will always be on the perpetual search for balance between the desire to hustle for a job I love outside the home & to hustle for those I love most of all. I am still not sure what is next after this project is done. That’s the fun part, right? Seeing how this story unfolds?

As for the house–well. It’s moving right along. All I can seem to focus on anymore is how life will feel when we move into it. How everything will have a home and we won’t be worrying about when we’ll move and where we’ll live, which has been a constant stress in the back my mind for the last four years. Being able to finally purge all the stuff I have been keeping because “maybe it will work in the next house” will be so freeing.

I didn’t update last week because a lot of important but boring stuff was wrapping up. The plumbing, electrical and walls are pretty much done. & I don’t want to simply blog what I share over on IG, so day to day stuff will always be over there. I even did my first IG story yesterday…weird! Nothing like new technology to make you feel old. Next week will bring some big, fun changes as the install of the materials will be underway!

We did the kitchen design last week and I have incorporated so many crazy-type-A organization hacks in there–I cannot wait to share my version of them when they are done. I was inspired by a lot on pinterest but I am now focusing on how it will all be organized and how little I can pare down to & still have the home function for us. When I close my eyes and visualize spaces I love, and what I want mine to look like, I don’t see a lot of stuff. I see a few beautiful things. A big goal for this gal, who used to joke that I basically have Homegoods in my basement. ;)
& now that we are getting closer to the end I am finally starting to think about the interior decorating. (!!) AND the exterior overhaul. I will not tackle the exterior until after we move in, but it will get a total makeover and I am so excited about that change still to come. Ketchup and mustard brick/paint be gone! :) I am loving Benjamin Moore Sea Salt for the front door & will do a mortar wash to cover up the brick. I am getting so excited to start doing some of the work myself–we’re getting close!

Yesterday I spent an hour or so throwing rock and chipping away at the edges to make them just the right shape for the cottage-y looking fireplace that I have living in my head. It’s coming to life! I laid out all the rock for my team and they are doing a thick, light colored mortar to fill in the gaps. I. Can’t. Wait. Painting is right around the corner too. Stay tuned!! :)

Hi! Hello! I am Shawna, the founder of Styleberry Blog. This creative corner of the internet has become a learning haven for moms and creatives, offering a warm and encouraging nudge to those who wish to be better and do better, but often don't know where to start. From Decorating to DIY to Diapers and Paleo-ish Dishes, I strive to make the complicated simple and empower women to take action beyond their personal comfort zone. I subscribe to the Shine Theory & so strongly believe that we shine when the women around us shine and mutual support—lifting up instead of tearing down--will always be the culture here. Are you in? I hope so! Beyond the computer, I run Styleberry Creative where I work with clients to create low fuss, high function spaces that are pretty and practical in San Antonio, Texas and beyond. I LOVE making a house a home. My own studs out renovation is now complete and I am now back to working with clients. Please don't hesitate to drop me a line if you'd like to work together! I hope you’ll join me on this fun new adventure! Xo.

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