For Sale (Part 3)

When I was 9 years old I had a shirt that said, "I can't be high maintenance, there's nothing to fix." Whether it's admirable or not, my personality has always leaned towards fancy things and strong opinions. It's something I have to keep prioritized, as I bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. It's not ungodly to have nice things (Job, Daniel, Joseph, Esther, the Proverbs 31 woman etc.), but the moment you make those things more important than faith in your God/obedience to His commands, you miss the mark.

When I lived in England for the semester, I had a fireplace in my bedroom. It gave off Pride and Prejudice or Downton Abbey vibes, both of which are ideal. This picture is a shot of the master bedroom in the house we toured that Monday. You can't see the two full baths, the walk-in closet, or the laundry room. It's the kind of room (on the first floor) that makes me stop and daydream about the life we could have lived here.

We walked from room to room that way, dropping the "love" word at every turn. The house was already under contract, but the walk-through confirmed for both Matt and I that it checked every box we'd ever had for our family. IN THIS POST  I wrote over eight years ago, I talked about how brick was ideal. How white houses with black shutters were ideal.

On one hand, the home wasn't updated recently, but on the other hand, it's the kind of home we wouldn't be able to afford if it were updated. Besides, if they had made updates (to the kitchen/bathrooms/flooring etc.), chances are I wouldn't love every decision, and I'd want to redo bits of it anyway to better match my taste. Our realtor also said that if you moved the house a quarter mile away to the next city, it would double the cost of house. The goodness of God piling up around us, putting the impossible within reach. But, still, under contract.

We began praying as a family that the house would fall out of contract, and we'd get the chance to offer on it. No ill will towards whoever had it under contract. Maybe they'd decide they didn't want to have to renovate a kitchen from the 80s, or they wanted to live on the water or something. As a couple, as a family, as individuals, out loud, and to ourselves, we prayed for the chance to offer on this home. From Monday to Friday, we prayed.

Our girls listened and watched and prayed along side us... I spoke about it publicly on Instagram. I wanted everyone to know that when we got the chance to offer on this house it wasn't just "we like it, and we can afford it" situation. God had to do it.

Matt was praying through the miracles in the Bible. Nothing is too hard for God. This was a small thing. Impossible for us to accomplish, but easy for God.

The home inspection on the house was scheduled for Friday. On Friday our realtor called us and said, "I'm about to blow your minds, guys. You're not going to believe this..." but the thing is, we did believe it. It was exactly what we'd been praying for.

For Sale (Part 2)

I drooled through the pictures when this house hit the market, and the next Family Night we had at my parents', we drove a little out of the way to drive through the neighborhood and pass it.

Matt said kind words with zero interest attached, and I didn't push it. It was a big jump from our current home and plan.

Six days later, I mentioned the house to my sister-in-law after church nursery, flipping through the listing photos.

We "oohed" and "ahhed" over the high ceilings and the fireplaces and that rounded staircase... It was all just for fun in my mind. How would I decorate each space? Where would I hang my favorite art pieces? 

At home, in bed, that Sunday night, Matthew turned to me and said, "Give me a tour of that house you were looking at." We looked at it together. An acre of land, a three car garage, the last move we'd ever want to make, and the opportunity to house hack (more to come on that)... Matt was dreaming with me, and actually considering this home!

Originally, when we were buying Mr. Coke's house, we planned to keep our current home to rent it out. This would put us at a mortgage around $300k. When I said to Matt, "If we sell our current home, we'd be in a similar financial situation, and we'd be in our forever home." Matt says that comparison was what helped him to see it as a viable option that made long-term financial sense.

It was Sunday night, and Matt said, "Let's go see it tomorrow!" I talked to our realtor, and he said it was still available. Monday morning we made sure we were prequalified, with the new house in mind, and told our realtor to set up the showing. He called in the afternoon to say, "Unfortunately, they accepted an offer this morning, but they said we can still walk through if we want..."

For Sale (Part 1)

I logged on to tell you about the wild path that God has led us on this year and how it has grown our faith.

Early this year, we began plans to build an addition on to our current home. We were going to add on to the master bedroom and also add a school room, specifically for homeschooling. It would be like a typical "second living room/den" but designed to hold bookshelves and house a couch and table for homeschooling. The master bedroom addition included several upgrades: a full bath (we didn't have an on-suite at our first apartment or house, and at our current house we have a half bath), a nursery attached (you may have noticed we tend to have a new baby every couple of years, and kids stay in cribs about that long), a walk-in closet, and a fireplace. God has given us the gift of babies and put the desire to homeschool our children in both of our hearts since childhood.

We drew out plans and called builders/contractors. They told us to start by getting our land surveyed, which we did. Next, to maximize the area where we were going to put the addition (and enjoy our yard more), we paid to have fourteen pine trees taken out. Later, our neighbors told us that was an answer to the prayer they had prayed when our house went up for sale in 2019. We planned to finish the addition (which Matt would largely do himself once we got past the foundation/frame) by September, to start the school year strong and be ready when the next baby came.

On a walk with a mama friend at the beginning of March, she mentioned a house in the neighborhood that was going up for sale later in the year. She was disappointed she couldn't wait that long to move, and I understood her interest! I'd always liked the exterior of that house. They do their landscaping well, and it has a set of dormers on the front (something I've always been attracted to). It's on the same block as my in-laws, and in our current neighborhood.

When I reached out to the owner, he confirmed. Yes, they were retiring this summer and moving out of state. Yes, they'd give us first dibs on the house. Yes, it had an extra living area downstairs (school room), a first floor master bath (no on-suite, but still it would nice to be separate from the kids), and an extra bedroom.

Our plans for the addition halted, and we began to save up money for a hefty down payment. We hadn't seen the inside or talked price, but we could prepare in that way while we waited!

Summer ended, and fall arrived. We found out we were expecting (a 4th girl!). The house on my in-law's street (let's call him Mr. Coke) got in touch. They were under contract for a house in Tennessee and things were moving forward. Still, not ready for us to tour or to offer us a price, but he wanted to keep us up to date. We started looking at loans, pre-qualifying and such. 

Then, Mr. Coke messaged once more to say his wife was having heart issues. The doctor said she shouldn't leave the area or have any stress in her life for the next six months. Understandably, now they weren't sure what their future held, which also affected our plans. With a baby due in February, we wondered about the plans God had set in motion. We had a down payment saved and the pre-qualification. 

Maybe God had another house for us?

We love the area we live in. We're less than ten minutes from both of our parents, we live central to the interstates in our area (Matt works all over Hampton Roads washing windows, so he heads all sorts of directions every day), we're closer to church than our last home was, and the city we live in has lower cost of housing than the neighboring city (which we live less than seven minutes from, and safety/crime is comparable). We had no interest/need to leave the area.

Then a house went up for sale within a half mile of our home...

Homeschooling: Year One

Homeschooling. I don't know what the word conjures up for you, but for me, homeschooling was a beautiful piece of my childhood that I've always planned to repeat for my own children.

We spent a lot of time in co-ops, group activities, sports, and field trips. These were days spent listening, observing, and asking questions, in addition to enjoying the friendship of my brothers and other peers. 

Largely not pictured here, we spent the majority of our time at home. Workbooks, prayer cards, cursive handwriting practice, and spelling baseball filled our mornings, and by not too late in the afternoon, we were free to play outside.

I've always seen it in God's Word that as a parent I was responsible for the Truth poured into my children throughout their day; 

Deuteronomy 6:5-9

And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

With that in mind, I chose my college degree: Elementary Education. I was never planning to teach in a school, but was looking forward with excitement to someday teaching my own children. Ten years later, surrounded by God's little blonde gifts, it's time to begin.

In college, we took a class called Homeschooling Methods. Different bits of different methods stood out, but Charlotte Mason's method of homeschooling, a heart directed towards God, filled with living books read aloud, narrations (which means telling back what you've heard in an oral, written, or drawn form), and time outdoors spoke directly to me. Her method begins with her volumes, but have been adapted into many curriculums. For our family, I chose to follow Ambleside Online. 

Largely, Ambleside Online is a book list, and having my mind set on it for years, I asked God to help me to find these books, for free. Partially in the little, free libraries around our city, and largely in the used bookstore that we've kept a running credit at (when we were paying off debt, people would give us all sorts of things to sell. Any books/DVDs would be turned into store credit at our local Book Exchange, which has multiple locations), I highlighted my way through the list, putting my hands on hundreds of them for free. I'm still working my way through the later school years!

As we turned the bend into this school year, I filled in the gaps for Year One (effectively first grade), ordering what we didn't have. This week, it was time to start!

As well as I've planned my entire life to start this journey, one piece of this week that I did not see coming, was the coronavirus test that I have scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. So far, we're fine; just sore throats, an obscured sense of smell, and body aches. We'll keep you updated (on the results and the homeschooling).

Norfolk Nowak's: Dining Room and Kitchen

Whenever it's time to talk to you, I can't decide whether I should start with all the bits that are still undone in my mind, or tell you about the pieces I already love. Today, I'm starting with thankful.

• Our first house didn't have a dining room, so this room is an answer to prayer.
• That built-in, (which was already there and painted that color) is probably my favorite part of this house. A dream.
• The door to the sunroom, with its side transom windows, lets in all the light. Love that.
• I love that the floor runs the opposite way in this room, defining the space.
• We upgraded the chandelier, and it's a forever piece.

Now for the future: I need to finish editing and organizing the built-in hutch, keeping only the most beautiful, sentimental, or often used items. I have some things (specifically from our trip to South Africa), that I like the look of, but the extra things clutter my mind in a way that makes me unproductive.

I want to paint or refinish the tall chairs at the table and reupholster (likely pay a professional, because I like the piping detail on) the seats.

Then, lastly, I'd like this room to have a little more contrast. Maybe a wall of texture (like we did in the entryway) or some contrasting paint.

This is our new kitchen. It's our first dishwasher. Our first garbage disposal. Our first pantry. It has a lot more cabinets than we've ever had.

I haven't finished painting in this room (it was red when we moved in), and those red pendant lights are not my thing. I don't love the cabinet color or the fridge, and there isn't an oven in here (which I didn't even notice until my sister-in-law pointed it out when we were under contract). Essentially, I'd like to overhaul this room at some point, but also, it's functional and usable, and we're in no hurry.

I got our kitchen (and dining room) chairs on Facebook Marketplace, the chandelier from a thrift store, and the prints from this Etsy shop. 

We found an oven in our neighborhood on the curb, and we have it plugged in in the garage for the occasional day when we "can't live" without an oven, but obviously, I'm not baking on a regular basis. We cook almost everything in cast iron pans on the stove. How about you? Could you live without an oven?

Norfolk Nowaks: Entryway and Living Room

We've lived here for over a year, and I owe you guys a look around! This blog post is impromptu, so I didn't vacuum or anything. This is the real life, slightly straightened, version of our day to day.

Starting on the front porch, we replaced the can lights with hanging pendants, bought and painted a second hand porch swing (tricorn black is the color), and found a metal trough on the curb to plant ivy, gardenias, and zinnias in for summer time. I love being able to change the contents of the trough for the seasons. We have some Virginia Creeper doing its thing trying to get inside. Matt says it'll die in the fall anyways, so we're just letting it be.

This is our first home to have an entryway, and it's nice to have a space that stays clean, where you can leave your keys and hang out your jacket when you get home. I got the little table on Facebook Marketplace, the frames from an estate sale, the light from Ikea, and the mirror from the curb. In case there's any confusion, whenever I say the word "curb", I mean someone was throwing it away, and I saved it. Matt trimmed out some horizontal paneling to define this space, and I painted it with Farrow and Ball Schoolhouse White.

Man, if you never saw this room before, it deserves a recap. The carpet was covered in animal stains, the brick wall was dark and dirty.

We refinished the wood floors in the whole house before we moved inside. I painted the brick with Richmond White from Romabio with Young House Love. Matt built the mantel. My Grandparents bought those shelves in the 60s and handed them down to us. We just added that leather couch (purchased from Facebook Marketplace, but originates at Ikea). Our green couch is from Article. That rattan side table was a curb find. Our white wingbacks are from Target.

These are the three books we have been reading through in the evenings.

• Psalms (we love the KJV version)
• Leading Little Ones to God
• Hymn Book

I'll end with this view of the living room. I meant to make it farther in the house tour, but I'm going to go ahead and hit publish and call any post at all a victory! I'm happy to send links your way / find dupes / or answer questions! What can I help you with?

Norfolk Nowaks: Design Influence

I can still hear the woman over the PA system, "Attention, DAV shoppers. Attention, DAV shoppers. Please keep your children with you and do not allow them to play in the clothing racks. Please keep your children with you and out of the clothing racks. Thank you."

I grew up playing in the racks of thrift store clothes, pushing my way through the shirts and sweaters, while my mother ran her fingers across the book titles, hunting for treasures.

Recently, a friend asked me about my design style. Maybe, what I would call it. I didn't have a monolithic statement, and I still don't. It's a conglomeration of styles, and I've seen people with similar styles call it one thing or another, but it never sticks.

That got me thinking about the things that have most heavily influenced my design style's evolution.

1. Thrift Stores

Some people cringe at the idea of wearing clothes or shoes that belonged to someone else, or bringing a couch into your home that used to sit in someone else's living room, but it has always been the first place my family has looked for anything we need, and that makes full-priced stores hard for me to swallow. Thrift Stores are full of interesting pieces of art, furniture etc. from all different decades sitting together in one space, and I think there's a beauty in the mixing of your favorite treasures together, whether new or second-hand. There are some things I think are worth spending more money on, but that's another post for another day. Many of our favorite pieces came to us second hand. Some of our favorite thrifted pieces that have been with us so long they've transitioned from apartment to house to camper to house with us.

2. The United Kingdom

When I was engaged to Matt, I spent a semester in the United Kingdom. We lived in a farmhouse where our second story bedroom had a fireplace, the dining tables were always set with lace tablecloths, and there were antiques littered about, as old as the home itself. My time in England gave me an appetite for the beauty to be found in something well-used and timeless. I fell for the picture rails and the wingback chairs, the wallpaper and the china teacups. My months in England, more than anything else in my life, shifted my view of which pieces I want to choose to be with us for the long-haul.

 

3. Norfolk Nowak's Mission

"There's a certain lifestyle I dream of obtaining: A sparse, lively, lovely home, filled with character, dark wood furniture, and live plants. I dream of being purposeful with what we own and where we keep it. With a clutter-free life, I think I can better serve my family: making better meals, having less laundry, growing a bigger garden, painting lovelier pictures, and making more time for family projects in the garage, backyard, and around the table. With the house tidy, there will be more time to keep the walls white and the babies snuggled." - My journal, December 2015.

I love everything about that journal entry. It only makes me sad that it's been five years, and we're just now making it a priority.

4. Color Palette

The most recent, important, edit to my home style is the realization that not everything I love can live harmoniously in one space. Many of the whimsical, fun things that we thrifted near the beginning of our marriage are now too loud and saturated, and if we desire our home to be purposeful and clutter-free we have to pare down to the favorites. To help us with this mission, I've made a color palette for our home, pulling colors directly off of things we already own and love. As we move forward in our home, creating spaces we can enjoy and serve each other in, I want to have these colors on hand to use as my yardstick against purchases.

 

 That last picture is Charlotte sitting in our entryway, which is the part of new home that is closest to complete. Y'all voted on our Facebook page for a full-house tour to see where we stand currently, so that's in the works!