Putting down your roots

We moved out of our house this weekend. Closing is on Tuesday. It's all pretty surreal, leaving one place and moving into another, another place that isn't quite yours and knowing the place that will be yours is still several months away.

You see, we sold our house and moved in with Denny's parents. Moved all our stuff out of our nearly 1,500 square foot home and into a considerably smaller two bedroom apartment off of their house. We are so very blessed to have such wonderful family offer this space to us; for that I am eternally grateful. They are giving us a chance to live here, save some more money, and build a nest egg so that we have the opportunity to start the next chaper of our lives in a way that is comfortable for us.

We will be walking away from the sale of our current home with a decent amount of cash, but to take that and to put the bare minimum down on another house seems foolish when we've been given this wonderful chance to REALLY save; save for furniture, build our emergency and rainy day funds, and save for a bigger downpayment that will make our mortgage more comfortable in the long run once we find the house of our dreams. Could we buy a house right now if we really wanted to? We sure could, but we are going to take full advantage of the opportunity that's been presented to us.

With all of that, naturally, comes some sacrifice. Space is limited, but it is cozy. I'm amazed we could fit all of our furniture in here but it does fit, both couches, a coffee table, and our dining set pretty much within a 15 foot path. My "craft room" is now my six-foot table set up at the far end of our bedroom. Our bathroom now is half the size of our old bathroom, and if it wasn't for the beautiful oak pantry cabinet my mother gave me, I don't know where we'd put half of the stuff we kept in our old kitchen.

I was apprehensive, but you know what? I'm kind of liking it.

The challenge now lies in keeping everything organized and to keep our space looking tidy and neat. I'm itching to hop onto Pinterest and start searching for ways to maximize smaller spaces and I'm excited to learn and try a few new things. Not to mention, we're excited to be saving a ton of money so that by the time Fall comes we'll (hopefully) be in our new home and planning on expanding our family (baby fever is setting in BADLY).

We've had to cancel our wedding plans thanks to Hurricane Sandy destroying our super-budget-friendly venue, but this move and our new plans have me so preoccupied I'm finding that I'm not really that sad about not getting to plan my dream wedding. Maybe I will be a little bummed out by the time July 13th rolls around, but for now I'm focusing on our family's roots...where they've been, where they are now, and where they're going.

There's too much to be excited and thankful for that I won't let one little wedding blip ruin this for me.

Now...time to go find my supplies so I can get to crafting! If you haven't seen the shop lately, make sure you check out all of the Valentine's Day products, and keep your eyes peeled for some pretty pastels coming up for Spring and some neon fabulousness!

Yikes!

And I thought once the holidays were over, we'd be safe!

Not so, friends, but that's what you get when you agree to a closing date on the sale of your house of January 15th. My goal is to get our Christmas stuff down this weekend, and to really put a dent in packing the rest of the house. Next weekend is technically the week we'll be moving everything out, and I can't believe how much is left to be done!

Another exciting note is that I've been busy making some more pretties for Valentine's Day. Check out the shop and visit my Valentine's Day section to see the new goods!

We made it out alive!

Well, as usual, even though I was trying SO HARD to be in the moment, I blinked my eyes and Christmas was over. My five-day weekend was over. Commence post-holiday sadness. Commence tripping over Peyton's Christmas haul every two minutes.

On the bright side, it's only a two-day workweek, we are hosting a sa-weet New Year's Eve gathering at our house this year, and now that the holidays are practically done I can really start focusing on the finer details of getting this business up and running (namely, getting my stuff SOLD).

I'm very excited for more supplies to come in. Valentine's Day stuff is BEGGING to be made, and I've started designing my Easter and Spring collections, so yessss&yayyyyy to that!

If you're tired of logging into my store and seeing just earrings: fret not, my friends. I've got a few nice tricks up my sleeve that I think you'll enjoy. I've been sewing till I'm cross-eyed every night and I'm so excited to get some new goodies listed!

So, did Santa treat everyone well? What was your favorite part of this long holiday weekend? Feel free to share in the comments.

Too Easy

It is too easy to get caught up in the insanity that is the holidays. Every year, I always find myself all wrapped up in the "have tos":

I have to decorate the house the second I have finished digesting Thanksgiving dinner.
I have to remember to have SOMETHING to give to EVERYONE.
I have to bake 27 trays of cookies before Christmas Eve.
I have to make at least 12 handmade gifts this year.
I have to go to my company holiday party and I have to not get drunk even though there's a perfectly good open bar right there, because people remember those things.
I have to make sure Peyton understands, at every spare waking moment of her day, that OMGCHRISTMASISCOMINGGGG! Baby Jesus! The nativity! Santa! HO HO HO.
(What's that, Peyton? You don't understand why Baby Jesus is in a manger with the donkey and the sheep and Santa terrifies you because you are only 18 months and SERIOUSLY?! Oh. Okay then.)
...and so on. I'm sure you get the picture.

The fact of the matter is, the "have to" mantra during the holiday season leads to some serious burnout before Christmas week is even upon me. By the time the whirlwind ends, getting all of those "have tos" done between December 1-23, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day come and go and next thing you know it's December 26, time to go back to work and retail stores are putting out their Valentine's Day and spring merchandise. I was in Michaels yesterday and they were already moving and consolidating their Christmas stuff. Christmas isn't even here yet! That is such a bummer.

It's already December 21st. I am (almost) finished my Christmas shopping, I am (almost) finished wrapping everything. My house is (totally) decorated, even though I keep forgetting to turn on those pesky outside lights (this is why a timer is a great idea, darling!). I have decided that I am not baking cookies...because a.) I don't want to this year, and b.) there is just not enough time left. I've ordered my Christmas cards and they are in my possession in addressed envelopes, but haven't mailed them yet because going into the Post Office at this time of the year to buy stamps gives me major anxiety.

But I have decided that I am riding out the last few days before Christmas just soaking it all in. Remembering what Christmas is about (not Santa and presents, btw). Actually enjoying wrapping presents instead of seeing it as another chore to do. Driving by a house with lights and taking a moment to appreciate and admire the work that someone put into their decor even if it was freezing and they really didn't feel like it because, hey, Christmas.

And next year, I hope I remember the same thing: let's take it all in, friends. They don't call it "the most wonderful time of the year" for nothin'.

I've got lots of pretties planned for my shop in the new year! Can't wait to share them all with you!

Officially official

Well, I finally did it:

whimsy renee (link) is open for business!

Once the madness of the holidays is over, I'm really looking forward to beefing up the shop with more goodies.

Here's to making 2013 the most creative yet!

PS: Our house sold! Squeeeee!