the why.

like most 20something women who live their daily lives working their first (or second...or third........) big girl careers, i spend most of my time dreaming, both day and night, about everything but my day job. i love this stage of life... from adventures in this new state to bonding for hours with new friends to making a new house a home, can you blame me for constantly dreaming? 

(uptown charlotte...yeah, we don't call it downtown here because it's literally the highest point in the city - via)

ross and i bought our first home in april 2011. it's the most perfect little house i've ever seen and we lay in bed on a regular basis and ask if it really is ours. we feel so blessed to get the deal we did on this 1940s house with all the character of 70 year old architecture in the best location we could've hoped for. 

                                                                                              (our house on move in day)
for someone who's always been somewhat of a nerd - caring more about numbers than new fashion and more about learning than latest gossip or fads, i was surprised at how quickly i got into the process of transforming this little house into our first home together. i dreamt of it being a space we were proud of, an inviting and open home where our friends would feel welcome anytime and comfortable enough to stay as long as they liked. after moving away from indiana, the only state i'd ever known, ross and i have been so blessed by the community we've been surrounded by in north carolina, and we wanted our home to be a place where we could begin to give back a little. from bonfires to ping pong tournaments to progressive dinners to midnight bonding sessions to (most recently) super bowl parties (which we obnoxiously decorated for in all colts decor) we've been learning what it means to be be immersed in community, transparency, and love... the way God intended. 

                             (3 of my amazing friends here. they're the ones who encouraged me to start this blog and jessee, the one in turquoise, even came up with the name!) 
with these new found dreams about our home, i quickly learned that if you're not careful, the materiality of things will take over. over the coming days, weeks, months or maybe even years, i'll go into much more detail and focus more on the practical side of this blog purpose, but i thought it was important to start with the why. and nothing i do would be complete without a list, so i'll finish with just that. 


1. this is going to be a place where i keep track of my adventures of making this house a home
2. practically, that means, i'm going to be sharing my adventures at garage sales and the occasional craigslist triumph with the hope that you can benefit from my successes too and learn from my failures
3. i'm an accountant. not a writer. so i'll apologize in advance if my writing style isn't eloquent and if my grammar isn't perfect. 
4. at the foundation of a good sale and my desire to create a space where my friends always feel welcome, is God's call to each of us to be good stewards with what we've been given 
5. enjoy :) 

1 Peter 4:10-11

¹⁰ As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: ¹¹ whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.