Tag Archives: home

Around Big Brown

When Ray and I got married I owned very little home-y things. I didn’t have a Hope Chest or inherited china or a couch. I know the concept of Hope Chests is a little amish-y, but they’re actually a great idea. I have friends who had Hope Chests filled with towels, George Foreman grills, waffle irons, and even, like, Christmas decorations. When we got married I had bedroom furniture, 4 bowls, 4 mugs, a mini cookie sheet, a boxy tv, a VHS/DVD player combo situation, and maybe a muffin tin. Ray lived on his own for 7 years before we bought Big Brown and had a hodge podge of weird hand-me-down / yard sale furniture and home goods. Black oxagonal plates, semi-broken bed, gigantic ship paintings, a coat of arms, empty fish tanks, an amp used as a coffee table… you get the idea.IMG_0486IMG_0536(this is what our dining room table has looked like for the past few weeks)
When we moved into Big Brown we didn’t have money to purchase all new furniture, so we just kind of worked with what we had, albeit a little tacky and dated. We were given a few pieces of furniture that weren’t exactly our taste or style (ahem, king size waterbed) but tried to utilize them as best we could.
We’re slowly (very slowly) purchasing new furniture and home-y items and getting rid of the old ones. I wouldn’t say our style is majorly changing, but it is evolving. We now have a better idea of how our home works and how we want to utilize our space.IMG_0101 (Functional Record Shelving)pps(pops! on display in Ray’s studio)
We’re converting one of our upstairs bedrooms into an organized storage space. We have a rather large home, but almost zero storage space and awkwardly small closets. We also don’t have a garage or utilities room. We only have a crumbling car port type area that we refer to as Little Brown. It’s open to the elements and certainly not the space I want to store decorations or, like, blankets that aren’t being used. Since we already have a guest room, making the second upstairs bedroom into a storage space is the best decision for us. Organization isn’t either of our strong suits, but we’re trying to work. I lean towards wanting to throw everything away and Ray leans towards saving everything… So, as you can imagine, figuring out our storage room has been a struggle.
We’ll definitely keep you updated on all the changes!

Sister, Sister

brie bday 3Yesterday I shared about some not-so-exciting stuff that happened last week and you can read about that here. Today I have some VERY exciting news to share that also happened last week. Drum roll…
MY SISTER IS HOME!
My little sister, homegirl, bff, fave, and brain twin is home!! Brie has been living and serving in Kenya for the past 2 years and only has the opportunity to travel home about once a year. I cannot be happier she’s here! Unfortunately/fortunately Brie arrived home in the midst of terrible hospital week 2014. This was sucky for her, as Ray and I had planned on picking her up in Atlanta and visiting the aquarium, but great for me because I was in the middle of a meltdown and needed my sister.
Brie will be home until the beginning of January, which gives us lots of time to do things like watch Little Women while eating pizza and wearing leggings. You know, the important stuff.
If you’re local (or even if you aren’t) take some time to ask her about her life in Kenya. Let her tell you about her sewing project or her friends or the Cheese Palace. I promise you wont regret it!

Around Big Brown

I don’t post a lot of pictures of the inside my home because, well, I’m not very good at cleaning. At any given time you can probably find bobby pins and guitar picks on the floor, tiny cat toys scattered about, dirty dishes in the sink, and a dusty record player or two. Gross, huh?

around 2Even with the clutter, I feel like Big Brown is very “us”. Our style and personalities definitely shine through. I don’t like going to a home that just feels like an Ikea showroom, you know? It just feels too impersonal. Here’s a couple of shots from around our home this past weekend.around 3around 4around 5around 7around 6around 1

Downtown Lake City

downtown lc 3Sometimes I feel like 75% of the people that grow up in Lake City (or other similar small towns) have only one goal, and that is to get out. And to be honest, I’ve definitely been there. Maybe it’s because I’ve gotten older or maybe I’ve just become more comfortable with where God has placed me, but I really love living here now. downtown lc 2Ray and I live in the historic downtown area, which we love because there’s such charm and history. We live within walking distance to my work, our church, a couple of cute cafes, an antique mall, multiple thrift stores and our favorite lake. (Which was where we got engaged!) downtown lc 4I’m really glad we’re here.