My stormy Thursday outfit. Today I threw on my comfy Spell and the Gypsy Collective, Kombi maxi skirt one of my personal favorite graphic tees by Trunk Ltd, my new obsession cowrie necklace by Ouroboros Designs and lots of turquoise accents. Been starting my summer hair routine of no hot styling, (blow dry and flat iron) rocking curls, braids and waves. The lawn guy started cutting the lawn then the rain started, I went outside to enjoy the smell that reminds me of my dad. My father had a lawn service and would always have that fresh cut lawn smell. Got to enjoy taking in the lake view and pool while I can.
Some of my fave turquoise accessories. Product details:
Cowrie Shell Necklace, Siren necklace by Ouroboros Designs available on Free People website.
Walmart choker, turquoise stacked silver ring from Rocksbox you can use the code MELISSASBFF10 for your free trial moth of Rocksbox. Earrings came with a turquoise squash inspired necklace set I found on ebay over the summer. Raw turquoise bracelet with feather charm and the above turquoise with silver fringe necklace are handmade by Fawning In Love on etsy. Then the african turquoise beaded bracelet is from Whiskey + Bone also another amazing artisan made piece. They are all laid out on top of one of my favorite Sand Cloud towels, the XL baja beach blanket you can use my code CR8TIVEWANDERLUST25 for 25% off at www.sandcloudtowels.com. Almost forgot my cute Feather hair band or necklace is from Tara Lynn's Boutique last summer/fall, check my side bar with favorite shops links for promo code for Tara Lynn's Boutique. Also I have lots of other awesome shops and codes or links in the section located on the right in my sidebar.
Ready or not...
I'm sure I am not alone when I say this long weekend came at the perfect time. As we prepare for summer break I am just anxious for the first day of summer to begin. We have so many crazy changes going on here in our home and I'm ready to dive in and tackle a lot of the stuff planned so I can enjoy the summer.
We are moving and it is really bittersweet, I hate to leave our home that have we made our own and lived in for over ten years now. We were so excited when we found this house and they accepted our offer. We closed and the same day we're here ripping down walls, pulling up flooring, removing mirrors from the walls, and scrapping popcorn off the ceiling. We took this house apart and made it our own. There wasn't a room or surface we didn't touch or change. It was a new experience for us because since we got married we had lived in apartments, then we bought our first home which was brand new construction and we were able to pick out things like cabinets and flooring but it wasn't like purchasing a home and basically totally changing the layout.
Our current home is on a huge lake so we don't have neighbors behind us which in Florida it is common to have house right on top of one another but this area is not like that. We also don't have to pay an association fee. That is the best because the newer homes are all in these little cookie cutter gated communities with 3/4 style homes that all look the same. We have a pool and jacuzzi with a nice covered patio, sliding doors all around the pool area and cabana bathroom, huge master bedroom with walk in closet, dressing area and on suite bathroom. The other bedrooms are across the other side of the house which is awesome. My favorite spot inside the house because really the outside of the house is my all time fave but inside when we basically gutted our home we redid the entire kitchen. Nothing but the huge sliding window overlooking the pool and lake stayed the same. I custom designed our entire kitchen myself. I changed the lay out, tore out walls, moved the pantry closet and fridge, picked out the cabinets, molding, lighting, granite, trims, appliances, backsplash, and paint color. It was the best room to design because it was so much more then just painting and decorating.
I'm not afraid of color and taking design risks. Interior and architectural design are my passion. My design style is very eclectic and bold but I still have a very traditional style with a love for antiques, vintage, traveled kind of world charm design. We have laminate wood flooring, I wish they had the tile that looks like wood because in Florida with how hot it is year round tile is energy efficient but I we have had tile and I just don't love it outside the bathroom, rugs or carpeting is out of the question. I have allergies and I'm a neat freak, I have cleaning people who come every two weeks (best choice ever and very inexpensive) I clean daily and when they come they tell me my house is their favorite because they don't have to really bust their behinds. They mostly come to clean outside patio, do the windows, fans, dusting, deep cleaning, and bathrooms I don't scrub shower doors lol. I have a squeegee but that's it, I use it after every shower to keep them decent then the cleaning people scrub them. Laminate was our final choice because we rented a beautiful home between selling our first home and buying this home, that house had laminate and it was easy to clean and looked nice. Also we didn't plan to keep it forever if we decided to stay long term we planned to replace it with real wood or the tile wood designs out now.
I love wall decor, and I'm also obsessed with painting. I have painted the rooms in this house multiple times. The only rooms that have stayed the same color are the kitchen, hallway, and office. Every other room has been multiple colors. I love a bold accent wall, iron accents, lighting is very important, an area rug that is easy to clean, pillows lots and lots of pillows lol. My hubby hates pillows and I have so many, I also change the pillows with the seasons along with my dining table decor and the island in the kitchen changes decor seasonally also.
Bohemian decor, Asian, Moroccan, Indonesian, and southwestern type decor are all things I love. I love calming serene colors for bedrooms and bathrooms, then I am not afraid to play with accent walls and even have done a very vintage Tuscan feel faux finish in our family room that I will miss. We will be split up for 7-9 months at least and I'm going to be renting something for my girls and I. I plan to pack most of the decor we are keeping for placing in a storage pod till we move up with my husband. For here I'm only keeping beds, one dresser per person, sofa, chair, and deciding on dining table or just stools depends on if where I rent has a little eat in area or island. It will be weird for me to live somewhere I can't paint or don't go all out decorating. I'm sure I will end up taking one of those trips to Target and buying little things to decorate or dress up the place some but don't want to go overboard since I will have a storage pod filled with decor.
With moving I also have my oldest daughter who now has a car and drives herself around, preparing for her senior year of high school and all the craziness that goes with that. Expenses galore, lots of events and different things that are happening for senior year, collage apps and essays, cap and gown, prom, senior trip, grad bash, then she wants a job but I am planning on once our home sells spending at least 2-4 weeks where we are moving to help my husband get settled, enjoy our summer together and really getting to know the area some since we will be calling it home very soon. We have so many changes ahead but I'm excited to see what is to come. I'm a firm believe on if something is meant to be it just happens. I have wanted to move for 7-8 years out of the area we live in, I have lived in south Florida for over 32 years and I'm ready for a change. Since we kind of put that wanting to move energy out there and really all agreed it was something the entire family would like to do, because I really talked it about this with my girls too. It's their life also and I know moving is scary especially as a kid cause it's so unknown, and unfamiliar but we really have become a family that loves to travel together, we really enjoy being on the road, seeing new places, and I see how it kind of energizes and invigorates you so we all agreed it would be a welcome change.
I'm most excited about being only an hour drive out of Florida. We take many many road trips and would take even more if it wasn't a 6-7 hour drive just to get out of our state. Once your out of Florida it doesn't feel bad. Also we have most of our closest friends that have also moved out of state, it is going to be so nice to have friends and family closer to us and be able to see them during the holidays and summertime. We will be taking many camper RV style road trips in the years ahead, and hoping to buy a vacation home in the mountains of our own.
With all the excitement and also the bittersweet moments ahead, I have been very emotional. Watching my girls grow up, seeing my first born who has basically grown up with me start driving, getting a car, winning awards for her amazing talents and grades, becoming a police explorer, cheering and now soon to be graduating and going off to college is insane. Uttering the words I'm turning 40, crazy. Lol. I feel like I was just 25 then 30 now 40! Omg it is flying by. I couldn't be more proud of our girls. Both our girls have been so easy, I have been so lucky to have to kids who have placed into the gifted class in their school, and they have always been above level. My youngest is reading on a 9th grade level in 3rd grade. It's insane, she took her reading rest and she is off the chart for testing in elementary level because she is already reaching above middle school and into high school. She scored super high on her yearly state testing and my oldest got an amazing score on her SAT. She finished her middle school math in 6th grade so 7-8 grade she was taking high school math, which made it easier for her because she started high school with 2 math credits and 1 English credit. She will be graduating with college credits and could have gotten her associates degree but she really wanted to focus on her AP and Honor classes to keep her GPA high for applying to colleges or for scholarships. Let me tell you mom's, prepare yourself for lots of emotions and frustrations, because it just keeps getting more and more hectic and harder. I'm lucky my oldest is so well behaved and we have such a close relationship, more like sisters then mother daughter, but she is always honest with me, tells me about everything, I go to concerts with her, weekend festivals, we take trips together, and she is a really good kid. I think of how I was when I was her age and just thankful she isn't doing a lot of the stuff I was at her age lol:
I have to say I'm a little sad, anxious, excited, scared, and ready to take on whatever life has in store for us. I cry at every award ceremony, dance, field trip, report cards, when they bring home art work or something they made, the thought of packing lol, and dreading the day we walk out the front door handing our keys over to someone else, then driving off to the unknown. It is the unknown though that has me so excited at the same time. I'm ready to do things I have been dreaming of for years, travel, start fresh, meet new people but most of all to watch my girls become the amazing women they are meant to be. Thanks for listening to my story and letting me venting some on here. I will be keeping you up to date on my progress and where I'm at in the process. Can't wait to share my adventures with everyone and going to have lots of new inspiration all around me.
Peace love and light always xoxo
Mel
