Our First Home

Chris and I love talking about our first home. It is the first place we ever had together and where our marriage really took off. This post was was inspired by a company called Compass. Compass aims to place people in homes where they no only will love the home, but the neighborhood around them.

Looking back, I can't believe that someone let a 22 and 25 year old get married and buy a house, but someone took a chance on us and it all worked out.

I don't think I ever properly let go of our first house because of the frustrating process of selling it. Don't get me wrong, it sold in less than a week, but by the time our buyer got together their paperwork, then dropped the ball, then delayed our closing three weeks, I was so annoyed with living out of boxes that, on moving day, I was jumping for joy. 

Our first home didn't deserve that.

Chris and I bought our first house in April of 2012. It was a brand new home with all the bells and whistles. We loved the newness of it, but I admit, it did lack character. We thought about buying a fixer-upper, but we just didn't have the budget or time that it would take to renovate. Plus, the appeal of a brand new home is hard to beat. Warranty, new everything, etc.

Turning our house into a home was my favorite part of living there. We were in that house for two years and I feel like I didn't even come close to decorating everything I wanted to. 

I remember picking out paint and painting all the walls in our kitchen, living room, dining room, and master bedroom. Chris, who hates painting more than anything, helped me as much as he could. It took us weeks to get it all done, but I remember feeling so proud that we were doing it! We were turning our house into a home.

Soon after painting, I was ready to get stuff on the walls. Choosing what to hang on a wall is difficult. Looking back now, I wish I would have searched longer for decor and art that I loved instead of settling for items that I liked.

After the painting was done, we had curtains made and that truly made the home feel more cozy. I chose the curtain fabric in our dining room and Chris chose the living room fabric. Both sets of curtains transitioned nicely into our current house and just recently have I been getting the itch to change them out.

Other than our curtains, the main thing we noticed about moving into our current home was how much our style had changed in two years. When we first got married we were still using a lot of furniture and decor we had in college. Going in to our second home we wanted a more mature feeling and we wanted to wait it out to find the right pieces to bring in our home.

Thinking back to our master bedroom in our first home, I remember loving the color of the walls. We painted them a dark grey and we loved everything about the color. That room got tons of natural light, so going with a darker color didn't take away from the airiness of the room.

In my mind I wanted a white and grey room with modern touches. In reality, that wasn't us. We aren't the couple with lots of white in our home. White, as gorgeous as it is, does not always give off the cozy feeling, and that was the main thing I wanted to change in our second home. Plus, with two dark haired dogs, white gets dirty quickly. There were elements of our first master bedroom that felt so young to me: DIY "love" letters, a DIY sunburst mirror, a hand me down recliner that did not match the room whatsoever, cheap throw pillows, etc. Don't get me wrong, it was a beautiful room that I will forever cherish, but our style has definitely changed!

Even though I sometimes wonder what we were thinking when we decorated a certain way or chose a certain piece of furniture, I am still in awe that our first home was what it was. Chris and I did not experience the fixer-upper woes that some newlyweds and first-time home-buyers experience, but we were able to turn a cookie cutter house into our one-of-a-kind home.

Below are pictures from the day we moved in.

To see our full house tour, click here.

We Should All Be More Like Kids

  

It's not often that a great blog post topic dawns on me. Usually I scour a million websites before deciding if I'm even going to blog that day or not. Hardly ever do I sit down right away and crank out a post.

This morning, the rare happened. We were listening to the morning announcements and one of my girls asked me to help her with a zipper that was stuck. As I helped her I looked at what she had on. Aztec leggings. An Old Navy dress that she was wearing as a top. And Jordans.

Right in the moment I thought, "We should all be more like kids."

As I looked around my classroom I saw outfit after outfit, hairstyle after hairstyle, accessory after accessory that was so unique to that child. Without a care in the world, my kids were rockin' whatever they were wearing. Whether it be giant, black rimmed, fake glasses, or shorts with leggings under them, they were as happy as could be and not a sole in my room even thought twice about their spunky choices.

All I could think about was how humble the adult world would be if we all just thought like a kid. It takes me about 30 minutes to get ready for work. Usually my hair is in a ponytail and I'm wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Even though I dress casual, I still aim for my outfit to match. If I were more like my kids I'd throw on whatever was most comfortable, regardless if it matched or not, and I'd head out the door. Granted, I need to look somewhat put together because I do want to keep my job, but in life, I just wish I was more like my kids: fearless of judgement and more free spirited.

In the world of blogging (and life!) everyone wants what they can't have, and that creates jealousy. I'm as guilty as can be, but in my job I am humbled everyday knowing what some of my kids go through just to have clothes on their back. They wear their worn sneakers and mismatched clothes proud and it makes me smile knowing they are so unique. Their giggles are still so young and being called their "teacher-mom" makes my heart swell more than I can comprehend.

I pray they look back at their awkward fifth grade years and think, "I rocked!" because they do. Each and every kid I've come across has such a free spirit. They have yet to be plagued with the life of a job and paying bills. They don't worry about watching the news or making sure their lawn is mowed. My girls still eat like champs without the worry of bodily image and my boys still get a thrill when I show them videos of crazy animals or big trucks.

At the end of the day I realize that these babies are teaching me just as much as I am teaching them. Come to my class and my kiddos will serve you up one giant slice of humble pie.

WIWW: Lace + Link Up

pants: here // shoes: here // purse: here // blouse: here

I cannot get enough of these white jeans. The mornings are still cool, and my legs are still translucent, so until I catch some rays, pants will be mandatory. 

These wedges are my absolute favorite. I have the black and the nude pair and this year they came out with a hot pink pair that I might just need to snag. 

Some random thoughts for today:

- Yesterday one of my students pronounced damselflies as "damn selfies," and I just about lost it. 

- I am craving summer like never before. I'm not sure what it is, but usually I am not a lover of summer, but this year, bring it on.

- Chris's birthday is Monday and all he reallyyyy wants is a Sonicare Toothbrush. I guess that's what turning 28 will do to you.

- I've never really had an opinion about Pharrell, but after watching The Voice I've come to find that he is a pretty cool dude. 

Now for the link up!

- All I ask is you link back to my blog and link to a specific post.

- Write about something fashion related!

- Instagram @SarahTuckerUp for more outfits and randoms!

Thanks for linking up and to see other WIWW posts, click here.

Linking up with Because Shanna Said So, Get Your Pretty On and The Pleated Poppy.