Chris and I just got back from an 8 day trip to Cancun! We booked the trip to the new Secrets Playa Mujeres there last year before we knew about Chris’s back surgery. After the surgery and his recovery at the beginning of this year, among a few other things, well, the vacation couldn’t have come at a better time. We went with Chris’s siblings and their spouses and his parents and it was a blast, despite missing the girls terribly. We both feel rejuvenated and ready to finish off the year with a bang.
A kitchen bang. Yes, we are finally starting the kitchen. Eeee!!! To be honest, there was a big insurance issue at the beginning of the year and Chris’s back surgery was not covered. It was a HUGE bill and required us to push the kitchen renovation back until that financial burden was under control. Now that it is taken care of, and we were able to step away from the blog and social media over the last week (I literally took 2 photos all week!), we couldn’t be more excited to dive into the kitchen. But before we do, there are a few thoughts that we’ve had about the project, the blog and blogging in general that have been on my mind.
I blog because I love to tell the story of renovating our home. It’s sometimes messy, mistakes only make the story better–and I guess it’s more of a novel because our renovation is rarely concise. Every once in a while, I enjoy posting about a quick project I’ve done around the house, but this blog is anything but a before and after blog or a content generator. There’s a lot of really great, inspiring blogs saturating the blogosphere that will feed your need for those things, but when I heard from one of the most popular DIY/Craft bloggers that she literally throws projects away after they are produced and photographed for her blog–I needed to take a step back and reassess if this was something I really wanted to be a part of. I’ve slowed down my posting and decided as popular and lucrative as those blogs are, I don’t want to be that. I don’t want to make a wreath or spray paint something or throw a party, or buy a house just because I need something to post. I want our home to be filled with intentional decisions and only things that would be here regardless of whether this blog existed…or not. I know before and afters are the juiciest, but to only show you before and afters of this house and the renovations that go on in here–it feels unjust. I fear that some blogs are creating an unrealistic picture of what it’s like to DIY or renovate a house, and maybe worse, creating a sense of entitlement with readers that if a post isn’t a dramatic before and after, a DIY they can do this afternoon, perfectly styled or professionally shot, the post isn’t worth reading.  DIY isn’t always instant. In fact, it’s intensely time consuming, a bit chaotic and also, really incredibly rewarding. That’s why we do it.
So as we start our kitchen renovation, our biggest project yet (!!), I wanted to express–1. it will take a few months–we are starting demo this week and have given ourselves a beginning-of-October deadline. We’re shooting for an 8 week completion time, but are already factoring in something going wrong–because something always goes wrong. Having it finished for Chris’s birthday (what a gift for a man who loves to cook, right!?) and our annual Halloween party in October is the real goal. 2. There will probably be a lot of posts about it because we’ll be documenting everything in real time, as it happens. If you feel like I’m just blabbering on or posting too much about the kitchen, I promise I will take no offense if you skip the post. Remember, we’re developing a plot line here. ;) 3. Our style isn’t everyone’s style–and thank goodness!–because I’d like to think it’s what makes this blog world go round.
We are so excited! We tweaked a few of these kitchen plans over the last couple months and then spent a lot of our vacation just grinning from ear to ear about the upcoming changes to our home. We feel so fortunate to be able to do this and so happy all of you are along for the ride.
Psst–laundry room afters later this week!
“DIY isn’t always instant. In fact, it’s intensely time consuming, a bit chaotic and also, really incredibly rewarding. That’s why we do it.”
AMEN! I have to remind myself of this sometimes, especially during weeks where not much is going on. That’s just life sometimes.
This post made me like you even more. I’ve been paring down the people I follow (both on blogs and social media in general) and one of the reasons I keep coming back here is because of the “real” content you post. It’s really refreshing that your blog is to show your actual life instead of contrived content. Keep it up!
Also, as a busy mom I am just trying to wrap my mind around the idea of people having time to make + throw away crafts… Gasp! ;)
I think the way you are blogging is absolutely perfect, and I actually THANK you for showing all the ins and outs and little details and struggles that go into home renovation. That’s actually my favorite part of seeing a before & after, all the steps that got it there! There’s so much more of an opportunity to learn and understand the process, so when I start thinking about projects for my home I have a REAL understanding of what it takes (or as much as I can get without doing it myself). I love seeing the full story of a room (or house) renovation and I totally agree with you that it’s like a novel! The two of you are doing great, thank you so much for sharing your home with us. Keep it real!
Kudos to you both for being thoughtful and intentional with where your blog is heading and taking the time to communicate with your readers (and also showing that real life things like medical bills sometimes mean that you have to put off the fun stuff like a major kitchen overhaul.)
Congrats on starting your kitchen! So exciting — I can’t wait to follow along (in real time!)