On my 50th birthday, my daughter gave me this blog as my gift. She set it all up, taught me a few things, and off we went with the Blue Happy Living Blog. A year ago, when I was about to retire, I thought I was going to have so much more time to blog. I had no idea what was actually in the pipeline for me or this little blog. So let’s talk about that and get a little vulnerable. That retirement thing…it hit me hard. I lost my words when all of a sudden I was no longer Mrs. McCormick, the art teacher. My identity was tied to that title so deeply. Even after starting this blog and founding Blue Happy Living, I still saw myself as a teacher first. My business was secondary. So when the time came to drop the teacher thing I got lost. BHL is about restoring life to something forgotten or cast aside. What happens when your identity is the thing that is forgotten?
So just after the first of the year, I started to ask myself a few questions. That’s how I work through things and figure out my direction. If I’m no longer a teacher, what kind of artist am I now? Where do I need to grow? How should I be challenging myself now? What path do I pursue? Simple questions that took me a few months to answer. The conclusion from it all was that it’s time for a change.
Ok, so here’s where things get EXCITING. If you like music, imagine some cool power songs from the 80s playing in the background while I tell you the plans that are about to go down. I love all the before and afters or this is how I did this or that blogs, but I wonder if we are putting these projects on steroids and letting things get a little too crazy for the wrong reasons. Bigger projects with more photos and videos. All the shows on HGTV and DIY about buying and then completely gutting and redoing a home are so fun to watch, BUT what if you can’t afford to move? What if you love your neighborhood and want to stay? What if you can give new life to the home that has already given so much to your family? What if we put a little love and sweat equity into our own home and restored it to dream home status?
So, for the next year that is the journey we will be on in the McCormick household and I’d love to bring you along with us. Yep, I’d like to welcome you to a home built in the ’90s, that had lipstick put on it for a quick sale 10 years ago, and has great bones but is tired and in need of a pick me up. I’m going to restore my home from the outside to the inside, from the top to the bottom and from one end to the other. I’ll be sharing videos, photos, and stories as we move through this 1-year project. In the end, I’ll have a new home not only redecorated but organized and decluttered. Sounds magical, doesn’t it? I promise to be honest and frank, sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly. I want to have a home that is not full of things but a home that is organized and full of meaningful decor that is a pleasure to live in. Are you excited, too?
How is all this going to happen with everything else I do with Blue Happy? You know my type-A self has made a very detailed plan! Starting with the biggest problem of what to do with Greg when all this is going on. Greg is my biggest cheerleader and is always willing to help me. Gosh, I can’t even tell you how many repairs, fixes, and thingamajigs he has figured out for me. When it comes to his office and the house he likes it quiet and uneventful. Filming projects, taking project photos and making all kinds of tool noise won’t bring a smile to his face, so I have found a way around the grumpy dweller.
So over the past week, I have decided to move Greg’s office to a room in the front of our home. Its window sits under the edge of two big oak tree’s in our front yard so it’s cool and shaded. His office in the back of the house gets afternoon sun and gets hot. He doesn’t like the door shut for that reason. I’m loud, at least that’s what Greg has told me, and we have 3 dogs that go in and out of the back door next to his current office. You see now how this is a problem. So, to solve all these problems, I have already started restored home makeover! This room had to be completed before I could move forward to any other projects. In next week’s blog, I’m going to share a video of our home as it is today except for Greg’s already completed office. I will also share his finished office and what was done to the room.
Curious what style I’ll be referencing during this home project? I’m staying with what I call artistic farmhouse style. Did I make that up? Probably, but that’s not a surprise to you if you know me. I’m just going for clean and organized with my own personal flair, of course.
I hope you will join me on this Restored Life makeover. It’s going to be full of all kinds of information and surprises. I’m so excited to share my home as it goes from tired and cluttered to fresh and restored.
