Today I stumbled upon a few old photographs from our very first house...
A cute cape cod with a small and beautifully manicured yard.
...the kind of house I imagined might somehow
be tucked into Colonial Williamsburg...
except it wasn't...
Our little house was in the middle of the Midwest.
...a perfect starter home for us.
The inside of the house looked...
well,...
...it looked like a good before photograph.
Having all the necessary parts and a whole lot of potential...
potential, that was buried under 1960's wallpaper
and vintage finishes.
Speaking of outdated...ahem...
(looking back)
my husband and I...
We looked like pretty good candidates
for a makeover show too...
Oh, how we have changed ...thankfully!
I LOVE a great makeover...
those awesome before and afters photos.
Nothing seems to hold my attention more
than the promise of a great makeover...
If a TV show utters the words before and after...
...I'm hooked.
I seem to be drawn to the biggest and most dramatic changes.
...the jaw-dropping transformations...
The after photos you just did not see coming...
The amazing WOW 'afters'...those are my favorites.
Wow.
How did they do that..??
Like magic...
How ever did anyone
see the possibility in that...._____?
(fill in the blank)
...house
...outfit
...haircut
...boyfriend...
A diamond in the rough.
Maybe I'm easily impressed...
and maybe I'm just a sucker for a good makeover...
but whatever the case...
I think January and makeovers go together...
Starting at the beginning is usual...
we count from the number one...
We read books from the front to the back...
We don't start the ABC's with the letter M...
So it just makes sense that January inspires change...
...it kind of works.
January can be the start of something big.
It's the awe-inspiring month
of new beginnings and fresh starts.
Who doesn't like to imagine and daydream
about what the new year might have in store for us...?
It's fun to plan and plot out a new course...
Do we dare to dream about new paint,
new and improved bodies and new adventures...
Dwelling in the possibility of something...
the possibility of anything better
or somehow improved upon...
is exciting.
Ideas are limitless and require such little effort...
...as opposed the the real effort that goes into
making something out of nothing...
or re-making something as the case may be.
Here's the thing,
all those
over the top,
wow...
oh, my goodness,
"after" moments require some work.
A little effort...
Sometimes...even a lot of really hard work.
Sometimes it's as easy as brushing on a fresh coat of paint...
and sometimes it requires so much more...
Truly.
Getting to the glorious, glossy and transformed 'after' may be the goal,
but getting there; getting to the 'after' is full of the messy in-between parts.
The indecision...
the ...Should I paint it grey or blue....??
Should I cut my hair like this??
Is this a good time to pull up the carpet??
Should I buy these bedazzled cowboy boots??
(If you are not a cowboy... and I am not...then the answer is probably no)
I think for many of us,
we are trying to be the best version of ourselves...
some of us try
creating the best version of our homes too...
Living in homes...that by and large we try to manipulate,
makeover and decorate to be their best version.
I do the same thing with recipes...
even the blue ribbon winning recipes,
get a tweak
every now and then...
So here we are...
January...We meet again.
The start of a new year seems like the perfect time to imagine
what that best version might look like.
And the funniest part of it all...is that
the triumphant "after" photo of 2016
will likely become 2018's "before" photo...
because in some way, shape or form
we will find a way to improve.
We will find a way to be a better version of what we are today.
I have no idea...what my "after" photo will someday look like...
All I know is that I have come a long, long way... (I have photographic proof)
...And I think there is a whole lot more potential just waiting to be discovered.
So, cheers to January and feeling motivated to change...
or at the very least, cheers to uncovering the best version of ourselves.
...our homes
and our
recipes.
Remember that the messy in-between part
of getting from the before to the after
is what separates the dreamers from the doers.
All you need is a can of paint and a little courage.
(and a really good paint brush is a big help too)
Thanks a million for reading the blog. I love that you do.
This thrift store rescue is painted in
Sherwin Williams Creamy, Tabby Gray by Valspar
and is antiqued with a brown glaze.
