If you’ve been around for a while I am sure that you are familiar with the sporadic scheduling of posts here. Over these past two years I have been afforded incredible opportunities that I, only before, ever dreamed of. As I continue to grow my client book and team, what was once spent as time “building” is now allocated for the “doing” of Interior Design… of living my absolute dream.

I do, however, love this form of sharing this journey with those I see as my community. Those that have been along for the pitfalls as well as the wins. In an effort to stay as connected throughout what I am up to today and what is yet to come I’ve challenged myself to show up. Starting today, I have made the commitment to set a timer every day, for 25 minutes, and over my cup a coffee share a outtake. Whatever thoughts, ideas, projects, I have on my mind.

I want to share a cup of coffee at the start of my day with you!

So, in the 15:17 min I have left… I will give you a brief synopsis of what my three day weekend with a toddler and old house looked like.

I try my hardest to limit my “working hours” to when my daughter, Seven, is in school. This is the time for focused creative energy (or I suppose any energy for that matter) and meeting with client, vendors, contractors, and making site visits. Weekends, while one day may be for rest, are for my own house projects and touching on what is “in the works” (you know your girl is always plotting on the next “deep end” to jump into).

Well this weekend, after approximately 5 trips to various hardware stores I did “the thing”. The project that I had been putting off since I moved in 5 1/2 years ago. I now have a beautiful back door (with a secure latch and lock!). When I bought the house there was a rickety plywood casing (?) and a even ricketier metal and wood storm door that had seen better days. While we did have an exterior door leading from the mud room to the kitchen, the back porch (mud room) was this non secured, unusable space. To be frank, even with my “take it how it is” it was downright embarrassing to have guest use the back entrance (which meant I was inevitably avoiding any playdates that involved the back yard).

While the reason for delaying could be credited to pure procrastination, the truth is this project was daunting. While I excel in Interior Design professionally, my DIY skills are “sufficient” at best. When the budget doesn’t allow for a contractor I am left like many other old house stewards, “figuring it out”. Taking a project that I’ve never done, without any help, that is essentially the security for my home… daunting is being light.

The truth is, I was terrified. I poured over every pamphlet, directions, and how to guides I could get my hands on. I watched every video I could find and then step by step, I executed. I leveled the floors, installed and heating pad, leveled them again, (tiled enough that I could install the door), adjusted the existing rough opening and then hung that darn door!

I fondly remembered the words of Laine Berry “step by step”, just do the next thing. That’s it! And you know what? It worked!

And since my 25 minutes is up, I will leave you with this… Do what you can with what you have.

No, this isn’t a beautifully reclaimed door installed by a master carpenter. But it is a properly secure exterior door protecting my home and for that, I will claim it as a win. It was what I could manage, what my skillset could do, and it still. beautifully, serves its purpose.

And anyone else peeping how the door window lines up almost perfectly with the 100 year old original pair?… almost as if I planned it!