My sweet little home.

When I moved to Birmingham, I moved into a brand new apartment complex in a great area of town. I went from 1800 sq. feet in Mississippi with a huge yard to a 1000 sq. feet two bedroom, and I was thrilled. No maintenance, no yard, no commitment. (I should mention I missed mowing the yard after a few months. Something so good for the body about working in the yard all day.)

And it was glorious for about three months. Glorious. My apartment backed up to a creek and I could hear it running all the time. It was so peaceful.

And then elephant feet moved in above me.

I quickly became discontented with my quaint little apartment and had to move -- quick. She would wake me up at 3am marching (yes, marching in circles) in her stilettos. Not really sure what was going on there, but I needed my rest.

I found myself having intense conversations with God about what was next....for I knew that if I purchased a home, I was committing to Birmingham. Was I ready, don't know. Was He ready for me to get settled, yes. We had wrestled for a good solid six months and then I succumbed. I was worn slap out.

And then he brought me the loveliness below. There are some good stories behind the prayers I offered and the unit he gave me. I'll spare them for now, but know that God is constantly before us, and really does have so much good in store.....especially when we stop wrestling. 

Some of the pictures are before and afters...

KITCHEN:

The image below shows the original floor. It was nasty and didn't match the upgrades they had made to the backsplash....so I updated it. 

BEFORE:

To this: 

Most of the units have wooden cabinets, no backsplash and tile countertops. This one had just been updated and was just my style. 

AFTER:

LIVING:

The original wall and ceiling color was tan. I quickly updated it to a 'grey' -- (looks blue in some rooms, green in some and grey in others....it's a great color). I also had them strip out the old carpet and put new carpet in. 

BEFORE:

AFTER:

 

My dad built this bookcase for me years ago -- it was stained cherry, but I painted it with chalk paint before I moved to Alabama. It's the focal point when you walk in and I love it. So special to me.

YARD:

This is probably the part I love the most. My mom went to a landscape architect in Jackson and had him help her map plants for my backyard....and then my dad and uncle met here to overhaul it. It was so ratty, and is now such a peaceful place. 

BEFORE: 

W