I hope everyone is having a lovely Christmas!
School starts up again around here today, for better and worse. I do like a break, but . . .
Especially this year. This holiday season has been an absolute blur of new house stuff.
There was some back and forth as to whether we would be able to remodel the house, henceforth to be known as Gramblewood,* before we moved in. I assured the husband that I loved it so much that I would have lived in it without a kitchen. Or electricity. Or plumbing. But I think he knew better.
Anyway, it was weeks of back and forth of figuring and planning and first we were just going to do a couple things, then all of a sudden we were going to do pretty much everything it needs, right this very second.
Which meant finalizing designs and supervising demolition and spending entire days in flooring and tile and furniture and appliance and fixtures stores making ALL the decisions for the rest of my life. But no pressure.
I think most of the big plans and decisions are done (and on pinterest) and I’m still enjoying the process and am really REALLY excited to see how it all comes together.
We also had a lovely Christmas and a lovely visit with my sister and her family and went to the parade and shot each other with silly string and ate all the treats and watched all the shows and had all the fun.
Let’s pause for a quick holiday photo dump.
Christmas:
New Year’s meant silly string and writing in the air with glowsticks and Mass and parade and football:
All that, and none of it got blogged, (gasp) and that was okay. Necessary even, for now.
January 2nd marked the beginning of the fourth year of this blog. I love it. Really, I do. I love all the parts of it: the writing, the photography, the graphic design, the Facebooking, the Instagramming, the comments, and emails, and community.
But because I like it all so much, I do it to the exclusion of other hobbies and projects. Even when I get way out ahead on writing posts, like I did before Mary Jane was born, comments and emails and social media manage to fill my free time.
I have many non-blog writing projects in various stages of completion that have been floating about for months and years, plus projects for the house that I really want to be able to do with my own two hands (assuming Mary Jane will relinquish her claim on them sometime in the near future).
Like refinishing this actual Victorian copper clawfoot bathtub, stamped 1891!
The original ad!
And that means I will have to be here less, for a while anyway. I plan to still post regularly, just less frequently. I plan to still be available via email and on social media, but maybe not as much as I have been.
I have a few commitments for sponsored posts that you’ll see, and I’m not going to be able to resist blogging the remodel every now and again, and I WILL catch up on my emails if it’s the last thing I do. And you’ll see some of those here.
So, here’s to new opportunities and getting out of my comfort zone in 2016, but with every intention of ending up right back here spending way too much time blogging sometime in the not too distant future.
Happy New Year and Merry (still) Christmas!
*when Jack was a little guy and he was having trouble with something, he would complain that it had gotten “grambled up.” Somehow, the husband and I turned that into the name of our fictional dream home: Gramblewood. As in, “That renaissance masterpiece would be lovely over the mantle at Gramblewood.” It was always just an inside joke, but when our friends universally demanded that this crazy house have a name, we realized that this is it: our dream home. Our Gramblewood. Let’s hope we don’t gramble it up TOO badly.
I was wondering where you were . . . and sort of knew. I'm so excited for you, Tiernys! Merry Christmas!
Thanks Christie!
You certainly are living life to the fullest- many merry Gramblewood times to come!
It certainly FEELS like it! 🙂
Happy new year, Tierney family. I can't wait to see more house remodel posts. We are building a house right now and we have hoped to give it a name, but haven't decided on one yet.
They need a HOUSE naming website. I wonder if Sancta Nomina would help with a house. 😉
I wish you all every joy in 2016.
(Including peaceful renovations, if such a thing exist.)
I hope so too! So far so good, but with s house this old, it has to be SOMETHING, right?
Gramblewood-I love it! That's really awesome, and the bathtub is epic. The holiday photos are beautiful as well!
Thank you! I love the tub SO MUCH.
Merry Christmas! I guess my NY resolution can be spending less time looking forward to a frequent post from a favorite blogger 😉
Seriously, though… good for you knowing your limits and redirecting yourself. I wish I could blog… but I found it's really a time suck. And you need to love it.
Here's to not grambling up Gramblewood! Now off to gawk at your pinnings 🙂
PS- Love the Marmoleum! We are doing a minor update on a home we just bought…. and I went back and forth on the Marmoleum Striato and cork floors. Ultimately, because our home has a small footprint, I chose cork to match the original wood …. hoping to give an illusion (for me) of more space!
I'm really excited about the Marmoleum. We're still deciding exactly how to use it. But we WILL have a crazy linoleum floor like days of yore. 🙂 I had no idea it was a natural material. Those guys need to work on their PR. (Or hire me 😉
Yes! Lots of Instagramming. That's going to probably be the best place to find me for right now. And THANK YOU for your prayers.
Oh Kendra I love the Gramblewood! What a fantastic, family-specific name! I'm excited for all of you and maybe someday I will get to meet you and your lovely family. 🙂 Best of luck to you on all the home projects.
I wish my husband could be there to take all your scrap metal from your demo 😉 I love the name Gramblewood. So Austen/Bronte. Best of luck to you!!
LOVE Gramblewood. Like, I want a Gramblewood tattoo, that's how much I love Gramblewood. Please write a children's book series called The Gramblewood Tales.
So exciting! I'll miss your frequent posts, but I cannot wait to see Gramblewood in all its glory!!! Merry Christmas to all!
I LOVE the name Gramblewood and the sweet story behind it! I can't wait to live vicariously through you and all of this fun remodeling you have ahead! (It's easy to say "fun" when watching from the outside.) 😉
Eeek! I die! All the pics are sooo cute. Looks like ya'll had a good Christmas. Happy New Year!
Life is filled with seasons my friend and this one is all about creativity with your writing and your dream home. So go, live fully, write much and create all the things. I will still be here to read and cheer you on whenever you post. Hugs from Virginia <3
Congratulations, Kendra! and thank you for your blog! Can't wait to see the remodel. Don't hold back on sharing. Your readers are not the envious types! We will be cheering for you all the way!
So exciting to see the progress at the house. I love the name. I kinda want you to make a signature cocktail with the same name. And serve it at your parties. Good luck with all your endeavors and I'll enjoy whenever you do post, but no pressure.
I've been blogging for 15 1/2 years and I can tell you…
REAL LIFE TRUMPS BLOGGING!
Looking forward to reading whatever you do end up posting.
So exciting!! I will miss your frequent posts, but you go do you Kendra, thanks for taking us along for the ride.
Best of luck!!
Will miss your wit and wisdom (or at least as frequently) but am so excited for you and the Gramblewood project! Prayers for a quick and on-budget renovation! (Haha. I'm the wife of a contractor. I know how these things go, even with a great contractor). Looking forward to many fabulous updates on Instagram!
Wow, exciting! I will anxiously be waiting for your updates. Many blessing for you and that adorable family of yours!
Life comes first! Please keep us updated on your remodel in whatever manner is easiest for you. We did a major remodel two years ago, and like you began thinking we might do some of the things, but not others. Once the house was opened up and demo began we decided to go ahead and do it all at once because we saw what a MESS it was a did not want to have to LIVE through that! It was the best decision. You will get to enjoy the completed project for years instead of living through constant renovations. It is a fun process, although intense and time consuming. In the end you will be SO GLAD you did it! Enjoy the journey and thank you for all you have shared with us through your blog. It is a blessing to many people.
I will forgive you for posting less on the condition that you post the pattern sheet for the perler bead nativity. I NEED that. Seriously. 🙂
I am missing your posts but understand about the need to focus on other projects. I am still reading through your former posts in order but am getting increasingly closer to present day. I am thinking, though, for the robot that you are, perhaps you could write/compile us a book??? 🙂 We would snatch it up, you know.