Green Smoothies for Old House Love

In 2007, my husband and I bought a home in East Nashville. It was from the 50s, and was designed for war widows: it had 800 square feet upstairs and 800 square feet in the basement; both floors set up with their own entrance, a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and living space. 

The house layout was absolutely perfect for us. I looooove small, compartmentalized spaces. I love having my whole family (that would be my husband and 1-2 dogs depending on the time of life) all in one space. 

The basement we used for Rich’s music studio and our laundry room/storage, and the upstairs was where we lived: in glorious, no-nonsense, 800 square feet. 

This was also the time that I wanted to renovate, and wanted to do most of it ourselves. We did. I found a blogging, home renovating couple named Young House Love and ate up everything they put out. We got a TV during this time, and got cable too, and of course, HGTV was all I watched. I was committed to renovating that house. 

Four years and two updated bathrooms, new flooring, and a brand new kitchen later, we were so happy with what we had. We did not do it all ourselves, but we did a lot of it. 

Then, 6 months later, we put the house up for sale, and moved to Fort Worth.

In the middle of the recession.

Not the smartest decision.

That house that we loved, that we poured our heart and soul into, and all our savings into, we had to write a check to get rid of it. The recession was full on. We were devastated. We swore we’d never buy a house again (ha).

I’ve been thinking of that time a lot recently, because our country’s screwed again, to put it truthfully. I don’t know how any of us will recover from this time right now. I thought bad days were in the 2008-2010 years, but bad days are upon us. 

This is not a doom and gloom blog though; I’m rarely ever doom and gloom. Our world, together, we’ll get past this, we always do. 

What this is, is this: with all my time working from home now, I am dreaming of getting back to it: renovating this new, old house: this house from the 50s that has pretty much never had an update.

And so, I googled Young House Love, hoping that their old posts would still be live. And guess what? They never stopped blogging. They have thousands of followers. They stayed focused, and they now support themselves via their blog. 

Hell, yes. Good on you. 

I’ve spent my weekends on my iPad learning and reading everything I can, from home remodeling to room layout, to decorating and more. I’m loving every second of it. 

And I’m inspired to give these walls a bit of an update. I’m inspired to stop complaining about these old, cracked, filthy baby blue kitchen tile counters, and tear them the hell outta here. 

I’m inspired to rip out my husband’s cramped, unworkable shower so that we can each have our own get-ready space again. 

I’m inspired to tear the dingy, water-stained wallpaper off the ceiling and the bathroom walls.

I’m inspired. 

All because of a little more free time, and a couple who never gave up. 

How powerful is that? We hear it all the time: hustle – stay focused – work with the dream in mind – don’t give up. 

And, they did it. 

If you’re looking into updating your home, whether you do it yourself or hire out, I suggest you take a look. These guys are truly inspiring. 

For now, I’ll leave you with this new recipe: Green Smoothies for Old House Love.

Love, Jen