austin, tx - home sweeeeet home

Hey everyone,
I hope you are all well!  I have been on "stay-cation" this week and I spent my time off getting my new apartment allllll put together :)  This week was also my 32nd birthday!  Normally, I spend my birthday week engaging in a lot of fanfare and bar-hopping.  This year was a lot more quiet and subdued...and I liked it ;)

Please come on in and take a little tour of what makes this apartment "home" to me!

When you first walk in you have the option of going to the dining/kitchen area on the right or the living area on the left.  This space pictured above is supposed to be the dining room but I've turned it into my study/sewing/hoop making/reading/record player area.

Home Sweet Home

Hi everyone,
Sorry for the radio silence lately - there has been a lot going on in terms of starting new jobs and trying to get situated in Austin.  Life is stressful to say the least :/  It is hard to feel secure when so many pieces are shifting...but I am keeping the faith :)

I have been thinking a lot this week about "home" and how much that feeling has been missing from my life.  I feel like I haven't had my own "home" since I left my apartment in early February!  The feeling is taxing :/

"Home"...at least it was a few months ago

I think life will get back to normal once these shifting pieces fall into place.  For now it's hard to keep my balance :)

I can't wait to know Austin like I know Maryland.  Just knowing the good bars vs lame bars, the good grocery stores vs the expensive ones, the really awesome nature trails from the not so awesome ones, and knowing the back way to work vs the long way will make such a big difference for me.  Those are little things but I miss having that kind of knowledge about a place.

I know that I am meant to live my life in Texas right now.  But I am eager to find Texan friends who are like real family - people who appreciate my heart and my friendship.  I'm eager to be with friends who are motivated by the same goals I am.  I miss the warmth that comes from those people and things.  That  is what is missing from my life these days but I know it is coming soon.  I just need to be patient.

For now I will be content and imagine myself like a flower planted in a temporary pot.  The situation is not ideal, my container is plastic, and it's cramped in here.  But pretty soon, I'll get myself into some real soil.  And then I can do some real growing and flourishing.  :)

Much Love,
Becky

All About Janice :)

Hi everyone,
Happy Mother's Day!  I know a lot of amazing mothers among my group of friends and family.  I hope you are all having a blessed day!  I wanted to take a minute and tell you all a little about what makes my mom, Ms. Janice Marlene, special among the rest. :)

That's Janice there second from the left.

House Tour :)

Hey y'all!

I wanted to give you guys a tour around the new Marsh homestead!  My mother would appreciate it if I would make it very clear that this home is still a work in progress.  We have not even been here one month!  In fact, I have excluded showing you the spare bedroom (aka my current room), the office, the powder room, the garage apartment, and the garage because those works are still TOO much in progress :)  All photos were taken from angles that excluded moving boxes :)

Hopefully the following partial  tour will be enough to give you a feel for the house as a whole.

Starting at the beginning!  As you can see below, the house is a Texas Historic Landmark.  It was owned by the man who founded the Sealy Mattress Company (he named the business after the town).

The previous owners gave us photos of the house before the 1995 renovations.  You wouldn't believe the transformation!  The woman who lived here up to 1995 had let the place get so run down because she was afraid any home improvements would increase her taxes!

Let's move on inside.  Here I am hanging out on the front porch:

Howdy!