The Change I Never Thought I Would Make

So…I’ve been really absent around here.  Sorry.  Things are happening so fast around here and so many things are changing I thought I needed to fill you in.  I made a change I never thought I would make.  Actually two changes.  The first I know I’ve given hints about…but now it has come to full fruition.

It’s official.  We are moving!  Our house is under contract and we are looking at a closing date of mid-July.  From the first day we moved in this house I had a hard time with the idea that this would be my “forever” home.  I don’t know.  It is a nice home, but it just never felt like my LAST house.  I missed my big traditional Georgian I left behind.

I don’t really know if a “forever” home is in the cards for me.  Maybe.  I’ve promised my husband this next one will stick for a long time.  We are leaving Florida and moving back to Georgia.  I will say, of any place we have lived I do feel like Georgia is my home.  I like the people, the climate, and I really love the swaying of the Georgia pines.  When we lived there and would fly into the Atlanta airport and start the drive toward home I always felt like we really were “home”.

I started this little blog to document my effort to turn a builder grade island home into a sweet coastal retreat.  I never wanted to go overboard coastal…thus naming this little blog Slightly Coastal.  It has been such a journey of figuring out how to do DIY projects.  Getting my own set of power tools and discovering that I really love doing woodworking.

Me.  Not my husband or my dad.  Me.

I figured out how to use a fancy digital camera and a tripod and a speed flash and photo editing software.  The learning curve was huge.  But it has been a journey I wouldn’t trade for anything because it helped me tap into something I love…just for me.

Along the way I have also become part of this amazing home decor blogging community and have made friends with other bloggers and with some of you I know will last for years to come.

What a gift.

To find people who share an interest with you and inspire you to do better and be creative is such an incredible fortune.

So many of you have sent me sweet e-mails inquiring how I am doing.  I know how an absence on a blog can feel, especially when you feel like you “know” someone.  Suddenly they disappear and you hope they are okay and you miss them.  I get it.  For those of you who inquired, thank you.  Talk about feeling connected.

So over this period of time that I have taken a break from blogging to get this house ready to go on the market (good grief I only thought my house was in good shape) I started to assess what it is I really want.  Do I still want to blog?  Do I want to sacrifice the time with my family?  Do I have anything to share that anyone would find value in?  Do I have anything left to say and what would that be?

But probably the biggest question I had…Would it bring joy to my life?

Big decisions.  I couldn’t really be coastal anymore because honestly…it wasn’t really, really me anyway.  So, where to go from here?

Yep.  Things are going to change around here big time.  Coastal is lovely but specific references to star fish and sea shells will be a lot less here.  I’m moving from Slightly Coastal to Adams and Elm Home.  There’s significance to this name.

Adams is a family name.  So much of me is made up of little bits and pieces of my grandparents.  One of my grandmothers was a true crafter at heart.  She made every.thing.  So so creative.  My other grandmother adored shopping (from the farm by ordering from catalogs).  Hello!  I know where I get that from.

My one grandfather was a quiet and reflective soul.  He had a pet chicken that would sit on his lap in the garden.  My other grandfather loved to tinker and fix all the things.  I think I get my love for woodworking from him.

Elm was the first street we lived on and it was such a special time.  A time to dream about all that is to come.

So Adams and Elm is really connected my history/ancestry with my present/future.  Bridging the two worlds.

So the feel of this little blog is moving too.  Moving from Slightly Coastal to a little more traditional feel.  Traditional French Country has always had my heart.  I can finally show you what I really really love without the parameters of staying in a “coastal” feel.  I can’t wait to get started!

If you want to see a quick little tour of my new home (which we close on next month) hop on over to my Instagram page and watch my highlights videos for home search.  We are buying the very first house I’m featuring on there.  Dark wood floors, plantation shutters, high ceilings, and lots of molding.  The gangs all there just waiting for me to join the party.

I’ll be back again when I can come up for air and have something to share with you.  🙂

Nancy