Hello there friends! Today I am sharing and documenting here a new chapter my husband and I will be closing and opening a new. Many of you have been here with me for 10 years, have watched my boys grown up and read many of my stories.
Empty nest syndrome
Our youngest son Jack will be graduating from High School in just a few short months. It’s bitter sweet in many aspects. We are proud of the young men our boys have become and it’s been an absolute joy to see them flourish and pursue their passions in life. I have told myself for the past few years that if God took me today, I would die happy and fulfilled. I was given the best gift of my life and I can honestly say I have made the most of it. However, I don’t plan on leaving any time soon (God willing).
Now that my husband and I will be empty nesters, it will be our time to continue our next chapter of life. I have been blessed as well with my best friend in life and an awesome marriage. Don’t get me wrong, we have had our highs, lows and struggles like most couples have. Never once though through the years had I ever considered throwing in the towel. As I have told Mike many times, he is stuck like a truck HA!
So where am I going with all this mumble jumble? Well, it’s time to simplify our lives and consider a down size. We will be slowly making that transition into a condo in Charleston. We fell in love with Charleston the first time we ever visited. There is something very magical and special about that city.
The full transition will not be for a while. Mike just can’t quit his career and job of 22 years, although I so wish he could. It is a very stressful job and the man needs the nerves of steel and patience. He does have all those requirements, hence, how he has made it that long!
Even though I was able to be a stay at home Mom, I have always found a way to make extra income to help out with added expenses. I started this blog, learned to craft, stencil and decorate thrifty ways, and share all this here. This ought to come in handy when I tackled this place.
This little blog was a huge stepping stone for me. One I almost quit many of times. There is a lot of work that goes into content creation and putting yourself out there. This blog gave me the tools and the know how to create my own business and brand with Home Pressure Cooking.
So with all this said, basically I want to take y’all along with me on this next phase of life. The small condo we purchased is a super duper fixer upper. It is completely outdated. It is also very small at 1,100 sq. ft.. I just squeal in delight over that. Each building and unit are a little different. As you can see the outside is very colorful and screams Charleston. This will be our next home away from home.
Here are some before photos of the condo. Inch by inch, minute by minute this place is getting a makeover!
My plan is to go very simple in this condo. Light, bright and perhaps even some decor out of the ordinary. As you can see a very outdated kitchen. But that’s ok, I have plans:)
Plenty of windows and natural sunlight. That was important for me. This is part of the kitchen and probably where a little dinette would go. I think I am going to get a rolling butcher block cart, considering counter space is limited and I do plan on still cooking.
This back wall is where the dining space will go. Oh and see that carpet? That will be the first to go!
The small living room. Check out those original window treatments. Honestly if they are not in bad shape, I may just keep this. It will go with my out of the ordinary decor I plan on. Our decor is going to be an eclectic mix of mid modern century, hippie and colorful!
This is just one of the bedrooms. The condo is a 2/2. Two bedrooms, two baths. Here is the best part I forgot to mention. Mike and I never stepped foot in this place YET! We had been in other units on the property, but this one was not on the market while we were visiting the area. I saw the listing go up, and I jumped on the phone with my realtor. She dropped her lunch hour and went straight over to video it for me.
We fell in love with it. It ought to be exciting on closing day. Our current home was a similar situation. We never stepped in the place until our closing day, which was 13 years ago. Clearly, we are risky, crazy people!
Thanks for stopping over today. See you back in a few weeks after we close and go check out the joint!
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