This color is delicious. Divine. Cozy. And because I like to live my life saving money, I went to Sherwin-Williams for the dupe. The inspiration? Farrow & Ball White Tie.

New home coming soon. New traditions. New neighbors. New surroundings.

I’ll be totally honest… this new house isn’t what we imagined when we decided to move back home to the beach after twelve years away. We pictured our homecoming so clearly: the beach, a beautiful home, something stunning. To know me is to know that I am real. I feel deeply. I analyze everything. I will absolutely fall apart on the floor if I need to… and then I’ll tell you all about it.

This home doesn’t have the new custom exterior like our last one. There’s no pool. No outdoor kitchen. No putting green. But here’s what it does have: nostalgia and comfort. And I’m a sucker for both.

My husband resigned from his corporate job after twenty-five years. Let that sink in… he’s only forty. More than half his life was spent giving everything he had to a career he committed to fully. He climbed the corporate ladder, earned respect, and stayed humble along the way. When he left one his team made him a cake that said, “You good? Need anything?” Because to know Jeff is to love him. He took care of his people and would always ask them .. “You good? Need anything?”

After all those years, he stepped out on faith, purchased his dad’s transportation business, and moved me, our boys, and our GSD back home to the beach.

We are grateful and humbled all at once… but we had a decision to make. Do we choose a home based on expectations from a previous life? Or do we choose one rooted in less cost, less stress, and a clearer focus on what we want to build next?

We’ve moved so much. This is a house we plan to stay in for two to three years, pour love into, and eventually flip. Even though it’s not what I once envisioned, I’m okay… maybe for the first time… living in the in-between.

The neighborhood is beautiful. The value will continue to appreciate. But expectations are funny things. They live in the mind… the overanalyzing, delicate, restless place of what we thought would be versus what is.

Years ago, this middle space would have undone me. I would have been anxious and unsettled. The woman I am today… shaped by the roads I’ve walked… remembers her power. She knows how to make a home cozy, grounded, and full of love.

Let this be your reminder: home really is where the heart is.

I am excited to take you along as we slowly remodel this space… and eventually step into whatever comes next, God willing. The journey of being much afraid. And the journey of overcoming.

“Don’t panic. Your dream life is running a little late because it’s picking up extra blessings on the way.”

The house will be painted White Tie throughout… walls, ceilings, everything… but my youngest (soon to be thirteen) loves to ruffle my feathers. He’s campaigning hard for a blue room.

With Love,
Erica
Salty Blonde Living

Here’s some inspiration for what’s to come. Tell me… what are your favorites?