I know summer isn't quite here yet, but it might as well be! The weather is fantastic, watermelon are in season and it just feels like summer! Here are some things I want to do this summer...

1. S'mores
My obsession with s'mores is running deep. I can't wait to get my hands on that toasted goodness!

2. Bonfire
We have a huge pile of junk from our home remodel that is going to be fired up pretty soon. I can't wait for it to be gone.

3. Yard Sales
I never thought I would be one of those people who actively pursues yard sales, but I'm all about them now! As long as they don't interfere with my ReStore visits...

4. Amusement Park
There's this awesome amusement park somewhat close to our house and I can't wait to visit it!

5. Beach
There are so many lakes close to our house and I can't wait to visit them and the beach!

I'm sure there are a million other things I want to do this summer, but these are my top 5 right now.

Land of the free because of the brave.

I'm about to share my best kept remodeling secret:

The Habitat For Humanity ReStore.

I love this place.



When we were at the very beginning stages of our home remodel, I wanted to visit a ReStore just to see what they had to offer. I'd been hearing awesome things about the stores, but there wasn't a location near my house so I kind of shrugged it off. We finally made the hour long trek to the nearest location one Friday afternoon and I was absolutely blown away. They had everything! Furniture! Lighting fixtures! Cabinets! Doors! A ton of stuff we needed to remodel our home was sitting right there in one building! I couldn't believe it. I couldn't wait to return when we actually got the keys to our house when I would actually have a better idea of what we needed.



In the time that it took to take possession of our home, we were incredibly lucky to have a ReStore open within 30 minutes of our house. We were there the first day they opened and scored an awesome door for the side of our house. In our visits to the store, we purchased tile for the bathrooms, plumbing fixtures, lighting, furniture and a ton of other miscellaneous stuff. The items that I plan to chalk paint? They all came from the ReStore. We even purchased our entire kitchen cabinetry there.


The awesome thing about the ReStore is that you never know what they'll have. The cabinets we bought were donated only the day before we purchased them. We were going back and forth about purchasing kitchen cabinetry and the extreme expense it would be so imagine my relief when we walked into the ReStore and there they were! It's always super exciting to go in there every time they're open!



As the name implies, the Habitat For Humanity ReStore is run by local chapters of Habitat For Humanity. Everything in the ReStore is donated and profits are used to help people locally.  A while ago, I read an article in our local newspaper that our local chapter of Habitat For Humanity was assisting with the renovation of a World War II veteran's home.

There's a mixture of new and used items and with a little imagination, items bought at the ReStore can be transformed into fantastic home features, as you can see by my photos.


You can check out my facebook page for more pictures of things we bought at the ReStore and be sure to check out your local Habitat For Humanity ReStore! Click here to find a ReStore near you!

Here are the "before" photos of our loft.



This was the platform that led up from the infamous spiral staircase.



Here's a better view of the railing and spiral staircase.



That big window is on the front of the house.



Here's a view of the back side. That door leads into the loft bedroom.

I'll show you the updates we've made to this space soon!

A tour of our dining room before renovations.