Messy House Tour 2017

Because I can’t let you think we actually have our act together over here, it was high time I posted this year’s Messy House Tour!

I’m mostly excited because this is the easiest post to write all year long.  Haha!

Can I tell you a secret?  You have to promise not to tell anyone.  Our house is never totally mess-free. Ever.  Wanna know pretty much every blogger’s dirty little secret?  When it comes to taking pretty pictures of decorated living rooms and organized pantries, there’s always some disaster area lurking just outside of the camera frame.  (I mean… would you really want to see our mess all the time?)

It’s true.  It’s a regular topic of conversation at blogging conferences and blogger friend get-togethers.

So often, I find myself falling into the trap.  The one where I’m scrolling through hundreds of gorgeous, perfectly styled homes on Instagram and Pinterest, and I feel a little bit deflated.  Because my house doesn’t look like those magazine-worthy pictures on a daily basis.

And I find myself resenting the piles of dirty laundry, the sink full of dishes, the shoes tossed all over that I inevitably trip on.  I almost resent my family for just a split second.

It always seems to happen in the fall.  It’s when school functions, ballet classes, family weekend trips, and everything busy is at an all-time high.  And it’s always this time of year when I have to give myself a reality check.

This is life.  And it’s a beautiful life.

So I grabbed my camera, spur of the moment, and I made myself really look at every room in our house exactly the way it was.  Sometimes, you have to search to see the blessings, even when they’re right under your nose.

That hamper overflowing with dirty clothes?  I’m thankful for it because it means I have loved ones to wear them.

That sink full of dishes?  I’m thankful for it because it means my family’s tummies are full.

That messy playroom?  I’m thankful for it because it means a little one’s mind is exploring and learning.

That unmade bed?  I’m thankful for it because it means we have a roof over our heads and a place to sleep at night, unlike so many others in the world.

All of it reminds me of that Trace Adkins song, “You’re Gonna Miss This”.

One day, our messy little girl will be all grown up and gone.  One day, schedules won’t be so chaotic.  One day, we’re going to look back and wonder why we even worried about the messes.

We do clean. I promise we don’t live like animals. But grace also goes a long way in this house.

If we have a chance to take a weekend trip to visit relatives, we’re going to take it.

If we have an opportunity to make a great memory, we’re going to do it.

And a messy house isn’t going to derail those moments.

Because we’re going to miss this, every messy inch.

If you’re curious about any of the randomness happening in these rooms, here’s the deal-eo:

1. Living Room– 9 times out of 10, this room has a pile of folded laundry somewhere and toys on the floor. It’s right off of the laundry room and playroom, and it’s where everything just ends up smack all around our coffee table.
2. Breakfast Nook– Shoes somehow always end up here even though an entry bench with storage baskets is only 10 feet away.  Makes total sense, right?
3. Kitchen– Also, dishes end up in the sink even though the dishwasher is literally right next to it.  Logic in our family runs deep when it comes to dishes.
4. Dining Room–  Do you know how many times we’ve dined in our dining room?  Three times. Other than that, this table is where we sprawl out to do craft projects. (But this room is getting a makeover really soon!)
5. My Office–  A.K.A. the dumping ground.  This room mocks me with a maniacal laugh.  It’s the room where we’ve put random junk since Day 1 of moving in when we don’t know where else to put them.  Shipping boxes always end up in here since it’s right beside the front door. It’s high time for a purge and yard sale, and eventually we’ll be putting in plenty of storage and an actual desk for me, but ya know… life.
6. Master Bedroom–  There is somehow always this laundry limbo on our window nook chair.  Is it clean, is it dirty?  I dunno. Toss it here to decide later.  And stuffed animals love to hang out on our bed thanks to a squirmy 5 year-old who likes to crawl in our bed early in the morning.
7. Olivia’s Bedroom–  She’s decided she likes sleeping at the foot of her bed. Sure. Why not? She has also forbidden me from painting over her purple walls or dressing up her room, so I guess that’s how it’s going to go for now.
8. Powder Room–  Don’t mind us and Olivia’s teeth brushing station for when we’re trying to rush out the door to school.
9. Laundry Room–  This laundry pile is so deceiving.  Hiding in the corner is always a hamper spilling over.

So that’s our life.  It’s not perfect, but it’s ours.  And it’s the non-sugar-coated reality that I know so many of us live but don’t share.  I hope it encourages you in some way, and if your house is always perfectly clean and 100% tidy every day, feel free to come clean ours next. (Ha! Kidding.)

If you want to see my past Messy House Tours, you can see this one from 2016 and this one from 2015.

Keep being you, friends.  And keep giving yourselves grace.  Because you’re gonna miss this.

“The autumn trees show us how lovely it is to let things go.”

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