J.Jordan Design

“Well, I never! The legs on her sofa did NOT match the legs on that wingback!”

” Seriously, did you see what I saw? She had black legs on her couch but her big ol’ chair and a half had cherry legs…well, I NEVER!”

YOU wouldn’t say something like that, right? No.one.does.

I’m just gonna put my own living room out there for proof. 

Look close, y’all…the Jordans do not discriminate based on leg style or color.

I LOVE a good surprise, especially when I have the opportunity to be on the doing end of it!

backstory: I was approached several months ago about consulting with a couple who had purchased a great house…a house they wanted to turn into their home. For the most part, we talked colors; most color consults begin the same way this one did: “We don’t want anything too light…or too dark.” Check.

I received a tour of the entire home. We prioritized each area, and talked about the budget. They proceeded by painting the first impression areas (foyer, living room, dining room).

But then I received a request from Mr. Homeowner. He wanted to surprise her with a master bedroom makeover. *It totally needed to be done, people.

The 90s are calling, they’d like their pink valance back….

This family has a lot going on with kids and jobs and all the other stuff life throws at ya. This makeover needed to be quick (so that the surprise element could be pulled off without too many lies!). From a design standpoint, it needed to be easy-going…no fluff and frills, just a calming, cozy retreat for the parents. 

There are still details to be added, and hopefully those will pop up here and there, adding to the initial surprise. The point here is, planning is key, timing is everything, and a little help from friends never hurts! This 90s-master-turned-sweet-retreat is well on its way.

Some say frugal, some say cheap. Potatoes….poh-tot-ohs. I call it a curse gift, from my mother…

Whatever you call it, I can admit that I love a good deal. I wouldn’t say that I’m cheap, because I am also known to splurge from time-to-time, and I value quality. For instance, I don’t really think a “value meal” on a menu is a good deal; if I had to choose, I’d rather go out to eat less often, but get the good stuff and a great atmosphere at a quality restaurant.

I garner much satisfaction from answering the question, “Where did you get it?” Because in most cases, I can answer that question knowing that I did not over-pay. I work part time in a local furniture store (Ball Furniture), as a design assistant, and I can confidently tell our customers that they will very likely overpay for the exact same product in our surrounding areas. Hence, I have been purchasing my furniture from our hometown store ever since I moved to this town, 15 years ago. It’s quality stuff…we still have the first sofa we purchased 15 years ago, and it’s still the most comfortable piece of furniture we own (and the only reason it sits in our basement ping-pong room is because I am tired of looking at the thing. I mean, c’mon….fifteen years, people!). 

When it comes to home decor, I believe in balance. Let’s be honest, there are some items that will just not be replicated with the same quality at a lesser cost. And sometimes you just have to weigh it….if it’s something that will stick around for a long time, it’s worth spending a little more. But as the saying goes, “Only suckers pay full price.” Okay, so that might just be a saying at our house…that my husband has taught our children….so now they know to always look for online coupons if they want new shoes or clothes…don’t judge us.

It’s true, though. Just last week, I purchased three pieces of wall decor (aka: cheap canvas prints) from our local “dollar store.” For the time being, I’m completely loving them; but since they were so cheap, if I get tired of them or decide they aren’t the right fit for their particular area, I won’t feel bad sticking them in a garage sale, donating them to Goodwill, or starting a bonfire with them.

To clarify, the artwork at the end of the hall is an original piece of art by my oldest daughter, a treasure that will NEVER make it’s way to a garage sale, Goodwill, or a bonfire. That piece is priceless.

*Note: super cute shower curtain is also a purchase from the same bargain store as the canvases.

Another saying goes, “You get what you pay for.” And that is certainly true with a lot of things…mostly things that will receive use/wear-and-tear. However, when it comes to home decor, use your best judgement. If you love it, why should you care if anyone knows that it cost a fraction of the price had you purchased it at a bigger, more well-known store?

Here’s my evidence: Just this week, I purchased a curled-wood wreath, virtually identical to one I have had my eye on for three years at a larger department store…the difference being the price.  I purchased this coveted wreath this week for $19.99 at the discount grocery store that I love, and the satisfaction of the $30 I saved by not purchasing it at the higher price makes it a very sweet (and transitional!) addition to my home decor.

Some things are worth waiting for.

And you know what else? Sometimes I buy my clothes at these “dollar stores.” And I get compliments on them. So, there!

This week was back-to-school week.  I repeat, THIS WEEK WAS BACK-TO-SCHOOL WEEK!

To make clear what I am trying to say…this was a good week. Thirteen years, y’all. Thirteen years of quality time with the many children that call me Mom.

Don’t get me wrong, together the Man and I made the choice for me to stay at home rather than to work outside the home, and I have no regrets. I quit my job when Baby #1 was due, and in those beginning years, we made sacrifices. Looking back now…those were some really awesome years. No cell phones or portable devices of any kind, actually (exception being the “see-through” purple cordless phone from college that I contributed to our household); no cable or satellite TV; we had one car. We didn’t even have a digital camera when we became first-time parents (can you feel the pain of our sacrifices yet?). We took walks every evening with our baby strapped to us, because the precious little prince of the house did not much care for the stroller (or the carseat…or sleeping on his back…or being held in any way except for outward-facing).

We took rolls upon rolls of film to Walmart to be developed (and by the way, we used that word recently with our children, and they had no clue what we were talking about).

Those were good days.

But happy days are here again!

Our entire Jordan Bunch is enrolled in full-day school (also known as heaven on earth to their mother). I’m not gonna even spend the time to defend my stance on this, other than to say you would be so grateful too, if your kids had the same amazing educators pouring into them that my kids do. My kids are in a MUCH better place when they are at school than this free-for-all called Summer at Home.

For a minute, I considered living the Real Housewives kind of lifestyle now that I have seven whole hours  of freedom during the day…

…but then I realized how many items I could begin to check off my personal To-Do List!

1. Paint Little Girls’ room, finally. (They couldn’t agree on a wall color when we built this house, so they have been stuck with gray for two years; not to mention their “temporary” Walmart zebra bedding.)

2. Basement bar backsplash (and perhaps actually hang the art that has been leaning against the wall for at least a year.

3. Curtains. Yes, please.

4. Paint interior of mudroom cubbies, for a fun splash of color.  Any room with the word ‘mud’ in it could use some fun decor!

5. Super cool framing project for the big blank wall in the dining room.

6. Organize garage (I’ve come to realize this will never, ever happen).

7. Give the half-bath some real personality.

8. Clean grout in the kitchen (or find someone who will do so, payment being homemade cookies).

I will say this…I’m one blessed mama for sure. The Lord has surely blessed our family with a quiver-full of kiddos as well as the means for me to stay home with them. But I’m ’bout to get my DIY on, and I would love to work with you to check off your own To-Do list!

It was Christmas Break 1984. I could not wait to go across town to my aunt and uncle’s house, where my two beautiful, older GIRL cousins lived.  They had the it house.  They each had their own rooms; one was done in blue, the other in pink.  But more importantly, they had….wait for it…a basement!!!!!!!  Aka: KID ZONE!  An honest-to-goodness storage room basement!

That unfinished basement was like a castle in the eyes of my 7-year-old self. My two brothers and I, along with our two cousins, created Oscar-worthy live performances….musicals to be exact.  I mean, Grandpa Homer was the only person in our “audience” who actually sang along and encouraged us. After all, our creative talent came from him – he often played his guitar and his Kris Kringle’s Kottage plastic kazoo simultaneously (“There’s a hole in the bottom of the sea…”). But still, The Cousins Five (usually the Cousins Four because we often had to fire one of the “cousins” — I won’t name names, but anyone who knows my family could probably guess which one of my brothers I’m referring to!) produced several impressive performances.  In our productions, my name was always Cindy.

Back to the point.

My cousins’ house was my childhood dream house.  I loved that place.  The terra cotta tile and deep rust-colored accent wall in the foyer was my favorite.  It felt so warm.

They had the Barbie Dream House, too. The one with the elevator.

So what makes a dream house?  Everyone has his/her own ideas, and I believe those ideas can shift over time and through stages of life. I have come to realize that my dream house is not one particular structure or style; it’s not located on a particular side of town, or in a certain neighborhood. It doesn’t matter to me whether it’s located on a big plot of land that is the “Midwest American Dream;” or in a subdivision; or on a busy, main-drag city street. I’ve lived in all of those.  And every single one has been my dream home for that moment.

*Side note: it’s March 23rd and we have accumulated over 2 inches of snow today, so my dream home today is on a beach somewhere in a tropical location, far away from Northern Indiana.

Not even cool.

With each one of my clients, I do a lot of listening. I listen to their stories, because in their stories I gain knowledge…in how they use their space, interact with one another, and the things they value. My goal is to guide them in creating a space or even a whole home environment (sometimes even an office!) in which they feel not only comfortable and welcoming of guests, but where at the end of the day they can look around and say, “This is home.” ” I love it here.” “I am blessed to be here.”

Let your space reflect you. 

After almost 15 years of marriage, it has become quite apparent that we like to keep things interesting….we have moved more times than I can count on one hand (creeping up on more times than I can count on TWO hands); we have welcomed five beautiful children into the mix, we have a fairly random petting zoo at any given time (currently including two dogs, one cat, two fish, one turtle, one frog, and four baby ducks). It’s always been an adventure. We have made so many memories along the way, many of which have defied my “ideal” version of how we would/should do things.

Just this evening, like 45 minutes ago, one of our daughters sprinted past me towards the half bath (AKA powder room for the more distinguished folks) declaring, “None of the bathrooms are open.”  We have four bathrooms, y’all.

I am all about helping people turn a house into a home, regardless of size.  I love to help new parents figure out how to transition their “made for two” place into an organized, kid-friendly space for the new babe(s).  I love to help the established family transition their space from Baby Central to the favorite hang out for the ‘Bigs.’ I loooooooooove to assist an empty-nester in the transition to the hard-earned sweet spot. I have a vested interest in helping people love where they live.

Today, however, I am just the wife of one profoundly wise man, and the mom of five beautiful, complex, God-given miracles.  Those, my friends, are my greatest accomplishments.  Wife. Mom.

We’ve discussed, argued, prayed, considered, and prayed some more. All this to say, we have put our house on the market.That’s right, folks….the Jordans are moving again! One thing we’ve let sink in along this 15-year journey….don’t tell God YOUR plans.  We’re open to His plans.  I’m so excited for the possibilities, for new memories and stories that our kids will someday tell their spouses and kids (YIKES!)

The process of adopting a Special Needs child was, in all honesty, a little scary at times. We knew God had it all in His hands, so we simply prayed for our son as we waited to meet him. Lots of other folks were praying for him as well, and we truly felt those prayers while we waited. But still, anticipating his limitations and “issues” brought forth some questions and fears:

“God, are we really equipped to parent this child in the ways he needs?” “How will we react on a daily basis when his needs require so much more from us than we know how to do?” “Will our other kids resent him for his needs and all that entails?” “God, why did you call us to this, we don’t have a clue how to deal with all of this?!” “God, you’re really gonna have to show up every day, because we are impatient, perfectionistic, and irritable!”

Wouldn’t you know, God DOES have this in His hands. He DID equip us, as well as the many other individuals who pour into our son on a daily and weekly basis. We DO react rather than act proactively sometimes, because we are human; but God’s grace is sufficient. Our other kids DO NOT resent him or his needs; they simply love their irritating little brother just as siblings do. And most importantly, God called us to this to show us, in His own way, how to love unconditionally, and to value our own adoption into His eternal family.

And…He DOES show up, every.single.day.

Our story took a different turn when we were finally united with our son. His special needs were not what we anticipated. His limitations and “issues” were not what we had prepared for, read up on, and studied. Our son was unable to communicate with us in a conventional sense, and he was scared to death of us; those were a few things on a long list that we were anticipating (not that it made it easy…it was in fact, heartbreaking to see the fear in his eyes when he looked at us, and to witness the survival instinct manifest in a child so young). But it was nothing like we had imagined. As it turned out, he wasn’t at all the child we thought we’d be bringing into our family.

We don’t know why for sure, but our son was seemingly misdiagnosed. Lots of theories exist as to why this sort of thing happens in adoption situations, but I won’t go into that, because I have no intention of substantiating false claims or provoking negative attention to the process or various countries. We simply believe that God spared our son the medical, social, intellectual, and emotional issues of which we had attempted to prepare to parent him through. We don’t believe God necessarily spared us, because we didn’t deserve to be spared of anything. And we loved this little boy from the moment we read a brief paragraph describing him and his needs; and at that moment, we were all in no matter what.

God spared our son, for whatever reason.

Do we breathe a little easier every day, function a little more normally, and navigate through life with fewer difficulties than we expected as a result? Of course! For his sake, and I’m not gonna lie…for our sakes…we are so thankful. We have come to a much greater understanding of the plights of families who daily face obstacles that we cannot fathom, who fight to keep it together every.single.day.

Sometimes, I feel guilty. But my husband has for years told me (he is a very wise man!), “Guilt is the worst motivator.” That’s so true in so many forms.

Every parent has “those days/weeks/years” with their kids, and we are no different. While our four other kids fairly sail through being raised by two completely and lovingly imperfect parents, our little guy is still catching up on some of what he missed out on for the first two-and-a-half years of his life. The older four have a plethora (yes, Honey, I said ‘plethora’) of differences, even having been born and raised of/with the same parents/environment. One can imagine the obstacles a child not born into this craziness has to deal with on a daily basis!

All of this to say, I opened our little guy’s preschool backpack today, and what I saw instantly brought me to tears.

We’re so proud of each one of our kiddos; the firsts that they have all experienced have warranted many “Whoop Whooooops!” and dance parties at our house! In fact, the first time our firstborn wrote his name by himself, I literally put two more pieces of paper in front of him so he could recreate his masterpiece to be mailed to his grandparents! No joke, that happened.  (And there is a picture of it somewhere, but that was before we had a digital camera!)

Call it what you will; this is the baby (and all of us who are the baby of the family know that the baby is always the favorite, right?). But the mere fact that he has overcome all that he has, that he has accomplished more in two-and-a-half years than we expected him to accomplish in a lifetime literally, makes this letter ‘J’ so extremely precious to our family.

When I pulled this out of his backpack today, I stopped in my tracks, looked at him, and asked, “Hey buddy, did you write this all by yourself?” He distractedly looked up and said, “Yeah.” Like, no big deal. It’s just a letter J.

It’s way more than just a letter J to me. He’s never been able to do that before, on his own. He couldn’t even pronounce a letter J, let alone recognize and write one. And it’s not even that he’s “behind” other kids his age, because that’s all relative and as seasoned parents we try not to get caught up in that stuff anyway. No, it goes back to that brief paragraph that described him and his needs that we read almost four years ago, before we ever saw his stinking adorable face or held him in our arms, and how with that handwritten letter J, God is telling us, “I’m bigger than that. This is your son, and you will always love him as I love you.”

If you’re wondering why I posted this on my home interior blog and wondering what in the world this has to do with interior design, I’ll tie it in this way: my little guy wants nothing more than to add his own touches to the room he shares with his big brother who in a month-and-a-half will become a teenager. I have so many qualms about allowing my children to decorate their own rooms, so when you combine those hesitations with a teenager’s ideas and a toddler’s ideas…well, the struggle is real, y’all.

Today’s handwritten letter J put a lot of things back into perspective, and I think he sort of deserves some Spider Man art beside his bed! Every.single.day.

All of us “work at home” to a degree.  I mean, stay-at-home-moms actually do work at home, and their office is…well, the entire house…just ask my husband; I have been known to point that out on occasion. Other professions allow for working at home as well, thus requiring a dedicated work space.

I have had the absolute privilege over the past several months to consult with a woman (Mrs. M) whom I describe, without hesitation, as an inspiration.  I have known this woman ever since her youngest son became “the new kid” at my elementary school in 2nd grade (I may or may not have had verbal altercations with more than a few classmates over who go to be his 2nd grade girlfriend) 😉 I digress…

We are currently working together on her home office.  She has the typical, common issues that accompany many home offices; outdated furnishings (meaning, the Tech Age has altered our need for paper storage : aka ‘filing’), lack of productive work space, and clutter  excess of product and stuff in general. But not only are we working to solve her ‘working’ problems, we are working to create an updated, beautiful, and functional space that just-so-happens to be located in the center of her home…a space that a lot of people see! In her words, our goal is for a home office that doesn’t look too “officey.” 

Working remotely means I get to work from my own home office; so today Mrs. M and I video-conferenced our meeting.  She was smiling and nodding on her end…although she forgot to switch her camera around, so I didn’t see it…but she would laugh and say, “I’m smiling and nodding!” I can relate to Mrs. M’s need for a smart, functional, and appealing place for conducting business.

I can’t wait to share the “Before & After” album for this project!  Thank you, Mrs. M!  You are a professional inspiration, but more importantly in my book, you’re a personal inspiration! The Lord works in mysterious ways!