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North Country Nest

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When Waiting Isn’t so Bad

Lifestyle· Renovations· The Kitchen

13 Mar

“Just wait.” [Long pause and silence] “Kelly, you can wait until your dad gets home. Have him look at it and see what’s wrong…” and Brett continues to talk, but I am stuck on the first two words – just wait. Wait? No. I don’t wait. At least, I don’t do it very well. Let’s … Read More about When Waiting Isn’t so Bad

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2016: Planning Ahead

Renovations

6 Mar

It’s March 2016. Which means there are 10 months left in the year. Prior to moving in, Brett and I spit-balled ideas on what we wanted to do to the house. But we hadn’t made a solid plan as to what exactly we wanted to accomplish in our first year. Or what about the second, … Read More about 2016: Planning Ahead

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Day Two Is for Knocking Down a Wall

Renovations· The Living Room

3 Mar

After scraping the ceilings of the entire first floor of the new house (which took an excruciatingly-long amount of time) we moved on to knocking down a wall. Side note, if you missed our post about the ceiling scraping event, check it out here. The anticipation of this knock-down has been months in the making. … Read More about Day Two Is for Knocking Down a Wall

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Popcorn Belongs in a Bowl, Not on a Ceiling

Renovations

29 Feb

Removing popcorn ceilings can be compared to… well, nothing. Is it pleasant? Absolutely not. However, if you’re like us, you pretty much despise popcorn ceilings and will do just about anything to remove them. So, our first task after getting the keys was removing those wonderful (insert sarcasm here) popcorn ceilings. Fortunately, we only had … Read More about Popcorn Belongs in a Bowl, Not on a Ceiling

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The New House: A Tour

Renovations· The Home Tours

23 Feb

Yesterday, we bought a house. We’ve been talking about this day for months – what will our first project be? Will we spend the night? What tools do we need? What else do we need to bring over for the first day? What should we plan on getting done the first day? So, at 1:30 … Read More about The New House: A Tour

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Gluten Free Energy Bites

Gluten Free Energy Bites

Recipe· Snack Recipe

14 Feb

Over the course of my five (almost six) years of being gluten free, I have tried almost every granola bar under the sun. In my pre-gluten free days, one might have called me a granola bar connoisseur. To me, they were their own food group. Since being gluten free, I struggled with finding a granola … Read More about Gluten Free Energy Bites

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Thrift Store Desk: Upcycled

DIY Projects· Furniture

7 Feb

Finding the perfect thrift store desk is no easy task! the purchase For six months, I have been on the hunt for a perfect desk to rehab. I wanted a nice, sturdy, wooden desk that was big enough to hold my laptop and Brett’s Mac computer. I also didn’t want to spend more than $50, since … Read More about Thrift Store Desk: Upcycled

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DIY Wood Pallet Sign with State Decal

DIY Projects

31 Jan

Show your state pride and check out this easy-to-make DIY wood pallet sign with state decal tutorial. [post contains affiliate links, which means we make a small commission, at NO additional cost to you, if a purchase is made. thanks for supporting north country nest!] This Minnesota Love sign was not our intended goal, but sometimes … Read More about DIY Wood Pallet Sign with State Decal

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How to Update an Old Floor Lamp

DIY Projects

20 Jan

Sharing a detailed tutorial on how to update an old floor lamp that transforms a thrift store find into a home decor piece you’ll love. [post contains affiliate links, which means we make a small commission, at NO additional cost to you, if a purchase is made. thanks for supporting north country nest!] This past Saturday, … Read More about How to Update an Old Floor Lamp

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The Number Eight

Renovations

15 Jan

Eight. That’s the number of houses we looked at before we decided on ‘the one.’ I have thoughts and worries about whether or not we saw enough houses. Did we jump the gun too quickly? Did we choose something that isn’t the right fit? Most of all, how do you know? The first house we … Read More about The Number Eight

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Starting the ‘Process’

Renovations

6 Jan

We met in the summer of 2012 at a resort on Lake of the Woods, Minnesota (aka true North Country). Brett was a fishing guide and had been working on the lake since he was a kid. I didn’t have a job lined up yet after college graduation and my college roommate said she was … Read More about Starting the ‘Process’

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We’re Brett and Kelly! A husband and wife team tackling our first complete home renovation. We love all things DIY, our two furbabes and lazy summer days out on the lake. Our mission? To share the journey of turning a house into a home.

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the archives

Who doesn't love a good before and after?!? Who doesn't love a good before and after?!?
Last summer, Brett and I didn’t get out on the w Last summer, Brett and I didn’t get out on the water at all – not once did we take the boat out.

Given the fact that we live in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, I felt like the worst Minnesotan. How could we not enjoy the water when there’s three within five miles of our house?

This year? We've been able to get out on some body of water at least once per week - how cool is that?!

What’s been really great about these last few months is that we’ve seemed to have found a nice “balance” between go-go-go and taking time to enjoy whatever it may be.

While this season of relaxed work is probably not the norm, it's been a pleasant surprise that we'll be enjoying for as long as we can!

Enjoy the week, friends!
If you need me, I'll be here gazing lovingly at ou If you need me, I'll be here gazing lovingly at our newly trimmed windows and painted walls 😍

We have to add trim to the slider, install the baseboards and frame up + install the pantry door.

And then...

This kitchen will be DONE! 🙌
Yesterday, #ontheblog we did a mid-year check in o Yesterday, #ontheblog we did a mid-year check in on our renovation list and shared two new projects we're adding (of course!)

The second addition? Giving a little refresh to this laundry room by pushing back the washer, dryer and cabinets.

We finished it wayyyy back in 2017 but there was a small frustration: the washer and dryer cover the window.

Every few months we'd circle back to the space and see how we could make it work. It was one of those little issues that might not seem like a big deal to anyone else, but here's the thing - you deserve to LOVE your home.

After four and a half years of constant projects, I often find myself wondering why in the hell we are doing this and I keep coming back to this idea that a home is meant to be loved, to share a story, to work for you, to be a space that you can relax in and enjoy.

So while the washer and dryer covering a window might be insignificant to a visitor, for us, it's something we see every day. And, after three years of brainstorming, we finally found a solution that felt good.

I guess that's the bonus of being four years into a reno - the idea of knocking down a wall seems like an easy project nowadays 😂😂
Just in case you missed it - new last Thursday #on Just in case you missed it - new last Thursday #ontheblog is a tour of our front porch and a few summer decorating ideas!

Hope you all had a safe and happy Fourth of July! 🧨
Sometimes, it's not all rainbows and butterflies.. Sometimes, it's not all rainbows and butterflies... especially when it comes to neighbors.

New post #ontheblog today all about the lawsuit we've been in with our neighbor for the last year. And it started all because of our garage.

In short: three years ago the county required us to get a survey done on our property in order to build the garage. The results showed that the easement our neighbor was using to access her property was not in the right place - it was inside our property lines instead of outside.

Fast forward to July 2, 2019 when we were served lawsuit paperwork from said neighbor, claiming the rights to the easement location - and it's been a long, stressful process since then.

But, we received the good news last week from our lawyer - everything is finalized and we can finally put this whole mess behind us!

Cheers to starting the week off on a high note!
One more coat of mud on the walls and then it'll b One more coat of mud on the walls and then it'll be time for paint in the kitchen!

In other news, Brett scored big time and found a giant rug for our living room - it was half off and arrived last week. Now we're patiently waiting until we get the new floors down until we roll it out. Check the stories if you want to get a sneak peak!😁😁 Enjoy the day, my friends!
Spent the evening at my parent's with two of my si Spent the evening at my parent's with two of my siblings and their kiddos.

Brett showed up around dinner time and proceeded to spend the next hour in a water + cake fight with six kids under 10.

Yup, I'm married to an adult child. 😂😂 Kidding aside - I had one of those 'I love summer' moments, watching them all run around outside, laughing their heads off.

Hope you're enjoying the start to your week, friends! 🙌
So, here's the deal. The kitchen tile project was So, here's the deal. The kitchen tile project was not all sunshine and roses.

Two words: dried grout.

On the plus side, you can in fact clean dried grout from tile. On the negative, it's a complete pain in the ass... And doesn't get you back too 100%. #ontheblog today, I'm diving into all the details on how we cleaned the tile... And the (now funny?) story on how it even happened in the first place (hint: renovating with your husband on an empty stomach never has a positive outcome) 😂
The last four years have been a constant experimen The last four years have been a constant experiment of finding the balance between function and design.

We started this entryway with white built-ins and light walls. Damn it looked good in pictures but real life? With two black dogs and a lake... Well let's just say the functionality of the design choices were at an all time low.

So, we overhauled the space and darkened the walls and built-ins. While I was a little nervous to go so dark, I have to admit Brett's instincts were right one this one.

So, here's to continuing to find that balance of function and design - and I'd love hear, have you compromised anything because it just didn't fit with how your family lives in your home?!?

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