2023, a year of big changes...

Oh 2023, you were a year of big changes! There were new beginnings, hard goodbyes, major milestones, and lots of renovations in-between. Today I wanted to share some of our favorite moments from 2023, celebrate 10 years of the Grit and Polish (!!!), and revisit the projects and posts that topped our year.

This year was unexpectedly full. Full of change and projects and a fast pace that was both exciting and exhausting (in a good way). I say unexpectedly, because neither Garrett nor I could have guessed what would unfold in 2023 back on New Years Day. But the good years always sneak up on you like that.

It all started with finding our dream in-town home…well a fixer with the potential to be our dream in-town home ;)

Our new home was both a surprise and a lesson in patience. Garrett and I had long talked about a more walkable neighborhood, community connectedness, and a smaller home/lot, but we didn’t really know if we’d ever find that. There was so much we loved about our beautiful Farmhouse and magical property and we weren’t about to give it up for anything less than a unicorn. Enter our 2000sf, 1910 home atop a hill in our small town. It checked so many boxes for us and we knew this was our shot to make the changes we had thought about for so long. We went to see it the first day it was on the market. The next day we were under contract.

Farmhouse tour + sources

Finding our new home meant saying goodbye to our beloved Farmhouse. This 3,000sf home on 3 quiet acres was my dream of dreams for as long as I can remember and I couldn’t believe our luck when we bought it 7 years ago. The Farmhouse started as a respite from the urban hubbub we left behind in Seattle, a place to grow and explore and make a new path for ourselves after leaving behind our 9-5 jobs. It was where our middle child learned to walk and where our daughter was born (right upstairs in the primary bedroom, in a planned home birth). It was where our families and friends came to gather and a home that felt more like a member of the family than a structure. Saying goodbye was really hard.

Of course, like any good old house, there were lots of projects to take on before selling. This year we tackled the mudroom, the kids’ upstairs bathroom, and exterior lighting. They had been projects on our list since the day we moved in and it was incredibly rewarding to see them come to fruition. In fact, getting the house to the point where we were ready to list it - freshly-refinished hardwoods, gleaming millwork, and paired-down staging - was one of the most rewarding house moments I can remember. Garrett and I walked around just in awe at what a beautiful home we helped create.

We have a long way to go before our new house is as photogenic as the Farmhouse, but we’ve been incredibly happy with the move. And we owe that all to our in-town location and downsizing.

Downsizing has been a journey that we’ve just begun, but so far we are BIG fans. We traded 3 acres of yard care for 1/3 acre, we cut off 1000sf of house, and we traded driving everywhere for walking and biking. We shared the numbers behind our move here, but there are so many other benefits to downsizing, and I’m sure we’ll explore this topic more in the new year.

There were more good things this year like filming an episode of the beautiful show, Diary of an Old Home. The process was incredibly fun and a wonderful way to end our Farmhouse chapter. We also did some traveling around the PNW. We spent a few days in a historic lighthouse on Vashon Island (shown bellow), made trips to oh-so-quaint Leavenworth, fell in love with Northern Idaho, and went island hopping in the San Juans. And while health and exercise has always been important to us, 2023 was more about long runs, HIIT workouts, and time spent enjoying the outdoors than any in recent memory.

Another big one…this year we celebrated 10 years of the Grit and Polish (!!!). What started as a hobby for me, an after-work creative outlet to share our old-home renovations in Seattle, has turned into a livelihood for our family. I still pinch myself that I get paid to take photos, write about, and share these old homes that I love so much. In an ever-changing digital world (Instagram wasn’t even around 15 years ago!), I don’t take for granted how special this moment in time is. The Grit and Polish has allowed Garrett and I to spend 24/7 together (we like it ;), working on old houses and scheduling our days as we choose. Our kids are growing up with 2 parents at home (admittedly, a usually torn-apart, dusty home, but home nonetheless ;) and building this life with us. I don’t know how long we’ll do this for, but with the Poplar Cottage and the new house on our docket, we have plenty of projects lined up. It’s a crazy, wonderful life and we owe so much of it to you guys. Thank you for following along, cheering us on, and sharing your own old home anecdotes, sound advice, and support with us! You make this whole thing so much more fun. Thank you!

I wanted to leave you today with some tops of the year. Here are the most-read blog posts of 2023. I think there’s a general trend towards quick consumption online - 7-second Instagram and TikTok shorts can garner millions of view - but my heart is with good ol’ fashioned blog posts :)