When we bought this house four years ago, I remember thinking this could very well be the house I died in—and I was fine with that. (How’s that for a ray of sunshine?!) Most of my childhood was spent in one house (where my parents still live), and I imagined raising my kids in the same way–in one well-loved, just-right-for-our-family house.
I know a house is just a house, but I really do love this one. It has sweet memories for me, and I have envisioned, many times, our kids growing up here and as adults, bringing back their own families (filling it to the brim!). I have a soft spot for this house because it really has been a refuge for our family in many ways. I’ve loved spending my days here, chasing babies here, filling the walls with art and the house with furniture. I have felt calm (for the most part!), happy and blessed to live here.
But, the truth is, you just never know what God has planned for you.
And, so a new adventure begins for our family. . . along with a lot of projects.
I’ll fill you in on all of the details next week. Promise.
And, with that news, I’m signing off for several days to take a little Summer break. :)
I want wait to see the inside! It looks like the Father of the Bride house.
That’s the first thing I said, too :)
“I want wait.” Seriously.
Congratulations!
oh wow! so exciting!!!
Exciting! Good luck with the move! I can’t wait to see what you do with the new place.
Excited for you & the gang Emily! Enjoy your time off.
Say what?! Your home is absolutely beautiful, but I have no doubt your next house will be gorgeous too. Best wishes and GOOD LUCK packing, moving, and unpacking your family of 7 as you make your new house your home! I cant wait to follow along in your journey!
Oh my god! It’s beautiful! Congratulations…this is so exciting. Can’t wait to see the inside!
AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! So exciting!!! Cannot wait to hear & see more!
Congrats on your new adventure. I can’t wait to see what happens in this house. I adored all your work in your house previously.
What!?!?!? You can’t leave us hanging! I wanna know the whys, hows, whens….. Ugh! Looks so good though, cannot wait to follow along! ~Kim
I get it _ I get very attached to houses but a white house with black shutters will suck me in every time!! can’t wait to see what fun you have with this house. It might be the forever house because I think your children could be married here – it looks like the father of the Bride house. I watch that movie for the house- true confession!!
Marcie
You and me both! :) I’ve already got their receptions all planned out with the tents in the yard…
oh yay! can’t wait to hear details. I just love your style and our house is similar to this one so would love to see what you’re going to do with it :)
As someone who is stepping out on that ledge of new adventure and knows how scary and exciting it is I say, Good luck and keep us posted and remember to smile its all one big adventure! Cheers!
Christina Marie
Ohhh beautiful! Definitely the “Father of the Bride” house — the house that started my obsession w/ white houses & black shutters! :)
Wow! What a surprise! I can’t wait to hear all of the details.
Oh, I know the feeling ;) I can’t wait to see this house! I am all about a Father of the Bride home! Enjoy your break :)
Congrats! That house looks beautiful and I’m sure you’ll make it into an amazing home for you family!
Katy
Looking forward to hearing all the details next week! We’ve moved a lot and, you’re right, one never knows just what God has in store for us. :) It’s been lots of adventures for us over the years so I can relate. Love the look of the new house and will be wondering if you’ll be moving in the area or leaving the Charlotte area. We’re waiting to see if our son, his wife and their six will be leaving our general area in Virginia and moving to the interior of SC or not. If they do, we may just be making a move to the coastal low-country to be closer to them—-so the adventures and surprises just never stop! And we’re fine with that. Keeps you young! Praying His blessings upon blessings on you and yours.
You are a tease! Happy and excited for you and your new adventure. Thanks for letting us share the Journey.
How can you possible have been in your “new” house for FOUR years?? Wow! Time flies. So exciting, can’t wait to hear all of the details and see more!
Yay! So exciting- I can’t wait to follow along!
Congrats and can’t wait to see more of this new home!
You stinker, what a tease!! SO excited to hear about your new adventure!
This is such an exciting adventure! Can’t wait to see more pictures.
Will be keeping you and your family in our prayers! :) xo
Aaack! Can’t wait till next week! It’s gorgeous and I can’t wait to see you work your magic inside. Enjoy your summer break!
I know exactly how you feel. My parents are still in the house I grew up in and it took me some time to realize that isn’t necessarily how we will be. Looking forward to following along on this adventure with you, friend. Looks like a gorgeous home. Can’t wait to see your projects. Enjoy this break with your sweet family.
Oooooh, so exciting! I can’t wait to hear more. Good luck on the sorting, packing, moving, etc.
Oh my goodness this is so exciting for y’all. My husband just got a new job with his company that has us relocating to Charlotte. Goodbye snowing winters and back to the south I come. Plus only 6 hours from Lexington (my parents) I am thrilled. I am so excited and will be down in a week or two house hunting. Who knows maybe I’ll run into at the paint aisle! Looking forward to seeing your new house.
How exciting!! I love this house. It looks like it has great bones and character!! Looking forward to following along!! :D
How exciting! Can’t wait to hear more!
Very excited! I don’t envy you trying to sell the house, trying to keep everything picked up – with 5 kids though! Been there, done that!
Wow how exciting! I can’t wait to hear more and follow you on the next journey for you and your family!! (:
Uh OOOOO….. This is deja vu all over again…. Migonis Home and Sugar Plum BOTH moved this summer…. can’t wait hear about your new adventure.. how exciting!!
This home looks beautiful! Anxious to learn the story behind the new house.
Congratulations! Moving is terrifying and exciting…then throw in kids!!! Happy for you and can’t wait to read along. :)
What a cliffhanger! I can’t wait to hear the story and the plan. So glad you’ll be taking your readers with you!
Excited to hear more about your move! I know how bittersweet moving can be. I cried on our closing day. It wasn’t easy to hand the keys over to a new family. But it is exciting to be starting a new adventure!
Happy day for you and your family! Exciting news for sure…and it does remind me of the Father of the Bride house! Looking forward to seeing more! ;)
Excited for you all! And you’re right — you just never know what God has planned. After being childless for over 25 years, we found ourselves adopting a 12 year-old daughter who had been in the foster care of some friends of ours. It was final in the spring of 2014. We moved her into our beautiful cape cod on 12 acres with the most beautiful view of Amish country you could imagine. We’d built the house 15 years earlier and, like you, poured ourselves into every detail of it. We soon realized the location wasn’t right (for a multitude of reasons) for our new daughter.
At almost the precise moment we came to this realization, friends of ours were in the position of having to sell THEIR supposed forever home that they had built and poured themselves into 15 years earlier. Their home was in the ideal location for us and we jumped on it. Talk about pieces falling into place. We moved in last November and it’s the most fantastic house I could ever imagine living in. I”m still pinching myself almost daily and the positive changes the move brought to our family are too numerous to mention.
I pray that your move will prove to be as big a blessing as ours has been!
Well, that’s amazing news! Congrats, Amy :) I love how God has a bigger plan for us than we can dream up.
Emily, I am so excited for you! This new home looks gorgeous. I can’t wait to hear what your news is and what you plan to do for the new house. What an exciting time!! :)
Congrats!! That one little exterior picture is such a tease haha. Cannot wait to read about all the details & see just how beautiful you make this home. Have a nice break :)
EEEK!!! So Excited!! Congratulations and cheers to new beginnings!! Have a great break and enjoy!!
WOW and Congratulations are in order. A new journey for you and your family. Very exciting and it will be fun to see how it all unfolds for you and to follow along with you on this new adventure!! Gods plans are always perfect, we just have to keep our eyes and hearts open so we don’t miss out on them. xo Kathysue
So exciting! What a beauty!
I love the green on your current front door – gorgeous. I’m sure you will make your new house a home in no time!
I’m so excited for you and your family! Praying for smooth transitions for you. :-) I also can’t wait to see what God has in store for you.
It seems like several of my favorite bloggers are all moving right now, or recently moved. You, Cassie, Carmel, and Melissa. 2015 must be the year to move!! :-)
Thank you for sharing your home journey with us. God bless!
I ran straight here when I saw your post on Instagram and I can’t believe it’s a cliff hanger! Enjoy your beach days Ms Emily, I’m really looking forward to the part 2 of this story :)
Congratulations! Before I even looked at the comments, I thought, “Oh, this looks just like the one in Father of the Bride.” I guess we are all on the same page. I can’t wait to see what you will do to turn this beauty into your family’s haven. My husband wants to retire to Charlotte. Too bad we are a few years away, or I’d buy your beautiful home in a heartbeat! :) Good luck on the move!
Oh how exciting! I await your updates !
xoxo
Kate
Can’t wait to hear more and see the inside!
WOW!!!! Just the small photo of your new house is so beautiful & exciting! Best of luck to you and your family with the move and congrats. Can’t wait to see all your new design projects and ideas turning your new house into a “home”.
Get. Out. I am already in LOVE with your new home (even though I can only see a portion of it!) :-) So excited for you!!!!
Oh my goodness…CONGRATULATIONS! What a beautiful new adventure! It’s just CLASSIC. Father of the Bride, for sure. Cannot WAIT to journey along and see you work your magic in new spaces!
Enjoy! We raised our five in a look alike of your new house and now all we can think about is selling this big house and downsizing!
I love the color of your front door. Can your source it for me? I’ve loved reading your blog and the new house looks amazing! A new project is always fun. Definitely Father of the Bride! That was my first thought.
Thanks, here’s the paint and door details:
https://emilyaclark.com/2014/05/our-new-front-door.html
The house looks great! :) It is very exciting when opportunities like this one come up and create little new adventures. I have a story similar to yours. Me and my family used to live for many years in a beautiful house in Ipswich. I was also comfortable with the thought that this is the one house where I’ll spend my whole life in. Two years ago me and my whole family have moved to London. The move was really a sudden decision, but there were great new opportunities for me, my husband and the kids. I am happy that we moved here. Our new house is also gorgeous! :) Thanks for sharing! Good luck with the move! :)