Back in 2010, the Horseshoe Market was ‘born.’ Horseshoe came out of my love for vintage and handmade, and ultimately, the search for–and love of– the ‘lucky find!’ It’s that moment when you go to a market, thrift store, or an estate sale and you stumble upon something that inspires you, makes you happy, and that you ‘must have.’ Doug and I have always wanted the Horseshoe to be a place where you can find inspiration, unique artifacts and treasures for your home and your self–whether it’s an antique chair that makes your house ‘you,’ a hat, a handmade pillow, or a necklace that you feel better wearing.

This blog will be the first in a semi-regular series called ‘Horseshoe At Home.’ I’ll write about our home, my love of thrifting and vintage, and anything else that strikes my fancy.

Today’s blog is inspired by a monthly happy hour series that my husband, Doug, hosts called “Renovate or Relocate?” Doug is co-founder of the Horseshoe, recently got his real estate license and is doing some great stuff at LIVE Urban Real Estate. His interest in real estate was sparked by his own love of home–both in finding our ‘right’ home(s), DIYing, and ultimately working with contractors to renovate our home into something special and functional for our family. As our family has grown, we have been faced with the questions of whether to move or do an addition at various times over the span of our seven year marriage.

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Before we found our current house, we lived in a little two bedroom/ 1.5 bath bungalow on Tennyson Street. It was the perfect bungalow and we loved it to its bones. It was our first home–it was where we had our first baby, Fiona. Every time I’d pull up, it really felt like home–where we belonged. I thought we’d raise our whole family there. I thought we’d maybe have one or two kids.

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Curb appeal!

Soon after we bought this house,  we started the Horseshoe, had baby and Doug got a new job. Oh, and then when our daughter was six months old, I found out I was pregnant with twins. TWINS.

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Looking and feeling full term when I still had four months to go.

As I paced around our little house in both a post-partum and pregnancy hormonal haze, I quickly knew our home situation had to change. Either we had to renovate/do an addition, or move. We had four big dogs (!), we would soon have three kids under 15 months (!), and we both worked from home. Here’s a glimpse of this home we loved so much. Awesome hardwood floors, original wood burning fireplace…

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This looks bigger than it was, thanks to professional pictures when we were trying to sell our house! It was a pretty teeny living room/family room.

And Fiona’s room…Nothing like the love and time you put into your first babe’s room!

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Countless nesting hours spent perfecting this room and arranging things over and over.

We called contractors and talked about doing an addition off the back, maybe popping the top. Oh, that would be great fun while being pregnant with twins and having a toddler!  After many days of dreaming about this house being bigger, we just couldn’t do it. This little house didn’t want to be a pop top. It would lose its charm. I could not live in the chaos of renovation, and would surely not survive it. We had some good times there, though…and it was hard to say goodbye.

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Handiest guy I know but the Moby is hard.

In our three short years there, we Doug put so much into it–renovating the basement (he refinished the wood floors, put up drywall, created a studio for me), remodeling the kitchen (with the help of Home Depot and on a tight budget), and created and grew an awesome garden. We definitely left our mark on it.

Next up: The journey to our current home. Not only did we relocate, but we also renovated! More to come.

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Sneak peek of our current home. Photo courtesy of Rachael Grace Photography.

Are you in somewhat of the same boat? Maybe you have a growing family, but love your home, and yet you know you need more space. Maybe you’re renting and just want to learn more about the market and your options. You should definitely go the Renovate/Relocate Happy Hour at Avanti Food & Beverage hosted by Doug Yetman, Kate Benedwald of Studio 7 Creative, and David Schultz, contractor and owner of L & D Construction. When we had questions, we wished we could’ve gone to something low-key like this.  Talk with a designer, contractor, realtor and other folks who are in the same boat! FREE DRINK for the first 20 folks and if you RSVP you’re entered to win a $50 Target gift card.