I don’t know when exactly I started reading Nester’s blog. I want to say that it was five or six years ago, and when I got to meet her in person at a conference a couple of years after that, I remember thinking, Well. She is just as warm and funny and endearing as I thought she would be.
I love it when that happens.
Myquillyn (that is her real name, though personally I default to “Nester” just about every single time) has such a knack for creating spaces that breathe, for decorating rooms in ways that don’t feel stuffy or overwrought or unusable. I cannot even tell you how many times I’ve gone to her blog in search of inspiration, and a few years ago, when Sister was decorating her newly re-built first floor (it was wiped out in the 2010 Nashville flood), we talked about Nester and her ideas like she was an old friend who would’ve totally gone to all the Nashville-area Home Goods with us if only she hadn’t lived a couple of states away. What I remember more than anything is that Nester’s laid-back, easy, no-fuss approach to decorating made Sister feel less overwhelmed about getting her house back in order, and that, as my mama would say, was such a blessing. No joke.
Well.
This past Friday I spent most of the day trying to finish some writing that I started over a month ago, and by the time I got home late Friday afternoon, I was ready to put on my pajamas and crawl under some covers and watch TV. But then I noticed a cardboard box on the kitchen counter, and when I opened it, I found this little gem.
I told myself that I’d look at it sometime Saturday – but curiosity got the better of me, and I started to read. An hour later I was still sitting at the kitchen table (I hadn’t even changed into my pajamas yet), and I had to force myself to put down the book. Early Saturday morning I picked it up again, and except for about five minutes when I set it down so that I could hang a print in my foyer (the book inspired me to not put it off for one more second), I kept on reading until I finished.
And here’s the thing (I said this on FB yesterday, so forgive me if you’ve read that already and I’m repeating myself). I typically don’t read a lot of home decor books, mainly because I get intimidated and overwhelmed and my perfectionistic side just can’t take it. But Nester’s book is inspiring and honest and gorgeous and real. I actually felt a little sad when the book was over – but then I looked up at my own house and saw all sorts of totally imperfect possibilities. That made me smile.
So. Just because I love this book to pieces and want to share it, I’m giving away three copies of The Nesting Place: It Doesn’t Have To Be Perfect To Be Beautiful. Nobody asked me to do this; I just want to do it because Myquillyn has created something that’s unique and oh-so-special – and I really do think it’s going to be so meaningful to the people who read it. Since the book releases next Tuesday, I’m going to make this giveaway a pretty quick one so that you still have time to order for release day if you don’t win. If you’d like to enter, just leave a comment on this post and tell me your absolute favorite thing about the place where you live.
I’ll use random.org to draw for winners Wednesday night and notify them ASAP via email.
Y’all are going to love this book!
This giveaway is now closed. Winners will be notified via email.
My favorite place is my kitchen. Ten LONG months without one…and now I have an absolutely stellar one! I love the comments that I get on it…not pride on my part…but so stinking proud of my hubby for the work he did!
I hope to build a house next year so I think this book would help me greatly in that process! My favorite thing about my home is …. the people I share it with! <3
My upstairs hall — we have a wall of black-and-white photos of our daughter. Swells my heart every time I pass by. In about 18 months, she’ll be going to college, so I’m expecting plenty of tears in front of those pictures!
I love the windows over my kitchen sink so I can watch all the activity outside.
My favorite thing about where I live is that we live in my husband’s grandmother’s old house. We worked for a year before we were married to remodel it. While it was one of the toughest things we have done, it created a space that is truly OUR home with a little bit of history.
I love all the kitchen cabinets that have built in drawers in them that the previous owner installed.
The best part about our home is the location. We are close to our grandkids and that is so wonderful. We love to have them over for fun times and sleepovers.
Outside I love my iris beds. And the neighbors’ cows. Inside, I love both my comfy new sofa and the 25 year old recovered sofa that matches it.
I love the view of the Organ Mt across the Messilla Valley I have from my sunroom. They tell me of the strength available to us that the Creator built into all creation. Love to you and yours today.
My favorite thing about my home is just having a nice, cozy place for my family to grow in. We are so blessed!
My favorite part of our home is something that honestly used to bother me until recently. It is filled with mismatched, hand-me-downs, yardsale/thrift store finds. I am now thankful that we have family/friends/strangers that have shared pieces of their home with us. We don’t exactly have a style, or a “look” and hardly any of our stuff goes together, but in its own way, it works. My prayer is that the people we welcome into our home feel the same way. No matter what, they are welcome & fit in here.
We are in a new house in Houston, so just getting settled. I love how our main living space is on one level and how the kitchen opens into our family room. We always end up in the kitchen.
It’s where my heart is.
I would love to win a copy and would read the book cover to cover!
I don’t rant to be cheesy, but really it’s the six other people that love here with me. When my husband and I bought this house in 1995, we wanted room to grow. It felt like a mansion! Now with five kids and one dog later, it feels a little “close” 😉! But I am so thankful that God blessed us with five, which was an answer to our prayers and a desire we had when we were dating!
Thank you for this fun giveaway. I need some help in the decorating area for sure!!
I love the sun in my living room in the afternoon–favorite place to read a good book!
My favorite part of my house is our yard/location. When I sit on my back deck, I can see the park, and watch my children playing.
I love my home. It is not the biggest or the grandest, but it is exactly what we need. I am thankful!
We have a great backyard! We have 4 boys, and so we spend lots of time out there.
My favorite thing about where we live is the warmth and coziness.
My favorite thing about my house is the people in it (plus the fact that they are old enough to help maintain it!) ;)
I love our home because it is our first home together as newlyweds and holds a lot of special “first” memories and will hold many more I know! It has been so fun to make it our own over the last year and a half.
I live in the Ozarks and I absolutely LOVE living between 2 lakes and 3 rivers! I used to take that for granted, and I moved away…but now I can’t get enough! God’s creation…sigh.
I love my daughter’s bedroom, the only room that has been decorated in a well thought out manner.
Oh and our huge couch in the living room.
I love my yard and my neighbors.
We did an extensive remodel of our home almost 3 years ago, and moved out. We lived with my in-laws that summer. While I love my home, my favorite place is to hang out on our new deck, with our big green egg, new TV (to watch college football) and party lights that are permanently hung over the deck. I love it! So who knew that the remodel would take 2nd fiddle to a wooden deck that we use year round – even in the 100 degree Texas summers!
I love that our house is old, and yet we are only the second family to ever live in it. I also love that my two sweet children have plenty of room to grow here!
Being married to a high school coach, we moved a lot! The longest we have lived anywhere is 9 years and still going. That is what I love about the home I’m in right now!
I love our master bedroom and our beautiful backyard. But, we are moving in 4 days to a new home. Sad to be leaving a home I love, but excited to find things to love about our new home!
My favorite part of my house is the corner where I quilt. I love my big kitchen, but I have no idea how to make it look personal or homey or like more than a big box where I cook. I would love to win this book.
Love the Nester! One of my top favorite blogs to read. I would LOVE to win this book! the thing I love best about my house is the cozy feeling I get when everyone is home at night safe and sound and we enjoy each other’s company.
My back yard patio! Beautiful views all around and the place to be for a peaceful, easy feeling. I love to start my day out there!
We hung some swings on our screened in porch a few years ago and they are our favorite place to hang out. They face each other and are so great for conversation.
It’s my kitchen! Small, quaint, cozy and imperfect…but we have put a lot of love and work into it and I love cooking for my boys and others in there!
I love that my house is our starting place. It’s the first house on our journey, and we’re having the best time making it into our cozy home. I can’t wait to see where it takes us. It’s been where we’ve celebrated our “firsts” as a married couple, and it will most likely be where we will start our family. I think it will always hold a special place in my heart.
Home is where my family is…
My favorite thing about my home is the family I share it with! It’s a rental and a far cry from our “dream” home and full of laundry piles and toys and sippy cups, but it’s also full of fun and laughter. I’d love to win a copy of the Nester’s book!
I love the light that shines into our bedroom in the mornings. Slow Saturday mornings hanging out in bed are the best.
I love my large front porch. Our front yard is the playground for all of the children on our street, and the porch is the perfect spot to sit and visit with my husband or gather with our neighbors and watch them play. It is the hub of our neighborhood life – the site of countless impromptu dinner parties, birthday celebrations and conversations. We have literally watched our children grow before our eyes while enjoying the company of friends, the shade of its long roof and comfort of its wicker chairs. It’s a special place.
I love our original stained glass windows in the living room. They are almost 100 years old and add the perfect touch!
My most favorite thing about where I live is the shared history I share with my husband and now grown children. We have so many happy memories in this house!
That we built it.
I enjoy sitting out back under my covered patio. It’s nothing fancy nor is my backyard very pretty, but it’s still my favorite place to be
My big bedroom with a wall of windows.
One of my favorites about where we live is that we live out in the country on our family farm with gently rolling hills, woods, fields, & an old river nearby.
My favorite place about our home is those that enter our front door. As I am preparing my heart to give our baby girl away in marriage in June and leave our home of 16 years to move to Atlanta, my heart is heavy. Our family will be in 3 different states but I am excited for all the Lord has in store for us!
My favorite thing about our home is the people who live there! We also live in a great area for walking; and we do a lot of it!
I love that my house is lined with windows that face the south/east in the am and north/west in the pm and sunlight streams in at all times and makes my home feel like a cheery place to live.
I love our beautiful backyard! A farm backs up to our property and horses come up to the fence for feeding and petting! It’s really neat!
My favorite thing about our house is the kitchen. It has an island with cabinets that have the pull-out drawers. And a fancy pot-filler faucet over the stove that I never remember to use.
We bought our house six months ago. I love that it was 100 % move-in ready. We didn’t even have to paint!
Love looking out my back windows . . . our backyard in bloom, a pool, then a small lake in the distance. Peaceful !
My kitchen. It has a center island made from an old grain bin which makes the perfect spot for family to gather and cook together.
My favorite part of our home is that from our window we can see the lake and the mountains.
The thing I love most about my home is the person i share it with and the memories that are made in it.
My favorite thing about where I live is my front door.
I love our living room/kitchen area. It’s all open so it’s great for entertaining and I love hanging out in there. Thanks so much for doing this giveaway :)
I love my bright, sunny kitchen.
I just love that we are in a little corner of our neighborhood with friends all around.
We are currently living in a rented house, and while there are so many changes I would make if it were mine, I do love my bedroom when it is raining outside. The room juts out of the back of the house, so it has three outside walls (if that makes sense). Two walls have windows, and when it rains, the sound in there is glorious. Of course it does make it rather hard to get out of bed on rainy mornings.
I love our wood floors, so easy to care for and the color makes the room feel warm and inviting.
My favorite thing about where I live is the fact that I really love it. We just moved from Bham to Silcon Valley this place, and although we were SO blessed w handmedowns, after 11 yrs of marriage, the hubs and I had never bought a brand new piece of furniture! With the move, I culled and culled and we packed a uHaul pull behind and that’s all we brought to Cali–things we loved and I had to have as my nest moved west (the name of my blog)! We only brought 3 antique pieces with it and now I’ve created a home w pieces I really love!
My house is waiting patiently for some extensive work. It’s funny that the tasks I’ve attempted have turned out very differently from what I planned, but I love the results anyway! kinda like life…
I love that we finally bit the bullet and put in(faux) wood floors. We’ve been in this house for 8 years and we’re getting ready to put it on the market, but I’m going to enjoy them for now!
I love the 40 acres we live on, as soon as I pull in the driveway my soul sighs and I just feel so at peace. It’s our own little piece of heaven that feels (and kind of is) miles away from the outside world. I also love our fireplace…and my hot pink front door (oh yes, the 3 boys in our household are manly enough to walk thru a pink front door every day!).
I think I’m finally beginning to let my home interior reflect my own tastes rather than just following “The Rules.” I suppose my favorite thing/s about my home are the things that have a story. We are blessed! Thanks for this awesome give-away. I heart Nester!
I love the location of our house, just off the historic square of our little town. And, I love that our little brick cottage is an older place with lots of character. It really feels like home!
I love the possibilities which are abundant, and the fact that my husband and I had six years to make memories here before he went Home.
We live in a 1960’s rancher. I love that everything is all on one level. NO STAIRS!
:o/ Hard to narrow down. I love my sitting area in my bedroom, where I have my devotions. And I love the rocking chair on the front porch in the mornings. And I also love the open living room where we all gather as a family. And the fire pit in back where we enjoy sitting around the fire with friends. I love all of them the same!
I love having an upstairs which hides all of our mess!
I love that my home is where my husband and I started our journey together. It’s not even close to perfect but it’s ours!
My favorite thing about my current house is that it has a big front window in our living room. I always wanted a house with a big window in the room that I spend the most time in. I’ve never put up any shades or blinds (just curtains for night) and I love letting the light in.
We just moved into our first house, from a one-bedroom apartment. To say I love everything is an understatement. But my favorite is probably the huge porch :)
My family! I have a cross stitch picture that says,” Little house you are so small, just big enough for love, that is all.” Our house is small, but so are our utility bills!
I love the bayou in my backyard, and all the nature it brings.
My favorite thing about this home is my bright kitchen with huge bay window. And it’s been our home for 23 years so the children (and now grandchildren) have grown up here. Lots of sweet memories echoing in each room.
I love the windows seat that runs the length of the room in our library room. In the winter the sun streams in and it’s the perfect place to lay with a book and warm yourself in the sun. I feel like a happy turtle on a log in the pond when I’m there!
I love the location of our home at the end of a shaded cul de sac with friends next door. And that it’s in Starkville. Enough said.
My favorite thing about my home is that it’s filled with people I love!
My favorite thing about where I live is our fireplace! It doesn’t look perfect but it sure is warm!
This time of year I love our back deck, it runs the length of our home and we spend many evenings eating dinner or just relaxing and discussing our day.
My favorite thing is watching all the kiddos from ages 2 – 15, roaming around from house to house, playing, laughing and having a good time. It’s a beautiful thing to live in a child friendly community.
Love my hand scraped floors.
I love (and sometimes hate) the openness of our floor plan. It’s great for being able to see and sort of hear what the family is up to! Hence the love and hate!
My absolute favorite thing here is the view of my family’s ranch!
I love the planked walls and high ceilings in the family room.
We love the large four windows that are across the back of our house, letting us enjoy the beautiful backyard my husband so carefully maintains. We have a small house with a big heart!
I’ve only lived in this house since February but it has become my “healing place.”
Thank you for the chance to win the Nesters book. The favorite part of my home is that it protects my family. We’re living imperfectly together in it.
Oh, Sophie, I love your testimony about this book! Sounds like something I’d so love to have too! I love the morning light that streams in my kitchen and living room, and I just love the feel of driving in the driveway knowing I’m home.
love you, Sophie!
I love my home because of the people who call it home!
My newly renovated kitchen! (Which is almost finished!)
The windows that share the view of our little lake and the giggles of children swimming that seep through their opened panes.
I love the character in my 112 year old house, my bannister and newel post, the arched doorways, the crooked settling of time,
I love my basement. It is the kids’ domain and every kid in the neighborhood thinks it belongs to them. There’s always something fun going on down there. Yes, it’s dirty and smells like 13 year old boys, but who cares!
I love our deck and that our backyard faces the woods (and not another house!) Even though the deck currently serves as an extended playroom, I have lots of dreams about it becoming an adult space!
I love our home of 31 years because of all the memories and it is on our little 11 acres that is just a part of heaven here on earth. I love your blog and also read Nester….I would love to win the book!
I love my house for many reasons… Especially because it was long-awaited and much prayed for!
I love our big couch that we all fit on…. The custom barn door my mom built us as a baby gate on our stairs… The flower beds my little guy planted for me this weekend.
In all, because it’s home. :)
I like most that we have “timeless” wood floors and three toilets!