I can be picky about the silliest things. For example, our doors and shutters are painted a color that wouldn’t be my first choice and when we were deciding on where to live, I really had to tell myself to ignore them and not let that affect my decision.

Since we’ve moved in, instead of focusing on the color, we added a wreath. It’s not a fancy wreath, just a grapevine wreath with a few items that usually go along with whatever we’re season we’re in.

Small enhancements like this allow you to invest in your rental without breaking the bank, and also help to distract from the things you can’t change.

What’s your favorite way to disguise something you’re not crazy about?

You remember the lovely yard we had when we moved in? As you can tell, we didn’t sign the lease because of the beautiful view outside of our living room window. Even though I don’t spend a lot of time in our yard, that was one thing I really wanted us to change when we moved in. It was very brown, and I usually prefer green when it comes to grass:)

We haven’t put a lot of money into our yard other fertilizer and a weed eater, but those things and some sweat have made it much more enjoyable.

And as of tonight, we have three more additions that will help us enjoy it! Gary surprised me with a fire bowl and two rocking chairs for my birthday! I love that we’ll get to spend time outdoors this fall, and even more, I love that these things get to come with us if we ever decide to move. Until then, I’m so thankful for our little yard and the boy that will rock beside me.

Shortly after I moved to North Carolina, I picked up a pair of curtains for our master bedroom and my sweet new husband hung them for me. About two weeks later, I hated them.

To prevent the same mistake when we moved the second time, I started out using basic white curtains I’ve had for years. It helped me figure out what I wanted – something light and breezy mainly for aesthetics, or something a little more heavy duty to actually help with sunlight and/or privacy.

We still have two sets of windows that I’m trying to figure out {one is in our living room like a faux french door and the other in our kitchen} but the rooms that have curtains feel so much more put together!

Do you have any basics that you rely on?