Courtney Ronay

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Over Christmas break, the kids and I went for a quick daytrip to Fernandina Beach. We walked around downtown with Piper (the downtown area is so dog friendly) and stopped at a new restaurant that is a MUST try: Mason’s Lobster Rolls. I love lobster rolls and this was one was delicious. The lobster was… Read More [...] Read more...
For our school’s trunk-or-treat, I had the role of designing our class trunk. We chose to do an ocean based theme inspired by this lovely lady. How fun is “she?” I have been dying to create this mermaid skeleton for our golf cart as a Halloween decoration. Every year it was sold out before I… Read More [...] Read more...
I like to meal prep for the week so we have healthy meals that we can grab as we run to sports and activities. This is one of my favorite fast and easy recipes to make. I used the base recipe for a Buddha Bowl from eatingwell.com and tweaked it a bit. (It is my… Read More [...] Read more...
It’s hard to believe this piece of furniture….. ….once looked like this. The photo directly above was taken from our nursery. This changing table was a solid piece we got from RH Baby & Child. It used it with all three kids. I remember rocking babies in the middle of the night and staring at… Read More [...] Read more...
“I’m boooooooored.” Sound familiar? Chances are, you have heard this just after tripping over an impressive heap of unplayed with toys. If you can relate to this, you’re about to love me. I started a system in my home that not only cuts down toy clutter DRASTICALLY, it also keeps your kids mesmerized by the… Read More [...] Read more...
If you have followed my journey, you know I started my blog, Charming Little Nest, in 2011. As that grew and morphed into Southern Nest, I spent years navigating the stressful role of being a business owner and mother. When the time came to close that chapter and enter one of being a stay at… Read More [...] Read more...
One of my favorite pieces came from an old barn. I found this table on Facebook Marketplace. A man bought a barn full of random furniture and he listed this antique table for $45. I immediately bought it. I could only picture it with a glossy shade of navy. If you have ever painted furniture,… Read More [...] Read more...
A million years ago, when David and I built our first house, we found a plain, simple white lamp we both loved. We bought it and had it through the years. Fast forward 10 years-the lamp almost got ditched in the big move. I literally pulled it back out of a box I labeled “Trash”… Read More [...] Read more...
Time is passing so quickly. I blink and it’s another season. For that reason alone, I am thrilled I documented our weekend enough to blog about it. We have been so busy with virtual school. On Friday, we had a fun day of meeting up with some fellow virtual learners at the playground. We do… Read More [...] Read more...
Do you have any idea how exciting it was for me to decorate for fall this year? I generally gravitate toward light, airy colors and coastal vibes as it is. This year, I pulled out the storage boxes of fall decor and cringed. All the orange pumpkins. I knew it wasn’t going to work. I… Read More [...] Read more...
We did a very big thing. In March, David and I made a very big decision. We decided to relocate our family. It was an extremely hard decision, but knew it was one we had to make. Two days after making this huge decision, schools were cancelled and we were told to stay home. I… Read More [...] Read more...
We live on a block that is home to 22 children. When it comes down to our children being entertained, we have always been able to simply step outside our front door and join in the fun. Imagine the shock it gave my children to hear that we needed to stay at our house and… Read More [...] Read more...
We are in quarantine. It’s weird. As news of the corona-virus pandemic spread, my initial response of fear changed into deep curiosity. I began to wonder what it would really be like if we were all told to stay home. And then we were. It’s now only been several days that we have been socially… Read More [...] Read more...
There is something so beautiful about old statues. They look just slightly gray, have a green hue from the outdoor elements, and are very smooth to the touch. So many companies have tried to mass produce this aged look, but it never looks authentic. I decided I would keep my eye out for a pair… Read More [...] Read more...
When you train yourself to think positively, your vision of the world changes a bit. I noticed that the more positively I thought, the more I started paying attention to only positive things. Thinking positive isn’t about ignoring reality. It’s not about pretending. But it is difficult to make it part of your common thought… Read More [...] Read more...
I was diagnosed with Sjogren’s Syndrome in 2012. I decided not to talk about it very publicly until I knew what that diagnosis meant to me. I feared that people would treat me as someone who was sick or have sympathy. I didn’t want others to influence how I saw myself now. I needed to… Read More [...] Read more...
Yesterday was “hat day” at Georgia’s school. (Right when I typed that I just realized I forgot to put her “bring your favorite book” in her school bag today. Mom-fail.) Anyway, I wanted to share this cute little picture I got of her yesterday. She just makes my heart smile! I’ve been starting the search… Read More [...] Read more...
Briggs and I decided we wanted to go for a rustic pirate look in his bedroom. I wanted to make an accent wall that would look like he was on the inside of an old ship. One day I popped into Ollie’s to browse and found tons of boxes of vinyl flooring textured to look… Read More [...] Read more...
Can it please stop raining…omg, this is getting insane. On this rainy March Sunday, a little BRIGHT, sunshine-feeling décor is in order. It’s the perfect time to show you a new area I made in my home. I went shopping around my house and found décor to create a little “stationary nook” (I think I… Read More [...] Read more...
I tinkered with some ingredients to make the tastiest margarita. I have never been terribly into the traditional mixer and wanted to try a fresh spin on the drink. I found a few recipes online and developed my own version. (Side note-I am in love with this Joanna Gaines Salt Cellar. You can find it… Read More [...] Read more...
I’ve been seeing ads for the clothing company Primary for quite some time. Their concept is so smart. Simple, cotton kid’s clothing that does not say something like “Mom’s Little Slugger” or “Princess” across the front. Why, why, why must so many companies do that? I ordered two dresses for Georgia. I needed to see… Read More [...] Read more...
What a fun weekend we had! It rained the entire time, so we had to plan some activities that could get us out of the house. On Saturday, Briggs and I went to Frankie’s Fun House in Huntersville for a mother and son day. We did bumper cars, played games, and laughed hysterically. Briggs decided… Read More [...] Read more...
Have you ever noticed the unnecessary packaging for Blu Rays and DVDS? I was trying to find the best way to store mine. They are just ugly and take up too much valuable space. I decided it made more sense to limit the case to the exact size of the disc itself and found these:… Read More [...] Read more...
In 2015, I read Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. I implemented it in my entire home and I felt really good. When I neared the end of the process, it saddened me. I wasn’t sure why, but I knew I enjoyed it. What I didn’t realize was that it wasn’t only the… Read More [...] Read more...
I just realized I never shared the pictures of Georgia and I cooking dinner on Valentine’s Day! They must be shared. She took the whole thing extremely seriously and had a blast. We made fettucini alfredo (and made RED noodles for Valentine’s Day!) When I said, go ahead and put the butter into the cream…she… Read More [...] Read more...
I intend to continue to write about the things I normally do, but I have things to say and want them to be heard. My journey is also a big part of who I am and I feel the need to share all I have learned.  According to AARDA, 50 million Americans have autoimmune disease…. Read More [...] Read more...
In 2012, I began a very important journey. I have always wanted to share the experience, but so much has happened, I have learned and grown so much…I never quite knew where to begin. Then I knew. Last weekend, I sat with a group of my closest friends for dinner and a game night. These… Read More [...] Read more...
Valentine’s Day has never been a big deal to me. But this year, Georgia changed all of that. She began asking about it constantly once February came. I would hear her in the living room, “Alexa, how many days until Valentine’s Day?” She’d walk around and tell each family member several times that day “it’s… Read More [...] Read more...
Everyone who knows me personally is probably laughing at the title of this post. I’ve been a little obnoxious with my belief in the power of positive thinking. But I will say, we all have moments that solidify our personal beliefs. Moments that prove our intuitive gut is correct. I had one of those moments… Read More [...] Read more...
Georgia and I sat to plan her Valentines out for her exchange at school. Of course, there was one type she was interested in. Jojo Siwa. We came up with an idea to make tiny paper “Jojo Bows” and glitter them in this fabulous gold glitter we found at Target. Of course, what’s a Valentine… Read More [...] Read more...