A PHOTO HISTORY OF OTHER PEOPLE

I've talked about our wall of love before. Originally it was a temporary display of pictures we put up during Christmas every year, like in this old post. Several years ago I put the pictures up permanently in our apartment hallway. Then they went up in the house we live in now. The wall of love has moved around our home a few times, but it's currently in our kitchen.

At some point, I don't remember when, we started adding school pictures, graduation announcements, missionary prayer cards, pregnancy and birth announcements, engagement and wedding pictures ... pretty much any picture people give us. The wall of love is one of my favorite things about our home!

I replace old pictures as updated ones come in and take down any that are a year old, even if we don't have a newer one. I never want to throw the old pictures away, but I definitely lean toward minimalism and don't like to keep things that aren't earning the space they take up. That means I can't just shove them in a box to store for years on end. So I came up with a solution a long time ago. All old pictures go in this basket, which stays in our living room.

I guess you could call it the basket of love. It's filled with years and years, probably close to 15, of pictures the people in our life have given us. It's a friend and family history of sorts. Some people we talk to on a regular basis, others we've lost touch with. Neighbors, midwives, and former teachers. People who have faced serious health problems, significant parenting challenges, and other overwhelming circumstances. Families that have grown through birth and adoption, households that have shrunk when their kids moved out or died young.

People from all over America and some who live internationally. Individuals who got married, marriages that have ended in divorce. Kids and adults who are excelling in their positive endeavors, others who have made headlines for various crimes. A myriad of family sizes, career paths, religious beliefs, schooling choices, and lifestyles. Some fighting addictions, others finally clean and sober. Friends from childhood, high school, and college. People we met after Tim and I were married. A total hodge-podge of people we've known and loved over the years.

The wall of love is a fun way to be constantly reminded of the people in our lives right now, but the basket of love has become a neat way to remember the past.

12/23/14 - TEN ON TUESDAY

Almond syrup - Monique knows how much I love almond flavored and scented things, so she shared some homemade almond syrup with me. I hate coffee, which is what most people would add it to, so I hunted down a recipe for baked goods instead. This almond bread turned out great and you could easily make it with some Torani syrup, which is actually how it was intended to be made.

Crafty decor - I gathered way too many twigs for a project with our homeschool group a couple months ago, so I decided to stretch myself and do something crafty with some of them. My original plan involved twig stars, strung on twine, hanging from a branch that fell off a tree in our yard and got mounted to the wall at the head of our bed. It would have been headboard-ish. That didn't work out very well and I ended up hanging twig stars randomly on the wall instead. It's not what I had in mind, but it's growing on me. Step one in turning our plain and boring bedroom that we've had for three years into a place that I like to relax in.

Dara Maclean - My sister introduced me to this artist a year or two ago. I love her music, voice, and lyrics. Good stuff! You can check out her site, then, if you're like me, listen to her on Spotify, Pandora, or Youtube.

Gratitude - Devon spontaneously drew up a card for our whole family to sign, thanking the recipient for things they've done. Oh, it made me smile! Sometimes parenting (and I mean parenting anyone, not just little Ws) can be discouraging or just simply tiring, but those moments where you see maturity and character make it worthwhile.

Leaves & dirt - I got to rake a ton of leaves and move compost to some flower beds. In sunshine. While wearing shorts and a t-shirt. In December. If you've known me very long, then you know that's my happy place. So thankful for a warm afternoon, fresh air, and a yard to work in!

Open houses - We decided a couple months ago to start hosting a monthly open house, a time for people to pop in for however long they want and visit, eat, and/or play games. We've had two so far, one in November and another in December, and they've been exactly what I hoped for. We've had a mix of families and singles, people from all the different circles of our lives, and a wide age range all hanging out together. I love it!

Marriage tips - Jessica, my brother-in-law's sister, linked 36 Things I Know After 36 Years of Marriage on Facebook a week or two ago. It's a quick read filled with many good things to remember. And, really, it's a good read even if you're single because what's true in marriage is usually true in any relationship. Here are a few of my favorite things on the list.

** The term wedded bliss should be stricken from every couple's vocabulary. Marriage is wonderful in many ways, but expecting bliss makes the inevitable rough times seem like a problem when they're simply part of the deal.

** Marriage doesn't get good or stay good all on its own.

** Learning how to make up is essential since you'll never, ever, get to a point where neither one of you screws up.

Phone - It's pretty rare for me to lose things, but I lost my phone in mid-November. We knew it was lost at home, but all our efforts to find it, and there were many of them, were in vain. We'd been talking about getting another phone for the kids to have when they're home alone (they just keep mine and I go phone-less) or for Silas to take if he's babysitting, so we just did a complete update of our phone situation. But my old phone never turned up. Tim thought I'd dropped it while working in the yard. I didn't think so, as I don't keep my phone with me all the time and never take it outside if there are people inside. It turns out he was right. I found it buried in some leaves when I was working in the yard yesterday. A dirty, water-logged phone. I guess "never" wasn't the right word to describe how often I take my phone outside when people are inside. Oops.

Smiles & waves - Naomi suggested that we wear Santa hats on a recent run. I obliged, but she told me she was disappointed that people didn't honk and wave when they saw the hats. That girl loves to get honks and waves when she's out for a run and it happens a few times a week as people that we know drive by.  She was pretty sure that the hat would spur more friendliness and was bummed when it didn't.

We went on a run yesterday and I suggested we wear the hats again because it's Christmas week. She obliged, but without any enthusiasm. We'd finished about two of our three miles when she told me again that she was bummed no one was responding to the hat. I told her again that seeing a smiling kid running down the road with a Santa hat probably brought smiles to people's faces, even if she couldn't see it, and that's the point. That didn't help, so I suggested that she initiate the kindness that she was seeking. Life lesson there, right? She did. In fact, she waved at every car that passed us for the last mile. And guess what happened? Every single person that looked her way smiled and waved back. Several of them honked. One gave her a thumbs up. She was a very happy girl ... with a sore right arm.

Younger brother - Teebs is one of three boys in our family, but he's the only one who has an older sister. Which means this happened.

LOVE SHOWN THROUGH A LETTER

I have been the recipient of a whole lot of W love lately!!  Want to see the newest additions to the W collection?

Sachi saw this blanket and thought of me because the chevron pattern is like a long string of Ws.  I love it!  I think it's been used every day since she gave it to me nearly two weeks ago.

As if the W/chevron pattern wasn't enough coolness for one girl to handle, which it is, the blanket happens to be made from my two favorite colors.  Not only is it my two favorite colors, but it's shades of blue and green that go perfectly with my crazy cobalt and lime walls.  Check this out! 

 

 

The next form of W love was given to me anonymously.  My friend Ruby makes felt Christmas ornaments, including buttoned monograms.  I received a package from her a week ago with an ornament enclosed, along with a note saying it was from one of my Sonlight sisters.  It immediately went on our tree and will be moved to the W wall later today.

 

Ruby's shop, which is currently closed for Christmas, gave a significant part of their profits toward an adoption grant for Simon during December.  I love knowing that a W that I love will also help a family bring Simon home!

Then it was Christmas day.  I opened several Ws from Carol and one that was in a bag of gifts left anonymously at our front door the week before Christmas.  A magnetic notepad, a package of cards and envelopes, a wall hook, a box of scratch paper, an ornament, and two large Ws to hang on the wall.  I'll probably leave the white one as is because I don't have a plain white one, but I'm going to do something fun with the other one.  I don't know if I'll just paint it or venture out on the limb of crafty stuff.  I'll let you know once I figure it out.

 

 

Fun, fun, fun!!  I love how each of my Ws reminds me of a person, trip, or situation that makes me smile.  

PHOTO GALLERY

We had a photo gallery in our last home and I loved it.   I wanted one in our new home and my sister suggested painting all my frames white, then hanging the photos above the piano.

I thought that was a great idea, but then it occurred to me that I could hang them on another wall in that room.

And that's what I did.

One empty frame will eventually have Tyler's annual pictures in it, another empty frame got thrown in the mix to provide balance to the arrangement and I don't know what I'll put in it yet, and a handful of other pictures are going to get replaced soon.  It's a lot different than our last gallery with white frames (so glad Beep suggested painting them), no Ws (which is fine, as I now have a whole wall of them), and uneven borders (a huge stretch for me, by the way), but I really like how it turned out.

Update: I ended up putting the wall of love in the space above the piano. I love having it there!

THE WALL OF LOVE

I took care of something today that I've been wanting to have done ever since we moved in nine months ago, a project I couldn't do until the walls were painted. 

I put up the wall of love.

I arranged the boards differently than in our last home and I really like how it turned out.   It makes me smile to walk past the faces of people we love and who love us several times a day. 



Update: The wall of love ended up getting put horizontally in the space above the piano, a space that you can see in this post about the photo gallery, even though it's still empty space in the post.

I'M REARRANGING. HELP!

When one has five million things to do, is single parenting, and wants to crawl into bed, then it's the perfect time to start rearranging.  Right?  Well, that's what I'm doing right now.

Want to help me brainstorm?  I have a brain cramp and can't figure out what to do. 

Disclaimer: This post is going to be very "real life" because my house looks like it's been ignored for a few days.  Why?  Because that's exactly what's happened.  Sick kids and an absent husband lead to house neglect.  Why bother tidying up those messes, though, if you can make a bigger one by rearranging?!

Anyway, here's where I started.  Please ignore the stripes of green paint.  Just trying to figure out what color to paint this part of the house.

Disclaimer: The electric fireplace that's been sitting in the middle of the floor for three weeks will eventually go to the garage and get put on Craigslist.  Tomorrow, in fact.  I can't lift it myself and Tim hasn't really been around this month to do it for me.

We're getting our piano back next week and it's going on this wall.  I'll be hanging our collection of white-framed family photos above the piano. We've had this desk and a rocking chair in that corner, simply because we hadn't figured out a good place to put them, but the piano will take up virtually all that space.  So, I set out to find a new space for the rocker.  (The desk is going to the garage while I decide whether or not to keep it.) There's not any place for the rocker in the living room, so I thought about putting it in the master bedroom.

Off to the bedroom we go.

Disclaimer: We don't normally keep potted plants on the bedroom floor, but I was afraid they'd topple off the furniture I was moving.

There's a mirrored closet on the right, which is where that funky reflection is coming from.  Sorry about that.

The space to the right of the window used to have a dresser in it, but I thought the rocking chair might fit there.  It did, but it just seemed ... I don't know.  It didn't look like it belonged there.  Maybe there's another way to make it work in our room, but I'm not seeing it.  I'll give you a peek at the rest of the room, in case you have some brilliant idea I'm missing. 

Disclaimer: We don't normally keep everything we own on top of our bed.  However, Teebs has been quarantined to our room for sleeping until Naomi is healthy and I threw his pack 'n play on top of the bed so I could move the dresser and vacuum.  And the cardboard box?  Filled with the family pictures that will go above the piano.  And the laundry basket?  Filled with random stuff I picked up around the house that needs to get put away.  And the pile of other junk?  The things I intended to take care of today but was too busy to deal with.  All put on the bed for the same reason as the pack 'n play.

That's the bed and nightstands.  No room for a rocker there.

Disclaimer: We don't usually keep puzzle tables in the middle of our room, but it just got taken down by one of the little Ws and I haven't had a chance to put it away.

This is the wall to the left of the bedroom door and that's the dresser that used to be to the right of the window.  The dresser that will be white someday.  No room for a rocker there because it's the path to the bathroom.

In case you were going to suggest moving the bed to under the window, we can't because it covers the one and only heating vent in that room. Sooooo ... yeah.  I don't think it will fit in our room. 

Here's where I put it.

This is opposite the piano wall and next to the non-opening side of the sliding door.  I don't know if I like it there or not, but I don't dislike it.  It's the best option I've come up with so far.  Suggestions? 

So there's rearranging problem numero uno.  The rocker. 

Next up?  The secretary.  Here's the picture I took right after I painted.

I love, love, looooove this piece of furniture, but I don't like it there.  It seems too formal for the room or something.   I have a dresser that stores toys in another room and I pulled it in to see what it would look like.  Moving the book-filled secretary is a big job, so I'm not doing that unless I know for sure where I'm going to put it.  So, here's a shot of the dresser in front of the secretary.  At least it gives you an idea of what it would look like shoved against the wall.  I like it a lot better! 

Disclaimer: This 103 degree bundle of childhood is part of the reason the rest of my house looks neglected.  Poor kid. 

That white dresser used to be in the dining area and it's the only other place the secretary would fit, but I don't think I'll like it there.  Well, I suppose it could go in our room, but I don't think it would look right in there either.  Here's the dining room option.

For reference, the piano will be just on the other side of that laundry room door.  The previous owners actually had a huge hutch right in this spot, but I just think the secretary would look odd right next to the fridge.  Don't you? 

And just to throw one more little thing in the mix, I present this chair.

It's the same stain as the secretary and I love it!  It's been in the garage because the seat needs to be repaired, but this is a major case of "out of sight, out of mind".  The only way it's going to get fixed is if I see it every day and want to sit in it.  But .... I don't know where to put it.  Shocking, I know.

So, anyone want to tell me what to do? 

LETTERS ON MY WALLS

First, the letters S, D, N, and T.  Where?  The bathroom.  Why?  Partly because I wanted something dark on the walls of a fairly light and neutral room.  Partly because I wanted there to be no question at all which kid is responsible for any towel that may be left on the floor.  An empty letter equals a guilty kid. 

Second, the letter W.  Where?  The living room.  Why?  Because I've dreamed of having a wall of Ws for a long time and finally have the opportunity.

Oh, how I love this wall!! 

I intentionally spread things out to fill the space and so that there would be room to add other Ws I accumulate over time. The frame on the left was filled with five Ws a couple years ago and hung horizontally.  We need to redo it with six Ws and I'd like it to be vertical this time, so I just hung it that way and we'll make new Ws soon.  There are a couple silver ornaments that were given to me by friends, a wooden type setting block I got while at the BFM last year, two other Ws found while hanging with friends in and around Seattle, a woven W made by a friend, magnetic Ws from friends, a cookie sheet my sister put a W on and turned into a magnet holder for me, and a few Ws with no special story behind them.  And my crafty W, of course, which ended up supplying a nice punch of non-black, non-white, non-silver to the collection.

The only thing that didn't work out the way I planned was the jewelry holder you see on the left of the TV cabinet.  I picked it up a couple months ago, back when I thought I was going to put all the Ws above the fireplace, and intended to put it on the mantle.  It's too big for the shelves I hung on the wall and looks lame on the TV cabinet, but it's the only place I have to hang my W charms.  I'm mulling over some other options, but for now it's staying by the iPod dock. 

I really wanted a random, bright, bold, fun living room and it's finally coming together.  Love it!

CRAZY BLUE

The living room is finally painted!  I want to show you how it looks, but I think you should look at the "before" pictures one more time.  Keep in mind that the room is completely undecorated right now and looks a bit sterile.  Wall hangings, pillows, and other little touches will come in time.

This is going to be the "Wall of Ws".  I have a few little white shelves that will hold some Ws and others will be hung directly on the wall.  Not only will the Ws help break up the biggest expanse of blue, but there's room for me to add more Ws when I find ones that strike my fancy. 

I absolutely love how the fireplace turned out!!  I like red brick in some homes, but painting this one white made a world of difference in the room.

I have three things to figure out for this area. 

First, the inside of the fireplace.  We don't plan on burning wood in it, so I need to find the perfect way to use that space and, perhaps, add a punch of color to the dark cave that it currently is.  I realize that stacking logs with the cut side facing out is popular right now, but that idea doesn't seem right for this room. 

Second, I need to decide what to put on/above the mantle.  I originally planned on putting the Ws there, but I think the smaller space would make it seem really crowded and chaotic.  So I'm not sure what to do.  Maybe a mirror?  I'm not a knick knack person  and the map and W wall will be busy, so I'd like this area to be simple and uncluttered. 

Third, I'm not sure what to put on the table behind the chair.  The Christmas cactus (which is blooming ... at the end of April!) was just put there while I was painting, but the other plant needs to stay there for adequate light.  I just need to get a pot for it.  Again, I don't want the table overflowing with decorations, so I may just keep it simple with a single plant, but I don't know.

Ok, moving on.

The contrast of the white couch and blue wall makes me smile. Love it! 

The only lighting we have in the room is the track lighting above the fireplace, so I'd really like a lamp to the right of this window.  Assuming the secretary stays on the left, then a lamp would also balance that area out a little. 

The map!  Doesn't it look great?  I really like how the frame looks now that it's white.

I love the map as a decorative piece, but I'm also thrilled with how frequently it gets used for practical purposes.  We rarely looked things up on maps in the past, but all of us, especially the kids, are constantly in front of this map to find the countries in their geography songs, places they read about, and to play "Can you find _____?"  with each other.  They're guaranteed to be way better at geography than I am!

Anything I don't like? 

This was intended to be a two person/one day job, but ended up being a one person/six day job because Tim's free time is consumed with a school project.  Needless to say, I'm a little fried on painting and my enthusiasm for painting the kitchen has tanked. 

Also, I learned that I'm horrid at taping edges.  I fought back tears when I started pulling off all the painter's tape and saw how lousy the edges look.  I'll have to go back and fix several areas, but not now.  I'm over it.  Seeing lousy edges all day or fixing them all now?  Living with them is the lesser of the two evils.

So, there you go.  My crazy blue living room. 

THE MAIN BATHROOM

Once upon a time there was a bathroom with ugly wallpaper, shelves and towel racks in all the wrong places, and not enough places for the little Ws to hang their towels.

Then I got rid of the wallpaper.

Then Tim took down towel hooks and racks.

Then Silas and Devon tore the shelves out.

Then Tim and I painted. I really wanted a fun, bold color in that bathroom, but the brown counter makes that a little tricky. So I decided to use some paint the previous owners had left. It's the color of the master bathroom, a light and neutral paint- not a color I like enough to have chosen myself, but one I could live with.

We started painting and immediately realized the cans labeled "front bath" and "bathroom" were both the same color - the same color of the walls we were trying to repaint. Grrrr. I was on a roll, ready to get this project finished, and had no desire to head to the store in search of a new paint color. I checked the leftover paint stash again and found extra of a color that's used on two walls in our dining area. I really don't like it on those walls. At all. However, I realized it would coordinate with the new bathroom decor and counter color. And it was free. And though I wouldn't have purchased it myself, it would probably work a lot better in a different room. So we took the plunge. It's still not a color I'd have picked out, but I don't dislike it. It's a darker, bolder color than the one in the master bathroom, which makes me happy.

Then Naomi and I put all the new stuff in.

Then I really loved the bathroom!

Want to see it?


Standing in the doorway, facing forward.





Turning right to face the sink.




Turning a little more to the right to see the corner by the door.




The best I can do at getting the whole bathroom in one shot.




It looks sooooo much better than before, doesn't it?! I'm not in love with silver, so I may eventually paint or replace the light fixture and swap out the drawer pulls, cabinet handles, and soap pump. Or not. We'll see. Otherwise, there are only two little touches I still need to add.

First, we need something to put our handtowel on. Tim suggested one of the stands you put on the counter. The counter space would be pretty maxed out that way, but it would work. Beep suggested hanging it under or to the right of the mirror, but the mirror isn't centered over the sink and I don't know if hanging a towel on or near it would just make that detail painfully obvious ... and, therefore, annoying.

Second, I want to put something above each towel hook. Maybe the numbers one through four. Maybe each kid's initial. Maybe in wood. Maybe in metal. Still thinking on that.

And I need to touch up the trim.

But I'm basically done with the first room I've ever been able to decorate. Checked that one off my "to do" list. Total satisfaction with the end result!

Update: We ended up putting the kids' initials above their towel hooks.

OF PAINT & PERSONALITIES

Tim and I painted our main bathroom this morning, the first time we've ever painted together, and it cracked me up to see how the job got done. I automatically grabbed the big roller. I tend to jump into things with both feet and like seeing immediate results. I painted almost all of the wall space. He automatically grabbed a little brush. He's very laid back and doesn't get flustered with inconvenient details. He painted the edges, corners, and behind the toilet.

It's a good thing we're not both drawn to the same parts of the job, because I plan on doing a lot more painting around this place over the next few months!

And, no, I don't have pictures of the bathroom yet. You'll have to wait until it's all done. Soon, though!

A BUNCH OF RANDOM STUFF

Officiating - Tim's officiated basketball for nine years and we've started some of those seasons with babies in the house. Silas and Devon were about six months old and Naomi was four months old when he officiated the years they were born. Tyler, however, was due the same week games started. Tim suggested that he take this year off. He enjoys doing it and the money always comes in handy for one thing or another, but the thought of having him gone during the evenings when I wasn't going to be sleeping through the night sounded like a recipe for disaster. So, I said I thought it was a great idea. It was kinda weird to be basketball-free, but it was the perfect year to take a break. He'll work tournaments this summer, then we'll figure out next season when it gets closer.

Charms - I want to have a "W" wall, so I've been figuring out where to put it and how to arrange it. Two of the pieces I have are little charms. I didn't want to nail them to the wall, but wasn't sure what else to do with them. In a sudden stroke of genius I decided to get a jewelry holder. It's perfect! Two charms up and plenty of room for more!



Freedom - The big boys recently started riding their scooters down to the end of our road. It's not far, but it's out of sight of our home. Some may think they're too young and others may think they've waited too long for this new freedom, but that's irrelevant. I just think it's cool to see the boys growing up and to watch them have fun together in the process. Snipping apron strings - that's what we're doing around here. Slowly, but surely.

Coupons - I miss the glory days of couponing. I miss getting free or money-making toothpastes, toothbrushes, razors, shampoos, conditioners, and OTC medicines a few times a month. I miss all the other random freebies that weren't as frequent. I miss having all the best deals be available with just the store offers (coupons, rebates, etc.) and the coupons from the Sunday paper, rather than needing a gazillion internet coupons. Getting great deals just takes more work now and there aren't as may deals I'm interested in anyway. Vent over.

Rash - On Wednesday night the inside of my right wrist started itching. There were some raised spots and my skin was red. I chalked it up to bodies being weird and went to bed. I woke up in the middle of the night and it was itching like crazy. When Naomi woke up on Thursday her first words were that her wrist hurt. She had the exact same rash in the exact same spot. Bizarre! Hers covered a bigger area, wasn't as red, and looks better than it did a few days ago. Mine, on the other hand, hasn't changed at all. Well, I may have a few more raised spots, but it's basically the same. The itching comes and goes, but the rash remains. I know this isn't a great picture, but does anyone have any idea of what it may be?

Updated on 3/12/12 - A conversation about the rash on Facebook helped me figure out what it is. Apparently it's a contact rash from the wristbands our church uses for checking kids into their classes. Must have been a funky bunch of bands.



Devon - Many of you have already read about this on my Facebook page, but Devon spent the weekend with his grandparents. This was the first time one of our kids have spent time at my dad's without us also being there. He had so much fun!! If you want to see some pictures of his adventure, then click these links to my dad's blog posts about their time together - ICE CREAM, UNO AND RAPUNZEL, TWO MAN JOB, and SPENDING A DAY'S WAGE.

3/7/12 - WORTH REPEATING

Oh, and one more last piece of advice: Never apologize for the state of your house. Your friend didn't come to look at your house, she came to visit YOU! If you apologize for how your house looks you either place your friend in the awkward position of lying that it doesn't look so bad, or your attract her attention to all of the stuff she didn't notice before. So, do both of you a favor: Smile, graciously invite her in, ignore any mess there is (unless your son has left his underwear in the middle of the floor!), and enjoy the time with your friend!

~ Vinae at Worth More Than Rubies


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Great things happen when normal people step up to do the challenging things and are faithful to do the menial ones.

~ Brett Meador from Athey Creek Christian Fellowship (2/26/12)


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If you wait until you have money to decorate and make your home your own it will never happen. If you wait until you can afford to go buy everything new you are missing the point. It is the old, the new, the made, the hand-me-down, the collected, and the worn out but loved things in your home that make it yours.

So no matter what your home looks like, love it. Love it for the fact that it is the place you share with your loved ones. Love it for the memories that are made there. And if you are reading this and thinking “I DON”T love my home”, then sit down and think about why. Why don’t you love it? And whatever the reason, whether it is the space itself OR your attitude, do something to change that. Because a home should be a place that you love. A place where you feel happy. And you shouldn’t have to wait until you have the money to do it.

~ Stacy in Loving Your Home at Not JUST a Housewife


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Love trumps organic every time.

~ Brianne Happel, discussing whether a family that eats almost all organic, local, free range food would be comfortable eating a meal prepared by someone else if it wasn't organic, etc.

DEMOLITION MEN

The next step in the main bathroom was for corner shelves and silver towel racks to come down, but I could never seem to find the time to do it. Yesterday the boys wanted to watch a movie or play outside while the other kids were napping, but neither one was a good option at the time. So I sent them to the garage to get their tools and had them tackle the bathroom. Four shelves and three towel racks are now off the walls. I'm thankful for kids who are willing and able to do some manual labor!

DECORATING THE LIVING ROOM

Welcome! You've just walked in my front door. This is what the living room usually looks like, though we don't always keep babies on the floor. Feel free to poke around and tell me what you love or hate about the space. Most things are where they landed the day we moved in and nothing has to stay where it is, so I'm open to suggestions.

My biggest requirement about my living room is that it's not centered on a TV. I also seating areas to feel cozy, but don't like the general feel of the room to be crowded. Some open space is needed for my sanity and the kids' wrestling, dancing, and stunts.

There's no budget for furniture right now and I don't necessarily want anything new anyway, but feel free to give me ideas about possibilities. If I love an idea, then I can start saving and looking for the perfect piece.



Let me give you a tour of the space. Ready? Let's start by turning you around to see where you just came in from. Front door, coat closet, hallway (except it's only a hallway for about two feet).



The desk/bookcase was given to me by Granny and I looooove it! The bottom glass pane got broken in the move, but I'm going to replace it with tax refund money. Right now Tim has some stuff sitting on top of it, which needs to be somewhere less visible, but otherwise I'm not sure how to use this piece of furniture. I'm not a knick knack collector, so I don't have treasures to put in it. Maybe book storage or pictures on display in the glass covered part? The slanted part opens up to a desk space with built-in organizers and the bottom cabinet is just more storage. I actually have a chair that matches it, which I also love, but it's in the garage with a desperate need to have the seat replaced.

Attention!! We interrupt this post to let you know that Beep was in town for a night and helped Bethany figure out how to arrange the living room. Due to this new development, the living room doesn't look like these pictures anymore and your help is no longer needed.
That's right, folks, I now like the arrangement of my living room and have a few projects to tackle as we finish the room off. When it's all done, and I have no idea when that will be, I'll show you pictures. Meanwhile, I have to share one cool bit of living room news with you.

Do you remember when I told you about the map of my dreams back in the fall? I ordered it yesterday!!

Our apartment didn't have a wall for it and I wasn't sure if our house would. Of course, I was gargantuanly pregnant when we moved in and things like measuring walls for dream maps just wasn't at the top of my priority list.

Fast forward to a couple weeks ago. Devon checks the mail and there's an envelope with my name handwritten on it. A non-junk mail, non-bill envelope without a return address. I open it up to find an anonymous note from someone who had remembered my love of the map and wanted to secretly order it as a housewarming gift. They couldn't find the exact map, though, and so they sent me cash to buy it myself. So thoughtful and generous!! Thank you, thank you, thank you, oh mystery person!!

I measured a couple walls and discovered the one I wanted to put the map on was the perfect size. Yes! I ordered it yesterday and it shipped today. So excited!

It's going to take up virtually all of this wall.



I'm going to copy Cathy, whose map I originally coveted, and wallpaper it to three sheets of plywood. That will allow me to take the map with me if we ever move and have the option to put something different on that wall in the future. I've never wallpapered anything before, so if you're local and a whiz at that kind of thing, then I'll bribe you with food of some sort if you'll come help me do the job. Yes, I'm begging for help. I'm fairly confident my skills don't include expertly attaching giant maps to giant pieces of wood with little to no room for error.

Anyway, that's that. The room needs paint, the map needs to get taken care of, I have to cover the now exposed side of a piece of furniture that's intended for a corner, and the mantle space needs some attention, but we've got a plan in place and I think I'm going to love it when it's done.

BATHROOM PROGRESS

I'm working on a living room post that I'm hoping will go up tomorrow, but I thought I'd give a little update on the bathroom project today.

I now have something to hang above the toilet, towel hooks, toothbrush holder, soap dispenser, and a rug. The rug is neutral, though, and I'm thinking about exchanging it for one that's brick colored. So incredibly not a color I'm normally drawn to, but it would add a punch of coordinating color and I don't use that bathroom anyway. Hmmmmm ... we'll see.

My last dilemma is about paint. I want to do a neutral color, something kinda beige. However, we have some neutral paint in our garage that was left by the previous owner. It's what they painted the master bathroom with - not a horrid color, but a little too much on the peach/pink side of beige for my taste. But it's free. And I don't even use that bathroom. Another "hmmmmmmm" on that one. I'll decide soon, though, because I want to get the room done.

Anyway, we're making progress.

In fact, here's what happened a couple nights ago.

This ....



... plus this ...



... equals this.



No more wallpaper!!!

DECORATING THE MAIN BATHROOM

Welcome to our main bathroom! I just used the toilet in this bathroom for the first time last week and discovered it's the shortest toilet in the world. I apologize in advance to anyone taller than myself who has to use it. Maybe we'll get a taller one someday, but that's at the bottom of the priority list. Short toilets work well for short little Ws anyway and they're the ones using that bathroom every day.

Enough about the short toilet.

Here's what we're working with. This is the entrance to the bathroom. The orange is not something we have to keep, though all the kids are fine with it. It's a happy, gender neutral color, after all.

This is what you see as you stand in the bathroom door.



The seashell wallpaper at the top of the wall? It will be removed. Absolutely. Gag-o-rama. The uneven towel racks that are also different sizes? They've also got to go. I really like symmetry and balance, so those racks drive me batty. Not a huge fan of silver either. I'd like to keep a white shower curtain, partly because I like white and partly because it keeps that room bright. I think I want a framed print of some sort above the toilet, but I'm not sure what I want it to be of. Something bright, maybe a little random or funky.

Moving on to the left side of the sink.



The previous owners installed some shelves here. The two rounded ones are fine, I suppose, but the one that extends the counter bugs me. I understand the desire for extra counter space, but I think it looks tacky.

Want to know what's ridiculous about this bathroom? The toilet paper holder is mounted to the left side of the cabinet. See it peeking out in that picture? There's really no great place to put it, but lame, lame, lame!! A person shouldn't have to turn nearly 180 degrees to reach the toilet paper. Right now we're keeping the toilet paper on the counter so that the kids can reach it. Eventually I want to get an adhesive holder and mount it on the inside of the cabinet under the sink. I know that's an odd place to put it, but an adhesive holder wouldn't have screws that bust through the cabinet door and it would be easy for everyone to access.

The biggest problem we have in this room is that we need somewhere to hang four towels, but there's very little wall space. I saw a towel rack on Pinterest and got inspired on what to do with this corner. Here's the rack.



This particular rack connects to the door hinges, which wouldn't work in our bathroom. However, I could use the same idea with swing arm curtain rods. I'd just tear out the shelves that are mounted to the left of the sink and hang the rods in that corner, pointing toward the toilet. I like that the towels would hang flat against the wall, but that we could pull them out and stagger them when they needed to dry. Brilliant, huh?

Here's the view of the sink.



There's not a lot to say about this part of the bathroom. I love the white cabinets and mirror!! The mirror is also a cabinet, in case that matters to you. Still not digging all the silver, but I could swap out the knobs at some point.

This is a similar shot, but it shows you the light fixture. It's very pretty and silver. Not bad, necessarily, but not what I would have chosen. Even the standard row of round lights would be more up my alley. I'm kinda plain and simple when it comes to that kind of stuff.



Here's the right side of the sink.



That's another rounded shelf. One rounded shelf. One rounded shelf that isn't even with either of the two on the other side. AAAAAGGGGHH!!!

And towel racks. Two different kinds, a hook and a ring, right next to each other. At least they're even.



But wait, we wouldn't want to leave the bathroom without throwing in one more towel rack. Or hook, as the case may be. There's one mounted to the right side of the cabinet.

And that, my friends, completes your tour of our main bathroom.

So, here's what I want.
* Suggestions for paint color. This is the only room where I truly don't care (within reason, of course) what color we go with.
* Pats on the back for my towel solution or other ideas that are equally brilliant.
* Pats on the back for my toilet paper holder solution or other ideas that are equally brilliant.
* A fun print that could be framed and hung above the toilet. It's entirely possible that I would choose the paint color based on the print. Keep in mind that it's for both genders and that I don't want it to be childish. Just fun. I think I'd rather have one larger print than a collection of smaller ones, but I'm open to all suggestions.
* Sympathy for the fact I have to see such an assortment of mismatched and uneven towel holders on a regular basis. It's traumatic, I tell ya!

HELP ME DECORATE!!

We've lived in our house for over three months now and I've done nothing, absolutely nothing, to decorate or make it look like it's our house. Now that I'm not hugely pregnant or recovering from surgery I'm ready to start decorating.

I'd love to have some help, though. Why? Because I know what I like when I see it, but I'm not good at pulling all the pieces together to create what I like on my own. Not at all! I actually created a Pinterest account about a week ago so that I could look for ideas and I've found some, but I'd love to hear or see what brilliant ideas you can give me.

I'll start by telling you a little about what I like. I like colored walls, a bit of light or medium wood, and a lot of white furniture. I'm always drawn to rooms with that combo, even if the style doesn't strike my fancy.

As far as style, I'm not solidly in one camp or another. I like the rustic look of farmhouse decor, but am not into roosters, apples, or Americana. I guess it's just the furniture, particularly the old (or old looking) wood stuff, that appeals to me. I like the comfy, airy look of cottage decor, but don't like ruffles or tons of floral prints. I love the blues, greens, and touches of nature that are in coastal decor, but don't like lighthouses, anchors, or boats. I also like the occasional touch of whimsy, the little random things that say something about our family.

So, there's a little idea of what I'm looking for. My goal is to have a plan for each room, then slowly pull the rooms together as I find what I want, budget the money to buy what I need, and have time to paint walls. Your job is to help me come up with the plan.

I think what I'm going to do is just tackle one room at a time. I'll post pictures of the room, explain what I want or need, then let you guys give me feedback. Sound like a plan?

We'll start with the main bathroom tomorrow. I figure a small room is a good one to do first. Right?

I LOVE MY HALLWAY

Remember my "wall of love" ? It's the spot we tape up all the cards, newsletters and photos that people send around Christmas. I take everything down at the end of January, but I miss seeing all those photos.

I thought it would be fun to get some French memory boards to hang in my hallway, then stick all the pictures in them. I looked online and at just about every store you could imagine. No luck. Well, I found some random, childish ones at thrift stores and an ivory one at a craft store, but I wanted a solid black or white one ... and I didn't want to make my own.

As I mentioned last week, I found some at my last stop one day. They were a black and white print, rather than solid, but they were cute. I was desperate and they end up covered by pictures anyway, so I bought them. Turns out they were on sale, an unadvertised BOGO special, and I was able to afford more than I thought I could. Awesome!

They've been sitting in the hallway for several days, so Tim and I hung them on Saturday, two on each wall. Then I pulled out the stash of pictures we got last Christmas and put them on the boards. This section of the hallway is right by our bedroom, so I walk past all these faces every day. I love it!!

From our bedroom door, looking toward the living room.

.

A closeup of one so you can see the fun print behind the pictures.

.



If you've known me for any length of time, then you'll be impressed that the random arrangement of pictures and uneven edges don't bother me a lick. I can loosen my standards for bulletin board type of decorating. Proud of me?
.What do you guys do with all the pictures you get at Christmas or throughout the year? Rachelle's family puts them all in a basket on the dining table, then pulls one out each night and prays for that family at dinner. I think that's a cool idea!