House Tour

I love looking at blogs full of beautiful pictures of other people's homes. If it's a blog that posts frequently, I can often notice even the smallest of changes. I also get some kind of sick high seeing pictures of your messes and your house not quite complete or what it looks like when you're trying to take pictures and your son makes a lego explosion or inserts an alien superhero or something. I like it most when your normally pristine house looks crazy and tornado-esque. But I'm also afraid to show you my house looking like that.

In fact, I never want to post any pictures of my house because it's not complete and I don't have a really good before and after shot. Or whatever. But you know what? I invite people into my home all the time. In fact, there are at least a dozen people coming over Thursday morning -- and I don't even know them. My house is not perfect ... or usually even very clean. This realization made me ask myself why I can invite people in to see the mess in person; even people I'll see regularly and who will know what a mess my house is! Why can't I let you, all my blog besties in for a little looksie?

Well, I can. And I will. Starting this week, I'll let you have a little tour of my house, one room at a time. And I won't even go crazy cleaning and organizing and perfecting. It is what it is. And because your home is where your heart is, I'm going to show you some of my heart, too. Here goes. Your about to be assaulted with some handsome dudes.

I had to use a phone picture because any additional clarity would cause you physical pain. It's hard to look at such stunning specimens of manfolk, but try to contain yourselves. This is my hubband and my little. The hubband will not be around for the tour as he usually makes himself really scarce when ladies hit the house, but the little man is here and is well known for providing lots of entertainment. Prepare yourselves. You've been warned.

The Reckoning

I have no idea how this happened, but I stumbled across this website about minimalism. It's so weird. I mean, minimalism is not weird. Maybe a little, but I think it's because we're still somehow ingrained to wantwantwant moremoremore and when we see people without, we (ok, maybe this is just me?) feel a huge need to givegivegive so their cabinets aren't empty are as full as mine. But there's this little part of me that kinda-sorta-maybe wants to be a tad minimalist myself. I blame it on my mom. I think she's becoming a hoarder. Not in the house full of crazy trash or dead cat bodies under piles of cereal boxes way. Rather a every single knick knack brings me joy and reminds me of some distant memory, even if the item is just reminding me of the item kind of hoarding. It's weird. My hubband keeps threatening that when she dies we'll just set the whole house on fire. In other news, my mother is slowing down her crazy metamorphosis into the crazy cat lady ... because she's down to like, say, eleven cats now.

I digress. Back to minimalism. (Sidenote: shouldn't posts about minimalism be one word? Two at most?) I discovered this site and I need to confess that parts of me want less. And then there's another part of me that loves to decorate and rearrange and have seasonal decor (which I'm pretty sure would break a hard and fast rule with minimalists) and so that means I need to have stuff. 

I bet a minimalist doesn't have plates they don't actually eat with. 

I confessed to my hubband about my minimal desires to be minimalist and he laughed at me. 

I told him about this amazing list of things to reduce in your home. He continued to laugh. Secretly I pledged to go through some of those things and begin to reduce the numbers. I don't have to get rid of everything, but I can reduce.

No real minimalist needs seven sample cans of paint. Along with minimalist tendencies comes the ability to pick paint with no samples. 

Then tonight we decided to clean out one of our kitchen cabinet hubs I walked into the kitchen to discover my hubband rifling through a less-than-orderly cabinet ... it stores medicine and candles and adoption paperwork and erasers and thumb tacks and sharpies and expired vitamins that were never even opened. You know the one. (Please tell me you have this kind of cabinet?) It made me cringe that he wanted to clean it out -- mostly because I don't want him cleaning things out that he doesn't know about. (Oh no, am I hiding things? Is that an early sign of hoarding?) We continued on, emptying out things, recategorizing things, etc. And it does feel nice. Then he suggested a new tradition. Every Monday night, before the trash cans make it to the curb, we should fill one up with things from inside that we don't need. At this point I am only slightly alarmed because I am hoping it won't last long, but a part of me is a little scared to see what he wants to clean out next. 

There has to be an exception to the rule somewhere.... I need seasonal decor!

What do you hold on to? Is there something that you know you could or should reduce but haven't? I hold onto things...please tell me I'm not alone. Are you addicted to buying dishes? My hubband told me again today that I am. Help a sister out and share your obsessions! 

Friday Favorite Linky Party

Hello, friends! I'm so excited to have my very first ever Linky Party -- and I feel like I'm already late since it's nearly noon. Who has a party first thing in the morning, anyway? Not a nice hostess, that's for sure.

I am so excited to read about your favorite things and to get to know you! Post away!!!

Another Fun Linky Idea

I love reading posts about people's favorites. I'm not sure why exactly. But I do feel like I know a person a little bit better when I know what their favorite stuff is. Right? So, here's what I'm thinking. Let's have a linky party! Next Friday, JULY 23, let's link up some of our favorite stuffs. I think this could be so cool. And we can get to know each other so much better. I like that idea.

I'm going to start you off with one of my favorite things here at home. I nearly ran over this giant pear with my shopping cart at HomeGoods one night, and thought it was so hysterical, I just had to bring it home. I get so many compliments on it all the time. It's a huge hit, literally. Every time I see it I just feel the need to smile.

Ok, I know I've posted this picture before, but it's the only one I have of this giant pear and I just love it so much. But not so much that I wouldn't feel so weird having a little photo session with it. What if it's the pear and my baby? Is that ok?

Anyway. Get busy looking for one (or all) of your favorite things to link up to my party! It will be a grand old time!

a rug, a rug, and six more rugs

Our oversized PB sectional is now listed with good ol' Craig. I'm already getting offers. I guess that's the good thing about investing all your pennies with PB -- it holds decent resale value with Craig and his peeps. It has me thinking. 

1. Our bedroom floor is finally carpet free and painted. Which leads to the rug in the den moving to our bedroom. It's going to happen. It's going to happen. Which means ...

2. The den needs a new rug! Yay! 

3. Should I go with natural stuff like jute or sisal? I mean, it's cheap and easy to live with and works well with my inherent desires to change everything up all the time. 

4. OR ... should I get one of these amazingly fabulous rugs that will up the fun factor exponentially???

Um, this one is fabulous. I'm not sure that all that gray will work with all the deep brown. But I do LOVE the giant pop flowers. Love. 

This is like my favorite color. Ok, it's not like my favorite, it is my favorite. 

And I want to live in this rug. 

Forever.

Hello subtle pattern in my favorite color. You are amazing. 

And a little bit dizzying. No?

I can't decide if I like the stripe or the diamond more. 

Can I have both? 

Ok, you're right. 

This would work with the deep browns and white, 

but all of a sudden I don't like it anymore. 

Um, LOVING this yellow right now. 

A whole whole bunch. 

And wouldn't it look fun with deep brown? That combo is not done enough. 

Ah, green again. 

If I go with a non-natural fibered rug, then it looks like it will be a little bit more modern. I'm kind of excited about that. 

What about you? Any favorites you see or a new rug you just have to own? Do you prefer natural rugs or outdoor stuff? Are you way into traditional Oriental rugs or modern stuff? And will my toddler ruin natural stuff? I heard it's more stain resistant because the liquid just pools on it ... is this true? 

{All rugs are from Layla Grace, with the exception of the last two, from Anthropologie}