Hate Your Space?



So there's this wall. It's giant. 14 feet tall, to be precise. And it's what you see when you walk into our family room/den/whatever you call it and also pretty quickly when you walk into the front door of our house. I have struggled and struggled with this wall and these windows.

I've mentioned the skating rink affect this house had when we bought it, so at first, I was ok with the curtains hanging so low, because we wanted to bring the room in, cozy it up a bit.

That lasted all of a couple weeks. Then I tried four panels. Different panels. Brown panels. Orange panels. Patterned panels. Plain panels.

I know you're supposed to hang the curtains high high high, but I hate when there's like, oh, I don't know, three feet between the rod and the top of the windows. So I've been thinkin. And I have a plan.

Everybody's Doin' a Brand New Dance Now



In your face desire-to-buy-all-new-stuff!

I want to move things around all the time. And sometimes things just work. Sometimes they don't. {Sometimes they really don't!} This chair is older than I am and is from the bank my grandfather worked at. Mine is the third home it's lived in. This pillow was purchased in 2006 during my first realization that a few fun new pillows would change my house. Boy, did they.

Oh, and those brances that are fabulous and turquoise and fabulous? They were purchased for a baby shower. Except that they were FREE.

Make a new combination today. Try something different. And sing this great 90s song while you do it. : )

P.S. If you're reading and you'd like to be publicized, please leave a comment with your blog link. I'd love to read your blog and have you in my blogroll. Thanks -- and nice to meet you!

if only



I've been half-heartedly looking for a new bag. You know the kind: one that does both baby + a little fashion. Not that I take my bag to the park, and not that there are often other mothers there, but if I did and if there were, I think they'd approve.



If only I had an extra $972.09 (after tax) just hanging around, burning a hole in my pocket. Then this beautiful just-orange-enough-to-not-be-pink-and-girly-for-my-man-child-son bag would be mine. 

who are you?

I can't tell you the number of posts I've started.
Or thought up, in my head.
Or even taken a picture or two.
And then never published.




I think it takes a while. To get set up, you know. Who you are {the writer} and who y'all are {the reader} and how you {both writer and reader} want things to be.  My first blog was all about our adoption. Which was a lengthy process. And the people who are reading that want to comment and be friends {if they aren't already your friends or family} and it's all about support and encouragement because adoption can be really hard. But I knew how to do that.




This is a whole different kind of community. Sure, the encouragement and support is there, but it's really different. I feel like it takes more to elicit a comment in this type of blog. You have to do something earth-shattering or surprising or heart-wrenching or all of the above. Not that I blog for your comments. Well, sometimes I do. Sometimes I need reassurance or suggestions or compliments that say I'm on the right track. And sometimes I want comments to know that I'm not alone, and that someone is reading this blog or looking at these pictures and experiencing my life with me. Sometimes I blog just to document what I'm doing.




But I ask, that if you are in fact reading this, that every once in a while, you leave a comment, a shout out, telling me you're there. Telling me who you are. Let's be friends. Let's support and encourage each other. Let me peek into your life as you peek into mine. Let's make a real difference in one another's lives.

Look Alike

I've seen some pretty ways to display dishes. And since last summer, I've become addicted to pretty dishes. Buying them, displaying them, giving them. Needing them. Well, not really needing them, but where's the fun in admitting that?





I have some on the wall in the living room. And some stacked on the counter. And some stacked in a bookshelf. And more stacked in the cabinets. I've been on the lookout for one of those fancy vintage file holders or book displays or something that I can do something with. Enter HoLo.



Last week at HoLo {Hobby Lobby} I saw this. I think she's a mail sorter. She's a little bland, a little boring. But she's got a little extra room. Just like I've got a little extra ... well, nevermind. We'll just leave it at a little extra. {Extra something special??} Metal stuff is on sale 50% off, so for three dollars, I bring her home, plop her on the counter and start shoving dishes in.






I tried one dish at a time, but that wasn't working. Or showing off enough of my dishes. Or filling up all that extra she's got. So then I shoved in two at a time. You know, like you do with those bite-size lemon bars. Or bacon. Or nuggets. Or plates. Back to the plates.



Before I knew it, she was looking lovely and full. {No lemon bars or bacon.}



She might need a little distressing, but she's looking mighty fine if you ask me. And so are my dishes.
Time for a lemon bar reward. Or two. Or two times two. Stop judging. I know you're just jealous.

GoodWill Hunting

I'm pretty sure that's not an original title. So sue me. It fits. 

Today I stopped in my local GW store. It's new. We were all so very excited when it moved in. And it's ok, but it's teenytiny. Like, nearly invisible. Big sign outside, little store inside. But it's ok. Size doesn't matter. In this case.




Ok, I lied. Size does matter. Well, for this lamp it does. We need some new lamps for the bedroom. And I don't really have a spare $80 to go pick some out. Lamps are sometimes really expensive, yo. And I need two. They don't have to match. That's why I just got one. For $7.99 plus a new shade. And some serious spray paint. But I like her little trophy-esque shape. Don't you?

Why, m'lady, how do you keep your pretty little figure? 
Well, I just keep winning things! 





I also found this jewel. It's a ball jar. Wired for lighting. With one ugly old canning label. And brass electrics. And tons of shells. But we can fix all that. $4.99 people. You can't even get the cord for that price!



And this pretty little platter. I came into some silver pieces lately. And while I dig them when they are pretty and shiny {and GW puts a higher price tag on it when it's clean} I am really liking the ones with a bit of patina to them. That's what I'm calling it. Patina. Not dirt. Won't it look beautiful on my dresser with some perfume? Well, once that's all done?

busy week :: project romance part 3

I can't believe I'm posting this publicly, but this is what my bedroom looked like during busy week. This was two days before massive throngs of people showed up at my house for a celebration.




Did I mention that our bedroom is basically RIGHT OFF the living room? As in, that's where people always want to go and put their purses and jackets. And sneak into the other bathroom. {This is why I think it's imperative to have a half bathroom somewhere! And yet, we don't have one!}



The fun thing is that you get a preview of the new paint color. Well, it looks really white in these pictures, unless you look by the ceiling. This is only one coat of paint. Should I remind you of the before?



See? Dark dark dark. Now it's light light light.



And the bathroom is coming along, too! You won't believe the transformation!

busy week :: project one: complete!

I know, I know. You've been on the edge of your seat trying to figure out what I've been up to. Well, maybe not. But let's pretend, shall we? Thanks. In case you couldn't tell by my sneaky sneak peek, I added a wall of beaded board and a display ledge in my entry. Which before {go back and look at the before picture. I'll wait.} looked like a giant hallway. Well, I figured we could do something about that.

This is Frank. He's my main squeeze when it comes to fixing. Well, now he is. Don't worry, my hubband knows all about it. He's about to be my hubband's main squeeze, too. We went to church with Frank. Frank is awesome. Frank even entertained my baby while he worked. Home fixing + baby entertaining = totally worth my money. I got so much done while my little one was preoccupied barking and talking to Frank.


We removed the baseboards {ha ha, ok Frank did it.} and measured out a level line, both horizontally and vertically. My walls and floors are crooked. Yours probably are, too. From there, every piece went in measuring level and square up to that line.

I chose to do the panels at 65 inches. Because I am the perfect height, regardless of how often my hubband tells me I am too short. Maybe this will help him remember.



Then we {again, please read as "Frank"} added a 1x6 on top of the panel all the way down, and a 1x4 on top of that for the ledge. He suggested we use a door stop {you know, the thing inside the door frame that makes it stop swinging? You hang your door on either side of it?} because it would look prettier than my original suggestion of the cheapest thing. Plus, since he added it to the front, it doesn't take any space away from the ledge, like what would have happened if he'd added some little trim on top as a stopper. Am I making sense? Probably not. Also, I was a little bit worried about our rounded edge walls, but Frank suggested rounding the shelf out too, and it turned out great. No need for taller people to worry about poking out their eyeball when turning the corner.

Frank picked the already primed stuff -- which was only like a buck more expensive -- and painted it up after all the caulking and filler had dried. He trimmed the baseboards just a smidge, and set it all back up.




Fantastic, no?



Now all that's left is the accessorizing. What's funny is that I was so excited about doing this ... and it's been done for nearly five days and there is still nothing up there! Originally I had thought I'd display some fun art things ... but I'm really picturing the wreath from my front door up there now. I'll do one more follow up post when it's all decorated and pretty.

My hubband wants to put up hooks on the flat 1x6 ... but I think that means it will be covered in ugly brown and tan and green jackets all the time. {I wear pretty sweaters, but they make it back to the closet.} I don't want junky. But do you think the practicality of this is worth it???

busy week :: project one

Well, I'm officially entitling this week "Busy Week" since I'm having a big party here on Saturday and have decided to do about two hundred projects before people get here. Sounds fun, right?



I also saw that there is a party over at Our Suburban Cottage. Isn't that fun? I like the part about how the featured project is the thing that "has been nagging at us like a pesky neighbor…or a two year old…or a mother-in-law (take your pick)."  


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So here I am showing you some sneak peeks into Project One for Busy Week.




So do you like all those teeny tiny fingerprints on the mirror? Those are from my adorable son. The mirror was recently at floor and tiny finger level. Then I put it on a vacant nail and didn't even bother to clean it. Further proof that my grandmother doesn't read my blog and that I don't have a maid. 





Oh, and there has already been one casualty. Don't worry, I tell you what to do to prevent that in my reveal post. I'm watchin' out for you. And your goodies. 



lookie!

Hi. It's me again. Surprised?
I didn't think so.
Me neither.

I made a fancy header. Not too bad for my second try, right? I made another but I liked this one better. But I'm not sure if it will stay. What do you think?



Also, I'm working on a tag line. You know, that thing about your blog. Which is kinda hard right now, because I'm still working out the kinks about this blog. Right now, we're going to go with what we've got.

Domestic Indecision.
Home. How To. Hope for a Lovely Tomorrow.

Let me know what you think?!

project romance :: blurry vision



I have several paint samples on the wall. Paint in the bedroom, paint in the bathroom. Paint coming out my ears. Guess what. I can't decide. I had a clear winner, and then I saw it in different light (how does the light change so much in three days?!) and then didn't like it anymore.  So I went and purchased some Benjamin Moore paint that I saw in the PB catalog. Darn that PB. It's like crack sometimes. One day I'm going to be on the street begging people for their old catalogs, sniffing them and shooting them up. Well, not exactly shooting them up, because they are precious and I want to keep them all. But I don't. Just so you know.


no light on in dark corner -- daytime


light on -- daytime


bathroom craziness.

It started innocently enough. I'm really digging the white on white on white rooms lately. Well, not exactly that much white. Not like you're living in a bleach commercial or anything. But white on cream on ivory on faded blue and tan and I think by now you get my drift. And for the bathroom, I was thinking some smokey gray blue that was rich and deep and faded. But I also like fun. And frisky. And a little sassy. {If we're being honest. And while we're being honest, I believe those were three adjectives about me in a forward last week. Maybe I'm really self-obsessed?}


glass block makes cool shadows that I never even noticed before.

The problem is that the bathroom has a GIANT glass block window. It's great because that room is almost always full of natural light. The giant window is facing an even GIANTER mirror. {Gianter is a word.} So that room is blinding right now with those fun and frisky colors. So guess where I'm headed again today? Back to Sherwin Williams for yet another sample pot. {This makes about five trips this week.} Even though they are five bucks and some change each, I think I'd rather pay the five bucks then buy another gallon of paint. I made that mistake once before. With the gold that's in there now. It started out looking like a room full of macaroni and cheese. Which is great if you're a three year old and want to swim in mac n cheese. Not especially great for anything else.

Hopefully this afternoon I will be back with some progress!
{Remember, the big issue is a big fiesta at our house this weekend with lots of family. So everyone will be touring the house -- against my hubband's wishes -- and things need to be finished by then!}

bird explosion

Once upon a time my sweet friend Misty bought me a little birdy.



She likes birds. I liked the birdy she gave me. Every time I saw a birdy, I thought of her. So then I was seeing birdies all the time. And she was seeing them all the time and thinking of me. Before we knew it, we were both all about birdies.

Then I was introduced to the world of blogging. Well, partial truth. I knew about blogging. I'd spent countless millions of hours on adoption blogs when we were researching adoption. But I didn't know there were housey blogs. The first housey blog anyone told me about was The Nester, which is a great place to start. It's also the best place to waste hundreds of hours when you should be vacuuming doghair tumbleweeds or folding laundry or finding one piece of clothing that doesn't have baby spit on it. Anyway. The Nester is also way into birdies. Cool. We should be buddies, me and that Nester.

I've been noticing birdies and their gaining popularity.
Other blogs. Other stores. Etsy. Pillows. Shirts. Baby clothes. Baby bedding.

Enter the new Pottery Barn Catalog. Oh.My.Goodness.
Bird Explosion.
Twenty three different birdy items.

Look! They are here:




And here:




Hark! A lark!



And apparently, there are even birdies for you birdy-haters.
You can light them* on fire:





Birdy Sightings on pillows, bedding, prints, plates, napkins, placemats, tapestries, a diffuser and more!

Man, I am such a trend-setter.

 *Absolutely no birdies were harmed in the making of this post. 
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