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!