My House!

This week, our new house was painted. I'm so excited to see the finished product in person! My sister said that it looks great and the colors flow well. I'm so excited! I know a lot of you have asked about our house and I've been waiting until we were finished painting to post some pictures. I'll try to walk you through it, but my memory may fail. I've only been in it once and that was last November!


This is standing in the living room / entryway looking up the stairs. The far wall is chocolate brown, the living room is a warm caramel color.

This is the living room just as you enter the front door (the door which I decided I'll be painting army / olive green). The color on the wall here is the main color for everything. It's a deep caramel color - not really peach as it may seem! This room will have a couple of chairs and the long wall will be nothing but bookshelves. So excited about that!

This is the family room just past the kitchen / dining room. It's original purpose was the master bedroom, but with just the three of us, it makes more sense as a family room. Not to mention the handy closet for games and Sammy's toys and the full bathroom just off of it.

The kitchen / dining room is inbetween the living room and the family room. It has vaulted ceilings and is light and homey. My 'office' will also be in here - there is a corner that seems to be made for it!

More of the kitchen. The red is more of an orange-y terra cotta red, not the magenta-y red that was popular. I think it ties in well with the browns. I'm envisioning a very Tuscan feel to this room.

This is the corner of the kitchen / dining room that will be home to my desk (as seen from the 2nd story balcony). The first door goes into the family room and the second door is to the bathroom and just past it is a small hallway leading to the garage. I have such grand plans for this corner! Shelves all the way up the wall, bookcase with my writing books. This is the part I'm most excited for! There is a horrible light fixture there right now, but will be replaced a couple of days after we get there. The current light fixture haunts my nightmares...

Immediately as you come up the stairs you get to our room. It's long and definitely smaller than what we are used to, but we'll deal! I'm completely loving the chocolate brown / teal marriage. I'm completely loving it.

This is Sammy's room which is down the hallway from ours. It's a khaki color right now and as soon as we can, we'll install a chair rail and paint the bottom half of the room in orange / lime green and yellow stripes. My sister has also tossed around the idea of shadow animals on the walls and who am I to say no?

This is the hallway looking into Sammy's room before the big paint this week. The second bathroom is just off to the right.

Standing by our bedroom looking into the upstairs bathroom.

The backyard.

More of the backyard. This is how I imagine it. Without snow...

Smells Like Teen Spirit

When I was in high school, I fancied myself a tree hugging hippie for about a year. Well, as much of a hippie as you can be when you are 17, living in Southern New Mexico and being raised in a conservative, comes from cattle ranching stock, parents household (not that there's anything wrong with that!). I had really long straight hair, wore ripped jeans and no make-up and my Earth Day tee-shirt with moccasins. Sexy. I had pretty liberal leanings and deeply felt social injustices.

And then I went to college and changed. Became more conservative in some ways, more liberal in others (I was at Ricks after all!), and tried on some new philosophies. Of course, some of it stuck and others did not. I think that's what college is about - learning about yourself along with gaining a traditional education.

However, one of the great things about your 30s (and from what I hear, your 40s & 50s as well) is you become ok with who you are. You become comfortable with what you think and you solidify parts of your philosophies. The interesting thing about this is I've become more liberal and identify better with that 17 year old pseudo hippie than with any of my changes during college. My husband teases me about how my "liberalness" grows with every passing day; especially since having Sammy. I miss my Earth Day tee-shirt. I'm excited to grow a garden and can. I can't wait to install my clothesline. I spend a lot of time reading about green cleaning products and reducing consumerism and America's abhorrent love affair with fast food and waste. I feel deeply about buying American made products for Sammy and supporting immigration and social programs. (However, I still have an aversion to breast feeding and whole heartedly embrace Windex Wipes and disposable diapers. Go figure!)

Thankfully, now that I'm a little older and a little wiser, I've found a way to embrace this personal philosophy while still feeling totally ok with buying Nine West red leather heels every few weeks. And jewelry. Lots of jewelry. And pretty things for my home. Oh, hey. I think I might need these...

I just need more money...

(Place No. 4 by Jacob Brazell, the world's best artist)

I truly love pretty things. I love having my stuff around me and expanding and exploring things that will say "me" when you walk into my home. I love searching and finding pieces that I adore. In this moving process, we've been purging a lot of things that simply don't have 'our' feel to them anymore and simplifying what we do have. It's been a nice exercise to define what we want in our space.

In doing this, I've been searching for art. I have a tremendous lack of art in my life. I know what I love, but I don't know what to do with it in my space. Or if the individual pieces make up a whole. Or if I'm overthinking it and should just get what I love and worry about the details later. Probably that one! I know what I like, but the execution part stumps me. Thank heaven for sisters who rock in this situation! I do know that I'm not one for religious art (I know, I know...) and I worry that I'll be look at strangely for that in the land of all things religious (well, not really worried, but it's crossed my mind!). However, I hope that when people come into my home, they'll feel the peace and beauty that I want to create with the pieces I do choose.

I love photography and have so many pictures that I want to do something with. My style is pretty eclectic and I'm ok with that, but I also want a modern / clean feel to the mishmash of things. This is where I usually get hung up and throw something toward a wall and call it good! This time, though, I want to get it right. I have a feel in mind for my new home and I'm hoping with all the simplifying and taking time to get things I love, I'll get to that feeling.

Here are a few things I've been pondering and just don't know how / where to fit them in my life. And if any of you have favorites I should see, send them my way!

1. I love the simplicity in this photo. It's been on my "I should buy this" list for months, but I'm not sure where it would go. My bedroom, most likely.

2. I have a love affair with old typewriters. I think this would be great above my desk.

3. I'm assuming I can commission something like this for my living room / library / reading room. Hopefully I have a pretty good 'in' with the artist!

4. This is the one I'm having the hardest time justifying! I have NO IDEA where it would go, but I'm completely in love. (I also love this one from the same artist)

Happy Birthday!

Today is Isaac's 32nd birthday. After knowing him for 11 years and being married for nearly nine, I can honestly say that he's still my favorite person to hang out with. We are both nervous for a decrease in our hanging out time that will come with the move since we spend a ridiculous amount of time together! He makes me think and makes me laugh and I'm so proud of what he's accomplished for our little family. He's given me the best son on earth - truly a little mini Isaac - who adores his daddy. Happy birthday baby! I love you!

Once

Isaac and I watched Once a couple of weeks ago. It was one of the most brilliant movies I have seen in a long time and honestly should be on my previous list. It is so unlike most mainstream films. It had a quiet beauty to it and the story was truly lovely and uplifting and good. One of the original songs (Falling Slowly) was up for an Oscar tonight and won. I actually teared up. It was like Hollywood decided to celebrate hope. This soundtrack is on my list to pick up before the move. It will be welcomed on the long drive.