A sneak peek...

(view standing in opening to dining room)
Well, we are FINALLY starting to see progress as we settle into our new home. So, I decided it was time to give you a peek at our progress. The books cases are empty for the moment but it feels so good to have a pretty room in which to relax! See the area rug... Thank you very much Goodwill and Becki at infarrantly creative! You had no idea what an impact it would make on our living room, did you? And the lamp? Oil-rubbed bronze from our swag bags! I was surprised at how much Chris LOVES it! He started naming off all kinds of things he would like to see spray painted. I love that man!!

(front door view)

You know how I sometimes reference our dogs... Well the behemoth you see in front of the sofa is Lily, our "puppy!" And no she is not standing on anything aside from the carpet, big moose of a dog that she is. At 22 months old she hasn't reached her full size. A couple more inches, a few more pounds and another year will bring her to maturity! Who knew that a Newfoundland/Malamute mix stayed "puppies" for 3 years? We didn't but we sure do love her just the same (I say this now when I am not frustrated beyond belief with her! ha ha)

Does anyone have any ideas for window treatments? I DO NOT LIKE THESE DRAPES! I know we have a table and sofa in front of the window but just couldn't figure out how to make it work any other way. We wanted a defined "entry way" plus open access to our room and the dining room. I really appreciate any ideas you might have.

ORB....my new love

Can you believe two posts in one day? Well, I couldn't wait... ORB (oil rubbed bronze) now ranks right up there with my two favorite metals, nickle and chrome. It's the sophisticated older sister! Remember this?


Well, she is now this...

Now what do I do for new trim? Hubby likes the shade so it will stay for the moment. Any suggestions? The colors in the room are aqua, chocolate brown, and a hint of orang or red plus the green recliner. Oh and lots of wood tones!

The Goods....

Well I'm a little slow in getting these pictures taken but better late than never right! Note to self: do not take pictures while sneezing and/or coughing. After a wonderful day of shopping, I came down with a cold... a miserable, achy all over, sneeze-your-head-off, eyes watering, stuffy head, deep chest cough COLD! But I'm feeling so much better now plus the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and the lambs are bleating!

Now for the initial unveil! These are all the goodies I brought home. Some are additions to collections, some will find new purpose, and some items will have new life breathed into them. The sweaters were size large, men's wool sweaters but I've already started the felting process to make a purse, felt flowers, and maybe a pillow or two.


The two brown chairs will be striped and the mirror is for our bedroom (if you can see it for all the clutter in the garage/aka overflow area! Thank goodness it will ALL be gone in a few short weeks!! Aren't garage sales wonderful!?!)


This rug is to be used in either living room or boys bedroom. (imagine this a chocolate brown)

And if that wasn't enough I would like to thank the sponsors who graciously offered their products for the SWAG BAG! OH do I have plans for these... Back, child, back, I say! These go in Mom's crafting stash but I'm sure I can be persuaded to share, wink, wink.








And to think I was going to purchase some of the ORB spray paint but held off! Now I will be able to transform this little beauty!! On a side note, does anyone else know what their Goodwill's policy on brass is? Apparently this lamp was not to have been out on the shelf for sale as it is brass. We found it sitting back behind all the other lamps with no price tag. After a brief chat with the pricing manager we got it for $12 including shade but were told it was not to have been out on display as it was brass. Do certain items get shipped to other stores for resale? I know our store is nice but it definitely does NOT have the selection (or quality) of items as ones in certain neighborhoods of Indianapolis.



I can't wait to see what everyone else does with their finds! I will most definitely keep you posted on the "makeovers" of each treasure. And to think garage sale season is almost upon us... After having gone 5 years with NO garage sales what wil the summer hold for us?

A Glorious day...

Yesterday was a glorious day despite leaden skies... Okay I must interrupt my previously scheduled post in order to strangle an irreverent teenager!!! The insolent poop just asked if someone had pity on me and became a follower. Now back to waxing poetic. Oop the moment is gone...

But seriously as I was saying... Yesterday was the Goodwill Shop and Hop graciously hosted by Becki of Infarrantly Creative and Sarah of Thrifty Decor Chick. Delightful ladies from all over Indiana and Kentucky made the trek into Indianapolis to spend an afternoon of dining and shopping. To be honest, I was a bit trepiditious to spend the afternoon away from the comfort of my family amongst women whose thrifting and decorating acumen leave me in awe. Yep, I was feeling pretty intimidated but took the plunge! Let me just say that I can away from the afternoon refreshed invigorated and excited about new projects ahead. And what a group of ladies!! Let's just leave it at I can't wait to get the list of everyone's blogs or a repeat event!! In the next few weeks you will see reviews featuring the products from our SWAG bags as well "before" and "after" posts of an afternoon of finds!



In the meantime here is sneak peek of possible bathroom decor. Hmm, what to do with what was once a Harley Davidson bathroom without painting?

Prepare to be shocked....

Yes, you read that correctly. I am showing your more "before" pictures! This is what happens when you have too much and are in midst of unpacking. I will admit that the base cabinets are basically empty as well as several upper cabinets. You are seeing the culling process.


We knew we had a lot to get rid of but just didn't grasp the amount when we had a larger house. After living a month with the barest of necessities we are finding out what we can and cannot live without. Okay I should rephrase that as what we would rather not live without... chairs for the dining room table, some place to sit aside from the dining room, and a few more pots/baking pans/mixing bowls. But folks that was pretty much it. Okay I admit I brought my sewing machine and fabric with us but never got any sewing done. No it isn't one of the things to go but there will be much to include toys. The boys were content with minimal toys (unfortunately they wanted to spend their time on electronics...) and less clothes.


As the weeks progress I will continue to show you the progress. Yes, I know it is not pretty right now but it does feel cleansing. We are also learning more about building relationships w/ the Lord, others and each other. There is too little time to be filling it up with greed, consumerism, and waste. We are not only filling our home with these things but our lives as well.

Please feel free to see how we are progressing with eliminating the clutter in our lives!

THE MOVERS ARE HERE...

with two trucks! You should have seen the looks on their faces, fear and trepidation were written all over them! Where will everything go? Now we will find out exactly how big a 2-car garage is!! Keep us in mind today as they unload! Chris leaves for work in 4 hours so we shall see how much they can accomplish in that time especially since they were supposedly going to have been here an hour ago!

Think of me over the weekend and the coming weeks! Oh, if you happen to be in the Kokomo area in May, look us up! We will be having a GINORMIC garage/yard sale! Clothes, accessories, furniture, tools, books, kitchen ware, craft supplies... you name it!

Oh the second truck was virtually empty as it only contained the crate with the ATV and plow. One tractor trailer to go and Ian's bed just go here. Like Chris said "Feast or famine!" Right now, I'm lovin the feast!

Toodles!!!

Home Tour Party... "before"

First I would like to welcome you to our humble abode. Tiny it may be but home it is!

I know that there have been many requests for pictures of the house so here goes... Daniella over at Transforming home is having a House Tour Party and it seemed like the perfect time to join in. As some of you know we moved recently and have been living out of "suitcases" and the few odd items we brought in the little trailer. So today you will see the "BEFORE" tour...

Kitchen and dining "room" prior to paint.



After paint but no accesories. I have a collection of white serving ware to include various cake stands which will look wonderful above the cabinets.



Here we have the living room... No, the chair did not come with us but was a temporary aquisition which may or may not stay. Trust me if it does stay, it will be reupholstered!!





Now on to the bedrooms. After several years in a miniscule room the master bedroom feels almost palacial in size.


The Boys' room...




A Teen's room... He picked out the linens, the new bed comes in tomorrow, and today I start painting. All we have left to do is decide on a dresser, chair, artwork, curtains, and possible desk.



And as of tomorrow the whole house will entirely different. Imagine furniture and lots of boxes, more boxes than you can think possible. It will take some time but it'll all get done! I don't know about my family but I'm really excited about the challenge of moving from a decidedly large house to one with much less square footage. No, this is not our dream house or even dream property but I am content with it! Feel free to come back periodically to see the transformation.

(Sorry but I am not feeling particularly witty or profound today... You see, I anxious to get back to work as there is only a hall and a bedroom to paint today!)