{october 1} happy corners of our home

October 1, 20155 Comments

today begins another write 31 day challenge. last october, i took part, but didn’t quite finish the challenge…you can see my posts here.

this year, i am hoping to actually complete the challenge with a new topic…happy corners of our home.

a few years ago, kelle from enjoying the small things started #happycornerofmyhome on instagram. it was so fun to see little corners of people’s homes.

in the words of the nester, it doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.

i also believe that it doesn’t have to be perfect to be happy!

you will see 31 corners of our home. some will be imperfect, some might even be darn messy, but they will all be happy!

here is the first one…

a new happy corner in our playroom. it’s a tiny little space carved out just for me. it means my laptop can sit out and be accessible, but not take up room on the kitchen counter or on our craft table.

globe: goodwill
desk and chair: craigslist
create letters: found at michael’s and joann fabric, painted by me
heart garland: target (found during valentines day a few years ago)
paint pallet: barn owl primitives

{gallery wall} take one

September 30, 20153 Comments

It was fun to revisit an old post yesterday, so I am doing it again today…this one is from June 2011!

I’ll have to do an update because, of course, things have changed a bit. However, the majority of this gallery wall has stayed the same!

Our walls have been bare for almost 4 years in this house.

I put something up for a short time and then find that I am not happy with it.

As you may have read, when I get frustrated I move furniture, but hanging art on walls just makes me frustrated. It’s a vicious cycle.

Hanging artwork seems permanent to me…which means I can’t move furniture around.

Now that our furniture is finally placed where I am happy with it (for now) I have wanted to hang some artwork on the walls. Ideas have floated around in my head from photos I have seen on other blogs and Pinterest. Nothing really forced me to put any holes in the wall, though.

Recently, we have been talking about getting the walls in our house painted. I would like to make holes in the walls pre-paint so that the painter can patch any mistakes and our walls with be nice and clean.

Then it all started with this…

We had this photo taken over a year ago and I finally ordered a wrapped canvas with a coupon I got from Sharing Spree.

I was thrilled when I received it and decided I had better put it up on the wall!

So, one afternoon, I just started hanging my black frames. Some already have photos in them, some need updated photos, and some just need photos!

This is a tall wall in our entryway. Below it is a bench that I have had since I was a little girl. This is where the kids keep their shoes, etc. It faces our playroom, which also has artwork with black frames including a large bulletin board which displays the kids artwork, Christmas cards, or other fun things depending on the time of the year.

Of course, after I got everything up on the wall I found about five more frames to add, and have Ryan’s Father’s Day gift to hang up on the wall.

The good thing is that there are more walls or more room on this wall!

The other good news is that I have started to put holes in the walls. Now I just need to continue with all the original artwork we have stored in our attic and some other prints that I would like to get framed.

Wish me luck!

home is…making progress on wall at a time.

*linking up with Tatertots and Jello…

{our home} mad for plaid

September 29, 20156 Comments

Everybody seems to be mad for plaid this season. I am no exception. I have pulled out my vintage plaid throws, quilts, and thermos’. I also pulled out the pillow covers I ended up making in the post below from October 2012. I only held onto four of them, but I think I still have the fabric stashed somewhere…maybe I’ll make more!

One of the things I love about living in the Pacific Northwest is that fall lingers.

The first signs start to show in September…apple farms, cooler nights, shorter days

October brings changing leaves, boot and sweater weather, and pumpkin patches.

Wait…it’s not over!

The leaves still change color well into November until the rain settles in and our thoughts change to winter on their own.

Given this fact, the quilts and afghans we used for picnics and outdoor movies during the summer have found their place in our home for use everyday…and I was inspired.

Specifically by the plaids in the quilts…probably somebody’s old ripped shirt that could no longer be worn.

I thought about making some pillow covers out of thrifted plaid shirts, but wasn’t having any luck. The shirts were too expensive (i.e. one shirt could cover one 20″ x 20″ pillow, but the shirts I liked were all $13-$19).

Then I searched the internet for pillows, but just couldn’t find something I liked.

Then, I went to Target yesterday. I found two large plaid pillows and thought, “Perfect,” but they were $30 each.

So, I wandered…thinking about my options…and stumbled onto some woven throws on clearance for $8 each. I figured that even if I could only make one pillow out of each throw that I would still get each pillow for only $8, but they weren’t plaid.

I bought five of them and was on my way home when I figured I should just stop in at the fabric store and see what they might have.

Plaid flannel was on sale for 50% off!

I found five patterns I liked and bought one yard of each.

We had 10 forms to cover.

I covered them all and have lots of scrap for more projects…

Our family room is ready to keep us warm through fall and winter.

In the end, I got 10 pillows for the price I would have paid for the two I saw at Target!

I have plenty of fabric for more projects…maybe something for colton+cadence!

home is…letting fall linger.

the playroom: version 2015

September 22, 201516 Comments

when you enter our home, you basically walk into a big open space that is our staircase, living room, and dining room. this space is definitely where we do a lot of our living, but it is far from formal.

the playroom version 2015

there was a time when i longed for a playroom like the ones in the pottery barn catalog.

eventually, our living room became a designated playroom.

that was 5 years ago, and it’s changed a lot over the last 5 years.

{2011, 2012, 2013, 2014}

it’s still the PLAY room, but it is really so much more than that.

it’s a place to sit, love, and create.

in the corner, near the front door, i set up a little workstation for myself. it’s a nice place to keep my laptop and be able to have it out of the way of everything else that is going on in the house.

the craft table is now in a nice open location with plenty of room to move around it and add more seats if needed. it is also where the kids eat their snack and do their homework after school.

although toys are not spread all over the floor like they used to be when the kids were younger, this is still the place they play…as in video games.

it is also a space where they snuggle up and read or watch cartoons in the morning.

our dining room is our only eating space where all four of us can sit together, so it is far from formal.

the sofa area is so cozy now.

this space has always been one of my favorite spaces in the house, but i really love this version of the playroom.

yes, that is the cat litter box underneath the easel. keeping it real, folks!

soon, i’ll be posting more details of each area with sources.

home is…the ever evolving playroom.

in between

September 17, 20157 Comments

it’s dark and rainy this morning and it feels perfect.

after a longer than usual, hotter than usual, drier than usual spring and summer i am ready for the rain.

both kids are now in school full time.

wow.

the day that i thought would take so long to get here is here.

it’s bittersweet.

the introvert in me loves the quiet, uninterrupted time to get things done.

the part of me that has spent the last eight years as the main caregiver of my children feels like a part of me is missing.

watching them enjoy the freedom that they have leaving me and entering the doors of their school together warms my heart.

listening to them talk about the times they see each other at school lets me know that they are keeping an eye on each other when i am not there to do it.

there are two gifts we should give our children; one is roots, and the other is wings.

this will be an interesting time.

my main job is to still be their main caregiver, but it’s not a full-time job anymore.

i will be figuring out how to fill the time in between.

in between when they leave me for the day and when they return to my care.

today, i will fill it with organizing the pantry, cleaning their rooms, my bedroom, and the bathrooms with the open windows letting in fresh rain filled air while i listen to the maroon 5 pandora station as loud as i want to!

home is…filling the in between.

{milestones} baby girl is six

September 8, 20157 Comments

I asked her some questions this morning to get a feel for how SHE feels at six.

favorite color: hot pink
favorite toy: elsa doll
favorite t.v. show: the thunderman’s
favorite game: minecraft
favorite snack: chips and guacamole
favorite animal: turtle
favorite holiday: christmas
favorite book: i believe i can fly
favorite song: sugar by maroon 5
what do you take to bed: puppy
favorite food: meatballs
favorite thing to do outside: ride my new bike
what do you want to be when you grow up: ice skating teacher
what are you most grateful for: ice cream
favorite part of the day: school
what makes you happy: mom
what are you scared of: bugs
what makes you special: i’m silly

summer 2015: 85/89

September 3, 20155 Comments

yesterday was school supply drop off and the kids finally found out who their teachers will be for the year!

they are so excited about being at the same school together.

i am pretty excited about it, too!

at any rate, yesterday made the end of summer and beginning of school just that more real for me.

back to school 1

so i took down our summer list, and put up a little back to school vignette.

now i feel like i need to have a back to school party for the kids!

earlier this summer i picked up some signs from the target dollar spot. they look like street signs, but are for the classroom.

i added a vintage flash card {and a couple other vintage cards} with a note on it saying:

{the kids gave their teachers different signs, but i forgot to take photos of them before we went to the school yesterday.}

it was a great way to “break the ice” with new teachers!

the little guy lucked out, and knows his teacher because she taught first grade last year. we are thrilled that she will be his teacher this year.

baby girl has a teacher who is new to the school, but she was so welcoming and friendly i know it will be a good fit.

i am really looking forward to teaching art literature in both classes, and volunteering whenever the teachers may need my help!

before school starts we have a great weekend planned.

a running race for a great cause.

ryan’s birthday.

a holiday weekend…maybe a back to school party…or an outdoor movie?!

and, on the little guy’s first day of school we will also celebrate baby girl’s birthday!

good times.

summer 2015: 82/89

August 31, 20153 Comments

tomorrow is the first day of fall…in meteorological terms.

back in the day, meteorologists split the calendar up by months to distinguish the seasons.

meteorological summer is june, july, august.

meteorological autumn is september, october, november.

kind of logical, huh?

cooler temperatures are finally here in the pacific northwest after out hottest meteorological summer on record!

yesterday, i spent a lot of the day cleaning up the backyard from the windstorm that hit over the weekend. i also trimmed back my hanging baskets and would like to add some pansies and other flowers/plants that might make it through the winter.

i cleaned off the outdoor chalkboard to get it ready for our annual first day of school photos which will happen in one week!

i am also preparing lists of all the projects that i have put off and really need to get done once both kids go back to school. i am sure i will find plenty of ways to fill my days without them!

although, it gets me a bit choked up knowing that i will be alone for almost 6 hours everyday for the first time in over eight years. i have had at least one sidekick with me everyday since july 2007!

the other day i told baby girl that i would miss her when she was at school. she looked at me funny and said, “But you’ll have Oddy and Rainy!”

she is super excited to start kindergarten at the same school as her brother. when i asked her what she is most excited about she said, “Making new friends!”

her brother, on the other hand, is not thrilled about going back to school, but i know he will be once he sees all his friends!

we have school supply drop off ton wednesday. we will also finally find out who they have for teachers. woo-hoo!

still on summer vacation

August 31, 20157 Comments

initially, i thought i would blog every day this summer.

i started out writing about our days…drinking coffee, exercising, and checking things off our summer list.

then vacations started.

i had grand plans of documenting each day of our family vacations in july.

i did ok, but there were just too many photos and not enough time in the day.

now it’s been 3 weeks since my last blog post.

august was the slow month of summer for us.

a month to be home and just relax after being away from home 21+ days in july!

it’s now just a blur…the kids had way too much screen/electronic time, we didn’t get much checked off the summer list, but we did relax.

i’m not going to feel guilty about the screen time. summer is for relaxing. screen time is a part of kids lives in this day and age.

that’s all i am going to say about it.

while almost all of the other kids in portland are heading back to school today, our kids have one more week of summer break left.

we like to end the summer on a vacation with just our family.

we went to the oregon coast over the weekend. ryan and i both love this vacation the most. while being with extended family is a lot of fun, being with our family in a spot where all the to do lists can be put away is so important and fulfilling.

we played in the waves, rode bikes, walked along the beach, drove along the coast {from tillamook down to florence}, went out to eat, explored, watched movies, sat in the hot tub, built sand castles, played board games, and thoroughly enjoyed our time together as a family.

summer 2015: 61/89

August 10, 2015Leave a comment

i had a strange dream last night.

i dreamt about the time that i walked in on a burglary in progress at our home in denver.

only this time the kids were with me and ben wasn’t there to keep me from walking in the door.

i woke up right when i opened the door.

i have no idea what it means. dreams are weird.

the little guy went to a park our camp today.

it’s a “survivor camp”, so they break into tribes and have to finish challenges. he earned all 4 of the wristbands he needed and won!

he ate these…

seriously, he jumps off cliffs and eats bugs. he’s all boy.

just as he is all boy, she is all girl.

{august 10} manipedi

she requested a manicure and pedicure while the little guy was at camp. she even talked me into getting a manicure {which i usually don’t do}.

i also made the time to get my training run in at our health club.

3 hard miles on the treadmill.

i am so much happier running outside with my running partner {grand river odyssey}, but when i need to get miles in the treadmill works out great.

stephany taddeo

home is what you make it