...our next not-so-little house project is to have a big ol' shed installed. I shall put in a little potting area and pretend I'm Martha Stewart.
I think we will do the barn doors, but Ken thought the cupola was going a little too far. Win some, lose some.
As I was saving these pictures from Pinterest, Charlie said, "I want to live in dat house." If he moves home after college, his dream might just come true.
...took a little unplanned blog break there, had a stomach virus knock me off my feet for a few days last week.
Christmas is in full swing around here. And it is magical. Charlie is at a fantastic age where he believes it all, all the magic, and questions none of it.
He smiled the entire time. Just like that.
Clara did not. She loves to talk about Santa. But that's where the relationship ends for her.
The stockings are hung.
Our favorite ornaments are on the tree.
The kid's school crafts are on display.
I love a humongous poinsettia.
Our little tree is up on the porch. Charlie said this is how Santa will know to come to our house.
And the wrapping has begun.
Only six more days. We can't wait.
...charlie was on his bike and clara on foot, hence more photos of the less-mobile child.
Telling a story about something:
Clapping for her brother:
She loves crossing her arms lately. Cracks me up because she can't. quite. get. it:
Charlie would stop just so Clara could, "Give me a push!"
She also always wants to sit with her legs crossed and sometimes watching the effort it takes for her to cross them makes my heart hurt:
One of the times Charlie said, "Give me a push!" and she came running, saying, "Ooooookkkkkayyyy!"
...our hall/guest bath is pretty small but I felt like it needed something on the walls. Family portraits didn't feel quite right to put above a toilet, so I got a few small, inexpensive pieces on etsy and framed them in IKEA frames I already had. I wasn't sure how it would all look, but paired with the mirror my parent's bought for their first house, I love it:
Clockwise from top left: mocking bird ACEO print from dimdimini | searching from kiki and polly (love, love her work) | deer ACEO print from dimdimini | braid print by Elizabeth Mayville (stunning in real life)
...finally. The kitchen.
Our original plans had the kitchen like this:
We liked it but I didn't love it. And then I found out I probably couldn't have my beloved farmhouse sink on a diagonal and Ken and I went into overdrive drawing out a new layout (and I credit him with the final layout and our designer for helping us envision it!)
We also knew that the "nook" would be our only dining space, so we bumped the entire back of the house out two feet to accommodate a little more space there.
The granite is honed Virginia Jet Mist. Most commonly used on, errrrrr, headstones. I wanted something white, but we couldn't find a granite we liked. I really liked the look of Torquay, but Ken thought it was too shiny. Then we walked into the granite yard and this was standing right in front of us and we were sold. It looks a lot like soapstone but is so much easier to maintain. I love it.
This next shot is looking into the pantry. There's a big window in the pantry, so we went with a frosted white door. The pantry is every woman's dream and could potentially double as a sixth bedroom. The area to the right has the microwave, coffee maker, toaster, etc. and isn't visible from the rest of the house. I love that this little area and the refrigerator are kind of tucked away.
I love my sink. It is humongous. It could also double as our fourth bathroom.
The dining room table was one of our first married purchases nearly 13 years ago. I can remember driving it home in the bed of Ken's pickup truck. I'm thinking about painting the end chairs a different color.
...My happy place. I thought we might have a problem with woodland creatures eating all our plants but apparently there's enough to keep their interest in the 100-acre woods.
Apparently, we have the perfect climate to grow human-size hastas.
I know this will come as a shock, but I'm a big fan of neutral, even if my flower pots.
These are black-eyed susans, ready to start blooming. We also transplanted some to the edge of the woods...excited to see those come out.
We originally planned for the kid's playroom to be the bonus room upstairs over the garage. Ken's office would be the room formerly known as the dining room which we had closed off with frosted french doors. Then we had an epiphany that our kids were not even three and one when we were moving in and a playroom upstairs wasn't feasible for probably a few years, so Ken's office and the playroom got swapped (he definitely got the better part of THAT deal).
...full disclosure: this room is never, ever, ever, ever, not ever this clean.
I would like to say that this contains the toys, but the reality is that most days it's like a gigantic toy storage room that the kids go and pick what they want and then bring it out to the rest of the house.
Rug is from Charlie's old room (from PB Teen), bookshelf and baskets are IKEA. Train table is PB Kids. Wall frames are mostly IKEA.
And that's that. I promise, there are only two rooms left.
...Yeah, let's get this tour over with, already.
Walking down the hallway toward her room.
I think that's a binky under her dresser. At least I hope that's what it is.
We added a pink pouf after this picture was taken. Everyone needs a pink pouf.
Clara's room only has one window, so I wanted to keep it light and airy. Lots of neutrals with pops of color. I love it.
I always wanted a window seat as a kid, so I gave her one.
I think all the sources for this artwork are over on the left. The changing pad cover, rug, and pouf are all from Land of Nod.
A little detail of the tiny wall decal on that frame wall.
I made that mobile. And I don't let anyone look at it closer than three feet away because it looks like a second grader made it.
Her room is peaceful and serene. Which is good, because curly? Well, she's crazy.
...we packed up the car. Multiple times.
...There was still a bulldozer in the driveway and worker's trucks outside the garage. At least the port-a-pot and the random shower in the woods were gone.
...but we were coming home.
...I can't believe it's been a year. At least all the boxes are unpacked.
...Charlie loves his room. When he's in charge of the house tour (which he often is), he will insist (pretty abruptly) that the first place you need to go is "Charlie's Room." (Don't tell him I didn't start this tour with his room).
His bed is BIG. He transitioned into it with no problem whatsoever, which means that Clara probably won't transition into a big girl bed until she goes to college.
The wooden toys on Charlie's windowsill and bookshelf are both new to him and family toys. (Given to my brother from my Pop Pop Charlie).
The wall o' art is my favorite thing, hands-down, in the room. I love that Charlie thinks the little boy playing with the trains on the left bottom is him.
(All the artwork is listed over there on the left of my blog).