the Decorating Chica

Can't believe it is almost the end of January. Our boys are back at college and I am feeling bittersweet, sad, and mostly thankful. Thankful to have time with my guys home, grateful to have 10 days off of work over the holiday break, and mostly grateful for all that God has blessed me with. However, with all that I have been feeling a bit lost and at lose ends. Usually I have a project(s) and can't wait for January where I can start my indoor projects. Although I do have a project, but with all of our college expenses, I can't afford to do what I would like. That project is a kitchen gut job but alas, it is not to be at this time. But what better way to spruce up a tired kitchen than a fresh coat of paint. So off I go to the paint store, a.k.a. Ace Hardware. I knew I wanted a darker grey but other than that...wasn't sure. So I got some paint chips and looked at them awhile but by the time NY Day hit I knew my window of opportunity to paint had arrived. My first ...

Pin It I thought that today, on this blustery winter Michigan day would be a great time to share my updated living room. New grey on the walls, new curtains, new rug from Pier 1. This room started with the desire to neutralize our house, possibly for purposes of selling in the near future, and mostly because as much as I love color, I have been recently in love with all the new greys out there. Aren't they just fabulous! But most importantly because I wanted to 'unify' all the many transitions that exist in this room to make them flow better. View facing west. Still have to add the curtain/valance on the west window. So a few months ago I took the plunge and painted my living room which led to several other changes. Many of which I wasn't not planning on or expecting! Does that ever happen to you? View facing east that includes the entry way. Oh and of course a cute chocolate lab! Our house was built in the 70s and every. single. wall. is. ...

  The race is on and spring fever has hit! You see, by this time I am trying to wrap up all my inside projects that have started over the winter. Because, you see, soon my focus will be turning outside. As soon as all this snow is gone. And the plants start showing their little heads above ground. I will be outside and my only goal for inside is to keep the house clean.  Fireplace shelves    We have tackled two big projects this winter. One was planned and one was totally not! Planned project was to install flooring in our master bedroom. My unplanned project? Repainting and refreshing our office area. New pillows from TJ Maxx Old curtains moved to kitchen; new curtains for office.   It all started with the new desk we built, see that post here . It then morphed into a desire to have a central information area near the desk. (This project has yet to be finished!) But somehow, when picking up the new flooring for our bedroom, I ended...

Inspired by Thrifty Decor Chick's "making something from nothing" July extravaganza, I started searching through the house and the shed and all over to see what kind of goodies I had laying around. I found a beauty in my pool house and something I had TOTALLY forgotten about buying. Bursting with excitement, I pulled it off the top shelf only to find the whole inside was plugged full of some kind of soft white, fluffy stuff. Finally dawned on me that was what happened to the stuffing from one of my lawn chair cushions that I found chewed up this past winter! Some critter was busy...and smart! Anywhoooo, I had my husband pull it all out. Yes, I am a bit of a chicken when it comes to mice. I have had my share of rodents this Spring and Summer. I had already found a dead, dehydrated mouse when cleaning out the motor of my garage freezer. Oh, and let's not forget the bunny nest I uncovered when demulching my landscaping beds. Could hear me screaming for blocks! Well, bac...