one more week

i'll have a few more rooms to share the before-after photos of soon.

for now...here is our front step makeover.


this was one of those things that makes me say, "why didn't i do that before?" every time i walk up our front walk.

one trip to Wal-Mart. one trip to the dollar store. about $13 later...this is what i had.

well....those copper flower pots were filled with beautiful flowers last spring. of course they all froze over winter. but the copper pots still looked great! it's too early for live plants, so the plastic variety had to do this time.

another tip from our staging realtor.

have i mentioned that my dear husband loves his metals? yes. as soon as i saw those copper pots i knew he would love them. and i was right. sometimes i'm smart like that.

real life

take a deep breath.

breath out.

slow.

that is our motto these days!

how many of you can boast a box and coat covered bed AND a shop vac in your bedroom? i know. i'm making you jealous!!

not so many toys around. they are learning to play with certain toys in a new way. Aidan's little laptop also has a music option. they scroll through the music and dance to the different songs. and with all the furniture pushed out of the way and boxes stored away....they had a great dance floor last week. (and i got some really cute and fun photos) i'm sharing this one because it shows you what we got to look at since last Thursday until Wednesday. i will not miss the plaster patches!! i can promise you that. (unless it means we get another power vac to decorate our bedroom...)

this is what our living room has looked like since Monday night. except the walls were not finished.

at about 4 pm i swept, vacuumed, dusted and mopped. then i moved the furniture back. aside from a few extra boxes to sort and the pile of paint paraphernalia in the corner...it looks normal again! well...actually better than normal. i think i need to do a before-after of the living room.

it is so unfortunate that you can't see the amazing ceiling treatment in the photo. or get a feel for the difference the colour makes. i will just say for now that we would not have had THIS colour if i had not been a scrapbooker who keeps a messy desk with lots of unnecessary paper scraps! that is a story i think i need to share one day.

the challenge for me has been to "clean-up" the house each morning. and by "clean-up" i mean to make sure everything is picked up off the floor and furniture is moved back into the centre of the room again. the next challenge has been to get the kids out of the house and enjoying themselves. this morning we were at the library. but the afternoon was beautiful and the kids seemed more than happy to play together in the backyard. bliss to be at home and be out of the way of the painter.

Kiara spotted the bird. i LOVE this photo! {almost as much as i love my Nikon!!}

yay for bike riding!! Kiara has a way to go before she will actually enjoy herself. Aidan loves to "go fast", so i am sure it is just a matter of time before Kiara catches on. the plan is for them to ride down the sidewalk - avoiding people - from one landmark to another. all within sight for me. and they are thrilled. i get to sit down. or take photos of children who are happy to pose and show off. our little slice of heaven...

the colour of our bedroom walls are Marlboro Blue by Benjamin Moore. it feels so serene and peaceful. what's your favourite wall colour?

life is just like that

no photo updates.

but that doesn't mean i'm not taking pictures!!

i think i REALLY need to take a photography class. one to learn if i am really taking too many photos of each sitting. i don't think i am...but maybe i'm wrong? and i would love to work on photo storage. that is my dilemna. i am encouraged and thrilled that my dear husband thinks my photos warrant back up storage and extra hard drives. i'm sure it has nothing to do with documenting the lives of us and his children. oh no, that couldn't be it.

oh and the construction and packing drama continues.

our carpenter has now been given the grand title of "super dave". and he's rather shy, so i doubt we'll share his photo...but he has been working wonders with our little house.

and we really evaluated our talents and hired a painter this time around. it was another smart move for us right now! between the odds and ends jobs and packing and keeping the kids safe....i really doubt the paint would have appealed to any potential buyers.

this week has been another busy week. and we've had to stay away from the house as much as possible. i set up our portable DVD player and a new movie for the kids to watch. they have some fuzzy chairs given to them by their grandma...perfect theater set up for them. i was soooo tired, that i joined them on the floor after supper. and tried to sleep. you know you are tired when moving stuff off a bed or sofa is too strenuous! i must have done well, because i have a second wind just as it is truly time for me to go to bed for good.

being the skilled procrastinator that i am...i left it to the last minute to send in some entries for an online contest. we'll see how that works out for me. sigh. there are just too many balls to juggle. a month ago it was really important...but now, not so much. but i would have kicked myself if i let the opportunity go. never mind entering a month ago when my mind was in it....why so early?!

maybe tomorrow i can even share some photos. that would be a dream! i have some on my camera that can't be moved to the computer until i have space.

space. the ever expanding theme these days. there is never enough of it.

and i do wonder how clear my mind really is these days. thankfully my family and friends seem to understand.

i am thankful that the reason behind my cluttered brain is all good stuff. nothing to complain about whatsoever....as long as you can say losing your mind every once in a while is okay.

off to get some needed beauty sleep....