Master Bedroom Updated (finally!)

A few months ago we painted our master bedroom and swapped out the bedding, curtains, etc. I have already shared our updated photo wall and promised to share pictures of the newly changed room. To be honest, I was waiting to post until I could finally put a few finishing touches on the room (like ironing the curtains! Don’t look too closely!) but a couple months later that still hasn't happened, so I decided to just go ahead and share.

Here is how the room looks now:

The red/white thing by the bed is a fire ladder. Our bedroom is on the 2nd floor and there is a 2-story drop to the ground from our windows. Safety first!

Click here for more info about the photo wall.




These pictures make the bed look super tiny, but it really is a queen. We definitely have the room for a King, but they don’t make this bed anymore and we are just fine with the queen. It works for us.

What changes have you been making in your home?

Linking to: Thrifty Decor Chick, Remodelaholic

Let the Basement Begin!

After living in our home for 8 years, we are finally ready to start the massive project that is finishing the basement. We have tackled projects like building a deck, building a 2-wall desk for our office, landscaping (twice!), building a shed, expanding our backyard and building a playset for our son. If we can accomplish all of those projects (and more) in the last 8 years, we should be ready to take on the basement. 

Yesterday was a big day for the basement. The plans have been approved, permits are in hand and a load of lumber appeared in the basement last night. It’s official, we are doing this and the construction is in process at this moment. Any bets on how many months this project takes us??

I can’t believe I am going to post these extremely embarrassing pictures of our disastrous basement, but in an effort to be real, this is where we were a few weeks ago in the middle of organizing the basement and preparing for construction.

Lots of junk, right??

All I can say is WOW, we have a lot of stuff piled all over down there…..

I am pleased to say that we have dealt with a LOT of that stuff. Some of it has been moved to be stored in other locations, some has been taken to a consignment shop, some has been donated, and some will remain in the basement during the construction (covered in plastic).

Here are some pictures to prove that we really are ready for construction:

The wall on the right (behind the bucket on the floor and the Christmas trees)
will have a fireplace and built-in cabinets for the TV and storage.

See the two white pipes that run floor to ceiling? Those mark where the walls for the bathroom will be. There will be a bedroom back behind the bathroom and a wet bar on the wall this side of the bathroom.

The wall over by the stairs (behind the ladder) will be opened up to expose about half of the stairs.

While my handy hubby has been busy creating the plans for the permits and learning about plumbing and electrical (yes, he is taking on this project solo!), I have spent some quality time on Pinterest, looking for some inspiration. The plans for the built-in, wet bar, bathroom, lighting, etc. have not been finalized, but here are some photos that are currently providing some inspiration to the design. Sorry for the grainy pictures! Also, I apologize, but I do not have the sources for these pictures either.

Let the construction begin, thanks to this envelope!

Here we go…. Wish us luck!!!

DIY Dry Erase Boards and an Updated Bulletin Board

Tomorrow I go back to work after having 10+ days off – it’s going to be rough getting back into the routine of going to bed early so that I can get out of bed in the morning.
My office at work is a pretty neglected space and definitely would not be considered a “happy” space. A few weeks ago I decided to make a couple quick and easy updates to my office to make it a little more functional and to add a pop of color.
I started with this ugly old bulletin board from my college days and two cheap picture frames from Goodwill (approx $3 each).

A quick trip to Lowe’s led to Anthony picking a color of paint – a bright and glossy (ugh!) blue! A little painters tape on the bulletin board, a disassembling of the frames, and a quick couple coats of spray paint, and they were all set! Two new blue frames turned into dry erase boards (just write on the glass) and an updated bulletin board.

The painting over my desk was done years ago by my hairdresser and my hubby bought it for me for Valentine’s Day one year. It says: Give More. See More. Laugh More. Hear More. Love More. Play More. Be More. I love it!!
It’s a minor update to a pretty ugly office, but it helped to add some color and they have been functional too!

Hello 2012!

Here are our Plans, Hopes and Dreams for 2012 -

• Adopt a baby! We have been waiting to adopt #2 for nearly 2 years – this is the average wait time at our adoption agency, so we are hoping to be chosen soon. Keeping our fingers crossed that it will happen sooner than later!
• I am working on making some changes to my work schedule to allow for more family time. No changes will happen for months, but our fingers are crossed that there will be a good option that will work for our family.
• Start working on finishing the basement. Our basement is currently the catch-all for storing anything and everything that we are not currently using. We have spent the morning working on re-organizing some closets to make room to store some of the things from the basement. Hubby is also working on a storage option in the “attic” above our garage. The basement needs to be pretty much cleared out before we can get started.
• Hubby has a goal to run a half marathon – I’m sure he will, I just wonder when??
• Eat less, exercise more! This is your goal too, right?!?
• Learn how to use our new Canon 60D! I LOVE taking pictures, especially of children playing outside. Along with this goal – spend more time learning how to use Photoshop.

(We celebrated at home with some NA sparkling grape for Anthony)

Happy New Year!