Little Sister's Nursery

We've finally put the finishing touches on our little girl's nursery. I had so much fun putting together a girlie room! We painted a few months ago, which included painting our main living area as well. It took a couple days and the nursery stayed empty for a long time afterward, but we are thrilled with the result. Ben + my brother Cody also scraped the popcorn ceiling off in the nursery. It's something we'd love to do to the entire house but would be quite the undertaking. So we started with that room since it's small and would be empty for painting anyway. I love the way it makes the room look instantly brighter and bigger.

Here are a few pictures of the room before it's transformation. It started out as Malakai's nursery when we moved here, he was 9 months old. We have 3 bedrooms in our teeny house, and the 3rd was a guest room until we transformed it into a play room and then a nursery for Desmond. Nearly a year ago we moved Malakai into that room with Desmond so we could remove all toys (distractions) from where they would be sleeping and have a dedicated "play room" in Malakai's previous room. When we found out we were expecting, naturally the playroom would become baby #3's nursery.

{just after we moved in, March 2010}

{after we moved the boys to share the 3rd bedroom and turned this one into a playroom}

When we found out we'd be welcoming a baby girl I thought we would leave it green and add dark pink accents. I loved this green in our previous home, but it was a much bigger room with 2 windows and wood floors. I didn't love it as much in this house; with less lighting it didn't look as cool and light. The more I looked around for inspiration I started to change my mind. I fell in love with the idea of a light grey nursery with coral and peach accents. Somewhere along the way I decided to include arrows to represent their meaning in Psalm 127. 

Once we got the crib and started putting some pieces together I got more and more excited about the color scheme. I had a hard time finding both coral and peach pieces but was able to acquire several things through our baby shower, gifts, and DIY projects.

The teething rail guard is a must right off the bat because of all the horrendous teething marks the boys left on the crib. I made this simple no-sew version from some peachy fleece Ben's mom bought for me. It matches the peach on the quilt she made as well. I wanted to make a crib skirt but couldn't find the perfect fabric, or the time. I ran into a queen sized bed skirt we had on our guest bed years ago tucked away in the linen closet and made it work by clipping it to the crib support underneath the mattress, making it adjustable as well! It's not perfect, but it works to make a nice hidden storage area under the crib for sheets and other things.

Much of the decor came from the decorations at my baby shower. The pom poms above the crib, the bunting and scripture above the changing table, the letter P on the floating shelf, even the curtains which my mom sewed up from the table runners. The basket that I have the diapers in held a gift from my friend Carina. 

Liz also painted the gorgeous peonies (which were on the invites she had made for my shower) and made the wooden arrow sign above the shelves.  Malakai made the decorations underneath. 

I love the simplicity of our little nursery and the way the bright coral and peach colors really pop in contrast to the neutral grey walls and dark espresso furniture. I'd still like to add some softer peach accents, and I may in the future or as our needs in this room change.

Our crib and changing table/dresser have lasted us since Malakai was born 5 years ago. They've got some cosmetic wear and tear but we still love them. The glider is new and was a gift from my parents, we love it so far and I can't wait to rock sweet little sister in it soon! 

40 bags in 40 days: a long overdue recap

During the 40 days leading up to Easter we chose to participate in a decluttering challenge called "40 Bags in 40 Days" lead by Ann Marie who blogs over at White House Black Shutters, one of my favorite blogs these days. It wasn't so much about getting to 40 bags as it was about being motivated to rid your space of clutter and be happy with your home and the belongings you choose to keep in it. I really enjoyed it and am so thankful for the continual motivation it has given me to keep our home free of "junk" that clutters our physical spaces.

In my initial post I shared our current pictures which will stand as the "before" pictures to the following "afters". Although, for us this is an on going challenge in some spaces more than others. If you'd like to check out the progress along the way, you can follow my instagram account or look up #bngblogdeclutters on instagram, twitter, and Facebook. 

Being pregnant made the decluttering even more challenging. Some days I was too sick, some days our entire family was too sick. Other days I was just tired, but I'm happy with our progress and how far we've come. 

I can honestly say there is only 1 area that is still in need of some big decluttering, the kitchen. I decluttered the surfaces and a few small drawers during the challenge and a few more recently. However, due to the size of our kitchen it is a huge challenge to even have the floor or counter space to empty cupboards to declutter while entertaining children. So we are saving that project for a time when we are kid-free. It's not even something I could do on my own if Ben were to have the kids for example because I cannot safely reach the top shelves or lift some things that would need moved. All that to say, we will get to it in the future but it's not even messy enough (because it's too small to be) to be too worried about it. 

Here is a reminder of what our house layout looks like...

Our main living space in the back of the house is almost always free of clutter so there wasn't much to be done there. I have however, started a new rule for the kids both for decluttering reasons and for my own safety- all toys are to stay in the playroom or the hallway just outside of it (because it's wood floor where they like to race their cars). This minimizes clutter but also keeps the danger-zones down to a minimum. Last pregnancy I had a not-so-fun run in with a toy on the floor, so I've been extra careful about avoiding silly accidents like that.

This is what that space looked like after decluttering back in April. We have since updated our dining set, garbage can and paint in this room. I will post an update on that and the nursery when they are complete.

Currently the garage is in disarray yet again because it's our "catch-all" space when we've got big projects going on. Over the long weekend we painted the living room, hallway and the playroom that will be little sister's nursery. Furniture was displaced to the garage for the most part and the work station for paint supplies was set up out there. Pictured below is a before decluttering and after decluttering (before painting mess). Most of our work here was purging toys, clearing off the work bench and rearranging to make zones for things. Separate spaces for toys, tools, laundry, pantry items, overflow shoes, and craft supplies. We still have some organizing to do, which will mostly be taken care of once we get some shelving up. Ben is planning on building this shelf for the toy storage bins.

The boys' room got a big change when we got them bunk beds at Ikea in March. It was the ONLY way to fit 2 twin sized beds in their shared room. It's been a roller coaster of a transition, but they love it and the space it saves is amazing. We're also in the process of repurposing their closet which mostly holds Ben's music equipment by moving that out and making space for the extra chairs to our new dining room set, which are taking up too much room in the garage. Plus I don't like the idea of them being exposed to extreme temperatures and our projects as they go on out there. This room currently has no toys or books, it's just for sleeping and getting dressed because Desmond can't handle nap time if there are toys to be had. He can barely be kept from climbing all over the beds! This will change as he grows older and as we need to move the toys from the playroom/nursery to their room.

The playroom/nursery got a pretty major declutter, and now that it has been painted will be completely rearranged. This will involve taking the desk out and either selling it or storing it at my in-laws. The closet here houses all the kids' hanging clothes, baby stuff up on the shelf, baby blankets, and items that they have yet to grow into or have grown out of in a dresser. The dresser also doubles as child-proofing for the entrance to our crawl space which is in the floor of this closet.

{I'm already so much happier with this room just after painting and removing the textured ceiling!}

The front living area which we just call "the front room" is more of an adult space and a major blind spot from where we spend most of our time, so we have a baby gate up at the start of the hallway to this room to keep it limited access. Malakai can open the gate but he knows not to without permission. Here we have our desk and computer, a piano, a sitting area, my sewing/craft table, preschool supplies and more. The coat closet also houses craft supplies and gift wrapping in addition to the current seasons jackets, hats, scarves, etc.

The desk got a major overhaul when I finally went through our file system. I also put some little used files that we still need to keep around in a file cabinet in the garage that we acquired from my in-laws (thanks guys!) which made room in the drawers to actually access the files we need to use on a more regular basis. I purged a LOT of kids' artwork but also kept a lot, reorganizing it by school/church/etc. I also removed a lot of stuff from the top of the desk to give us more work space.

My craft cabinet got emptied out and rearranged. I do still have crafting supplies all over the place, mine and the kids' but they make more sense now rather than a little bit of this and that all over there are kid craft storage areas and then my craft and sewing storage based on material and need. Some of it is in bins underneath the oversized chair (which I love, but most people don't).

I boxed up a lot of books from the shelf, things we want to keep but don't need to display. I also got rid of some and did away with some knick knacks and picture frames. In doing so I tried to make this room a bit more kid friendly so as Desmond grows older he can come in here without being a hazard to himself or our stuff. This will also help if we need to move our preschool homeschooling back out here once the baby's room is in use for little sister.

In our room (which I haven't taken progress pictures of yet) we started by clearing out everything underneath the bed. Clothing has been a big challenge because while pregnant I'm constantly reevaluating my wardrobe based on what no longer fits (so it needs stored), what does fit (so it's in the closet or dresser) and what will likely fit as baby + I grow (in an underbed box). It's an on going process, but I did get rid of a lot of non-maternity clothing that I hadn't worn in ages. Ben also got rid of a lot of clothing and shoes so that helped free up space in our closet. The shelf above the hanging area in our closet has always been difficult for me because I can barely reach it. I toss things up there (we had stored anything from bedding to sweaters there) and it just became a heaping mess. Ben cleaned it out and now half of it is for clothes I've "outgrown" and hooded sweatshirts/other things too large for the dresser or hanging and the other half is our bedding.

Our dresser has more space thanks to purging things and I cleaned up the area next to my bed where the yarn had been been taking over from half done crochet projects. I also have a vanity in this room which I use for some clothing storage but mostly cosmetics, hair products + accesories as well as belts, jewelry and a few keepsakes (my sad and dusty wedding bouquet being one). This needed major decluttering and dusting which took a while but it is so much more useful now that it's done. I do my hair and makeup here rather than our one tiny bathroom.

Speaking of, we did a lot of purging of items in the bathroom as well. Expired vitamins, medications, lotions and shampoos we weren't using, etc. It's not exciting enough to post pictures of, but it's nice to have the space. We also got a new shower curtain with a see-through panel at the top that lets more light in and makes the room feel a bit bigger.

So there is our progress in an attempt to declutter and simplify the way we live. It has been a much longer process than just the 40 days, but getting organized and serious about it over that time really created new habits in us that will help us to live with less clutter, which is essential in a house this size and our growing family!

decluttering progress

We've made quite a bit of progress on our decluttering journey since starting March 5th with the rest of the "40 Bags in 40 Days" crew. I've shared some before + afters on Instagram and Facebook as we went along. It's great motivation putting your messy house on display, and it's been encouraging to get cheers from friends along the way as I share the progress.

Motivation to Declutter- 40 Bags in 40 Days

I came across Ann Marie Heasley's blog, White House Black Shutters last summer through Pinterest when she had started her "Summer Simplify" series. She shared inspiration for simplifying spaces around the home. I tackled quite a few areas and shared my success on Instagram along with her and other followers.

Now it's time for spring cleaning and our house (and garage!) could really use some decluttering and simplifying. Anne Marie came along again with 40 Bags in 40 Days and I was sold. Over the 40 days of lent you focus on areas that need to be decluttered and/or purged of the overflow. She even has a printable chart (see linked post above) to help you plan and keep track of your progress. I've got my whole house mapped out on one and am ready to start TOMORROW!

I chose fairly small areas and even broke some up into two days, for during the week. Saturdays are for bigger projects that Ben + I can take on together or one of us can spend time on while the other keeps track of the kiddos.

This is a layout of our teensie not even 900 square foot home to give you an idea of what we're working with here...

tile to laminate: our first big house project

On Saturday we accomplished our first big makeover on our home. Everything else we've done, like peel wall paper and paint has been fairly low-key in comparison. On Saturday Ben and 3 other guys tore up our tile flooring in the dining room + kitchen to replace it with laminate wood flooring to match the rest of our house. We've been wanting to do this since we bought the place 18 months ago.

Reasons we hated the tile:

• First, it was just plain ugly. 
• It was super unforgiving when it came to dropping dishes or little ones falling.
• It was installed incorrectly (which made removal easier) so it had many cracks.
• Grout is disgusting and annoying to clean. 
• It broke up the main living space of our already small home, making it look smaller.
• It was cold and uninviting.
• I could think of a thousand other reasons...

Needless to say I was a bit jealous that I didn't get to take a crack at it with a hammer along with the guys. Ben said they all had a lot of fun with the demolition. Malakai and I went to my parents' place to hang out for the day to stay out of the way and to avoid inhaling tile + saw dust. 

Thankfully it was also easy to get up, it only took an hour. Apparently the tile was heavily glued to the previous linoleum floor so it all came up together to reveal the subfloor.

Then came work on the underlayment and laminate flooring. 

{my husband hard at work}

The biggest reason this project has taken so long to get to (besides time + money) was finding the right floor to match the existing laminate that we have in the rest of our house. We found something REALLY close right away but I was determined to exhaust all our options for a perfect match before settling. We went back to the original match and it turned out great. 

While finishing up the trim Ben's dad and brother also replaced the door from the dining room to the garage. This happened to be our Christmas present from his parents last year, but we had to redo the flooring before it could work. Neither of these pictures show that, but it looks great!

{the finished product!}

After being out of the house since 7:30 that morning and only a 45 minute nap for Malakai after driving him to sleep, I got to come home at about 6pm and see the finished product. It was like walking into someone else's home. Really it was such a funny feeling to leave with the house fairly in tact and come back with it looking completely different. What a blessing to not have to worry about any of the construction and mess and just come home to something new and beautiful!

Here's a direct comparison. The angles of the photos aren't a perfect match, but you get the idea.

Thank you so much to my father-in-law, brother-in-law David, and our friends Brad and Jacob (and their wives) for giving up a significant portion of your Saturday to work on our house and make it more of a home for us as we prepare to welcome little brother! 

in preparation

Here is what we've done so far to prepare for little brother and family of 4 status (in no particular order)

• rearrange our bedroom to set up + attach the mini co-sleeper. this also involved us switching sides of the bed.
• transformation of our guest room into a play room, a few things still pending.
• rearrange and anchor furniture in Malakai's room. 
• sort through all of Kai's clothing, newborn-18 months. 
• wash and organize all newborn-6 month clothing
• repack all 9-18 month clothing into plastic storage containers and put away in garage.
• get out of storage: pump, bottles, bath, swing, etc.
• wash all new baby items: blankets, clothes, etc. and put away
• contact paper dresser drawers and organize toys, baby toilettries, and clothes into the dresser. 
• reorganize living room bookshelf to include all children's book (non-board books) that were in the dresser. 
• dust all surfaces, wash windows, and other deep cleaning
• clean and organize my vanity/dresser
• wash insane amounts of our laundry to catch up before baby gets here (ongoing)
• purchase a deep freeze
• clear out garden beds and harvest pumpkins + squash. 
• keep an eye on tomatoes that are still ripening.
• freeze 2 dozen tomatoes
• make 3 batches of salsa
• give away extras
• Keep up with general weeklies: laundry, dishes, meals, cleaning, diapers, nap time, appointments, birthdays, and more.
• purge all excess:
• garage sale
• donations
• repurposing
• garbage + recycle
• Reorganize + clean garage space. This was a huge job and almost entirely Ben's doing. I wish I had before + after photos to document the transformation. My husband is amazing!
• pack hospital bag (about 3/4 of the way done)
• clean out car + install infant car seat.
• purchase needed items off of baby registry: wash and put away
• a dozen other things I'm forgetting that we've already done.

Still on the to-do list (also not in order of importance)

• replace tile floors in kitchen/dining area with laminate flooring (to match the rest of the house) This is in progress and will happen TOMORROW!
• dust again (after breaking up the tile, the house will need it)
• vacuum, mop, steam carpets
• replace door to garage, also tomorrow. the current one is crooked and slides across the floor. 
• prepare + freeze meals for after little brother's arrival
• mow + fertilize lawn for the fall
• repaint kitchen chalkboard
• repaint baseboards in Kai's room (they're peeling!)
• clean out fridge
• get a replacement shelf for the empty spot in our kitchen cupboard that has been w/o one since we moved here.
• store more toys to make additional space in play room 
• replace front room blinds
• hang curtains + decor in playroom, secure furniture to walls
• finish packing hospital bag
• pre-register at hospital and complete birth plan
• choose birth announcments and finalize mailing list
• finish childproofing: install latches for cabinets in bathroom + kitchen
• put together bouncer
• clean off double strollers and store single stroller
• clean out desk
• clear all surfaces of clutter: mail, magazines, random items

I think that about sums it up. I obviously still have a lot to do, but aside from packing the hospital bag none of it is detrimental to little brother's arrival. Well, we are praying he doesn't choose to be born while our house is under construction tomorrow, that would prove to be interesting. 

I'm hoping to get most of these things done just so we don't have to worry about them once little brother is here. We know very well that even small chores can go overlooked for a long time when you have a newborn, let alone a toddler as well! Wish us luck!

Happy Friday!

Thankful on a Thursday: ambitions

I know I've been quiet around here the past couple of weeks. I think that's pretty normal for the end of pregnancy. I've been plagued by some aches + pains (which was in fact a separated rib) amidst trying to complete that long before-baby-to-do list. It's interesting trying to find balance.

I had ambitions of doing a detailed update of what we've been up to and such today, but that's not going to happen. Last night Ben + I couldn't fall asleep because some recent goings-on were ruling our thoughts and we just couldn't stop talking it over. We got to sleep just after midnight, but I woke up again at 2am. I tossed + turned until just after 3am and decided I needed to just get up for at least a while. I did a whole lot of nothing and then attempting to sleep again just after 4am. When morning came and Kai was ready to get out of bed, mama had only slept 3 (non-consecutive) hours. Ouch.

Despite all that and the things that are still "wrong", I have plenty to be thankful for and need to sit down to remember them in gratitude and humility before my God.

This week I'm thankful for...

811. this morning's visit to my chiropractor. Rib is back in place, hips are back in alignment...let's hope they stay that way!

812. a trip to Starbucks for my first PSL of the season and a cinnamon swirl coffee cake. I haven't indulged in either in a VERY long time.

813. getting the creative juices flowing as I make birthday gifts for family members, it has been such a nice outlet that I haven't cultivated in far too long.

814. a blessed outcome despite many long phone calls and hold times with Target over registry + online ordering issues.

815. connections. We've had issues with some functions of our home once again, but Ben has a co-worker who hooked us up with a friend and a discount.

816. friends who are willing to give of their time + resources. Ben + the guys are putting in laminate floor to replace the tile in the kitchen + dining area in 2 weeks. I can't wait for it to be DONE!

817. Malakai's sweet nature. He gives hugs + kisses and says mama's clothes are "cute". He'll also give the occasional back rub and scalp massage...which often ends up as playing mama as a drum and flinging her hair in her face. Boys...

818. Ben's patience and ability to comfort. I would be lost without him as my other better half.

819. My mom + mother-in-law once again who both came to the rescue this week to babysit Kai while I prepped for an event coming up at our church this Sunday.

820. the nap that I'm about to take. I'm convinced that I will fall asleep and wake up feeling refreshed.

What are you thankful for?

won't stay fixed...

Our a/c went out in early July and thankfully it was fairly cool so we weren't suffering too badly. Unfortunately it cost us $850 and that was with a generous discount on the service charge, but it was worth it. Then earlier this month it decided to go out again, for a different reason. The people who installed our system 10-15 years ago took a few too many little short cuts with things that didn't matter until now. Another $35 after a very generously discounted service call, plus Ben doing a little bit of work with the repairman on the phone, and we were set once again.

After lunch Malakai grabbed me by the hand to drag me into his playroom. One of my favorite things that he does. On the way over I walked by a vent and the air blowing out was a bit stuffy. I poked my head outside to listen for the pump running, and it wasn't. These were the same indicators that something was wrong the last 2 times. So I called Ben and after a meeting he'll be heading home to see if it's something he can fix.

Meanwhile Kai and I found relief in the kiddie pool out back (more so me than him really) and now we're waiting for daddy to save the day. Sadly for him he has to climb up into the very hot attic to assess the situation. It's highly likely that it's upwards of 120 degrees in there. Pray for him, that he doesn't get too hot or have to be up there long, and that he can figure it out so we don't have to call on our repairman as I'm thinking we've probably run out of favors.

Stay cool + happy weekend,

growing my first garden

Most of my growing up was on a large ranch just outside the city limits from where I live now. We almost always had a garden. We at least had pumpkins if only from tossing the previous ones out into a patch of dirt somewhere.

The last 4 years we've lived in homes with plenty of yard space for gardening, but I didn't take the time to try my hand at growing something on my own. Most of my hesitation came from having little to no success at keeping house plants or easy plants alive. I'd often forget about watering them or keep them in the wrong type of environment.

A good friend of mine has a very impressive vegetable garden and I finally decided to take a try at growing my own. We already had the raised beds, one full of strawberries that I decided to pay closer attention to this season. Of course the weather here didn't cooperate very well for strawberries and then I ran into a few pests: strawberry snails + sugar ants. I used google and surveyed my facebook friends who advised eggshells, coffee grounds, and human hair! Coincidentally I had just cut Kai's hair so I used all three and was able to save a lot of the strawberries. They turned out okay, but I've learned that ever-bearing strawberries should be moved to new spots and who knows how long those berries have been in the raised bed since they were here before we were.

On Memorial Day weekend I decided to plan veggies in our two other raised beds. A couple weeks before Ben was sweet enough to clear the beds of weeds and debris, then we worked together to add more nutrient rich soil. I planted Jack-o-lantern pumpkins, sweet dumpling squash, "slicer" tomatoes from starts, carrots, and sugar snap pole peas. I built a lattice out of bamboo arches and gardeners twine for the peas to climb. It only cost me $5 which was much cheaper than buying lattice or something premade for them to climb.

About 10 days after planting, the first sprouts started to come through. I was so excited that my garden was actually starting to grow!

Malakai and I would go out every morning and check on the veggies. He loves helping...



I was surprised by how fast things were growing, especially the pumpkin leaves, which were visibly bigger every day!

{I made markers out of a cut up milk jug}

Another week went by and everything continued to grow as I kept the weeds and pests at bay. I didn't use any chemicals, just suggestions I found through google and  knowledgable friends.

I did my best to keep up with the watering, but as our summer schedules got busier it got more difficult. Thankfully we've had pretty cool weather so nothing scorched. Ben then set up some sprinklers on a timer thanks to some timers that his dad let us have. Now we're able to water the garden automatically at 5:30am every day. On particularly hot days I turn on the sprinklers for a bit in the afternoon or evening too.

About 6 weeks after planting our garden had filled the raised beds!

{towering tomatoes + climbing sugar snaps in the background. spreading pumpkin + squash up front}

A little over a week ago it became evident that my garden was trying to take over the world...

{those tomatoes have cages in there somewhere + the pumpkin is creeping into the yard}

I had my friend Jamie come over to look at my garden and give me some advice. She was so sweet to help me out. She advised me on how to contain my tomatoes and how to tell when things were ready to pick. 

{peas + maters}

The next day I went to work on tying up my tomatoes with the gardener's twine I had from the structure I made for the sugar snaps to climb. I weaved some of the smaller branches back in to the cages and tied the heavier ones to the cages. Then I tied them up around both plants a couple times for added support. I also trimmed some of the limbs that would have just snapped from the weight of the fruit anyway. I also harvested 50+ sugar snaps. It took me about 45 minutes which ended up being a rather large and lengthy pain in the back. Gardening while pregnant isn't easy!

Earlier this week I picked another 50 or so peas and spotted a pumpkin forming! I'll be picking all the carrots this weekend + planting more in their place.

I shared the sugar snaps with our extended family and will probably have enough to pick new ones at least once, if not twice more. Now I'm just waiting on the tomatoes to get big and red while I pray that bugs + birds don't get to them first! Any tips are greatly appreciated.

I wish I could say that growing our own food has inspired Malakai to eat more veggies...but it's just not true for us yet. He at least tastes them before spitting them out, we'll keep trying!

What's growing in your garden?

Happy Weekend everyone!

home sweet home: 1 year.

It's hard to believe that we've been homeowners for a year (officially yesterday). It's even harder to believe that we've lived in this house for a year already. Somehow time goes by much faster once you become a parent.

(hint, click the link above for the "before + in process" pictures from last year).

There are many things we want to do to this house, structurally and aesthetically, but most people feel that way about their home, especially their first home. It could be said that this is a starter home and that we should eventually move on to something bigger + "better"...but I don't think that's how things will work out for us. I want to have my kids grow up in one home and one neighborhood. I don't mind a small home, in fact I prefer it over a large one. I don't want my teenagers to hide in their own little wing of our house that's so far away I can't holler at them when I need to. I don't want to have to text or IM someone in my own house when it's time for dinner.

I'm sure that someday we'll remodel and add on. Thankfully we have plenty of property to build on and still have a substantial backyard. This will most likely be many years down the road, but in the last few weeks Ben and I have found ourselves plotting and dreaming.

What will happen first and probably within the next 6 months (if finances allow) is the replacement of the tile floors in the kitchen + dining room. We plan to just extend the laminate from the living room into that space, granted we can find matching laminate. I'm very picky about this. This project will also include replacing the door from the house out to the garage. The new door is actually a Christmas present from my in-laws, but the floor needs to happen first because of the structure of it underneath the door. Basically some pretty shoddy craftsmanship took place.

Here is the overall layout to start:



Anyway, I've never really posted photos of our home all put together or the decor details. So here is a little tour of our first (and possibly our forever) home.

{a panorama view of our front living space. The door on the left is the front door}

{our piano, wedding, + family pictures. Dandelion canvas screen print from Urban Outfitters}

{details: close up of photos, a pillow I made for my grandpa, a blanket made for Kai, photos + books on the shelf.}

{our bedroom, just off the front living space}

{details: DIY chalkboard frame, photos on our dresser of places we love, frame for Kai's art, my wedding bouquet}

{the bathroom, super boring but better than before}

{Malakai's room, right next to ours. Details: turtle prints top right from Etsy, curtains sewn with fabric from Kauai by my mom, Turtle painting done by my amazingly talented aunt Sarah}

{Guest room next to Kai's room. old photo-See how little Kai is! Details: wine rack as magazine holder, framed map of Oahu where I have family and we honeymooned}

{overflowing bulletin board, craft cart, dresser full of craft supplies + random clothes}

{Living room + dining room: at the back of the house where we spend most of our time. Details: upper left print from Red Letter Words and canvas print of baby Kai, sideways bamboo art in dining room from Target, arrangement of photos from our wedding rehearsal in 2007.}

{Kitchen: to the left of the dining room in photo above. Yep, super teensy. Details: DIY chalkboard on the left, red + black plates behind the sink, Target.}

{Details: cluttered fridge art + countertop, black + white photo taken by my mom, brush paintings done by my talented aunt Lorna}

That's our house, all 900 square feet of it! We also have a one car garage where the washer + dryer, toolbench, waterheater, and tons of unpacked boxes remain. Oh yeah, and somehow we fit the car in there too. 

We haven't decided what to do about the bedrooms in preparation for the arrival of our new baby in October. Oddly enough it may depend on gender. If we have a girl I'd love to turn Kai's room into her nursery, I think the green walls would pair really well with honeysuckle pink accents. Then we'd move Malakai into the guest room and store the bed and other things. If we have a boy I'd like to do greys + blues in the current guest room for the nursery as it's already a great light blue that would go well with some grey contrasts. Those are just my ideas for now anyway!

Thanks for taking a look around. I always think it's fun to get a sneak peek into someone else's home. It helps to get to know them better when you see their personal style. 

Happy Monday!

PS don't forget to enter my current giveaway!