New Bloggy Layout

Well, even though I just switched to a 3 column layout on this blog a few weeks ago, I was really getting a little bored with the plain old blogger template. So, when I decided to add a couple widgets this morning I also decided to try out a cute new template. I tested it out on my test blog first to make sure I wouldn't lose anything. It looked good, so here we are with a pretty new blog!! What do ya'll think?

It's a learning process...

I like to think of myself as a minimalist...and definately as an organized person...yet I am by no means perfect!!

As far as the organizing goes, well, I can't truly say I am organized if it took me almost two months to get the last of the piles of stuff out of the future nursery for our little one!! Even now, I still have two rubbermaid tubs of papers that need sorting!!  I can be a bit of a procrastinator if the project seems overly big...especially now that I have less energy because of my pregnancy!!

And the whole minimalist thing? Sure, I can look thru a Sharper Image catalog now and not be impressed or covet anything in there (a catalog I used to drool over)...but that doesn't mean there isn't still stuff I wish I had...as evidenced by the baby things and home things I've wished for/drooled over in the last few months.

The thing that makes it easy to turn away from those things is of course money....cause I don't want just any old stuff...but the stuff that costs!! But what if money wasn't an issue? Would I drown myself in stuff then? It's an interesting question. I'd like to say I wouldn't...cause I LOVE a clutter-free environment, but the pack-rat tendencies of my family are not that far removed from me. If you were to see the old farmhouse where my parents live, there is an abundance of STUFF there...mostly useless, but there nevertheless. My grandmother lived up to the last few years of her life in a small house that seemed bursting at the seams with all kinds of STUFF...things that she was certain she could make use of "someday"!! Now, there is some improvement from my grandmother's generation to my parents...as they at least acknowledge that they have too much stuff...but they still have a hard time parting with much of anything!!

My determination is to not let the wants and desires for STUFF rule me. I must acknowledge that the desires are there...but not give in to them. Only then will I be able to truly embrace the minimalist life.

How many of you come from a background of packrats? What sorts of STUFF do you drool over and wish you had...if money were no issue?

Sunday Shoutout

It's been quite a while since I've done one of these...but I thought it time to really get going again with this blog!!

Whether or not you think a woman should be a "keeper at home" I have to say that I really enjoyed reading this post by a lady who has embraced the concept of wearing an apron and being a true homemaker.

Now that we live in a house and have the space...I really want to make my own Inspiration Board like the ones described in this post. I actually have a couple large manila envelopes with clippings I cut out in anticipation of being able to have an inspiration board...one envelope of personal inspiration, and one of home ideas and inspiration.

Stumped by what to do with all your kids artwork? Here's one idea...get Snapfish to make you bound books of their work. Another is to take digital pictures of their artwork (with or without them holding them) and organize them into a folder on your hard drive or online.

I really liked this post about why it's cool to be different...to live simply, frugally, etc. I also liked how she said living simply is different for each person and to not feel bad if your definition of simple isn't the same as someone else's!!

Well, these are just a few of my favorited links...stay tuned for more Sunday Shoutouts in the future!!

My Home...

Some pictures of our house...for those of you interested!!

The entryway, looking back into the house...

The study (still needs a little work to get it just so)...

Looking into the kitchen and dining area...

Looking from the dining area back into the kitchen...

Looking into the living room from the back hallway...

The guest bath/future children's bath...

The master bath (shower just out of frame on right)...

Couple shots of the master bedroom...

The nursery so far (still needs a good bit of work)...

The pictures of the front of the house, the front and back yards, etc. will have to wait for a sunny day, as it is very stormy right now!! The guest bedroom and garage will have to wait too...as they are the only areas inside that still need a bit of organizing!!

A Room To Be Proud Of

We have been in our house for two months now and have gotten almost everything organized...with the exception of three paper sacks for my husband to sort thru, a couple plastic tubs of papers for me to sort, and a few random odds and ends. The house is neat and clean but it isn't to the point that we would love to see it in eventually.

Eventually we would love to replace all the carpeting and linoleum in the house with wood or laminate flooring in the bedrooms and study...and 18 inch tile thru the rest of the house. We'd also love to plaster the walls in the main living area, enclose our patio, build an outdoor kitchen/dining area, and redesign the master bath and closet to suit us better. But all that can and will wait...I'm sure it'll get done sometime in the next five years or so, but there's no rush!! The more important stuff is getting ready for our little one...and just having the furniture and decorative stuff to fill up empty space and walls!!

However, we do have one room that we are particularly proud of...the master bedroom!! Yes, there are still a couple things I'd like to have in there...like a comfy chair in one corner and a ficus or something in another corner...but all in all, it is a room to be proud of and a comfy haven of rest from the big hectic world!!

We decided not to put our bookshelves in our small study, but rather to wrap them around a corner in our large bedroom. My husband even worked it out to install a small stereo into the shelves. We chose a low-profile bed frame from IKEA that has a deep headboard with cabinets that slide out on each side to hide away the little odds and ends. Our paintings are the only truly "fussy" additions to the room, but with everything else being so simple and zen...it really doesn't feel overdone at all. All in all...a room to be proud of!!

It's a BOY!!

If you are a friend on Facebook or a member of Crossings or are an immediate family member, then you already know this...but for the rest of you...yes, our little Baby Bean is a boy. Edmund Robert is set to make his appearance towards the end of July, but he's already making his presence known by kicking the fire out of his mama!!

I am at 26+ weeks now and FINALLY have the nursery cleared out (as of today) of the rest of the things that needed sorting thru from our move!! Granted, there are still several large paper bags of odds and ends for Brack to deal with and a couple piles of odds and ends on the guest bed for me to deal with...but for the most part I'm finally finished.

I know I say this almost every time I post after a long break, but I really and truly am gonna try to keep up with my blogging on a more consistent basis...even if that is only once a week. Truthfully, when summer comes and I'm not nannying anymore...I really won't have an excuse for not blogging!!

Well, it's getting late, I'm sleepy, and my psycho cat is attacking shadows on the wall...so I will close this out. But don't anyone have a heart attack if I surprise you and blog again in a couple days!!