Next Stop - The Dining Room

This should have been our first stop, since it's the room that got its "makeover" first.  The dining room is typically sparse, just the dining room table and china cabinet...well, take a look:

Granted, these are not the most recent pictures.  The walls were painted, and the chandelier got updated, but the basic idea is there - not a whole lot of furniture.

At the time I kept my scrapbooking supplies in the dining room because that's where I would do my scrapbooking.  I got tired of seeing it there, though, and since the organization unit has wheels, I decided to put it in a closet and take it out when I wanted to use it.  That meant even less clutter, which made me happy.

So you get the idea, right?  Simple, clean, uncluttered.  The fact that there was little furniture in there made it the perfect place for storage, but I still had to keep it as uncluttered as possible, just for the sake of my sanity ;).  Here are the results:

Since I had to empty out the boy's room of extra stuff so R's furniture could fit, it meant taking the shelves with the video games out.  I put one on either side of the china cabinet, filled on with E's video games and R filled the other with his movies.

This table was in the living room, but I needed space to put R's television and gaming equipment.  Thankfully this table is the same wood tone as the dining room table, so it works nicely.  What I'm glad about most is that, although I've added furniture to the dining room, it was kept to a few pieces so it doesn't look overdone.  There's still space to move around, and we can use the table for meals or board games.

One more room to go, stay tuned!

Thoughtful Thursday

I hope everyone enjoyed the celebration of our Independence yesterday.  We were invited to our friends' home, the B's, who had a great barbecue of burgers, hot dogs, sausages, pork chops, chicken, corn...you name it, it was there.  I didn't get to eat much, since my stomach wasn't feeling at its best.  I've had to accept the fact that I'm not the same person I was, physically speaking, 20 years ago, or 10 years ago, or even 5 years ago.  Things change; people change; bodies change.  I used to sit and drink a tall glass of milk every night before going to bed and not think about it.  Now I'm lactose intolerant; that same glass of milk will give me excruciating pain and bloating.  I was a skinny twig who could eat like it was a competition and not gain a pound.  I loved it back then!  If I try to do that now, well, let's just say the results would be less than desirable.

I've found that I can't sit and eat a large meal like I used to.  It might be because of the gallbladder stones.  It might be that my digestive system doesn't work as quickly as it used to.  All I know is, yesterday afternoon I ate some potato chips before lunch while I watched Poirot on Netflix, then I had a grilled burger with onions, pickles and ketchup, some seasoned fries, and then, just because I wanted to, I had a piece of brownie.  And suddenly, I wasn't feeling so good :P.  My stomach felt like I'd eaten a few bricks and they were swirling in there.  I had to sit for awhile to let my stomach settle (after drinking some bicarbonate of soda) which made us late to the barbecue.  Then I had to eat small portions and pace myself.  I had one Colombian sausage with a scoop of potato salad and a scoop of cole slaw.  Afterwards I had another sausage and a little cole slaw again.  I didn't want to have another burger after the first episode, and I knew a hot dog would be killer, so I stayed away from them.  For dessert I had a piece of dutch apple pie someone brought.  I didn't feel bad after that, but even though we ate at 7pm and didn't go to bed till midnight, this morning my belly feels like it's filled with lead.  I guess I'm gonna have to take it extra easy today.

We were able to see the fireworks display from our friend's house; they live a short ways from a city park that puts on a great show with lasers and everything.  Thankfully we had Off spray because the mosquitoes were on high alert!  We were especially grateful that the evening was much cooler than it's been these last few days and nights.  While the temps themselves haven't been really high, the humidity has been killer.  It was in the mid 80s last night, but there was lots of cloud cover, and the breeze was sweet.  Our days have been in the low 90s but with the humidity it feels like 99 degrees.  The heat becomes unbearable.  I do hope it cools down a bit; we'd like to do some outdoor activities, but in this intense heat it's not possible.

I'm hoping to take our dog Molly today for her rabies shot and to get her license.  We've put it off too long - her license expires on Saturday.  She's not going to be a very happy dog, I'm afraid.  Oh well.  It's for her own protection.

Have a blessed Thursday!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today, July 3, 2012...

Outside my window...the sun is setting, it's almost night.  It's hot and humid and will probably continue to be for the rest of the summer.

I am thinking...of how very blessed I am :)

I am thankful for...my children being with me, a safe move, an organized home, a pantry full of food, a roof over our heads.

I am going...to take a shower in a few minutes.

I am wearing...a black and white top, black and white skirt, and black flip-flops.  A bit monotone, I know.  It's been in the low 90s today but with the humidity it feels like 96 degrees.

I am noticing...some fireworks going off, and it isn't even the Fourth yet.

In the kitchen...I made marinara sauce for our cheese raviolis, and along with that the choice of shrimp or chicken.

I am reading...my devotions in the mornings.  I haven't gotten to reading much else.

I am wondering...when this heatwave is gonna end?  We didn't have a true winter, spring felt more like summer, and summer is turning out to be a real scorcher.  I'm hoping the weather will take a turn soon.

I am hoping...that this heat doesn't spark hurricanes.  They love warm water, and the ocean is at optimal temperatures right now.

I am looking forward to...finding fun stuff to do that isn't outdoors.  I don't know if we could stand the heat!

Around the house...I've done furniture moving, rearranging, redecorating, and it's looking pretty good!  I wasn't sure it would work, but thank God all is fitting in beautifully.

I am pondering these words..."Many of us suffer from temptations from which we have no business to suffer." - Oswald Chambers.

One of my favorite things...air conditioning!!  That is provision from God right there!

A few plans for the rest of the week...Molly needs to go in to have her yearly rabies shot.  I'm not looking forward to that :P.  We don't have any other fixed plans for this week, and that's just fine with me :)

Wanna join in the fun?  Visit Peggy at the Simple Woman's Daybook.  God bless.

The Formal Living Room

Our home has the typical formal living room, also known as the front room, the first room you see when you walk into the house.  It's been used mostly as a reading room since it's quiet and comfortable for that purpose.

On the wall to the immediate left of the front door I had this bookshelf/curio cabinet, strictly for decorative purposes.

The living room contained one sofa, one love seat, the coffee table and end tables, and a few other decorative pieces.  I kept it sparse because I hate clutter.

With the kids coming home and bringing their living and dining room furniture, I came upon a dilemma.  The dining room table could be taken apart so it doesn't take much room in the garage.  But once you put in a sofa, love seat, ottoman cubes, TV stand...there was no space to move in the garage, and the mess was giving me a panic attack.  Time to redistribute and redecorate!

Thankfully the kid's furniture is similar in color to the one in our living room, so adding the love seat from their set was not a problem.  It fit pretty well in that corner, facing the other love seat.

I moved the bookcase to the wall behind the formal love seat and set up a second entertainment area.  This equipment all belongs to my son R; he has the XBox, the Wii, his DVD player with multiple speakers, and I think his Playstation is there too.  The television is his as well.  Now he can play his games or watch movies in this little used space, and the garage isn't as overcrowded as it was before.

There's one more room that got a makeover, so stay tuned!

My Daughter's New Bedroom

There's been plenty of activity at our house the last few days.  With my kids moving back home from Central Florida, I've had to fit a 2 bedroom apartment into my 3 bedroom fully furnished house.  It's been a challenge, but with careful planning we've turned what began as a hoarder's paradise into a comfy home.

Let me start with my daughter's bedroom, since to me it's gotten the biggest transformation.  This is what her bedroom looked like just a month ago:

Her bedroom furniture was perfect - for a little girl.  Sadly, my baby girl has grown up, and the white furniture with blue walls (which were originally teal; they faded to baby blue) was not what a 22 year old college graduate longs to come home to.  So, the furniture was given away, and the changes began with paint.

I started by marking the window wall because she wanted something cool and different.  This took the longest time, because I measured over and over to make sure the line was straight.

Then we began painting.  The top half of the window wall, the wall to the left and the wall facing were all painted stone grey.  It's not very dark.  It's the neutral color needed to carry the accent color:

Deep purple!  The purple is on the bottom half of the window wall and the wall on the right.  It gives the room a very modern vibe which is what she was looking for.  I also touched up the baseboards, since they looked dingy next to the freshly painted walls.

This is the room now, with all the furniture set up:

Nice, huh?  Her bedding is black, grey and white, so the purple continues to be the dominating accent color, yet it doesn't overpower the room.  It's definitely what she wanted, a room fit for a twenty-something young lady.

More changes are forthcoming, stay tuned!

Monday Quiz About Me

This is an interesting meme, because it gives 4 questions to be answered plus the option to ask a 5th question of my own.  It gives me some control, which is kind of nice!  I found this treasure at Acting Balanced.  Give it a try!


1. What is your favorite thing to BBQ?
Burgers.  I totally love burgers on the barbecue.  I also love sausages (Italian, kielbasa, spicy) and chicken.

2. What is your favorite thing to do on a holiday long weekend in the summer?
I like spending it with my kids.  This time of the year is exceptionally hot, so we spend a lot of time indoors where the blessing of air conditioning can be found.  It allows us to play board games, which we enjoy.

3. Who was the last person you ate out with?  Where did you go?  What was the occasion?
Last time we went out to eat was for my daughter's graduation dinner.  It was my daughter and my youngest son, since their dad had left and my oldest son had to work.  We went to Smokey Bones for barbecue wings and yummy dessert.

4. Do you recycle?
I try to.  We have a recycling bin where we throw our recyclables, and those are picked up every other week.  We also take items to Goodwill whenever we can, and I try to reuse things instead of getting rid of them.  Another way I make the effort to be resourceful is by asking myself, "Is this something I need or just something I want?" when I go shopping so I don't buy on impulse.  Most of the things bought on impulse end up in the trash, and that's not wise.

Now my 5th question - feel free to answer!

5.  Who will you be spending the Fourth of July with?

Have a safe and blessed Independence week!

Move It Mondays

Happy Monday y'all!  It's a scorcher here in South Florida, as it's been everywhere this summer.  The heat and humidity make it hard to be outdoors, which is a shame because looking at it from indoors, the day is gorgeous!  The sun is shining, the sky is a lovely shade of blue...why must it be so deceiving?!  Step outside one minute and you'll break out in a sweat!

That being said, we washed my car and my son R's car this morning!  Central Florida is famous for one thing:  love bugs.  These bugs were brought in because they feast on mosquitoes.  Truth be told, we encounter very few mosquitoes while we were there, but the love bugs are everywhere, and driving around Central Florida means lots of bug juice all over the car.  Besides that, since we drove up with Molly in the car, it was covered in dog hair, and it desperately needed a good vacuuming.  My daughter was out all morning, practicing a song with our worship leader for Sunday service, dropping off a job application at a local orphanage, and getting other errands taken care of, so her car didn't get washed.  The other 2 look great, shining in the sunlight!

Today I made fried chicken tenders, mashed potatoes and green beans for lunch.  Dinner found us eating leftovers from today and yesterday.  I did some cleaning in the kitchen but not much else.  The morning's work on the cars was enough for today!

Have a blessed week everyone!