the mud

So, this is our master bedroom.  Pretty bland and boring.  I love my bed, which we bought about 8 years ago from a catalog.  But the old shams and blanket just weren't what I envisioned for our master retreat.  The old wreath too.... it's gotta go.  So we began with a paint color.  I'm all about free paint and Ace Hardware had free quarts of paint on Saturdays during the month of March.  I thought I would only need one because I was only painting the wall behind the bed, but I add to go back the following weekend.  If you remember the rest of the room is wallpapered and we are not into self-torture trying to get it all removed.  So we're working within our limits.  Painting one wall. I found this lovely color at the paint store that coordinates with the wallpaper and the window treatments but isn't too dated.  (Or so I thought...)  It's a pale aqua blue called Crystal Lake, ironic because that's the name of a lake near ...

One of my new year's resolutions was to get back into my running routine which had quickly gone by the wayside during the holidays.   Not that I had much of a routine to begin with.  At my peak I was running about 18 miles a week, but let's just say that ain't happening.  So last night I was committed to going to bed early and getting a big start to my day, about 6:30 - run a few miles and then head out grocery shopping.  Not so fast... I didn't actually get out of bed until 7:15 (because I waited up for my husband and son to get home from the Winter Classic game last night.)  Then once I did arise I realized that, along with everyone else in the house, I didn't have any socks that matched.  So I sat in my son's room sorting socks and talking.  I thought I was ready to go.  But I came downstairs and my youngest didn't want to go to basketball.  That took a few words of encouragement.  Ready to go?  I checked m...

We teach kids in school about the value of repetition in every subject from math to science to writing.  Well let me tell you that what you learned in kindergarten is everything you need to know about DESIGN too.  Really.  As I was clearing out  designing my pantry tonight I realized that is the secret. Just take a look at these pictures: Sorry, I just don't see myself decanting my soda, oils, vinegars, and what not into fancy (i.e. expensive) vintage bottles. Do you only buy food that comes in green packages?  I don't.  (See below.) We have more of a red-yellow-blue-brown-white-whateversonsale theme.  But if I had twelve boxes of Quaker oats and eight boxes of ricekrispies you would might be just as impressed with my closet. So I went around the house, like a kindergartner, finding things that are ALIKE.  They all had to be the same material and the one I found the most of was, stainless steel.  So that was the winner. ...

I think my fascination with hallways started when I was in college.  I'll never forget the description of the entry way  in James Joyce's Dubliners as all the guests arrived for a party.  Growing up we didn't have a hall or entry way and our old house didn't either.  It's always been on my list for the perfect house.  Maybe that's why I am so excited.  So now for the picture gallery!  I am almost done my one, two, three day project and haven't done anything else on the list! Looking up the stair well I just knew it had to get done now and that it would put the finishing touches on our new space.  So just to recap, here is the before: This is how the picture layout began:  All the pictures laid out on the floor... a tape measure to try to measure... Then I made templates of the frames with old newspaper and hung them approximately where I thought each picture should go.  The blue painter's tape helps with nailing into plaster wall...

In the Kindergarten classrooms I visit, many teachers have lists of words that are "Juicy words" or "Words that Sparkle."  There are so many wonderful words we use this time of year.  Nourish, harvest, bounty, plenty, gratitude, thanksgiving, gathering, family, welcome, holiday, retreat, homecoming, tradition, heritage.  Just hearing the words reminds us of good things.  Nourish is one of my favorite words.  It has such a wonderful loaded meaning.  You can nourish yourself, your spirit, or those around you.   Nourishment has such significance as we shop and prepare menus and welcome friends and family from far away.  We need to nourish ourselves as we begin this festive season.   We are like the hibernating animals that need to load up before the long days of winter. During the holidays we have the excuse to set aside time to play, relax, and eat.  We treasure special time sitting around the ...

Since this is our first holiday in our new home, I feel a little pressure to make this season special.  We are still learning how to make this house feel like home and give our children the memories for the holidays that they had in our old house.  Well, after worrying and venting last week I have come down with a severe case of Holiday Spirit.  The truth is I love creating, it's really just the time factor that throws everything off.  I found an extra hour of time on Saturday when a friend offered to drive my son home from a birthday party.  I stopped at Produce Junction and I picked up some pears and artichokes and some greenery, all for under $8.  The ivy grows in our yard and the pumpkins were from Halloween.  The real secret here is skewers: they are strong and sturdy hold the fruit in the arrangement. (If you find the fruit starts to slip, you can put a piece of wax under the fruit.) Since I still wasn't going to make the table run...

After the grand entry the kids usually drop shoes-sweatshirt-backpack-lunchbox-notehome-leavesanddirt right on the hall carpet.  They do not see this as a problem.  However, multiplied x4 means that there are approximately one million things on the floor.  If the fire marshall came, he would declare it uninhabitable.  I have tried to explain the concept of "TRAFFIC PATTERN" but they don't get it.  So I'm thinking I might be able to reprogram them by locking the front door.  We have 3 back doors, one of which might be more convenient.  So I have a few options for creating an entry/mudroom/catchall space.  One of the troublesome things is where to put winter jackets which we pulled out much earlier than expected this season.  (Are you sure you want to say there's no environmental crisis here?) Option 1: the new and improved muddy room (with the outdoor furniture moved in for the winter.) Option 2: the family room back door space: ...