Aaron's working on the flooring in the hallway right now, but I had to share the progress we made this week getting furniture in and pictures on the wall. It's starting to look like we really live here and are not just "flipping" this house! There's still more work to be done, and the house is, as usual, a mess, but I'm still proud of it!

Here's the entry way with it's hall tree from Craigslist. I love it! It looks like it was made for this spot and fits so perfectly! What do you think of my little rug in front of the door? I think it may be too casual for the area?


Our old living room in Boise was pretty huge. It had all this furniture, plus another couch and a huge square "ottoman." I think this is the best furniture arrangement for this room, but we've still got to figure out what to do with the ottoman (we sold the other couch before we left). The big map is going up on that wall where it's resting (needed a new wire) and underneath it will be the antique treadle sewing machine, but I have to get it a little rug so that it doesn't scratch the floor. And, we're using the side tables that'll flank the couch in the bedroom as bedside tables til we get some. I'm still trying to figure out where to put Sacre C'ouer (the green matted drawing on the couch) and the "freely" verse (it's kind of a family motto--"Freely you have received, freely give"). The green sari that's draped over the couch I'm thinking of using as a window dressing, but we'll see.


These are the green chairs that I was worried about how they'd go with the paint color. Well, this picture doesn't do them justice! They actually look nice together. I don't know what happened in the photo. Do you like how the door of the barrel table is still tied shut from the movers?! Ha! Such a pretty little bit of decoration! :PThe study still needs a lot of work. Aaron will be making built-in bookshelves someday for that far wall, so we aren't going to do much with this room until then. But, as you know, I am using it for my office. So, my little area is starting to take shape anyway. We got this rug at TJMaxx/Home Goods (one of my fave places!) for a great price and I really like it in this space. It's nice and soft beneath my toes too!This is one of my favorite pieces of art. Aaron and I "won" it in a charity auction. It's a print of a relief from the 1930s and in person it has a 3-D quality to it. I don't know how they captured it, but I could stare at it all day. I don't have many empty moments here at my desk, but I'm glad it's right there to get lost in, if I ever have the chance!We got the rug laid out in the great room and, again, I'm pleased with the result. The little pillows in the "turn" of the couch were a house-warming gift from my sissy. She made them--do you get it? It's a lion and a lamb and they lie down together! :) Cute, huh? The kids love to play with them, which is unfortunate because I'm really paranoid that my little lion is going to lose his tail! Sissy says she's making a matching afghan too! Yay--cause I love to snuggle up with a blankie! The other sheep is from A's auntie and it's wool is from the sheep on their farm. Also pretty cool! The painting you can hardly see because of the awful glare from the awful "stained glass" on the back door window is a watercolor made in Ghana. We got it in a raffle from our home study agency back in Boise. It's a couple of ladies pounding fufu??? under a palm tree. Very African! And, the fabric on the close end of the couch is my bargain find of the day! JoAnn has all their home decor fabric on half-off sale, so I got this for less than my goal of $6 per yard (considering I'll need 20 yards!!!). They only had 5 yds in stock, so the rest they are ordering for me. This is my curtain fabric, see how it picks up the carpet theme? Close up below.Punk said, "Mom! I really love your fabric!!! I think it's the prettiest fabric in the world!!!" :)Is anyone else noticing a trend toward recreating the 70's in a new way??!!! I was looking for fabric online and noticed that everything in my colors (chocolate, paprika, and sage, formerly known as brown, rust, and avacado) had a certain 70's vibe to it! By going navy instead of green, I think this fabric managed to steer a little away from the trend (thank goodness!) while still evoking a "groovy" feeling! It's called "Whimsy Posie Circles"--isn't that just what everyone wants her great room to be?!