peonies for sibi

one of the things i've been trying to accomplish

since sending the girlies back to school

is organizing the huge amount of photos i've taken recently

i'm a weirdo with organizational compulsions

(is that even a real diagnosis?)

whose day rolls somewhat smoothly

when everything is where it needs to be

&

needless to say

that goal is rarely achieved!

so here are some images taken

back in the spring

that i finally got around to

dan & i have been spending time

trying to pack up his parent's home

obviously a very tender experience

and dare i say

overwhelming

i discovered some of his mom's journals

written the last couple years of her life

while she battled cancer

each entry just a little bullet point of the day

always with a scripture

and always with joy

i could barely get through

the first one....

broke my heart

&

encouraged me at the same time

i can't wait to share some of those entries with you soon

speaking of the power of journaling

& passing on a legacy of simple thoughts

i am guest posting today at sibi's

please drop by & visit

if you have a moment

capture

oh how i wish i my love for capturing

the everyday moments of our lives

had been a priority from the start

while i have always loved photographing my girls

like extreme photo taker mom

my desire to tweek things

to capture more randomness

didn't blossom until this year

no one 'round here even rolls their eyes anymore

if they see me laying on the floor taking "what on earth are you doing" photos

i highly encourage you

especially those of you with little bitty ones

capture their toes

take a picture of what their room looks like

who cares if your 5 year old is picking their nose

if they always pick their nose

capture it

if your teenager is a book worm

what are they reading?

capture it

does your hubby slave in the yard?

capture it

did you do a bang up job on dinner?

capture a picture of what you created

or

capture a glimpse of everyone at the table

while they're not looking of course

for those of you whose kiddos are

totally not digging you & your journalistic phototaking skills

the more you do it

the more they'll get used to it

&

i bet they'll get on board with you

& maybe

your five year old

will

quit picking his nose

well...

maybe

anyway...a glimpse of what i've tried to capture lately

thanks for all your white home photo love

hope you have a great weekeknd

peace..

i can do color. i promise!

the thing about a home built 20something years ago=

 its old enough to need much

as far as upkeep, maintenance, updating etc

but not yet old enough to be charming

& i love charming

i doubt this will be my forever home

so as i vacillate between the desire to fluff my nest

and be content

i try to make little updates here & there

where the budget will allow

when we do go to sell

i'm sure it will be a huge disappointment to our agent

that i have no major appliance upgrades

that i actually paint around heavy furniture

& not always behind it

& that right there...that i am the one that painted

not a professional

will be a deal breaker for some

whatever

a couple of ya'll asked about paint colors

i'm so flattered

but here's the naked truth

i purchase whatever creamy white i see and like

i'm reckless like that

the front two rooms in my home were done with

are you ready for another shocker

kilz brand paint from walmart

cashmere white satin

which despite the primer already included

needed 3 coats anyway

darnola

the back two rooms however are the same color

eggshell country white

walmart brand

wait a sec....elle home decor is calling in now

another answer for you

the chippy frames

are from dryads dancing

for all you atlanta girls

their new urban loftlike shop is a must see

& prices are a little cheaper there than on line

i think..

these slipcovers were from anthro

years ago

major mark down & sadly...all gone

my kitchen used to be raspberry

 i'm talkin like whoa....raspberry

the girls LOVED it

i loved it

but the thing i really love about my now neutral kitchen

is the freedom

to bring in whatever color i want whenever i want

mix it up , frequently no less

orange

red

yellow

free....whenever

i change out the table centerpiece all the time

today

its a snoozer

but you can't go wrong with a white ( nonscented of course) candle smack dab in the center

here's a glimpse of some centerpieces that have made their debut in the past few months

i love the silver glittery goodness that brightens my mood on a dreary winter day

as it got closer to spring i added a pop of yellow

this wobbly chippy candelabra thingy is the bomb

i totally dig these tall candles that i just so happen to have in several colors

the picture is decieving

it's tall

really tall

more yellowness from the spring

my all time most favorite centerpiece eva

is a big bowl of  vintage ornaments

red is probably the color i add the most

red is my favorite color

while white is my favorite state of mind!

another perk to my neutral kitchen

is i can play switcheroo

with colored plates

at any given time

i know i'm preaching to the choir

however

besides adding color with a funky tablecloth

(which i just realized i didn't share...stay tuned)

cutesy candles

or a bowl of glittery fun

probably the easiest cheapest way i add some color to our little world

is flowers

just whatever is on sale

at the grocery store works just fine

LOVE sunflowers

especially these

don't you always smile when you see sunflowers?

thought so

could enjoy these

every

single

day

ok

glad we got that all squared away

i think a few of you were worried

that all white all the time

snorarama 

was continually going on over here

 i can do color

promise

thank you for dropping back by

come on in....

our home was built in the 80's

 when i purchased it in the late 90's

it looked like it was still the 80's in here!

chintz & florals

wallpaper

loads of wallpaper

in navy, hunter green and burgundy

draperies, heavy drapery

i was a single mom

who took complete advantage of nap time

& during those precious hours

i proceeded to room by room

rip down wallpaper

& paint

well

that was years ago

& my decor and color preferences have changed

i'll never forget the day i walked into my home

looked around at each room

each in its individual color

& little things everywhere

clutter

it was cute

but there was clutter

&  it had to go

all the clutter

and all the color

just made me nervous

it was not a calm environment

my eye nor my soul had no place to rest

so

i began all over again

with zero budget

by the way

i took things off the wall

put away much of the clutter

painted the entire downstairs floor

creamy white

symmetry

much better

a few months ago i finally finished

this long process

& i really love the final outcome

with our 80's home

we have the typical smaller rooms

vs the current desired open floor plan look

you know...the dining room that is seldom used

etc

i felt that if all the rooms had balance with color

they would flow much nicer

(ok...all you decorators out there, please forgive my lack of current decor lingo)

i didn't save many digi before images

but here's a quick downstairs peek anyway

even a couple of the dining room chairs

got a fresh coat of paint

the slipcovers were from pottery barn several years ago

i  painted over the brass light fixtures

ditched the little shades

& added some crystals

i think i've shared about my primitive dough bowl

given to me by my relatives

its huge

takes up most of the seldom used dining table

shells remain most of the year

but they'll soon trade out with white pumpkins

then silvered pine cones in the winter

as mentioned

our 80's home has a family room and a living room

when i first moved in i had visions of slip covering what was then

blue & white striped sofas

did you have some of those circa 93?

anyway my girlfriend talked me out of the 'messy look ' of the slips

reupholster was the way to go

big mistake

i am a slip cover lover

darn peer pressure

i wouldn't go with these colors again

but for now i have chosen to drown them in neutral pillows

the pillow situation changes frequently

&

i'm currently conflicted

should i add two ginormous ones into the mix?

we'll see...

because the rooms feel sorta small

& boxey to me

i intentionally have left my windows untreated

its probably a total decor suicide

but i love it

makes our home very open & light

 here is another little peek from the kitchen to the family room

this is the room that was so dark

when i moved in

navyarama

ugh

i've painted it twice

oil based on all the molding

or whatever that's called

major project

glad that ones done

when i purchased this home

i needed to be in a great community

between that & the fact that my parents

bought a home just down the street

with a pool

was a big sell for me and my little three

but the ah ha moment for me

was when i saw this back porch

we have loved this back porch

when its not 106 degrees

we try to eat many meals out here

thanks for dropping by!

oh & ps

the dreadful flooring shown below

the thorninmysideflooring

its hopefully

the next project on the list!