SHE'S NOT MUCH, BUT SHE'S MINE

I have internet again! Hooray! (And I'm pretty sure my cable guy hooked me up with extra channels. Here's hoping they don't show up on the bill, yeah?)

Well, friends, the move has happened. Some light documentation:

Morning of move: Some boxes remain unpacked, and I try to convince my type-A side to calm the f* down. This involves chocolate and caffeine.

 

Cujo the cat observes as I pack some last-minute items.

 

I pick up my keys at the new place and snap some quick "before" pictures.

Note: These pictures do not do the space justice. I love it. Those windows are absolutely glorious.

(view of front door and kitchen from living room)

 

(living room)

 

(crap picture, but look at my 10-ft. ceilings!)

 

(my quaint stove! oh, my. :P)

 

 

Back at home, Cujo flips out as the family volunteers arrive and "hides" on top of the kitchen cupboards.

 We have three SUVs between the four of us (no judging, now; Minnesota winters equal 4x4 drive), and we are inexplicably bound and determined to make the move in one trip. This is the result.

 

Dad is trying so hard! We make it work, though. (I just don't make eye contact with anyone while behind the wheel.)

The place is coming together. Boxes are slowly being unpacked and furniture is getting situated, and I can't wait to see and share the results soon!

KEEP ON THE SUNNY SIDE

I need this taped to my bathroom mirror for days like today.

 

"Keep on the Sunny Side" oversized postcard , sold here.

OFFICE BRAINSTORM

I've been thinking about home offices a lot lately. To be more specific, I've been thinking about home offices that are housed in rooms other than offices, because that's going to be my situation in a few days. I'd like to build a pretty substantial work space, but it has to fit in the living room, both size-wise and style-wise. I keep hearing/reading that a desk in a living room is somehow taboo, but I completely disagree. My living room is where I spend the majority of my time. Whether I'm being productive or being a slob, I'm in that room. My bedroom, on the other hand, is off limits for productive activity, making the idea of putting my office in there an impossibility. (Plus I just don't get it. Bedrooms are for sleeping, and lounging, and being otherwise relaxed.)

My new living room is an 18x13ft rectangle, like such (no balcony, unfortunately):

My thought is to put the sofa in the rough middle of the room, facing and centered against the shorter wall. Behind it and closer to the kitchen will be my dining room table, leaving me with 11-12ft of wall (not to mention the wall opposite, with the window). I'd like to set up some sort of long, skinny desk system there. Lots and lots of work space, but only about 18-23 inches deep.

I keep seeing different versions in my mind, and for some reason, most have a double-desk set up, kind of like this:

DecorPad user Teresa's office

I of course have no need for my desk to have multiple seating options. I just think it could look kind of cool.

I'd also like to have some sort of set-up on the wall for creative...meanderings, shall we say? Inspiration board, etc. If I can't have something like that up, then I definitely want to hang either a couple of larger prints or a gallery-style arrangement of personal photos.

The desk is likely to be black or very dark brown, and in the living room, the walls will be a dark gray and the couch will be an oatmeal color. I'm going to add pops of yellow and dark blue wherever I can. This is very close to where I hope to take the room:

PCH

It's going to be interesting, though. I'm concerned about mixing what are essentially three very distinct zones: living, office and dining. Not sure how I'm going to break them up but still somehow get them to flow/work together...

Signing the lease tomorrow!

 

TODAY I'M WEARING

 Jacket: Gap, $50 (on sale! reg. $118! go get it!)

Scarf: Target, $17 (but saw it in store for $11)

Cardigan: Target, $25 (on sale! reg. $90! go get it!)

  

Tee: Gap, $17 (on sale! reg. $30! saw it in store for $11! go get it!)

Watch: Tag Heuer 

 

Jeans: J. Crew, $98

Boots: Target (no longer available)

It's cold, y'all. 

AMIDST MY DAY OF CRAP...

...amidst greasy hair because the shower  inexplicably lost all water pressure, amidst scrubbing the kitchen clean after my electric mixer splattered room-temperature butter everywhere (and I mean everywhere), amidst spilling half a gallon of primer on my bathroom floor and my Tag Heuer (because I'm an idiot who forgets to take things off when painting)...

Country Living

...my roommate said that she felt like she was looking at a magazine when she saw me painting, and I could have hugged her. I wasn't feeling particularly glamorous with a foot covered in dried paint and my hair tied back, but she said I looked picturesque, framed by the doorway of the bathroom and standing on one of my lovely old Ashley chairs to reach the ceiling.

Should have asked for a picture. :) No one's ever mentioned me and magazine in the same sentence before.

(The Tag Heuer survived the primer incident. All I can say is thank God it's water-approved!)

BIG DOILIES SCARE ME

Living, Etc.

But there's still something I like about this room. There's a sort of balance, what with the tailored bedding and overall white-ness paired up with the femininity (wall art, throw pillow, not to mention the shoes and purse)...it all works very well, I think.  

Happy New Year!

I know we're officially past the holidays, but my tree is still up. Therefore:

Real Simple

Learned a few things today.

1) "Sleeping until the sun wakes me up" doesn't necessarily mean waking up before noon. (I felt like one of those NyQuil commercials when I finally came to.)

2) Gnat-like insects like to live in boxes in pantries. Namely, in boxes of pancake mix, so as to ruin my awesome plan for chocolate-chip pancakes. But...

3) Target is open on New Years! Pancake plan saved!

Gourmet

4) There is, in fact, such a thing as too much Criminal Minds. This is nothing that a glass of wine and a lavendar bath can't fix, however.

5) The ribbon thing is definitely happening. Now I just need to figure out what color the walls should be. I'm thinking something between charcoal and black.

6) I'm going to be flat broke for a few months.

7) ...but I can't WAIT to move. :)

Here's to a successful, joyful, meaningful new year!