Grateful Monday

It's been awhile since I've done a grateful Monday post, but this week, I really need it.

I'm hoping that this post will help me keep perspective as we deal with having to replace our sewer line.  This is a majorly expensive project, and it's gotten me frazzled.  I just keep telling myself that it will all be okay.  Once it's fixed, we won't have to worry about it anymore.  And when it comes time to sell this house, it will, hopefully, pay off!

I really just hope and pray that they don't find anymore problems once they dig a massive trench in my front yard.  Fingers crossed. 

So today, here are five things that I'm grateful for:

• Our health.  Whenever I start to feel overwhelmed or down about life's problems, I always remind myself that we are all healthy.  And that is priceless.  I would deal with this sewer problem any day over a health issue.  Hands down.  
• Our home.  While I'm not exactly loving our 110 year-old house at the moment, I need to remind myself that we are blessed to even have a home.  And a pretty darn cute one at that!
• My parents.  They are making an impromptu trip to come see us tomorrow so my dad can be here for this project.  He's got a lot of experience in this area, and we are so blessed to have his expertise and help.
• My husband.  I tend to be a nervous nelly, and he is always an optimist.  He's always so patient and compassionate and knows exactly how to calm me down.  I just love him.
• Spring.  Though today is cold, we had a beautiful weekend.  And one benefit of having to dig up our landscaping is that I had no choice but to cut my hyacinths.  I've got bunches of them scattered about, and now, my house smells divine.

Here's to counting blessings and staying positive!

Have a wonderful week!

xoxo

Fall Favorites

It's no secret that I love autumn.  Having grown up in the Midwest, I have a certain appreciation for the change of seasons, and the fall season is one of my favorites.  

It tends to be a busy season for us as we try to maximize our time outdoors and enjoy the beautiful weather. I'm okay with that because I know that the winter season usually brings slower days spent indoors. 

So what do I love about autumn?  I love the cool crisp mornings combined with warm, sunny days. I love watching the colors change on the trees.  I love pulling out my boots and sweaters.  I love drinking hot cider and the smell of leaves burning.  I also love the traditional fall activities of bonfires, hayrides, and visits to the pumpkin patch.

We try to get outdoors as much as possible this time of year.  Liam and I have been hiking at least once a week for the past month. These pics are from our family hike last week.  The little guy was beaming the entire time.

While we spend a lot of time outdoors, I also like to bring a little fall indoors. Our house is small so I don't have a lot of space for seasonal decorations, but I do add a few touches.  In our next home, I hope to have a fireplace.  I would love to have a mantel to change up with the seasons, but until then, I like to keep it pretty simple.

I frequently change up the centerpiece on our dining room table.  I love the vibrant colors of these fall leaves. 

I'm also big on natural touches and have a thing for candles.  This little arrangement sits on my grandmother's antique sewing machine.

One of my favorite ways to change my decor is to change out our decorative pillows.  I love the fall colors and embroidery in the middle pillow. 

I also have a love for all things pumpkin.  I light this candle every evening and I love how my house smells!

I also recently discovered Trader Joe's pumpkin butter.  Wow.  So good!  

In an attempt to save money, I also started making my own pumpkin spice latte using this recipe.  It's so good and gives Starbucks a run for it's money.

Happy fall!  I hope you get to enjoy all that this beautiful season has to offer!

xoxo

La-La Laundry

We did it.  We finally got a new washer and dryer, which has changed my life!  Who knew all that was standing between me and a love for laundry was a new washer and dryer?!  

Doing one load of laundry on our old set took hours.  We were up to 5 drying cycles per load.  And a load of towels? Forget about it.  Needless to say, I was about to lose it and decided to just take the plunge.  

What an amazing difference!  I'm still slightly shocked when I open the dryer after 40 minutes and everything is dry!  

We went with the Whirlpool Cabrio set and got a very nice deal from Sears. 

I went back and forth trying to decide between a top loader and a front loader.  I finally decided on this one because it fit our budget and got very high reviews.  I really wanted to upgrade to the dryer with the steam option and almost did.  However, our doorways in this old house aren't standard size and the steam dryer would not fit through our basement door.

Anyway, after a couple of weeks of doing laundry with these bad boys, I couldn't be happier.  

Laundry doesn't seem like a chore anymore. Truthfully, I kind of look forward to it. I love how our clothes come out fluffy and soft and smelling wonderful.  

It's also on my life list to own a high efficiency washer and dryer so I get to check that off!  I love that this set as an Eco option and results in major energy savings.  

Now, if only someone would invent a machine that would fold laundry and put it away...but until then, I'll just enjoy the luxury of these new machines. 

Home Sweet Home Part 2

I recently wrote about how my home is my sanctuary.  In that post, I showed you our living and dining room.

Today, I'll show you our kitchen.

Shortly after Andrew and I got married, we remodeled the kitchen.  Thanks to my handy dad and my father-in-law, we were able to do it rather cheaply too.

Because of the remodel, we have a lot more counter space, a dishwasher (perhaps the greatest invention ever...), several more cabinets, and a small pantry.  

Here is the view as you enter the kitchen.  I'm really quite happy with it.  I really love the contrast of the dark counter tops with the white cabinets.  I have often thought of adding crown molding to the tops of the cabinets but have never gotten around to it.  I would also love to have new stainless steel appliances but its just not worth the investment for the amount of time we plan to stay here.

I know it's not the most chic look, but I love to hang pictures and momentos on the refrigerator.  I believe that it's those personal touches that make a house a home, and really, I just like to see the smiling faces of my loved ones on a regular basis.

The paint job in this kitchen was a HUGE lesson for me.  I chose this yellow thinking that it would be much lighter than it was.  It has grown on me, but truthfully, it's still way too bright.  Though I do like a bright and cheery kitchen, I would have preferred a much paler shade of yellow.  Based on the painting we've done in this house, I have learned that paint usually appears darker on the wall than you expect it to.  And lighting plays a big role in how it will look.  Based on this experience, I now it make a rule to buy a small can of paint and actually put a few swatches on the wall before I decide.  That's really the only way to know how its going to look and it's definitely worth the few bucks that it costs!

Below is my tiny pantry.  I honestly don't know what I would do without this pantry.  It provides so much storage space and is packed full.  On the baker's rack you'll see the basket where I keep our cloth napkins as well as all of my cookbooks.  The container on the bottom holds dog toys. 

This sign hangs above our kitchen door.  It's a nice reminder for us to live more consciously and to make earth friendly choices. 

So there you go!  There is our tiny, but very efficient kitchen.  It's one of my favorite rooms in our house, and I really love the way the remodel turned out.  I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, so in our next home, I really hope to have an open floor plan.  Until then, I'll choose to be grateful and enjoy this bright and cheery space!

xoxo

Home Sweet Home

This is a post I've been wanting to write for awhile because decorating my home is one of my favorite things to do.

I definitely thrive on living in a pretty, organized space.  Though I've always loved decorating and dreamed of having a pretty home to live in, it wasn't until I started teaching that my home really became my sanctuary.  

At the time I lived in a beautiful apartment in a historic part of the city. My days teaching in an inner city high school were pretty intense.  Coming home to a quiet, tidy, pretty space helped me to relax.  My home quickly became my oasis.

After I met Andrew, I moved into his house, a two bedroom bungalow that is over 100 years-old.  Since then, I've made lots of changes and definitely transformed his bachelor pad!  

We are definitely ready to leave the city and head for the woods as soon as we can, but until I finish this PhD, it just doesn't make sense to move.  Perhaps one of the biggest challenges for me is that there are so many things I would like to change about this home.  Most are small projects like paint and fixtures, but it's just not a good investment of our time or resources.  Instead, we are now beginning  a long to-do list of things that need to be done in order to have the house in selling condition in a year or two.

I must say, I love the character of older homes, but I look forward to having a newer space in the future.  One of the things I long for the most is storage space.  Old homes are definitely short on closets! 

As I often catch myself dreaming about a larger, newer home, I remind myself to be grateful for this space.  This home has treated us well.  We have made so many wonderful memories here, and there are so many days I'm grateful for the small size as I try to keep tabs on a toddler!

My decorating style has evolved significantly over the past few years.  In fact, our next home will probably look quite different from this one based on the decorating lessons that I've learned while living here.  

More and more, I'm finding myself drawn to rustic, natural elements.  I'm also love color.  However, I've learned that color is best in art and accessories.  I made the mistake in this house of painting all of the rooms bright, vivid colors.  When I moved in with Andrew, the dining room was royal blue and we painted the living room a deep red!  Yikes.  

It was fun for awhile, but I got sick of those colors fast.  I've learned that its best to keep the walls neutral and bring in color through other elements.  A couple of years ago we got rid of those brightly colored walls and painted the living room and dining room a more neutral, taupe shade.  It really helped to brighten things up and made the space feel so much bigger. I really don't have decorating rules.  My philosophy is to fill your home with things that you love.  Many of our items that are on display have sentimental value, and when we travel we like to buy pieces that remind us of our adventures. 


We'll start the tour with our living and dining room, which is where we spend most of our time.

This is the view from our dining room into our living room.  We have tall ceilings and windows, which is very nice and makes the place feel a lot bigger than it is.  I bought this dark green sofa and love seat 11 years ago!  Again, I learned a lesson that its best to stick to neutral colors when it comes to long-term furniture.  I've been tied to this color of green for a long time, but I like earthy, dark colors so it works.  I also switch out the throw pillows seasonally to mix things up a bit.  We used to have a nice coffee table but exchanged it for a more kid friendly ottoman last year.

When I first moved in with Andrew, we bought this painting together.  It was our first art purchase.  I love this painting and expect that it will be in our home for the rest of our lives.  Notice the tree theme.....

This is the view from the front door into the dining room.  Our dining room is multifunctional and includes our desk and home computer.  I really like that these two rooms are joined together creating a larger, open space. 

I have a love/hate relationship with this bookcase.  Andrew picked it up second hand many years ago when a nearby business was closing.  This thing is solid wood and sturdy as can be.  I love it as a place to display photographs and decorative items.  However, it is in dire need of some work.  And I hate those gold accents.  I did add some wrapping paper to the back of the shelves and changed the hardware to dress it up a bit, but I still think it's ugly.  

Once we move into a new home, I'll give this baby a good paint job and it will be good as new.  In the meantime, it works.  And yes, that is a record player and a stereo.  My husband is old school when it comes to his music!

This is our little office space in the dining room.  Its not the most ideal place for the computer, but we lost our home office once Liam was born so this is it.  We have a piece of plexiglass on top of the desk to protect the surface.  Last year I added some wrapping paper under it to dress it up a bit.  I like how it adds a little pop of color.

This antique sewing machine is one of my most cherished possessions.  It belonged to my grandma.  I remember sitting with her as she sewed clothes for my dolls.  It's a constant reminder of her and how special she was to me.

Andrew and I bought this piece of artistic glass last year for our anniversary when we were at a music festival in southern, Illinois.  We love trees so when we saw this, we both agreed that we had to have it!  Notice the sweet little heart at the bottom of the trunk.

This stained glass, which Andrew's parents gave him several years ago, hangs above our front door.  It was already here when I moved in, and I love it.  I couldn't think of a better piece of art to represent my arborist, banjo playing husband. 

It's pieces like this that represent what our home is really about.  It's a reflection of us, our family, our personalities, our love for one another, and this magical life's journey that we share.  

My Favorite Things: Household Favorites

Today I'll continue sharing some of my favorite things and show you some of my favorite household products.

I tend to be pretty loyal when it comes to products.  Once I find something that works, I stick with it! I also try to choose products that are non-toxic and environmentally friendly.  You'll probably notice a theme here...I'm a bit of a clean freak so I like my cleaning products.  I also like to have things organized.  

In no particular order, here are my favorite household products:

I absolutely love this surface cleaner.  I really like all of Mrs. Meyer's products, but they are expensive so I only splurge on this one.  The geranium scent is just heavenly.  It actually makes me want to clean my counters....  

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I'm also a fan of Method cleaning products.  There's nothing I hate more than a layer of dust in my house and this wood polish is wonderful.  It smells delicious and does a nice job of making my furniture nice and shiny without leaving a layer of heavy residue.

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And here we have the Magic Eraser.  I love these things for removing scuff marks and various spots.  I really only use them when a surface cleaner doesn't do the job.  Now that I have toddler I'm discovering all kinds of uses for the Magic Eraser.  Just yesterday I used one to remove crayon from my wood floors.  I'm not entirely sure what is in them, but they are, indeed, magic!

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This is a product that I just recently discovered.  I hate ironing, so I don't do it.  In fact, I make it my purpose to buy clothing items that don't require ironing.  My husband, however, has a few shirts that do need to be ironed.  This wrinkle releaser does the trick!  And it's so easy to use.  All you have to do it spray it on, smooth out the garment and then hang it to dry.  This isn't going to give you any nice creases, but it does make clothes virtually wrinkle free, which is good enough for me.  

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I bought this steam mop a couple of years ago and then I bought one for my mom.  I love this thing for multiple reasons.  First of all, it's so much easier than dragging around a mop and a bucket.  Secondly, it sanitizes floors by using steam so there's no need for toxic chemicals.  The mop pads are also reusable, I just throw them in the laundry when I'm done.  It's quick and easy and gets my floors super clean.  When Liam was crawling, I used this nearly every day.

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As I mentioned above, I like things organized, and drawer organizers are high on my list.  I love to open my drawers and see everything in its spot.  I find that organizers not only help us get organized but they also help us stay organized.  I use them throughout the house, but I think they're particularly useful in kitchen, bathroom and desk drawers.

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I like to label things.  Weird, I know.  Last year I discovered chalk labels, which are both cute and fun to make. I currently use them in our pantry, and I have big plans for more labels in the near future.   

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We live in a house that is over 100 years old....no walk in closets here!  It's also not a very big house, so we are short on storage space.  Our master bedroom doesn't even have a closet.  Baskets to the rescue!  I use baskets in every room.  They are a great way to store small items while also concealing clutter.  I use them in our bedroom to store my cardigans and jeans.  In the living room, I have multiple baskets for our shoes, Liam's toys, puzzles, and books.  I don't like clutter and baskets really help to keep things tidy.  The downside is that baskets can be expensive.  World Market and Hobby Lobby both have an excellent selection and have regular sales on them.  I like to buy sturdy ones that I know will hold up.  I use the large sized ones seen below in our bedroom.

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I've mentioned my love of candles before on this blog.  I really enjoy a yummy smelling candle.  We go through a lot of them as I like to burn them throughout the day when we are at home and almost every evening.  My very favorite candles are from Capri Blue.  I love the Volcano scent and also Aloha Orchid.  They make the entire house smell divine, and it doesn't hurt that they make me feel like I'm in an Anthropologie store!

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One of my New Year's goals was to use fewer paper towels so we started using cloth napkins.  I had no idea how nice it would be to use real napkins at each meal!  It really makes mealtime feel a little extra special.  I also notice that I put a little more effort into setting our table and coordinating things. Plus, it just feels nice to lay a cloth napkin across your lap.  This change has made a noticeable difference in our paper towel consumption, and it feels good to know that we are being less wasteful.  One day, when I have some free time, I plan to sew up more pretty napkins using scraps of fabric that I have.  

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I'm sure there are probably more favorites that I'm missing, but these are definitely my all stars.  In the near future, I would like to try to make my own surface cleaner using this recipe, although I'm not sure I can give up my Mrs. Meyers!  I've also been looking at recipes for making my own, environmentally friendly laundry detergent.  As much as I prefer green products, they can be a little pricey sometimes so making my own would be a good way to save some money.

What about you?  What are your household favorites?

Today, I'm linking up with the feature free for all at Five Days Five Ways!  Please check out all of the fun links!