You're probably sick of me showing my living room all the time, but I have a few quick updates I want to share.


Today, I made the last of my final "big" updates to the room (I think).

If you've been following me for awhile you'll know that I am crazy for gingham fabric.


I don't know what it is, but it just speaks to me and I LOVE it!

One of the hardest rooms to decorate is my master bedroom.  Why?  Because this is a room I share with a man with very masculine taste.  And, because I think it's important he feels comfortable in this space, I consider his thoughts a lot when decorating our master bedroom.

Our bedroom currently looks like this:


It's a decent blend of the both of us, but it's always been a little too brown and monochromatic for me.

This week's Folk Blog Journal Challenge is about our American history, and how Martin Luther King, Jr.'s story may have influenced our own.



I don't remember the first time I heard of Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior (he was assassinated when I was an infant so I never saw his speeches live) but it seems like I've always heard about him and his quest for race equality.  Of the many speeches and famous quotes I've heard him say over the years, the one that has always stuck in my mind is this:

I've had a lot of questions and comments about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, so I thought I'd take a few minutes to explain the pros and the cons of ASCP in a short post (well, kind of a short post).


Basically, everyone wants to know what is so great about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and what is all the fuss about?

I was surfing my favorite blogs this morning and saw Thrifty Decor Chick's post about her new ASCP Aubusson Blue dresser in her foyer.


Isn't it gorgeous?!

If you've been hanging around here for any length of time, you have probably figured out that I am a sucker for the color blue.  When I started thinking about it, it made me kind of chuckle.

To be perfectly honest, it was really hard to narrow this topic down to just one thing.  I mean, there was the time that I went to a fitness boot camp and didn't think I'd last a day much less an entire year.  But, I did that.  And, there was my first career when I worked in television news (yes, I actually was a TV reporter and anchor, but that was a million years ago).  I graduated at a time when those jobs were few and far between but after six solid months of sending out resume tapes and facing repeated rejection, I not only landed my first full-time job, but moved across the country to boot.  There was also the great disappointment of having a miscarriage inbetween my two children.  Even though it was a very short-lived pregnancy, it was heartbreaking all the same.

So, I've had my share of big and little hurdles that I've overcome in my 45 years.  Any one of those stories could have made a blog post, but there is one very major story that was my biggest obstacle to date.  It was utterly devastating at the time, but it turned out to be the best thing that could have happened and it taught me some very valuable lessons.

We all have it, don't we?  It's what I call "entryway clutter" (original, I know).

It's that place in our home that collects clutter no matter what we do.  It's usually right next to the door where we always come in and is an easy "drop-off" place.  It's a magnet for junk and a family dumping ground.  You'll find things like mail, keys, and sunglasses -- all the stuff that's in your hands when you walk into your home.  Of course there are jackets, purses and shoes too, but right now I'm talking mainly about the little stuff. The things that pile up and get in the way.

So, how do we solve the dilemma of entryway clutter?  This is a question that's been on my mind for a long time because, for me, this is (and will hopefully be a thing of the past) a major source of frustration for me.

I'll talk more about my specific problem (and solution) in a later post, but first I'm going to give you some easy, functional and attractive solutions to consider in your own home.

I mentioned at the end of 2012, that I still needed to finish up the room re-do I started for my daughter last year.

She's about to turn 8, and she's growing up way too fast.  She likes peace signs, animals, her iPod Touch and everything that is bright and sparkly.  She doesn't really play with toys anymore and she is an avid reader.  She really is becoming a "tween" already -- yikes! 

Before we painted her room last year, it was pink and looked like this:

I recently discovered Folk Magazine through one of my new favorite blogs.  They cover everything that appeals to me; decorating, family, home and real living. 


This year, the Folk blog is hosting a special weekly journaling series that will continue all year long that caught my attention.  They are inviting regular folks and bloggers to journal along with them and then link up.  Sounds like fun!


So, in keeping with this week's topic -- what lessons have I learned in 2012?