Unpacked Wrinkled Curtains and No Words.

Couch: An Evolution/Revolution.

So....I don't have an actual photo of what our couch looked like when we bought it. It was my first "big girl" purchase about three years ago. A major hearty piece with good bones.  As our home evolves, the personalities of our girls infuse the space and I--find myself completely comfortable in the house that funk is building. You see, I started off in thrift stores wearing five different shades of green--and somehow I ended up in Pottery Barn with a diamond ring and an SUV. When we found this house in all of it's quirks I felt something- a kinship with it. I since have been returning-one funky mismatched piece of fashion and furniture at a time.

BEFORE

TODAY

::smirk::

I wonder how Restoration Hardware would feel about this.

To be honest I feel like it's a bit much. I am not Willie Wonka and the couch I can feel is a bit angry about it's defacement. 

Nothing makes sense about it it was a perfectly gorgeous couch, The slipcover didn't survive our third move so, since then it's been in limbo.  

Eye Sore, Or?

This wall makes my stomach turn-so many eye sores, so little ideas!

A BEFORE OF SORTS

Here's the fireplace we acquired. I have never had more mixed feelings about any other piece of architecture in my life.  Years of misuse & layer upon layer of soot make it one of the most unsightly things I have seen in a home I've inhabited. 

 I go back and forth. Paint it or Leave it.  There's something pretty typical*not that there is anything wrong with typical-or white painted fireplaces) about a white painted fireplace and I am not quite sure that it's what it needs or wants to be.(I have this strange belief that old things have opinions. Including inanimate objects such as: our fireplace.)

I think it has an English cottage side to it that kind of makes me respect it for what it is: sixty years old and mistreated. I haven't tried anything caustic to clean it--coconut oil and vinegar are as far as I have gone. If I could just get it clean and give it a running chance, perhaps even here that Mr. Clean "DING" that commercials for chemical cleaners impress upon us--then maybe...maybe it'd be ok. *Just a note-we are a chemical/conventional household cleaner free household.*

I'm a big fan of making due with what you've got. There's a ton of stuff being produced out there most of that stuff mass produced at less value. Meaning it wont last long and it will end up in the garbage--and that garbage will end up in our air, water and ultimately children...so RE-USE! Don't get me wrong I am a HUGE shopper, I just think if you can re-work it, there's little reason to scrap it all together and get something else.

 Exhibit B: The fireplace screen. Oh, I've got plans.

Exhibit C:Air VENTS.  Necessary--again Florida Mid-August 70 percent humidity and 101 temperatures.  Something about painting over them doesn't seem fit I've seen painted air vents and it doesn't make them seem any less--airvent'y.

This wall has my wheels turning. Each day I figure it out a little more until soon-implementation status. In the meantime if anyone comes across my secret blog and knows what can clean this little doosie up, please let me know!

P.S. No need to mention the candles and amethyst. Total mantel party foul.

The Kids! The Kids!

I was recently going over photos of our first move about five months ago, now.  I noticed something that made my heart melt a little bit. Zia, our oldest still had a baby face about her. She was in her last bit of the age of two. I panicked about the move before hand, I never moved as a child. I don't know what I would do if my childhood home was no longer--mine. I work so hard to make home our life and here I was about to uproot it. She was my number one concern.

She had only known one home and she loved it.  The month before we moved everyday I made it a point to tell her what was going to happen. Each time I packed a box I told her WHY I was packing and where are things were going to go.  I made a big mommy stink about the perks of the new house, in our case a pink bathroom and a big driveway to ride her bike around.

We are avid co-sleepers (meaning we sleep with our babies until they no longer want to share a bed with momma and poppa be that at three or seven-I've never known a college kid to take their parents with them for tuck-ins and bedtime stories so I believe that our girl's are better for the time they spend secure.) but, Zia was ready for a "big girl bed". We made it a point to go to IKEA and have her choose whichever bed she wanted for the new house. I made sure to keep her things in the same configuration once we arrived and I didn't spring any new things on her too soon. I let her choose her paint colors and where she wanted to put things.

We made it a point to keep her informed and aware of every situation. We tried to keep our stress levels in check, however it was//is a very REAL part of moving and children need to know it's OK to feel insane inside when your world is being turned upside down and your life is surrounding you in walls of boxes. Despite how prepared we thought we had made her, she still had an incredibly hard time. I turned to the help of homeopathics, BACH REMEDIES to be exact and it did help a bit. (I was also taking a potent concoction of essences.)

She would cry for her home. (hello, heartbreak) and I would feel like the utmost worst parent in the world for causing my child such pain and confusion. Worse-there is nothing to do but let them feel sad and ride it out. She threw tantrums, which she never did. She panicked, which she never did. I believe that the move changed her little life-and I hope that one day she will be better for it.

The hardest thing is them grasping (long-distance moves) not being able to go to your friends house as often anymore; and that our friends aren't going to meet us at the park, (or Chipotle for beans and rice.) anymore. Oh, true heartbreak. There have been different times in my life where I have truly felt like a mother but the times where my little girl shows that she is growing up and having a hard time understanding how unfair the world can be--those are the times I feel I have arrived in the Mommy hood and on my knees holding her-I cry with her. There is beauty in feeling your child's pain and knowing that your life and your feelings up until that very point have been nothing compared to the true feelings felt in motherhood.

So to sum up a very intricate subject my tips on moving with little ones are as follows:

Prepare them. Make a storybook and in detail (colorful) describe what is about to happen. From the packing to the movers to the first night in the new house/new room.

Keep them in the loop. Each box you pack remind them where you're going. Make a game or poster of counting down the days to moving day.  Movers themselves can be totally scary. Men taking your things, be sure to tell them what's going on when the day arrives.

Don't freak out when they do. It's stressful enough having to unpack and deal with all of the things that come with settling in-and you begin to notice a few extra tears or behaviors that didn't exist before the move. As sleepless and stressed out as you are remember: they are tiny little human beings and they are only trying to cope. Make them feel safe. Take a deep breath.

Grab your pom-poms. You play up your new house like it was Oz's WonderCandyDisneyLand Extravaganza. Make a big deal of things: The Lazy Susan in the kitchen cabinets ("Isn't this the neatest?!", in my case: "get in the cabinet and spin around on it, isn't it fun?!") the super funny squirrels in the new trees--anything, make them excited!

Wine. Kidding. But, not. Whatever helps you unwind. A ritual for yourself of peace and comfort.  Talk to friends, take a walk and get to know your new surroundings. After it all settles down remember: you are creating a new sanctuary for your family-and it takes time. Infuse your home with smells from essential oils and cooking and play lots and lots of your favorite music. Make it A POINT to touch each inch of your new dwelling with your fingers and toes, make it yours and a place they(your family) can be themselves in. The rest, including all of those boxes you hid in the closet because you'd had enough unpacking--will fall into place.

Throwbacks and Unpacks.

I remember walking through this house behind a family....Let me just say: "ALL OF THIS NEEDS TO BE RIPPED OUT...." was heard over ten times, and each time I lunged at them like a jungle cat (mentally-of course). Here are highlights of what I am in love with most at this our first day.... Keep in mind we moved in at 6am this morning. That's blogging dedication, my friend.

A pink and teal bathroom...

only semi-funk on the caulk-we will take it!

and my four year semi-stalker relationship with a shower curtain-now an official relationship.

Lastly I will leave you with a few color palette reveals and what our eyes see...at this moment...

I've always loved color and now a home that makes it make sense. (to me)

It took me all of five minutes to go through the hundreds of color choices available, a couple of months ago. I am so thrilled that there are safe non-VOC options in even the coolest of colors. 

I wish I would have been true to my before and after photo document version, but a girl's got kids. So. I will paint a mental picture. Years and years of smoking, then years and years of vacancy. Then lots and lots of dirt. Result: a dingy yellow on everything that required some hardcore elbow grease and lots of hot days with the windows open.

In all honesty the smoke thing really threw me crazy for awhile. Here's a more detailed list of what had to be done:

New air ducts, New AC unit, cleaning the walls with coconut oil and vinegar, For days when the house was empty I put diffusers in all of the linen closets diffusing lavender and sage for 48 hours, then wiped it down with vinegar and coconut oil, again. We ran several ionizers and air purifiers for days. We haven't gotten around to the ceiling fans yet but we cleaned them again, with vinegar. We smell nothing other than the obnoxious left overs of the febreeze plug-ins the realtors left behind. Funny how THAT smell is harder to get rid of than the smoke. Makes you wonder what those synthetic fragrances do to your insides, doesn't it?

All in all it was a task. I don't think the house had been smoked in for at least twenty years, so please don't get me wrong-I am sure it could be harder to beat the smell. 

It's so important to make a home yours, from the get-go. Whether you are owning or renting, your space is sacred. Approach a new home with your intent of making it your sanctuary and you'll be surprised how quickly you will feel cozy and settled in.

Welcome Us. Welcome You.

With a little less than a week left before we turn the key and start our lives in Olde Florida I am filled with: excitement, nostalgia, stress, apprehension, and creative inspiration. When I think of our new home--a montage....

What a GREAT ROOM is Made Of.

You would think that after a not so favorable stint as a retail manager at this my favorite store (many many moons ago) would have soured me--but it didn't. I just can't help myself.

We are T-14 Days until we nestle Under Our Canopy...and soon Photos and Projects Galore.

~Stay Tuned~

Throw in some BOGUSLY BANANAS VINTAGE FINDS

and you have...

The Makings of A Great Room....

(thanks to anthropologie and west elm for gorgeous photographs.)