Living Room Updates

We've recently made a few changes in our living room that I wanted to share with you.

New T.V.

We added a t.v. and that was a project in itself.

I talked to David about it one night, and the idea seemed unnecessary and unfeasible.

The wall where I wanted it hung already looked nice, and did we really need a t.v.??

And, there was no cable outlet.  Seriously?  Why take on such a project?

The issue was - we entertain quite a lot and we have a t.v. downstairs where the kids usually congregate, and we have one in our bedroom.

Not at all conducive when friends are over and "the game" is on.

At Wine Club last year, three men sat on our bed to watch the Colts game off and on.

Really.

After a lot of work and two trips in by Comcast - we were set.

David did the research and bought a good t.v. and we haven't looked back.

It's a great spot for a t.v.

We watched Pride and Prejudice movie clips during Book Club last month.

We had football on when we hosted Thanksgiving.

Brennan and I were out one night and we came home to find David and Thomas watching Lord of the Rings together on it.  I'm glad we did it.  I know it'll get used.

Before...

....and after.

We switched out the two carts in the room. 

We might have an electrician put an outlet behind the cart so you don't see the cord, but for now, it's awesome.

And the other cart is being used on the other side of the room.

It was great using what we had instead of having to purchase an entertainment center.

Rearranged Bookcases

We have, what I think are, beautiful built-in bookcases in the living room.

We have an assortment of books, photographs, items from our travels, the boys' trophies and awards, and other random stuff "decorating" the shelves.

These shelves have been fine for 7 years, but I secretly wished I had someone to help me improve upon my good start.

Then my friend Ginger introduced me to a friend who does just that!

Wendy is a busy mom of four who loves to do interior projects on the side. 

So Wendy came and helped me with my shelves.

I am so much happier with them now!

Before

Except for the empty shelf where some Fall decorations were, this is pretty typical of what it looked like.

And After.

There are actually more items on the shelves now than before, but because Wendy removed some shelves and changed the heights of others, it really works.

Wendy asked me to take everything off the shelves and lay out the items that were important to us like from our travels.

Her husband says that you want to be able to say about your displayed items, "oh remember that trip to Hawaii?"  not "oh remember that trip to Hobby Lobby?"

The lamp is a "I'm thinking about it" lamp.  It's the only purchase I made for this project.  Wendy suggested an interesting textured blue shade (because there is blue in the surrounding rooms) but I haven't been able to find that.  So I'm sitting with this (still with the price tag), for now.

I'm also thinking through the pottery on the top middle shelf.  Maybe adding something else?

She also brought in some pieces that brought out the colors throughout the house, like this wall.

And I created new shelves downstairs for Thomas and Brennan to put their awards on.

I'm not sure you can see much of a difference in photos, but the impact in person is huge.

And the only cost was a $13.99 lamp.

I love the idea of moving stuff around the house to spruce it up.

Here are two more before and afters.

I'd love to know what you think!

What I've Been Reading

I am coming out with my recent reads list a little early this month. 

It's such a busy time of year, but I've been finding time to read a little and I wanted to share a couple of books with you!

Ricki-Jill recommended the Mortal Instruments series to me repeatedly once or twice!

I finally got the first one from the library, City of Bones.

This "young adult urban fantasy" series promises to be fast-paced and engaging somewhat along the same vein as the Twilight series.

As with the Twilight series, I can't say I was as swept up in the storylines as others have been, but I am invested enough in the characters to keep checking my library hold list to see if the second is yet available!

I don't remember where I first heard about Ready Player One but since I've been reading it, I hear about it everywhere I go.

I absolutely loved this book.

And really, there's no reason I should have.  It's about video gamers, of all things.

But it's a riveting adventure, so well written, full of nostalgia, underdog characters who are persistent and hopeful, and such a different world than I know.

This is, sadly, destined to be a movie that will in no way live up to the book or the great time I had reading it.

Finally, the Autobiography of Santa Claus. 

My mom sent us this book a few weeks ago to read as a family in December.  It's in 24 chapters. 

We got a late start, and I wasn't sure we'd get through the whole book, but I thought I'd give it a shot.

What a surprise how much we're all enjoying it!

Brennan does not like to be read to. 

Since he started reading on his own (years ago), he has not enjoyed having to listen to someone else read.

As with many things with Brennan, we gently insist on him trying some things, and he is usually surprised how much he likes something he didn't think he would.

This is a perfect example of that.

I thought we'd all take turns reading chapters from the book, but everyone is enjoying me reading it (in the car coming home from Terre Haute last weekend, on our bed at night, at the dinner table while everyone else is finishing their dinner...). 

And I can't get over it, but they beg for just one more chapter each time. 

It's been fun to read this together.  It's holding all of our attention.

My mom's book club read this last month.

This well-written Santa-narrative weaves world history, geography, Christianity, self-less giving, humor, and intrigue very well.

We still have several chapters to go, but I highly recommend this book - or pick it up for next year!

I'd love to hear what you've been reading lately!

Magic and 20 Days of Giving

Our boys are at the ages now where they should be questioning all sorts of people who visit them when they lose a tooth, when they put out their baskets, or a plate of cookies and milk.

But we haven't had this conversation in our house yet and I'm OK with it.

I'm not sure it's necessary for us to sit them down and have a serious discussion.

Because I want them to continue believing in the magic of the season for as long as they want to.

This is complicated by the fact that our 11 year old is naive and gets wrapped up in the traditions, the family time, the excitement, and never thinks to question things.  His 9 year old brother is always going to be way ahead of the game in terms of reality.

And sure, the 11 year old is in 6th grade now and I'm sure they all talk about it in school, don't they?

Maybe he is savvy but still believes in the magic.  And that would be fine with me.

The worst thing I ever heard (ok, maybe I exaggerate) is the phrase "If you don't believe, then you don't receive".  Meaning - once you question your parents to death about it, then you no longer get a Santa gift for Christmas.  What the?!  No way.  The magic of Christmas is real.

 

I think this is part of what prompted me to get a "Blitzen in the Kitchen" (Thomas's name for him).  We can still enjoy the magic and have a ball with our traditions, even if some of it seems slightly implausible :)

Last month on facebook I participated in the very informal "Thankful Month" daily status updates - what I was thankful for each day.  It was a good reminder to myself each day of what the Thanksgiving season is all about.

This month Thomas, Brennan, and I are participating in the "20 Days of Giving" program that a lot of people are talking about in the real world, and in the blog world.  I thought I'd share a few of the things we're doing this month.  It's been important to reinforce that while our own Wish Lists are important, this is really a season for Giving.

December 1st - Mitten Tree.  We donated new gloves and hats to the 5th/6th grade Sunday School class mission project.  They set up a Christmas tree at the church and are asking families to decorate it with donated gloves, hats, mittens, and scarves. The items will be taken to the local food bank after the holidays.

December 2nd - Cheer Fund.  Thomas and Brennan went through their toy box and donated 3 grocery bags full of toys to the Firemen's Cheer Fund in town.  They fix up the toys and deliver them to families on December 23rd.

December 3rd - Preschool Donation.  I am the chairperson of our church's preschool Board of Directors.  We joined our church because of their preschool.  They are collecting items for a family in need.  The four year old son has Autism and is only asking for Matchbox cars for Christmas.  We have a slew of them that the boys wanted to donate to the little boy.

December 4th - Coats for Kids.  We donated coats to the preschool's collection drive.

December 5th - School Hat Tree.  The boys' school has a large Christmas tree in the lobby.  (It's gorgeous to look into the glass entrance, especially at night.)  They are collecting mittens, gloves, hats, and scarves for local families in need.  They get to hang their items on the tree tomorrow.

December 6th - Salvation Army Kettles.  We went shopping and stopped at 3 stores where Salvation Army volunteers were ringing their bells.  We never miss a chance to drop change in a kettle.

December 7th - Book Drive.  The United Way asked for gently used holiday books that they could share with the local Domestic Violence Shelter, Transition Shelter, and with area children who are learning English as a second language.  We took a bag of books yesterday.  It is hard for the boys to part with books, so remembering why we're collecting is important.

December 8th - Poinsettias.  We ordered two poinsettias through our church in memory of my father-in-law, Don, and my grandmother, who both passed away in 2011.  They'll be displayed throughout the holidays and will then be delivered to elderly church members on the 25th to have in their homes.

I wondered at first how we were going to come up with 20 different ways to Give this month, but the needs are great, especially this time of year.

I hope you're enjoying the Magic of the Christmas Season!

Bathroom Mirror Frames

This is a project that I am thrilled to have done!

I did not do this project myself - we had a contractor suggest this to me and then he did all the hard work.

I still have a little bit of touch up to do, but overall I'm really happy with the results.

Three of our bathrooms had unframed mirrors. 

We've lived with them for 7 years and I had no plans of purchasing all new mirrors.

Then I saw on several blogs how families had framed their mirrors, or used an online service, and how much better they looked.

When Matt the Contractor suggested he could do it pretty easily, I took him up on it!

A couple of months ago he dropped off the framing boards that he purchased at a local Lowe's-type store called Menards.  I needed 8 boards total for the 3 bathrooms.

I stained/painted them one morning.

Then Matt got busy and the stained boards waited on the screened in porch for several weeks. 

But last week Matt called and asked if he could come complete the project for me.

You bet!

Half-Bath off Kitchen

Here is what the mirror looked like before the frames were built and nailed in.



And after.

So much better I think! 

The other view...before

...and after.

This one I stained ebony because we have a number of black accents in the room.

Master Bathroom

Our master bathroom has undergone a number of changes, step by step, and we have a couple more underway.  I think the addition of the mirror frame was a nice touch.

See the below and after!

And just as a reminder - here's what it looked like the day we moved in.  Blech.

Brennan's Bathroom

I am not sure about the mirror frames in Brennan's bathroom. 

The frames themselves are great but I think they might compete with these light fixtures David chose a few years ago. 

Keep in mind this is a little boys' bathroom.

We kept the blue counter tops because they work for now.

Double mirrors.

Without frames.

And with frames.

The cream color matches the cabinets and goes well with the paint color (pale blue) and flooring.

Not sure I loved it before.

But now, not so sure either.

So we're going to live with it for awhile and then make a decision!

This was not an expensive project and I'm sure a handier person than I could do it him/herself.

It took Matt and his colleague about 3 hours to cut the boards and install them in all 3 bathrooms.

If you decide to frame your mirrors, please learn from my mistake - paint BOTH sides of the boards.

They're installed on top of MIRROR - so you can see the back side. 

I need to figure out how to fix that on two of the mirrors, but for now, I'm concentrating on Christmas!



My INTJ's

Are you familiar with the "Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator" (Myers-Briggs for short)?

You can take the personal test online.

I used to train this for teams at work.

It was highly popular.

I'm pretty good at determining someones preferences (personality) once I get to know them.

David - I have always known - is a strong INTJ.

We had the boys take the test online the other day and my suspicions were confirmed.

I have two very strong INTJ's.

I had to snap these photos because they were even dressed alike!

Analytical, prepared to lead if no one else will.  Pragmatic, logical, creative.  Low tolerance for marketing or emotionalism.  Stable, reliable, dedicated.  Reserved, quiet and prefer harmony.   

Prefer the abstract.  Designers vs. builders.

Are pretty sure they're right most of the time (OK, I threw this one in).

Being the ESFP that he is, Thomas had to get in on the fun.

You can see my oldest INTJ about done with the impromptu photo shoot.

Thomas (ESFP) and I (ESFJ) are very, very similar as well.

The only difference is that I'm organized and he is not.

Thomas is super creative and can live very well in chaos.

Otherwise, our scores are very similar.

ESFPs live in the moment, experiencing life to the fullest.

Enjoy people.  Excellent team players.  Like to complete a task with maximum fun and minimal discord.

Others see ESFPs as gregarious, playful, spontaneous, and resourceful.

ESFPs get a lot of satisfaction out of life and are fun to be around. 

They are flexible, adaptable, congenial, and easygoing.

They seldom plan ahead, trusting their ability to respond in the moment and deal effectively with whatever presents itself.

Like to bend the rules.

Really fun to see how different and alike we 4 are!

Our Visit to Meet Adelynn

This weekend we headed to Terre Haute to visit Melissa, Gary, and new baby Addie!

Melissa is the daughter of one of my oldest friends, Renee.

We love that Melissa and Gary live in Indiana!

We got to attend their wedding!

And last year they were sweet to stay with the boys while we celebrated our anniversary in Indy.

I visited with Renee and Mikayla (Melissa's sister) a couple of weeks ago when they were visiting Indiana, but somehow we neglected to take a photo!  Dangit!

It was so fun to get to hold a baby for awhile.

I could have done it all afternoon!

Thomas and Brennan love babies.

Everyone wanted to hold her first, but I got to!

Look at those cheeks!

Addie was so sweet the whole time we were there, sleeping and stretching.

So sweet!

In addition to getting to catch up with our friends, Gary introduced David to the XBox360 and David was hooked!  David and Thomas went out to check them out last night and we are the proud new owners of our very own.

Thanks Gary :)

It was a wonderful visit!