While installing beadboard in our half bath, we came across a little problem-a slope in the floor!

Check out what John did to fix this. 

 

 

 

The half bath is finally done; it was a lot of work. 

What a relief!

 

Macy thought the new pivoting paper holder was super cool because she could put on a new roll all by herself.

It seems like a small innovation, but first- changing the roll with those spring loaded things is a pain and second- empowering my kids to do more is always a good thing.

I hope whoever thought of this got employee of the month!

 

Check out the Rothbury Pivoting Paper Holder for yourself! 

John and neighbors Brian (in tree) and John removed a mulberry tree that our home inspector said needed to go since it was rubbing on the house.

A big job! Check out some of what we left at the curb for trash day!

Toile has been popular for a while now. I remember flipping through the Pottery Barn Kids catalog when I was pregnant with Macy and loving a pink and green toile bedroom collection. I didn’t know I was having a girl, so I couldn’t indulge. Now, almost 5 years later, I am getting my chance!

I impulsively purchased a yard of this Venice Toile fabric from Calico Corners with absolutely no plans for it as of yet.

And I am pretty sold on this Chicago Toile wallpaper I came across in a magazine by Town Toiles. The only problem is I have to wait until they start printing it this winter. I think it will be worth the wait to have something that reflects our love of Chi town.

I looked for an alternative which lead me to this old blog post- showcasing not so traditional toile. Twisted Toile: Witty Wallpaper & Home Accessories

I have to be honest. It has been a rough couple of weeks. Our morale is low. It is funny how you hit a point where you just can’t stand to do any more and need a break or change of pace. Particularly when you feel like everything takes at least twice as long as you originally thought. All the activity seems to be affecting the girls too- Macy in particular has been acting up.

It’s also hard to prioritize your time and slightly overwhelming.

Baby steps for us.

Check out the before and after from my curtain projects in the master bedroom and dining room.

The planning was the hardest part of these projects. I drove all over the place and shopped online for fabric and curtain rods.  I found it hard to shop online. Too difficult to really get a feel for the fabric and the quality of the curtain rods. I guess it is like anything else. If you know the products and your size at a particular store, it is easy to shop online.

Once we had everything we needed it wasn’t too bad to make the panels- just a lot of steps.

And thanks to mom’s help these were done must sooner than they would have been if I had done it all on my own.

 

Take a picture or video of what you need advice on to the hardware store or home center. This way the employee doesn’t have to recreate a visual in his or her head based on your less than stellar description of the situation.  Like they say- a picture is worth 1,000 words.

 

 

 

 

 

That's much better, isn't it? The Kingsley mini widespread fits well with our smaller sink.

In full disclosure, the first faucet I had picked was way too big for a petite pedestal sink.
See how far the spout comes out?

 

Not ideal.

 

I found the specifications doc  on Moen.com very helpful when I needed to select a faucet with a shorter spout reach.