My New Home Tour: Great Room

Hello Friends! I am so excited to share with you some pictures of my home. My family and I moved into this home a little over a year ago. We purchased it from the builder a few weeks before completion. The floor plan and the design of this home really drew us in. There is so much natural light in this home and I love that more than anything! The builder did a great job choosing the finishes for the home, but I have spent the last year putting my own touches in it. There is still so much to be done, but I feel like the Great Room area of my home is, for now, just as I want it. ;)  This area of our home is a great place to entertain friends and family. We spend lots of time in the kitchen, which is one of my favorite spaces in my home. We are fortunate enough to have a large, open basement family room, so on a day to day basis, our family spends our time there. This area is definitely a bit more formal than the basement, but still comfortable enough for my hubs to take a Sunday nap on the sofa. I've moved on to working on the basement family room, so I will be sharing that soon. For now, here are some photos of my entry, family room and kitchen areas. All of these beautiful images of my home are courtesy of my dear friend and incredibly talented photographer, Paige Davis, of Paige Davis Photography. Ok...get ready for picture overload!!!

I hope you enjoyed the tour!

Back to Life...Back to Reality!

Hello Everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend. We are back in full swing around here. Yesterday was the official first day of school. Both girls are in full day Elementary school this year and my little man started his first year of Pre-School. I can't believe that I have reached the point in my life that all three of my children are in school. I have heard people say over and over again, that the time while your children are small goes by so quickly and that it as if they blinked and their children grew up. I totally get it now. My babies are not babies anymore. It hurts my heart just a wee bit when I think about it. Anyone else feel the same? I'm guessing that all mothers feel it to a certain extent. 

Okay, before I start crying, here's a look at some of what's been going on around here and a peak of what's to come...

1. I'm happy to report that the "Family Week of Fun" was a huge success! It was the perfect way to celebrate the last week of summer. 

2. A table, pillow covers, and a huge, gorgeous urn. All of which will be installed in a client's home later this week. Pictures to come...

3. A couple of new items for Miss M's room.  DIY artwork, using these (she loves dogs), and a little accent table that got a facelift.

4. My new laundry room lacks organization, functionality and style...but not for long. I am going to fix all that! Details of this little makeover coming soon!

Do you have any laundry room organization tips or tricks that you love? If so, please share. I would love to hear what is working for you!

Ups and Downs

First the Downs. So sorry for the lack of posting lately. Things around here have been crazy. We were suppose to move into our house last week, but that didn't happen. We are ready to close on our new home, but unfortunately the family buying our house has had a few hiccups in the process, so they aren't ready to close yet. Since we need the equity from this house to purchase the other one, we are in a holding pattern. I am going to be honest, this has been a very stressful and emotionally taxing experience. It is really not anyone's fault. Home mortgage lending has become so stringent and over regulated. The red tape that someone has to go through is knee deep. I understand that banks are just trying yo make sure that they lend money to people who can and will pay it back, but I don't understand how the housing market is suppose to recover if the average American can't get a loan. Luckily for us, we were easily approved for our new home, and our buyers have been approved to buy our home. We are just waiting on one piece of paper that they need to get the green light from their lender to close. The worst part is that this little piece of paper has to come from the IRS. It is completely out of our control. We sit and we wait for that piece of paper to show up. I have shed many tears over the whole situation and I am not really a "crier." Our house is completely packed up, so we are living amongst boxes. It is a bit depressing. I am trying to keep my spirits up and remember how lucky I am that our home sold quickly and that we will eventually get this house closed. The biggest stress is that the Sellers of our new home are understandably very irritated that we can't close yet because we have to wait for our house to close. We are worried that if this drags on much longer, they will pull the house from us. Last Friday, we did receive an update from our Buyer that indicates that the little piece of paper will be available this week. We could use your prayers. They would be so greatly appreciated. Like I said, things have been crazy. I have felt crazy. Still, I am thankful to my Father in Heaven for my many blessings. When I have a moment of clarity, I remember that this is a very small trial compared to many others one may experience in life. It's just that when your in the midst of it all, the burden can feel awfully heavy. So I will continue to sit and wait and pray.

Thanks for letting me share my life with you. The good and the not so good. As I have said before, your support means more to me than you will ever know.

Now for the Ups...one really big UP! My sweet baby girl is 6 today! We will be celebrating by taking her and a couple of her friends out to lunch today before afternoon Kindergarten. Tonight, we will celebrate by heading to her favorite dinner spot and then come home for cake, ice cream and presents. Next Sunday, we will have a party with our extended family at my In-laws home.

In honor of her birthday here are 6 fun facts about my little sweetie...

Photo by Skye Johanssen for Matilda Jane

1. She is obsessed with American Girl Dolls. She has 4 of them and asked for another one for her Birthday!

2. She loves to sing. She sings all day long and frequently makes up her own songs. She writes the lyrics down and then creates a tune for the words. Some of her little songs are really good!

3. She adores her big sister and little brother. She wants to do everything her sister does and she takes great care of her brother.

Photo by Paige Davis Photography

4. She really enjoys school and has become a fantastic reader.

5. She thinks that every Disney Movie has "scary" parts. So scary in fact, that she runs into the other room until it is "over". 

6. She eats more fruit then any little person I have ever seen. She loves every kind of fruit and would eat it for all three meals if I would let her. She would gladly pass up candy for a piece of fruit!

and one to grow on...7. She is an absolute joy to her family. We are so blessed to have her sweet spirit, and at times, strong personality, in our home. 

Happy Birthday Miss J! I am so thankful that I get to be your Mother!