The Next Big Thing

We moved into this old house we call home two and a half years ago.  We actually closed on the house on a Wednesday, got married that following Saturday, and promptly left for our honeymoon on Sunday.  It was a whirlwind of activity, but we had big dreams -- (and by "we" here, I mostly me "I"... my husband is much more interested in football than drywall) -- for how we would spend our first year of marriage updating the house and turning it into our nest.

But life had other plans.  A month after our honeymoon, I found out I was pregnant.  

The painting was postponed.

Fast forward to the present.  I have an almost-two-year-old and a house with only 2 out of 7 rooms painted the way I want them.  But that is all about to change.

Since Spring is a time of renewal and rebirth, why not add "repaint," "rearrange," and "renovate" to the mix?

So here is the next big project... The Great Bedroom Switcheroo 2011

(These photos were taken a looooooong time ago when we moved in... currently these rooms are a bit better looking than this -- but not much)

Step 1 -- turn the current Guest Room into the new Master Bedroom.

Here's my vision:

Master Bedroom by Maura Barth on Polyvore.com

I have the paint samples and intend to pick the color this weekend... then we're off to the races!

Check back soon for an update, and wish me luck!

~Maura

My Way

If I had it my way -- and believe me, I like having it my way -- I would live year-round in a cottage made of stone and beadboard by a lake somewhere where the weather never goes below 50°.  I would garden (successfully), I would shop thrift and antique stores, I would take long hikes through the abounding nature, and I would cook (and eat) unless I wanted to go out to eat.  I would throw casual parties.  I would play with my kids and my husband and our (hypothetical) dog in the vast backyard.  The sheets would always be clean.  The windows would always be open.  And once a week we'd have a spectacular-but-not-too-dangerous hour long thunderstorm, and when the lightning stopped we'd play in the puddles.

If I had it my way, my family and I would travel the country, always making sure that once a year we made it to a snow-covered wonderland for 2 weeks at Christmas.   And sometime around the middle of February, we'd find ourselves on a tropical beach, renewing our winter-weary souls (and our tans).

But there is more to life than leisure time.  School has to be attended, money has to be made, laundry has to be done.  And even though our normal responsibilities get in the way of my "dream life", I have to admit that the little life I do have is not too shabby.  Besides, if I had all that, what would I have to dream about?

So I suppose maybe I already do have it my way.