two down...

i would like to start out by saying that i used to follow a blog of a really sweet girl. eventually she began to do this segment where she did some mr. linky thing and people basically all linked in and shared their stuff... sometimes it was rooms of their home, sometimes birthday parties, favorite stores... what have you. soon after she began doing this i stopped reading her blog.

from what i can tell, she is a wonderful woman but there was some ick factor for me as i logged in and saw all of these people showing off their "stuff". while her content the rest of the time was pretty basic and palatable the "show us your blah blah blah" was bothersome to me. i imagine her heart was actually fine but none-the-less it gave me the creeps.

what can i say? i'm not much of a fan for the "keeping up with the joneses" mentality and when i logged in all i could think of were all the people who might have felt embarrassed by their party, living room or favorite store. in fact, i imagine that reading it could also be a jumping off stimulator for spending money that they didn't have. imagine it- a momma sitting at home feeling like her living room is junky. she's killing a little time before lunch and checking out her favorite stops on the web. she lands on the show us your living room blog page and looses some time checking out all the linkys to these beautiful living rooms. she puts the kiddos down for nap and it sort of eats at her while the babies rest. sure enough- as soon as the babes wake from their nap momma is off to the store. maybe it's tar-jay, maybe pottery barn... it really doesn't matter. soon, she could be consumed by the spirit of less-than and discontent. and as quick as that happens, a momma might be inclined to start spending money that she doesn't have and making choices that she knows are not in the family budget in an effort to keep up and an effort to fill some sort of void she feels.

if we're honest- i think most of us would admit that this has happened to us at one point or another. a friend shows up with new shoes on and you start thinking about how you NEED a new pair. a neighbor takes a trip to the place you've always longed to go... this can go on and on. we feel bad. we throw personal "woe is me" parties. we put the wheels in motion to do things that we know we shouldn't really be doing.

i know it has happened to me. i fought that demon years ago. i had a friend who was really talented and also had a lot of money and also had similar home decorating taste to mine. every time i went near said friend, i walked away feeling like my house was all poo-p00-patchoo and that i had to "fix" it. i never was able to and i never felt fulfilled after trying.

it wasn't until years later that i realized my taste was different from hers. i also realized that it wasn't her sense of decor i was after. it was an effort to fill a void. now, when i find myself trying to fill that void with "stuff" i tend to break it down and be a little bit more honest with myself. i call it what it is- the satisfaction of the flesh and remind myself that it never works. i also remind myself that honoring my hubs hard earned buckaroos is a much more important value to chase instead of chasing the title of master decorator (which i am not). (and with three kiddos under my belt i have also learned that cool stuff doesn't look all that cool for long- it is a never ending quest of perfection that i will never win. ha! kiddos 1: momma 0).

i say all of that because i am about to show you my stuff. ick.

seriously- if seeing an episode on hgtv makes you grab your keys and run to home depot, please stop reading this post.

if decorating tips and discussions on room design make you feel like you need to go overturn a room in your own home- do not read further.

i say that- not because anything i have is special or worth coveting, but because i've been there. somehow, the ugliest room (quite possibly the one i am about to reveal) can somehow still have the same effect on us as the most beautiful one. that effect is that icky spirit of discontent. yuck.

so then why are you going to show us your stuff, girlfriend? (you may be asking...)

because many of you have asked. because i live very far from my fam and lots of friends who want to see. because as i finish a space i get tickled pink that i get to check off a room from my to-do list. maybe none of those are good reasons and if they aren't- i encourage you to let me know. i am thick skinned and can handle it (smile). i also welcome feedback.

so without further ado- here is my family room in its almost finished glory (it still lacks baseboards but those will come in due time).

here is the room before we moved in:


here it is mid-process:

and here it is in it's current state. done.

nothing fancy- just done. it still needs some special touches on a wall or two, but for the most part it is the culmination of lots of hard work from a husband-wife painting team and is evidence that i've at least unpacked. also- if you've known me for a while you can look around these snaps and see that it is all the stuff i've always had. nothing new. i like that i was able to do that. while i enjoy perusing the newest catalogues and home design books, i am also trying to be diligent in my appreciation for what i have. i've been blessed- sure with stuff, but more importantly with some great peeps to fill up that finished room. more important to me are the kiddos, friends, family that will adorn that couch. the conversations that i may have with a girlfriend while sipping some joe have a far greater value than just about anything else.

and there you have it. care to join me on my sofa for a nice chat? i'd love to see you soon.