I'm Moving!!

One year ago today I was in Palermo, Sicily drinking tiny coffee,

and having amazing adventures with my family.

 

Ahhh.

Since returning from our 8 weeks in Europe last August, I have blogged maybe 10 times.

Woops.

It's not that I don't think of you often...my sweet reader friends, but this past year has found me doing more projects than ever and as much as I want to share them, there just hasn't been time.

To blog that is.

Cause there's this whole thing with blogging where you have to, you know, write stuff, and resize pics and all those things that take some minutes.

So what I am going to aim for instead, is to share little bits with you on Instagram.

Cause when I see a cool light at Home Sense, I want to show you!

And when I'm thinking on paint colours I want to tell you about it.

Or when I'm so mad about already killing a 2 day old plant, 

I want to have a little rant with you.

(Not to mention the rant I need to have about why my photos won't size properly and appear all blurry!!!  My move is gonna save me some sanity and you some sore eyes.)

So please come join me on Instagram 

@prettyorganizedhome

so we can keep talking decorating together!

Coffee Bar

Recently the Forbes' needed a new fridge and the one we chose was taller than their old one.  

This meant that they had to remove the cupboard that was above the fridge.  And I figured, since they were mudding and painting anyway, it might be fun to take out the cupboard between the fridge and pantry as well so that we could create a new coffee bar in that space.

Here we are minus cupboards.

And here is what we installed instead.

And by "we" I mean my husband Dino...who is always very patient and gracious when I say, hey, would you mind...

If you are wondering what happened to the stuff that was in the cupboards, it went partly to the spot where mugs were stored, and partly to the pantry.

We collected all the mugs and coffee and tea paraphernalia and ta da!

Coffee Bar.

I kept the upper shelves light on accessories...

to balance the bottom shelf which is loaded with mugs.

The kettle and coffee maker are both on a tray that can slide in and out for easy access to water refills.

I also kept two oft-used cookbooks within easy reach.

The top two drawers which were mainly used for random miscellaneous stuff got emptied and now house many bags of tea.

What a fun new space!

The Pastor's New Office

It's not every day that you get a dream project dropped into your lap, but working on our new pastor's office at Grant Memorial has been that for me.

Dreamy for two reasons:

A - Pastor John and I share the same taste in cozy, lodge-like rooms

and

B - he deferred to my opinion every step of the way.

YAY!!!

So my job was to take this

and create a warm, welcoming space with a ski lodge/hunting cabin/tourist camp feel.

Okay!  

Yes please!!  

How much fun is that?

Let's have a look at the results.

In planning the new look, I started with some of the larger pieces of furniture;

the sofa and chairs,

 

the recliner,

and the shelving.

The desk turned out to be a challenge but it was easily solved by Dale Sahaidak Woodworking.  He built the coffee table and end table and when my original desk fell through, 

he whipped this baby up within a week.

Gorgeous!

The key to a cozy and inviting space is to create a look that appears to have been curated over time.  Accessories that have personality, lots of plants and 

groups of books all work together to add warmth.

Curtains go a long way in creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

Pieces of old, unique furniture like this little cupboard,

and this stool-turned-side-table,

not only help keep costs down, but also add to the homey feel.

Art is extremely important in creating the right atmosphere in a room.

These guys are calendar pages framed with IKEA frames.

And then there are the pieces that were just too much fun to resist.

 The pheasant was donated by one staff member and another staffer made this gorgeous throw.

My only regret is that the project is finished!  

I will miss hanging out in here.

I want to give a huge shout out to the Grant Memorial Property Department for their amazing help.  They were so quick to paint and move furniture out and carry stuff back in...I am so grateful.

Also many thanks to the Finance Department for running to make payments for me and helping me whenever I needed.  

And finally to Melody for dealing with deliveries, and helping me sew and all sorts of weird requests...and for making the beautiful throw!

If you don't currently have a church family I highly recommend a visit to Grant Memorial.  Pastor John and his family are just lovely and such a blessing for our congregation...

and, hey, he's got really great taste!!

Books You Might Like

I've really enjoyed every book I read over the holidays so I thought I'd share them with you.

(Plus I have done nothing around the house to be able to show you.)

1.  I'm Thinking of Ending Things - Iain Reid

2.  The Folly of Prayer - Matt Woodley 

3.  The Break - Katherena Vermette

4.  The Couple Next Door - Shari Lapena

5.  Skeletons at the Feast - Chris Bohjalian (This one I listened to.)

6.  What Alice Forgot - Liane Moriarty (Not shown.)

I'm still reading The Folly of Prayer but I need to zip because my book club at Grant Memorial is skyping with the author tonight!

Starting the New Year Right

Sometimes we do the craziest things without even thinking.  We get into the habit of...well whatever, and even things that make no sense soon become routine.

That's not usually the most efficient way to live.

Take this mirror.

I had this poor thing perched on my window sill for months.  

The light in my bathroom is not great for doing makeup so every morning I'd grab the 6 or more items of makeup I use daily and walk from the bathroom to the window, put it all on, then carry it all back and put it away in my drawer.

One day it finally dawned on me that this was not:

A - Pretty

or

B - Organized

So I found a pretty mirror, grabbed some cute containers, and set it all up right there in the window.

Much more practical, and much more attractive.

Now, you may be thinking that what I actually need is better bathroom light and that is true, but that's not a project that I can do on my own and sometimes you have to wait on those bigger fixes.

In the meantime, pause for a few minutes in this New Year and take note of your daily routine.  Is there some habit you have that isn't practical?  Not efficient?  Something you could make prettier?

Change it!

Update Number NINE

So last week I gave you ten random updates on my life but I left out number nine.

I thought all week about what I could come up with that would shock and awe you but I got nothin'.

Sorry.  

I guess the big news is I can't count.

Instead I'll give you a few more updates but I won't number them.  I also won't describe them as miscellaneous cause I spelled that wrong last week as well.

I still love short rolls of wrap for the multi wrapping that happens before Christmas.  I highly recommend it...so much easier to maneuver.  These cute rolls are from Michael's.

Also super duper love the empty shelf in my office that is now piled with gifts.  Before these would all be stacked all over already full tables or shelves so having an empty spot to fill up has been great.

During December I switched from a one percent americano misto to an americano misto with eggnog.  So.  Amazing.  I will miss them when they are gone and I will have to shed some pounds but it was so worth it.

Okay, you got me.  I actually switched in November as soon as the eggnog came out.

 Do you have some very favourite ornaments?

Here are a few of mine.

This one was from our first married Christmas.

I got baby Jesus from the store at St. Peter's dome in the summer.  He lays by my bed all year now. 

 Is he not the cutest??

This salt and pepper with the marshmallows on their heads...adorable.

Plus they magnet together which I find quite satisfying.

And of course my original elf.

He still has a twinkle in his eye that is quite endearing.

I seem to have saved the ivy!  

Let's not anyone read this out loud and cause a return of the grossy bugs, but so far, so good!

After 4 tries I managed to get a kid after my own heart.  

Cate has made/bought gifts for everyone, wrapped them and is over the moon excited to see us open them.  I just LOVE watching her spirit of giving!

One of my favourite traditions we've adopted is to have a boat load of chocolates at our house during the holiday season.  I put them out in bowls and set them out in boxes.  At any given time there are 7-10 varieties.  I am always amazed at how much guests enjoy having options...and what an easy way to make your company feel special!

There are loads of lights available now on battery.  I put a strand in a vase with snow at my front door.  A friend had one on her door wreath which I copied.  So fun to string little lights all over the house with no need to plug in!

This year's puzzle is going slowly...it's a bit tricky maybe.

 Buddy continues his adventures.  Soon he will be headed back to Santa and this year he plans to leave the kids with the gift of a novel that is apparently set in our neighbourhood.  I'm excited to get reading with the kids!

 I had a baking fiasco.

I know!  Me!?!?

Yes...WHY would I even try?  But I did and it ended up with a batch of cookies in the garbage.  Next I broke the cookie jar that I was trying to fill with chocolates instead.

Then I had my friend over to coach me through another try at the cookies.  She was great and the cookies are fine.  I'd bought treat bags from Dollar Tree to package them in before I put them into the remaining unbroken cookie jars.

Um, those are some LARGE treat bags huh?  

Might need to bake another batch or 12.

For some reason this makes me laugh and laugh and laugh.

And now we're into the final stretch.  Just a week and it will all be over.  I hope you've enjoyed the waiting...and pray you've had some times of silence and peace and lots of moments of fun.

Our final week is a bit of crazy so I'm thankful for a husband who can whip up 4 pages of colour coded charts to guide us through.

Merry Christmas!!!

P.S.

Is it wrong to eat an entire box of chocolates by yourself just because they're pretty?

Nah.

Miscellaneous Updates

Oh dear, I am so delinquent on blogging.  I don't mean to be.  I love to write to you, but somehow it has fallen a bit by the wayside since my return home from Europe.

So this post is a miscellaneous bit of updates to keep us connected while I pull myself together enough to get back to being regular.

Update One:

I got to do a gallery wall at Tanya's gorgeous house.  You may have already seen it on Facebook but here are the before and afters again with the middle process added in.

Before:

Tanya wanted to fill up her wall space above the living room sofa.

Her home has a very beautiful and distinct style
so it was easy to help her make a list of what to look for.

Once she shopped I came by and we set it all out on the
floor and moved things around until we were happy.

 Next we traced each piece on paper including the exact 

position of the nail hole and hung them all up.

Once a nail was in each spot and the papers were removed, we could hang the art.

The finished look is lovely. Tanya is a super seasonal decorator (MY FAVOURITE) so we included options that could be changed up to create holiday looks...the metal bins can hold anything from Christmas balls to fern sprigs, different photos can clip to the birdcage and the door handle can also provide a spot to hang something seasonal...mistletoe ball anyone??

Update Two:

 My pen pal was here!
Michelle came to see winter in Winnipeg and unfortunately what she saw was an unseasonably warm fall.  The day she left we got the blizzard.  Go figure.
But we had fun all the same.  We saw a few sights and I dragged her around to many stores.
We seem to be blocking his face a bit but we're posing here with a bison.

Update Three:
Buddy returned!
No one here is really interested in him except Cate, but she adores him.  It's been fun to hide him for her...she is pretty easy to please so I haven't had to conjure up any major naughtiness on his behalf.
Here he is eating cheesies.
(Can someone please fix my strip of dead lights???)

Update Four:
I got BUGS!
I did not notice any Italian or Irish ivy crawling with millions of grossy little spidery creatures!
Hmf.
I was gonna just throw it out but then I caught a streak of stubborn and I marched it into my shower and dishsoaped those little stinkers off of there.  I don't know if it's a done deal yet.  I'll keep you posted.

Update Five:
Heated seats. Are. Amazing.
I love them I love them I love them I love them.

Update Six:
We started a new tradition this year.  When I was little my mom would have straw sitting beside our nativity scene.  If I did something kind without being told, I was allowed to take a piece of straw and secretly put it on Jesus' manger.  It is a tradition I've always remembered so this year I adapted it a bit and decided to offer it to my kids.  Whenever they add value to someone they can put an ornament on this little tree.
They seem to be into it!

Update Seven:
I am loving using this advent book with the kids.  We've read it in past years as well but a few days last week I added silence to our devotional time.  We did this during our trip last summer and it was so fantastic.  I hadn't realized how much I missed it.  Even 30 seconds of silence brings everyone into such a peaceful and more open posture.
It is a beautiful spiritual discipline that we practice far too little.




Update Eight:
I've been visiting some scissors.

Update Ten:
I still have not done a thing with our trip pictures.  I have wanted to but other things just keep getting in the way.  It will be first priority as soon as the wrapping is done!  I'll leave you with a pic that I haven't ever posted cause I was keeping it as a possible Christmas shot...it didn't make the cut though.

I hope your next few days leading up to Christmas will be full of fun and rest and peace!!