What is this {pretty, happy, funny, real} you speak of?
~ {pretty, happy, funny, real} ~
Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~
Every Thursday, here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!
This is pretty much this little girl's idea of heaven: right in the middle of whatever awesome, exciting, fun mess her big siblings are up to.
Speaking of messes…
We're finally painting the last of the ugly brown trim! (Or at least, nearly the last of it. The very last is in the laundry room/pantry, which is such a heavily-used room that I'm not sure I can stomach taking it apart enough to paint!)
When we first moved in, we never got around to painting the woodwork in the study because we had shoved all the stuff from all the other rooms into there in order to paint the rest of the house. And by the time we finished with everything else, got everything cleared out of the study, had a baby… we agreed that we'd finish up before we moved (since this is the last actual room left with brown trim), but wouldn't worry about it too much before.
Well, we have a move within sight (meaning, probably and vaguely, this summer. But of course, no destination yet because Marine Corps) and are trying to check things off our to-do list. So here are a few quick “before” pictures, and hopefully before too long I'll have some “afters” for you as well.
First, the study. It has this giant built-in bookshelf, which will soon be a cheerful, crisp white. (Don't worry. I wouldn't paint over beautiful woodwork. This is not that.)
Did you know we had these great shelves? Probably not, because I never take photos in here. It tends towards the cave-like. (in no small part due to the dark quilted bedspread I hung as a curtain, which serves well for blocking light for tv-watching and insulating a huge and somewhat drafty window. But I've always meant to cut it in half and hem it so that we can, you know, open the curtains and take advantage of that big window. Obviously, that has not happened. Hence, cave. Rosie, how can you live like this?)
Anyway, all those books are currently on my bedroom floor, and we are going to do our darndest to part with a few as we put them back on the shelves, because our library has been expanding to fit the available shelf space, and we are going to be in for a rude bookshelf-related awakening whenever we move away from our wonderful cave of a study.
We're also painting the mantelpiece, which I've wanted to do all along but some others (including my husband, who was initially a little hesitant, and the guys who we hired to help with the painting when we first moved in, who thought I was a total crazy lady) required some convincing. I can't wait.
(Do you like how I tidied nary a toy before snapping my photos?)
What are you working on this week?
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Laura says
I remember when your littlest was born because she is just a few days younger than my littlest. Since my older two look about the same ages as yours (4 & 2?), my little guy basically spends his days the same way as your little girl – and he couldn’t be happier about it either!
Your makeshift curtain looks beautiful! It gives the room a very artsy look.
It’s hard to muster up the motivation to paint the trim white (well, for me anyway 😉 but, wow, what a difference it makes! Just brightens the entire room. We’ve got two more rooms to go before all the windows in our little house will boast a bright white trim.
This weekend my husband and I are going to be on the hunt for extra clothing storage options since our three boys’ clothes are overflowing out of the one dresser they all share since that’s all that will fit in their bedroom. I’m thinking a rolling metal cart for undies, undershirts, onesies, socks, etc… Any suggestions!? 🙂
Rosie says
Ugh, we suffer from lack of dresser space, too! A rolling cart sounds like it could work well. I ended up getting one of those hanging closet organizer things from target and a few of the drawers that slide into it. So now all Molly’s clothes are in the closet, either on hangers (dressers) or in the organizer. It works decently well, but is definitely an imperfect solution.
Katherine says
We have used baskets, which tuck under the bed, for clothes storage and love love love it. I put the bed on risers so I could fit a nice tall set of baskets and it works very well for us. The kids can put their clothes away easier and faster, and at an earlier age. We don’t fold them- just put them in the basket. The downside is the occasional wrinkled khakis for church, which I don’t mind too much.
I actually blogged about it because..ahem..I am sort of a fanatic about it:
https://yeoldcollegetry.wordpress.com/2015/02/16/clothes-baskets-can-help-you-not-resent-your-children/
Rosie says
This is a smart idea!
Jessica says
I’m new-ish here….how old is your littlest one? My youngest is getting close to standing on his own…and crawling too! And he also loves being the in the middle of the excitement of his older siblings. Nothing sweeter than watching them grow closer together 🙂 Good luck with finishing up all of your home projects! And, yes, that is an amazing bookcase!!! -Jessica, Sweet Little Ones
Rosie says
Hi, Jessica! She’s 9 months old, and yes – nothing is better than seeing them all playing together!
Julie says
I love your real photos – toys and all. I dream of living in a magazine spread but reality is so much different (and richer for all the bits of detritus left by little hands). Always organizing here! I keep trying to reduce the titles on our shelves, too, but just manage to come home with more from my thrifting. Sigh….
lisa says
Hey, we’re getting trim painted today too! Except ours is hunter green, and it includes crown molding on 11-foot ceilings. And window trim. All green! I’ve taken the “before” pictures so that I can fully appreciate the “after” photos.
Your home is lovely. Thanks for sharing pictures of it with us!
Rosie says
Oh wow. That is a big project! It’s going to be great. 🙂
Chere Mama says
I downright covet your bookcase!!! It will look grand all in white. And my bedroom window looks just like yours for the same winter draft reasons!! Good luck with all the painting.
*kate says
I’m having a little bookcase envy here! They’re in the “long term” plans for our house, which I usually refer to as the 80 year plan 😉 Happy painting!
MT says
I’m glad you didn’t pick up nary a toy before pics. Because, you know, #life.
We’ve been in our home for over 4 years and currently expecting our 5th child (but 3rd one while living in this home). Projects are sloooooow going. Nevertheless, they end up getting done! Just much later than expected!
Jill Foley says
We have just finished painting / replacing our oak trim and windows here and I’m loving the change.
Mrs. B. says
Ha, my house looks like that, too – toys all over! I wonder why I keep buying toys with PARTS, many small parts… That bookcase is awesome, they even built it with shelves of different heights! Happy thought indeed 😉 And the quilt/curtain is lovely too, and for now you could just gather it on one side with a sash or something when you want a bit more light.
Rosie says
But all the best toys have lots of little parts, so I can’t help myself! It’s such a struggle.
So the thing with the curtain is that the window is wide enough that the rod needs a support in the middle – so it doesn’t really work to gather it on one side. That’s why I clipped up that colorful bedspread in front of the brown one, so at least it wouldn’t be a complete black hole. But really, I need to cut it in two so it can open. Maybe first get a white one and then cut *that* in two!
Lisa G. says
Rosie, if you just cut up the center of the thing, while it’s hanging, how bad would that be? Then someday when you’re taking it down anyway, you can finish off the edge. If you then push each side back, it will be in folds and it might not be noticeable. How easily it would fray might be a determining factor.
Mrs. B. says
Now I get it – I should have known that you would have thought of every possible solution. If you had a couple of spare twin quilts, they’d be cut already – but I don’t know many people who have “a couple of spare quilts” 🙂
Yes, I agree that the best toys have parts – the joy of rearranging and making things different!
Maurisa says
She is so cute! I love her little tongue sticking out.
Shannon says
Soooo get the Marine Corps thing! My husband is a pilot with the Marines and we’re here in NJ. For a while we were going to Georgia, and once we had gotten used to the idea but before orders were cut, New Jersey. Sure does keep you flexible! Your home is lovely!
Jennifer says
I can’t believe that your littlest is standing already and that you are preparing to move again. Life happens so fast! I did a post about our new home and as I was posting pictures I realized how much toy craziness was really going on. I figured the readers of moms, too, they understand.
Kristi says
Moving! With three littles! You don’t sound even a little dismayed at the prospect. I think of moving as a crisis, perhaps the greatest voluntary crisis there is. I guess it’s part of your calling, though, as a MC wife — hope it’s not as painful for you as for me.
I’m in the Dallas area and have harbored a little fantasy that we could meet sometime, since we’re so close to you. Now I have to accept it probably won’t happen. But if you need help packing, let me know.
Rosie says
Haha, well, I knew it was coming, which softens the blow! And they send movers. I would definitely be significantly less serene about the prospect (and don’t get me wrong, moving is always the worst) if we had to do it all by ourselves. I am a terrible packer. I need someone to keep me on task, so you should probably head right up. Dallas isn’t so far…
Beth says
What is the fun garland hanging across your doorway? I’m looking for some way to brighten my space and this caught my eye.
Rosie says
Thanks, I just cut out some felt (circles and sort of leaf shapes) and ran them through the sewing machine. It’s ridiculously easy and satisfying to whip them up in a seasonally appropriate color scheme and drape them around.
Ib says
Hello! Am I missing something or how do you cope with open (book) shelving and little ones? Our books hardly survived and have since been packed away.
Rosie says
Funny you should mention this – Nora has just recently reached the tear-books-off-the-shelves stage. Our strategy is threefold: 1) push books to the back of the shelf and make sure they’re packed in there tightly enough to make it a little tough to pull them out. This slows her down a bit. 2) have the board books nearby in an open bin, so she has some books of her own to look at. And, most importantly, 3) say “no” a lot, put books back, pull her away from the shelf, etc. again and again. They do learn, eventually! And then they turn into little warning sirens: “Mama! Nora’s getting the books! Nora’s getting the books!”