Lovelies in my Life : A Look at Home

Today I thought I'd share some recent photos of our home and the spring additions that have been made. All the plaids and granny paintings have been replaced with flowers and butterflies for these warmer months. I've also moved some furniture around again, an ongoing process for me, trying things not here but there.

We really love our home, though it's not without its head aches. But those pains are not in the plumbing or draftiness, as they were in our previous (and very old) home. It's really more about the aesthetics of the place, the things that we could easily change over time. I suppose we're all in the same boat here, excited about the idea of adding this or changing that. For me ... well, I'd love to add hardwood floors in the dining area and in the master bedroom while I'm fine with the carpeting elsewhere. We had a home with hardwood throughout and it was gorgeous but there were times I longed for a soft spot for our tushes (not to mention that baby crawling was often tricky). And then there are the couches, now quite icky. But really, who has enough cash laying around to update a home all at once? For us, it's baby steps in that direction and really, it's not that very important. Everything is currently comfy and "family friendly" (which means, if it's streaked with jelly fingers I won't start hyperventilating). So I try to make any changes super affordable, little somethings that brighten the space up a bit while keeping within the budget. And when the design buffs ask, "Why (on earth) do you have wall to wall carpeting?", I laugh. Because I can't afford to change it! Simple as that.

My dream home? Oh, I see them all the time. In fact, I love to take lazy drives through favorite neighborhoods and get misty-eyed over the places I see. The boys will often ask me, when I take a wrong turn, if we're going to drive around and look at houses. They know which part of town I prefer. The homes are always old, often brick, usually 2-story. Rambling gardens, nooks and crannys. Similar to the little homes you'll see tucked into English countrysides or even as romantic as those grand Scottish castles I saw 15 years ago. Okay, maybe I'm getting ahead of myself here but anything bearing even a resemblance would be just perfect. Wrought iron, cherry red doors, plenty of windows, perhaps a balcony. I dream about the insides of these homes, how breath taking they might be.

What I do adore about our home is it's combination of character and efficiency. It's not very old (well, about 40 years) and it doesn't have that sweet little something that an older home boasts, that soul. But it's still beautiful and it reaches out to my heart strings as best it can, whispering sweet nothings to me from it's built ins and bay windows. And the garden, oh, the garden. It would be my grandparents dream, I think. It's really incredible and I'm quite sure that the previous Mrs. put in tens of thousands of $ into that landscaping. It's just that I'm silly old me, a mom who has only enough time to clothe, clean and cook for my family of 5 (and by the skin of my teeth!). The outdoors, well, that's a serious challenge for me. So ... right now I'm dreaming of a gardener, wishes for buttery-caramel leather sofas cast aside, the charms of a house keeper (nay, nanny!) dwindling to nothing. What I need is a green thumb ... and not my own. Mine prefers to stay pink. Needless to say, tending to this garden is top priority for the next few months. Overwhelmed is an understatement.

Anyway, back to our indoors.