House Tour 2013

As promised, here is what our house looks like!

I planned to do this sooner, but we had Cody's giant old desk in the middle of the house waiting for someone to buy it. It finally sold and it left last night, so I grabbed my phone and walked around before it got put off.

 If you are unfamiliar with our living situation, you can check out the original post about that here. Basically though, we are living with Cody's parents (in the basement with shared kitchen area etc upstairs.) and i'll update on that situation below.

A few things:

*This video is so us, lol. I'm not even editing it because I think it gives you a good idea of daily musings at the Miller's.

*There is a lovely part in the middle where I discover I'm filming the wrong way yet again. I always forget to turn my damn phone! (maybe I should actually use the awesome camera I have...)

*Our house is half decorated (including half a popcorn garland on the tree haha)

*I'm tired in the evenings... like really. excuse the under eye bags and messy hair ;)

*You can check out how it looked at the beginning of the year here.

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I wanted to share an update about what our plans our for moving etc, while i'm talking about house stuff.

 Cody and I have decided to stay until after Grayson is born. The original plan was to stay one year (that would be this December.). Then we decided we were going to move in January, right before Grayson. We wanted to move for a lot of reasons. Living with in-laws is hard. Trying to nest when you don't feel at home is hard. Living in a basement is hard.

 We sat and had a long chat about it after several chats that wound up with tears and frustrations. We decided that the issues we were having were solvable. We could make this feel more like a home with a little bit of reorganizing, shopping, and elbow grease. We sat down and talked with his parents (who never wanted us to move in the winter, and like always told us we were welcome for as long as we pleased.) and laid out issues on the table to see if we could all  come to some agreements to make everyone happier (and us comfortable enough to bring a new baby home here.). We felt such a huge wave of relief once we finally made a decision. Staying just made more sense. We wouldn't have to move with me 9 months pregnant. We wouldn't have to move in 3 feet of snow and in the dead of winter. We wouldn't have to deal with finding a house in a very crappy market. Mackynzie wouldn't have to be uprooted and then immediately welcome a new sibling. I would have an extra hand to do things like throw dinner in the oven or let my dogs outside if we stayed.

 With that, we went took a trip to Ikea and a few other places, built things like shelves, storage spaces etc, decorated it to make it feel like us, and set up a space for baby Grayson.

For the first time since moving here, it feels like a home. I don't tell Cody about how much we need to move, and I'm not moping around all depressed. We stayed here to do things like clear every bit of our debt, save for things that are hard to buy when you have a million expenses, learn some life lessons about things like not having too much pride to move home and to grow, and tuck some money away for whatever house we decide to move into. So far we have done all those things, so now we get to relax and prepare for our new baby. The extra money is also a really nice incentive to stay.

 We will move sometime after Grayson is born. I'm not sure when. That will depend on when I feel ready (physically, spiritually, and emotionally) to move after having a baby. It will also depend on when a house pops up for us, and when spring decides to show up. We will be out by the summer at the latest I'm sure.

So ya.. That's a little update on where we are at and why we aren't moving right away. We are happy, and we are so very blessed.

Throw It On The Ground

  I'm collecting inspiration and collaborating my shopping list for when we move. The style we are going for is very beachy/minimalistic/airy/lightly romantic.

 I lucked out in many ways when it comes to Cody, and in this case, he is totally on board with letting me create a home we both love.  Who wouldn't want their house to feel a little like a vacation?

 I've been looking at several options for the bedroom. Like wood headboards or sheer curtains. But there is something that's intriguing me. A floor bed. Bed on the floor. I don't know what it is, it just looks super cozy and effortlessly stylish.

Here is my inspiration:

 Via (unknown)

Via

Via photo by Rikki Snyder

Via (unknown)

Via

Via If you know the original source, please let me know

Via If you know original source, let me know

What do you guys think? Do you like the floor bed? Do you think it would go with the feel I am trying to achieve? 

*Disclaimer: I always do my best to track the source of any images I use on this blog, but sometimes I am unable to find its original source. If you see an image that is yous, or that you know, please inform me. I will also happily remove any content that you own if you are uncomfortable with it being shared here. Or simply credit you for your image. Thank you!

Bye-Bye Laundry Piles: Sharing my tips on how I stay on top of the load

 We all have it. For many of us, it's on our floors, scattered on random surfaces, or piled on favorite seats that never get to be sat on. It can be tedious, and some have piles that fill rooms!

Laundry.

 I have tried many things in my laundry experience, to try and make things run more smoothly. Labels, 8 baskets, you know. I think I finally have something that works REALLY well. No more piles of clean or dirty, no more sorting for an hour. It might not work for your family, but I think it should work for very near everyone. I always forget to share cleaning tips and whatnot, and especially since we are eco friendly/no chemicals, I plan to do my best to share more on this topic.

 Anyway, laundry. So it's actually insanely simple (maybe that's why it works so well). Here is what I do:

Each family member has their own basket (I use the colorful 5 dollar rubber totes with handles from walmart. We all have a different color.) I also have a basket for my linens/towels and one for my 'extra dirty' (clothes I use to clean bathrooms, rags, Cody's work pants, anything that touched something that came out of a dog..) 

 Everyone goes about putting anything they wear in their baskets, and anything else goes to their proper baskets. 

When a basket is full, I throw a load in. I wash everything in the basket. No sorting colors. It all goes in. *gasp*(don't worry, there is more.) I wash on cold to accommodate our clothing type and also to be more green. 

To keep colors from running or fading, put 1/2 a cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle. It's really that easy! I promise you it works and everything stays it's own color. And Mackynzie and I recently went on a big shopping trip so our clothes are very new. THIS is the big secret. Eliminates a whole bunch of steps!

  I wash towels/linens in warm with a cold rinse, and my 'gross' in hot (but usually change it to warm mid fill up because  it's hot enough.)

  I also  wash nearly everything inside out. This keeps color better and protects things like designs and buttons. I highly recommend it. I don't flip jeans or socks/underwear. 

 I have 6 wool dryer balls that knock my dryer time easily in half. They also eliminate the need for dryer sheets and keep clothes fluffy, wrinkle-free and soft. In the summer I try to line dry often, but don't care for that crunchy feeling clothes get, so afterwards I pop them in the dryer for 5 minutes with the dryer balls and they feel normal.

Got wrinkles? No need to iron. Throw everything that is wrinkled in the dryer (preferably use balls, but you don't need to) along with a damp cloth and turn on for something like 10 minutes. Take out and hang immediately  Hang up the ironing board ;).

I wash with an Eco friendly soap called Ecos. There are tons of great Eco options out there. 

I also make a home made linen spray for my whole house. I spray on clothes (once put away. I'll even open drawers and give em a spray.), carpets, furniture... anything with fabric. It both disinfects, calms and smells great!

Linen Spray:

-Spray bottle filled with warm water 

-1/4 cup (I just leave the neck empty and fill it up or put about and inch or a little less depending on bottle size.) of vodka or peroxide/rubbing Alcohol.

- 10-25 drops of your favorite essential oil. Lavender is great. I have a sweet orange in mine right now.

-shake up and spray away!

Add a couple drops of essential oil to your drier balls for added scent as well. OR spray rags with vinegar/essential oil and throw a sheet in per load. Bam. Natural dryer sheet.

One of my biggest tips? Do an ENTIRE load at once. Wash it, dry it, and put it away right away. It keeps things easy and doesn't seem daunting at all. Keeps your house free from crazy laundry piles and stops you from collecting baskets of clean laundry. Try it. You will feel so much better, I promise!  

The one basket thing also allows each family member (even toddlers!) to easily put away their own clothes.

I hope this helped someone. 

Happy Laundering! 

Scrappy Crafts

 With the warm weather, has come inspiration to get my craft on again. Thank goodness. I'm really into buntings/garlands right now, so I have a couple in progress. This is one I made last week using left over fabric scraps. Easy peasy.

 I'm planning to craft lots over the next couple months before we move, so that our new place can feel homey and cozy right away.

 (It just so happens that a lovely lady over at In The Fun Lane is doing a 'scrap week' featuring  tons of cute crafts using all those crafts we can never throw out. Friday she will be having a linky party and I'm excited to see all the inspiration!)

xoxo

Little House Tour

**I am having a really hard time with this video. Please let me know if it's too hard to watch. I have no idea why it uploaded so poorly.**

Literally... I promised a peek into where we are living right now, so here it is; in all its awkward glory. I actually did this yesterday but it took forever to upload, so know that the references to the days activities are from yesterday. Today there is no zoo, because we are in the middle of a snow storm. Winter always feels the need to have the last word.

*So sorry about the focus of this video. I will figure it out.

*There is an awkward encounter with my father in law who came in for a drink. pay no mind.
*anything else I may have missed ;)

      

I talk about why we moved etc here.

So where'd we go?

This past month we have been so busy and focused on what's been happening, I have hardly had any time to fill any of you in on what the heck is up with us moving. Again. So soon.

 Well, I am going to sum this up, because really, it's very simple. Bottom line, we moved back home. Whoa. Now this is where I want to do the 'filling in', because I really hate when people assume things, so if I tell you here, there will be no need to think anything other than what it is. Are you following, or am I confusing you haha..

 This decision happened extremely quickly. We considered it, talked about it, and moved forward with it in three days. Cody's dad has been wanting us to live with them since we moved into our very first house together, so we could save money. We needed the experience and independence though (and I am really glad we made the choice we did back then.) and said 'thank you, but no thank you.'. Since then, the offer has never left the table.

 A lot of it was a pride thing (mostly on my end.) and has been since. I always felt that if I leaned on anyone it meant I couldn't do it on my own. Thankfully, I have gotten over that one for the most part. So, while in the shower (You know, the place where brilliant ideas, made up songs and epiphanies hit you.) I said to myself, 'self, you know this may be a good idea. Maybe you should suck that pride up and have an open mind about this.' and as easy as that, I considered the offer seriously for the first time, and really saw why it was such a good idea.

Anyway (surprise! I'm rambling.) we thought it over and discovered this; If we stop renting (the housing we need/standards we have for a home had us renting extremely close to our budget peek.) and moved into Cody's parents partial basement suit, we could be buying our home next year. No more renting, no more moving every couple of years. Not bad.

 We realized it was the perfect time to do it as well. Mackynzie is still young and we still co-sleep  so one large bedroom is totally fine. She hasn't accumulated an incredible amount of stuff at this age (all the baby gear is gone and she hasn't been old enough to build a stock pile of stuff yet haha.) and probably the second most important reason we are doing this- She gets to develop an incredible bond with her Mimi and Papa. We all do. I feel like I am going to learn so much and grow tons from this experience. I am really, really, looking forward to creating a really strong relationship with my mother in law, and I don't know if that could happen (without taking a few years) without us doing this.

Overall, this was just a really fantastic opportunity for our family. Literally, the minute we moved in here we were totally at peace. There has been no adjustment period, and for the first time in a long time, all my little stresses that build up (I have anxiety i'm working on.) are completely gone! It's amazing.

 We are extremely blessed to have an opportunity like this. We would be waiting years and years to buy a home other wise. To be able to leave after this and have a stronger family bond will be so wonderful. Cody's parents are really fantastic now too. We don't have worries about toe-stepping or boundary crossing, because after two years, they have realized that even if they don't agree with everything we do, we have a beautiful, healthy, very smart girl who has blown them away. They let us do our thing, and respect the way we raise her deeply. (I can't stress how thankful I am for that.) Also as I have mentioned before, Cody and his dad work together so they are gone for the same amount of time, and his mom works full time too. Mackynzie is asleep before any of them come home, so it really has not been weird at all.

 Mostly, I just feel so incredibly blessed. For this opportunity and all that it holds, for these wonderful people I have been so fortunate to accumulate through marrying Cody, and that his parents just happen to be incredibly gracious, loving and selfless. I am honored to be a part of this family, and they will always have my deepest thanks for sharing this with our daughter.

 Not many people get to do things like this (and it not be weird.. let's be honest haha) and I am just so excited about this new adventure. So that's what has been going on. Forgive me for keeping quiet about it for so long, I really wanted to share the full story with you. Now that renovations are done, Cody can stop going from work to house fixing (the basement wasn't fully finished yet, but they did everything but the ceiling in 4 weeks!), and boxes are unpacked, I am super excited to get back into my regular blog schedule and share our new little home with you guys!

Now to go and hang the rest of my pictures. We somehow managed to wind up with a giant naked wall again haha!

Finally Doing Something to the Living Room Wall

Our living room wall is huge and brown. It has been a challenge trying to figure out what to do with it to both lighten and cover it. We were originally going to do one giant picture collage, but it was a huge undertaking to paint and find all white frames, fill all of them, hang them etc etc. So we decided to skip it and put up a large piece of art, but there was still a naked spot above our little breakfast nook. We had plans to go buy white shelves and set them off center from each other, then fill them with photos, nick knacks etc. The shelves we wanted happened to not be at the store in white last weekend, so I kept myself busy with painting frames (I was going to use them for another project.).

After I finished, I looked at all the stuff we had that could go in a collage, and I threw the idea out to cody. He agreed, so we set to work.

 I placed newspaper cut to frame size, and rearranged with painters tape until we had something we liked.
 Then we measured and marked the newspaper, popped a nail in each spot, pulled the paper over the nail, and hung each frame.

It actually turned out really sweet! It fills the space great, and gives more personality to this floor. I love it. Cody still has to level it a bit, but I just wanted to get it up and done haha.

Now Our living room looks much more put together.

I'm thinking there will be an area rug in our future. Maybe in a nice patterned yellow or blue....

A little Window- Er, Old House Shopping

 Today Mackynzie and I had tons of fun exploring and adventuring little things throughout our day.

After chowing down on a cheat-friday ice cream, we decided to check out a local 'stuff' shop to continue our fun. I had never been inside before, but the cozy looking outside always made me want to stop in. Boy, was I missing out! First off, this place is super unique and incredibly cozy. They bought an old (a town 'original) house and turned it into their store. They kept it in the same layout, but just made use of the space (Probably a big reason I was so in love with it.). This house was huge though. You walk through the front door, into the hallway that leads into the 'house'. There are shelves of awesome treasures, both handmade and unique everywhere, and pictures, paintings and wall hangings that hug every bit of space on every wall. It's so cool, because you walk from room to room and the place is literally packed with stuff. You even go into the door-less closets to look at displays of beautiful things. The lower part of the store is a little clothing boutique. The only changes it looks like they made to the place (apart from obvious repair and maintenance) was putting in two check out counters. We went through and snapped some (bad) pictures of lots of things I would like to add to our humble abode. You guessed it, I'm going to share them with you.

You will probably notice a lot of the photos are of beach-y things. My taste is most often very beach inspired and I can't wait until our home reflects it more.

I LOVE this, but after looking at it again (and the price tag...) this could be a fairly straight-forward and fun DIY.

I sort of  really have a thing for ceramic (white) animals. I want almost every one I see! This one doubled as a hook (under the trunk.). Fancy.

This half-hidden picture frame is really cool. It has a little chalk board around it. So cute!

I really liked this magazine basket. Perfect for a living room, den, nook, or bathroom!

Doesn't this serving platter look so soft and pleasant? It looks like a perfect morning feels.

This picture is blurry, sorry. Its a go-cup that says 'namaste'. Totally up my ally. (I felt like a creeper going around taking pictures, so I got some odd angles and bad quality haha)

They had a bunch of really fun aprons too.

I loved this pitcher and jar. I am a big fan of the soft blue playing off the fake green flower/foliage thing.

There is just something about wooden bowls, utensils, and accessories in a kitchen...

Okay, so maybe it's just a ceramic thing to an extent?

Pretty beach-y serving plate.

 I snapped this while heading down the stairs haha.

You can see how 'original' this house is. So beautiful.

We had a lot of fun in there and Mackynzie didn't want to leave. She left enthusiastically saying 'Bye!' to everything. We will definitely be back (possibly multiple times) to pick up some fun things.

Finally doing stuff around the house and seeing you around

 Last weekend Cody and I got our butts in gear and finished a few things around the house. The list looked something like: Make Mackynzie's room into more of a room (worry about really decorating etc later.), get some more storage in the bathroom, mount herbs on the wall, put some sort of headboard on our bed, clean up the disaster we made doing said things.

There (of course) are still small cosmetic things to be done around here, but alas, we are close.

We needed more storage in our small-ish bathroom, so we added some shelves. They make a world of a difference.

Before:

After:

To see before's of the house (taken last month) check out my video tour.

We were playing with quite a few ideas for our bed. Originally, the plan was to make a sort of canopy bed so we would have shear curtains all the way around. I loved the idea, but then after scoping out pinterest a bit, we got some inspiration for something a little more practical for our current sleeping arrangements and went for it. It's different, but we are really happy with it. I still need to add some more art to the room which will also happen when it happens. I think it will make things look a little more balanced.

Cody also mounted my herbs to the wall for me. I was super excited (over herbs, I know.) and I love  how it looks.

Like always, please excuse my iPhone photography.

 Something I am super happy to be done with (for now.) Is Mackynzie's [play] room. (you should seriously check out what it looked like before. I say this is a big improvement.

 There are a couple things to do in her room still, like hang those purple letters on top of her kitchen, and we are brainstorming something to put around the wall of her little coloring corner. As you can see she has drawn a couple of pictures on the wall. She loves it and its so much more practical. I also have to add how big of a relief is is for me. It's so much easier to clean now.

Oh ya, we also switched sectionals from the basement and main floor two weeks ago. Huge improvement.

before: (yes, this was mid move and mid Mackynzie mess.)

 After:

Probably one of my favorite adjustments.

 We had a busy weekend! But i'm so happy to cross all those things off of our list.

 I am going to apologize now to friends and family who use this to keep updated on us. I'm going to step away from the blog a little bit to put my efforts into other things. I am still going to update as often as I can (which who knows, may not even be different to how often I update now.), but if things get a little slow around here, now you know.  I just can't predict how much time I will have to devote to everything.

See you when I see you!