Nesting frenzy…(aka recent home improvements)

I give credit (or blame) the recent home improvements on 3 things.

#1- Hormones. I'm almost 32 weeks and I've felt the need to "nest" for about the past month.

#2- The World Cup. Chad wanted to watch the world cup, so we ordered cable. That's when I began to watch HGTV while Chad was at work.

#3- My neighbor Amy. She had asked to see my house to see how I had decorated. As I gave her a tour of our home, I found myself repeatedly saying things like, "This room isn't finished. I intend…", or "I painted this wall such-and-such a color, but I really don't like it…", and other such excuses.

Between all three, I came to the conclusion that I should actually do something about my house.  I should also note that there was a time in the past when I had become discontented with my house (that post is here).  I think it was around that time that I found the following scripture in DC 51:16-17

"And I consecrate unto them this land for a little season, until I, the Lord, shall provide for them otherwise, and command them to go hence;

And the hour and the day is not given unto them, wherefore let them act upon this land as for years, and this shall turn unto them for their good." 

I realized then that when I wasn't taking care of my home like I should, I was finding more fault with it.  So this scripture became my mantra throughout all the home improvements of the past month.  

I thought it was interesting to find in this month's Ensign, the article, "Act upon This Land as for Years".  I felt a reconfirmation that my decisions to make home improvements had been a good thing and even pleasing to the Lord.

Well, here's the before and after pictures…

 Living Room.  Before…
livingroom-before3
livingroom-before2
(I know, the left picture is technically some of the kitchen/dining area.)
livingroom-before1
(These next two are technically "during". No, I didn't have huge white spots or the letter "F" (which I might add stands for the paint color "Baby Fawn") on my walls.)
livingroom-before4
during-2
After… (Yes, my child is playing in plastic wrap…don't worry. He didn't suffocate.)
livingroom-after1
I've loved this painting called "Christ in the Red Robe" by Minerva Teichert ever since I saw it in the temple. I was excited to find it for sale in the BYU Museum of Art.
livingroom-after4
livingroom-after3
livingroom-after2
Kitchen.  Before...
kitchen-before1
…during...
during-1
After…
No, we did not do the tiling.  But Ross Carpet and Flooring did a fabulous job on our backsplash!
kitchen-after1
kitchen-after2
kitchen-after3
I've wanted The Family: A Proclamation to the World on my wall for awhile and I was excited when I found this letterpress version of it on etsy. And I was also excited to find this big, chunky frame on etsy as well.
kitchen-after4
The boys room.  Before…
This is the original state and then...
boysroom-before1
…we moved Max into his room. Their favorite pastime was climbing up that wall and launching off onto the bed. They may have broken one of the slats under the bed :)
boysroom-before2
After…  
Sounds silly, but the boys LOVE their new room!  And they're doing such a good job (thus far) at taking care of it.  Liam "makes" his bed on his own accord without reminders about half the time.  I think he feels a sense of ownership and pride in his nice new bed, and the picture of him, and the L for Liam, and even the "Dusty" art that I made to hang above his bed.

And Max…he bounces around on the beds and likes to put his fingerprints on the pictures…but just because he is excitedly pointing out Dusty, Thomas, the temple, and Jesus.

Initially wondered if I was a little crazy to invest money in "nice" things for their room, but felt reaffirmed in my decision when I heard a designer on HGTV say that it is a good thing to have nice things in your home so that your children learn to take care of things.
boysrm-after1
boysroom-after2
I really want a picture of the temple & the Savior in each child's room.
boysroom-after3
The nursery.  Before, well kind of because...
nursery before-1
...I did paint a navy accent wall (which I hated) after the previous pictures were taken.
nursery-before2
After… I love my polka dots that I got from Caroll at Vinyl Express! I got them in white in 1.5". I probably used 80-85 dots and spaced them 12 inches apart horizontally & 8 inches apart vertically. Does that make sense? :)
nursery-after1
nursery-after2
Today is my birthday and I told Chad that I'd like the supplies for some sort of home improvement for my present (maybe crown molding in the master bedroom??). But I have to admit- at this point I'm a little worn out and may take a bit of a break before we jump into the next project!

1 comment

  1. Wow! It all looks so beautiful. You definitely have an eye for design in all ways and forms. If I had my own house I would hire you to make my house look as gorgeous as yours. And I love that you based it all on pictures of the temple and the Savior. Awesome.

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