.: January 2011

Here's a little peek of our upstairs....

At the top of the stairs is the perfect place for this large table. The tile reads, "It's easy to stand with the crowd. It takes courage to stand alone." Just a little daily reminder to make good choices. This beautiful Christus statue was a Christmas gift from my parents a few years back. I love it!!

Here's a look at Kellie's room before...

And here's a look at Kellie's room after...

Painted in Robin Egg Blue, her white furniture goes beautifully here.

Kellie and Sydnie are SO happy to FINALLY have their own rooms!

Kellie is growing up so fast. Yet, thankfully, she still is my little girl...

Between Kellie and Sydnie's room is their bathroom.

Here's some before pictures...

A very narrow bathroom and very uneventful.

Here's their bathroom after....

New light fixture. New paint and some new white, wooden shutters make a hugs difference in this space. Bob brought this rug back from a trip from India. It gives just the right amount of color and doesn't look so 'bathroomy'

I added this full-length mirror to the wall opposite the vanity. It does an amazing job visually enlarging this spot. To the right of the mirror is a large linen closet for towels and washcloths.

Playing off the red in the rug, I added this simple flower arrangement. There's no room for toothpaste or makeup left out on the counter now!!

I love this new light fixture. I much needed improvement from the old, round vanity bulbs.

I bought this mirror at an auction I went to with my friend, Tina, when I lived in West Chester, Ohio. I outbid someone to the tune of about thirty dollars. It was old, black and extremely dusty. I brought it home and painted it a beautiful gold. It is one of my favorite things. Sometimes, old is better!

Here's Sydnie's room before.....

Here's Sydnie's room after.....

Black and white must be the 'thing' for teenagers these days. All we needed to add were these beautiful wooden shutters.

Sydnie does a great job of (almost) always keeping her room nice and tidy.

The 13th Article of Faith is the theme for the youth in 2011. I love this framed poster. (Now if I could just get this girl to get her Personal Progress into high gear!!)

Here's a look down the upstairs hall and the laundry room before.....

How would you like to spend you life doing laundry in here?

And here's a look after....

New light fixtures make such a difference throughout the house. Not to mention the much needed subdued paint color. I took these pictures and hand-colored them in 1998 and 2001. These are truly a few more of my favorite things.

I LOVE having a 2nd story laundry room! Although this 'room' is not much bigger than a closet, the convenience of having of having the laundry near everyone's rooms makes it SO much easier to sort, wash, fold and put it away. (Can you tell how much I like laundry? NOT!!)

Bob put in all these cabinets, new sink and granite countertop. The cabinets provide much needed space for storage. This room is awesome!

Here's a look at Blake's bedroom before.....

Gotta love that purplish-paint...

Here's a 13 year-old Blake's room after..

Blake picked out his own bedding. (I might have added a few extra pillows...) We added these framed Scripture Hero posters - Samuel the Lamanite, Joseph Smith and Ammon.

Blake's room just wouldn't be complete without our beloved Texas star!!

And finally, here's the before of my master bedroom, bath, sitting room and closet....

The master bedroom was fine. All except for the turquoise blue ceiling. Thankfully, Nancy didn't waste any time fixing it.

A beautiful, gas fireplace. It comes in handy on these cold, Pennsylvania winter nights.

Two much needed storage closets. One His. One Hers.

Door to the bedroom. Door to the master closet. Door to the master bath.

Of all the bathrooms in the house, this bathroom needed the least amount of work.

The master closet on the other hand, needed a HUGE amount of work.

And here are the afters.....

Believe it or not, my bedding nearly matched the existing cornice boards above the windows.

My name is Dina. I am a Pillowaholic.

The sitting room. Let's just call it a place for a mom to escape to. What do they call that now? A Mom Cave?

The master bath was in pretty good shape. I still need to add a fresh coat of paint. Maybe next month.

A special gift from a special friend.

Aaaahhhhhhhhhh. And yes, I use it.....

After I paint, I'll add a new vanity chair.

Oh no. Not the dreaded scale!

And here's the master closet.....

If you've never used a steamer. I highly suggest you get one. So quick. So easy. So....necessary.

Bob's side.

My side(s).

A place for everything. And everything in its place. (Most of the time.)

It's the second snow day of the week. The best part of all? Sleeping in, of course! (Until you remember that your Handsome Husband is out of town and the responsibility of clearning the driveway falls to you, and hopefully a few cooperative kids...)

The view from the front door.

The view from the back deck. Those limbs are HEAVY with snow.

Kellie and Gracie on the driveway. I'm not sure Grace really likes the snow.

The snow is about 14 inches deep. And our drive way is LONG. Let's get to it. Got my boots on, my gloves on, my sunglasses on and my IPOD in my ears...

This snow was deep and very heavy. This is going to take a while. Where,oh where is Bob when I need him?

The streets have already been plowed. Now I just need to be able to get down to them.

Lucky for us, we have a VERY kind neighbor who, I'm sure took pity on a poor, old mother and her children and lent us his awesome snowblower. Lucky us!! Get to it, Blake!! (I think some homemade cinnamon rolls would be an ever-so-nice thank you for our kind neighbor. Don't you think?)

The snow blower did the majority of the work. But Syndie and I had to get the last inch or so of ice off the driveway with our shovels. That's okay. Just listening to some old 80's rock music as I finish the driveway.

Even though Sydnie exhibits some teenage 'tude' occasionally, this girl really does know how to work. She helped until the bitter end. There wasn't a flake left on the driveway. Hard-work ethic and tenacity. Those are awesome qualities to have. Ones that will serve her well throughout her life.