Let's have fun with the driveway...

We are in the middle of a literal driveway overhaul - just waiting for our permits and such to come through.

Isn't it a mess?

It's supposed to be gravel.

But it's really just a glorified dirt patch with weeds that is in a convenient location to park the car.

At the back end of the driveway we have a chainlink fence that will be torn down. The fence used to have a "BEWARE OF DOG" sign. It took me like a year after we bought the house to remove because we were so busy inside the house. I wish I were kidding...

We really can't wait to get this going. Hopefully soon?

Spring Purge

I'm going through a major spring purge. Last weekend we were expecting an overnight guest and I realized our guest-room closet had overflowed into a dumping grounds for god-knows-what...

First things first. I cleared away everything that didn't belong. Then I pulled some things out of the attic to add to the mix. This is what we are storing here:

fancy dresses and suits, evening shoes and bags, 

pictures to hang, photos, photo cds, photo albums,

extra throw pillows and comforters...

After everything was in place, I installed a curtain rod with a couple of curtain panels from TJMaxx...

This room definitely needs a little more work, but it is so much neater! My goal is to tackle each room/closet in the house over the next few weeks and then set up a donation pickup. I'm hoping to finish our room and closet this weekend!

Easter and Coin

I read a lot of house and design blogs and I usually get bored by the overly-enthusiastic attitudes of the writers toward such mundane ho-hum things like table settings. Sometimes I can picture bloggers foaming at the mouth over the hammered edge of a plate or the hand silk-screened paisley of a tablecloth pattern. So I apologize in advance if my Easter table photos are resonating in your brain like, "why does she think we're interested in this?"

So anyway, I present to you our Easter table...

The table cloth I purchased in Florence at Coin. Don't click on that link because you will surely regret it as you realize how awesome and how far away this department store is. And it looks like they have an online store but they don't sell any of the good stuff there. 

Gah, sorry, but here is a small collection of the good stuff from Coin. How about that hexagon pillow?

Which do you prefer?

My Sister-in-law, Dina is expecting a baby boy this summer! She recently picked out his crib and bedding but is not sure what color to paint the nursery. 

The current room trim is white, and it is best to stick with that for a myriad of obvious reasons.

Dina has repeatedly mentioned adding a chair-railing stained in a dark espresso color. 

Through the magic of photoshop, I present different options below:

I personally prefer options D and F with the white chair rail. (Really? Big surprise!) But if I had to pick an option with the darker chair rail, i would pick option C.

 

Which do you prefer? Any other suggestions?