Living Room

So, you've seen the front door.  Now let's look at what's on the other side of that door.  

Very white. Very empty. (Please excuse the pile of clothes on the couch.)

This was taken probably the day, or the day after we moved in.  It's a big space, and the bay window really opens everything up.  For reference, the front door is to the left of the window, in a little alcove.  Like our hand-me-down couch, chair, and coffee table? Classy entertainment center we've got there too, huh?

Oh, and remember the blue from the front door?  There's plenty more where that came from.

The mantel. The trim around the hallway door.  And I can't find a picture of it, but I'll tell you the trim around the alcove to the front door, the front door, and hall closet doors were also that blue.  Ugh.

We moved in on a Friday. If I remember correctly, Saturday I painted the guest room, and Sunday I painted the living room (with my mother-in-laws help!)  Painting is pretty much all we've done 'structurally' to the living room.  My mom kind enough to get us some awesome new cordless shades for the bay window for my birthday one year.  My parents also bought us a grownup entertainment center the first Christmas we were in the house and a new coffee table for my birthday last year.  And, after receiving a sump pump as a Valentine's  Day present last year, I convinced B we should buy new couches too, since that wasn't a very... cool present. (although incredibly helpful and wonderful when we had flooding last spring!)

In the process of changing out the shades.

All the trim and baseboard was painted the same color.  The switch plates were painted the same color as the walls. Which I did a terrible job on, and my mom still likes to mention on occasion.  I'll fix it some day.  We still have the window... curtain, valance, thinger, the previous owners left.  I'm getting a little sick of it.  It might be time to switch it, and its "hardware" soon.

Fireplace, updated.  Much better, huh?  Awesome fireplace screen bought at Target, on serious clearance.  I had to part with it this summer at the yard sale, due to the fact we no longer have a 'fireplace', but installed a wood pellet stove the first fall we lived here.  So, our fireplace now looks like this:

Note to self: consider cleaning before taking pictures of the house. Please excuse the dog toys on the mantel, and the ash all over the pellet stove glass.

The pellet stove was one of the best purchases we've made.  It's able to heat the entire house, which means we use a very limited amount of oil.  We're able to purchase our pellets by the ton (they come in 40lb bags) in the summer for pre-season prices.  And when the glass is clean, you can see the pretty flame.  Unfortunately, I'm the only one who thinks its a nice idea to clean the glass, and B is the one that usually cleans the stove.  So, it doesn't get cleaned too often.

And the rest of the living room?

Yes, that is this current post being constructed on my laptop. The entertainment center is from JCPenney.  The rug was a closeout purchase as Linens 'N Things prior to them going out of business.  The recliner... still the hand-me-down.  Lights were either Target or Walmart, we bought them back when we lived in the apartment so I don't remember.  And yes, the bracket from when the TV is still on the wall behind the TV.  You can only see it when you're standing.  Whatever.  I'll probably deal with it about the same time I deal with the switch plates.

M&B enjoying the couch.  The couches and coffee table are both from Jordan's Furniture.  The light to the left was bought at Lowe's.

Different angle. Same thing. American Idol on TV.  Don't judge.

So, there you have it.  It's cozy, often messy, and totally us.  I'm not exactly the best home decorator (if that wasn't obvious) but that's probably because I don't go out and buy 'pretty things' to just sit there, and well, be pretty. My mom has always called them dust collectors.  So, a majority of the 'decorative' items here, and throughout the house, have meaning to us.  For instance, on the middle left shelf is a couple wedding pictures.  There are several eagle figurines, gifts to B when he became an Eagle Scout, and on the bottom let shelf is an English Springer Spaniel figure that B gave me for our first 'dating anniversary', since that's the breed that M is.

Anyway, there's a little peak into where we spend most of our waking hours (when we're actually home).