Living Room Makeover

I never thought in a million years that I would be sitting here staring at my living room walls and planning all the things that I was going to hang on them. 

We bought our house almost 10 years ago from an older couple who left the house exactly how it was when it was built. Carpet and all. So when we moved in the only thing new in the house was the kitchen countertops and sink. They were still not my favorite, but I couldn't complain. The living room was probably the worst. Not only was it the first thing that you saw when you walked through the front door, but to me it was ugly! 

Over the years I was able to talk my husband into letting me do little things here and there. Then there were times that I would do stuff while he was at work and just let it be a surprise for him when he got home. Then last year I was finally able to talk him into letting me hire someone to come and redo the walls and buy me new floors. 

I don't think the room is anywhere near complete and I plan on changing it some more, but for now I am happy and like spending time in the room I was once disgusted by. So here is a little walk down memory lane with me while I show you what my living room once was compared to what it is today. 

Over the Years

Now

Linking to: Savvy Southern Style WOW Us Wednesday

Just a few pictures from the last couple of months...

We went from winter snow...

(eating snow ice cream before school)

... to Spring like weather in a matter of days!

I {heart} Jo Totes!

I did it again! I ordered myself a new camera bag for Christmas. If you know me at all you know that a camera bag is the last thing I need for Christmas. But to be honest I asked Santa for a new camera this year. Yes, I am holding out for a better camera. I really wanted the Mark, but in all reality I am going to have to save my money for that bad boy. So I asked Santa for the new Canon EOS 70D with 18-135mm lens. It would be a huge upgrade from my Canon T2i but not as pricey as the Mark.

Anyhoo, back on topic...

As you can see from here and here and here and here I really don't need any more camera bags, but they are just so darn cute and functional that I can't help myself sometimes. And I am particularly drawn to the Jo Totes camera bags. I'm not sure if it is because the Rose was my first or not, but they are just so comfortable to carry and are so roomy.

This time when I started looking for a camera bag I wanted something that I could carry with me everywhere and that would not only my camera, but all my other stuff too. So I read review after review, blog after blog and countless pictures. 

And then I found her.

I found the Jo Totes Gracie in Mint. Originally I wanted the Missy in Mint but thought that she would be too big for my day to day use. So I waited patiently for my very special delivery to arrive.... 

It arrived this morning at 6:37am. Yes, I said AM. I'm not complaining though. They were really nice and just left it on my doorstep for me to find after I took the boys to school. Best way to start your day. 

As I tore open the box. Carefully of course. I noticed that the bag shape was slightly off.

When I opened the dust bag I was surprised to see inside was the Missy in Mint! Not the Gracie. And you know what... she was beautiful! I swear the pictures do not do this bag justice. 

I do want to take a minute and tell you all how helpful Jo Totes was with the mixup. I contacted them this morning about it via email and they responded very quickly. After I explained the situation they emailed me back and told me that they were going to be sending out the right bag right away. It's companies and people like that that restore your fait in humanity and let you know that there are still companies that care about their customers. I CAN NOT THANK THEM ENOUGH FOR THEIR GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE! I HIGHLY recommend Jo Totes and they will be my first choice the next time I am needing a new camera bag!

There is so much room on the inside. It has pockets on both sides, a place to put your iPad, laptop or whatever you need it for. Personally I will be using it for my planner since my iPad is older than my grandma. 

It came with 5 dividers. I am sure that I will rearrange this a million times before I find the perfect one, but for now this is the way I left it. There is plenty of room for my camera, an extra lens (50mm f/1.4), my wallet, planner and anything else I decide to throw in on the go.

A little bit of Christmas

This morning Tyler was up at 3:15am. Yes, AM!

He had dressed himself, made his and his brothers lunches, picked up his mess, brushed his teeth and was ready for school. He then decided I needed to wake up because he was ready to go to school. 

If only he had this enthusiasm everyday. *sigh* Most days are a struggle to even get him to do his homework so I will take the good days when I can get them and just pray that they come along more ofter. 

When I tried telling him that he was going to be tired come this afternoon he responded by telling me that he took a little nap so he was going to be good to go. Haha. The things that boy comes up with. 

Once I had all the kiddos dropped at school I was able to get a head start on my day. I finished my Christmas shopping, wrapped all my presents, picked up the house and even made a delicious soup for lunch! Go me! 

Now that I feel somewhat accomplished I thought it would be a good time to show off some of my holiday decor! 

My living room and mantle

My lovely leopard 'tree skirt'. I couldn't find a tree skirt that I liked so a couple of years ago I bought some leopard fabric and I just wrap it around the bottom of my tree. It's not fancy, but I love it!

A few of our fave ornaments...

Our coffee table centerpiece. It looks really pretty here, but my cat has knocked off half the berried and likes to scratch the candle. I think next year I am due for a new centerpiece. 

they look so grown up!

a little bit of halloween

Can you believe that Halloween is just a little over a week away?

This year I am looking forward to a low key time with my boys and friends. 

Plus, this year it is going to be a little hard with it being my dad's birthday and my dads favorite holiday so I am just wanting to relax with the people that I love. I am hoping that they will help take my mind off the fact that he is not here with us this year. 

But one thing I did do this year that I have never done is decorate my front walkway! 

I know, it is pretty exciting right? I thought so too!

Short hair, Don't care!

Last week my long awaited hair appt. arrived. I had no idea what I was going to do!

Did I want to stay blonde? Do I cut it? Did I just want to shave my head?

These were some of the questions I had been asking myself for two weeks. But when it came down to it and I sat down in that chair I knew exactly what to do :)

Here I was a couple of weeks ago at a charity cook off.

(Sorry for the bad pic. It was really bad lighting)

In the chair...

***THE BIG REVEAL***

Before and After