I love decorating for Christmas. But I love taking it all down just as much - or at least I did this year. Maybe with the baby on the way I felt the need to get our house in order just a little bit more than usual. We took our Christmas decorations down before New Year's Eve and it honestly felt really nice to start the year off with a clean, organized house. Of course one of my focal points was the mantel, there is very little on it now and it makes me really, really happy.
{view from Christmas}
{view from New Year's Day}
I bought a 2014 Rifle Paper calendar at a little shop in San Fran when we were there. I love the prints each month and the colors work really well with my decorating style. Typically you would frame or hang a calendar, but for now, ours is resting high up on the mantel.
{I love all of Rifle Paper Co. calendars - bought the Secret Garden one for my mom as well!}
Below are a few months I'm really looking forward to turning to this year:
{Our baby's arrival month and Washington D.C. happens to be the location of Paul's and my first date <3 }
{our little one will be a few months old - maybe we will take a ferry ride over to Nantucket for my birthday in July}
{would go back to San Fran in November every year if I could}
Some other updates:
Paul and I are feverishly preparing our house for sweet pea's arrival. We are both leading a few projects that we plan to complete before April 7th (3 months from today!!) I'll be posting the finished results I'm sure, and maybe a few progress posts in between.
Nursery: all me! I've been on overstock, wayfair, craigslist, ikea, etc to be able to furnish her room on a reasonable budget (with a few gifted items as well - thanks mom!) I have it all planned out and will hopefully be able to share it soon.
Basement: Paul is leading the way on getting our dark green (god-awful) tile floor replaced with a warmer, brighter hardwood. I plan to paint the walls and set up the guest room down there for my mom's visits that are sure to become more frequent.
Light fixtures: It's time to replace the fixtures the builder selected 13 years ago with some that fit our home's style a little better. A few are arriving from overstock next week!
Paint: We are in the middle of picking out paint for the entire house. It hasn't been painted since it was built and is in desperate need of a fresh coat. I actually enjoy painting and plan to do one room at a time.
oh and a Gun License: Paul wanted me to add that he is currently lining up classes and exams to obtain his MA gun/hunting license so he can go hunting with his Dad this Fall and get our daughter some local grassfed meat for the winter!
That's it for now! and by the way - War Eagle! SUCH a great season - unexpectedly :)
Already excited for next season!