Snow day

Hooray for the snow! No school, no pre-school, no work, just fun in the snow.

We were up and out early.

Only the deer were about.

We had the place to ourselves.

For a while anyway.

Have a great snow day!

New year, new house

We are not moving but I am harnessing my new year energy and enthusiasm to completely blitz the house. We were away Christmas and New Year and when we got home and I walked in through the front door I thought everything looked a bit drab and bleugh. The banisters still need painting, those cheap brown doors are not getting any prettier and the bookcase in the hallway seems to have accumulated even more clutter.

Being away for a week really gives you a fresh perspective on your home. All those little niggles and faults that you’ve become accustomed to leap out at you again demanding attention.

So time for big changes. I’ve signed up for the January Cure at Apartment Therapy to give me added momentum. The first task is to assess your problem areas room by room. It was pretty disheartening. I had about ten things on my list for the entryway. The kitchen and bathrooms basically need ripping out and doing over. The study is a MESS. It goes on.

What I did figure out was the clutter hotspots like the kids’ artwork stacked up on top of the stereo and the pile of books and magazines gathering dust in our bedroom are there because we lack decent storage. So while I would prefer too spend money on cute cushions or new bedlinen, what we really need are more bookcases and cupboards.

Big M has agreed to tackle the bathrooms and paint the stairs. We are all set for a major makeover.

In the meantime a vase of fresh flowers makes everything look instantly better.