Family Wall Decor

Our family has lived in the same house for almost 7 years... And in those seven years, I have not figured out quite what my style of home decor to be. We've done some remodeling, mostly in warm earth tones with tile, paint, and furniture. But, I've always had this one wall that I couldn't figure out what to do with. It was blank for a while, then I changed the furniture around and hung some pictures, then I didn't like that, so I changed it back to blank, and so on.

Well, I'm thrilled to say I finally got some inspiration and did something about that wall. Within a few days and a lot of deal-searching, I ended up with this!

I wanted a wall to put personal pictures of our family on, along with our kid's favorite art projects, and attempt to blend-in the television. So, here's how it came about: I mounted our TV, found the ottoman/bench at Target, and went on a hunt for discount frames and wall art. I found most of the frames at TJ Maxx and got the metal wall art at Hobby Lobby during their 50% off sale. Overall, this cost around $250 and is a warm and welcoming focal point in our house.

My husband loves it, which is a blessing to me to see a good reaction from him. On that note, I've recently been updating and organizing/cleaning-out rooms in our house. I've been inspired by Sarah Mae (a blog I've been reading for several years) to make my home a blessing to those who enter it - including my own family. This gives me even more reason - and really a more fun reason - to keep it clean and looking nice (note: not perfect).

Summer Fun in "Hot"lanta

It's summer and the heat is on! So, what better way to celebrate the heat, but head to "Hot"lanta?! And that's just what we did.

(Our family at Zoo Atlanta. - I love the giraffes in the background.)

We got home from a fabulous week-long family vacation, spending most of our time in downtown Atlanta. It was a trip to take in the sites. We found a great deal at CityPass.com and were able to see five of the main attractions Atlanta has to offer. From the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, CNN Headquarters, Fernbank Museum, and Zoo Atlanta, we definitely got our money's worth.

You can't see it, but our hotel was situated right between the two taller buildings on the right of this photo. We were in the center of it all, walked everywhere, and it was great!

The only downside to starting out your summer with a vacation is that you may think it all goes downhill from there. Not with us. We got home yesterday and already we had a fun day at our local pool playground celebrating the end of the school year with all of our church friends. The summer is already feeling busy, and though I do plan some lulls, we have a summer worth of fun - complete with swimming lessons, VBS, free summer movies at the theatre, and trips to the beach.

Since my kids have been in school this past year (and no longer homeschooled), I've missed having them around. I'm hoping to reconnect with them, have some fun, and continue teaching them about the Lord and walking with Him.

Hopefully, I'll fit some sewing into the summer. Right now, the project is to go through every room, organize, and clean. I've started with my bathroom and now I feel like I have a mini-spa feel every morning I wake up. It's wonderful! Oh, to have this feeling throughout my house...