Dream House: Bathrooms

Hi friends!

Well, we're STILL on the hunt for a rental home, and it's got me in full on dream mode!

Today I have some bathrooms for you. I've found that I have a really hard time decorating bathrooms, so these will definitely come in handy. Hopefully sooner, rather than later...

I love this bathroom from LiveLoveDIY. It's calm and soothing, but the stripes give it some interest. I think it would be fun to add some colorful accessories. It would make it super easy to change the feel of the room, without doing everything over! Aqua in the summer, rust and reds in the fall and around Christmas....oh fun!

Speaking of color, I love the colors in this bathroom from Everyday Moments! It's a small bathroom, but it really packs a punch. I love the way the brown tones sort of calm down the aqua and lime. This is one of my favorite color combos! It's an amazing renovation, so go check it out.

I remember thinking "toilet rooms" like this were so strange when we first got to Arizona. They're so common out there. They're not particularly common here in the midwest, but if I ever have one again I am definitely adding shelves like this! What fantastic storage!

We're hopefully looking at some more houses this week or next. Say a prayer for us!

Be blessed.

Heather

Dream House: Kids Rooms

Hi friends!

I had a lot of fun putting together today's Dream House installation. There are just so many fun kids rooms out there!

I'm in love with this girls room from Just a Girl. The colors are perfect, and I love the texture from the zebra print rug. It adds some fun, but not holy-cow-in-your-face like black and white zebra print can be.

I love the "built in" look of this bed nook in a dormer room I found at Houzz. I can just imagine being a little girl hiding out in there with my favorite books!

Eclectic Kids design by Richmond Interior Designer Ben Dial

Speaking of little hiding spaces, how great is this playhouse bed from Ana White?! P.S. If you're in looking for some great DIY furniture plans, Ana NEEDS to be your first stop. She has some amazing plans (think Pottery Barn, Ballard, etc...).

I'm also crazy about these bunk beds from Decor Pad. Think about it. The reason you usually opt for bunk beds is to save on space, but they end up being so huge and bulky! These don't take up a ton of visual space, which is great!

These last too aren't complete rooms, but they are kids spaces. I think it's important for kids to have their own space in the house outside of their room, even if it's small. Sometimes separate play tooms aren't an option, and these two spaces bring some definition to other rooms in the house, without completely taking over the room.

This reading nook  from Naptime Decorator, in what looks to be a living room, is adorable! The whole family can be in the same room at the same time, and still feel like they aren't invading each other's space!

And this Creativity Center from Modern Parents, Messy Kids fits right in the corner of their kitchen. How great would that be at dinner time?! Oh, and it's all from IKEA, so you know I'm in love. We already have that table and chairs, so I see one of these in Abbey's future!

Be blessed!

Heather

Mommy Mondays- Dream House:Bedrooms

Hi friends!

I just noticed that there are a few new kids around here. Welcome, I'm glad to have you!

It's time for my next Dream House installment.

As much as I know what I want in a kitchen, is as much as I DON'T know what I want in a bedroom. The things I have pinned totally run the gamut. No common threads here, my friends!

Let's get to it!

I love this one from Chipping with Charm. I'm not usually a huge fan of Shabby Chic, but it's growing on me a bit. I love the simple take on a canopy bed without having to actually have a canopy. Note to self, add "old ladder" to the thrifting/garage sale list.

Mmmm...look at the colors in this room from House Beautiful! I'm definitely more of a cool color gal, so this room makes me happy!

Are we still doing grey and yellow? Is that still a thing? Well, I hope so, because I love this room from Dwellings by DeVore. Oh and look, another faux canopy! Maybe there are some common threads in here...

I'm also loving the grey/yellow combination with a splash of blue, like this one from 7th House on the Left.

Hey, now that I look at these, blue is a pretty common thread as well! Sweet! Maybe I'm not as scatter brained about bedrooms as I thought I was. I love when that happens!

Happy dreaming!

Be blessed!

Heather

Mommy Mondays-The Dream House: Kitchens

Hello friends.

I've got some more dreaming for you today! Not gonna lie, I'm in the last week of my Master's degree program right now, and taking a little dream break has been great for my mental health!

2 more days...I can do this. I can do this!

What is it about a kitchen? A bad one can completely ruin an entire house, but a good one can make up for a disaster house. They become the social center of the home, and double as learning space, play space, and impromptu dance party space. They really are the heart of the home.

So, on to the dream kitchens.

Really, I could just show you this picture from Homedit and call it a day. I adore green kitchens with white cabinets! We were close in our AZ house. We had painted the walls green, but hadn't gotten around to painting the cabinets. It's probably better that way, I would have been sad to leave it.

This one from It's Overflowing is pretty great, too!

For the sake of dreaming though, let's look at some more gorgeous kitchens.

Ummm....hello, gorgeous!!
This family took a standard tract home kitchen and turned into something amazing! You have to go over to Jilly & Mia and see the before and after pics. I love that the cabinets are different colors!

How great is this built-in breakfast nook from Elle Decor?? Can't you just imagine Saturday morning pancakes?

Ok, if you want to get seriously lost in some kitchen dreaming, check out Kitchen Design Ideas. This one was my favorite, but I could spend hours on that site! Look at those beams on the ceiling! Be still my heart.

See...I told you I have a thing for white cabinets! Ha!

Be blessed!

Heather

Mommy Mondays: The Dream House

Hi friends!

So, apparently when I said "later today", I meant waaaayy later today! Hey, it's still Monday, right? It's all good!

I haven't mentioned it in a while, but Matt, Abbey and I live with my parents (and my brother and sister). We've been here for about a year now, and honestly, it's been fantastic! We've been able to pay down a lot of debt, and being around family after so long is wonderful. We're starting the process of looking for a rental, but it may take us a while to find something. I would love it if you would pray for our housing! Finding something that meets our needs and fits our budget is going to need a serious miracle!

We had to short sell our home in Phoenix, so it's going to be a while until we get to buy again. No worries! This just gives me plenty of time to dream! I thought it might be fun to lay out my dream home for you all here. Each week I'll give you a different area of the home, and all my grand visions for it. Sound like fun? I think so!

So here we go....

Where better to start than the home itself?

I am a serious fan of Craftsman style homes.

                                                                             Source: google.com via Lacy on Pinterest

Seriously. Love!


I mean, just look at that front porch!

                                                                                                                                     Source: google.com via Mandy on Pinterest                       

They're just begging for things like big giant swings...

                                                                     Source: houseofturquoise.com via Heather on Pinterest

And delicious lemonade!

                                                                          Source: ourbestbites.com via Adila on Pinterest

Honestly, I think I would take a small craftsman style home over a larger version of just about anything else!

What does your dream home look like?

Be blessed!

Heather

Mommy Mondays: Eating Clean

Hello friends!

I wanted to share something with you that I am absolutely loving! 

I mentioned in a recent Week In Pictures post that I've started to "eat clean". The short story of that is that I'm avoiding refined sugars and carbs. Lots of fruit, veggies, lean protien and nuts. I also shoot for 5-6 small meals during the day instead of 3 and a snack. I know! What a concept, right??

I started out with this book by Tosca Reno. She's kind of the Clean Eating guru.

Let me just say, that I am definitely one of those "tried it all" people. If there is a diet plan out there, I've tried it. My weight has been up and down for most of my teens and adult life.
We've never been a huge processed food eating family. My mom has always stayed home, and as a farmer's daughter has passed her whole ingredient cooking skills to me. My biggest thing was sugar, both real and artificial. I drink way too much diet coke, and artificial sweeteners have been my "free ride" foods. I know it's not good for me, but I did it anyway.

Here's what I know about eating clean. I know that I have eaten more colorful, delicious food in the past 2 weeks than I usually eat. I know that I feel better throughout the day with no sleepy afternoons and blood sugar dips. I know that I've only had one Diet Coke in 2 weeks (!!!). I know that agave syrup and almond milk in my coffee in the morning is might be my new favorite thing. I also know that in the last 2 weeks I lost 7 pounds without counting a single calorie, carb, or point.
That, my friends, is liberating!

If you've struggled with your weight, I encourage you to look into clean eating. You don't need to go out and buy a book, but I like having "the rules" on hand. Who knows, maybe I'll start sharing my favorite clean recipes here on the blog. Would you guys like that?
I'm not affiliated with The Eat Clean Diet or Tosca Reno in any way, I just want to share something that is making me happy!

Be blessed!

Heather

Why I Do What I Do

Hi friends!

I'm starting something new today. I feel like I've said that a few times lately...hopefully that's a good thing! I've realized that I don't share much about my life outside of this blog, except maybe tidbits in 1LW. There is so much more to me! So, I'm bringing you....Mommy Mondays!

I'm hoping to use this as a place to share things I'm working on, projects I've done, and all sorts of things that don't seem to fit anywhere else.

Today, I wanted to share a little bit about my job. I work part-time as the Special Needs Coordinator for Good Shepherd Church. Never heard of something like that? It's OK. Not many churches have them, especially not on staff. But, things are changing, and more and more churches are jumping on board! I'm thrilled to be part of it!

Before I tell you more, watch this.

I want to help families carry their rocks!
So what do I do? I work with families at Good Shepherd to make sure their needs are being met, at least as many needs as we can help with. I pair kids up with aides for our Sunday School program so that they can attend with the support they need. This also gives parents a chance to attend service without worrying.

We also host a respite program called Share The Care. Once a month we take care of kids with disabilities, as well as their siblings for 3 hours so that parents can go out and do...whatever they want! At least here in Illinois, respite time is hard to come by, so even this short amount of time can be a huge blessing to families.

Why is this important? The statistics are hard to find, but this is how I have heard things reported. I apologize for my lack of back up information...If you have any, I would love to see it!

I know what the community that I have had at church means the world to me, and has gotten me through in rough times. I can't even imagine trying to live life with a child with a disability without my faith community around me. I wish I could say that all of those families just choose not to go to church, but that's not the case. My heart breaks every time I hear of a family being told that they are a "distraction" during worship, or that a teacher doesn't know how to "deal with" their child. These stories are NOT in the majority, but they are there, and they are painful.

We at Good Shepherd have decided to stand up and say 

"You won't hear that here. You are welcome. You are loved. Come."

Want to get the inside scoop on our ministry, FUSION? Go check out our facebook page! 

Special Needs Ministry has become a passion that I never expected to have. I call my job the dream job I never knew I dreamed about. It is, hands down, the best job I have ever had, and what I want to do for the rest of my life. I am thrilled to have the chance to attend the Orange Conference in just about a week.

 Orange is a company that writes phenomenal Christian Education curriculum. We use it at Good Shepherd, and love it! Every year they hold an annual conference. When my supervisor went a few years ago, they had one Special Needs breakout for the whole 3 days. This year they have EIGHT! Not only will I have the chance to learn from the best, but I get to meet someone I consider to be a mentor and inspiration, Amy Fenton Lee, of The Inclusive Church. I might have a total fan-girl moment, just sayin'.

Want to join in on the fun? Not only will I be blogging from the conference, but I will be Tweeting updates all week. Follow me: @its_alongstory. It's getting harder and harder for me to stay calm about next week. There is some serious happy dancing in my future!

Be blessed!

Heather