Mirror, Mirror On Our Wall

This is probably a silly question, because I know I can’t possibly be alone in this practice, but… Do you ever buy decor for your home without really knowing what you’re going to do with it or where you’re going to put it? You buy it just because you like it and you figure you’ll find a spot for it eventually?

Well, I am guilty of these habits. But I also have a rather pathetic little tale about one item in particular.

I bought this metal mirror from Kohls in early 2007. I had every intention of hanging it up in our first home after we got married. But we never seemed to find the right place for it  – ahem – it took us forever to start hanging things on our walls, and then we gave up when we decided to move.

But today, friends, is an epic day. At least in the life of this little metal decorative mirror from Kohls. For today, this guy finally found his place in life. On a wall. In our home.

Though this didn’t come without it’s hiccups – it was a bit of a process to hunt down the right screws, and then we ended up having to shave them down a bit to get them through the brackets. But at least we got it up! And it only took about 5.5 years! Whew!

Things I’m Putting Off, But Desperately Need To Do

1. Reorganize our pantry.

I got off to a good start at the beginning of the year, hauling home a huge amount of totes and bins from Target, but due to other members of the family not paying attention to my system (Tom, I’m looking at you), it demands a re-do. Our pantry has also become a bit of a catch-all. I don’t there’s anything too unrelated to kitchens / dining in there, but now I’m scared to look.

2. Create a filing system.

Tom and I have had separate filing methods since we got married 5 years ago. He takes care of his, and I take care of mine. And the problems with this are numerous…

– We now have a lot of joint accounts and shared assets, from savings accounts to our mortgage payments.

– We constantly lose W2 forms during tax season because they wind up all over the house.

– I use a pretty simple Banker’s box system; Tom… well, I’m still not really sure what his filing system is. But statements have turned up in some pretty random places around the house, including a drawer of our nightstands.

I have no idea where to start. As soon as I start thinking about this project, I feel completely overwhelmed. I feel like I need to take at least a week of vacation to sort it out and do it properly. Please, oh please, help me find the inspiration, determination and endurance to complete this task!!!

3. Stain the deck

While Tom will probably take the lead on this one, I should probably offer my services. At least to pick out a nice stain color 😉

We’re waiting for the weather to cool down before tackling this one, but then I see college football and Bengals games eating up our weekend afternoons…

4. Seal the driveway

There’s been some debate recently about how important this one is. Do we really need to seal our driveway? I guess it would help it last longer, because the last thing we want to do is pay thousands to have it re-poured in a few years. Thoughts? Any tips on driveway sealing?

What tasks are you putting off? Let’s inspire each other to conquer them!

Calling All Voters!

Forget politics, I’m talking home decor-ics!

The rug I chose for our piano corner has arrived. But now I can’t decide which side should be “up.” Technically, there’s a “right” side and a “wrong” side, but in my opinion, it works either way.

Which do you like best?
[Please try your best to imagine an oak-colored piano sitting atop the rug!]

Predominantly Purple:

Considerably Cream:

[polldaddy poll=6501049]

Friday Photo Reel


my latest owl buddy, hanging out on top of one of my copies of Pride and Prejudice


autumn isn’t that far off! these colors stood out to me; bold, warm and the perfect palette for my purple & yellow family room / kitchen!


discovered this enormous caterpillar, plus his three BFFs, on my tomato plants this week. Google told me he’s a nuisance to gardens (i.e. eats like there’s no tomorrow), so they were promptly relocated to the woods.

You can follow me on Instagram @onuwriter06

Have a lovely, long holiday weekend!