I’ve never been very good at sending thank you notes.

Ok, that’s putting it generously. I SUCK at it.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a very grateful person. Just not so good at picking up the phone, sending a thank you card or responding to kind emails/comments in a timely manner.

I have been so overwhelmed (in a completely awesome way) by the response from the last post on Unconditional Love. That was one of those posts where my finger hesitated over the ‘publish’ button for a good bit. It’s hard to put your heart out there, especially when you yourself don’t really understand what you’re saying! I turns out however that you have felt the same way too. And that, that my friends is a very very good feeling. Makes my heart all sorts of warm & fuzzy!

Things have been very up & down, as things usually are in life, albeit much more up than down which is very hopeful. There is still a lot to happen. More understanding of each other, more healing of wounds. They may never fully disappear but a scar that is just a reminder of the past verses the scabbed over sore spot that still makes you jump a bit when it gets bumped will be a welcome change.

When people are going through times of change or chaos it’s very interesting to see how they cope. For P, when he feels out of control in one part of his life he’ll sometimes throw himself into perfecting his work. For others maybe they’ll go crazy cleaning or organizing their physical space to make the inside space that’s in disarray feel a little less erratic. What do you do when the things that are out of your control become out of control? Can you recognize that you’re doing it? I’ve figured out one of mine…

It sounds a little silly but I nest when life feels out of control. You know when you’ve had an absolutely crazy day, perhaps you bustled around town, was held hostage by gridlock traffic or just had a day where the world felt like it was against you…but then you turn your key, walk into your home, plop down on your couch & let the warmth & coziness of your place envelop you. Well, I have been on a non-stop mission to do whatever it takes to make our new house become a place of refuge for all four of us. I have a good four rooms in the process of what could be some pretty great additions to the before/after files on LPM but this past weekend I officially finished one. And it’s kind of an ironic room considering we’ve been talking about life being so messy…it’s the Mud Room. A place meant to be a holding spot for all of the dirt, clutter & crazy that we bring in from the outside world everyday!

I only have one before picture of the space but for this room there really wasn’t a whole lot to show. The previous homeowners put up the great built-ins & also had a desk under the cabinets on the right hand side. It was a great kitchen work/homework station, super cute, but for now we’re running short on furniture so instead it’s serving as a great place to hide the giant water cooler. (On a side note, Deer Park delivery is the BEST money I spend on a service every month. We drink SO much more water now not to mention the hot water valve puts out teabag ready hot water instantly! (with a safety lock on it of course.)

Paint: ‘Indigo Batik’ by Sherwin Williams (West Elm Collection), Wall decal, Bear Pillow , Stars Decals

The “I love you to the moon and back” poster/re-positional decal that I found at Land of Nod served as the inspiration for the room. It reminded me of a book that I read to Sam a million times when she was a baby…it still makes me tear up! Damn hormones.

On the Night You Were Born

I can’t say enough about how much I love love love the wall color. I almost never choose dark paint colors, they’re kind of intimidating & just not what usually comes to mind when I’m putting together a room. This beautiful inky blue however, UGH! Can’t get enough. It gets compliments from almost everyone who walks in the room. Except for the Verizon guy who came to fix the router that’s tucked away in there. He didn’t seem impressed.

Nowadays it seems like every major decor company has their own line of paints. This one is ‘Indigo Batik’ from West Elm & is available through Sherwin Williams. I immediately ripped the picture below out of a West Elm catalog I was flipping through. One day I’m so going to do that exact pink & blue trim paint combo…one day when my husband seems to be in a generous and/or overly distracted disposition. I think he’d actually be more terrified of me painting the trim & doors a color than of the pink walls themselves. Baby steps though…baby steps.

So that’s what’s been up at my house. How about you? What’s your subconscious go to behavior that makes you feel a little less out of control when life is putting you on a road that’s more twisted than a twizzler?