TIMES, THEY ARE A CHANGIN'

I don't know what it is about 2010, but I am changing things up. I've always been quick to buy a new outfit, few pairs of shoes, or cut my hair for a quickie change, but lately, I'm looking bigger. Is it the THREE OH that has me seeking all this change? Maybe the calm of a 10-year marriage on the books needing some spark? The monotony of being a child caretaker finally giving me pause?

Regardless of the reason, I'm seeking out change where I can. And even more challenging is doing it in a positive, cost conscious way that is both responsible and limits daily disruption to my offspring.

The past 8 weeks has had me busy with my own home makeover. Encouraged by a mutual friends home staging business: Dress Your Nest, I wanted to stylize my own place. And why shouldn't I? I only spend an average of 18 hours a day here. This is the first time I've really made my home a priority over my kids, job or social life and the 'before' pictures really tell that story. Why spend all this money to make over my bedroom, when the Half-Yearly Sale is going on?! Well, I learned why. The way your rooms make you feel translate into how you feel. I wake up in my newly painted bedroom with an instant sense of grounded adulthood. That doesn't mean the rest of the day follows suit, but at least it's a start in the right direction. Matching bedding feels a whole lot sexier than the clearance one-ofs I'd settled for in the past. As I contemplate my bedroom specifically, I'm amazed that I let myself spend 10 years in a college guys bedroom. At least that's what it looked like to me. Except the kids toys and stuff, but you know what I mean.

Enjoy the updated posts for my before and after room transformations.