Rules For Making Your Home Life Happier

Wow, that's a powerful title, isn't it?

I'll admit, I didn't come up with it.

I discovered it in the back of an antique book.

Those of you who know me, know my love and obsession with beautiful, antique books.

I purchase them at Antique stores, and display them in my home so that I can enjoy their beauty.

Sometimes though, I get curious...

Curious about what's in these lovely, old books.

???

I'm fascinated by this thought...

Would something that was written 100-years or so ago be something that I can relate to today?

When my curiosity gets the best of me, I crack one open. And most of the time what I read is 

captivating

and sometimes even

relatable!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This happened several months ago, actually. I stumbled upon a list titled, "Rules For Making Your Home Life Happier."

In its issue for June, 1933, American Magazine printed an article by Emmet Crozier, "Why Marriages Go Wrong." In it was this list, and the author reprinted it in the back of his book.

Are you curious about this list?

Would you like to see it?

It looks like this:

I was surprised to realize that this really isn't too out of touch with what would be wise for wives to do today! When I was engaged to be married, I never once thought about the "household menu" or how I would face "financial reverses" or really any of the things included in this list...

But we are now in our tenth year of marriage and I have encountered, in some form, all of the ten issues mentioned.

Some of these are even completely timeless. Take #8, for example: 

Do you compromise little differences of opinion in the interest of harmony?

That's great advice, straight out of 1933!!!

Progressive values in our culture today would have us believe that the values from 1933 are outdated, and unrealistic. However, common sense should tell us that what has worked in human relations for decades and even centuries, is what can still work for us today! 

(Most old-fashioned values should still be adhered to and should still be considered right and true. But I don't wish to get off track...;)

I was so intersted in this list that I showed it to Micah and I asked, "Is this in tune to what husband's want their wives to do?" 

We had an interesting little discussion over it which led me to ask this next question, "If you could compose a list for me, what would be on your list?"

I was genuinely intersted in receiving Micah's list for me. So one evening, with pen and paper in hand, I recorded what he told me would be "his list" for me.

He told me the following five things... The five things that are most important to him:

1. Being a good mother.

2. Keeping a nice house.

3. A healthy sex-life.

4. Ironed work clothes.

5. Opening our home more often to company.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

By now you may be wondering, The 1933 magazine article made a list for wives, but what about husbands?

Yes, there was a list for husbands as well, but I honestly didn't look too closely at it. 

The reason is because I was only interested in improving myself. I wanted to take a healthy look at how I was doing as a wife, and I was genuinely interested in taking Micah's suggestions to heart. You may have figured out, as I have, that you can't change or improve others; only yourself.

I can't imagine it would have been productive for me to hand him the list from the book and say, Read this and learn! I know that because if it were done to me I would've never so much as glanced at the list, but in offense said,

You're not the boss of me!!!

Each person must make improvements to their life based on their own desire and on their own terms.

SO... since my blog is for homemakers, and I assume that my readers are women, I will say this; Let's just focus on improving ourselves, and in return we'll reap the harvest of a happier home life!

Are you curious as to what your husband would say if you asked him to make such a list for you?

I would encourage you to sit down with him and ask, What would you like me to focus on? What's most important to you?

All marriages are different and people are different, so what would be very important to one husband, may not matter much to another. 

For example, most men place high value on their wives having a hot meal ready for them when they get home. But you'll notice that that is not included in Micah's list for me. In fact, if he were to keep going to ten, it probably still wouldn't make it onto the list. It's just not something he's ever cared about. But timely, hot meals may be important for your husband! 

You should ask! See what he says! Then write it down and keep the list in your bible or daily planner, or some other place where you'll be sure to come across it often. 

"Let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:18

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Well girlfriends, I'm off to iron some work shirts and throw in a frozen pizza for supper...

;) ;) ;)

As always, you're welcome to leave a comment. I love hearing from you!!!

xo,

~ Courtney ~ 

A Guest Room (Details)

When I set out to decorate a room, I think about a few things first.

I think about how I want the room to feel...

I think about what I already have on hand that I can use...

And I think about the room as a whole, and come up with a vision first before I begin.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Early this Spring I stayed at a Bed and Breakfast with a girlfriend of mine. We were on an Antiquing weekend, and deepened our friendship through shopping, coffee, and laughter. I came home inspired by the place where we stayed. So when the opportunity arrived to decorate a guest bedroom in my home, I remembered how this B&B was decorated, and more importantly, how it felt.

I had my vision.

My goal was to create a bedroom that feels homey, comfortable, and down to earth. A room that upon entering, a guest could potentially think, "Ah... This is nice... A home away from home."

This is what I came up with:

And today's post is about the details.

Every so often someone will ask me for decorating advice. When I respond with questions like, Well, how do you want the room to feel?... What's your vision?... Nine times out of ten I'm met with tilted heads and confused expressions. So I'm wondering if there's a need for this sort of thing?

Please know that I'm not a designer or decorator by trade, so take everything that I say with a grain of salt. Also, I've never had Cable in my life, so when people try to talk to me about decorating shows, I never know what they're talking about. And finally,  I don't decorate according to trends. My whole life I've loved the simple, the pretty, and the timeless. I decorate according to what feels like home to me.

That's the best decorating advice I have to offer. What feels like home to you? Decorate according to that!

So, I began the process by moving the bed in-between the windows, and figuring out where I wanted the furniture to go:

You'll notice that it's nighttime in this photo. That's another question I get a lot. "When do you find time to work on your house?" After the kids go to bed, of course! 

I didn't want to buy anything new until I edited what I had. I moved things around... thought about it... moved things again... dropped off a few donation loads at Goodwill... thought some more... Until I came to a point where I had a couple of "needs" for the room. 

(Tip: Don't try to figure out what you need while you still have excess staring you in the face. Get rid of what you don't want, and what doesn't inspire you first.)

In the photo above I was trying out a red quilt on the bed, but realized quickly that I really didn't want red. I also didn't have an appropriate rug. So, I made a shopping list and loaded up the kids.

I found a white quilt with shams...

And a rug that I liked:

Here's a close-up of the quilt. I think it's really beautiful:

It was at this point that I realized my colors for this room were going to be blue, white, and chocolate brown. (I've learned not to force a color choice onto a room. The colors choose you.)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Earlier this summer, I found myself in an adorable Swedish gift shop while traveling with Micah. The shop owner had decorated one wall with what looked to me like miniature woven tapestries. When I asked her about them, she told me they were hand-made Swedish dishcloths! 

What a wonderful idea! I thought to myself. Dishcloths so beautiful that they can be hung up as art! I fell in love with the idea (and with the dishcloths!) and couldn't leave without purchasing a few. They sat in storage for a few months, since I didn't have a place for them right away. So, I was excited to get them out and see if they wanted to "play" in the guest room.

I spread them out along the floor first to see if I could come up with a vision as to where they would look best hung:

(Another tip: If you happen upon something that speaks to you and that you really love... but you don't have a place for it... If you can afford it, snatch it up! I have found that if it's something that I am really in love with, I am always happy that I made the purchase once I get home. Sometimes I can even use the purchase as an upgrade by switching it out with a mediocre item that I only feel so-so about.)

I decided to hang three of them together on one wall:

(This one is my favorite:)

And the other two flanking the dresser on the opposite wall:

Speaking of this dresser!!!...

It was given to us by a family member several months ago and sat in our work room:

Sad and lonely, she wondered if she'd ever have meaning to her life again. I did feel sorry for her, but like the dishcloths, didn't have a place for her right away. 

Realizing that this dresser would be perfect for the guest room, Micah and I moved her out of the work room one night. (Again, working late at night... and in my pajamas... Ahem.) 

I cleaned her up, restoring to her her dignity once more:

Giving her this noble purpose:

(Isn't she lovely?)

I chose to keep the vignette's for this room simple. (These are fresh cranberry sprigs from a bush in our backyard:)

(Another tip: Remember to do your vignette's in odd numbers and in various heights. It's more visually pleasing that way. I like to do mine in three's because that way I can have a large, a medium, and a small.)

Here's another example of a simple vignette of three:

This little bedside table has been floating around the house for the past several years. The kids would use it as a place to color or play with legos. But I needed a small nightstand for this spot and didn't want to purchase anything new. This is what it looked like when I first rescued it from the kids' abuse:

The top was a scratched up mess, and not in a trendy, chippy-paint kind of way:

I decided to give it a quick coat of paint to liven it back up. I had some Pewter Vase on hand from a past project. I love this color because it's white with a hint of bluish-grey. I just plunked down some work cloths and did it on-site. You can see Roman's books on the rug... That's because he was practicing his cursive writing and keeping me company while I painted. Life goes on even with decorating projects...

I'm glad I took the time to paint it. I think it looks much better!

The window above this little table has a great view of our backyard. Can you see our big, red barn?

This is the view at dusk:

(We lost our silo top in a tornado several years ago. Blew it right off and into a nearby cornfield!!! If anyone knows where we can buy a silo top, and how in the world to replace it, haha, please leave me a comment!)

Here are a few more shots of the room...

The kids were excited about our new guest room and had asked to have a sleepover in there. (Anything that is new or different is exciting for kids, haha...) So, a couple of weeks ago I told them they could sleep in the guest bed to "try it out":

They slept all night and in the morning told me it was comfortable. So, there you have it! It's been officially tested and approved! So, if you are ever in our area and need a place to sleep, the Downs' Bed and Breakfast is open for business! 

;) ;) ;)

This whole process took about two weeks. I worked on it for a little bit each day. My goal was to have the room done by September 1st, since that was the day I had planned for us to start school. The room is now done, and school has begun, and I'm looking forward to sharing more about that with you in the coming weeks. 

Thank you for stopping by my blog today! I sure do appreciate all of you who read what I write! I always hope and pray that you feel that your time here is worthwhile. 

Love to you all!

Until next time...

~ Courtney ~

The Evolution of the Guest Room

Hello again!

Can you believe summer is over? School starts for us in just a few days, and I've been a busy bee flying around, trying to finish up my projects. The main one that I was determined to have completed by September 1st, is our new Guest bedroom. I ended my last post with a picture to whet your appetite:

Our home has four bedrooms upstairs. As it currently stands, we have a Master bedroom, a Girls' bedroom, a Boys' bedroom, and now this Guest bedroom. 

In my ten years of being a homeowner and homemaker, I've never had a Guest room in my home to offer to friends and family... until now. I am very excited to have this room! 

This room has changed quite a bit in the years we've lived here... and that's the theme of today's post! 

Come with me...

I'd like to take you on a walk down memory lane...

This is the same room:

Can you believe it?! 

When we bought our home, every room was either wallpapered or painted in very dark colors. This room was both! Lucky us! Haha... 

We didn't use this room for the first couple of years that we lived here, so it became sort of a storage room:

But when my Nola was a baby, I became inspired to create for her a beautiful, feminine bedroom. It was going to take time... and hard work... because I had no choice but to start here:

I had to start with the removal of the wallpaper.

It was painfully tedious!

If you look close you can see that a baby chair is in here:

That's because Nola would sit in here while Roman and I peeled wallpaper during the day...

And Micah took the night shifts:

Renovating this house has caused me to become an Accidental Wallpaper Removal Expert. (What do you mean that's not a thing?! That's one of my many official titles!!! Sheesh!)

Yes indeed, I know just what to do... The right products to buy, and the right technique. I'm not good at many things, but of all of the worthless things to be good at in life, mine is wallpaper removal... ***eye roll***

I have girlfriends who tend large and beautiful gardens... Sew homemade dresses for their daughters... And I'm over here like... I see your gardens and homemade dresses, and I raise you...

Wallpaper Removal!

Try not to be jealous ;)

But, after about a week or two, things start looking up:

You'll notice Micah's floor sander. As I've mentioned on this blog before, he refinishes every floor in the rooms we re-do. One room at a time has been our mode of operation. See the difference it makes:

Whenever we reach this point in a room re-do, I always get antsy to start decorating and moving the room forward. But there's still a few more things to do. For example, Micah has put up crown moulding in each room we've re-done. Here's a "during" shot:

Since this was going to be Nola's bedroom, we got the idea to build a daybed for her out of old pallet boards and an antique door that we found in our basement. Micah built it...

And I decorated it. This was her room "after":

We hung a chandelier... I made a ruffled lampshade... A birch branch from our yard hung above her bed with dangling paper birds...

I poured my heart into this room. 

Vintage vignettes...

And my childhood dollhouse, are only just a few of the details that I madly loved about this room:

But when our second daughter was born, we decided to move our rooms around. We gave the girls' one of the bigger bedrooms to share, and this room became Caleb's. 

I would love to show you the girls' room right here, but I must stay on task! (That'll be for a future post:)

For the last several years, this room was Caleb's. I snapped this picture of it after he moved out:

SO... All of this has led to the opportunity to create a Guest room! And since this post is titled, The Evolution of the Guest room, it may be fun to see these photos altogether...

Ready?...

The Evolution of the Guest Room:

And Finally...

Ta-to-the-Da!

Whew! This room has been through a lot! 

I'm going to end it here for today, but check back with me soon. I'd like to write about more of the details next time.

Take care my sweet friends...

xo,

~ Courtney ~

New-Again Curtains

Oh, my dear readers! 

You will never know the turmoil I went through you bring you this post! 

If you follow me on Facebook you'll know that my iPad kicked the bucket and I didn't know if I'd ever blog again!

Sounds dramatic, I know, haha... But I had wondered if the Lord was telling me that my blogging days were over.

:(  :(  :(

Blood and countless tears were shed...

(Well, not literally of course, but that's how I felt!!!)

Then I saw a break in the clouds, and my guardian angel (aka Micah!) descended with a MacBook for me!

A MacBook!!!

(He's always been very supportive of my blogging efforts!)

I thought surely, all is saved in the blogging world! All will be well in my soul once more! All is fair in love and war!!!

Only there was one teeny tiny problem....

..............

I didn't know how to use it!!!

I had taught myself how to blog on my iPad, and this computer was completely different! I wanted to chuck it out the window give up many times, but I just kept thinking about you, my readers! I thought,  How will they ever get along in life if I retire my blog?! How will they sleep at night? I can't do this wicked thing to them!!!

(I'M KIDDING! Calm down...)

Frustrated, I went to Micah and said, "I can't figure this stupid thing out. I need you to help me! I have a whopping 12 followers, and they're probably missing me right now!" So, he sat down with me and helped me work through the roadblocks I kept bumping into. He has always been very supportive of my blogging efforts. (Have I said that already?)

And all of this has led me to today. The day I put my big-girl pants on. The day I finally thought, I will persevere... I will overcome... There are millions of bloggers out there, they can't possibly all be smarter than me!

(Ok, so, the fact that they probably all are is beside the point. My sheer stubbornness has been enough to compensate for my lack of smarts all my life! Thumbs up!)

So... What do I choose to write about on my first day back in the blogging groove...? It's gotta be something compelling! Something Riveting! 

Hmmm.....

I KNOW!

I'll write about...

Curtains!

Aren't you so glad you've stuck around? {wink}

Well, in between the stressful and panicky moments of wondering how I will ever blog again, I've been keeping busy with a decorating project!

Micah's son, Caleb, has moved out of state to begin his college adventures, so we decided to turn his old room into a guest bedroom. I can't include everything I want to show you about this room in just one post, so today I will just be writing about the curtains I made for the room. 

Here's a peek:

Just to give you a little vantage point as to the work Micah and I have done in here, this was the room only a couple of weeks ago:

I could have closed the door and left well-enough alone. This room wasn't hurting anybody. But I have a disease. It's a serious condition called Decorating Compulsive Disorder. Experts agree that the only cure is for loved ones to back off and let the individual take out their decorating frustrations on the room they have targeted. 

For example, when I franticly approach Micah with pleas to help me move a heavy dresser, or hang some curtain rods, he just quietly shows up with tools.

See?

So, a little background on these curtains. I guess I should have said I semi-made them. They were originally made by my mother-in-law when Micah and I were first married. A brief photo-walk down memory lane shows the curtains in my very first little kitchen as a new wife:

My Roman, who will be eight this fall, was just a baby then...

When we moved into the house we're in now, I didn't have a good place for them, so I tucked them into storage where they've lived this whole time.

For this guest room project, I really tried to make use of items I already had. So, I decided to get these old curtains out and give them a try. I realized that they were going to be perfect for the look I was after. I wanted the guest room to feel warm and inviting, like a quaint Bed and Breakfast. But I only had two panels. This was going to require a little sewing project...

The morning I got to work on them was gloomy and rainy. The best conditions for a sewing project:

Roman offered to make breakfast for everyone so that I could get to work on it right away:

Thanks, buddy!

I got set up with everything I needed... My sewing machine and coffee...

Matching thread and my adorable thread carrier...

The "Hymns" station on my Pandora, and cute company:

What a wonderful way to spend a dreary morning!

The first thing that I did was lay one panel out to determine the center:

I cut it in half lengthwise, to make two panels for each window. I hung them before I did any sewing,  trying them out first to make sure it would be what I wanted:

I really liked it!!!

Yes! This was the direction I wanted to take this room.

So, my next step was to iron in my seam:

After sewing up the edge I repeated the process with the other window panel, and hung them excitedly!

Do you want to see the end result?

Of course you do!!!

Well, if you've stuck around for this entire post and have made it to here and now, I think you deserve it!

But don't let it spoil your appetite for my next few posts about this guest room!

Here she is:

~~~ I'm in Love! ~~~

Being creative with what I already had is how I accomplished my "Bed and Breakfast" inspired guest room. I've spent very little money on this room. But more about that in posts to come!

So... Are you glad I'm back, girlfriends? I am So happy to be blogging again! I have missed you!

I'd love to hear from you in the comments below! Feel free to say hi! (But please don't tell me that Decorating Compulsive Disorder is not a thing! Just ask Micah!)

;)

I'll be back here soon...

xo,

~ Courtney