Week in Review

Busy week around the Steilen household...

• This blog kicked me into gear.  When I saw the photos of the dining room, I was bothered.  I turned my attention here which led me into the living room too.  I got rid of a few pieces of furniture and moved things around.  I can't tell you how much better I feel about it!  Amazing what a little rearranging can do!  I think I was "stuck" with a few pieces of furniture thinking I had to keep them and they have to "go there".  Purging felt great!!

• I also decided that I can't afford my dream dining room table... right now.  So, I made one.  Inspired by the table from yellowbrickhome.com, I made a modern farmhouse table and I'm loving it.  I just need to stain it and it will be complete.  Then, I need to open a craigslist account and start selling a few pieces - dining room table and chairs, entry table and chandelier to start.

Table saw help from Dad and Drew

Assembly and a LOT of sanding (sorry neighbors!)

• My health goals are going well so far.  It will most likely take the entire summer to get to where I want to be, but it will be well worth it.  I already feel so much better.  There is no lack of inspiration around here - Libby in track and a basketball camp at DeLaSalle, Charlie playing baseball and going to a tennis camp.

• There has been a TON of rain in the Twin Cities - record breaking!  

• And last, but certainly not least, Happy Father's Day to Mike!

Home Tour: Charlie's Room

Moving upstairs on our home tour... Charlie's Room!  This is the most recently updated room of the house.  We recently repainted (it used to be adorable blue & white stripes!!), but gave it a couple coats of Revere Pewter, updated the lighting, bedding, pillows, artwork and accessories.

Come on in and Charlie himself is here to show you around...

The light fixture is from West Elm and is my favorite part of his room.

Charlie's favorite is the desk area where he likes to "work".

Traveling the world, playing minecraft and the guitar are some of Charlie's favorite things to do.

Mr. Moose watches over Charlie as he sleeps.

I hope you enjoyed the tour, thanks for stopping by!

Home Tour: Dining Room

Finishing off the main floor of our home is the Dining Room.  This is the room I'm least in love with.  It's a hot mess.  It needs help.  There are a couple of views that aren't too bad and some things to work with, but there is a part of me that wants to take everything out of there and start over.  

Here is the view from the kitchen:

Not bad, besides the chandelier bulb out.

Eww, this is the area I struggle with.  Nothing is working here.  Function, aesthetics, flow, you name it.  Moving on.

Here are a few things I love about the room...

I love the corner built in and the photo collage, I plan to work around those for sure.  My favorite photo on the wall is of Libby and Mike at the Eiffel Tower in Paris!  Makes me happy.

The plans... I want to get started right now!

• new light fixture - bulb cluster from West Elm (I actually have it already, just need to install it).
• new dining room table and chairs - I would LOVE a rustic table with modern white chairs.  When this will happen... not sure.
• also thinking new window treatments with some pattern and/or color
• paint the room - something light and neutral.  Possibly bright white or pale gray. Not sure about this.
• get rid of side table.  I might see how it looks without it.  If we need something for storage purposes thinking of buying an old dresser or table and painting it a bright color - teal green or navy blue.
• I would also like to add shelves above the table on the blank wall and store some serving pieces, glasses, artwork, etc.
• depending on how the above goes, I will re-paper or paint the built in cabinet background.

Here is a collage that shows the direction I would like to take this room.

Healthy Living: Goals & Plans

One of the reasons I started this blog is to document our family life, it will be fun to look back on.  Another reason is to keep myself accountable for areas of my life.  One of these areas is living a healthier life.  I have always been pretty decent at this... until recently.  I slipped.  Like, majorly.  But, no excuses or sob stories, this is all about what I'm going to do about it and moving forward.  I will update weekly how this area is going.

It all begins June 12th.  TODAY!  Here is the plan:

• Whole20 (June12th-July 1st) - 20 days of paleo eating in order to re-set my eating and cravings.  No sugar, dairy, gluten or grains.  Sticking to eggs, fruits, vegetables, meat, nuts.  Only a few exceptions - a splash of half & half is allowed in my coffee & various salad dressings make the cut.

• Workouts - this involves doing something active every day.  Includes a running schedule, starting with 3 runs per week and 2 crossfit classes per week.  The other 2 days something low-key, like a walk or bike ride or playing baseball/frisbee/catch etc.

• Sleep - in bed by 11:00pm every night and up by 7:30am.  1 day per week sleeping in until 8:30.

• Vitamins - fish oil & multi-vitamin daily

• Water - 3 servings of my water glass daily

I will report how everything is going at least weekly, but for the first 20 days more often.  My goals mostly involve feeling better in general and getting back into running shape, but along the way I hope to shed a few pounds so my clothes fit better.  And, here goes nothing... the "before" photos.  Hopefully we'll notice a difference by the end of the summer.  I'm excited to post results!!

(Photo creds to Charlie Steilen)

Home Tour: Kitchen

Continuing our home tour... and moving into the kitchen and eating area.  The layout of our square colonial is pretty simple as you can see, which means our kitchen is small.  After we moved in (10 years ago!!) we updated a few things-- painted the cabinets, new sink, appliances, faucet, backsplash, light fixture, etc.  We have made it work for us.

Updating plans:

• I would like to paint all the cabinets and trim a bright white.  Hard to tell in the photos, but right now it is all linen white.
• Change out the farm pulls for something more modern.
• Re-tile the backsplash with white subway tile.  Can I keep it clean?
• I would love granite countertops, but not sure this is in the near-future.  Especially considering we are thinking of a renovation down the road.
• I would like to fix the stove/fridge area - add a hood and downsize the fridge so the stove doesn't stick out!

What is working for me now... to be honest, I like our kitchen and any changes besides easy painting and quick updates is not going to rise to the top of our to-do list.  It is all really working for me right now.  It's small but I like how everything has a place and we only have what we need - we make it work.  I recently painted the eat-in kitchen area charcoal and took out the cabinet doors to create open shelving, which I LOVE.  I also like the sunlight that comes through here and my favorite view is looking into the living room at the desk area, makes me happy.

Home Tour: Living Room

In an effort to keep the home decor ball rolling, I am photographing each room in our house and sharing what I would like to do in the near (or far) future to update.  If anything, it will force me to clean each room!  First up is the Living Room.  The room we use the most - by far.  We hang out in here, work on our laptops, read, listen to music, chat and lounge.  There is also an "office area" in here.

Here are a few things I would like to change:

• I would like to paint it a soft gray - I have alaskan husky picked out (benjamin moore) that I am currently pondering.
• I think the fireplace needs a change.  I am considering getting rid of the big mirror.
• Some day I would like to get a new couch, not so gold/mustard colored.
• I would also like to replace the big leather chair for possibly 2 smaller chairs.
• The layout feels a little off balance to me with all of the furniture on one side of the room.

Here is what is working for me, right now: I like the desk area and photo collage on the wall, I also really like the bar area - the cabinet used to be my Grandma's which I painted.  I am also loving the fig tree I added - I have never been able to keep a plant this long so I (knock-on-wood) am so excited it seems to be happy in here!  I like the happy relaxed vibe and colors of the room.

First Day of Summer

The first day of summer is here.  It's raining.  Everyone slept in.  We are all relaxing and doing whatever we feel like doing.  I like this.  Charlie is playing a video game, Mike just went running and is now drinking coffee, Libby is lounging in the basement watching some TV and I am looking at home blogs and drinking coffee as well.  Life is good.