All done!

Whew! That was a lot of work! There are so many options available when it comes to choosing a different blog template and all the possibilities, it is truly overwhelming! The girls were helping me decide and if they had it their way, let's just say it would be a whole lot pinker with way more details! But for now I like it and will keep it this way for a while. I really just want to write!

I went to www.simplyfabulousbloggertemplates.com and

www.thecutestblogontheblock.com to find ideas.

Well 2010 so far has been well. Along with starting my blog project I also decided to re-arrange my entire basement! Nothing like a few projects to get you going in the new year! I'm not one to make new year resolutions but I do like to consider what we'd been doing and how we can improve.

I was having tea with a dear friend who happens to have an eye for home decor, organizing and using what you've got. She asked how I was enjoying my new(new since this past June)home. How I feel about this home and our new town would make a great post...But for now I'll stay on topic. I shared how I really liked my home didn't love my basement - it was simply to busy and cluttered and I found it overwhelming to be down there. Plus I didn't think I was using my space to the fullest. Coming downstairs to your left is a great big rec room and to your right 3 bed rooms and a bathroom. Two rooms on one side of the hall and on the other side a bathroom and the third room, which happens to be very big with a walk in closet. When we first moved in the older two girls really wanted their own rooms so we gave them the 2 smaller ones thinking we'd eventually send the younger 2 girls down. In the meantime it was used as a playroom which ended up with a queen bed in it; taking up all the play space so really it wasn't a very practical room. The rec room had our TV, computer, toys, four shelves with school books, 2 tables and chairs, 2 armoires, a coat rack, storage drawers , cupboards, an over sized coach and a very big bookcase! It was wall to wall furniture (mis-matched) and stuff everywhere!

After showing my friend my dilemma and all my mis-matched furniture room she offered a few suggestions which got me going and one idea led to another which led to my re-arranging the whole basement! Sometimes two heads are better then one!

Now when you come down, to your left it's a very simplified rec room with more then half of the furniture taken out. There's room to play and breath! On the right is a school room, a guest bedroom and the girls decided they liked sharing a room after all and moved into the big room. My basement feels like a whole new house! I love it. And the best part - Dear Husband loves it too!

Since moving here I've moved many things around, a shelf here or there, a bed, decor, toys...It's nice to change things up a bit and get the most out of your space. My Dear Husband doesn't like it too much though. It's not that he doesn't like the end result - he usually always likes it - it's the thought of change that he doesn't like. If I share my plans with him he always says " just leave it, it's fine!" Even when it's clearly not working! So I've become creative in how I re-arrange and we have peace.

Another bonus we gained from re-arranging was being able to teach the kids the importance of using what you've got and making the most of it. A lot of what we do and what we have and how we feel about it boils down to attitude. I remember really wanting new shelves, matching shelves. I was so unsettled as I searched for just the right ones. After not finding anything suitable and Dear Husband saying "just leave them, they're fine" I stopped looking and decided to go ahead with what I had. And you know what? The shelved I had before worked great! I simply needed to be content with what I had. Lesson learned! As Madame Blueberry said "a thankful heart, is a happy heart".