around the house

Here's a little glimpse around our Home right now:

1. The bulletin board in our kitchen is about to get a major overhaul, so I thought I would snap a few pics of it in its "Summer" glory. School starts next week for us, so between now and then, I plan on taking everything off and starting with a clean slate for the new school year. I go back and forth about whether to keep this bulletin board front and center in our kitchen.....it isn't particularly decorative and it doesn't exactly "fit" with the rest of our decor, but I have decided that the joy that my children get out of it far outweighs my need for a certain decorating theme. Not a day goes by that I don't catch one of my kids staring at our memory board or pointing out someone they see. I believe it gives them a sense of pride and belonging to see their artwork displayed (on the wall, in scrapbooks, on their bedroom doors) and to have their photos displayed all over their home.

2. Here's a shot of how our mantel looked last night. I went with a very simple theme for Summer this year.....just a few candles, a lantern, blue Mason jars filled with shells and a few of my favorite books in shades of blue. It actually rained last night (for a total of about 10 minutes), and it was a nice break from the 100+ temps we've been having.....so I decided to dim the lights in the living room and light the candles.

3. This is our new Home Management station. I've had this crate forever, and decided recently that it needed to be put to good use. Now it sits by the phone in the kitchen and is filled with (1) our new Home Management Notebook, (2) a file folder for each of the kids which holds papers that need to be dealt with in the very near future (permission slips, notices of upcoming events, etc...), (3) inspiration pages torn from magazines that need to be filed in my Inspiration Notebook, (4) a blue business card holder, (5) a purple coupon organizer, and (6) a compositions notebook for messages, notes, ideas, etc....

4. A peak inside our pantry

5. And here is a little something that makes me happy = the "J & K" (for Johnny and Kristy) that leans up against the mirror in our bedroom. I see it every single day, and it reminds me that we are in this together!!