Not Lovin' the Layout of the Living Room...

Our living room is a skinny, small space. The shape of the room created the biggest problem when we moved in because we didn't know what to do with the furniture right away.

I'm a fan of HGTV.com and "Rate My Space". I've posted pictures of the living room on HGTV and have gotten some feedback. Many people said that the chairs were blocking the fireplace and should be moved. My instinct has always been that the couch should be in front of the windows. But then we get this awkward space by the door that's not big enough for furniture, but looks odd without anything filling it. Sigh.

So, I've tried the furniture both ways. What do you think? I'm in favor of layout number 1.

Current Layout:


Possible Layout Number 2:


I think this looks super crowded. Not a fan.

What do you think?

This Makes Me Laugh Everytime I See It!

A Fun Day in July

I was just looking through our wedding photo album to pick some shots to order from Snapfish to put in the master bedroom. Our wedding day was awesome not only because it was our wedding day, but it was such a fun day/night!! Here are some funny pics from the wedding day that will not be making a debut in the house:

Getting my hair did, ordering Jimmy John's.


Don't worry, she didn't go to the wedding like this.

There was a lot of hairspray involved that day.

The boys decorating.

We don't have an affinity for rats. It really said "Congrats", I promise.

This is funny simply because by the time we left our reception in Downtown GR, the cans had been taken by someone. They probably needed them more than us!

Gil sat around and contemplated the meaning of his vows all morning.
The girls stayed busy putting on makeup, sweating in the church basement while the boys enjoyed their air conditioning.

This look made it into more than one picture that day. Either I just look like this or someone was really making me mad. The wrath of a bride...

The boys giving Gil and I a "private" moment to see each other for the first time that day. :)


We got married on THE brightest, hottest day in July. Taking pictures outside went like this, "1, 2, 3 open your eyes!!" We were still squinting in a lot of them.

Not too hot for this, of course.

Definitely hot enough for this though.

I was simply a flawless bride.


See?

I don't have a caption for this.

Here's a good one.

While the boys were doing this

and this, the girls were inside tending to my dress. The red flowers stained a tiny bit of my dress. NBD, although it didn't seem like that at the time!
Made it to the reception. We look exhausted already. We probably were.

Hahaha.

On top of the baby grand.


Let the dancing begin...

...

...

Don't you love weddings?

Buying Locally

I've always been a bit picky about what I eat, not necessarily for any good reason, just because I didn't care for certain foods. Now I'm becoming more aware (or realizing how unaware I am) about where my food is coming from. Gil & I watched Food Inc. yesterday and it reminded me to be much more mindful about how I'm selecting the foods I eat. Maybe a good resolution for the New Year?

Here's the movie trailer:


For 2010, I am going to make it a goal to buy more local produce from the Farmer's Market. This will take a bit of better planning on my part, as I'll have to do that on Saturday mornings. I also came across the website Local Harvest that helps connect people with local farms. Many of the farms offer a subscription program and you can pay to receive boxes of fresh produce each week during the growing seasons. I'm going to start smaller by trying to go to the Farmer's Market, but that's a really cool option that I want to find out more about.

It seems quaint to have a farm where all your food comes from and where you know your farmer personally, but isn't that really the way it should be?