Def: home staging

If you or anyone you know might be interested in getting their homes ready for the market, I would be more than happy to give them a free consultation and advice for preparing their home for today's market.

It's about making the homes appearance to it's absolute best resulting in getting the home you have for sale sold faster.

http://www.qcdesignschool.com/qcdesign/websites/profile.asp?q=20463

http://realestate.about.com/od/sv/g/defstaging.htm

http://realestate.about.com/od/servingsellers/a/01_home_staging.htm

I not only stage homes for sale, I stage homes you currently reside in and get them prepped for holidays, guests coming to town, a party, or even a home you recently moved into and just aren't sure how to go about unpacking and organizing everything. We'll work together to "set the stage" for any milestone or event you have. I want to make it simple on you, take the addition stress out of it, and leave you feeling positive about your property, in whichever way possible.

It'll be "perfectly prepped" for any occasion.

Please don't hesitate to inquire about any assistance I may provide.

Ashleydawn14@hotmail.com
402 five nine five ... zero zero five two

••• ZzZzZz •••

As I lay here in bed, staring up at the ceiling, wondering why in the hell I am unable to sleep when frankly I can't think straight all day today (let alone stand up properly) filled from head to toe with complete exhaustion, I am hearing snores and sounds of sleeping bodies surrounding me. It brings a smile to my face and perhaps I answer my own question. ...sleep can wait tonight...

I have Jaxon in bed next to me, which isn't a habit in our home. We all have our own beds and our own "space" for good reason (sanity) so him being snuggled in the queen's bed tonight is a treat for him (and this queen-although I won't admit that to him).

He is completely comfortable, completely vulnerable. I wonder what he dreams of. I hope something entirely juvenile and he enjoys these moments. Kids grow too fast and I often find worry pressing down on him at too early of a stage in his growing cycle. He gets that from me I am certain. I never was so tightly wound, until I gave birth to him. I think striving to be a perfect mother took it's toll on me and rubbed off on him in the process of my wanting perfection in his life. We now make each other nervous, when we're not too busy just being "us" and having fun. Frequently reminding myself to meditate and breathe brings peace and comfort to my mommy soul.

And then...

I have Viand squeaking on my opposite side. Laying peacefully in the bassinet placed by my bedside. Someone once told me that babies dream about boobies and bubbles, which made me laugh hysterically. Part of me thinks thats absolutely true. Whatever she is dreaming about often makes her smile, eyes closed but not tight.

Both of my children sleep like me...excessively and with eyes half open. It's not a joke. It's established and made habit in infancy and it's something we don't even realize we do until the embarrassing moment when it's brought to our attention.

I have a polaroid picture of myself, shot by my father approximately 22 years ago or so. I'm face down, on the carpeted floor in our living room, dressed from head to toe in New Kids on the Block pajamas, head to the right, mouth ajar producing oodles of slobber, and eyes almost completely open. Had they not have been rolled into the back of my cranium, you'd swear I was either in a coma or dead.

Luckily we have long eye lashes which produce a shutter-like effect. Louvered shutters at that, which funny enough is an item I'm currently bidding for on eBay. These "shutter eye lashes" act as a shade from any light trying to keep us awake. I'm telling you...we are a family of sleep lovers! Not much keeps us awake.

Which is why I find it so extremely odd that as of late I seem to have nights of insomnia. It's unlike me and completely out of character. I think about all the other things I could be doing ie: laundry, studying for a test I have yet to pass, reading, perfecting my extremely horrendous knitting skills.

Although, I do highly recommend taking a night off from snoozing, even if only for an hour, to listen to the beautiful production sleeping children put on while the rest of the world falls into the suspension of consciousness. Leopold Strokowski himself could not masterfully conduct such an orchestra.

Let's not forget Moni, the sweetest and smallest of all Shih Tzu's, at the foot of the bed, sawing logs. She is the master of snoring and also sleeps with eyes open. She is certainly one of us :)

So there you have it...a family snuggled into one bedroom, all within feet of each other, somberly snoring, sleeping with eyes slivered open, dreaming and smiling. My entire world is at peace.

Life is good :)

...onward n upward...

My computer has crashed :( making blogging of any sort nearly impossible. Smartphones are great though :)

In the weeks that have passed since my last confession...errr blog ;) we've managed to bring baby Viand home. Blogging about such a deep and heart felt feeling will take careful consideration and a peaceful zen moment for me to be able to get clearly communicated. When it comes to this being, I'm absolute mush from the inside out. Stating she is a blessing is...well...an understatement. She has managed to fill my heart and soul to the brim and I overflow with such happiness and love and delight, I feel awakened and alive. She is perfect...like God himself went through my checklist, item by line item and wrapped her up in a pink bow. Specially ordered :)

We have also moved, a temp situation that was also a blessing in disguise. It's worked out well and we've managed to make it a "home" although we know it's only a stepping stone. It's comfortable and cozy and clean, making it an easy adjustment for the kids, which is most important.

At the end of the month (or beginning of November) we will be back in the house. The "home" we have drifted away from in the past yet we manage to get washed upon shore again bringing us to the footstep. We'll stay there indefinitely (fingers crossed) So... You can imagine by excitement of being able to start (yet again) with a blank canvas of square footage to tweak and design and wave my magical wand of talent turning this house back into a home.

Not as though I get much sleep now (with a new bebe at home) but I'm finding myself daydreaming and drafting options and collecting my data (pictures) on the overall scheme of things. However, all that reno work would require the appropriate funds and we'll just plan to take things one at a time.

I'll most definitely blog the before and afters and keep everyone posted on the events of this progress.

In the meantime, it's fall! My absolute favorite time of the year. Makes me think of when I first met my husband. We courted during this time of year and madly fell in love, with leaves falling around us, drinking the richest of red wines, wrapping ourselves in knitted scarves (sometimes only that) to keep warm from the brisk air floating through the opened windows, candles lit. Mmmmm... One day I'll have to write a book about it. Amazing to look back and reminisce about where we started and how far we've come.

I finally feel at peace with myself, with my love, with my life. I enjoy very much this chapter of the Dimandashi novel and continually count my blessings :)

:: in the nest ::

n. nest
v. nest·ed, nest·ing, nests
1) To create and settle into a warm and secure refuge.

2) A place in which young are reared; a lair
3) A place affording snug refuge or lodging; a home.

4) A place or environment that fosters rapid growth or development
5) A cluster of similar things

...all of the above seems quite like the explanation of the diagnosis I have been blessed with...
No medication could be prescribed for such an ailment. Doctor says all is well and keep up the good work :)



It's as though we are programmed to prepare everything around us so our newest addition is comfortable to the "nest"; able to "fit" in neatly with the rest of the "V" formation this family flies in. It soothes us to know everything is neatly in order and it's surprising to witness all the wonderful things around us that have been designed with this exact idea in mind. Whetherbeit design for furniture

(which strangely enough looks like a family portrait I've been trying to achieve for years)

...or knick-knacks placed on a wooden shelf and forgotten about until the dust is thick enough to make anyone embarassed...
(Now: prepare yourself. This looks like an exact replica of my family)

Crazy huh? Although I am certain we'd argue about who is whom. I am positive that I am biggest (currently that is not far fetched) because I carry the whole clan inside of me at all times. That's what a mother is and what a mother does. It's another subconscious ailment that is just as normal as the blood flowing through us. We want only the best for our entire family and we bend over backwards to accomodate them all so they are all happy and healthy.

It's funny to know all the exact things that your children want/need/prefer. Even grocery shopping with my husband is a hurdle we have to jump over weekly. I KNOW what the kids will and will not eat. I KNOW what they prefer to be packed in their lunches or what I can try to "sneak" into the bags and KNOW it will get tossed away without being touched. I KNOW what will bring smiles to their faces. My husband (although his intentions are always in the right place) hasn't a clue frankly. Bless his heart :) xoxo



It's the last trimester of this pregnancy. Not only the last trimester but we are dwindling down and have exactly 2 weeks until the scheduled appointment. If the little girl decides to grace us with her presence in the meantime; we are ready, willing, and able; however, it's a piece of mind knowing that we are placed into the hospital database to show up at 11am on a Friday morning and getting all prepared for the procedure at 1pm.
What technology?! What a fabulous country to live in...

Approximately 6 years at the end of December, I went into labor with my son. It was nothing like they portray on the big silver screen. There was no rushing around frantically, not knowing what to grab, screaming and folding in half from the pain that was taking place due to contractions. It was calm, relaxed, I took a nice shower and prepared the car to head to the hospital.

After pushing for 2 hours, my body was completely drained. No food or drink with the epidural and the medication made me so very sick I couldn't have kept anything down had I wanted to. I could feel that Jaxon wasn't capable of being brought into this world by guiding himself down the tunnel, following the "light". ((lol)) I was NOT in good shape and my closest family witnessed this firsthand and knew it was only a matter of time before I would fade and my infant would give up the struggle. My body was just not prepared for what I had in "store".

After requesting a spot in the OR immediately, I delivered a very healthy and hefty 10lb 15oz baby boy approximately 20 minutes later that was anything but ready to come into this world. He was quite content where he was, I am certain of that.

I'll make this next point short, simple, to the point: had I not been blessed to live in this country, in this era, I wouldn't have made it. It's not so uncommon for a woman to struggle during childbirth and not make it through. I am very blessed to have made it through because it was not a pleasant experience with little complications. But it turned out fine in the end and I love my son more than I thought imaginable.

This pregnancy has been absolutely sensational compared to the first. They aren't kidding when you they tell you that every pregnancy is different, just as though every child is. It's been such an improvement and overall a joyous experience.

Moving from one apartment---to the next (Don't ask please...it's a long drawn out story that would be blog worthy when I have enough time, patience, and emotional stability to explain it all) in god awful heat during these summer months, during the last months of my pregnancy was NOT my first choice on how to go about doing this. However, it all worked out absolutely perfectly and again, we transitioned just fine and feel completely blessed with the progress.

Now...it's days filled with cleaning, unpacking, setting up a home, and lots of lots of baking :)
I haven't completely tackled the task of unpacking all the clothes for the bedroom. It's an emotional thing. As I reach into these boxes to pull out clothes to place into the closet, they appear so small and petitie for a woman of my current size. It saddens me. Will I ever fit into these cute ensembles again or will it be a whole new endeavor to find a new wardrobe to fit over my post-baby body? I'm thinking with having a 10lb 15oz baby, and getting my body back in about a year, I have good genes to rely on. However, after the second child, it can't be that easy. This baby shall be much smaller and we must remember that it takes 9 whole months for our bodies to transform completely to be able to give birth, it will take that long (or a bit more) to get it back to where it started. I have faith.

Meanwhile, I am consuming all that I must bake. Yesterday was Snickerdoodle cookies


which were enjoyed thouroughly by all of us.

Tonight: Chocolate Crinkle cookies (which I remember fondly from my childhood)


Now: If I could invest time and concentration into the clothes closet as I do the baking...I'd really be on a roll.
In the meantime, I'll enjoy my cookies and THINK about attempting the closet feat.

/// ItS a ScOrChER ///

"What dreadful hot weather we have! It keeps me in a continual state of inelegance."

~Jane Austen

(Add 25+ lbs for being pregnant and it's a recipe for disaster)

My hair is something you'd see in a Jackson 5 music video from the 70's. My makeup hasn't even been thought of in days, knowing that the melted makeup look is not for summer and more for Halloween to scare small children. My deodorant is getting it's fair share of usage and applying and reapplying is not in my normal daily hygiene regime. My skin is tanned and "glowing" but in all actuality it's sweat. They say ladies don't sweat, we "glow". I assure you now...this is not entirely true. I can't help but sit and sweat and even small tasks that seemed not far out of reach are certainly using every bit of energy I have, and making me sweat in quanities I don't want to admit. Ask my husband, I'm not much of a "sweater". I work out fully at the gym and don't feel accomplished because I have't the ring around my neck like others do. I push myself further the next day and still nothing. NOW?!?! In this HEAT?!?!...ask me again! ask me again!

In the midst of the heat and humidity, I find myself in a constant daze; entangled in an ongoing day-dream of anything cold, frigid, arctic, chilling to it's core and wishing I could perhaps have a hint of the icy blessing to hold near and dear to my heart.

Being 8 months pregnant, caught in the middle of this heat wave, I find myself halfway alive; going through the daily motions and the other half of me is quickly on its way to having a stroke. So long as half of my body is still fully functioning in order to intake any icy cold beverage (even through a straw---beggers can't be choosers and this point). The need to ingest it, to assist in bringing my body temperature down to the normal 98.6 degrees would be gratefully appreciated. Anything in these digits is just ridiculous at this point and I've had enough.

I never was a Rocky Balboa fan. Never have I sat through a marathon on TBS or even sat through an entire movie and witnessed what all the fuss is about. However, I have seen tidbits of the many movies that have been made with Mr Sylvester Stalone and "Eye of the Tiger" and a meat locker come to mind. Never before I have actually thought much about it, maybe that it was disgusting and you couldn't pay me to enter into a place that slung their slabs of meat from hooks that suspend out of the ceiling. However, being suspended from the ceiling in an iced down meat locker doesn't sound half bad right about now. I can feel the cold cement on my feet as I approach the apparatus and the chill slowly tracing it's way down my spine as it leaves the vents and enters into the open space designed specifically for icing meat down. That's exactly what I am at this point. A pregnant slab of meat needing to be iced down to refrain from spoilage.

My favorite childhood beverage is the slushy cups that any local 7-Eleven had in an array of colors and flavors. The cups with the dome shaped lid so you could overflow and not have to worry about wasting any of the goodness. Blue Raspberry was always my ideal chose. Slurp and slurp until your tongue was numb and completely blue, making it impossible to convince dad that I did NOT spend my last dollar of allowance on a slushy from the gas station. In the movie Half-Baked gets stoned out of his gourd and images this cup large enough to swim in like a giant slushy pool, completely enveloped in the icy substance. Could you imagine this utopia? To dive into the blue liquid and then enjoy drinking your way out. Ahhhh...why not me?! Why haven't I been so lucky?

Omaha area pools are actually contacting ice companies and ordering blocks of ice to toss into the pool to cool down the water. When temps reach the triple digits and the heat index surpasses our wildest imagination, it makes sense that water temperatures were rise making it not so refreshing to enter into the water, thinking you are going to cool down, only to be swimming in your own sweat. Mmmmm...delightful thought huh?


I'd like to rent one of such said ice trucks, preferrably with windows. I never was much for small, dark, closed in spaces. I'd throw a party. Everyone can wear fur bikinis and boots, maybe even a hat. So long as the hat is cute and perhaps in a nice plaid that reminds me of something you'd bought out of a giftshop in Alaska while you were vacationing there last year with your deadbeat boyfriend that loved to hunt for wild moose. You didn't think it was such a good idea then but now?..You're wishing you wouldn't have been so rash and dumped him for taking you on a terrible vacation after all. Maybe he'll take you back and you can plan a trip to Northern Canada where the roads are iced over and you can only get to the fishing cabin by helicopter. Canadian Walleye being prepared over an open flamed fire in a cabin tucked back in the woods where the running water is pretty much non-existant due to the freezing of the pipes. Sticking my tongue on a frozen pipe (a scene straight out of a movie) isn't the smartest idea I have come up with, however, I'd do it! Don't tempt me.

(Doesn't that look lovely?)

While in Vegas this past February, my husband and I were approached by these lovely eskimo dressed bar wenches working at some new-age establishment that allowed you to rent winter gear and dress from head to toe in fur and Northface styled winter garments and sit on blocks of ice and enjoy alcoholic beverages. At the time?...it was absurd. 1) I'm pregnant and would not have been able to fully partake in the true experience of this joint which saddened me 2) the thought of PAYING to literally freeze my @$$ off just didn't seem like my cup of tea (nor my snifter of thoroughly aged brandy). However, I could kick myself in the sweaty rearend for allowing this opportunity to pass right by me. Doh! Perhaps I'd still be frozen from the episode and thankful of the bar wenches whom talked us to what seemed like such a crazy idea.

Situated in a village in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden there is an ice hotel. The worlds largest Ice Hotel. I.C.E.  H.O.T.E.L!!! Are you grasping this concept? Sleep well in -5*C hotel made entirely of ice and snow. I'll let the pictures do the talking...

If someone were to ask me, "Where would you like to go on vacation at this very instant?"..I'd most definitely have to say someplace cold (which would be a first for me). Flying is completely out of the question this far along in the pregnancy but I suppose I could try to make my home a freezer that would allow everyone to be cool and comfortable by turning the thermostat WAY down and lounging around covered in blankets and snuggling close to capture body heat.

I'm certain it's hormones. I'm certain that when winter comes I'll be complaining of the cold (like I normally do). I'm usually always cold yet this heat wave has got me all sorts of twisted and living an out of body experience. A sweaty, over heated out of body experience no less. I could literally explode...

Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.

My cousin has passed on. Although we mourn his death I imagine that others are lifting their veils upon his arrival to wherever it is we go upon passing. It's hard to swallow. It's a tough situation for me. It's a difficult situation for my family, (for any family) but it's something that happened. And especially being in the situation he was in, knowing he had such a tough time getting ahead in life, knowing that unexpected day would come. ... Death is always unexpected and can never be prepared for nor easy to swallow.

He didn't die an honorable death. He wasn't shot in combat or during the call of duty. He was shot because guns kill people and uneducated people holding guns shoot people because words are beyond their comprehension. Living the rest of their lives behind bars is what the future holds for them and they are content with that. Whether behind bars in an institution, their minds are behind bars while out in the world, not knowing how to be an upstanding citizen in the community, in this world. Pathetic really. They probably grew up with either no fathers or terrible fathers that taught them such things in life.

My thoughts are with his infant son. I don't want to imagine a world when children are growing up with no father, with no guidance, with no man to look up to and find comfort in. How will this young man learn to be a man in society? Will he escape into the world he was brought up in? Most likely. It saddens me to the depths of my core and being pregnant doesn't help with the sensitivity towards any small child in this world.

It's unfair. It's unfair for many. For my cousin Blaise, for the family he leaves behind, for his infant son who will never know the sparkle in his father's eye nor the pitch of his laughter that could make you smile at your worst. He had a bright soul and if he could have helped others, he would have. I wish he could have helped himself.

He was raised by my grandfather (aka Uncle Ted-whom I refuse to call by Uncle Ted because he was a grandfather, a saint, a wonderful man), and had the spirit of the old Polack man he was so very fond of. They are surely together now, drinking red beers and watching Sylawn (the old German Shepherd) prancing around, perhaps playing cards and watching over the rest of us.

We enjoy warmth because we have been cold. We appreciate light because we have been in darkness. By the same token, we can experience joy because we have known sadness. We'd be selfish to believe he belongs here with us.

(: The world always looks brighter from behind a smile :)

"It's easy to be pleasant when life flows by like a song, but the man worth while is the one who will smile when everything goes dead wrong. For the test of the heart is trouble, and it always comes with years, and the smile that is worth the praises of earth is the smile that shines through the tears."

At some point in our lives, and for some of us at several points, we all endure some kind of hardship, those things in our lives that turn us upside down and inside out and leave us trampled underfoot. Whether it's an illness, a problem in a relationship, financial issues, death of a loved one, worry over a family member, or any of the other multitude of things that come into our lives bleak and uninvited, they are trials which we must endure and try to make sense of.

Sometimes, the true test may be letting go of the control you think you have of any circumstance and leaving into the hands of someone other than yourself. This may be the most difficult task yet. Control is a powerful trait that we hold. Sometimes just letting go might make the worry or hardship that much easier to tolerate, more manageable. Knowing it's out of your hands and knowing that worrying and fretting over whatever trial or tribulation is currently paralyzing you, just might be the silver lining we all need now and again to know that tomorrow may be a bit brighter.

I suffer greatly with control. My dad always use to say, "You can't control other people and you will die trying." Most of the time I do feel like I am dying trying. Combine that with a bit of anxiety, being overly sensitive the majority of the time and top with pregnancy hormones, let's just say it's not an easy battle to fight. Trying to describe to others around you what you may be going through is like shouting at a brick wall. They can't possibly try to understand, or don't really care to take the time to listen, let alone notice. People are too enveloped in their own world to worry about others. It's a tough pill to swallow but again, we all walk alone in this life. Hasn't been the first time I have stated such, and it most likely won't be the last.

You have to believe that sooner or later, the gray cloud will be lifted, and sunny skies will shine upon you once again. In the meantime, try not to get locked inside yourself. Although we walk alone in this life, being paralyzed or stagnant due to your own self is prisoning and unhealthy. Do things you enjoy, fade out the negative, breathe deep, pray to whomever you find sanctuary in, and SMILE! This last part is important. It will lift your spirits; confuse those around you; and yet, it's proven to be contagious. Spread it around, no matter how many tears you are fighting back in the process.

The world always looks brighter from behind a smile!

::: Hedonist(as) Must Haves :::

Ten Essentials of any Women Centric Home

When it comes to enjoying your favorite pleasures, the right ambiance can enhance the experience immeasurably, and there are certain atmospheric essentials that no hedonist (he.don.ist : [heed-n-ist] -noun ::: a person whose life is devoted to the pursuit of pleasure and self gratification) worth her salt should be without. Just a few household basics will go a long way toward transforming any home into a smoothly running pleasure palace. Remember: it's all about comfort, beauty, and continuous intoxication of your senses, no matter how subtle.

1: A fireplace in the winter

2: Candles when it rains

3: Air Conditioning in the summer

4: Soft Lighting

5: Good Music

6: Multiple Pillows

7: Clean Windows

8: A warm, cozy bed

9: Plants and flowers

10: Art that you love

And find a quiet place that you can sit, relax, and enjoy all the pleasures of your life. Whether your abode is mansion on top of the hill surrounded by rod iron gates and a winding driveway or a small quaint bungalow with wooden details and a fronch porch used for reading the newspaper and sipping your latte while the sun says "Good Morning." Your home must reflect your inner style, your personality. It should scream with character that friends, family, and guests appreciate because it is a direct reflection of your uniqueness.

Find a quiet corner, an alcove, an extra space in the basement tucked away under the stairs or in the attic under the infinite abyss of ornate Christmas decorations you've been meaning to go through. Some place clear of clutter, with workspace designated to YOU and your creative self.

In this space, make a shrine. Your most loved personal belongings. A shelf hung above with pictures of your children from that fun fantastic day at the beach. A vase to hold your fresh flowers. Candles to light at your leisure. Post up quotes and/or poems that inspire your creativity or touch your heart. Do whatever makes you happy in your space and don't allow others to influence it. Put a radio that plays your favorite music and play it to soothe your mind. The options are limitless.

And most importantly: ENJOY!

sOliTuDe

I owe my solitude to other people.
There are days when solitude is a heady wine that intoxicates you with freedom, others when it is a bitter tonic, and still others when it is a poison that makes you beat your head against the wall.



Having a large family, an adequate group of acquaintances, a small group of friends, howbeit, we all walk alone in this world.
 
Is it what we expect? Not usually. Is it what we hope for? I'd like to believe no. Only so much solitary confinement is healthy. It's a slow process. It starts off a good idea:
I think that I cannot preserve my health and spirits, unless I spend four hours a day at least - and it is commonly more than that - sauntering through the woods and over the hills and fields, absolutely free from all worldly engagements.  Inside myself is a place where I live all alone, and that's where I renew my springs that never dry up. 
 
Solitude never hurt anyone.  Emily Dickinson lived alone, and she wrote some of the most beautiful poetry the world has ever known... then went crazy as a loon. 
 
It's good in small doses I assume. Only so much at any given time and it has to be YOUR idea or you'll completely drive yourself mad. It's like absinthe or any hallucinogen. ::: snickering to myself::: (((nobody is around so laughing at my own jokes is an absolute must when trying to enjoy my seclusion from the rest of the world)))

I suppose I would consider myself a "people person" (and often a people pleaser) so having complete silence and being enveloped in nothingness around me (no kids laughing, nobody in the house asking for anything in particular, just the sound of the washer and dryer doing what it does best) is quite a shock compared to the actual grind on any particular time and day. 


As often as I need a break and being able to sit in my completely still home with nothing going on around me, it made me realize how much my soul is fed by the family life, by being around people I enjoy, like sunshine to a flower when the petals have begun to wilt and you've lost all hope that it can continue forward but it struggles through the rays, absorbs the vitamin E and starts to rise against the impossible and stand tall, basking in the glory. I suppose my demeanor may have resembled this the past couple of days while my family has not been around. I am looking forward to the weekend, engaging in those events that keep us going, keep us busy, and mostly having my son return from vacation. 


I want to start a women's group in my community. Surround myself with positive uplifting empowering woman that do the same as the sun does to the flower. Fills my entire being with much needed information and goods to continue down a solid path. Its a Seed that Grows into something bigger than oneself and I believe fully in it. I believe that woman can do so much in groups when they band together and focus on a similar goal or destination. One day.... I will make all this possible. 


While in my "time-out" I jot down notes, reminders, anything I can do to take my mind off actually being by myself and soon will implement everything when I get over the hurdles I am currently jumping. Only so much can be on the plate at once and I suppose that getting through my education, moving the entire family into a new residence, all while finishing out this pregnancy is enough for the moment. 


So many things to do, so very little energy to do much of anything. Keep trekking and pushing on... always something to do (alone or not)

~Today's Tidbit~

Who knew?

Contrary to popular opinion, there actually is rhyme and reason to ever-fluctuating hem lengths. In the 1970's, a psychologist found that skirt lengths actually move with the Dow Jones. As stock prices surge, ladies show more leg; as they plummet, we cover up.



You could call this the real reserve

.

*..*..Spring ~into~ Staging..*..*

springtime- [spring-tahym] –noun

1. Also called: springtide the season of spring

2. the earliest, usually the most attractive, period of the existence of something

"Rise and put on your foliage, and be seen to come forth, like the springtime, fresh and green"
 
Springtime brings sunshine, showers, and plenty of opportunities for home staging. If you're selling your home in the Omaha area, it is time to brighten things up with these fresh updates that are sure to attract buyers.
 
The first and most important thing to remember is the first impression. You wouldn't want to continue doing business with a person that did not keep up with their appearance. Why shall buyers be attracted to your home if the outward appearance is not appealing to them? Get outside, roll up your sleeves, and spruce things up. Raking up anything with traces from winter such as anything brown and no longer fortunate enough to be living on this earth with us, power washing the house (and deck or outside spaces) gets rid of any grime that those harsh winters leave behind.
 
If you are feeling risky, you can get into gardening. Something simple such as adding mulch or rock to flower beds or lining the walkway and drive for added curb appeal. If you are not a green thumber, think about inviting friends, family, or even neighbors over for a garden party. If they are not up for offering the extra hand, offer some lemonade just for some tips and techniques. Who knows?! It's almost certain that people are looking for ways to assist and having an excuse to get out in the beautiful weather is an added bonus.
 
Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!"  So get outside, look around and be optimistic about how you can transform your listing into a fresh, light and bright, pleasing house that anyone would want to call home.
 

 
Walking into the entry...let your home make a statement! If your old doormat is rugged and ragged from the long winter season, pick up a new one, sweep off the stoop, maybe add a spritz of febreze before a showing or Open House, and bring in those buyers. A clean, pretty doorway will set the stage for the entire showing.
 
Next...scrub! Cleanliness is next to Godliness and everyone will appreciate walking into a shiny clean disinfected space that welcomes them with open (purified) hands. Scrub away. A sparkling home will impress buyers and make your home more appealing.
 
Get rid of clutter. Box up anything you don't need (winter coats, extra blankets, etc). If you empty out the closets, cupboards, drawers it will appear larger and more welcoming to the potentials. And trust me...they snoop. They look for closet space, extra storage, places to put their stuff. The less of YOUR stuff that is in their view, the more their imagination runs wild with all the things THEY could use that space for.  Buyers will be impressed with all that space.

Bring spring aromas indoors. Spring is not only a colorful season, but a fragrant one, too. Bring the aroma indoors. Scents have a profound effect on mood, so infusing scent into your decor with diffusers, candles, fresh cut plants/flowers, or incense can change the overall feeling of a space.

Bring out the bright colors. Tuck away the heavy, winter flannel comforter and pull out crisp linens with accent throws for color. Bring in the spring with floral-designed spreads or colorful solids. Don't forget accent pillows for added style and comfort.


Use glass in your decorations whenever possible. Glass decorative items, like vases, glasses, attractive or unusual bottles and clear glass jar collections, will make your spring home decorating look lighter. Shiny glass decorations increase the amount of spring light, reflected from light sources and windows into a room. Nothing says "light & airy" like clear reflective shining glass.


And remember!...nothing in excess. Just because you love the way the bookshelf in the library looks with all the collections you have accumulated over the decades, does not mean that the potential will be able to imagine the size or space usage with all the distraction.
 
And when potential buyers give feedback on what they thought of your house, you want them to say:


  ***followed up rather quickly with an offer :)

Happy Spring to all of you!!!

 

~~~Make Room for Baby~~~

It's no surprise that I am completely dominated by design. Not just design but classic design, good "all the way to the bones" design, changes your entire mood design. I jot down notes in my journal about things that I come across or see, I take mental notes when something reaches out and snatches my attention, I lay in bed thinking about it until I doze off to then dream about it.

It consumes me and I do my best to keep it at bay. But those of you that LOVE something should love it unconditionally, thoroughly, at all times. This is me with ANY love I hold near and dear to my heart and design is no different. (It tends to love me back so that assists in our relationship).

I take my classes at the local community college, eventually hoping to get a degree in it, but knowing its not necessary to hold a degree to do what you love (aside from such things as practicing medicine-you may want a degree for that). I take any workshop that I come across that can assist and let my imagination run wild. I avidly watch HGTV and DIYnetwork. I read all my magazines from Architectural Digest to Flea Market Finds. I am constantly thinking of ways to arrange and rearrange and revamp and give new life to either the rooms my family lives in OR bookshelves that line the walls of the rooms my family live in.



However...

(and this is not be taken lightly)

We currently live in an apartment and it's not as though I have adequate amounts of space to make room for baby. I have succeeded in accomodating the rest of the household. But baby?!?! ....

It's not my first rodeo (nor baby) so I am completely aware that infants do not come with the load that some might deem necessary. (That load comes later on and we are hoping to be in a house by then). I am organized. Obsessively organized. I love orange, green, brown, golds, dark reds. Colors from the old country (hehehe)


Nothing strikes panic into the heart of a decorating diva like the arrival of a little brood of chick(s) and ensuing bushels of plastic that seems to ooze from every container. Little plastic, big plastic, munchkin-size plastic furniture and playground equipment-there's no end to the size and variety of the kiddie accoutrements. And the primary colors they insist on coming in clash horribly with every tasteful color scheme I am trying to maintain here. Just how does the playmat dangling with farm animals incorporate into my electic Old World meets French Country living room?

I have done a good job of maintaining my homes--enough so to appear that Elle Decor and the photography team has just left upon my visitors entrance. I have heard remarks like, "I am amazed a toddler lives here" or "How do you do it with the kids?" Howbeit, when cramped for space I am assuming that bins and crates and storage cabinets are now highly placed on my "things I cannot live without" list.

I suppose I can manage. As soon as the arrival I will bend (instead of breaking) to ensure that every base is covered (and hopefully not consisting of spiddle or that ever present stickiness that comes with little ones).

Our lives are museums of private experiences and at worst, a house unkept cannot be so distressing as a life unlived. :)

The next couple of months, while entertaining the "nesting period" of the pregnancy, I look forward to coming up with new, inventive ways to continually maintain a clean, streamlined, happy home full of "stuff" and love :)

In the meantime...I must bake some brownies