Relative Normal

Wow, what a couple of weeks it has been. And it's not over. We are in our new house, settling in, with a bunch more "settling in" that needs to happen. We are all starting to feel "at home" and are attempting to get back to a normal routine. We began schooling today. I am happy to say that in the several weeks that we have been on "hiatus", the children have not lost any knowledge or skills, but, oh, there has been a serious loss in discipline, structure and motivation! Yikes! It will take a few days to get us all back into our "groove". Meanwhile, here are pictures of the spaces we have unpacked. They are a bit sparse, as most of my decorations are still in boxes in the basement. Also, rugs and curtains are still pending, but here is what we've managed to pull together so far:Dining roomWe purchased this painting of Our Lady "Queen of the Missions" at a flea market when we were first married. It is quite large and I just love it. It looks great in our dining room against this black wallpaper...yup, black. I hesitated a bit about putting black wallpaper up, but I am so glad I did. It looks fantastic and sets off the "winter squash" of the kitchen perfectly. I love it!

In the kitchen, we only did minor renovations: new sink, faucet and countertop, updated appliances and paint. Voila! What a difference. When the sun hits the bright walls in the kitchen, they seem to smile. I know I do. They make me happy.
Wool felt rug I couldn't wait to hang up!

There is more I would like to write about, but it's late and it will have to wait for another time...along with more pictures. Also, I feel a "house vs. home" post coming on....