Thinking Out Loud – What’s Next

I am sure you guys are as busy as I usually am, running around with about a million irons in the fire all the time.  It’s funny when you are forced to stop and stand still how you notice so much stuff that you’ve never really seen before.  I think I sometimes get so used to my home that I have a blind eye and just don’t really see it anymore.  Since I have been forced to be home for the past few weeks after back surgery, I have had time to sit in each room in the house and really look at it.  It’s amazing what you are so use to seeing that you don’t really see anything both inside and outside.

We have done a ton of landscaping around the pool on this side of the yard and it is looking pretty good.  I love being outside and enjoying this area.

However, the right hand side of the yard leaves a lot to be desired.  We can’t really enjoy our patio area as it is now – usually a dumping ground for everything.  There is still a lot of landscaping to be done on this side of the yard, so everything is still a huge mess.  This is what I usually see as I step out onto the patio.  I know this is sooooo bad.

We still need to get the shed up, get all the garden stuff cleaned up, do some planters and I also want to totally redo the patio.  I also want to put a privacy screen up on the end of the patio, not necessarily for privacy, but to control some of the sun that really heats up this side of the patio.  I have a million ideas but right now it is way too hot and most of the major stuff will have to wait until fall.  I am at least going to clean it up and make it a nice place to sit.

I ordered 6 panels of these gray and white strip outdoor curtains for that end wall.  I think that will look nice with the furniture we have for now.  It will also keep the sun from shining in this end of the patio and heating the patio and this corner of the house up. 

I think these and some pretty throw pillows, a throw, some cute accessories and a different rug and this could be an inviting spot to sit and enjoy.  It would also block off all the unsightly garden tools for now.

Since the outside is sort of on hold for weather to cool down, I am thinking about the inside.  I really do like our new home.  It is small and I need to pay attention to scale with my decor.  I also am really rethinking my style just a little bit.

At heart I will always be Traditional, however I am really leaning towards a more Transitional style instead of such a hard core Traditional style.  I think some of my furniture pieces need to be replaced.  I love my traditional coffee table that was a wedding gift 34 years ago, but maybe it should move upstairs to the loft and a new one brought in here with a little more updated flair.  It could be glass and brass 

(maybe oval)

(or square)

or maybe even a tufted ottoman style. 

Next is my huge mirror.  I know I have been adamant about keeping it and I have loved it for over 20 years, but I am thinking it is time to go.  I love some of the wonderful gallery walls that I am seeing and I think this room could pull one off beautifully.  If I decide to let it go I think I will give it away to one of my readers that might like it.  They would have to be able to pick it up in the Phoenix area since it is so heavy.  It really is a beautiful mirror.

If I am dreaming out loud then I would love a new sofa too.  This one is a custom sofa that I bought from a neighbor a few years ago for $100 when she had to move.  The sofa is wonderful but the cut velvet fabric is not my taste.  This is not on the immediate list of wishes and changes, but it is on the list.

I’ve looked at the console and painting in the entry also and think maybe I need a change here too.  This console table was also a wedding gift so I have a real sentimental attachment to it. 

I did change out the art a while back, but I still think it needs an upgrade.  I am thinking maybe a weathered wood console table and really pretty decorative mirror.  

 The console could be moved against the window in the dining area and be used as a buffet or it could go upstairs in the hall on the landing.  If I moved the wine rack and bar cart, it would be fabulous under the dining area window.

  I am also thinking that I would love to mix up some of the wood tones and bring in some of the weathered wood look to lighten things up a bit and add more texture.  A couple pieces of furniture and a few accessories is all I would need to give everything a whole new look.

There are still a dozen things I would like to do in the family room.  So far I love the new sofa, coffee table and tv console.  I still need to get new recliners for hubby and I and get the other two accent chairs coordinated.  New blinds are on the list too.  However for now I am loving the way the room is going.

We’ve only lived here for 1 1/2 years so I know Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it has been  enlightening to stop, stand still and really look at our home and formulate ideas for what I would really like for it to be in the future.  Sometime I think if we tweak our style just a little it makes us love everything more.  I am definitely in the mood to tweak, how about you?

On a personal update.  I was able to get my hair done yesterday.  That makes me feel so much better.

(I can’t take a selfie at all, (think deer in the headlights) but it feels wonderful to get my hair cut and colored.)

 I am in for a longer recovery time than I first anticipated.  I am still at the can’t bend, twist or lift over 5 lbs stage and can’t start physical therapy until August.  Then after 2 sessions a week for 6 weeks of therapy they say I will be able to be semi normal.  It will take a full year for those rods and screws to fuse  my spine, so I will have to postpone extreme sports for a while.  (haha as if I am the extreme sports type)  That doesn’t mean I can’t dream and plan and as I get stronger I can do a few changes, so look for things to start changing around here.

So tell me what are your thoughts, and are any of you interested in that mirror if I decide to let it go?

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