We attended my friends' wedding on Saturday evening. It was a very warm day (by Seattle standards) - in the high 90s - but the location was a park and cultural center on the Puget Sound, so it was warm, but perfectly breezy.

I wore my new dress, and even though it was supposed to be WARM, I brought my customary cardigan. The dress has an open back; and I don't usually make it a point to show off any part of the 19 inch scar that follows down my spine from a few inches shy of my neck. 

But the dress and my scar aren't really the point of this post.

RD and I were standing with our friends (not the bride and groom) discussing how much fun this wedding was. The husband (hers, not mine) remarked that there seemed to be a lot of "young people" at the wedding (context - bride is 28, groom is 36, the commenter is 51). We all nodded in agreement.

A few seconds later, it occurred to me:

Was I one of the "young people" he speaks of?

It's no longer clear.

I don't necessarily want/need to feel like one of the "young people".

I just don't want to bum them out.

And, hopefully this time - I didn't. Scar and all.

PS. This was the taco truck featured at the wedding, and OMG, it was delicious. TACO TRUCK!

The last time a decent photo was taken of me was (thankfully) at my wedding 10 years ago.

Until last month.

See you again in 10 years.

We've lived in this house for more than six years now; and between a flood or two, two kids in diapers, potting training two kids, a new job for RD, a surgery (or two!) for me, etc., it's taken me a long time to decide how to "decorate" each of the spaces within the home.

We moved in with an 11 month old Bubba to freshly painted (albeit all off-white) walls in every room, new fixtures, and not alot of money left over from our move. 

My main priority was the kids' rooms - they were painted and decorated first. I mean, who can't NOT decorate a nursery first? We put up what pictures and art we had - NOT MUCH - and then I painted our bedroom and bathroom and hung framed photos in each space. The hall bath was next - new paint, shower curtain and towels. The kitchen got a coat of paint on it's three walls (a lovely green, the only foray out of the taupe tones in the rest of the house). Last summer I painted the daylight basement (no small feet at more that 750 square feet) to go with the framed photo wall I updated the winter before.

But the open entry/living/dining has always left me at a loss. Sure, we had a few art pieces up on the walls, one large wall painted (necessitated by a window we had added), and the area above the fireplace styled. But the rest? A big question mark.

While financing these endeavors is always an issue; it's not really all about the money. I think my problem is two-fold. One: I have an extreme aversion to what I call "mall art". You know, standard (and I personally believe, BORING) things I would purchase that I have no connection to - other than it matched my decor and color scheme. I would rather have not much on my walls (hello - the current state of my home) than be surrounding by things I couldn't pick out of a line-up. And two: my very common bi-level home's floor plan and related wall and window placement puzzles me. But I think I'm making progress.

I did more forward this winter and paint the entire length of the hallway to match the one wall of color in the shared living/dining wall. I now only have two more walls to cover - of course they will be the most challenging due to the height of the wall over a staircase.

But the painting is motivating. It's gotten me to start looking about to see what I might like to see everyday on the walls. A few of the items already up on the walls may stay - namely a needlepoint my grandmother made and a painting I was given (i.e. kinda stole) from my parents.

Here's the items on my list:

"Edition" Wall Art, CB2.
Oh, you will soon be mine. I love the mix of colors and the use of recycled materials.

Portland Steel Bridge, reproduction by Michelle Maule.
How I wish I could afford her gorgeous originals. This morning I purchased three prints from this Portland-based artists through Esty. They were very reasonably priced and I can't wait to get them and explore how best to frame them.

Seattle, Ork Posters.
Who doesn't love an Ork Poster? I plan on purchasing both Seattle and Portland and then have them framed. I just wish they were the same size print; as it would make everything about this project a wee bit easier.

Now sure, these aren't items I can hang on the wall, but I am coveting them just the same.

Metal Counter Stools, Overstock.
We desperately need stools to replace the ones that are wobbly and beyond repair. The reviews on these are great and the price is even better.

Cameron Cotton Drapes, Pottery Barn.
I'm generally not a fan of curtains or drapes, and since our house is relatively secluded, they generally aren't necessary. We have wood blinds in all the bedrooms, plus blackout fabric drapes (for the kids' rooms). That said, I think a set of simple, white drapes would complement the large window in our dining room. They will help establish the the dining room as its own space as well as formalize the room a bit. Or at least I hope so.

The only undecided problem is WHAT THE HECK to do with the two story wall space above the bi-level stairs? (Sorry for the horrible cell-phone photo.)

Obviously I still need to paint (which will help), and perhaps once I have other walls better accessorized, this lack of coverage won't look so glaring.

Any thoughts?