Mt. Pleasant, MI: After battling the heat at home, it has been lovely being in a place where the weather feels just like it's named: pleasant. And although I had a bit of Sunday Stomach on the bus ride last night, it feels good to be on the road again. Doing what I do, having a purpose.
I also think it takes getting out of your routine to appreciate the routine itself. It seems I'm spending more time in my own bed than in my
bed on wheels. But now that I'm away from it for a bit, I feel like I've overlooked or at least not fully appreciated the bits and pieces that make up the home life I've created.
Over the year, I've done a bit of home improvements. Nothing too major (though the downstairs bathroom does need to have an overhaul one of these days), but little bits around the house that really make it mine.
First, I began the year with curtains for the living room. The condo originally came with blinds (that were the same in every room) and though it served its purpose, two days before my New Year's
soirée, I was on a frantic rush to make at least one home improvement for my guests' enjoyment. (Ok, fine, more for my personal enjoyment, but still). With the boy's generous help to hang them, the three gauzy pieces add a warm amber glow to the room.
Next up was my bedroom. As much as I love mornings (simply because you get more hours in the day if you wake up earlier!), I became more and more disturbed at the fact that sunlight was blazing onto my eyelids in the wee hours of the day and interrupting what little sleep I was able to get. The problem was the quarter circles above my windows. Though they added a distinctive look, I had to think outside of the box (or, in this case, window) to find a way to block the sun. With the help of a
blind man, I added little flare and cut down on a lot of light.
In the guest / art room (and slowly turning into a music studio for the boy), I needed to add a little glamour to the wide and blank teal blue wall. I originally had a vision to have birds flying across the ceiling, but I feared my guests may have flashbacks of some
'60s movies. So, I opted for keeping the birds on the wall and thanks to my findings on
etsy, I purchased a lovely birdcage stencil and some 3D birds. Still contemplating on what to put on the ceiling, however....
And finally, next to my
tree (literally and figuratively), my most favorite pieces of home decor. Thanks to an
online print company, I was able to take five photos, blow them up and print them on gallery canvas. Now these pieces of art -- photographs that I personally took from around the world -- are the first thing that really catch your eye when you walk into my home. There are sometimes, as I pass by, I catch a glance of them and remember the exact moment in time when I took that picture. The trip to London and Tokyo and Venice and Dubai and Paris... just having those cities captured and on my wall makes me so grateful for the position I was in to have a chance to take them.
simply... pleasant.
