Some of you may know that we are in the process of building a new house. We were hoping to be in it by now, but as new construction goes-it’s not always as planned. We are hoping to be in it before the end of the month.

We are enjoying the process of getting to choose everything, and when I mean everything I mean everything! From the knobs to the doorbell, everything requires a decision. Some of these decisions are easier than others. For example if your budget only allows $, then there is no reason to even look at the $$$. Of course, if you lined a $, a $$, and a $$$, I could bet money that I would choose the $$$-it never fails.

One of the decisions that has been more difficult has been when it comes to decorating the living room. I know I’m not alone in the group-’most of my furniture was either given to me or I bought it at a garage sale’. As newlyweds, we were more than grateful for the hand-me-downs and good deals. Over the years however, I have been able to purchase a few pieces to add to our home decor. When shopping, my eye is always drawn to the old world, darker colors. For the past couple of years I was rather pleased with the way my decorum was turning out. We had just gotten to the place in our old house where we didn’t really need any furniture, and everything had a place. Then …we moved.

We gave some furniture away before we moved, which was extremely smart considering we had a hard enough time getting our belongings into the 2 pods and 3 vehicles! YIKES! How does one get so much STUFF? Anyway, once we got to Tennessee, we were given the opportunity to live in an extremely nice home until our house was finished. Knowing that we were going to be moving in a matter of months, I only unpacked what we needed. For the past 5 months we basically live in 3 rooms-the master bedroom, living room, and kitchen. I have been astounded at how little I say “I wish I had….” or “I wonder where…” Which all goes to show that I don’t need all this stuff! So when we do get into our new house-I will be doing some major purging.

One thing I have noticed in our temporary housing, is that all my furniture is DARK. Does it coordinate well? sure. But does it give me that warm and fuzzy feeling inside? Not so much, at least not anymore. At first I attributed this to the lighting, which I admit may be a factor (there aren’t really windows in the living room). Then I realized something…in Florida I worked full-time. After coming home from a long day at work, I welcomed a dark and cozy living room. Now during daylight I’m usually at home, and when you are at home all day, the last thing you want is to feel dark and cozy all day. Of course, my husband was not pleased to hear my new observations, as this means that I now want to re-decorate!

As my first move in a new direction, I purchased a rocker-recliner that is cranberry red (a little on the brighter side than the darker side). After a fabric backorder and horrible customer service, it is now sitting in my living room. YAY! Does it coordinate with the rest of my furniture? Probably not, but does it make me happy looking at it? Yes, because it is one step in a new direction to making my home a little brighter.