A Few Changes

Last week after a fit of frustration with all the impossibly picture perfect houses I was seeing on blogs, I wrote my own little personal rant and to make a point, I ended with  pictures of my horribly messy house.

I posted them here on my little bloggy blog

And all was fine, because so few people read my blog it didn't matter (and many of those that do have met the mess in person.)
Then I joined some linky parties without really thinking about it.
Then thought about it
and realized that complete strangers would be gawking at the atrocity that was my computer desk, living room, dining room and, well, most of the first floor of my house.
Oh the horror!
I really, really, double truly wished that the internet had an "Undo" button!

But no such button made an appearance.
 So I was most and truly stuck with the situation.

And people came and they looked
And they left very sweet comments
Commiserating and sympathizing with me!
 
And I was buoyed by them.

Inspired to get off my keister, I made some changes.
Everything was cleaned and decluttered.

The poor bathroom, though not messy, was ever so dreary and sad.

I had to do something with it.
I made plans

Then my dear, sweet, son decided to flush my cell phone (and, in turn, all my crafting and decorating money) down the toilet. 

I must point out, I was NOT home at the time. My husband was in charge.
I was driving, phone-less, to take my 17 year old daughter to school.
The same daughter who a few minutes earlier had desperately wailed, "Mom, do you really need your phone for a 15 minute drive!?" when I turned around to go in and get it, because she was afraid she would be late if I had to run in and search it out (and rightly so, that old thing was always and forever hiding from me!)
So I returned home after my 15 minute phoneless drive to the sad news of my phone's watery end from my husband and an adorable hug and apology from my sweet little guy.
I looked at it's little taken-apart-attempting-to-dry-out plastic techcass (I suppose that would be the techie version of carcass)
For a moment I hoped against hope it might be able to be revived.
I soon realized it was not to be.
It was time to call TOD.

My husband, being overly generous, a confirmed gadget junkie, and feeling more than a bit guilty, insisted that we go out and get a new phone as soon as the stores opened.
I was in no mood to deal with all the choices and salespeople.
So I actually encouraged him go - all by himself.
He left and returned home rather quickly.
(almost too quickly for a man who had dozens of choices and loads of features to consider- if I were the suspicious type I just might believe my angelic-looking little boy was a scapegoat in my husband's grand plan to tech-i-fy me. Except that we have a hopelessly clogged toilet to prove my little cherub's love for flushing things) 

He was pleased as punch with his extravagant replacement.  He even offered to finish the dishes so I could check out all its lovely features  

(hmmm...more suspicious behavior...Perhaps my Miss Marple-like detective skills are spot on... )

And that is the story of how I became a (reluctantly) happy owner of a new IPhone
 
and an empty crafting/decorating budget.

Poor little bathroom would have to wait until the coffers refilled.

Then my in-laws called and told us they needed to clear out of the condo they had recently sold here in St. Louis and would we want anything?
Luckily, my mother-in-law has lovely taste!
There were bunches of things that we decided to use, many of which will be appearing here in the upcoming weeks, but this is what I was able to throw together in that poor little bathroom this afternoon.

The only things not recycled from my in-laws place were the black wicker laundry basket and the pictures on the wall.  I found perfect prints at The Graphics Fairy and I put them in frames I already had.

It's still progressing
But at least now it is a bit prettier and more welcoming.
And I have a fancy-shmancy-brand-spankin' new Iphone.
(with Adele's new CD already on it! Happy, Happy!!!)

I'm linking this up with The Company Girls!