Back to (house)work

Changes are afoot in la casa this week, and I couldn't be more ready to rustle up some new energy in this house. I mean, it's been months! It's time to change up some stuff!

First up: our new dining room mirror. I swear we've tried every possible wall decoration arrangement in this room, but we finally, finally have it. I adore this mirror and the way it lights up that corner of the dining room. The slats of wood feel warm and homey without being over-the-top "country," and it manages to look rustic and polished all at once.

Here's a closer look at the yummy wood, along with a little forecast of this week's plans in the reflection. Get excited!

That's right, folks ... our much-hated wall is finally coming down! I'm pretty giddy about how much it's going to open up our living room, which currently seats only three people comfortably for tv-viewing. (Not cool during SuperbowlOscar season.) We're going to have some immediate challenges to tackle as soon as it comes down, chief among them "Crap, we have a zero-dollar furniture budget" and "Crap, where will we throw our junk now?" But going from a cramped sitting room to a more open one will be a drastic improvement even without a cozy new loveseat, so we're pumped.

Also shown in the mirror view is new dining room lighting. Our house's recessed lighting that was no doubt installed during a '70s-era DIY acid trip will be no more (in one room, anyway... for now). In its place, a chandelier that we scooped on sale with an additional one-day-only bonus clearance, the way my mama taught me (hi Mom). Oh, I can't wait. Can't wait!

Also on tap this week is some boring stuff: ceiling repainting (so that all the awful existing recessed lighting we remove in the future will be easier to patch), the installation of a new fan/light for the upstairs bathroom (so T no longer has to shave in a dense fog every morning), and some electrical work.

Ch-ch-changes... I like 'em. Full report on how our hired hands did next week!