Backyard

On Sunday it didn't rain and the sun was kind of showing through so I got the girls dressed in bright colors, to prove to myself that Spring really is here.

Those adorable boots were $6 at Kohl's!!! Such a steal.

Yay for warmer weather (upper 50's!)

 This week is Spring Break in Oregon but since we don't have grade school aged kids it's just another normal week for us. No vacations planned, just the usual shenanigans.
The girls and I spent the whole morning outside on Monday because it was absolutely perfect weather.

The obligatory cheese face

Playing in their house, notice the "artwork" on the walls

Bria got this fun little chalk set for her birthday so we whipped it out.

I think I had more fun than the girls haha!

It came with tattoos you put on the ground and then color in, I was loving it

"What can I get you Mam?"

I am currently going through a little nesting phase. I want to decorate/redecorate every room in our house. I think part of it is that we are signing another year long lease on this house so I know we are going to be here for a long time and I want to make it feel more like home. The challenge with renting is that it doesn't ever completely feel like your own, at least in my opinion. There are so many little and even some big projects that I would love to do to this house if it was our own. The kitchen for starters. It's all white. With some white and then a little white. Also, there is some white.
Do you get my drift?
I would love to put dark hard wood floors in and some granite counters. I wouldn't mind leaving the cabinets white because I do like the feel of bright white, just not all over. Plus, all white in a kitchen with 2 kids? Yeah, it's nearly impossible to keep clean.
And painting. Oh how I would love to paint our rooms and bathrooms. Nothing crazy, just calming, neutral colors. I think paint makes such a huge difference and just completes a room. So the past 2 years (we have been in this house for 2 years!!) our rooms have felt unfinished to me.
Brian of course thinks I'm crazy and doesn't get it. He would be happy with blackout curtains in our room and that's it (I joke he is a vampire because he literally wants it pitch black when he's sleeping, while I prefer to wake up with the sun shining in).
How long do we plan on being in this house? Do we want to buy again?
First, we want to stay in this house as long as possible. The owner is on a special work assignment and we have no idea how much longer it will last (well, I guess we know another year at least).
Second, we do want to buy again, but the market in Portland is crazy expensive. Nothing like California, but it's up there. So we are waiting until we can start saving for a down payment and save for a house we really like, not just settling. We are hoping the next house we purchase will be our long-term home so we want it to be in a good area and all that stuff...which means it's even more expensive.
I would LOVE if the owner of our current house decided to sell it to us, then I could do all the projects I dream about and pin on pinterest. But Brian isn't sold on this house. He likes it but wants a bigger garage for all his manly projects.
Anyway, all that to basically say I've been trying to brainstorm creative ways to decorate without painting. It's challenging to say the least!