Let There Be Light

The first thing I discovered on my foray into interior design is that you need to let light into your home.  Every house can benefit from an abundance of natural light coming in through the windows.  Window treatments are an easy way to introduce softness and pattern in a room, but it is very easy to overdo it and cover up the beautiful natural light with all the fabric.  Clearly I have learned this the hard way.  See Exhibit A:


This is our front room circa 2006.  I am sure I will revisit this disaster several times so just for now ignore the flower border and paint color and furniture craziness and all that.  Look just at the windows.  The windows are very small to begin with and all of the heavy layered fabric is allowing only a small bit of light to shine through the bottom halves of the windows.  The curtain rod is hanging just outside of, and at the same height as, the window frame.  On top of that, the flowery pattern and scarves are just way too formal and fussy for our casual kid-filled house.  With a few small changes I opened up just about the whole window and filled our front room with sunshine.  First I took down the curtain rods and re-hung them 3 inches higher and 6 inches wider than the window frame.  I would have liked to hang them even higher, but then my curtains wouldn't be long enough so I compromised here.  Even just a little extra height helps.  The curtains should be hanging mostly over wall, which makes it seem like your windows are much wider than they actually are.  Hanging the curtains high and wide, so that your fabric is just covering up the window frame and no actual window, not only lets in more light but makes the whole room look larger and more grand.
I took down the panels, balloon shades, and scarves and changed to one simple panel on each window.  I think that using only one panel per window here creates a sort-of illusion that the whole wall is filled with windows, instead of two dinky ones with drywall in between.  I chose a favorite color (brick red) and something with a little texture to it, it's a waffle weave.  I considered having no treatments at all on the windows, but we do need the privacy at night and it was a little too stark without the extra fabric in the room.
Here is the room as of this morning:

Let the sun shine! 
I will post more photos of window makeovers around our home tomorrow.

Design On A Dime

OK.  So.  I have spent a good deal of last year's free time learning about interior design.  I remember exactly what kicked off the frenzy.  It was an oak laminate corner TV stand in our family room that had to be red.  It just had to be red.  Being the cheapskate that I am, instead of shopping for a new red TV stand, I went online to try and figure out how to make the thing red myself.  Not only did I discover that you can paint laminate furniture whatever color you want (prime, sand, paint, sand, paint again) but you can in fact paint all kinds of things in lots of different colors.  You can also move things around your house and make little changes to accentuate the positive elements.  I discovered blog after blog from both amateur and professional designers about color, furniture, trim, decor, light, texture, layering, fabrics, and everything else that goes into making a beautiful home.  This appealed to me immediately because, as I have told Kevin since February 22, 2002, I have to look at this stuff all day.  I am here in the house with our children every day and I enjoy a little beauty around me.  I also enjoy having a project (or two or twelve) to work on, and something new to learn.  So here I am one year later with all kinds of design ideas in my head. 
I thought it might be fun to blog about some of the things I've learned and some of the things I've done in our house.  Just about everything is copied, stolen or modified from someone else's good work.  I can't really say that I've thought of anything all that new or different, just taken it and changed it to fit what I like and work in our home.
One of the most fun parts of it all has been trying to reuse what I already have and buy things inexpensively.  I haven't spent very much money at all on my little projects.  Mostly I have moved things around our house over and over again.  It has become a running joke that when Kevin gets home from work, he has to find the thing that's been moved that day.  There is a certain satisfaction you get from making or building a thing yourself, rather than buying it or having someone else do it for you.  Plus, it is a joy to discover that anyone and everyone can have a beautiful home, not just wealthy people who hire designers.  And, as the pros will tell you, the best and most beautiful homes are built over time, and not assembled all at once, which lends itself to garage sale, flea market and clearance shopping. 
But now I am getting ahead of myself.  This is just a little introduction to what I am going to attempt over the next several weeks and months.  I hope you all enjoy seeing what I've been working on, and maybe take away one or two things that you can use in your own home. 

Merry Christmas from the Moores!

Welcome Friends!

Merry merry Christmas and a happy new year!  We would love to share with you some of our family's highlights from the past year.

We kicked off the year with a family trip to Grizzly Jack's water park at Starved Rock. Soon after, our family got the shock of our lives when the long suffering Arizona Cardinals made it to the Super Bowl for the first time ever.  My Dad has been a Cardinals fan for his entire life and we have followed the Cards from Chicago, to St. Louis, to Arizona, watching them lose year after year.  My Dad and brother Ed attended the Super Bowl in February, and although the Cardinals lost a heart breaker of a game, it was exciting for us all to see them get that far.
After the Super Bowl, we had fun seeing old friends and laughing about old times at NFK 100.  We definitely felt like old folks at this event, seeing all of the college students!  But it was great to see our old Newman Center group going strong and continuing on with its good work.  Here's Sharon and I holding Lucy and Dominic at the reunion.

Later that month, Kevin and Lucy attended the Daddy-Daughter Princess Ball at the Champaign Park District, which has become an annual event they both look forward to.  Also, Isaac took his first bath with the big kids in the tub!

Next we celebrated John's 7th and Lucy's 5th birthdays with a family party at Mindy's restaurant in Mokena.  Papa surprised the kids with a Wii console, which has definitely been the toy of the year.  Then, John and Lucy each got to have a party with friends.  John had a traditional birthday party at home with a taco lunch, party games, presents and playing in the backyard.  Lucy took her friends to see High School Musical On Ice at the Assembly Hall, after a birthday breakfast at our house.

In March, we traveled to Anna Maria Island in Florida to spend a week with the Grimes family.  We enjoyed the sun and the beach with Kevin's parents, sister, cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents.

We enjoyed our final semester at University Primary School, where John finished first grade and Lucy finished a year of preschool.  After a long decision with late night talks, advice from friends, changing our minds mid-stream and finally feeling settled, we decided to transfer the kids to Holy Cross School once our time at UPS was finished.
Here's Lucy in her preschool "culminating event," an interpretation of Peter And The Wolf.

When the weather started getting warm again, John decided it was time to ride his bike without training wheels. Not one to be outdone by her brother, Lucy decided to do it too. Both learned quickly and were up riding around (with a few falls here and there) in one weekend.

Grandma Terry, Mike and Uncle Ed came to Urbana for Isaac's first birthday.  We celebrated with a one year photo session, presents and a dinner at Hickory River, where little Boo likes the mac n' cheese.  Isaac started walking shortly after his birthday, and is now running, climbing, bouncing, and moving around like a pro.  Here he is enjoying his homemade birthday cupcakes!  Nom nom nom!

We did lots and lots and LOTS of projects around our house this year, kicking off this spring with a flower box underneath the family room window in our backyard.  John and Kevin built the box, and I planted hydrangeas. 

We had a very relaxed, low key summer.  We spent most of our time at home with friends, playing in the backyard, swimming, or of course playing Wii.  We rode our bikes and worked on our projects both inside and outside of the house.  Isaac got his first taste of the swimming pool this year too, both literally and figuratively.  Unfortunately, the infamous pool must be replaced next summer, it has been used and loved so much that there are too many holes in it to repair.

John spent a lot of his summer (and fall, and winter) building Star Wars Legos.

Our alley was prime space for bike riding, and Cozy Coupe riding.

Kevin and I got to celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary in St. Louis while the kids had an overnight with Grandma Terry and Uncle Ed.  We went out for a great dinner, saw Coldplay in concert and stayed at a swanky hotel.  It was a lot of fun and a great break away.  Here we are just before the concert starts.

As most of you know, I spent the summer training and raising money for the Susan G. Komen 3 Day, 60 mile walk in Chicago at the start of August.  My walking partner, Becky Fredrick, and I raised over $5,000 for breast cancer research and education.  Here we are, almost reaching our goal after the first day of walking in the pouring rain.

With the 3 Day behind us, Kevin and I decided to finish the basement in our home and to do the work ourselves.  When complete, it will be a playroom and home theater with a bathroom, large closet for toys and games, and a kitchenette.  Kevin has been nothing short of amazing in working on this project, spending many late nights and weekend hours taking care of every little detail.  So far the basement is framed out, plumbing complete, electrical work complete, and wall and ceiling insulation complete.  We are finishing a few little details before starting the drywall.  We are hoping to have the project completely finished by the spring, saving a huge amount of money and gaining a ton of confidence and satisfaction by doing it ourselves!  Here's Kevin pulling down the first board from the basement ceiling as the project kicks off.

At the end of August, John and Lucy started at Holy Cross School, John in second grade and Lucy in kindergarten.  It is a wonderful school with a great deal of parent support and a wonderful family atmosphere.  We are very happy with our decision and both kids have teachers they like.  Both enjoy school and we don't have too much trouble getting them out of bed in the mornings!  Lucy loves music class, calendar time, show and tell and especially likes the craft projects.  John is enjoying his class science projects on dinosaurs and bats, and he loves library time and playing group games in PE.  Here they are on their very first morning.

In September, Kevin's cousin Marc got married and we traveled to Warren, IL and Darlington, WI for the wedding.  The kids enjoyed dancing up a storm at the reception.  Here we are outside of the church.

Kevin worked hard all year at Cobalt Digital, thinking up new amazing things as always, and managing their team of engineers.  Here he is showing off a Cobalt project at the SMPTE trade show in Los Angeles, just before Halloween.

In the first week of November, we took a fantastic week-long trip to Walt Disney World.  It was nonstop fun that left us collapsing into our beds every night, but already talking about when we can go back again.  Everybody had a blast including Isaac, who was awfully young for the trip but still had plenty of fun (his favorite ride: It's A Small World).  Here we are watching a performance of High School Musical songs, at the request of Miss Lucy.

Kevin and Isaac watching the fireworks over Cinderella's Castle in the Magic Kingdom:

Isaac and I high in the sky on Aladdin's Magic Carpets:

Finally, we are closing out our year with Christmas lights, Christmas decorations, Christmas gifts, and Christmas concerts and get-togethers.  All the great things about this time of the year, the things we can enjoy with our family and friends as we reflect on a year full of good times and many blessings.  This month Kevin will complete his final requirements to earn his Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering.  We are all so proud of him.  He will participate in the graduation ceremonies in May.  This month we'll also travel to Bloomington, IN to see my brother receive his PhD in Political Science.  We'll also get to see John and Lucy perform in the Holy Cross School Christmas concert.  We've been hearing their songs around the house for several weeks already and I am putting the finishing touches on their homemade angel costumes.
Here's Isaac helping to put up the tree!

And here are the kids by their beautiful Christmas tree.

Once again we want to wish a very merry Christmas to all of you!  We hope that the next year brings you love, joy, peace and all of the best things.

With much love and heartfelt gratitude for your friendship and caring,
Becky, Kevin, John, Lucy and Isaac

Party Planning Committee

The party planning committee made me a sign this morning. I don't think they've gotten the hang of it yet. I am thinking, an ice cream cake would make it all better.

Boo Bailout

Isaac, being unsullied by the world of finance , was simply happy to continue receiving free lunches.

Slippery Slope

Lucy wanted her share as well. Having set the precident with John, we had to oblige. Due to an accounting error, the "Lucy Moore bailout" was accidentally One Quadrillion Dollars. It seems as if Lucy now can purchase the whole world. It's probably better that way.

Bailout Boy

We've decided to try an economic stimulus measure of our own here. The kids are pretty happy about it.