Home Inspiration: Gallery Wall

As I’ve mentioned before, our nest is a fixer upper. We have big plans for the whole house and especially for the living room, including moving the front door, installing patio doors, and making super useful built-ins in the dead space. Right after the wedding I was in desperate need for something to do on the weekends since my [own] wedding planning days were over. The first weekend with nothing to do the house got cleaned and every room that could be rearranged was. It made a huge impact on the layout of the living room and everyone who has walked into the house has commented on how much bigger the room feels. We have one of those odd shaped living rooms: long, a few dead space places, and the only empty wall broken up by the doorway to the rest of the house. Eventually we will be creating a much more thought-out space but for now we have to deal. Moving the furniture created a wide open wall behind the couch and it’s begging to be a gallery wall so I’ve been pinning like crazy for some inspiration. Here are my favs.

(image via)

This is probably my favorite overall. I think the wall I have is too big to place them so close together but the mismatching makes me incredibly happy.

Road Trippin’

In just a week and a half Annie, her hubby, and I will embark on our journey across North Carolina into Tennessee. Not only will we be crossing state lines, but we will also be crossing time zones. Now, that is what I call a serious road trip. I look forward to seeing the beauty that is the Appalachian Mountains and traveling somewhere I’ve never been before, all while enjoying the company of good friends. However, the idea of being cooped up in a car for 8 hours? No offense A, but even your New York-isms aren’t going to keep me entertained.

Annie did a lot of preparation in planning for our time spent in Nashville, so I thought I’d return the favor by planning for the time spent getting to and from Nashville. I know the idea of a road trip is getting from point A to point B, but who says you can’t have a little fun? One of my favorite movie moments is in Elizabethtown when Kirsten Dunst’s character, Claire, puts together an entire cross-country road trip kit for Orlando Bloom’s character, Drew. It includes what music to listen to and where to stop, including great restaurants and landmarks. While my road trip agenda won’t be as carefully planned out, I thought my list of road trip tools could help y’all out in your very own road trip endeavors.

Have a strong week.

Happy Sunday! Next Sunday will bring a new week, a new month, a fresh slate (as well as a new season). February, being the short month that it is, flew by so quickly. I look back and feel I could have accomplished more, worked out more, ate healthier, cleaned more, called or emailed my friends more frequently, put in a little more effort at work. I often have to pep-talk myself, “Crystal, remember, there are only 24 hours in a day, you are human. You can do better next month.”

One item of major interest I’ve been thinking about lately is being stronger, both physically and mentally. As I think about building a strong and healthy family I really can’t grasp what that looks like while feeling like I haven’t reached my own personal strength potential. This past month my favorite Zumba class got canceled (read Have a fit week). Not only was I bummed, but I was disappointed in myself for not being as quick on my feet to replace that activity with another.