Home Sweet Home: Living Room

I've always heard that the kitchen is the heart of a home, but the living room has got to be a close second! When we bought our house the living room wasn't completely horrible. It was a little dingy and outdated, but it didn't require a whole lot of work in terms of construction. I only wish I had taken a picture of the metal tree and the dead roach that resided in the fireplace before we bought it...snuggly.

BEFORE

The most work I did was on the fireplace. That fireplace is 100% useless, by the way. Since it wasn't in the budget to replace it, I had to try to make it look a little better {or at least make it not as noticeably yuck}. My proudest accomplishment? Sharpie-ing in the white grout around the black tile so that it less resembled a bathroom from 1980. Throw in some staggered glass candleholders for a little ambiance, and it'll do.

AFTER

The picture below is looking in from the dining room. The collection of photos on the wall is from our wedding. In general, I prefer photos to art because I am a Sentimental Sally. Speaking of, my great grandfather built the bench that we use for a coffee table, and I love love love having a piece of furniture that has been used by generations in our home.

If you're wondering why there is a significant {and permanent, mind you} dip in the left couch cushion, see below. She's quite the guard dog ;)

If you'd like to check out other bits and pieces of our Home Sweet Home, click HERE!

KP

This is one of my favorite pictures of my father-in-law and one of my favorite memories all wrapped up in one little bunch of megapixels!

I am most thankful for the example he has set for Josh, but there is oh so much more to this man of eccentricity.

He is a pretty incredible artist. He does all sorts of different types {I know there is an artsy word for types, but I can't think of it at the moment} of art, but my favorite ones are his pen sketches and watercolor.

When he cooks, he just tosses in a bagillion ingredients and sees what happens...sometimes good, sometimes bad ;)

He is always my ally when there's something I really really really really want {i.e. a small pool in my backyard}!

He loves history and old family stories and making connections with people through mutual friends or family members. I guarantee he knows several people you know.

When he's being sassy, he calls whoever his sass is in reference to "honey darlin'" with a very country twang.

He knows the most random facts of anyone I know. The example that stands out in my mind is the spanish word for baby goat....knew it right off the top of his head.

He is on a historical building commission, and he has an unhealthy attachment to original features of historical buildings. If he thinks an elephant statue is original to a structure, he will fight to keep it.

He preaches quite a sermon. His approach to God's word is both honest and innovative, and I always learn from what he's teaching.

He is a soft hearted gem of a man, and I am so proud to be a member of his family!

Happy belated father's day to Kenny D!

Oh, Danny boy!

I have been a Daddy's girl since the day I was born. No apologies ;)

He is second only to my husband in humanly influence on my life. He has never pretended to be perfect, but I have never seen him waiver in his faith and commitment to Christ. He is the most Godly man I know, and I am beyond thankful that I have been blessed to be his daughter.

Well...now that I've got him choked up, let's get to the good stuff ;)

He's a bit of a pyro {accidentally only, of course} He's started so many pasture fires that as a gift a couple of years ago, one of his presents was a double-barrel backpack fire extinguisher. I don't think he's had to call 9-1-1 since then, but I'm not positive on that one...

I have never seen him in real life without at least a mustache. He grew the mustache when my oldest brother was born and the rest of the beard when I graduated high school.

Almost every morning, he does push-ups and crunches on his bathroom floor, and chin-ups on the pull-up bar he installed over the toilet. My mom might shoot me for posting that they have a pull-up bar in their bathroom...

He always taught me {or tried to teach me} to be self-sufficient. He insisted that I take a self-defense course, so I took tae kwon doe one month during my senior year of high school. If I am attacked from a very specific direction, and I land in a very specific position, and my attacker is wearing a collared shirt, I will have them passed out in under 5 seconds ;).

He never just gives a gift, he always makes it a fun and exciting process. He hides gifts in things, sends you on scavenger hunts, tricks you into thinking you're getting something else, or just straight up surprises you out of nowhere, and it is always so much fun.

He's not judgmental of people unless they do not use there/their/they're, your/you're, etc properly. It gets under his skin for some reason, and it is SO funny.

He is a human disposal. He eats and eats and eats, but you'd never know it to look at him. Whenever I would invite a new friend over, I would always warn them that if they left any food on their plate, he would more than likely finish it for them. After their first visit, they usually came to expect it.

I love following in his professional footsteps. It's fun to compare then and now, and to talk about things we've experienced. If you want to hear a nerdy conversation, you can generally sit in on one of ours and get your fix.

He will do anything he can to help another person. One time I heard our preacher tell my dad, "I am so tired of people saying that Danny Ponder is their little angel..." I loved it! {Don't worry, they're good friends :)}

Not one time in my entire life has he ever told me there was something I wasn't capable of doing.

I love him like crazy, and I hope he has a fabulous Father's Day!


~Check back later this week to hear all about my father-in-law... You won't be sorry you did!

1, 2, 3!

I have three kind-of-random-but-still-connected things to discuss.

Just this morning I was asked the question, "If you weren't a pharmacist, what career would you choose?" Turns out, that very same question is the topic for (1)Wishful Wednesday at The Seattle Smiths today {minus the pharmacist part - which by the way I can now officially call myself because I passed the Boards and have my license! That was pretty much the last step in finalizing this process, and it feels unbelievable to have that weight lifted. :)}

Anyways, my answer to the question was quick and easy - Interior Designer! Not because I am any good at it, mind you, but I enjoy it so very much. I am one hardcore nester. Even when I was a little girl I told people I would be a decorator, which I had forgotten until my dad {who is also a pharmacist, but not so much a nester - ha} reminded me.

I guess that explains why I like having projects and will probably never be finished with this house. I just can't help it!

Today, I'm also doing a tiny bit of (2) Home Sweet Home, the built-in in our dining room/space. {In case you're wondering why I do just little snippets of our remodel at a time, it is because a)we have a fairly small house, and I don't want to run out of posts to do ;), and b)there are usually a few things I want to change before I post photos to the worldwideweb.

For instance, I am still working on some changes to the light fixture in our dining room, so I am basically only posting one wall of the space to show you. To put your mind at ease, however, I will tell you that the fixture is no longer the UFO you see in the picture below.

BEFORE:

As a reference point, the wall and door in this picture are no longer there, so the dining room is open to the kitchen {see the kitchen HERE!}. That was probably the most dramatic change because it was the only structural change to this area. The rest was purely cosmetic {the icing on the interior decor cake, if you will}

AFTER: built-in/hardware

The changes were pretty minor - a fresh coat of paint and new hardware. I knew I wanted glass knobs to match the original knobs on the rest of the doors in the house, and I found these online at restoration hardware. They would have been a bit pricey if we were using them in a kitchen or larger built-in, but for such a small cabinet they were not a big investment. I am so glad that they at least look like they could have always been there, even though the rest of the knobs in the house are about sixty years older :).

And now onto (3)Candice Olson Wallpaper! My husband thought I had to be joking when I said I wanted to put up some wallpaper. I then explained that it is making a comeback, and he is just a little behind on design trends {I guess it would be kind of weird if he were up-to-date on them ;)} Plus, I don't want to use just any ole wallpaper, I want to Candice's wallpaper. In my book, Candice can do no wrong, design speaking of course. I can't even get started on how fabulous everything she designs is...some other time, perhaps.

So, I really really really want to try some wallpaper on an accent wall, and I think the wall surrounding the built-in would be a good option.

I love this lattice pattern- modern and clean but still pretty and soft. In my head {my vision, as Nell the Ultimate Nester calls it}, this wallpaper would create a fabulous focal point, and help set off the built-in. My vision, however, could be painfully off, in which case I {meaning Josh} will be left with a gluey ugly mess and huge project to complete just to get the wall back to normal.

Decisions, decisions ... they never were my strong suit ;)

Name Change

I started this blog on a bit of a whim {you can read my first post HERE}. It was a rainy Friday afternoon, and I didn't have to work, so I just went for it. Needless to say, I picked the blog name quickly without a lot of thought {if you know me at all, you know that not thinking is not like me - my maiden name is "Ponder" for Pete's sake ;)}.

So since Day 1, way back when, I've gone back and forth about whether or not to change the name. I tend to lean to the cheesy side, like way to the cheesy side, so my hesitation was that whatever new name I would pick would inevitably be too much.

Then came the word delightful.

It is a fabulous word, a beautiful word, meaning greatly pleasing or entertaining; joyful.

I like to think of it as describing those things that make it impossible not to smile.

It encompasses not only what I hope this blog to be but something I hope I can be as well. It can be placed in so many contexts - some simple and some complex.

A story can be delightful, or a thought or opinion. A photo can be delightful. Honesty is delightful. A good, hardy belly laugh, a fond memory, and a warm piece of pie {especially ala mode!} are all delightful. A hand written note in the mail or a surprise visit from a friend- so very delightful.

But ultimately, my goal is to be delightful in the sight of the Lord.

I can't ever be perfect, or even have perfect in sight. Some days it feels like I am living from mistake to mistake, but God doesn't see it that way. He forgives so that despite my multitude of imperfections, I can still reach for greatly pleasing Him, being found joyful by Him.

Can I entertain Him? I don't really know about that one...but I'd sure like to think so.

Make no mistake - I know I do sooo many things that aren't delightful - that's where that forgiveness comes in ;). I also know you have to be other things besides delightful, like strong and courageous and faithful and bold, but I still think you can be delightful all the while.

...

I'm not very good with directions, never have been. I miss turns or turn too soon or get distracted by baby miniature horses in a pasture along the road {they are THE cutest things ever}. But Delightful, that's where I'm trying to go.

Plus it starts with a "D," like Damascus, which is just enough cheesy for me. ;)

the space between

You have no idea what confusion one little space can cause. My name is Beth Ann. Beth is my first name and Ann is my middle name, but I go by both of them. Together. But two words.

I hope this doesn't mean I am supposed to be twice the pharmacist ;) {Don't worry, one BethspaceAnn name tag is on its way}

The double-name issue has followed me my whole life {I know, there are worse issues to have, but I'm probably not gonna post about the sixty-seven awkard phases I went through any time soon, so I'll just stick to my name ;)}.

It's pretty comical now all the confusion that arises from being called by two separately-worded names, but when I was younger I had a tendency to make a bit of a stink when people got my name wrong. If anyone had to ask more than once how to spell my name, I blurted out It's Beth.Ann. Two words, no "e," as if it should be committed to memory. Bratty, I know. {I still have to use that definition every now and again, but I do so with a much more gracious tone.}

A lot of times, a person will remember that I have two names, but they're just not quite sure which two names. Mary Beth, Sarah Beth, Jane Ann, Mary Ann...the possibilities are endless, and I generally answer to any combination that is at least half right ;).

Oh, and just as a side note, "Beth Ann" sounds remarkably similar to "but then," which is a surprisingly common phrase. When I say "huh?" to people as if I'm nosy and want to know everything they say {in all honesty, I do hate to be left out...}, it might just be because I thought they said my name when they were actually transitioning from one part of a story to the next.

Speaking of transitions... I don't think I've done too well with those on this post, so I'll call it a night. You now know more than you ever knew there was to know about living life with a space between two names :)