Lightening Things Up!

 (Graduation time: I promise I wasn't his date!)

 So to say it's been awhile would be putting it mildly and it's always boring to go on about that, so let's move on, shall we? It is crazy to think it is mid-summer already and I have managed to get through my eldest son's graduation from high school, helped write TWO magazines (watch for news about our upcoming Matthew Mead Halloween and Holiday issues), and a myriad of other milestones and projects (including renovating our basement family room and also renovating a down-on-its-luck and not-yet-finished home across town that I will share about when it is complete). With the purchase of a new pool heater, we have confirmed to ourselves that we are staying put in our home for another couple of years, at least, and we have enjoyed beating the very welcome heat in it nearly every day--a welcome change from previous summers when the water was too chilly to dip a toe in for more than a few weeks out of the summer.

Moving on, as I mentioned we renovated our basement and I had fun incorporating some more youthful style --which is perfect, as the room will mostly host my pre-teen daughter and her friends when they hang out at our place. We ripped carpet put from the stairs and the family room, replaced it with a gray weathered-wood-look laminate, and painted the room a fresh coat of warm white.

And then I added in some pieces and accessories like this (from my Olio board):

Actually, the map never made it into the room in the end (I did a fun gallery wall of all of the great photos and art I have collected over the past two years from Etsy), and I debated over wallpaper and other little details for a very long time, but I can finally say that it is finished. I still have not taken any proper photographs yet (there is only one proper window in the space, so it is not an easy room to "grab the light") but I will share the before and after photos soon.

(My little family...when I look at this, I can't believe how big my kids are getting!)

I hope everyone is having a GREAT summer. We have the good fortune to have our German exchange student visiting us for a three-week holiday, so we are heading out soon to view the Tall Ships at the Pictou Harbour.A trip to the beach is on the docket tomorrow. We are working away on crossing off the things on Sophie's summer list!

How are you planning to enjoy your weekend?