Bitts's Profile

I work in front of a computer until10:30pm every night, so I've had to calibrate my falling-asleep method very carefully. I have to get up at 7am and I require a LOT of sleep for optimum function. I take 1mg of melatonin at 9:30pm, put my earbuds in with ambient beta wave music at 10:15pm, turn off all the external lights at that time, too, then go upstairs in complete darkness at 1030. I check the kids, wash up, and put on a hoodie, zip it to my neck, and put the hood up with the sleep mask over it so the mask stays put. There is a ceiling fan on high, blackout roller shades drawn, and a sleeping partner. If all goes according to plan, I'm out by 11pm.

In our first house, we painted the walls off-white and the trim, fireplace, and crown molding this wretched greenish-yellow color (Behr Winter Wheat). We did not have children at the time, but once our oldest daughter was born, I learned that our paint color was the PRECISE color of a breastfed newborn's poop. I seriously painted my trim baby sh!t yellow.

We have several:

1. The bedroom has cathedral ceilings, and our furniture (and personal style) isn't "massive" enough to make the room look warm, well-decorated, and "finished." I don't know what to do with the broad, windowless expanse of walls on on 2 sides of the room.

2. There is a 1-foot deep ledge that runs horizontally across the wall at about 9 feet off the floor. The wall continues above it. It is accented by a piece of molding at the front edge. All that has been on the ledge (under which are the closet doors and bathroom door) is dust.

3. When the master bathroom opens directly off the bedroom, how closely do they have to match? How divergent could the wall colors be? What about bathroom linens vs. bed linens?

Our house is shaped like this, and I have a round dining table & 4 chairs there. Our formal dining room is where your eating area seems to be from the photos.

Asolutely stunning. The blue bedding MAKES it. Pink would have been overkill, plain white would have been unbalanced ... The blue is just slightly unexpected and eleates the whole room to UTTER DIVINE PERFECTION!!

I agree with AmberM about microfiber. Spot-cleaning just ends up making them look shabby & dirty. I also think they look cheap. We have a giant Bernhardt with textured, dimensional fabric. The pillow & cushion covers all zip off (but I wouldn't call them slip covers, so I strip them and machine wash & dry them every 8 weeks or so. With a 5 year old & 3 year old frequent washing is essential. Our couches are about 15 years old, and they have only begun to show their age in the last 2 years or so.

I would try 2 things - first, take them off the rod and throw them in the dryer again (or wash them first, if they haven't been washed in a while). Add several dryer sheets, if you use them, to break up an hard-water buildup or detergent residue that might be weighing one or the other of them down. Then I would iron them both - ironing VASTLY improves the way my curtains hang. When you rehang them, remember to check that they are both hanging right-side out - sometimes it's hard to tell, and I've hung curtains upside-down or inside out many times!!

I am really disheartened by the attitude of many posters toward the normal behavior of young children. It seems to me that perhaps you'd *expect* to find a wide cross-section of ages and abilities at the grocery store -- everybody's gotta eat! Instead of scorn, you might try a dose of compassion for the glazed-looking mom in yoga pants, guzzling coffee ... she probably got 3 hours of sleep last night, thanks to the toddler screaming in her cart. I can guarantee she's doing her best, though, and she'd really appreciate you giving her the benefit of the doubt, rather than the stink-eye. And go ahead and move her cart to the side, if it's blocking your way. Just don't touch the kid. She doesn't want him getting your germs, any more that you want to get his.

Absolutely stunning. That kitchen wallpaper -- I DIE!! LOVE the "mixed metals" in the bedroom. Utterly gorgeous.

I love the coral / gray / tile turquoise / white combo. I would do the wall behind the sink & mirror in coral, the rest of the walls in a warm light grey, and sink skirt / curtains (I see natural light - there is a window, right?) in coral / turquoise / white fabric. White bath towels and coral or turquoise hand / accent towels. Those tilEs are seriously gorgeous, and so are the sink & tub. You are lucky to have such a lovely starting point! Please share your after pictures!