A Few Small Improvements

We have been in our white cinderblock circa 1973 apartment for a little over 7 months. It has taken time to adjust to the new space (or lack thereof) and decide what we want to do to make it feel like home. There are always certain limitations when you live in rented accommodation especially when it is university owned accommodation. No nails, no permanent changes, no paint and no removing furniture - you get the idea. Not exactly the easiest place to decorate! 

To start, I added a collage wall of family pictures in the living room (living room/dining room/office). The picture quality is pretty horrible but you get the idea. I plan to find new mats for the 4 pictures that are currently stuck to white copy paper but other than that I am pretty happy with it. 

We don't have a lot of bookshelf space but I did manage to find room for a few more pictures.

There is so much left to do and it can be very overwhelming. I have been working on a list of items/projects big and small to work through over the next few months. 

- frame and hang our two prints of Durham city centre in the living room;

- hang my 4 cream plates (maybe buy some colored ones to include) above the table;

- throw pillows for the sofa and chair (3 white ones and 1-2 printed ones);

- curtains for the living room and both bedrooms;

- runner for the table;

- hallway rug;

- rugs for our bedroom;

- small mirror for above my dresser;

- 3 framed botanical prints for our bedroom;

- new shower curtain;

- fabric bulletin board for Maddie's room;

- 4 clip frames for Maddie's art display;

I am sure there is more! Writing out all of my ideas has always helped me to organize things in my head and hopefully accomplish them. We shall see! 

It is easy to become discouraged in an environment like this. I have to remember that it is only temporary. We are extremely blessed to have a roof, warm beds and a working kitchen. Amidst thinking through the the big projects, I received two small gifts that made me smile.

My mom sent me a yummy new candle! It not only makes the whole apartment smell wonderful but it also coordinates with the rug in the living room. I love it!

I found this cooking scale in a charity shop for...get ready for it...you won't believe it...

£2.00!!!

I had a small scale that I bought in Durham but it broke a few weeks ago. I used it almost every day and desperately wanted to replace it. New ones this size cost more than I am willing to pay. I love to go into the charity shops here (you never know what you will find) and this little baby was just waiting for me to take it home. 

Sometimes it is the small things that help make the big things not seem quite so overwhelming!

Since a blog post would not be any fun without a Maddie update, I have to post this picture of her new obsession. She loves to set the table for dinner. I think she does a pretty good job for a 2.5 year old. :)