A while back I told you I’d show you the new art work and rearranging I’ve done in our family room.  I did show you my new pillows, framed quotes, and my mantel.  Here’s the rest of it.

You can see what it used to look like here.   We moved the piano into this room and moved the big kid drawing table into my art room.  This has worked much better for the flow of our days.  Every morning we gather after breakfast with some singing and a prayer.  With the piano in near my desk, sewing machine, and spinning chair it was often a tradition that caused me more stress than pleasure.  Someone (read Logan) was always spinning in my chair, turning on my sewing machine, crashing into things, climbing on furniture not intended to be climbed on, being completely distracted by a book.  We haven’t eliminated the book distraction with this set-up, but there is no spinning chair or sewing machine.  Much better.

I splurged on some new alphabet art I’ve long been wanting.  I love Ida Pearle’s paper cut illustrations and thought the alphabet cards would fit well in our learning space.

I also gifted myself this wooden laser cut alphabet from bookhou.

Inspired by this homeschool space I found some fun field guide posters.  We use the bird one quite a lot.  Ian has been really interested in the human body, so I thought the skeletal system poster would be fitting for us now too.  Someday I think I’d like to add a small one with some more color — leaves or mushrooms or backyard bugs.  Or maybe a colorful embroidered alphabet sampler.  Something colorful, anyway.

I spruced up the curtains that hide the deep shelves crammed with extra school stuff and a couple of toy baskets with some patchwork stripes.  They make me happy.

Here’s another view of the old piano.  Every time we’ve moved the movers are incredulous.  It is in pretty sad shape, but it works pretty well, I think it’s pretty, and it’s ours.  Barry wants to paint it this summer.  I’m not sure how I feel about that.  It could be fun, but I also like that it is big and dark to balance our big and dark couch on the other side of the room.   I don’t know what color I’d want either.  I think maybe I’ll paint the bench and see what I think from there.

So, there you have it– our everything room.  Always a work in progress.