Dining Room Curtains… What to do?

We’ve owned this house 1 year and 8 months and yet still have no dining room window treatments of any kind. It’s a tragedy of sorts. The blinding morning sunrise comes through the wall of windows in this room making it difficult to use in the morning hours. These same windows are also very close to our neighbor’s house, which means they see into the house every time they use their driveway. We also need to help the energy efficiency of this old house by adding some window coverings.

So, it’s high time we begin to do something about this issue. There are a few things that are “necessities” to me: Light Control, Privacy, and Beauty.

Keeping these 3 items in mind, here are 5 different window treatment options I’ve been considering:

1. Café’ Curtains on lower half of windows only

I like this option because it gives me a mostly-private room, but still allows for the pretty window grids to be seen and some light to come into room at all times. The negative is that they aren’t as energy efficient and may come across a little to “country” for my style.

2. Café’ Curtains on lower half of windows + white wood blinds

I couldn’t really find any examples of this combo, but I’m sure you can picture it…

This would give me full privacy control, light control, and yet still add some pretty-factor through whatever fabric I choose. Still not sure if it will look too casual or country though.

3. White wood blinds + Full curtain panels

This is probably my favorite option in terms of combing the function of the blinds plus some beauty on the side. However, the positioning of our windows on the walls makes it a really tight squeeze to get curtain rods hung without slamming them into the walls next to them – especially where the far right window meets the corner curio cabinet (see first photo above).

4. Curtain panels only on sides of window

This is the most common and simple option. And probably the cheapest. But again, it’d be hard to fit the rods in and get full curtain coverage on the wall that has the 3 windows side-by-side.

5. Full Curtain panels + Sheers

I’d use a double rod to accomplish this so that the sheers would hang “behind” the curtain panels.

This would allow filtered light to come through the sheers when the curtain panels are pulled back, and have the option to close the curtain panels for total privacy. It’s probably the prettiest but priciest option of the 5.

Given that I’ve thought about these possibilities for 1 year and 8 months, I’m ready to finally make a decision. I’ll let you know that I’m going to use one of the combo options (#2, #3, or #5) and have already gotten started on implementation. More info to come.

Just out of curiosity, which option above would you choose?

Note: Click on the pictures above to be redirected to the original source.

Welcome to 2012!

I know. I know. I'm a few days late on that one. But better late than never, right?!

Let's start the new year right but setting a few goals for the blog, the house, and life in general... sound good?



I'll start with the easy one which is.... the HOUSE.

Back in September, I actually gave you a pretty detailed list of items we accomplished around the house in 2011 (see post here), and listed a few other items to possibly tackle by the end of 2011. The one (main) item we accomplished was pouring the patio in the backyard. I did several blog posts on it in September as we were working through the process, but the final results can be seen here.

After September, our world became a blur of life events and holidays. The house took a back seat, and to be honest, we needed the break. But now it's January, and my rear is in gear to get crackin' on the house projects. Here are a few items that (Lord willing) WILL be done in 2012:

1. Window treatments for almost everyone room of the house except the Master Bedroom, which were done last year. (hint: we've already gotten started on this one)


2. Carpeting for the stairs and hallways and maybe guest bedroom (tax return money may fund this project)


3. Complete ALL interior painting (walls/trim/cabinets) that is complete-able (I make up words) without any needed renovations


4. Move the guest room from the upstairs bedroom to the 1st floor bedroom to make way for a some-day nursery upstairs (key word: some-day)


5. Overhaul of our tiny front entry which has non-painted plaster walls with cracks showing, old terracotta tile, and a rickety storm door


6. More landscaping of all varieties (this never ends)


7. New light fixture in downstairs hall


8. Finish building the cedar steps that lead from the newly poured patio up to the back porch.


9. Install some new plumbing and pipes in the basement in preps for a future 3/4 bath (no fun for me, but it's on Joey's to-do list)

There are a lot of other items I would LIKE to happen in 2012, but I'm not necessarily counting on them (especially given budget concerns). Even ONE of the items below would be great (and astonishing) to accomplish...

1. Vaulting our Master Bedroom ceiling, which would include adding wood planks, exposed-rafters, new vents for heating/cooling, and new lighting (big messy project)


2. Creating a small and versatile built-in office in our Master Bedroom


3. Replacing the 82 year old windows in the Dining Room, Full and Half Bathrooms, and at least one bedroom


4. New siding and gutters on the garage and back porch and new garage doors

Whew! Sooo much work ahead of us.

Next item on the list.... the BLOG.

In case you didn't notice, my number of blog posts per month diminished greatly during October, November, and December. Part of this was just due to the fact that we were SUPER DUPER busy during these months, which means not only a lack of time to blog, but also lack of time to do projects and things to blog about. Just like we needed a house break, I needed a blog break.

I love blogging. I really do. But it can take away from family, friends, work, and other things that are also important in my life. So, my word of the year is PRIORITIZE, which means that the blog may move down a few notches on my "must do" list each day. No worries though. I will certainly keep you up-to-date on the latest adventures at the homestead and well as any other items that I think may spark your interest (PINTEREST, anyone?!). I just may not post every single day (or even every single week) like I was attempting to do some of last year - it's about quality not quantity!

Speaking of quality, I hope to make a few improvements to the site this year, including adding a "Before and After" section to show each room of the house so that you can easily see a snapshot of the changes that are occurring. I'd also like to include a floor plan of the house so that you can get a better picture of the overall space (gotta figure out how to best create this ... any suggestions???). I may also switch blog hosts and go through a blog redesign. We shall see...

Last on my list of "goals" for the year.... LIFE.

This one is tricky to talk about. I'll likely share more on the subject at a later point, BUT Joey and I are in the baby-planning stages. Some of you know that we have been working through fertility treatments and such. So, we're hoping and praying that 2012 will bring us a baby. Only the Lord knows what will happen, but I'm sure this will shake up our life if it occurs. Oh how much I can blog about once it's eventually baby time (and nursery decorating time). Joey is also thinking about starting his own business, taking classes, and things of that sort.

So, this is what I imagine 2012 will look like for us. I'm sure some things will happen as planned and many won't. But at least you get to hear about the journey along the way!