I started to search through my stash of cute stuff and started to add a little decor to the dining room.   We moved the table and the big storage dresser around, swapped spots and that was much nicer.

Still got to put up one piece of drywall over the opening and header, but we just ran out of steam for that at the moment.  We will get to it in a day or two.  (Honestly, we ran out of joint compound!!! oops!)

We like a sort of simplified country/whimsy.   Yeah.  That’s what I will call it, Early American Simply Whimsy County.  I think you can over do it very easily and I’m trying to be careful to keep it fun, light and easy to keep tidy.  My goal of late has been making sure everything is contained and has a place…  Just seems to be better for us.  This dresser holds all our sewing and quilting supplies.  Embroidery, rug hooking, and crafts like that.  By having just one place for it, when that space is filled, then we can add no more.  It seems to help our craft hoarding disorder, somewhat.  I’m trying!

Don’t you just think that a short church pew bench would be darling under those pictures, next to the ninja basement door?    (We’re hoping it kind of fades into the wall a bit…)  Not too wide at all, because I don’t want to block the opening, but something slim, yet neat…   And it would serve us nicely as guest parking!   We have a dearth of seating for visitors…  we could even easily swing it around and into the living room when we have our big parties!   Oh yes, that would be lovely.   In the meanwhile, I would see it as a lovely spot for a little afghan throw and a kitty pillow…

I see these all over the place at auctions and garage sales, flea markets and the likes, but I guarantee you, now that I’m looking, I won’t find a single one for awhile!  Isn’t that the way it goes?   Well, worse comes to worse, I’ll see if Maggie would build me one!   Maybe not quite as carved and ornate, but I’m sure she would make me a little high backed bench.   They don’t look super hard…

Well, we hope to have the dining room all wrapped up by the weekend.   I think we are very very close.   Just that bit of drywall and then frame in the opening, add the trim over the other two openings and paint that.  We might even get the table top sanded and re-stained.  Maybe.