So what do I do NOW?

[Note: Friday gems this week are going to be Saturday gems. A post! On Saturday even.]

As Annie explained in our last post, we've been tossing back and forth the evolution of this little old blog. We are admittedly all over the map, and I think that's because our lives are, in many ways, pinging random-like amongst our family responsibilities, church duties, academic pursuits, interests, and, of course, Netflix. There's no neatly outlined game plan for this portion of our lives, which I find wildly exhilarating and mildly confusing. Some days I'm carpooling and planning birthday dinners and writing. Some nights I find myself in this house alone. ALONE. Can you even believe it? I know I can't.

And right now? Now I'm nesting.

In two and half weeks Sterling and I fly to France to pick up our daughter from her 18 month mission. The plane tickets were purchased some months ago, but now I'm finalizing places to stay, and a car to rent, and googe translating directions. Of course, once Jordan is with us she can be our translator, but before we actually swoop in and claim her . . . we have to rent a car, find our airbnb flat, AND find her mission office. Wish us luck.

I've imagined our reunion with her dozens of times. I think I'll be nervous, which seems ridiculous. There is absolutely nothing to be nervous about. I know I'll be excited out of my mind. Have you seen the YouTube video where the missionary tackles his mom? I'm thinking it might go something like that -- except it will be me . . . flattening Jordan. And then I have a million things to tell her and a million questions to ask. I want to hear about every adventure, and all of the people she has met, and exactly what it is like to be a Texan living in France. (For instance, 18  months without queso. It's horrifying.)

Have I mentioned we pick her up at 9 PM? And that we will be jet lagged?

Honestly, I try not to envision the reunion too much. It's a little too MUCH emotional anticipation even for me. So, I'm nesting. Jordan's childhood room has long ago been taken over by a younger sibling -- all of Jordan's college belongings hastily stashed in an unused bedroom. Two days ago I painstakingly cleaned out the room, dragging its miscellaneous contents into the gameroom. Yesterday the painter came. Now I have a clean, white slate and innumerable Justin Bieber posters with which to begin. (JK on the Biebs re-entering the room.)

I'm hoping for a grown-up, peaceful, eclectic vibe that rejuvenates my weary traveler.

Maybe something like this:

image via decorpad

Or this:

image via southernweddings

My only constraints are time (two weeks people) and money (flying to France, ahem). I'm heading to Marshall's now. Wish me luck!

Hang ups

I'm celebrating a little triumph over procrastination today! We moved here last September, our shipped belongings arrived in late October, and ever since we've lived for...oh...eight months with our pictures in sad little stacks leaned against the walls rather than hung up on them. It was just a little daunting to make such decisions and, honestly, eventually I stopped noticing. Also, I've always identified with Jane Austen's comment in Mansfield Park: "I have no talent for certainty." I have to incubate decisions for a really long time and then poof, I'm suddenly ready.

In this case, my level of embarrassment finally outpaced my procrastination/delay abilities. My friend Christie moved into her new house about three seconds ago and Instagram informed me that she has already decked her walls! It put me to shame.  So I rallied, located my gumption, and enlisted Lauren's help to do the old newspaper pattern trick for visualizing where the frames would go:

Then we used a combination of some nails and some of those velcro-like picture hangers. We're renting our home here and our landlord wrote into the lease that we have to ask for permission for every nail hole we make. We asked for a certain number but still want to be mindful that these are not our walls--and avoid landlord grief at the end. (Thanks, Sarah, for suggesting those 3M Command picture hangers*. Worked like a charm!)

It's amazing how much more cozy it feels now. More like home. (There's still space for more and we plan to let it slowly morph over time. Assuming I find my gumption again.) Score one for ye olde internet and a little old fashioned shaming.

Are you a get-er-done type like Christie or a no-talent-for-certainty procrastinator like me? What's on your list of long-awaited projects?

*3M did not pay me anything to say that; I just wanted to tell you what I used in case you're interested and mulling over a hanging project of your own.