Keeping busy, building stuff

We got a delivery the other day. Who doesn't love a delivery?

'Specially when it is 11 big, heavy boxes from IKEA!

Our family room is directly off the kitchen. It is a space we spend a LOT of time in every day. It is also a space that is bigger than we know what to do with. In this before picture you can see that our furniture from the previous house just doesn't fill the space.

So we made a plan and are slowly going to make this room a place to enjoy being. Starting with some bookshelves to hold our ridiculous collection of books.

 We removed the baseboards and cut openings for the outlets, so the bookcase is more like a built-in. The Doctor is amazing and I am SO glad he was here to figure this project out with me. We also had some handy helpers to 'hold' screw-drivers and climb the ladder to test for safety.

So here is our 'So-Far' picture. We LOVE the new furniture. Next on the list: a new light fixture to replace the giant chandelier, a new rug that is big enough to fill the space, new covers for our sad old pillows, a bench with cushion to go in front of the window, and something to go on the wall above the TV. I also need to work on filling the shelves so that they look good.

 We'll get there, eventually. There are other rooms and other needs (bar stools and a few kitchen chairs...) so we're taking things slowly. Yay for a new house!