I just can’t wait any longer. I have to show you our living room now that the wall is out. After this, I promise to be in thankful Thanksgiving mode for the rest of the week. First, let’s take it back to the original before photos.

Here is the front living room when we first considered buying the house. And just behind that wall on the right is the crematorium back living room.

I think dark paneling must have been the law in 1964. And wood burning stoves that get to be ten million degrees. Here is the room now.

Let’s see that again, shall we?

The room the night before construction…

…And the room now. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. And Amen.

**For anyone who is under the false impression that The Man and I did this ourselves, let me give you a hearty laugh and a firm never-in-a-million-years. They are called Billy and Walon and they work magic.

I have nothing to offer today but this little preview of our living room. The wall is down! I’ve been measuring and sitting and staring and thinking. And then I move to the other side of the room and measure and sit and stare and think. This is most definitely my idea of a good time. It’s like I have half a new house. I’ve secretly been scoping out other walls in our house, wondering what if we just…?

(Just kidding, honey. I’m not really doing that. This is our last big project. Really.)

Remember this room from this post? The one where I asked for your advice on knocking out this wall? Well, you spoke and I listened. So now, it looks like this.

One step closer. Of course, the kids immediately brought toys down from the play room to junk it up because being present in an empty room without toys is evidently against kid law. Construction starts on Wednesday. We’re sittin’ on ready, as my sweet, Southern mother-in-law would say. Actually, we’re sitting on nothing if you want to be accurate. Can’t wait to show you after photos. It won’t be long now!

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Bloggy friend Kimba just moved to a new address. I know you read her. Now go update your feeds and check her out!

In accordance with Day 7 of The Nester’s 31 Days to a Better Dressed Nest series, I am coming to my peeps for house advice. See that wall with the picture?

We want to knock it down. Because on the other side of that wall is this.

Two living rooms back to back.

When we have people over (have I mention my husband is a youth pastor? With a youth group of nearly 300?) this is kind of what it looks like.

Crowded. And the front living room is empty with crickets chirping. This living room is where we live. The front living room is where the Barbies live in the forts that are made by our kids. It is a big, non-used formal play room.

We’ve already had several men look at it to determine the load-bearingness of the wall (it bears a lot of load, evidently), but are told it can be done. I’m not concerned about that part.

But I need girl eyes to tell me how to divide this wall. See where the fireplace mantle and hearth ends?

How should we transition the ending of that for maximum best-ness?

Once the wall is gone, the fireplace will be way over there. Should we put some type of column next to the fireplace so it doesn’t just end? Would it look weird to have the wall jut out a foot until the hearth ends? I think there will still have to be a header across the room, so it will sort of look like a big 20 foot long framed out doorway. That makes no sense, does it? If you have any words, please advise. I’ll be hanging out in the comments.

October has brought out some serious nesting instincts. I’ve been cleaning out, getting rid, and froofing up like a mad woman. One place I’ve spent some extra time in lately is the twins’ room.

To fully appreciate the after, you must first see what their room looked like before we moved in.

Nothing says ‘princess’ like a wall of dark paneling and a pile of junk in the corner. So when we first moved in, we painted the walls Sherwin Williams Celery and put up their bunk beds: instant girl room.

Still, I felt like it was missing some magic. Then, I saw this post a few months ago from my friend in real life, Amy at Playing Sublimey. She took tulle, white lights and some leftover wood scraps and made her girls room look fit for a castle. We don’t have wood scraps, but we did have some nets in the closet just waiting for inspiration. I thank Amy for giving it to me.

We hung the nets from the ceiling and tacked white lights to the wall behind it. Mirrors were already hung over their beds. I was too lazy to take them down and then I realized it made the twinkle lights that much more twinkly. What a happy accident.

There is little I love more than some tulle and some white lights. The girls think it is the most fantastic thing ever. I have wondered more than once if The Man would let me do this in our room. I’m thinking not.

Before the paint.

After the paint.

Painting brick is sometimes the best idea ever. This is one of those times. I have more photos to prove it, but is that really necessary? Just because the house is dated when you buy it doesn’t mean it has to be dated when you live in it.

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I’m guest posting over at The Inspired Room today, where the lovely and gentle-spirited Melissa offers encouragement and inspiration for creating both a beautiful home and a beautiful life without breaking the bank. I hope you will hop over there and say hello!