HGTV, here we come! OK, not really...

It's amazing what a difference just a little bit of money can make when decorating a room. We've lived in our house for a little over 4 years. About 3 years ago, we decided to paint our entire downstairs a nice, mellow tan color. Very earthy and cool. But, that paint job was pretty much the last bit of interior design that has occurred in our downstairs since 2003. Not a single picture on the wall. But, all that changed this past week when we decided to get our undecorated butts in gear and purchase a few items. Rachel used her birthday gift card from Lowe's to buy some snappy reddish curtains for the windows, and we found some great deals at Kirkland's on a mirror and a weaved iron thingy that now hangs over our fireplace. Rachel also bought some fake berry branches in fall colors that she put above our cabinets. That looks really cool. Literally, for a mere $150, our living room and kitchen look greatly improved. And much more like a home. I think we've been wrapped up in this idea that we want to move in the next 2 years, so we've been hesitant to make too many changes or improvements. But, weve come to this simple conclusion: this is our home. Whether we stay for 1 more year or 20 more, it's still our home right now. So, why not make it feel more like a home? We're even toying with the idea of replacing the carpet in our living room. The pop and gatorade stains just don't go with our chosen design motif....