I love those TV makeover segments where they show you the before and after photos. It is amazing to see the transformation. I decided to do a few little makeovers of my own yesterday. I cleaned house as usual yesterday, but I also had some other projects that need cleaning and organizing. (I actually have a whole list of things I would like to get done before Thanksgiving and Christmas!)

I cleaned the top of my piano off. I know this doesn’t sound like much, but music multiplies over the course of the semester. I tend to put things in piles. Even the back seat of our car is full of music. (I didn’t get to that yet.) Yes, there is still a pile of music, but it is stuff I’m working on right now.

This is my piano by the way. It is an upright Kawai K-3 grand. It pretty literally was my first baby. 🙂  After Andrew and I were married, I moved to Nashville Tennessee where he was already located. He lived and worked there while I was finishing my Master’s in Arkansas. We chose the apartment he and a good friend of ours lived in during this time. When I arrived it was pretty obvious that the apartment needed some TLC, interior decorating, and that sort of thing! I worked to integrate our stuff, and turn the apartment from a man cave into a home. (I love you sweety! 😉 After a very short time it was obvious I needed an instrument to practice on. I found a piano store in Franklin county Tennessee and immediately fell in love with this piano! I went home and told Andrew I found a piano I wanted him to look at with me. He was like, “sigh…How much?” I said don’t worry, let’s just go look at it…! Our first purchase together as a married couple was this beautiful piano! 🙂

I cleaned out our magazine rack (funny how those things constantly show up in the mail).

I also cleaned out my closet, which I didn’t finish until this morning. Andrew inspired me to do this actually. He cleaned his closet a few weeks ago. (Believe me, it needed it badly!!!) We are fortunate in this house to have large, individual closets! It has not always been that way, we have shared single closets before. Most of our stuff would stay in boxes, and then rotate for the seasons.  I know, I have a lot of clothes! I love my dresses and skirts! The plastic bins in my closet…that is all my scrapbooks, wedding stuff, art pictures from the kids, and things like that. They go with me everywhere we live.

I rearranged the living room furniture yesterday too! (I know, I was on a roll! I was also very exhausted last night after choir practice!) When Andrew came home and saw the living room he said he wasn’t sure if he liked it set up that way or not. I said we were going to live with it a while to see. It’s funny because when David came home from school he said pretty much the same thing and wanted to move it all back. 🙂 (I obviously don’t change things enough around here!) I forgot to take a before picture of the living room, so this is what it looks like after I moved the furniture.

Emma discovered she likes to try and stand on her head while on the couch! She thinks being up side down is funny! It is pretty cute!:)

I fixed a wonderful pot roast and carrots for dinner. If I’m going to be gone or I want the roast to cook overnight for Sunday lunch, I just throw everything into my crock-pot. If I’m going to be home and I have time, I like to cook the roast in the oven. There is just something about this recipe that gives the roast more flavor. You can find the recipe on food network or the pioneer woman website. It is called the perfect pot roast. You salt and pepper the roast really well. Brown some onions and carrots in olive oil. Then sear the roast on both sides using the same pan. (I use an iron skillet.) Put roast and vegetables in a large oven safe pot. Deglaze the pan with beef broth and pour it over the roast. Add some rosemary and thyme.  Cook for about three hours. It is amazing! I totally recommend trying it this way!