Whew! Last weekend flew right by! I seriously don’t think I stopped for a single second! The good news, though? I got my home office set up! Yipeeee!!!
Here’s your before photo:
Absolutely nothing special. You can’t see in the picture, but the baseboards are a different color white than the walls which are a different color white than the ceiling. So, I spent a thrilling Friday night painting the ceiling and baseboards the same crisp white. Then I ate a frozen pizza and watched Person of Interest on my DVR.
Saturday morning, I was up early to do a long run for my half marathon training. (The run deserves its own post, so you’ll have to wait until tomorrow for that.) Unfortunately, my iPod was dead. 13 miles with no tunes? Definitely not happening.
Anyway, long story short, I got a much later start with the painting on Saturday than I had hoped. Given that I’d never actually painted a room before, I had pretty much no idea what I was doing. But aside from spilling a bunch of paint early on and a badge of honor sized blister on my hand, it wasn’t too bad. If I could get someone to do all the trim for me, I totally wouldn’t mind painting one bit!
Then on Sunday, it was time for Ikeafest 2011! I literally spent the entire day assembling bookcases, a chair and a desk. Bookcases—easy. Chair—easier. Desk—total PAIN. I must’ve put that thing together and taken it apart at least 4 different times before getting it right. And I thought it would be easier than the bookcases. Silly rabbit.
But! By the time all was said and done, I had an office!
I’m so proud of my little achievement. Given that I have such a hard time picking out, well, anything, it’s kind of amazing that I had an idea of what I wanted, picked out things to make it work, bought those things, and then executed by vision. Who AM I?!?
Usually, I play it safe and just pick out the coordinating furniture that they have set up in the store, but I deviated from my matchy-ness and went with something different. I actually really like how it all looks together!
Obviously, it’s not totally done yet, but for the office portion of the room, I’d say it’s fully functional! I even got a fun mirror for the wall.
I’m so proud of myself! I actually did something to make my life better instead of having a nervous breakdown! 
My dad also came over yesterday to install some light fixtures. They may not seem like a lot, but having them all match makes the place seem so much more homey to me.
Oh, and remember this?
Shazam!
Random chandelier—gone! Thank God for a handy dad!
So, the place is coming along. I feel 110% better about it than I did last week, and I’m hoping that I’ll start feeling more settled soon.
As a reward for all of my hard work, I made myself a giant stack of Coconut French Toast last night.
Yep—you even get a recipe from me today because I’m just that good. Domestic goddess, what?!?
Coconut French Toast
Serves 1
4 slices good quality bread (I used Honey Whole Wheat from Great Harvest)
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup egg whites (or 2 eggs)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. coconut extract
1/4 cup shredded coconut
Preheat your griddle to medium. Whisk together the coconut milk, egg whites, cinnamon, vanilla, and coconut extract in a shallow dish. Put the coconut in an even layer on a small plate. Dip each slice of bread in the mixture to saturate both sides, then press into the coconut to coat both sides.
Spray your griddle with non-stick cooking spray and grill the toast for 4-5 minutes per side or until golden. Top with syrup (I added some coconut extract to that, too, because more coconut is always a good idea in my book).
Come.to.mama.
Totally comforting and delicious. Why is breakfast for dinner so good???
Alright. Enough procrastinating for this girl—gotta go put that office space to good use!
Are you good at decorating and home improvements?
Your office space turned out great! We have the same rug in our bedroom and it’s worked out pretty great. Gotta love IKEA
Thanks! I couldn’t believe how cheap that rug was–$20!! Good thing I don’t live closer to Ikea or I’d be out of control!
teehee, you are so unbelievably cute! i totally always stick to things i know will match, so i’m proud of you for deviating – it looks AWESOME! and good job painting! i am really good at big spaces and horrible at trim
Awe, thanks, doll!
Yeah, I hated doing the trim, but the big walls were easy peasy.
I love the rug, I love the color of the wall and I love the chair. Well done!!
Thanks, Jill! The chair was my “wild card” item, and I love the way it looks with everything. YAY!
awww it looks so adorable! I love the rug! i love that your dad is near you now so he can help you out with some of those things! i love decorating, but its like i never know where to start! handyman projects…well, ahhh not so much! i just bought a vintage dresser for my ‘art studio/office’ that i am going to re-do and paint! i cant even decide on colors at this point…..
(
it’s all coming together for you! yay! and the french toast, well, um, amazing!
Oh, wow! That sounds like a fun (terrifying!) project! I’m so glad that my dad is close by–he’s really willing to help, too, which is awesome!
Oh, the place looks so good! I love the blue/gray paint you picked for the office and I love love love the bookshelf. You did good! Man, I love taking on projects like that and seeing them through. It makes you feel so accomplished and like you really did something that matters. Did your rug come from IKEA too?
Thanks! I do feel accomplished–it’s a great feeling!
Yeah, the rug was $20 at Ikea! I couldn’t believe it!
I might have to paint over it when I leave, but considering how crappy the paint job is that they left me with, I’ll just slap something up over it. I figured it’s worth it to make it more homey.
Oh…are the owners going to make you change the colors back when you move out?
cute cute CUTE! I love the colors!
YAY! Thanks! I need to get some soft yellow accents now. I’m excited about how it came out!
The room looks amazing!
Thanks, Lori! You need to come over and see it in person!
Aw your office looks so good!! That mirror and rug are awesome! And the french toast sounds absolutely amazing…yum
It was! You NEED to try it!
Love your office! It’s really cute as I wish my office had some color like that. I’m glad you were able to accomplish something while staying healthy:)
Thanks, K! Me too! It was actually a lot of fun!
Love the office! Nice job!
You need to come & see it in person!
Actually, I was thinking tonight that I need to plan a trip out there very soon!!!
AAAH I LOVE the new room.
Beautiful wall color, love the shelving unit…and I own that same clear chair from Ikea!
Thanks, doll!
I love the chair so much more than I thought I would! I might even get another one!!
You room looks AMAZING! Your office is great, and I love the mirror you were able to find. I definitely wish that I had an IKEA close to me. I just bought some coconut flakes so I’ll definitely need to try out this recipe soon. It looks delicious! Congrats on a great experience decorating this weekend:)
Oh, thank you! You are too sweet! Yeah, having IKEA close is dangerous . . . but in a good way.