And it is done.

Ok, so remember my epiphany about the living room? It is done.

Let me address something before I get into the "tv mounting catastrophe" story though. I got a couple emails after my last post asking me about buying/having luxury items and how that fits in with my idea of living simply. Well, I never said we don't have modern conveniences or luxury items. Our goal is to have what we have without debt. That doesn't mean we can't have nice things, we just really have to think long and hard before we buy them because we don't have credit cards to just charge everything we want. If we can't pay cash for it, we simply don't get it. Thanks to president bush, we did have the cash for a new tv and new bikes this time.

Anyway. Our living room has caused me much stress over the years because of it's layout and the need for as much available seating as possible. For starters, the front door opens into the living room and if you walk straight from the door you cross through the living room into the dining room. (nm the stuff in the pics, we aren't totally done with the putting it away part yet, also nm that the photos are not cropped and edited, I didn't have the energy)

This pathway basically made a good 4 feet by 15ish feet of the living room basically unusable. You can't put furniture in a walkway.

The next obstacle is this large (and dirty) picture window. It's basically a sin to put anything in front of a beautiful window.

So over the years we have been stuck in cramped, un feng shuay (htf do you spell that anyway?) surroundings. We had 2 couches but we ended up having to put one downstairs in the master bedroom last year, unable to part with the space it used up any longer.

Our tv was in this beautiful Pine Armoir that I spent many hours looking for and fenaggling a price on.

I have spent a good part of the last 4 years since we purchased this house trying to figure out how to get more space out of our living room. That room is the hub of our home and where all 8 of us spend the most time. Watching tv, playing games, chatting, what-have-you. It's where Nate's toys are kept which can usually be found strewn across the rug waiting for an unsuspecting foot to step on them or trip over them. A few months ago we had looked at LCD flat panel tv's and couldn't really figure out how one would benefit our living room that much so decided to pass on the idea.

Then my epiphany. What if we put a flat tv on the wall that is the pathway? It wouldn't take up any space in the pathway and we could then turn the chair and couch around and we would be using that dead space!!!!

So first thing in the morning (which lately, due to my preggo exhaustion is the crack of noon) I inform my husband of this groundbreaking idea. Being the man that he is, he wasn't about to pass up an opportunity to buy new electronics and suggested we head to the store immediately. We had just about $700 left of our free gov't money........ it was a sign.

So, we promptly went to Walmart and soon had our tv, wall mount, HDMI cable, and a gazillion other odds and ends because you simply cannot visit Walmart without buying 15 items you didn't know you needed.

Craig had to go to work shortly after we returned home and I had to take Shaylin to the eye doctor (great visit btw, she still doesn't need glasses, is only slightly favoring her left eye, and if the next appt goes well will be going to yearly appts!) so the tv and room rearrange would have to wait.

Yesterday Craig woke me up bright and early (this time it was bright and early, like 9..... who gets up at that ungodly hour?) to get to work. I don't know what he needed me for, it's not like I was actually going to participate or do anything but yell at him.

So he sets to cutting a hole in the wall (to run the wires through, because it is SO tacky to see wires running down the wall and I was having none of it) and we find out, not surprisingly that the kitchen wasn't the only place the old owners simply sheetrocked over plaster. Nice. So Craig is cutting a hole in the 4 layers of wall and I've got a damp cloth and the vacuum running lest my little nate inhale lead particles into his fragile lungs.

So, i'll spare you all the drama but let's just say that by the time we left at 4:30 to go to Christian's baseball game we had JUST finished getting the tv up and working. I kid you not. 7 hours and 4 trips to the hardware store and a few Oh shit moments and a few "screw it this damn thing isn't worth it" moments and it was done hanging in all it's blissfull glory on the wall.

After the game we set to rearranging the other furniture which took until approximately 11pm. This is how it looks now. And yes, that recliner IS as comfortable as it looks, it also has heat and massage and no, you can't have it.