Casa de Fisk

Someone once asked how we manage with six kids in a home on a ranch.  So, Im giving you a little tour of the home (as best I can with photos) today!  

When we first moved here, our house had two small rooms and an extra area where we could put an office.  After living here a few years, we added on...a hallway and three rooms/two bathrooms.  So now, we have three bedrooms, a small playroom and a small office.  

This is the living room.

To the left of the living room is the playroom/school room.

Straight in front of the living area is the kitchen and dining room.

We do most of our schooling right here.

Off of the dining room is a tiny hall with the washer/dryer and then a bathroom.

To the right of that bathroom (when you first walk in) is our office - it also connects to the kitchen right where it and the living room meet.

We made the bedrooms big...with the idea that we'd have a boys' and girls' room.  We would add bunks as we had more kids, and while they may play/study in them, they are mainly just the place to sleep.  Yes, that's foam and duct tape on the bed railings.  We've had one too many accidents.  This is the boys' room.

The girls' room.  It it connected to the boys' room via a jack n' jill bathroom.

At the end of the hallway is the master bedroom and bath.  It also serves as the nursery.

And, there you have it!  Home sweet home.

September Link-Up: Organization

Well, it's the fifth link-up in a series of link-ups hosted by:

Becky @ BYBMG

Elizabeth @ All Kinds of Things

Tara @ Mrs. Coach Sims

Britt @ The Fisk Files

Sarah @ Abiding in Grace

Denise @ Gratefully Inspired

Katie @ The Lane Above

Keri @ Living in This Season

I like to think of myself as a fairly organized person.  In fact, I'm a little neurotic about some things.  Others, not so much.

The kids' playroom is semi-organized and keeps me sane.  I found these little bins from Land of Nod (they have so many fun colors!) and turned our old book shelve into a part-bookshelf/part-toy bin.  Nothing ingenious I know, but it helps us out.

I found little tags to label the toy bins, and at the end of each evening (sometimes twice a day), we put the toys back where they go.  Maybe it helps the kids with sorting, too?!  If not, it at least keeps me sane.

I also love these book shelves that my husband and I made.  As you can see, we have just a few books in the room, so the extra space for some of them is a must!

In my daily life, all I can say in terms of organization is Erin. Condren. Life. Planner.  Get it - it's revolutionizing!  Ha.

How do you stay organized?

An InLinkz Link-up

Five Favorites: Home Decor

I'm liking up with Hallie this week for...

{1} Framed Sheet Music

This is from Restoration Hardware, and I know I've mentioned it before.  However, I think I've finally decided to try and put together some of my own.  I bought a vintage piece of Handel's Messiah, and I am going to try and frame three to four of the sheets to hang in a big open space in our living room. 

{2} Retro Table

We have a little apartment/bunk house to the side of our home.  It's got a tiny white kitchen.  Our home isn't retro, but I love the look of this for that little apartment.  Eventually, when we have the time and money, we're going to fix it up a bit (although it is currently livable), and I want to put this in the kitchen!

{3} Throw Pillows

Admittedly, I love neutrals.  All the walls in our home are either tan, brown, gray or white.  So, it's hard for me to branch out.  However, my parents gave me this antique for Christmas to add to our living room

so I bought these pillow covers from this precious Etsy shop!

{4} Linen Bedding

This, too, is from Restoration Hardware.  I love the look: the neutrals, the linen, the mixing of different shades.  It just feels like home to me.

{5} A Little Bit of Tin

In Jeremy and my first home, there was tin backsplash.  When we moved here, we had to redo a few things, so we added it.  I feel like it gives the kitchen a little bit of a vintage look and goes with the vintage-y cabinets that were already in place.  Makes for a fun little pop of something different.

Make it a great Wednesday, and don't forget to check out the other favorites at Moxie Wife!

My Icon Wall

A few readers have asked about my icon wall, so I thought it was time to give a little more info on it.  It wasn't something I planned to do until I had a crucifix and a couple of icons I needed to hang.  I had seen so many cross walls that I thought I could accomplish the same with some of our religious pieces.  Well, it has begun to spread, and I love it!

For those who don't know what an Icon is, here's a little Wikipedia for you.  It's nothing I worship, but it's an amazing reminder of those in Heaven waiting to pray for us.  Oftentimes, a glance at this wall is a nudge to pick up the pace in my prayer life, which definitely needs a pick-me-up more often than not.

Here are the icons/religious pieces I have on this wall...

...a crucifix from my parents when I moved into my own place.

...my most recent Icon, Saint Benedict.

 ...a plaque of The Last Supper that Jeremy purchased during his journey to the Catholic Church.

 ...a crucifix from Tiffany that she brought me back from Polland.

 ...another icon Jeremy purchased during his time in RCIA.

 ...St. Therese of Lisieux, from an artist out of Taos, NM.  These are called retablos and can be found here.

 ...an icon of Saint Isidore, the patron saint of farmers, purchased during our terrible drought.

 ...Saint Anthony, from the Taos artist.

 ...Saint Elizabeth, patroness of pregnant women (my latest retablo given to me by my cousin).

 ...Saint Joseph.  I gave this one to Jeremy.

 ...Saint Valentine, patron of happy marriages.

 ...this is one of Jeremy's favorites.

...this cross came from our newly baptized Goddaughter.

So, there you have it.  Maybe I'll add more artwork over time, or just stick with the icons, crucifixes and retablos.  Who knows?!