Make the Most of Any Space



By "any", I mean any. Case in point: our temporary living situation in Kentucky. It's basically a suped-up hotel, complete with plastic key cards, stylin' linens, and a channel guide for the TV. Fortunately for us, it's not your average hotel room, but a mini-apartment with a separate bedroom and office (that we double as Asher's nursery), as well as a little efficiency-style kitchen. Thane was given the privilege of returning to our all-time favorite base (insert sarcasm here), Fort Knox, to take command of a unit that's in transition to Fort Benning. (That's where our real home is, the beloved White Elephant). All of this transpired right before our sweet pea was born, and six weeks after his birth we packed up and moved to our little hotel-house. Needless to say, we didn't exactly take this well at first...but more on that later. Here she is!



Since we were coming for a full four months, I wanted to make the most out of the not-so-ideal-but-typical army imposed craziness. And I'm happy to say that even hotel living doesn't have to be bad! A little re-arranging and personalization can really go a long way. It's a far cry from our Georgia house, but "home" is anywhere that the three of us can be together.

That being said, here are a few pictures of our little hotel space:



Waaamp, waaamp, waaaaamp. Not very exciting.

So, I had to do something to improve it. And here's what I did- just a few simple things to make it a little homier and more baby-friendly. Without spending any money, by the way.

I re-arranged the furniture, added a runner to the coffee table, and moved the lighting around.

Anticipating the dark, dingy nature of hotels, I brought two floor lamps from home. One's shown next to the TV stand, and the other one is behind the love seat. Putting them at opposite sides of the room helps to distribute the light the most effectively, and it also gives the room a balanced look. The small table lamps are also "opposite" of each other, for the same effect.

Re-arranging really did wonders. Not only does the love seat look better angled, but it provides some out-of-sight storage space behind it for Asher's car seat and diaper bag. I brought over one of the end tables as well. I think it completes this side of the room, which was bare and unattractive before. I mixed up the "decorative" pillows, so that they're a little less matchy-matchy. (See the one on the love seat? It matches the couch...if the maid comes in when I'm out, she'll re-arrange them so that they're all back on their matching counterparts, ha!) Here are the hidden baby items that you saw sitting around the room in plain sight in the first few photos...

Did you notice the banana weave basket under the end table? I brought a set of two, here are some close ups:

They hold all of Asher's gear and toys, plus our books and magazines, etc, and slide right underneath the end tables. Not only do they provide a little extra storage space, but they make for quick and easy clean-up too. And last but not least, they look nice when they're neatly tucked under the end tables, breaking up the monotony of the hotel furniture!

Again, mixing up the decorative pillows lent to a slightly less matchy-matchy hotel look. (I know, I'm stretching here...but you have to do what you can!)

This trash can used to sit out in the open, next to the TV. Now it's at least tucked away in a spot where it's less noticeable. Asher's bouncer also fits here when it's not being used. Anything to prevent that our-baby-has-taken-over-our-home look, haha!

                                 

Remember these Pier1 pillows I scored on clearance a while back? They were of course meant for our Georgia home, but I was delighted to realize that they matched the eggplant colored pillow cases and white comforter I brought to Kentucky. So, it was OUT with the hotel bedspread, and in with our own linens and pillows!

So, we've made the best of this temporary living situation. As you can imagine, we were less than thrilled to find out that Thane was being sent here for temporary duty. Especially being that it was a mere five weeks after Asher's birth. There was a lot that we lamented leaving...our home, our wonderful church, our great friends...the nursery that I'd just put so much work into, the space I had for painting and sewing, the beautiful community...a settled life that we assumed Asher would have for at least his first eight months or so.

Which begs the discussion of more important matters. As Christians, Thane and I generally assumed that we'd be willing to follow Christ wherever He leads, to do whatever He asks. Then this happened. And He showed us that we (well, mostly me) weren't as loyal as we gave ourselves credit for. He blessed us so immensely in Georgia, and we wanted to hang onto those things rather than joyfully embace the next change He was bringing about in our lives. Try as I might to be positive, all I could think about was what we had to leave and the reality of yet another move, this time with an infant. It was hard, but all the same we did our best to keep a positive attitude, especially in light of the many families that are separated by a deployment. I would tell myself "come on Sarah, it could be much much worse". Not only was Thane not deploying, but Asher and I could go with him and then return home in a mere four months. Piece of cake, right?

And, like always, our good and faithful Lord knew exactly what He was doing. Getting to Kentucky after an exciting, exhilerating, and exhausting month of having a new baby was actually a relief. Like a vacation almost. A place where the three of us could focus on each other and live a simpler life for a little while.

And more than that, we made some wonderful friends here! Sadly, we only had a few weeks together before they headed off to their next assignment in Alaska. But we're thankful for that short time, all the same. We miss you, Matt and Evelyn!

Now that our time in Kentucky is drawing to a close, we're very excited to be going back to Georgia! But we've appreciated our time here, and thank God for His unending faithfulness despite our lack thereof. Thank you for your love and patience, Jesus, You've proved it time and time again with us! And we hope and pray we'll be more faithful the next time life throws and unexpected twist our way.