This week has really brought it home to me how much I love our house and the family space we have created. 

One of my favourite blogs Design Sponge has a regular "At Home" feature and at the end of each post, they always show a photo of a handwritten note, explaining what their favourite thing at home is to do.

I love this idea. It makes you stop and appreciate what you have. 

So here are mine. 

I thought about the rooms we spend the most time in and walked around the house, armed with scrap bits of card and paper, thinking of all the happy memories we have created here.  

If you are feeling a little fed up with the world ever then take a notepad and pen and do the same.  

I promise you will feel better. Sometimes it's good to take a minute to stop and think about what we do have, even though it's easier to think about what we don't!

What do you love about your home? Which is your favourite room? 

And if you fancy seeing where I keep all my glassware have a peek here.  I have to say it's now twice as full, I keep sneaking little ones in from the charity shop for 50p and hoping Rich doesn't notice! But at 50p how can you resist?! 

When I was pregnant we chose to have a surprise. Both times.

So there were many evenings spent day dreaming about what our nursery would look like. 

I had a vision of hot air balloons at one point and eventually found a lovely blue one that hangs in Sammy's window.

I was quite superstitious during both pregnancies. I observed the old wives tale not to bring the pram into the house before the baby arrives and we waited to meet our babies, before deciding how to decorate their little rooms.

I knew I would want a "boys" or "girls" room.  I know lots of people want to have a room all finished, so go down the neutral route, but as soon as I had my boys in my arms I was itching to order nautical delights and woodland wonders! 

So the day dreaming about pastel pinks stopped the moment Ollie arrived, until my darling niece came into the world! 

Pinterest is awash with ideas!  

I love that my sister has shared the planning of their girly nursery with me, to indulge the pink lover in me that has been missed! 

They are both trained in design so I always thought they would put together a beautiful nursery. They talked about stripes from the moment they were pregnant. They are almost finished and when they are, I will share some photos.

If either of my boys had been pink ones I think these are the sorts of ways I would have loved to decorate. Classic, with girly touches without being too babyish. You can find these images and lots of lovely others here.

Sammy is 4 now and his room is still as lovely as the day he went in it for the first time. I have updated some of the photos and the room has grown up with him, but with all the original details still appropriate today.

Plus it's saved some money not decorating again!

He has some wonderful personalised touches, including prints and letters but they are often quite expensive.

Vertbaudet are now offering free downloadable, personalised posters to adorn your nursery and children's walls. There are some sweet themes to choose from and you can change the text for whatever suits your room. You could print one for a gift too!

I chose the butterfly theme for Yasmin lu as that was the inspiration at my sister's wedding. There were butterfly details everywhere!  

So my darling niece will have a little something from me in her new room all for the price of a frame!  

There are some beautiful matching bedding and accessories to each print, have a peek, I bet you will find something you love.

This post was brought to you in collaboration with Vertbaudet

Last week I put it to my Facebook likers what they wanted to read, whilst we were away on holiday in America this week. 

Top of the list - a kitchen tour! 

So here is Part 2 of my Happy Home Tour.  You can see Part 1 - The Living Room here.

Our kitchen is about 5 years old and was an extension to the original space that was finished just before Sammy was born. We went up and out! Our bedroom fills the space above and there is a utility room next to the wine rack that I forgot to take a photo of! It really is nothing too exciting - a sink full of washing and bags for life full of bits and bobs each time we clear the cars out, that never get sorted! 

One of our best friends built the extension but tragically died in a terrible accident (along with his brother and our other best friend) 3/4 of the way through. I found two pictures from an abstract constellation series and bought them the moment I saw them. I like to think they represent James and Chris as stars in the sky.   

Our kitchen is modern and bold, in comparison to the rest of the house. Black gloss units and walnut wood floor and surfaces. I love the island the most. It creates such a sociable space and whilst the boys are still little, we chose to have a giant corner sofa unit, storage chest and a little painted table for them but at some point in the next year or so will change the large sofa for a smaller one and bring our dining table into the room.

We often forget we have a living room at all! It's such a cosy and welcoming room that our family gatherings tend to centre in this room, with some people up at the island on the bar stools and some on the sofa. 

It's the perfect space for wrapping presents, the boys sit up there to paint and play with play dough and there is always a laptop open! It's sort of become a communal laptop and visitors feel comfortable to just log on, check their emails and browse the internet! 

There is always glasses and the boys drinks cups to put away on the drainer, a leftover party decoration and a crate full of paper work to sort that gets so high it spills over the top. Whilst the black units do have smeary hand prints on them most of the time I still love them.

The kitchen might be in contrast to what people probably expect us to have. And even though our house is in the countryside it works. A contemporary finish with softer accessories like cushions, candles, flowers and photos.

I adore the big window frame style picture frames and on a never ending jobs to do list is updating the photos!  

It's a light space with two sets of double doors onto the garden and I love the kitchen being at the back of the house as I can see the boys playing in the garden. 

It's my equally favourite room in the house tied with our bedroom. Maybe that will have to be next on the Happy Home Tour!  

What's your favourite room in your home? 

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