apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Why did you start blogging?
I used to read many scrapbooking blogs and late one night i decided to start one. Out of the blue with no plan whatsoever; that was three years ago. I have blogged nearly everyday since that night. I am addicted!

You always seem to have so many great projects going on. What are you currently working on?
I am making a tent for my little girls' bedroom like in the movie "The Holiday". Also, I am filling my Etsy shop with pillows and paintings to raise money for my missions trip to Sierra Leone, West Africa this spring.

Your room tour was one of our most popular. You have such a great eclectic style. How do you approach the home decorating process?
I am the kind of person who buys something because i love it -- without knowing where i am going to put it. When I see something with great color or good bones and a good price, I usually find a way to get it home. Living in rural Kansas there are great prices on vintage finds. When starting a room from scratch I take my time deciding on what I want the room to feel like: cozy and warm, bright and cheery, quiet and serene, romantic and dark. I then choose paint colors based on that.

The decor style in our home is kid-friendly, welcoming, comfortable with a vintage feel. I want everyone to feel welcome; to put their glass on the table without a coaster, to put their feet up and want to stay. I like homes that look like you live there and that it has progressed over time with love and care. I really love personal touches in every room (children's art, special mementos from a trip, photos of family and friends, a special trinket), so I guess comfortable style is my main goal in our home.

A few years ago, you had a complete kitchen remodel. How was the kitchen remodeling experience for your family? Most families would be going bonkers without a kitchen for so long, but all of you seemed to handle it so well and it seemed well organized.
The kitchen remodel was in 2005 and our youngest of the five was 1-year-old and it was winter. We did go a little bonkers indoors with construction going on...but when you get to see your drawings come to life right in front of you, it's pretty exciting.

Where, in the blogosphere, do you go for inspiration?
• Ashley Ann Photography
• Joy's Hope
• Prairie Daze
• The Pioneer Woman
• Clover Lane
• Brown Eyed Fox

Finally, what is one great piece of parenting advice someone has shared with you?
Don't compare your kids to anyone else's in a negative or positive way. Either way you are breaking them down or feeling superior and neither one of those are good. Love your kids exactly for who they are.

Thank you for sharing, Meg. For more visit Meg's Web site, Whatever.

Since our inception, we have loved hearing from all of our readers as well as reaching out to several in the blog community. You are mothers, fathers, wives, husbands all writing about your families, style and what makes you tick. To continue fostering this great blogging community, we'll now begin featuring close-ups of our favorite family and design blogs as part of our "Big Blog Family".