Resolution #1: Update my family gallery wall

The last time I did my family gallery wall, I was still pregnant with Katie, who's now six. My children are suspended in time, and anyone visiting my house would think they're 8, 5, and a newborn. Regular Suburban Zen readers know that's not the case.

One reason I haven't updated the wall is that I love looking at the old pictures of each of the Furber kids -- I remember precisely when and where each one was taken, and what else happened that day:

• The picture my friend Erin took at her house in Olympia -- Jack was wearing Andie's pants because he'd taken a dip in the bay in his own and needed a change.


• The Christmas card picture from the year Katie was born. Andie edited the film and picked the picture because her hair looked the best in that one.


• The picture of Jack on his first day of Kindergarten -- he asked me right before school "Mom, what's the best way to meet friends?"


• The picture of JP and I on our honeymoon kissing in the front of a catamaran.

Every time I think I'm going to update those pictures, I can't decide which I can bear to take down. I've decided instead that I'll just add to the wall until it's completely full. Now I can add the new pictures I've been meaning to add, like this one:

without retiring any of my favorites.

And Dad, remember the shot of us with the Elvis statue at the House of Blues? That's going on the wall too.

#23 Update the Gallery Wall for the Season

Like all families, we generate lots of art. I especially like the Christmas art that comes home each year. My favorite is the reindeer made with Andie's foot as the head and her hands as the antlers. Art like that has to see the light of day at least once a year, so we update our gallery wall for the holidays by putting two or three of our favorite pieces of the kids' art into the frames. No need to buy new frames, just temporarily bench a few photos, slide in some cute holiday art, and you're done in 20 minutes.

Five Things I Forgot I Had

The swap meet at the Furber house last weekend was a moderate success. JP,Jack, Andie, and Katie all got great things that they were very excited about. One man's castoff is another man's treasure, it seems.

I rate the event as only moderately successful because I didn't get the inbox I was hoping for. Maybe next time. However, as always happens when I start looking in closets and under sinks, I found some pretty good and useful stuff I had forgotten about. For example:

Some plastic storage drawers that were nearly empty under my bathroom sink are now in the garage holding JP's odds and ends on his workbench.

Some empty wine crates are now holding table linens in my dining room.


I found a supercool corkboard that now makes a great addition to my command center in my laundry room.

I found stashes of notecards all over the office. When I gathered them all together, it seems like we've got enough to get us through about the next five years of thank you notes. We now have a drawer in the office dedicated only to notecards and thank you note writing supplies. Stand by Grandmas and Grandpas -- thank you notes are on the way.

I found dormant frames all over the place -- in the garage, in the office, in the hall closet. Next time I think I need to buy a frame, I don't. And the next time after that, too.

Cleaning out my closets looking for stuff to trade just wet my appetite for a bigger excavation. I think I'll venture into the garage next -- maybe my inbox will be in there.

Only the Boring are Bored by Guest Blogger Andie Furber

A kid's bedroom can often seem, well, boring to them after a while. To make it more interesting, add a picture wall! I have one in my room, and whenever I look at it, it cheers me up.

Devote an entire wall to it, preferably facing your bed, so it's the first thing you see when you wake up in the morning.

There is a delicate balance to which pictures to choose from, and they can't all be the same kind of thing. You'll need three different things:

1) Photos: They bring back memories, and they remind you of your family and friends. For these, use plain white frames for them. They'll balance out a color photo, and complete a black and white one.

2) Posters: If they're very colorful, they look really good on your wall. I have two posters from the plays I was in: Seussical Jr., and Stuart Little. The Seussical poster is bright and colorful and pops, and the Stuart Little poster is more neutral. For these, don't even bother with a frame. My mom buys some blue clay-like stuff from the store, and you put it on the back and it sticks.

3) Artwork: Use some artwork from your elementary school days. (You know you still have it.) They remind you of those days, and they look great on a wall! For these, use colorful frames with patterns and cool colors, and try to match the frame with the art.

My Mom always says "only the boring are bored." So if your room is boring, don't let that define your personality. Take control of the situation, and express your creativity with a picture wall.