The Photographic Display of Nine Pictures.

Over a year ago when I went crazy with home organization in our apartment I purchased a book. Real Simple: The Organized Home.

I used this book for all sorts of inspiration and carried it with me everywhere. Somehow, just seeing a bunch of pictures of clean, tidy spaces made me feel relaxed.

I see something that has a lot of order and I audibly sigh and think to myself, "my that is beautiful." Similar perhaps to how one might feel when seeing a beautiful picture of nature. I love those too, but seeing a picture of a purposeful organized space (or better yet having one in my home--that stays realtively intact) and I'm a happy girl.

There is a picture in this book of a wall photo collage. It is so orderly, square in shape, neatly positioned behind the dining room table. As soon as I saw the dining room wall in our home, before we moved even, I had visions of creating a photo collage wall of my own.

When I get excited about something I tend to share the story or vision or whatever multiple times to the people I love.

Well, I must have been really excited about this because I think I mentioned it to my poor mom every time she came over to my house (and quite possibly other times as well). So much so that she began to tease me about it often.

That blank wall was quite the joke, "and on it, I am going to do a square photo collage."

So finally I did it. Just in time for Dashing Boy's 30th birthday party.

I wanted to make my mom proud and I knew she would get a kick out of seeing it actually carried out.

Mom is wonderful. She is my best friend. She is the best at teasing me and getting me to relax and she knows just how to love me and make me feel special. I love you mom!

Mom left this very kind and nice comment on my blog at new years. She is so funny and nice. She slyly added my photo wall as an accomplishment for the last year. Can you spot her wit?

"what a nice post! i am so proud of you for so many things! this has been quite the year for you! as you have eaten your salads ( to name a few accomplishments) you have bought your first house, painted your whole house, planted your first gardens of vegetables and flowers, made your first quilt, arranged a great photographic display of 9 pictures, cooked great food...love, mom"

Only mom's can make you feel so good and valued like that. I hope I can be as good of mom as she is. I wonder if my children will ever make me listen to them excitedly discuss the same thing over and over as mom has had to listen to me.

Now that the collage is up there I have visions of changing the pictures out every so often as the years go by.

(frames were purchases at Micheals for $2.99 each!)