Remembering & Starting Anew

Thank you so much to all of you who posted and emailed your sympathies. My aunt's loss is a hard one for our immediate family. Through her battle with cancer, she proved that the human spirit and will to preserver can out perform any circumstance. Upon diagnosis, the doctors gave my aunt 90 days to live….she defied the odds living well over 2,100 days after her diagnosis! It was her determination and unbridled love of her family (4 children & 14 grandchildren) that I will carry with me always and call upon for inspiration when the demands of motherhood seem daunting or downright dull (because seriously, potty training the 3rd time around just doesn't have any ups). 

I shared this prayer above with my cousins as they start the journey to discovering a new life without their mother. It is most pertinent for them, but I think we all can benefit from the words. For me, I know that I need to do a better job evaluating where I spend my time. I enjoy blogging, but the time consumed between writing/photographing/linking is quite large. So I've decided that after nearly a year of blogging I'm going to reevaluate how often I post and most likely narrow it down to 2 times a week. This will allow me to better focus my time on the friends and family outside of the blogging space who need me present in their lives right now. Perhaps when my baby bear is off to school full-time (wipe tears..both of joy & sadness) I can return to blogging in full force. 

XO

Amelia

Saying Goodbye

I will be taking some time away from the blog to be with family as we lay to rest a beloved aunt who lost her battle to cancer on Sunday. When the time is right & the words come to me, I hope to share with you all her story of tremendous strength & the astonishing power of the human spirit. For now, May Her Memory Be Eternal.

Family Room Tour

It may have taken 11 months to add the final touches, but the family room is finally finished and ready for the grand tour. Shall we? When we bought the house 3.5 years ago, the room was a horrific sponge painted & rose stenciled mess. After several revamps, the room has evolved into a calm, comfortable den where all 5 of us enjoy movies, music, games & books. 

A large fan hung from the beam in the vaulted ceiling. Last year we replaced the fixture with a twelve light chandelier from Ballard Designs. It floods the room with much needing light in the evening and despite its large scale, still remains airy thanks to its "wiry" composition. 

Over the summer we relocated the piano from the living room to the far corner of the family room. Atop the piano a pair of crystal lamps I purchased ions ago flank and frame two vignettes of family treasures.  On the left side, one of my favorite little blue & white ginger jars sits next to Belle's 3 month photo. While the right side holds a family March Madness basketball trophy, Bear's baptism photo & a small nest of 3 robins eggs; one for each of the littles. Above the piano I hung 5 Juliska bamboo salad plates to help bring the white accent color present over the couch & fireplace to this corner of the room.

Directly across from the piano is the computer armoire. I am a huge proponent of computer time that is both supervised and in a public space. So even though we have an official office, the computer is housed in the family room and completely visible from my command center in the kitchen (i.e.: behind the island).

 The actual unit itself is from Ikea about 5 years ago. I dressed it up a little with left over glass knobs (RH) from our kitchen facelift and placed my beloved Trojan horse on top. The bench is from my childhood home and is perhaps my favorite piece in the room. Without so much as a single tutorial and nothing more than a few envelope pillows under my belt, I managed to sew a pleated & piped slipcover completely unaided. The fact I made it, impressed me almost more than the fact I've given birth to 3 children….almost. But I do want to carry a picture of it on my phone and show it off to people just so they can marvel at the fact unskilled moi sewed it!

Our chenille, damask printed sectional fills the wall to the left of the computer station. I channeled a little YHL inspiration for the Ikea frame wall gallery. The 4x4 black & whites I had printed at Walgreens prior to the Instagram sensation. The prints are matted on pearlescent scrapbook paper. 

In the far corner of the room is the littles' PBK play table where they do puzzles or build legos. A large wire basket corrals magazines and catalogs until I manage to peruse their pages. The mirror above was a lucky HomeGoods find.

I little while back I blogged about needing to finalized a coffee table centerpiece. After a quick trip to the basement, I came back up with a tray full of goodies just waking to be repurposed. I took a leopard & fleur-de-lis tray and layered on a antique silver urn, hydrangeas in a leopard print footed vase, a candle under cloche, and a bamboo framed picture of Hubby's grandparents with all their great grandchildren. Behind the tray sits a distressed cream birdcage. Other than the much loved picture of Big YiaYia & Big Papou, the rest of the decorations have remained free of little hands.

Rounding out the seating area is a selection of blue & white pillows. On the couch toile Ikea pillows are tucked beneath monogrammed pillows in each corner, while a large 20x20 seersucker, DIY fretwork, & navy bolster pillows adorn the center. The leather club chairs sport crisp white pillows with a center seersucker and grosgrain ribbon appliqué. (Fretwork tutorial here and further pillow details here.)

I'll end the tour with the star of the room: our fireplace. Hands down "greige washing" this former eye sore has made all the difference. Removing the overbearing orange brick, not only altered the feel of the family room, but improved the flow from the kitchen pulling your eye right in. I am so glad I decided to jump in and experiment with painting it. (tutorial here)

And since it is mid Fall, one final shot of the room dressed in autumnal colors thanks to some pops of orange. Despite their bright hue, the pillows are growing on me.

And with that, I am officially down to one more item on the 2013 House Goals: The Dining Room. I've updated pictures of the space on the House Tour to reflect the new layout & skirted buffet table. I'm not loving the skirt and the drapes, but at least you all can see where I'm at in the process. It's always fun having you all along for the ride.

Linking Up to Blue & White party @ The Pink Pagoda

Thrifty Decor Chic November Before & After Party

Halloween 2013

We had a jam packed Halloween. Our day started bright and early with Belle needing to be at school for intramurals at 7:15 am. The Boys and I then spent the morning playing in the basement until it was time to head off to Belle's school parade & harvest party. 

It rained most of the day so the students processed around the halls, rather than the exterior of the school. Afterwards, it was party time. I wasn't a room mom last year and I was so happy to be back in the action this year.

Once school was out we loaded up in the van and headed to trick or treat at the grandparents' homes.

 We rushed home to the neighborhood pre-trick or treat pizza party. Thankfully the rain held off and after a delish dinner Belle, Peanut & Hubby headed door-to-door while Bear and I returned home to hand out candy. 

The kiddies assessed their loot, selected 4 pieces each & left the rest for the Candy Fairy. They are now sound asleep, all the Halloween decor is packed away and it is time to countdown to the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning….where did this month go!?!

Parade & Possibility

2013 Costume Parade

Today Peanut had his Halloween Parade at school. He swam his way through the hallway truly enjoying the chance to FINALLY wear his costume.

After school I did my best to quickly throw together a spooky lunch. Given I had a 20 month old appendage for most of the day, this wasn't too shabby.

Possibility

And the reason for the cutie pie on the hip…..Bear woke up with a fever. After a visit to the doctor, and a temp of nearly 103, we were diagnosed with the "possibility of roseola". 

That means we are in for 3 days of a fever followed by a rash and according to my fabulous pedi, "he'll be crabby as sin."  Sick baby + 2 sugar high kiddies = need for large quantities of wine and a few extra miles on the treadmill. Fingers crossed our pedi is wrong this go around. 

Kid's Bath Reveal

After quite a few setbacks and work arounds, I am over the moon to announce the kid's bath is complete. To refresh your memory, this project was more of a refresh than a makeover since we opted to work with what was there including the tile, counters, fixtures, wallpaper & window treatments. These items were all here when we moved in 3.5 years ago and I just set to work freshening up the space.

To start, I painted the vanities SW Comfort Grey, which actually is an aqua/mint. After my initial freak out (big blogger shout out to all you who talked me down off the ledge) the cabinets turned out exactly as I was hoping. The playful color makes the space kid friendly, yet is subtle enough to grow with the little ones as they age. And you all were spot on; mercury glass knobs are just what it needed.



I kept the counter top accessories practical: cotton balls, toilet paper, q-tips, a clock & framed print of our family mission statement.



In the commode area, Hubby removed the towel bar to the right of the toilet. For the life of me I can not figure out why anyone would want to use a towel that was hanging 2 feet from the toilet!?! Especially one that is used by a 4.5 year old boy…need I say more?

To help draw your eye up to the vaulted ceilings (and cover some of the lovely wallpaper) Hubby hung the Lisa Golightly prints I blogged about earlier. I was able to locate the artist on etsy & procure two prints for $22 a piece, quite a savings over the several hundred dollar canvases I originally found on OKL. I am very happy to report that both Belle & Peanut made unprovoked comments that the paintings are of themselves and siblings at the lake. The fact that the subjects are faceless doesn't bother me like I worried it might.

As most do in the bathroom, I used towels to introduce color. I assigned each little his/her own color and this has alleviated the nightly blame game when it comes to wet towels left on the floor. Belle had a set of monogrammed pink towels so I simply picked up 2 sets of navy & teal towels for the Boys.

And to ensure that those newly assigned towel are hung up, Hubby added a set of peg hooks at kiddie level to the wall behind the door. They use to be at home in the mudroom prior to the makeover. I had thought to give the oak finish a coat of paint, but I was concerned it would peel seeing as how these hooks are intended for wet towels. The chalkboard art was a quick addition crafted from a left over bulletin board and some chalk paint.

Last but not least, the bathroom is also home to Peanut's 9 month portrait….quite possibly my favorite piece of the entire makeover. And with that I am marking this bath off the list. The family room is nearly complete (still have to tackle the fireplace screen) and then I'm only left with the dining room. My goal is to have the entire list complete before the Christmas season begins…I better get on it.

Find Me At:

DIY by Design

Rain on a Tin Roof

Savvy Southern Style

The Scoop @ Cedar Hill Ranch

StoneGable

Polish vs. Patina: What's your preference?

I am a big fan of patina on silver. I adore the look of silver peaking through the the caramelized tarnish. I find it lends a feeling of warmth to an otherwise pretentious piece. But, every 6-8 months my silver get a little too tarnished for even my liking.

A silver bowl holds an assortment of gourds on the kitchen table.

There are numerous silver polishing methods, like those mentioned here and here, but I've always stuck to the tried and true silver polish.  I am quite tempted though to give toothpaste a try next go around. 

After a quick shine, the pieces are gleaming again. The freshly polished tea & coffee service are at home in the living room secretary. While the large service tray is displayed on the dining room buffet.

So what are your thoughts; polished or patina?