bathroom re-do : part 1

The thing about buying a new house is you go in with all these expectations. Things you want, things you don't want in a home. It's so personal. Then, if you're me, reality sets in and you quickly realize you can't have all the lovely things you want. I wanted a house that was pretty much ready to go. It didn't have to be big, didn't have to be fancy or new, but I didn't want to buy a fixer upper. Fast forward a few months and we've kinda bought ourselves a fixer upper. Yep, apparently I was looking for a challenge and just didn't know it!

The master bathroom is our first project and demo started the day after we closed. Because we were on such a tight timeline before move in it's all gone pretty fast. It's a really small space, but it's been a bit stressful for a newbie re-doer like me. All was going smoothly and looking good, until I made my first mistake. We picked a classic basket-weave tile for the floor. Easy enough and it looked amazing once they laid it all out. Then they asked me to pick a grout color. I reached for the gray, they reached for the white, I studied a second, they said use white, I said ok, and it was decision made. Except that once it was all grouted… I knew it was all wrong. I totally should have used gray. The white makes the basket-weave less pronounced and the whole reason I picked that tile was because I looooved that pattern. Well, hells-bells. The one time I didn't pick up the phone to ask my mom a question and this was it. Always listen to your instinct, not the contractors. They are not interior designers. Lesson learned loud and clear… it's all in the details. I'm just sure I'll make more mistakes, but c'est la vie. Still, this is going to be one good lookin' bathroom we can call our very own.

Here she is before - lovely orange walls & frosted windows into the living room

… and here's some of what we're working with. cross your fingers for me please

our easter

Hooray for Friday! I'm paying tribute to Levon this morning and he's jammin' away in the background on Pandora. Lordy, he was amazing. I got to see him play at the Ryman once and he still had it. Just rocking it all the way until his last day. I dropped Miriam off this morning and she borderline sprinted into her classroom. If you haven't really watched a toddler run, it is something to see. Kinda wobbly and stiff and not nearly as fast as they wish they were going, which results in a great number of tumbles. I tell you, the child is on full speed all of the time. So, we had our first full on melt-down, hysterical crying fit at the grocery this week. I wanted to run in quickly on the way to school (yes, I'm the momma that runs out of milk and has to fill up the sippy in the parking lot) and Moosh about lost her mind when I wouldn't let her get in the "blue car". You know those enormous grocery carts with the toy cars attached for children to ride in? Well, I just wasn't in the mood to deal with that whole contraption and let's just say Miriam didn't agree with my decision. Umm, terrible 2's anyone?

Anyway, I'm going to back up a bit. During my trip home we celebrated Easter at aunt Louise's. I keep meaning to take pictures of her new house, because it's so pretty, but of course I forgot again. Next time. That Sunday was so beautiful I can't even tell you. Big sky and a cool breeze, my deviled eggs w/ hot-pepper relish, and the whole family (minus my husband sadly).

Of course it was really all about my two favorite babies. Can you ever take enough pictures of your own baby really? Those mooshkins had such a big time and I must say they were looking mighty stylin'. I found this Easter dress from Smocked Auctions, which is such a good resource.


And my Charlie baby… that hair just keeps getting better and better my sweets. You totally should have been at the "country club" in your all white duds.


I hope everyone has a happy weekend. Ours is going to be spent removing curtain rods, weird shelves and crappy doors before the painters come in on Monday. So much progress going on over there I can't wait to share. Big move is in 10 days and it can't come quick enough!

april visit

Oh little blog how I've missed you so. No time to write, no time to post, only time for lots and lots of to-do lists going on. Luckily, Moosh and I escaped the crazy tornadoes here and took a trip home. By the time I saw friends, saw family, celebrated Easter and had some work time with Currier, it was over. Dang, a week goes quick, but I certainly enjoy every second of it. We arrived on the farm and boy did that Tennessee air greet me with a smile. Sun was out, grass was green and Spring was in full bloom.

I even snuck in a girls night with my ladies (9 of us!!) and had a ball catching up. Lotta wine and lotta talking going on at that table. We're all so busy with different schedules and children, but that night out totally revived me and reminded me how lucky I am to have such mighty fine friends.

my good lookin' brother hosted us at his cool new pad… and yes, the boy has style

the collector

Have I ever told you my dad is a collector? He likes old stuff. Some stuff that's a little rusty and some stuff that's more polished, but it all tells a story. He loves the background of where something came from. Just point your finger in any direction in our house and he can tell you exactly where he got it and the history behind it. Photographs of the South, equestrian paintings, old quilts, antique furniture, antique books, architectural remnants, mint julep cups, moonshine jugs, mechanical banks, old trophies, vintage marbles, tin coffee cans, old feed sacks…the list goes on. And did I mention old metal signs from farms and gas stations? The barn is full of them. The guy from American Pickers would freak if he ever came by the farm. Yes, the man is a collector. Has been for a long time and I don't see him stopping any time soon. He certainly has a great eye and he knows what he likes. Loves the chase and loves the chance to bid. Must be the stock broker in him! Anyway, I'm sharing this because all this "collecting" lead to a feature in the magazine Antiques. My parents were incredibly honored to be included in a publication they have long admired. So, I just wanted to give my dad a little nod and say how proud I am to have a daddy with such an appreciation for beautiful things. It's definitely rubbed off on both his children!

catching up

My, where does the time go? We had "spring break" from nursery school, my momma visited, and the Moosh got sick - twice. Stinks having a sick baby. I swear she's been sick since we moved. I'm starting to wonder if it's allergies, because even when she kicks the sick part she still seems a bit stuffy and crabby. Poor nugget. Having Momma in town though was huge. We made a trip to Ikea to finally get a kids table and chairs. Miriam is obsessed and loves having her own space to color.

OK, so to the biggest news I have to share… we put an offer on a house… and they accepted! That's right my friends, we are moving AGAIN, but this time to a real house we can call our own. It's finally all happening and happening fast. We close in 1 week which is crazy, but so exiting I can't even tell you. It's not without a bit of angst on my part. I'm a total worrier when it comes to big decisions and this is a biggie. I've been driving myself crazy, waking up in the middle of the night stressing about paint colors. Anyone else ever wake up trying to decide between "revere pewter" and "owl grey"? Hmm, I didn't think so. Whatevs, it's totally it, because I can't wait to get the keys in my hand and get to work on our home sweet home.

skinnytaste

I don't know about you, but I'm completely addicted to Pinterest. It's ridiculous really, but I could scroll through for hours. My best find thus far is this healthy cooking site called Skinnytase. We get in a cooking rut around here so I love seeing what other people are fixing. And the fact that these are healthy makes it even better. Here's what I've been cooking…

Arugula Salad with Penne (I substituted the chickpeas w/ white beans and loved it)

Skinny No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie (insane! I found the healthy pb + real whip topping at Sprouts grocery here in town)

Cajun Chicken Pasta (you can make it as mild or spicy as you like)

Chicken & Mushrooms in Garlic White Wine Sauce (my favorite fix so far - just try and make extra sauce, b/c it's so yummy and serve with rice)

Sicilian Rice Ball Casserole (good Moosh food, but it needed extra tomato sauce overall)

and this is happening later in the week… Turkey Burgers w/ Zucchini

photos from skinnytaste

brining up bebe

I got a small package from home the other week (my momma is sweet like that) and inside was an article from the WSJ about a new French parenting book called Bringing Up Bebe. I hadn't heard anything about it, but after a quick read I signed on to good ole amazon and ordered myself a copy. Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down. I found myself completely obsessed, reading lines out loud to hubs (which he loves of course) and even marking pages to come back to. Maybe it's the new parent in me, looking for all the help I can get! Or maybe it just really hit home with how I want to be. Anyway, I dug it. I loved hearing the author describe a different cultures views on parenting. I think it's fascinating. I went online to see if other people were talking about it and boy howdy, were they ever - kinda negative stuff. Hot topic for sure. So, I'm jumping on the bandwagon and sharing my thoughts.

I didn't take the whole French thing soooo seriously. It's one persons observations and most of the tips are common sense and good, plain parenting. Still, I thought it was a great read and I think we can always learn from other people. My favorite chapter was "the perfect mother doesn't exist" which is all about how the deal with mommy guilt (going back to work, daycare) and balancing work, parenting, being a wife, etc. Totally different over there! "The French also talk about the equilibrium. But they mean it differently. For them, it's about not letting any one part of life - including parenting - overwhelm the rest."

Anyway, here's some more stuff that I underlined, but what I really want to know is… have you read it & what do you think? To all my momma friends out there, please read and then call and let's discuss. And then we could plan a trip to Paris while we're at it. Macaroons, champagne, galleries - we could call it research for a future post. I'd love to know what you're thinking for real.

"genuinely listening to your child, but not feeling that you must bend to their wills".

"excessive praise distorts children's motivations; they begin doing things merely to hear the praise, losing sight of the intrinsic enjoyment"

"I think you need to leave kids a bit of liberty, let their personalities show"

"French parents treat their vegetables with a whole different level of intention and commitment. They describe the taste of each vegetable and talk about their child's first encounter with celery or leeks as the start of a lifelong friendship."

"She doesn't worry too much about how much Lucie eats. But she insists that Lucie has at least one bite of every dish on her plate." "… in France, everyone eats the same dinner. There are no choices or substitutions."

you is kind, you is smart, you is important

I finally watched The Help over the weekend and this one line has stuck in my head. The opening scene shows sweet baby hands stroking Aibileen's face as she repeats these words and I knew I was hooked right then for the next two hours. Baby's love to touch your face. I trace a line around Miriam's cheeks,  then across her eyebrows, and down her nose. Then she does the same thing saying… "mommy's eyes, mommy's mouth, mommy's nose". I think this one line in the movie is so simple, but so powerful and I hope to come up with my own little prayer to affirm to baby girl every day. So, I designed a print… you can buy here.

iphone happenings

Living in apartment is not so bad, but one thing I notice is I always have my hands completely full. Maybe that's all moms? I've usually got a grocery bag, a purse, a baby bag filled with all sorts of gear, keys to get in, a loose sippy cup, and a Moosh on the hip. Sometimes she walks, but lately she plops down in the middle of the hall and starts taking her shoes off so its just easier to let her hang on. Maybe I just need to pretend like we're folks are in the big city. Anyway, all this schleping around prevents me from checking the mail every day, but yesterday I remembered a little package might be waiting. So we swung by our box on the way up and there was the beautiful grey envelope waiting. My buddy Carlisle is getting married and I helped her with her invitations so I was dying to see everything assembled. Don't you just love getting a wedding invitation? Makes you feel special. The invite looked perfect and I was thrilled the colors were as I'd hoped. Even though I can't bethere, it makes me feel like I'm a part of her special day. Here's a quick pic and please excuse the mysterious green crayon that "somehow" made its way on the scene.

weekend pics : Moosh sleeping hard when I picked her up one afternoon. I can't tell you how sweet it is to walk into a dark room of sleeping toddlers. Everyone on their mats, relaxing music, some squirming, some resting. I was shocked to see how peaceful and quiet they all were.

random iphone happenings…it's kinda amazing for reals y'all


painted floor from bh&g / quote from laybabylay

twenty months

So this is what 20 months looks like. Wispy locks growing wild. More bumps and bruises from "running" around. Talking up a storm and trying to repeat what I say (time for me to lose a couple vocab words). Constant runny nose. The occasional tantrum. Obsessing over the number 5 (we live on the 5th floor). Using a spoon. Feeding the Elmo chair milk and snacks. Down to one nap a day. Still rocking the #4 diapers. Learning our shapes. Pretending to answer the phone. Calling out Bizzy bear every time she sees my ipad. Pointing out letters. Ring Around the Rosie on my bed. Eating crayons. And just generally making life a whole lot more fun.