Monday, 24 September 2012

He Gets It Honest

 Some days I just have to go pick up Henry before work is over because I just can't be away from him any longer.  Luckily (maybe because he has been working with me from a few weeks old), he doesn't seem to mind one bit.   
Fabric swatches? LOVES them.  Gray leather club chair with nail heads? Check.
 Reclaimed wood and more nail detail? Check, check.
 Gray velvet?!?!?!?  He loves it all...I can't imagine where he gets it.

Wednesday, 19 September 2012

Tuesday, 18 September 2012

What I Wore

 Thank you for the e-mails* asking what I wore in the previous post!  Here is the quick breakdown:

Shoes for Milly:
(borrowed but after last week I think I need a pair)
Milly Puzzle Tile Print  Vivienne Sheath Dress available from Revolve Clothing.
 Dress for Rachel Zoe:
My dress is by Vince from Saks but I can't find it online.  This one is almost identical, I like the neck even better.
* I know several people are having problems posting comments, I will see what I can find out.  I had to switch how comments are published due to an influx of comments for commercial purposes.  Drives me CRAZY!

Monday, 17 September 2012

What's Up

I can barely remember this past week...  We moved into our new house a week ago. 

We're still living on the upper floor because the rest of the house has been gutted, which is actually working out just fine.  Most of our things are packed up & in the garage...  We labeled things as best we could & had a lot of help from our family, but some things have still just ended up "missing."  Right as we were moving into our house, a huge storm hit and the movers got our stuff under cover as quickly as possible so "organization" sort of hit the fan.  We're slowly climbing through the garage in search of some really important (A.K.A.  "work") things.  Dave's whacked his (bald- completely exposed) head on the garage rafters mulitple times during his searches.  :(

 
 
Fall is hitting (I loooooove Fall!!!) and it's time to switch over our wardrobes but most of our stuff is buried in a POD in our driveway.  We've had people (on a couple of different instances) walk up to our house & ask if we were having a garage sale!!!  My grandmother was here one day & told the woman asking, "No, it's just junky."  (Thanks Grandmother! ;)

We had a new nanny start last week & it didn't work out so we're on the hunt again.  I've realized I can pretty much deal with stress calmly in any situation- except when it comes to my kids.  When I'm worried about them & who I'm leaving them with, I am not okay. I may not freak out & show it, but inside I pretty much just want to give up & quit everything & just be with them.  This past week, we watched as the new nanny we hired (very sweet, I think?)  do things over & over that just didn't sit right with us.  As the week went on, I realized we'd completely lost trust in her & that it wasn't going to work out.  I'm swamped with deadlines at work & having to constantly check in on the kids &and worry about them being okay or not didn't work out so well.  SO, she's out and now we're on the hunt for Mary Poppins again!  For now, we're trying to make it work. 



We handed the keys over to our old house this weekend (tear!) and getting the holes in the walls patched up & getting all of our things out was so intense that I really don't think I ever want to move again.  (Please remind me of this next time.)  There's just SO. MUCH.  STUFF.  I broke multiple vaccuums & Dave was out until 2 AM getting the house ready Friday night for the Saturday morning walk-through.   We did so much of it with our kids with us because we were afraid to leave them with the nanny, which was one of the hardest parts.  You just can't get as much done holding a 3-month old.


{Bye bye sweet home!!  We loved  you!!}
 
...And it's onward march!

{It's even more contemporary than our last home, which I'm really excited about!! It's not the home I ever imagined myself living in but I looooove it & can't wait to make it "us"!!}

So... for a very long time, this house is it.  We're done.

Which brings me to the overall conclusion that I want this house to be just right.  Just right to raise our family in.  I want it to flow & work well on a daily basis & then be able to convert easily into party space for gatherings.  At around 2400 square feet, we need to make the most out of it.  I want the materials to feel good & to be perfect for the vibe I'm after.  I'm willing to wait for the right things and I don't want to rush anything.  (Although I can't wait to have a kitchen again!!  And a washing machine too for that matter!! ;) 


{The back view}


The messiest things need to happen first and so one of those "messy" to-dos is sanding down the pine beams on our living room ceiling...  They currently have a dark brown stain on them that hides the old pine beams.  I really want to be able to see & appreciate the wood iteself, so the team from CarrMichael Construction is hard at work, hand-sanding the dark stain off the wood & hand-scraping and wire brushing the wood to give it a rough-hewn look. 



{above, beams before}
 

{You can see in the pic above that they're getting lighter!!}
 
 
Time to start my day but I'll be sure to post progress pics & show you some of my inspiration photos!!  Finegrs crossed for us in the hunt for Mary Poppins!!




If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Snapshots- NYC Last Week

 NYC last week was so wonderful, I am adding it to my favorite times in New York list.  We went for Fashion Week, which was more amazing than I expected, but the best part was quality time with some good friends.  
Above and below, Milly Show.
 I thought this was an interesting shot from one of the shows we went to....
I flew in on 9/11 and we made our way downtown.  I lived near Ground Zero the summer after 9/11 and although a lot has changed, you can still feel the hollowness in the air.
 One of the best parts of the trip was lunch and shopping in Soho with Camila and Hudson.  He is so cute it was all I could do not to put him in my purse and walk away.
 The final show we went to was a private show by Rachel Zoe.  To say I was excited would be a major understatement.
 The crowd was even treated to a Q&A with Rachel hosted by none other than....Prabal Gurung.
 I flew back to Birmingham Friday, landed and literally got in the car to go to Oxford, MS for the Ole Miss game.  It was a special day, Henry's first time in the Grove.  (And yes, that is the same dress I wore to Milly)
So here I go, back to the real world...sigh.  Hope you have a wonderful Monday!