New Dining Room

We spent Saturday scavenging around town... Saturday night weighing our options... and Sunday picking up our new dining set!  {Yes, I'm over budget but I've promised Chris I will sell our "old" pieces this week to make up for the difference in price}

{no splinters and it's ok if P hammers away on the tabletop with spoons}

{one for the mama, one for the papa - can't wait to drink my latte here in the morning!}

{Chris loved these chairs and they actually fit perfectly!}

I'm super excited about how it turned out.  I've been cultivating my inspiration for awhile now and it all came together so easily.  And even though I was over budget, we shopped around and even used a coupon to make sure that the purchase would fit our wallet, our home and our new lifestyle {aka. Paley girl}. 

My crystal ball sees many warm and delightful meals here.

Wedding Fur

Chris & I were married on possibly the most frigid day of 2005 {December 17}.  Our winter ceremony was cozy and small and warm and filled with only the people that mean the most to us.  My one regret - I should have worn fur.  I know, I know.  Soooo un-PC.  But seriously, when else will I have the opportunity to wear such a luxurious accessory and not be mistaken for Cruella DeVille/Jersey Shore castoff?  

Today I was sorting through images from a wedding we did last month and I came across the perfect example of just how perfect this detail can be in the right setting.  Shame on me... I'm wearing one on our 50th Anniversary, and that's a promise.

{both images by FS Photography}

French Farm Table Inspiration

I have to admit that there are a few things that probably should be getting my attention in this house but I really want a new dining table.  What I'm looking for is the perfect rustic{ish}, french farm table.  I love the look of something that has been loved and used - and that my progressively kid friendly home can absorb.  I have been stalking several tables on craigslist and they're easy enough to find... the main cost will be getting the chairs.  My other option is to add one more project to my love's list and have him build one for me {enter: trip to the Rebuilding Center!} but I can't decide if I want something quite that rustic.  Plus, I've got little fingers to consider and splinters suck.

Here's what I'm loving....

{this one's build-able and the chairs would be super cheap}

{I do have a pair of wingback chairs in the garage waiting to be recovered and I could use those, but not quite sure that my dining room is big enough...}

 {love the idea of ottomans!}

{ala Jenna Lyons so naturally I'm envious of her classic rustic meets modern look... not so sure I can pull it off so I would have to modify a bit}

{again, Jenna jealousy}

{this is the only round table that I'm drawn to and I'm pretty sure it's only because these are the chairs that I'm yearning for}

{the mixed chairs are cool... but am I that cool?}

{chunky table with marble top!}

{slim, feminine, French table with simple slip covered chairs are perfect because I love white but need things to be washable}

(not my color palette in general but I loved the reclaimed look}

{sigh... this is my dream chair and World Market just got in a replica of this table... hmmm...}

Feathering the Nest Baby Shower

Ok, this isn't exactly recent but today is frigid and I needed a warm thoughts so I got to thinking about one of my favorite days from last summer.  Here are a few pics of Paley's August shower... I am so lucky to have had such a beautiful party to welcome our Paley girl.

The theme was "Let's feather their nest" and Chris designed the invites which we printed laboriously at his office one Saturday morning.  It was such a chore but I love how they turned out... and that Chris made them!

{so hard to believe my belly was that big... and that I lasted another 4 weeks!}

The flowers I chose were creamy hydrangea in ivory, celery and celadon in birch containers. Because temps were expected to reach the mid 90's we ended up adding a large silk umbrella {which was blazing orange} to the outdoor meal area - which meant that we had to add accents of burnt orange to the flowers.  I was skeptical, but loved the end result!

I found these bird cages I in storage at work and decided to add the real ostrich egg on a bed of hydrangea that we picked from my mom's yard that morning.

We also found these little nuggets of moss lying around and decided to incorporate them to tie the formal place setting in with the nesting/foresty look.  We pinned a place cards to the top of each.

Is your mouth watering yet?  This summer I'm looking forward to indulging in this same punch - except this time Kristi & I will spike it and drink it while lying on the dock in bikinis!

 The umbrella really did come in handy... thanks for convincing me Kristi!

One of the most precious gifts the I {we} got was a quilt that bestie handmade for P.  I still can't get over it!

Yes, this yummy summer day of baby indulgence ended in pedi's for the preggo's {Jaimee Jill, Kristi, and I}.  All of us have since had our little ones and I'm pretty sure we're due for another pedi!

Anyhow, thanks for letting me reminisce.  It is frigid cold today and thinking of this wonderful, warm, summer day has me dreaming of days to come...

Home again, home again

Coming home from our wild Hawaiian vacation {Tsunami drama!} was like slipping into my favorite cozy sweater {which happens to belong to my sweet husband who wishes that it did not now bear the signs of spit up and slobber}. I won't bore you with the story but, suffice to say, this little home of ours is something of a miracle.  This year we have been blessed almost beyond our wildest dreams.  Of course, we got our Paley girl, and that would have been enough.  But if Paley was the icing on our delicious little cake... well, this house is like the ice cream and sprinkles on the side.  We know without a shadow of a doubt it's from God Almighty himself and I am continuously reminded of his goodness each time I come home.  God moves mountains and God moves molehills.  Amen.