A Sweet Shower

A few weeks ago, some dear friends and family graciously hosted a small and sweet baby shower for "quattro", as we're calling him.  It was a sweet, sweet time of fellowship and lots of laughter.  The theme was simple:  "nesting" in gray, yellow and white.  As you can see, you can never go wrong with pennants, pom poms, yellow chevrons and striped straws! 

We're heading into the final stretch now that I'm 36 weeks.  I've been trying to put together a little nursery area in our master bedroom and also revamped my work area.  Trying to photograph it is a whole other project!  Here's a small peek. 

I hope to post some more pictures next week, before I sign off for a short while. 
Tune in for a fun giveaway next week too!

Have a great weekend!

A Little Moment in Our Entry

Hello there!  Well, things are definitely slowing down around here.  I'm about 8 weeks out from meeting Baby #4 and needlesstosday, I'm not embarking on any decorating projects these days.  I can hardly get through the day without a nap lately!  Most of my nesting comes in the form of cleaning or organizing as I know if I don't get to it now... who knows when I'll have the time!

For today, I thought I'd share some pictures of our entry way console table.  In my opinion, entry ways are one of the most important areas in a home.  I can't tell you how many times I pass by this table each day and it's such a great place to create a special little moment of items you truly treasure and make you smile.  Remember... elevate the everyday!

This first photo is kind of a "before" photo.  Not a bad arrangement, lots of things that make me smile.  My lovely gourd lamp, my favorite houseplant - maidenhair ferns, a painting by my grandmother that we used for our wedding, and a pair of Foo dogs given to us as a wedding present. 

Here's how it looks right now.

Just removed the fern and added a few family photos.

I love the runner I added.  It gives the table a little more depth.  I love Dwellstudio, but can't afford most of their items.  This "runner" is just 2 napkins (on sale) that I folded in half and place side by side. 

I also love my little ikat bowl from Anthropologie. 

Kind of bummed I didn't buy more as they are now discontinued.  :(

So, not a huge deal.  Just thought I'd share a little moment from our entry.  When the rest of the house is a complete mess, this is a nice place for me to find some peace... if just for a moment.  :) 

How are you capturing the little nooks in your home?  Does it make you smile or make you cringe?  Here's a little article from Lonny with some great tips for styling an entry way table!

Have a great weekend everyone! 

Oh and by the way... if anyone is curious.  I had a great time being in a flash mob 2 weeks ago!  It was so much fun.  What I loved about is that it brought so many people together!  About 800!  It was not about any one individual, but a group of people doing something that brings them joy and hopefully the "audience" too.  I loved doing it and disappearing into the sunset.  They called us... dancing ninjas... now you see us, now you don't.  :) 

Click here to watch the youtube video.  I'm at 5:03 and 5:40, for a split second! 

Well It's About Time!

Happy Monday.  I was really excited when I saw this post over at Apartment Therapy.  I've been eyeing this rug designed by the Novogratz since I saw it on one of their HGTV episodes last year and so glad it will finally be available.  Looking forward to the rest of their collection at CB2 this summer!

Isn't this room fabulous?

(via tiltonfenwick.com)

Oh how I'd love to have this in our family room:

along with a new sectional to fit our family of 6!

IKEA Ektorp Sectional

And we'd have to get a clear coffee table so not to distract from the rug.  :)

CB2 Peekaboo Coffee Table

A Sweet Deal!

If you like these 2 rugs, run your fingers over to dwellstudio.com and order these PRONTO!  They are on sale for an insane price.

Big Floral Citrine Rug

Big Floral Persimmon Rug

The 8 x 10 is just $255, regularly $850.  And the 5 x 8 is $135, regularly$450.  You know how much I love Dwell and I've never seen a deal like this!

Too bad I can't this for myself, don't really "need" it... but just in case someone wants to give me a great Mother's Day gift... I'll take the yellow in 5 x 8.  :)

Enjoy!

One Off the Bucket List

I'm celebrating my 36th birthday this weekend by participating in a flash mob in Seattle.  I haven't had to learn a dance routine since high school and am really loving it!  :)

When was the last time you crossed something off your bucket list?  :)

Have a great weekend!

Growing Grateful Kids

I've been reading this book, growing grateful kids,  over the past couple weeks.  I checked it out from the library, but it's been such a good read that I'll probably end up buying my own copy.

 

If you're a parent, you probably have a mental list of character traits that you want for your kids.  Everyone's list may be slightly different, but they probably included things like kindness, compassion, honest, hardworking, etc... 

For me, included in my top 5, would definitely be gratitude.  Gratitude is a biggie for me.  I would be so proud if my kids could grow up with a real sense of gratitude as they walk through life.  And more importantly, understand WHO is the ultimate giver of all gifts.  None of the things we receive are because we deserve them. 

I like this book because it's a an easy read, practical and oh so relatable!  Susie writes alot from personal experiences and at the end of each chapter she includes practical questions for us to think about as parents, ideas on how to teach it, and a prayer.  Lord knows our kids learn so much more from what we do, than what we say.  Oh boy!  This is more than a parenting book because it's been reminding ME of how I can better live out gratitude in MY own life. 

I just finished the chapter on restraint.  The message in this chapter has stuck with me.  Here's a short excerpt:

"When we oversaturate our kids with the latest and greatest trinkets and toys, we actually ruin our children.  When we bail our kids out so they don't have to struggle, we actually weaken them.  When we make excuses for our kids so that they don't have to feel bad about their behavior, we deceive them into thinking they don't need a Savior.  When we lay down the rules and then change them because they are not convenient to enforce at the moment, we confuse our children and diminish our own credibility...  it's not such a bad thing to let our kids wrestle through difficult circumstances or to go without something they want or to face their own character flaws."

I think the part that spoke to me the most is doing the hard things, even when it is inconvenient.  How many times have I given it at the grocery store or at restaurant, just to make things easier?  To a larger extent, this is why homeschooling can be a huge challenge.  Constantly teaching, redirecting, and reinforcing character lessons definitely cuts into my "to-dos" and can be extremely inconvenient.  But obviously oh so worth it.

Ok... this has turned into a much wordier most than I usually write, but I thought this was too good of a resource to not pass along.  Gratitude in today's world of over-indulgence is a special treasure to possess and to work towards.

Kitchen Art

I got the new Crate and Barrel catalog and one thing that caught my eye was a couple of their new dish towels.  I love textiles and some of these are almost too beautiful just to be used as dish towels.  Frame them for some great art for the kitchen!  You know me... "elevating the everyday" right?  Well... doesn't get much more everyday than this.  :) 

(Canning Dish Towel from Crate and Barrel $5.95)

I knew I'd find some great pieces on etsy too!  There are sooo many, here are just a handful of my favorites.

For my fellow Pride and Prejudice fans, aren't these cute?  From brookish.

Love the colors and graphics on this one.  From avrilloreti

A sweet reminder.  From:  indobay

A great punch of color and pattern.  From: leahduncan

Happy Monday everyone!