Fall.

Grade school was great school for a number of reasons. But my favorite is how it forever shaped my crazy anticipation of summer. I no longer have the "last day of school" to fuel the excitement, but somehow the excitement comes back year after year. And summer remains to be a time of amazing memory making. You never let me down, Summer. But you kind of did this year. No hard feelings.

I went back to work in May. By work I mean the kind of work that allows me to be creative every day. Demanding, yes. Rewarding? Incredibly. Don't get me wrong, I'm over the top about my job. But I finally understand first hand what I've read on mom blogs for years. Dropping your child off at preschool for the very first time is possibly the biggest heartbreak a gal can have. The days where I wondered if I'd ever get 5 minutes for a shower suddenly seemed so sweet.  Despite the newfound joy of using parts of my brain previously in hibernation - and daily adult interaction - and wearing something other than workout clothes - and lunches void of peanut butter and jelly - my summer was one big hefty does of education in balance, boundaries and letting go of a messy kitchen. Sometimes, there's just not time in the day to get it all done. It's been hard. Just last week after dropping Max off at school, I got back in my car and suddenly tears came out of nowhere. I was the crazy lady crying in her car in an empty parking lot. So yes - at the risk of pity party indulgence - it's been a hard summer.

It became exponentially harder when Max had a seizure last month. He went limp and appeared lifeless. Within minutes of the paramedics arrival, he came to - and although at first dazed, it didn't take long before he was back to his usual (and endearing) shenanigans...pestering his new paramedic friends  to play choo-choo. Long story short, we went to the pediatrician - who recommended we see a pediatric neurologist - who recommend we see a pediatric cardiologist after detecting a heart murmur. In addition to seeing the cardiologist, the neurologist is bringing him back next month for an EEG - which, how they're able to keep a toddler still for 90 minutes is beyond me. 

So all this to say, I'm not a sorry sadpants over summer's departure. Maybe not this fall, maybe not ever, but hopefully one day, I'll see clearly the benefit of this particular season of life. With pain comes growth. I'm grateful that God makes my pain sweet. I'm trying to recognize the sweetness in the midst of the pain. He's up to something grand. Something much bigger than my day to day life. 

Vintage cane chairs get a makeover!

Yikes. Another 3 weeks have gone by since my last post! But these three weeks have been eventful. More to come on all that. Right now, I just have to give you a glimpse of my latest project! It's been a big one. Multiple trips to Home Depot (sometimes in a day). Lots of elbow grease (and hopefully more defined arms!!) And even some casualties. Like our deck. And a lawn chair. But it's been worth it! 

I found these chairs (which came with an amazing octogon side table) at a little, hole-in-the-wall garage shop off the side of the highway. All three pieces were in pretty stinky condition. But with a price tag of $50 for the set, I couldn't resist.

It's been a labor of love. But I'm on the home stretch now. All I need to do is decide on fabric and have these beauties recovered. Of course, making a decision on fabric could take me months. I've already gone back and forth. And back and forth.

Help! All suggestions are welcome!
At the moment I'm leaning towards keeping them light and neutral.
Like these.

What do you think?

LOST AND a new FOUND treasure

How has it been an entire month since my last post? Things around our house have been nutty. Too much happening all at the same time. And since giving birth, I've completely lost my ability to multi-task (translated means I've been nutty too.) Organization, I'll make you a part of my life one day. One sweet day.

But time has flown. I feel like it was just spring break week on MTV.  (I did not watch spring break week on MTV. Do they still do that?) While you've been productive in blog land, I've been lost in a cluttered mind.  I've missed you lovelies!

I'm excited for today's post! You know by now that I'm a sucker for anything DIY. And it's a lucky day for us, ladies, because the talented Anna of A Newfound Treasure, stops by to spill her to-DIY-for tips on how to create a look for less, do it yourself Dorothy Draper duo of chests.

Enjoy! And don't forget to stop by Anna's blog where you'll find more tricks, time-savers...and of course, treasures. You're welcome.

 

Hey y'all! I'm Anna from A Newfound Treasure, and today, I am sharing about my latest Ikea hacks. I have admired the Dorothy Draper chests for years and knew that the DIYs I'd seen online were perfect for our bedroom nightstands!

I started with 2 Ikea Rast chests and painted them in Rustoleum's oil-based glossy black paint.

I then used painters tape to section off where each gold inlay design would go. (This part took forever!) Once my rectangular boxes were all taped up, I got to painting. I used Liquidtex's iridescent rich gold (heavy body) acrylic paint. It took a few coats, for sure!

I free-handed the rounded corners. 

Next, I replaced the old wooden knobs with these gold ring pulls. And voila!

Lastly, I sealed up the dressers with a coat of polyurethane. Now, they are nearly indestructible! I should've done another coat of the gold paint, but I got excited. You can see where it's a little patchy in places if you look closely. They aren't perfect, but I am very satisfied with my looks for less.

What do you think??

[Please excuse the humidor and ugly cords in my pictures… this is real life, people!]

An update for when I'm old.

Okay, I'm sorry for the long update to everyone on the happenings at our house! Actually it's an update for me to look back on years down the road. I need to be better about documenting these precious years with Little Mister. And this blog feels like the place to do it. So consider yourself warned... this post is a peek inside our home life.

I swear this child is doing something for the first time each day. I tried to brush his teeth earlier and he screamed, "NO MOM!!!" which is new for us. He doesn't really speak in sentences. Especially when he's frustrated. Sunday over breakfast, he casually said, "Thank you, Mom" when I set his breakfast down in front of him. It was the sweetest sound ever.                                                                          
Of course, as with most toddlers, he makes some not so sweet sounds, too. When he gets frustrated at something and can't figure out how to verbally express himself, he just grunts or screams. Loudly. It can be quite deafening. But overall, he's a happy little dude.                                                                  
Although he loves watching golf and football - and learning to swing his club/kick a ball - he also happens to know choreography for more than one Wiggles song. I have to admit, this kid's got rhythm. He can "Rock-a-bye Your Bear" like nobody's business. But for Mister's sake, I hope he takes more of an interest in sports than kick-ball-changes and shuffle-steps.

He loves to run. Fast. If I turn my head to say hello to the neighbor, it's highly likely I'll turn back around to see him halfway down the sidewalk, arms out screaming, "Birrrrrr" at the pigeons he's about to scare. Or whatever they are.

Okay, that's enough for now. Don't be surprised if there's another one of these in the not-so-distant future. I can't trust my brain to recall these mushy memories when I'm old.

Ivy & Piper

So I admit that, yes, sometimes I'm late to the party. But in this classy case, better late than never. If you haven't stopped by Ivy and Piper, you simply must. 

Their mission? To help you create the home of your dreams by showcasing exquisite and so very chic interiors from around the globe. Their lookbook and online mag is published every two months. But if you need interiors like you need your morning coffee, get your daily fix here, on their blog.