Bread Winner shout out.

I know, you're gagging but I have to do this.  The Bread Winner had another busy weekend with Jane while I was working and neither seemed any worse for the wear.  TBW and Jane found the budget theater this weekend which was a hit. Megamind is evidently a winner for parent and child alike.  Popcorn and coco (cherry coke) are usually a sure bet too.

He even got her to church this morning on time, looking adorable and hair beautifully coiffed.  Sunday mornings are becoming a little different since I'm now at church working.  This means I'm leaving Jane and TBW at home and they come in a little later and meet me for the 11am service. Two Sundays down and they're doing a great job.



As for me, I'm getting to know this great group of ladies and realizing more all the time, how great this gig     is.  We spent Friday night and all day Saturday hosting K-5 grades at the bowling alley. Long hours but a huge success.  Seems anytime you dim the lights for "cosmic bowling", a high pitched scream is inevitable. They loved it.

Have a great Monday, all.

C.S. Lewis and Edie

January Sunrise

Edie at Life In Grace is the woman some of you read about that had lost her home to a fire about a month ago.  You want to know what someone grounded in their faith  and their Heavenly Father looks like?  Well, this is it.

She has an excerpt from C.S. Lewis that I had to share with you. My mother in law, Nettie, is a C.S. Lewis scholar and I knew she would enjoy seeing this as much as I enjoyed reading it. It's the type of writing that if you choose to read it once, you've really only skimmed the surface. So much good stuff in only two paragraphs.

Hope you all have a good Sunday.

I'm so doing this...

I mean, not any time in the immediate future but at some point. I LOVE the conversation grouping vs the standard sofa/chair ensemble.  In our house we have two rooms that adjoin and both have sofas.  What I'd love to do is remove the old, replace with the "newer" and then create a conversational grouping of seriously comfortable chairs to go in front of the fire place.  Great, right?

Sarah Richardson has her version below. I'd replace the table with an ottoman but you get the idea. Just love this:

sarahrichardsondesign.com

Rug Search update

Remember my friend, Maura, who needed a family friendly, low maintenance (the one she has sheds ALL the time) but fun rug for her family room?  I know, it's been a while but this did happen.

Well, this was one of her inspiration rugs from Anthropologie:

anthropologie.com

Another rug with a modern look but soft features was the "Wallflower" by Amy Butler.

Great rugs but unfriendly to the budget especially considering she needed an 8x10.  They were helpful though in helping identify her style and then being able to hunt for something that would be a better fit in all regards.

As you know, I always give the natural rug a good college try because I so love the look of it but this just wasn't for Maura.  So I hit all the usual haunts like Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel and IKEA without any luck.

Then we went a little deeper: USA Rugs and Overstock.com.  Hello, Overstock.com with your $2.95 shipping. I found a few ideas here and sent them to Maura. Our mutual favorite was the Hand tufted Ivory Floral Rug with highlights of orange, gold and blue.

overstock.com

I think her mushroom colored sofa will be a grounding force with the playfulness of the rug and the coral and ivory Braemore fabric on her occasional chair should be a nice compliment. Not only will this rug lighten things up in her family room but it will also introduce a supporting cast of colors that she can then play off of when bringing in accent pillows and accessories.

As excited as I am about the potential, you never really know how it's going to look with everything until you SEE it with everything.  We did confirm the return policy so that when and if Maura decides she's ready to move on this purchase, she knows that for about $25 she can return it if it just doesn't work. I'd say that's pretty good.

Have a good Wednesday, all.

Multiple Choice

These are pictures of:

A) The newest and coincidentally the cutest, Cincinnati Bengals cheerleader.
B) The latest twist in crossing guard fashion.
C) The future of day glow duct tape.
D) The most budget friendly tiger costume known to man. Give it another look.  It's a tiger.

It's circus week at Jane's school and today they are all headed to the "big top" dressed as a circus character. Jane wanted to be a horse but I just didn't have it in me. Once we put the whiskers on, she started warming up to the big cat idea. 

This is our last week at Roswell Presbyterian and I just have to mention how thankful I've been for the opportunity for Jane to attend.  Her teachers and the school's administration have been top notch and as a parent I always knew she was in good hands. Moving into a new school will be an adjustment but I know she will be in equally capable hands and will quickly take to it as she's done with Roswell Pres. 

Here's to life's evolution! Have a good Tuesday, all.

Deep Thoughts while viewing The Bachelor...sort of.

I created this post a while back and just couldn't let this Bachelor season pass without letting it fly.  To all my Bachelor lovers, this one's for you!

image via examiner.com


Thought #1: Michelle: when they scripted the villian, no one else held a candle.
Thought #2:  Who's decorating this set? Seriously, take a look at the background next time.
Thought #3:  Are dresses really this short in real life?
Thought #4:  Is crying on departure a requirement?
Thought #5:  Thank you, Lord, I didn't have to go on national television to find my husband.
Thought #6:  Thank you, Lord, some are willing to.
Thought #7:  Am I losing brain cells with every viewing? Bread Winner, don't answer that.
Thought #8:  Brad = Bachelor 2 times? Brad = Big ratings.
Thought #9:   If I smile uncomfortably the whole time I watch it, do I stop watching?
Thought #10: Who's in for next Monday night?  Gieg? Sarah? Ruth? Amanda?

3 Euros and a Flange

Crate and Barrel has some bedding I love.  It's Marimekko bedding and they are always updating the patterns while keeping the simplicity in check.  This is an example of one of the products they're offering now:

crateandbarrel.com

And these king shams are part of the ensemble I bought a loooong time ago when we first purchased our king size bed.  I've probably had it 7 or 8 years.



Well, I found another pattern at Crate and Barrel several months ago that I liked a lot but just weren't in the budget, especially since I didn't really hate what we had.  Anyone see where this is going?  They had a huge online sale and the shams I liked were half off.  Done.  So, this is the pattern:

Marimekko Tamara Linen
crateandbarrel.com

I bought 3 euro shams for $19.95/each and then spent another $17.95 on the feather 27x27 insert.  Have to admit, wasn't sure at first because the flange edging doesn't allow for a crisp look but after playing with it for a while, I'm happy with the change. 

As Amanda reminded me, all these little adjustments are just my way of "keeping it fresh."  Here's to a fresh inspiration at your house, too.  Have a good one, all.