This kid...

  A. Has pink eye

  B. Is hilarious 

  C. Keeps me laughing all day long

  D. All of the above

It's fun when you get to play hooky from school and not feel sick all day long ;) 

Now we are enjoying some old school 80's entertainment... 

Omg! Pizza the Hut... ;)

Tucker hit the trails today with Bill for the very first time! I wasn't there to see his face filled with a look of determination as he climbed the uphill parts or the look of glee as he enjoyed the thrill of the downhill parts, but there will be more... Many, many more ;)

That feeling of accomplishment is pretty hard to beat...

2012 & Authenticity

Don't you just love this picture?!

Well, I do... I pulled it off of Pinterest last night and for some reason this woman's face has really struck a chord with me... I mean look at her, she is beautiful... her smile, that twinkle in her eyes, the happiness oozing out of her pores, and not to mention the fact that she wears her wrinkles, grey hair and that crazy ass hair piece with a brandishing style and confidence that you rarely see these days... I mean it, to me she is the very definition of beautiful... I think we women of America (and many parts of the world over) could take a little lesson from this lady...

Everyday I am inundated with subtle and not-so-subtle reminders that I need to be perfect... perfect- body, face, wife, mother, household, friend, employee, etc... we live in an era of advertising, the likes of which we have never seen before, every moment of every day is filled with the information that lets us know that there is always room for improvement in ourselves, that we need everything perfect if we ever hope to be happy... 

Perfect = Happy...

Advertisers try to sell us happiness by letting us know that we can not be happy without whatever product they are selling... That's right happiness is bought, they sell it everywhere... but there is a catch... the catch is that you never can really buy happiness, because as soon as you purchase said happiness (think- car, clothing or electronic device etc.) a newer better version of it comes along... and you can't be happy until you get that new one now... or there is a trick as in you can't be happy until you have two things that are totally opposite of each other simultaneously (think- "perfect" body but still able to eat delicious and decadent food or having a satisfying career while raising a healthy, harmonious and "perfect" family.) 

And just who is buying into this giant load of crap?! 

I'll tell you who... you and me... that's who!

No way! Right?! We are to smart for that crap, right?! We know better, RIGHT?! Maybe so, but there are billions and billions of dollars being spent on advertising that seems to have a slightly lower opinion of our standards... one that seems to believe that they indeed do have the power to tell us exactly what we need to make us... Happy.

I have a motto that I have used for years "embrace imperfection"... it kind of started as joke a long time ago but it has stuck with me and I say it often... it gets me through hard times, it helps me to be more understanding of others and myself, it allows me to be creative without stopping to "correct and perfect" and most importantly... it keeps me human.

Human = Perfectly Imperfect

We human beings are some seriously complex creatures... we have managed to take this simple thing called life and change it and twist it and mangle it into something incredibly insane... all other animals of the world seem to go through the process of life fairly well adjusted (unless of course their lives have been inadvertently altered by some crazy-ass humans.) Life is a heck of a lot simpler and enjoyable than often times we make it... Life is not about presentations as the old adage "life is not a dress rehearsal" defies... Life is for living... now spell it... L-I-V-I-N-G... now say it... "LIVING"... now yell it... LIVING!!!!!!

Yep... You are alive. Now start living... gratefully... joyfully... honestly... it's the only way... forget all of the wants and worries that we carry with us and all of the pressures that we conjure up along the way. This is your one and only life... enjoy it, savor it, absorb it all in... and as time passes and your skin starts to sag, wrinkle and freckle... where those badges proudly. You earned them and they are evidence of a life (that hopefully at the end of your days) was indeed a life worth living...

White Walls

... something I have always associated as a negative thing

... so boring

... so dirty looking

... so blah.

...

but then I realized something- while looking at all of my magazine clippings that I have collected throughout the years (and my smashing new pinterest collection that I have recently plugged diligently away at on-line) I noticed that it appears that I actually LOVE white walls. They are everywhere in my "inspiration" collection... everywhere!!! -as in... almost half of the images that I have collected feature white walls in their backdrop... This hit me the other day like a ton of bricks... seriously... how had I never noticed that I had an intense longing for white walls, a repressed love that I have mercilessly coated over with every shade of the rainbow?! 

how could it be?... but then again... could it be true?

was my real true love ... white walls?

have I been wasting my time fooling around with all of these paint chips...

I mean they have always been short term flings,

I have yet to find a color that has satisfied me long enough to keep it around for more than a few years...

the greens...

the blues...

the yellows...

This is sooooooo ME...

(I am totally going to make my own version of this sign)

Dreaming...

I can't help but wonder how many people remodel/redesign an entire house and then a year later are already thinking/dreaming of what they want to do next... I know of at least one... ME.

I absolutely love CHANGE! Some people don't, I know... some people are totally sentimental about familiarity and resist change at all cost, but I am not one of them. I am always embracing change as an exciting adventure...

I am always switching up my paint colors (walls and furniture) and shaking up my throw pillows, curtains and bed linens. There are just so many beautiful things in this world it is hard to just so hard for me to stick with one look for too long.

The walls of my last house were painted in all cool tones, grayish blues and soothing greens. While pretty much all of the wood throughout was painted white, offset by light oak flooring. So when given the chance to design my new house I went as opposite as I could... Sunny yellow painted on the walls, with dark wood stained furniture and flooring.

I wonder what that says about me... always looking for a change. I really don't believe it is the "grass is always greener" philosophy... I think it is more of an internal desire to experience a fresh perspective of things on a regular basis.

The following images are from our last home:

 A very "country kitchen" with barn inspired cabinetry and island.

 I don't have any pictures of our first couch and over-stuffed chair, but they were covered in a skirted denim fabric that I just loved at the time...

 Here you can see that I have changed up my pillows and curtains (from the previous picture) for a lighter look for the summer months.

 I don't have any pictures of my original dining room chairs, but they were also painted white.

Of course... as the name of the post implies, I am already dreaming of a new color palette: more colors and fabrics and paint... OH MY!

When Somewhat mid-century modern met Not-so-shabby-chic

I wish I had some "before" pics to share, cause this dresser was quite a site when we picked it up from the local Goodwill a few weekends ago.  We were able to snag this really well constructed piece for the bargain basement price of just $10! (What a steal!)

Structurally speaking, it was in great condition with Bill just having to do some mild patch work to one of the drawers, but the wood finish left a lot to be desired. So we painted it a fabulously stand-out-a-lishous shade of teal and then we distressed the dickens out of it to add a bit of "character and patina". The style of the dresser is a twist on mid-century modern, but of course we had to put our own little spin on things .... awwww,  LOVE!

It turned out so... perfectly imperfect (sigh...)

 I just love the idea of using a dresser somewhere other than the bedroom, it just helps to give an unexpected punch to a space (while allowing for much needed storage of board games and kid's books :)

Now I am thinking of adding a few knobs to the 4 plain front drawers to help soften up the ridged lines a bit.

 I am digging both of these choices... hmmmm, which one to pick?!

Update!

The knobs are on. While I was out shopping the other day, Bill came across some vintage crystal knobs that we had stuffed away in a drawer and he decided to go ahead and give them a new place to live... since we only had two, we decided to forgo adding any additional knobs to the two lower drawers. 

I think it adds a little softness to the boxy construction, giving a little balance that the dresser needed ... just the way I had imagined. :)