craving some ranch

There is a home on our family walk that we always pass and when we do I always tell my husband that if there ever is a for sale sign out front then I want to pursue it. The style of the home does not rank in his Top 20 but I really see its potential.

For now I will get the mid-century ranch home style out of my system by posting pictures. Do you remember this spread of Barrie Benson's home in Domino? Also do you like all of the red and orange accents?

{all images via Domino}

metal furniture

I think I found my dining table thanks to TPH Angela (the table in the top picture). The thing about it is metal furniture seems like such a great option for a home bustling with children. What better combination than good looking metal furniture at a REALLY great price point. Check out Industry West for and see for yourself...and have a great day.

{life, being grateful and a good quote}

I have a very special place in my heart for much of the Latin culture. In fact one of my fondest memories was when my family & I travelled to Central America. We got to one part of our trip where we came from Belize to Hondorus and the roads were too bad for the bus to go any farther. We had to get into the next town because we were going to be staying there that night. There we were off of the beaten path and daylight was running out so what did we do...we talked a guy driving a cattle truck into letting us ride in the back (where the cows usually ride). Imagine 30 or so tourists bouncing up and down in a stinky old truck. It was quite the scene but made the trip even that much more memorable. Most of the places were fairly poor (unlike in the above photos) but I will never forget the colors, the food, the textiles and the beautiful old towns with all of their happy people. Then it was on the bus ride leaving Antigua, Guatemala that then took us to a smaller indigenous town where small children sang church hymns in their native Mayan language that I declared to the group I was going to adopt a little Guatemalan baby (of course that was when I had zero babies). Anyway after that trip I realized again how very blessed and grateful I was for my life even amongst all of the little trials. I have been trying really hard to replace any negative thoughts with one of being grateful for something. Today I am really grateful for all of the great relationships I have been able to forge with people that have come into my life. To me those relationships are some of the most satisfying parts of life.

Also I recently read the below quote and it really struck a chord because I think it is a good one but also my birthday brought about a age that meant I am not 24 anymore:-) How did I get to this age when my Mom was just this age yesterday..weird.

P.S. - At my next party I am cutting up brightly colored squares and having everyone throw them into the air.

All of the above images were taken by the talented Brian Park. Don't you love how he captured the above scenes?

Stella & Dot Winner

Thank you so much to everyone who entered the giveaway. The lucky winner happens to be Domestic Jenny who was lucky number 8. Congrats Jenny!!

That's it... I feel the need to jump on the stacking of the firewood bandwagon.

{Above room designed by Janet Simon via New York Spaces.}

{birthday weekend}

This weekend we celebrated my birthday. The celebrations started out by painting fabric with RIT fabric dye. The plan is to recover a small seat cushion with a part that Maile painted. Then we made home made ice cream in a bag. Yes I am still on a "make things in a bag" kick. We all started out shaking our own bags to make the ice cream but sure enough after one minute the kids were done so I was the one that ended up shaking the bags for 5 minutes a piece. It worked though and actually tasted pretty darn good. Then Sunday rolled around and I decided it wasn't too early to bust out a sweet little dress that I have been saving for the warmer weather (I just named it the Irish Spring dress).

couple of side notes:

Mr. Boots was a real rascal at church.

I love that I captured Choany hanging onto my leg as he sucks his thumb. I think it is so cute when he does that.

Beautiful birthday flowers.

A sweet potato has proved to be one of our best growing house plants.

Tried a new to us restaurant called Fuego Bistro. It was good.

Found that little stool with the wood seat at Ross Dress For Less of all places.

For ice cream in a bag recipe go here or here.

Hope you had a great weekend. I will be back with the winner of the giveaway tomorrow.

{hand blocked fabric}

Do you like hand blocked fabric? Well then you will like that you can go here and buy it for a little less than $6.00 a yard.

Happy Monday!

me likey {home in Croatia}

Nothing too informative today. Trust me though I will be back with something that contains a little more girth. ...that is when I can pull an extra hour out of my pocket. Perhaps a DIY project. Would you likey?

Todays post is coming from something that caught my eye because of its location...and beauty of course. I think I like this place because it is simple and rustic in nature but did not forgo adding chicness & sophistication with many of the decor choices.

This home is located in Croatia which happens to be the region of many of my ancestors & relatives (Montenegro to be exact). In fact my Grandma was an immigrant from the former Yugoslavia to the US as a small girl. I have been told that Montenegro (which means black mountains) is one of the less touristy places over in the Europe and the Mediterranean area but well worth the effort to go and see. In fact a well traveled friend ranks it as one of his top visits over in that region. Have you been?

{all images via here}

{Stella & Dot Giveaway + A Bonus}

Today, I am excited to give the readers of this blog a chance to win a necklace from Stella & Dot that is being offered by the lovely S & D star stylist, Kelly Bird. Let us just take a look at the nice offerings..

And the giveaway doesn't end there because it if you enter within the next 6 days the below bag can be yours as well..:-) ha

I just had to throw in this cute bag because all of you readers are so great and I thought it would be a fun bag to carry that new Stella & Dot piece in.

I think the necklace could be envisioned with any of the below get-ups...

Anyway back to Kelly...I met her at an event a couple years ago while she was hosting her Stella & Dot booth and she seemed to be having such a fun time showing off the beautiful product. She has now been with Stella & Dot for almost 2 years and was telling me how much she enjoyed working with them because it was the perfect scenario for that girl who loves fashion but also wants want to maintain an ideal family lifestyle.

In the words of Kelly she says, "It gives you the beauty of working your own hours but at the same time feeling like you are dabbling in the fashion industry. That is what drew me to the company, the fact that I could spend plenty of time with my kids & husband but still contribute to my family."

To contact Kelly for any opportunities with Stella & Dot go here. To see the Stella & Dot story go here.

Now onto the details.....giveaway is open until Monday March 7th at midnight.

To Enter:

1. Leave a comment

For an extra entry:

1. Like Kelly on her Facebook page, right here.

(Please make sure to leave an extra comment for your additional entry)

Good luck!!!