One Day All My Dreams Came True...

...and my heart exploded into a million tiny joy-filled pieces.

Buzzing

My head is buzzing with so many ideas recently! I am so excited for the holidays, especially since it will be our first Christmas in our new home. And I'm looking forward to the new year too. It always feels like an opportunity to start fresh, make needed and wanted changes and think about molding your future into what you want it to be. Here are a few of the things that are buzzing around in my brain.

-Yesterday I signed up for an online photography course from TCU. It starts November 11th and goes for 6 weeks. If it turns out fun and educational they have several other 6 week courses I might sign up for.
-My brother has tentatively agreed to go to a Swing/Lindy Hop/Charleston class with me at a local hall. He's supposed to come by tonight so I can see if he has any general aptitude for the basic Charleston. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
-I'm looking through my old MS Living's, other magazines, and tear sheets for Christmas decorating ideas. I got rid of a lot of our old decorations last year, most of which were hand-me-down items we had collected when family members cleaned out their closets. I get to start fresh and I am overwhelmed with the possibilities!
-I've started a new little project over at Small Time Cooks for the month of November, which has already provided me with one success in the kitchen.
-I'm excited to put together my Christmas list, lots of helpful things I need and a few fun things I wouldn't mind finding under the Christmas tree this year.
-So busy with two birthday celebrations this weekend, one birthday, a concert, and a shower next weekend, then our typical three family Thanksgivings, and we haven't even gotten to any Christmas events yet!
-I want to finish fixing up my office- need a chair, rug, plant pot, and some more decor/organizational fixes.
-Hoping to put together some vignettes of framed family photos down the hallway, which requires narrowing down the photos, getting them framed, arranged and hung. Oh how the simple things turn out to be so difficult, ha.
-Want to finally get some pics of the rest of the house that I like enough to share with you here.
-We are looking for a solution to our lot's drainage issues- looking to get some gutter installation estimates and looking into ways to use rain barrels to make the best of this situation in the future.
-Ideas for making the laundry area better organized and more productive.
-Stephanie should be having the twins by Christmas!!!
-Josh's office Christmas party, which I get to go to this year.
-Looking forward to making s'mores around our fire pit.
-Trying to cross off a few more of my 2009 Resolutions, before compiling my 2010 list!

I love being charged with so much inspiration and anticipation!!

Office Progress

What I've gots:






























What I'm getting:























Problems yet to be solved:
.chair
.storage for outdoor stuff that needs to be kept near back door
.miscellaneous organization that will undoubtedly be needed, but has yet to show itself

Looksee

A similar canopy idea seen here on Apartment Therapy.

Another Iron in the Fire

As if I don't have enough plans and projects on my to-do list as a new homeowner I'm constantly coming up with more to add to it. The latest idea that has come to me is to make/build a canopy for the deck in the backyard. I want something to shade the area, especially in these hothothot Texas summers, but I don't want something as big and difficult to move as a patio umbrella. Even when you close them those big umbrellas are still there- like an unattractive fabric obelisk. So instead I'm mulling over some sort of hybrid between these two ideas from Martha Stewart (who else).














I had already bookmarked the first project and discussed it with Josh as a way to string some lovely globe lights around the deck area. With the temperature rising and my thoughts turning to creating some shade I realized that this second picture, which I had tucked away in my house inspiration folder, might be a great solution to work in unison with the first. And I can take down and fold the canopy, and tuck it away when it isn't needed- no eye sores involved. So, it's on the list. Along with organizing my office, hanging the picture rail, putting molding up in the bathroom, putting the posters in their new frames, building my raised garden, finishing the drain work, fixing the doors, etc., etc., etc. It sure is a good thing I like lists so much. :)

Patio Idea Board

I guess technically this should be called a Deck Idea Board, but while a deck is what we have, that word just conjures images of something more nautical or water related. We definitely have no water in the backyard, aside from the puddles accumulating with all the recent rain. One of the things I have been looking forward to since we decided to buy a house is having some outdoor space. It's nothing fancy, in fact there are currently tall weeds (again, all that rain) and some sparse patches in the grass. But we have a shallow but long deck and a view of it all from our large living room window. This weekend's trip to IKEA was my chance to pick up a lot of the furniture for our outdoor area. I just need to layer in a few accessories, get the lighting issue figured out, and then this rain to stop so I can put our furniture together and get everything just so. I can't wait to be able to entertain our friends and family outside, along with being able to sit and have a cup of coffee or do some reading anytime I please.

Photo Inspiration

First off you'll really have to forgive me. Ever since last year when we decided we'd be looking for a house I started collecting inspiring decor pictures. Of course in my fervor I wasn't really paying any attention to where I was getting the pics; I just saw, liked, saved. So if you know where I got any of these pics fill me in.

One of my big loves are old black and white photographs. I plan on including a lot of them in our house and I spent a few minutes this weekend looking through some of our family collection at my mom's house. My grandfather had an interest in photography, even at one point heading the photography club when he taught high school in Illinois, so we have a wealth of pictures that have been inherited over the years. I can't wait to be able to display these bits and pieces of my personal history in our home. Here are some images that have been inspiring me in how to use these little pieces of art in our space.


via design*sponge




via apartment therapy




via martha stewart

Living Room Idea Board

So, here's my idea board for the living room- a look I am calling Comfy Vintage Modern. That entertainment center is just a close approximation to what we have, about the best I could google up. That's our current couch, which will probably be joined by two white slip-covered chairs. I realize that my all-white furniture compulsion will be the death of me- what with owning a black cat that likes to sleep on every cushion he can find. That's what lint rollers, hand vacs and the washing machine are for, right? The table is a general idea of what I want, and in fact my mom has a round mid century table that we're going to try out. Hoping it works fine, cause it's free. All the posters are what we already had- I love them and they aren't going anywhere. The rug is on my to-buy list, as are a few vintage chotchkies for the built-in to layer in around our books. I'm looking forward to getting this room finished. Not that any room is finished at this point, though. I'm working on it, I swear.

How to Start

I get so easily stressed when tackling big projects. When we were first thinking about trying to buy a house the whole idea was so overwhelming. And soon thereafter I had to start the process of completing a lot of dental work (still not completed, but soon to be I hope). One thing that I found very helpful was an article in Real Simple by life coach Gail Blanke. I wish that she were still writing for the magazine, and I also wish that Real Simple hadn't re-tooled their website, removing all but one of her articles. Luckily I saved all of her articles from back issues that made an impact on me so that I can revisit them when I need to. Here is her suggestion that really helped me see how I could get from crappy apartment to homeowner, and how I could overcome my fears and manage to get through my dental work step my step (again, still stepping here). Now I need to work out the steps to get from living out of boxes to a well-run household and open dirt, rocks and weeds to a beautiful back yard and garden. I didn't make a "mountain", you guys now how I love a list, so adapt the idea to work for you.

Gail Blanke:
"Design the future from the future. Pretend you've already accomplished your goal. You've got the job, the bod, the girl or guy. How'd you do it? Draw a triangle on a piece of paper. At the top of the triangle - or "mountain" - write the date when you'll have gotten what you want. Be specific. Put down the day, date, month and year. Then, working down the "mountain" ask yourself, "What did I do right before that, that allowed for that to happen?" Write it down. And then, right below that write down what you did right before that to make that happen. Continue all the way down the mountain with your "steps" until you reach today - the day you've decided to design the future. When you're done, you'll have a plan. Now all you have to do is execute it."

Dining Room Idea Board

I had a nice birthday yesterday. My boss gave me very little work all day. I got the Ellis Island book and some sweets from Mom and she, and I had Chinese food for dinner. And Josh walked through the door with some daisies and gave me the Martha Stewart book I asked for and said I have more gifts in the mail. All in all, lovely. Also, if you sent me a message or gave me a call, my phone was brokeny until 9 or so last night.

Trying to plan what we (I) want to do to the house. I know I have lamented my inability to make decisions before. Well, guess how easy that makes choosing paint colors. Yeah, not so easy. Well, I know which general color I want to use in most of the spaces. But the exact shade and paint? Ha. We decided to not paint the kitchen/dining room area. That's the only space that isn't getting a fresh coat. So, since I already know the wall color that made it a bit easier to put together my board for the room. So, here ya go. A bit of a NYC theme. Cheesy perhaps, but we likes it. Those photos are just examples, I'll use some of my own photos once I edit them to B&W. And that chair is the same chair we have now, but I'll be painting them all white. And yeah, I already know that I've got an Ikea problem. Don't expect it to be cured either, we're on a budget people.

Happy Days Are Here Again

This is quite possibly one of the coolest party ideas I've heard. Joanna Goddard threw a 1930s party to celebrate the current day depression. It's the awesomest. These are the kind of people I want (need) to be friends with.














*Pic from A Cup of Jo

What Would Audrey Do?

I mentioned before that I got a dress for Spencer & Deb's wedding on my shopping trip with Holly. I picked it up at the J. Crew outlet, and I heart it. It's one of those embossed beach dresses. But I need to find shoes for it. I'm hoping for flats or very low heels, as I'll be on my feet for a good part of the day. Something comfortable for wandering around and taking lots of pictures. Anywho, this is the dress I got, but mine is a lovely powder blue hue. It strikes me very Audrey-Hepburn-in-Sabrina mixed with a dash of Meg-Ryan-in-French-Kiss. So, any (reasonably priced) shoe suggestions? I did some image googling for Audrey Hepburn pics, looking for shoe inspiration. But mostly I just fell more in love with Audrey, ha. And found pics so lovely that I just had to share.

Thoughts

I recently updated some of the inspirational quotes that I have posted on my computer screen here at work. Thought I would share the new additions. They make me smile and keep my spirits up.

"Invention, my dear friends, is 93 percent perspiration, 6 percent electricity, 4 percent evaporation, and 2 percent butter-scotch ripple."- Gene Wilder in Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory

"Money is only a tool. It will take you wherever you wish, but it will not replace you as the driver."- Ayn Rand

"We should all do what, in the long run, gives us joy, even if it is only picking grapes or sorting the laundry."- E.B. White

Studio Style

Continuing to be obsessed with all things future-new-house related last night Josh and I were discussing what "his room" will be like. I had some ideas to share, but it can be kind of hard to describe what's in my head at times. So today I put together a little idea board to better explain to Josh what I was thinking. Luckily he loved what I put together! Of course, it's all debatable how well we'll be able to pull together the final product, but this is the general idea. Midnight blue walls, with accents of white and orange (to match his current drum set).

Pretty

Does anyone know how I can make my life look like this? Besides giving kate spade one (or both) of my kidneys?

My Neighbor

40 years ago today Mister Rogers' Neighborhood came on television. There aren't words available to me to express how much Mister Rogers, along with Sesame Street and additional public television, mean to me. I know that there continues to be a discussion in our society about how television can affect the young mind, but I have no doubt whatsoever that I would not be the person I am without the exposure I had as a child to these programs. I learned so much from Mr. Rogers, and his dedication to the education and well-being of all children he could manage to reach makes him one of the most admirable people of our current society, in my opinion. To put it as simply as possible, a person like Mr. Rogers gives me faith in humanity. If you'd like to have a visit with the my favorite neighbor, you should check out Fred Rogers: America's Favorite Neighbor. It's not only interesting, it's inspiring. This clip is maybe one of the best things I've heard lately. I think I'll probably come back to it repeatedly when I need to feel good about something, for those times when it's hard to feel good about anything.

Simply Cheerful

Over the past few weeks I have been cleaning up my office at work. My office is at the back, rarely seen by clients. That translates into a storage area for boxes, furniture, and old, broken equipment. Coming into my office everyday, as the boxes slowly began encroaching, was beginning to crush my soul. So while my boss was out of town, meaning I would have less ASAP tasks thrown at me, I decided to do something about it. I couldn't get rid of everything, in fact most everything is still in here. It's just organized better, or at all for that matter. And now I can actually look out my windows to my really awesome view of the tree covered hills and downtown Fort Worth. I'll have to take a picture of it sometime to post, cause it really is great. If I stand up I can see the river too, since it flows right beside our building.

Real Simple magazine has a page at the back of each issue called Real Simple To Go. They have tidbits of information printed on perforated paper for easy removal. I went through my back issues last night and collected the thoughts cards that I really liked. Today I taped them on the edges of my flat screen monitor for daily inspiration and cheering up. When you're at your desk for around 11 hours a day you can use all the cheerfulness you can find. Here are the quotes that will be inspiring my thoughts for now.

"The Beautiful is everywhere; perhaps more in the arrangement of your saucepans on the white walls of your kitchen than in your eighteenth-century living room or in the official museums."- Fernand Leger

"What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered."- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Remember that the most beautiful things in the world are the most useless; peacocks and lilies for example."- John Ruskin

"There is a gigantic difference between earning a great deal of money and being rich."- Marlene Dietrich

"You must have been warned against letting the golden hours slip by. Yes, but some of them are golden only because we let them slip."- J.M. Barrie

"Nature gives you the face you have at 20; it is up to you to merit the face you have at 50."- Coco Chanel