The Reason for the Season

Have a very merry Christmas! I hope you are spending it with family, friends and all those that mean everything to you! And while you are wrapped in the love of those around you remember the reason for the season.

Merry Christmas

Have yourself a merry little Christmas....

Life is busy.....

It has been crazy around here with Dr. appts. ,cardiac rehab appts., Christmas prep, etc. I also had 3 staging appointments and a redesign project come up that were not on my schedule. ALL great things,  I just have not had time to post!

We have been blessed beyond measure this year and I am SO very grateful!! Husband is recovering, twin boys born two months ago, amazing children (including in law kids) fabulous grandkids, business growth, personal growth, loving friends, and oh, so much MORE!

With 2015 arriving soon, what are you hoping for, planning for in the new year? I will be making some BiG announcements!! Very excited and it will be rolling out over the next several months! Stay tuned...

And you can quote me....

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello December!

Well, my friends...it's December! Are you ready?? I am not. With my honey's surgery I'm behind and that is okay! This year we put it all in perspective. What is important in life and the holidays? For us it is family. Our gift this year is that our husband, father and grandfather is recovering from his heart surgery.

Having said that, I am anxious to put a few of my favorite things around the house. Many contain the memories of family time spent together, or of times past. Below are a few of those things. What are your favorite decorations? Do you like vintage items or bright shiny new ones?

They are the SAME!

Did you read the "Just when you thought I was back" entry? Well, if you didn't, take a moment and go back and take look...its ok, I'll wait...

I am thankful, grateful, relieved, overjoyed, happy, grateful, blessed to tell you that in fact His ok and my ok are the same. You can believe that our family has MUCH to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving. May you have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day.

Out of the mouth of babes...

I have wanted to paint numbers on my barstools for awhile. I finally took the 5 minutes to do it and I like them. My grandkids came over and there reaction was "why did you put numbers on the stools?" Me: I wanted to
Gkids: But why?
Me: Good question...
Gkids: So you would know how many you have?

Sometimes there is just no explaining decorating OR trends!

ConsignMEnt...

Or is that consignme-up!! We have a lovely consignment store in my city. They have vintage and new items for your home, as well as clothing. I stop by once a week to see the delectable items and drool...  Here are a couple of examples.

Maximum-less...

Do you have a storage room? Do you StOrE stuff in there? What are your "collection" issues? Baskets? Books? Christmas decorations? Well there is storing and then there is dumping!! I have determined that I am OCD/Hoarder. Am I alone? I love/must have things in order BUT I love SO MANY THINGS!! So I'm orderly and add stuff, orderly and add stuff...nowhere to put it...dump it... Then I get crazy and clean out and organize! I have learned that much of what I have can be admired from afar. As in from a stroll through a store or visiting a blog, etc. My plan over the next several months is to clean out and NOT replace items. I will never me minimalist but I strive to be maximum-less.

Yeah, tuck that back in...

I saw this at Hobby Lobby and I just had to have it for my office. It is by the door as a reminder. :)

Was it something I said?

 

 

Goodbye Fall? Hello Winter?

Did that seem fast to anyone else?

 

 

 

 

 

Just when you thought I was back...

Life is amazing, interesting, a wonderful school of learning, teaching and so much more! And just when things are going along, you know, when you're in the flow, getting things done-you hit the rapids. You are not expecting them. They seem to appear out of nowhere! Yes, it catches you off guard, but you are somehow prepared. We found out that my love has to have open heart surgery next Monday (11/17/14) I will not share all the details, but I will say- thank you to the Dr. that discovered it, ACT when you are prompted, and have a foundation of faith to draw from. We happen to be in Med City as it is referred to and have WONDERFUL friends that are world renown doctors that have and continue to guide us through the process. (I think my last post was "trust the process" hmmm) Now although what he is having is fairly common, it is NOT common to us. There is/has been much to learn from this experience and I am grateful for that. God has a plan for us, for you, and I trust in that plan. He has confirmed to me that it will be ok. I will let you know if His ok and my ok are the same.

This is True with almost Anything!

I'm baaaaaaaccccccccccccckkkkk!

Well gang, I'm back! After weeks of trying to get my computer to work/fixed from the blue screen of death, I purchased a new computer! It has taken some time to get this new one loaded and up and going. But I'm back! It has been a very busy few months with staging consultations, living room, dining room, entry and kitchen consults. This included shopping and numerous visits to the house for the OK on items purchased and placement. They are a lovely family and I have LOVED getting to know them through this process! This is their new living room.

Australia

I had the most wonderful opportunity to visit Australia. It is a beautiful country with lovely people. We were there for 18 days and I'm not sure that was long enough! We were there during the first game of the State Of Origin Queensland vs NSW. The NSW team were staying in the same hotel. May I just say these guy are HUGE! Solid muscle!! The day after the game (NSW won) we had breakfast with the team and the coaches. Well, I suppose to be completely honest, they were having breakfast at the same place at the same time...so technically...we had breakfast with them. ;) We did talk to the coach and he was delighted that he had 2 new fans! They played the second game last week and NSW won!!! The first time in 8 years they have won the State of Origin games. Can you tell we now love rugby?!?!?! The scenery was beautiful and I so enjoyed walking all over Brisbane and Sydney! It was such a blessing to be able to see this incredible country. But I am home now and trying to catch up on work, blogging, etc. (we just had a family reunion with our kids and grandkids too)Look for more consistent post going forward. And thanks for staying around! WELL I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED ! I THOUGHT THIS POSTED IN JULY!!!!!!!! BETTER LATE THAN NEVER, I SUPPOSE!!

Quote of the Day

Quote of the Day

Have a creative week!

Color, the mini series!

Room color can influence our mood, our thoughts, and our feelings. Consider this when you are creating your space. Color trends will always come and go, so don't spend too much time there. Your home will be perfect if it reflects the likes and personalities of the people living there. You can add a couple of trendy accents to make the space feel fresh. here are some additional color thoughts. RED amps up a room’s energy level. It can raise blood pressure,and heart rate. Probably NOT what you want in a child's room. ORANGE tends to create excitement,and is a bold an energetic color. GREEN is a very restful color for the eye. Some believe that it is a stress relieving color. YELLOW is a happy colors. It works well in kitchens and dining rooms. It is an energy color. BLUE is a calming color. It is perfect for a bedroom and bathrooms. It brings a relaxing and serene feeling to the space. Blue is my favorite color. What is your favorite color?

Color me...healthy!

I recently visited a friend who was in a rehab center. He had taken a bad fall and was unable to take care of himself. His wife has cancer and her ability to care for him is limited. My husband and I had a lovely visit with our friend and said our goodbyes. As we walked down the hall to the elevator I was struck by the drab, depressing decor. Brown carpet, brown/tan walls. Very little,if any artwork. Nothing of interest to look at! I waited until we were on the elevator and then I exclaimed to my husband, "how on earth is ANYONE suppose to get well in that atmosphere!! I'm not sick or hurt, and I'M depressed." I am a BIG believer in the affect of color on our attitude. I know for myself that certain colors just make me happy! Now don't get me wrong, this facility was very clean and the staff were amazing in their care and attitudes with the patients. But I, my friends, would loose my mind! So why do I tell you this story? In my last post I shared with you the meaning of different colors. When we are planning a space we should consider the purpose of the space and who will inhabit the space. And by ALL means get their input! When I do a consultation with a client one of the most important questions I ask them is "what colors to you love and which colors do you dislove" (I think I just made up that word!). It is useless to spend time creating a idea board and source list if they dislove the color! TIP:when creating a space, either by yourself or with a decorator{me!}consider the meaning of color and how it relates to what you are trying to accomplish. MUCH better! What do you think?

You make me Happy, When skies are Gray...

Have you ever considered why you are drawn to a specific color? Or why you feel calm in one space and anxious in another? Color has a direct affect on how we feel and even how we react to circumstances. Her is a list of colors and what they mean. CREATIVITY Orange expands your thinking. ORDER Deep blue encourages efficiency. PROSPERITY Green increases wealth. SPIRITUALITY Light purple is spiritual. CALM Blue gives a sense of peace. ENERGY Bright red will fortify you. CONCENTRATION Yellow increases your focus. LOVE Pink opens the heart. HEALTH Green is also the color of healing. HAPPINESS Yellow and orange add life. SENSUALITY Deep red inspires passion. REST Aqua inspires trust. You may or may not agree, or even believe this to be true, but consider the colors around you. How do you feel? Why are you drawn to certain colors? Why in some restaurants can you sit and talk for hours and in others you simply eat and then leave? More on the meaning/affect of color in future posts.

The Great Color Palette Debate!

Okay, that is a bit of a stretch! I'm not sure there is REALLY a debate going on, but more of a question or a curiosity. I love CoLoR!!! I love it in my clothing and my home. It makes me happy. I also love the many beautiful white kitchens and spaces that are in blogland. They are so lovely and I pin them all the time. But I know myself too well! I could not live with the whiteness. Soon I would be throwing in a little bit of aqua...and then some red...and then maybe a touch of tan. It is who I am. And so I will still pin and lovingly admire the beauty that is an all white kitchen, and then return to my very colorful world. Where do you stand in the color palette question? In future posts, I will be discussing color and what it can mean for all of us.

From Back order to....

The office is STILL in the messy, yucky stage!! The cute, perfect, wonderful storage that I ordered was back ordered. Then I received an email that "the cute, perfect, wonderful storage pieces you ordered have been DISCONTINUED". Ok, they didn't say cute, perfect, wonderful but they might as well have. I was/am sad... So once again I am on the look out for the above mentioned storage pieces. Until they are found the office is, well, blah!! When they weather decides to stay nice for more than 1 day, I have a table to paint which will help with organization greatly!! Until then, lets look at some of the beauties I spotted on a recent visit to Home Goods. The pillows on my couch are from Home Goods too. Do you love Home Goods? What is your favorite place to shop for décor?