Yard Work

I've never done so much yard work in all of my life. It never stops. Every weekend we're mowing the yard and we even bought some more flowers to add to our walkway near the porch.  I'm looking up the current rates for a yard boy as I type because mama needs to spend her weekend's napping, not gardening.

Decorating with Maps and Globes

Yesterday's mood board inspired the following, um, inspiration.  I am really digging Clay's idea of decorating with maps and globes in our family room, especially after seeing the following pictures.

Family Room Mood Board

The new curtains in the family room have inspired me to do a mood board for this room.  It was very easy since the majority of the hard stuff (paint color, furniture, curtains) is already decided (and thankfully bought); it was mainly the more decorative stuff that I am having issues with.

For the bare tan wall (see this post if you have no idea what I'm talking about) I decided to buy the mosaic tiled mirror from Pier 1. The colors are perfect and a mirror on that wall would reflect so much sunshine.

Clay's design ideas came into play for the teal wall as he's always had an interest in globes and maps and suggested maybe they would work in that space. I'm thinking some espresso colored floating ledges holding framed maps and a mini globe or two? Genius. 

Other items include tall pillar candle holders for each side of the TV on the mantle, a basket for storing blankets and that amazing rug.  That's what I love about mood boards; not only do they help you really visual your space and how everything will flow together, they create an inventory of items you need to "finish" your room. This is especially helpful if you thrift and even when you're randomly out-and-about and spot that perfect item for a great price.

What A Difference the Right Curtains Make

Remember this post and how I was on the fence with these curtains?

Well I decided that they just didn't work.  So I took them down and for the last month we've had no curtains in our family room.

Thanks to the support from many of my style-conscious girlfriends, I bit the bullet and ordered two sets of curtains from West Elm for way more than I ever thought I'd spend on curtains.  $200 for four panels may not seem like a lot, but for someone who is used to making her curtains and spending less than $50, IT IS A LOT.

But holy smokes, it was so completely worth it; these curtains were made for this space.

Charcoaled Goodness

We just made, what we believe, to be our best new homeowners purchase to date: a new grill!  Clay opted for a charcoal grill because he swears by meat slow cooked over a charcoal fire and I've been in food coma ever since. YUM.

+ Bed, - Headboard

Clay and I got a new bed this weekend. For the past how ever many years we've been getting by with our old full-sized bed. It wasn't bad until the babies came along and then it got a bit cramped. Ok, a lot cramped.  So we upgraded to this massive, comfy, amazing, I-know-we-just-woke-up-but-let's-go-back-to-bed king-sized piece of heaven.  We opted to not purchase a headboard at this time because honestly? our whole bedroom set needs to be replaced and I still have no idea what I want to do in this room.  White and gray tones with black furniture? Silver and purple colors with espresso furniture?  I just don't know and that means no headboard in the meantime.  Well it shoulda meant that but my mom insisted we take her old one because "every bed needs a headboard!" (but I know it's really because she just wanted it out of her house) and it's old and crazy looking and there ain't no diy in the world that can update this baby.   

In an effort to take my mind off this headboard eyesore, I've been dreamily pretending that the following headboards are mine.

This soothes my Type A Straight Lines and 90 Degree Angles personality.

Ohhhh, for the love of frames.

Simple, elegant, tufted.

Shoespiration

This is the normal state of my shoes.  I try to keep them orderly and nicely arranged like the first picture but my darling daughter, who at the tender age of one is starting to develop her own shoe obsession, systematically pulls each one off the shelf, closely inspects it, and then tosses it to the floor.

I've been drooling over these amazing closets and trying to come up with something as equally fabulous for our bedroom.  Preferably something two feet off the floor where little hands can't reach.

Soft Place To Play

We found the perfect rug for Em's nursery while at Target.  It's soft and fluffy and creates a very inviting spot to play.