Wednesday Words of Wisdom

Recent Design Work...

I recently finished a logo and tri-fold brochure design for AccuReg Software. We completely rebranded their company, and I loved meeting with their team and coming up with an entire new look that suited them perfectly.

Their website has not been updated yet to compliment their new branding, but for now you can compare the new with the old. Please click here to see the entire brochure. What a fun and challenging project, and I was honored to be a part of it!

happy memorial day weekend!

It seems like every time my parents come to town we get things done in the yard. My dad is always up for a project, and my mom just wants to play with Calder, so we finally have time to work outside. Last time Dad was in town, he and my husband planted new sod. Wow. What a difference it made.

This past weekend we planted flowers along in the front. It really needed some lovin' and was looking pretty sad. We just planted simple white annuals and it's nothing fancy, but it's amazing how much happier coming home makes me.

I also planted some colorful flowers in the back yard. I love looking through the kitchen window and seeing bright colors. Cleaning the dishes isn't as bad with a pretty view.

Happy Memorial weekend everyone! We plan on doing a whole lot of nothing and sitting by the pool and relaxing. I can't wait to play with Calder in the water. I just bought some fun floaties so we'll see how she likes it!

Wednesday Words of Wisdom

It's easier said then done, but what a wise thing to always remember.

a decorating kick

I've been on a major home decorating kick lately. I think after 9 months of being too tired to think about redecorating anything (except the nursery of course), and then 4 months of taking care of a newborn, I am ready for change. Especially since I work from home, I need some new surroundings!

So, over the past month I've been painting. I was so tired of the dark wood and wanted something fresh and bright, so I painted our dining room table, dining room chairs and our armoire. I'll post details soon showing the before and after pics. Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is awesome BTW...

But today, I got woven wood shades installed in our living room, so needless to say, they are on my mind. I've been thinking (and talking) about doing this ever since we moved into this house (3+ years), but I have never pulled the trigger. So, I was in Lowes this morning (with Calder riding in the buggy), and and of course I knew I had limited time until she was hungry and/or tired...

I had my window measurements and the Levolor samples I ordered online forever ago in hand. I rummaged through the different shades for about 15 minutes, then Calder started crying, and I looked down at the sample date order and read it 2010 and thought to myself. Screw Forget it. It is time to DO this! So, I grabbed the blinds and hurried to the checkout line. 

I normally don't make such an impulsive purchase, but with a 4 month old, you don't get out much, so when you do, you need to make decisions.

And here are some rooms I've been drooling over for years. Don't the wooden shades add so much to these spaces? Of course, I love the idea of no shades at all, but if you're like me and need the option of privacy (AKA: don't have the luxury of being on top of some hill with no homes in site), this is such a good-looking, affordable option.

images via House Beautiful, Coastal Living, Phoebe Howard, Jim Howard

I feel re-energized in our new space. More to come soon...

Calder's Baptism

Our family was in town this weekend for Calder's baptism. It's rare we're all together at the same time, so we soaked in every minute.

Calder and Amelia met for the first time and it was so sweet. We just know they're gonna be best friends some day...

 
 Beautiful luncheon at JuJu and Mack-daddy's, given by both sets of grandparents.

 SO much to be thankful for. 

"Sing praise to the LORD and give thanks to His holy name"
Psalm 30:4.

A Motherhood Wish List

A close friend of mine (and fellow new mama) sent me this article this week, and I kept forwarding it to all the amazing moms I know. I liked it so much I had to share with all of you.

Am I Mom Enough? A Motherhood Wish List

It’s so tempting to get riled up by the Mommy Wars, isn’t it? The Time magazine cover story about extreme parenting, Are You Mom Enough?, featuring a beautiful mother in skinny jeans nursing her preschool-aged son, is infamous by now. It made me, along with the rest of the Internet, explode with righteous indignation. Mom enough? How dare they! This isn't a contest! But, wait ... what if it is? And I don't even own skinny jeans!

The story also made me think about what I wanted to teach Andrew—I mean really teach him. I’m not talking about the trendy must-dos that crop up each year about feeding and sleeping and discipline, insecurity porn concocted just in time to fill a fresh generation of parents with self-doubt. No, I’m talking about the things that I want to impart in average, totally inextreme moments, when my breasts are covered and my skinny jeans are in the wash.

Here’s my wish list.

I hope I raise a child who says “thank you” to the bus driver when he gets off the bus, “please” to the waiter taking his order at the restaurant, and holds the elevator doors when someone’s rushing to get in.

I hope I raise a child who loses graciously and wins without bragging. I hope he learns that disappointments are fleeting and so are triumphs, and if he comes home at night to people who love him, neither one matter. Nobody is keeping score, except sometimes on Facebook.

I hope I raise a child who is kind to old people.

I hope I raise a child who realizes that life is unfair: Some people are born rich or gorgeous. Some people really are handed things that they don’t deserve. Some people luck into jobs or wealth that they don’t earn. Tough.

I hope I raise a child who gets what he wants just often enough to keep him optimistic but not enough to make him spoiled.

I hope I raise a child who knows that he’s loved and special but that he’s not the center of the universe and never, ever will be.

I hope I raise a child who will stick up for a kid who’s being bullied on the playground. I also hope I raise a child who, if he’s the one being bullied, fights back. Hard. Oh, and if he’s the bully? I hope he realizes that his mother, who once wore brown plastic glasses and read the phonebook on the school bus, will cause him more pain than a bully ever could.

I hope I raise a child who relishes life’s tiny pleasures—whether it’s a piece of music, or the color of a gorgeous flower, or Chinese takeout on a rainy Sunday night.

I hope I raise a child who is open-minded and curious about the world without being reckless.

I hope I raise a child who doesn’t need to affirm his self-worth through bigotry, snobbery, materialism, or violence.

I hope I raise a child who likes to read.

I hope I raise a child who is courageous when sick and grateful when healthy.

I hope I raise a child who begins and ends all relationships straightforwardly and honorably.

I hope I raise a child who can spot superficiality and artifice from a mile away and spends his time with people and things that feel authentic to him.

I hope I raise a child who makes quality friends and keeps them.

I hope I raise a child who realizes that his parents are flawed but loves them anyway.

And I hope that if my child turns out to be a colossal screw-up, I take it in stride. I hope I remember that he’s his own person, and there’s only so much I can do. He is not an appendage to be dangled from my breasts on the cover of a magazine, his success is not my ego’s accessory, and I am not Super Mom.

I hope for all of these things, but I know this: None of these wishes has a thing to do with how I feed him or sleep-train him or god-knows-what-else him. Which is how I know that these fabricated “wars” are phony every step of the way. I do not need the expensive stroller. I do not need to go into mourning if my "sleep-training method" is actually a "prayer ritual" that involves tiptoeing around the house in the dark. This is not a test. It’s a game called Extreme Parenting, and you can’t lose if you don’t play. And, really, why would you play? You have children to raise.

Wednesday Words of Wisdom

Illustration: Julia Child Quote by unraveleddesign on Flickr

I believe in this quote. I think the only way you are truly successful and fulfilled in life — is if you DO what you LOVE.

Artist I LOVE

I've blogged about Sally King Benedict before (see this post from last year) but I just had to share her beautiful paintings again. Her use of COLOR inspires me, and I can't get enough of her work.

 I stumbled upon this article on Glitter Guide and had to share. It's true, she is just as beautiful as her paintings.

Garden & Gun featured her as one of the Southern Women Redefining the Southern Belle....

Visit her fabulous website for more info...