Quote of the Week

I love this quote about design by Steve Jobs. Many people miss this and he's right — design isn't just about beauty; it's about functionality. It must work. It must make sense. And most of all, it must make a difference.

I recently watched the 60 Minutes re-run on Steve Jobs (again) and was struck by the complexity of this man. Yes, he was a genious, but he was also very difficult and ruthless — and a true workaholic. His obsession with acheiving perfection (no matter what the cost) led to some of the greatest achievements in the tech world ever. What an interesting man and a true design legend.

Well, I've never been busier in my life, both personally and professionally (which explains my recent blog absence.) I am so blessed because I truly LOVE what I do, but I haven't been able to come up for air lately. I can't wait to show you what I've been working on and haven't had a chance to share much with you...so please stay tuned.

Whenever I'm in the shower or driving or trying to go to sleep...I keep thinking about all of these things I want to blog about and share with you. I'll sit down to write and then the phone rings, I'm distracted by an email or a text, Bea barks, Idol or Parenthood comes on or Calder wakes up from a nap...and it's back to life and the things that matter. A lot of times the day comes and goes and I don't know where it went!

So, thanks faithful readers. I hope to be a "blogger" soon :)

Fun to be ONE!

I can't believe it's been a year since our Calder-bear was born! January 5, 2012 was the most magical day. The Lord has blessed us with such a precious, wonderful child. Like everyone told me, motherhood is the hardest and most rewarding job you will ever do. No words could be any truer.

Well, one things for sure, it sure is FUN to be ONE!!

At first, we weren't going to have a "birthday party" — the mere thought overwhelmed me! Just family and cake and laid-backness, she'll never remember this anyway, I thought.

Then mid-December came and I changed my mind. I starting thinking, Well... she only turns ONE once and we both miss our friends so we're going to have a little party! Of course, I can't do anything half way (which isn't always a good thing I promise!) so it turned into a bigger party. But, we really did have a blast and at the end of the day, I'm so glad we did it.

BUT, our next child might will have that "laid back, just-family and cake" 1st birthday!  Oh well, like I said, he or she will never remember it so by gosh, take pics!

Thankful for wonderful friends!

look at all of her adorable friends!

Time for  CAKE!

"We promise cake is yummy!"... she's not buying it!

Hope y'all had a ball!!

 

 

So HAPPY, HAPPY 1st Birthday Calder-bear!! Who knew you could bring so much JOY to our lives? No words can express how much we love you. We thank God every day for your precious life and are beyond blessed to be your parents!

 Whew! It sure is FUN to be ONE ... now off to bed!

Photography by the talented Amanda Roberds!

Wednesday Words

I saw this quote on Instagram, by Whitney English, and I I had to stop and think about it for a second. How true is this? I looked up her blog and she had some wonderful insight here too.

I have so many friends going through so many painful things — painful, painful, painful things — like the death of a child, infertility, home wrecked by a tornado, lost job, depression...the list goes on and on. We're all surrounded by some sort of "struggle" whether it's in our own lives, our friends' lives or just on the news...it's there. But at some point (we have no clue when or how) we will all experience a great struggle, and it will be part of our story. I have to believe God uses those hard times and struggles to get us where he wants us to be at the end of the story.

Some heavy thoughts and words from a thankful heart this morning...

Verellen Event

I have a lot of catching up to do. Things have been pretty crazy around here and the blog is the first thing to go when my to-do list is full!

A few weeks ago I attended the Verellen Event at Atchison Home. It was so fun to meet the design genius Tom Verellen and it was fascinating to hear him speak about their design process. Verellen furniture is beautifully designed, aesthetically enduring, and carefully crafted. Verellen is the embodiment of a simple idea we call “Timeless. Organic. Modern.” And their moto is "You deserve the best." Sounds good to me!

 

Thanks to the Atchison Team for hosting this great event! Their new site launched TODAY so please check it out!!

And didn't the Atchison Home sign turn out well? Click here for previous post.  It's always fun to see your own designs come to life...

And now to the real important stuff! Calder turned one last Saturday and we hosted a little party for our birthday girl! Pics coming soon so stay tuned :) I can't believe my baby girl is already ONE!!!