He has RISEN!

A reminder of the true meaning of Easter. Yes, the easter egg hunts, candy-filled baskets, pretty dresses and pictures with the easter bunny are fun—but nothing compares to this. HE HAS RISEN!! Happy Easter everyone!

Throw Back Thursday

One of my favorite things about having a blog is being able to go back in time and read my old posts. I love seeing how Calder has changed month to month, and I love going back over the years and reading what was on my mind then. It's weird how time goes by so fast as we get older.

All of my life, I've kept a very detailed diary/journal. But, since we got married and of course, had a child, that has changed, and this blog has become my diary. It's kinda scary when I stop and think about it...that my "diary" is public and anyone can read my thoughts (that usually don't make sense), but I try not to think about that too much. And I remind myself, only my momma really reads this :) I do want to get back to journaling though (actual pen and paper style), because it is so therapeutic, it helps me pray because I always write to God, and it's such a good thing to do for more reasons to list here...

That being said, I was going through my old posts the other day and stumbled upon this one. I wanted to re-share because it's "throw back Thursday" (first time I've ever participated in "TBT" on any social media platform), but also, just because I LOVE my daddy.

We CANNOT wait to go home on Thursday for Easter. They are dying to see Calder and we're dying to see them!

But, for everything my sweet daddy's done for me, I should blog about him every day. 

Click here to read my Throw Back Thursday POST.

Kitchen with Sarah Otts Painting!

I've been thinking that our kitchen needed a little punch of COLOR for a while. Don't get me wrong, an all-white kitchen was what I wanted and what I love, but it just needed some colorful artwork to tie it all together. I wasn't sure what to do with the wall space above the island extension, so I put a mirror there for the time being, and was reliant on flowers or bowl of fruit to add the "punch of color."



So, Sarah Otts to the rescue! Sarah custom designed this painting for this space, and it's just the amount of color I wanted. It's also the perfect use of color — these colors flow throughout our entire house and this painting could work well in any room in the house. She's one of my clients so we trade often. I do her website and blog design and she does some paintings for me. It's a wonderful business / best friendship / relationship we have going on. Love you Sarah!

She nailed it on this one, and every other painting she's done for me! Check out her amazing work on her website and on her blog.
 

And since my designer eye can't ever rest,  now on to the window treatment. I'm still marinating on this one and have been since we designed the kitchen in August 2012. My husband loves to say "Rome wasn't built in one day" (he heard my mom say that and can't stop reminding me. Thanks Mom!)...but,  I have taken that to heart. Sometimes you do have to live in a space for a while, to decide what it is that you want.
 

I'll blog about this soon and show you what I'm thinking for the window treatment. It always helps me to think out loud. And Calder loves to think out loud too, especially when she walks around the kitchen. Like Mother, Like daughter!

Lap's Grocery & Grill

You've probably seen it, growing like a weed on the banks of the Causeway, right next to the state boat ramp. It's called Lap's and it will soon join the ranks of top notch restaurants on the growing seafood strip. (read entire news article here)

I always try to be a big supporter of new restaurants (Mobile could use dozens more). I hate to say it, but after living in Birmingham for a few years before moving to Mobile, I was spoiled with all of the great restaurants and shops. So believe me, every time a new place opens in Mobile, we try our best to support it. 

Needless to say, everyone around here is getting excited about Lap's Grocery & Grill, opening Fall 2013. This four-in-one venue on the causeway will have a fresh seafood market, grocery & meat market, bar & grill and bait shop. And as you can imagine, they have a great need for design and creative work. Check out these amazing drawings by architect, Kim Kearley.

 

 

These images were from August 2012. So it has been a long time in the making!

I've been working with Bessie Lapeyrouse (Lap's Marketing Director) for a few months now and we've come up with several of these designs. We're in the process of working on new creatives, but I wanted to share these with you and help get the word out about Lap's.

 

These t-shirts come in different colors and will be sold at Lap's.

More designs coming soon. Visit their Facebook page for more updates!

Will Denniston did the original Lap's illustration above. Will is so talented — what an amazing drawing to work with!

Wise Words

Happy Friday everyone! Here are few "wise words" with some design inspiration included.

And this last one is my very favorite. It's sad but true—this quote describes me all too well:) Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

all images via pinterest

Our New Playroom

I feel like with children, you are always rearranging things around the house to make their play area better. It has to work on an everyday basis and not drive you crazy at the same time — which sometimes can be hard to accomplish!

In our house, the den is the best place for Calder's toys. It's right next to my office and the kitchen, and it's in the back of the house, so you don't see a big mess of toys right when you walk in the front door. Before, this side of the den had a round table in the center of the room that we used as a breakfast table. BUT, it was in the way of her toys and there wasn't much space for her to move around and play. See before pics below.

I've been wanting to do this for a while, but wasn't sure what kind of rug I wanted. I finally bit the bullet and bought this stripe rug from The Land of Nod. I just love it. I put a thick, comfy rug pad underneath, so it's super soft for knees. And with my mom's help and design expertise, we rearranged the furniture. Mom suggested we put the round table in the corner. At first, I thought this was a crazy idea, but she was right (aren't they always)!

We moved the chest to the corner of the den. You can see it now (to the left) in the picture below.

Calder loves playing with her kitchen and digging through her toy basket(s) here. She loves to take all of the toys out of the basket, and then put them back in. That is our latest fun activity!  Believe me, this basket is usually empty and toys take over the room. But, that's what the "PLAY" room is for. The more toys the merrier!

And I love the new view from the kitchen and my desk. Wow, what a difference this made in our playtime with Cader-bear!