Pretty Pastels

One day I’m telling you I can’t get enough of saturated greens. And the very next day I come to you with the love of pastels. My heart falls all over the place and I shall follow where the heart taketh me. So, I beg you to come along the ride with me. Today, we are visiting the more subtle color palette of pastels…

Don’t you feel like you just took a splendid swan dive into a macaroon? Felt pretty good, didn’t it?

Going Green

I told graham the other night that I’m on a green kick lately, to which he politely feigned interest.  I realized he may be the wrong crowd for my new color obsession – but you design obsessed readers may care a bit more.

Here’s what is inspiring me…

 

 

 

 

Bailey Quinn

Apparently, I’m open to pretty much all shades of green.  But, I seem to be leaning more towards the saturated greens.  I realize that green was last years Pantone color of the year so that may be what is influencing me.  But, I think it’s a fresh, invigorating color and just the kick in the pants that I’m needing at the moment.  How do you feel about green?

Happy Friday

I’m not going to lie, last week was a tough one for me with Nina’s passing and Josie had her first stomach bug all week long. This week, I felt like I was playing catch up and now that it’s Friday, I’m finally feeling on top of it again. Just in time for the weekend.

I ran across this house from Trisha Troutz’ blog a few days ago and I keep dreaming about it…

Isn’t it fantastic?  To see more of the house, you can go here.  Unfortunately, it’s located in Texas so that’s a pretty long commute for Graham.  You want to hear some depressing reality?  The house is on the market for $1.1 million.  I decided to look in the area that Graham and I are interested in eventually buying and this is the house that is listed for 30k more…

In case you think for some odd reason the houses seem sort of on par.  This home is a 2 bed 1 bath and 1,190 square feet, not in the best location.  The texas house is 4 beds, 4 baths and 4,352 square feet.  The local house will probably sell within about ten days of being on the market and go for well over asking.  Can someone please remind me how incredibly miserable the Texas summers are?  I’m at a bit of a loss here.

In Memory

Last week, I lost someone who was very special to me.  She was like a grandmother, as all of my grandparents passed before I was born.  Thankfully, she lived a long and happy life.  But, still there is pain in losing a loved one.

The funeral was this past Friday and I said some words on behalf of my family that I thought I would share here as a further tribute to Nina.  To all those who knew me or my family growing up, surely knew Nina and the wonderful part of our family that she was.

To Nina:

We had a very happy childhood and a big part of that was thanks to Nina.

She loved us as though we were her own.  From special nicknames to sweet hugs, she loved each one of us fully.  And she helped, along with our parents, set the foundation to love ourselves and others with full hearts.

Nina was clever.  When my brothers and I were squabbling at times, she would say to us, “that’s it, I’m going to the moon” and she would run off and hide.  After a while, we would stop our fighting and we would say, “I think she really did go to the moon” and we’d run around the house looking for her. Whenever we found her, we’d all laugh forgetting all about the sibling squabble .

She loved to bake.  There were days that I would come home from school and the house would be filled with the sweet fumes of homemade apple crisp.  I have never tasted a cookie as good as her chocolate chip persimmon cookies, made from persimmons she picked fresh from our backyard.

Nina was a protector and she made me feel safe.  When my parents were gone and I felt scared, I would run down to Nina’s room and sleep there with her, resting easy that she would keep me safe .

Nina was patient.  She could almost handle my dramatic teenage years the best. She had a magical way of finding the exact piece of clothing that I absolutely had to wear to school that day or my life would be over.  I would be a mess looking for a specific sweater and Nina would come up and pull it out of a teenage pile of tormented clothes and save the day.

You couldn’t get anything past Nina.  In those teenage years, I would have a better chance sneaking out of the house or doing something against the rules when my parents were home.  When Nina was on duty, nothing got past her and everything got reported back in full detail.

She was a great listener.  She would listen when you would tell her stories and even when you weren’t telling her stories. My love of eavesdropping may have originated from Nina.  I used to sit and listen so intently to her phone conversations with her family, even though they were all in Spanish and I couldn’t understand a lick of it.

She was a joker.  She didn’t always joke but she would pull out these clever one liners that were very hilarious.  My brother, Joe, was always slow and late for school.  One year, she gave him batteries for Christmas to help speed him up.  He thought that was the whole gift and we all had a good laugh. But then, she pulled out a radio for the shower. Joe was super into music and took the longest showers so this gift couldn’t have been more perfect for him, even if it only further slowed him down.

She was a story teller.  She would tell stories of her childhood growing up and of her beloved family.   She would also tell wonderful stories of my mom’s brothers, sister and parents.

She was nurturing with all of our pets and she loved them dearly.  When you’ve got four kids and 1 million pets, life gets hectic.  But Nina always thoughtfully cared for the pets and she was very concerned with their well being.

Nina was a hard worker.  There were many times that my mom would ask Nina to please not clean something because it was dangerous and to rest.  But, Nina, wouldn’t have it that way.  She wanted to work, even if it mean climbing up a step stool or carrying baskets down stairs.  She was determined and dedicated to her work.

2014: Simplify

Now, that I’ve looked back, it’s time to look forward.  For me, 2014, is the year to simplify.

I’ve actually already begun to work on this.  I have had a bit of a Jerry McGuire moment – where I’ve decided to lessen my client load.  Kate Collins Interiors is not taking on any new clients at this time.  I’m working side by side with the clients that I’ve been working with months or even years now and we have a great rapport.  I’m taking on less so when I’m in work mode, I’m fully there and not scatter brained thinking of 1 million projects at once.  I want to continue to give the best service that I can possibly give.  It was a tough decision and believe me it’s hard saying no to projects but being very selective makes the time I have for work really enjoyable.

From a blog perspective, I’d like to take the time to backtrack and photograph projects that I’ve completed but I have never shared.  There are actually a lot of projects out there.  I’m a terrible photographer and so I shy away from sharing photos.  But, I want to let you see more of my work and to provide more original content on the blog.

I’m also taking on less to be there with Josie.  BUT, I don’t want to take on less so that I can spend more time on Instagram or reading e-mails.  I really want to challenge myself to simplify and to be present.  To put down the phone.  To keep the TV off.  To watch Josie discover new things many times over throughout the day.

I also want to get more involved with my mom’s groups and activities for Josie, which I guess doesn’t fall under the simplify category but I think it will bring another level of enrichment to both of our lives.

In a nutshell, I’m pairing down in 2014.  I’m taking the time to really dig in deep with select clients; I’m taking the time to smell the flowers with a joyous soon to be toddler; I’m taking the time to bring the best content that I can produce for the blog.

Here’s to a great year ahead!

Looking back at 2013

Happy New Year!  It’s the time to start fresh and set goals for the new year coming up.  But before I look ahead, I’d like to spend some time looking to the past year.

Last year’s goal was to work on letting go of my anxiety, you can read about it here.

” I want to stop looking forward in nervous anticipation for bumps but rather soak in the present and trust that things will work out.  I know to truly accomplish these goals will take a lot of emotional work and dedication to positivity. “

I’m proud to say that I met my goal.  This past year was by far and away one of the best years of my life.  I owe so much of this joy to the arrival of our sweet Josephine Audrey…

A cherished friend and one of my favorite people recently wrote to me, “you look so happy.  Like this is what you’ve been waiting for all along.”  She summed it up perfectly.  Being a mother is truly what I’ve been waiting for. It fulfills me; it challenges me; and it makes my heart explode each and every day.

This past year has been one of comfort.  Josie and I are in a routine.  Most days, I’m there from the moment she makes her first morning coos; through the day of visits to the park and grocery store; to the evening bath and bedtime routine.  To some, that probably sounds mundane.  But to me, it’s been comforting and joyous.  I have embraced the simplicity of it all.

Slowly but surely, I’ve worked on letting go of that anxious grip that was so afraid of the future.  Now, when I think of the future, I think of Josie and all the sweet growing she has ahead.  I think of her walking and talking and observing her sweet personality as it comes forward.

Last year, I said that I still hadn’t come to terms with the infertility and I was feeling bitter about it all.  But, I’m now able to see the blessing in my journey for a child.  At the end of the day, even if it’s a day with lots of grumpiness or tears from my little one, I am overwhelmed with gratitude that she is here.  I look at her life as miraculous and my role as a mother, finally arriving to where I want to be, as the hugest gift I have ever received.  I am grateful for a truly awesome 2013.