Bring on The Chaos

Growing up as the youngest of four, I was born into organized chaos.  I want to stress the organized because my parents did a good job at keeping all their ducks in a row.  But no matter how you spin it, three boys and a girl calls for chaos.  There are way more dog piles, interruptions, giggles and farts then your average household.  I didn’t know it any other way and so I grew up loving the chaos.

I now thrive under chaos.  Perhaps that’s why I’m such an incredible mess.  We’ll go with that as the answer.  When things get lackadaisical, I go a little stir crazy.  When things are spinning every which direction, I feed on the energy.

Enter our own little family.  Two littles, 18 months apart, is chaotic.  There are way more diapers, temper tantrums, hugs and snuggles than you average household.

Recently, Josie and Grace have begun to play with each other.  I find myself more and more with a solid ten minutes of quiet time as they recede into their own play worlds together.

Just as things inch towards the lackadaisical at home, I find myself pregnant!!  And with the snap of a finger, or the pee on a stick, we’re back in the realm of chaos.

While I’m nervous for handling three kids, 3 1/2 years and younger, in the end, it’ll just be more chaos.  And I think that makes us really damn lucky.

There will be another dancer; another ball player; another storyteller; another bike rider; another joke teller; another personality; another unique child to love.  And this time we get to experience a boy!!

I’ve always known I wanted a big family.  I just never believed I would get it.

The special thing is that Graham didn’t always know he wanted a big family.  When we were dating, I said that I wanted four kids and he said that he wanted two.  But after Graham became a father for the first time, he was so in love that he wanted more.  When Grace came along he was so happy with two that he wanted more.  I find that beautiful that he loved being a dad so much he wanted to continue to add to the crew.  Although, he too, never thought a third child would actually happen.

When we had Josie, the fertility Dr.’s stressed concern for us getting a second child.  I have a low egg count and unfortunately there is nothing you can do about that.  When we conceived Grace, our Dr told us how the odds were against us for that happening; we had a less then 10% chance of conceiving naturally.  After Grace, we just thought we’d see what happened but told ourselves not to get emotionally invested.  Low and behold, 17 months later, we beat the odds again.  And here I sit, writing a pregnancy post for the third time in 3.5 years.  Just as the other two times, I still am in disbelief that we can be so lucky.

I keep picturing myself absolutely covered in my little chillens and that brings a huge smile to my face.  Bring on the blessed, brilliant, beautiful chaos.

Photo by Pam Hansen

Easter Tablescape

Mom hosted 18 of us in her backyard for this past Easter Sunday.  It was a great time and so sweet to watch the little ones run around.  There were 7 cousins there and they were all girls so we did a girly themed tablescape.

Mom, the girls, and I went to the flower mart and stocked up for the table and for some gorgeous flower arrangements that my mom made.  We then went to JoAnne’s and got some ribbon to tie bunches of flowers at each place setting.

We alternated between a fuschia bow and a light pink bow for each napkin going down the table.  Then we pulled out some pretty flower plates that mom got on her wedding day, the fine silver and everything else was white.

The setting really can’t be beat with a view of the bay.

Fun was had by all, especially the little ones…

Hope your Easter was a special day.

Dining Room Update

One room where I have subscribed to the theory of slooow decorating is the dining room.  You guys were there with me when I got my beloved Oly Studio dining room chairs and when we ripped up the ugly carpet…post here.

Now for the next latest and greatest, we have our official dining room lighting.  I had my Stray Dog Designs chandelier up as a place holder but it was never meant to stay in that room.  I love the light but it’s more whimsical then I’d like my dining room to read.

I just needed to find the perfect piece which can take TIME.

Luckily for me, while searching One Kings Lane vintage section for lighting for a client, I stumbled upon the light for me.  I can assure you my job is very dangerous like that.  It’s very easy to do the, ‘one for you and one for me,’ when out shopping for clients.

I digress.  I present to you my very own antique copper lantern…

I love it!  It actually looks better in person; my horrible photography skills in no way do it justice.

By absolutely no means is the dining room finished.  But I’m one step closer.  The next step is to put up drapes and to take down the shutters.  That will bring a layer of softness and possibly color to the room.  Now to find a fabric within my budget and to my liking.  I’m very much considering white Ikea drapes with this tape on the leading edge until I find the one again…

I’ll update you as the changes arrive.  At this pace it will be in about six months or so.  How is that for a hard sell to keep you reading?

Suellen Gregory Design

Even though I was born and raised in California, my mom does have some deep Southern roots.  She can trace her roots back to the revolution.  Her sister is in town from Virginia (which I saw as the perfect excuse to dress the girls in smocked dresses).  It got me thinking of how I am influenced by Southern style and I think that has to do with the traces of Southern style/ antiques placed around our California home growing up.

One of my absolute favorite designers, who I had the pleasure of “meeting” over Instagram, is based out of Richmond, Virginia – the very place my mom was born.

Today, I’d love to whisk you away to the wonderful world of Suellen Gregory Design and her beautiful use of pattern mixing, unique furniture pieces, gorgeous antiques and a few modern pieces for good measure.

Suellen Gregory’s work is chalk full of inspiration.  She, and her team, have such talents at mixing patterns, styles and colors.  I like how she really follows through on a color story, pulling from one fabric and I think that’s what makes her mix so successful.  Each room is absolutely stunning while feeling relaxed and a happy place to live.  You can follow Suellen Gregory on Instagram here.

Twin Bedding

I’m back again.  My apologies for the two month blog break!  That was unexpected.   But not to worry, I wasn’t going to drop the mic forever on a pottery barn post. Life simply got ahead of me and something had to give.

While I was away from my little old blog, Josie turned three!  Three means many things, one of which is a big girl bed.  She’ll be transitioning soon to this twin bed that is currently set up in Gracie’s bedroom…

I’m not sure if I’ve shared the story behind the headboard.  I have a pair of them and they came from the previous owner of our house.  In my cover letter where I begged and pleaded for our home, I mentioned how I loved everything right down to the matching faux bamboo headboards.  When we got the house, the previous owner gave them to me as a present.  It was the sweetest thing ever!  The previous owner lived here for about forty years and her daughter slept with the very same headboard.

One day Grace and Josie will share a room and they will have twin beds lined up with these beautiful headboards!  I can’t wait!!  Meanwhile, Josie’s headboard is getting painted green.

And now I’m starting to think bedding.  I’d like to do a scalloped, percale, cream coverlet, possibly with a monogram in pink.  Here’s some inspiration shots of what I’m thinking for the coverlet…

Interiors of Tom Scheerer for Book

Now that was a wordy post all for a coverlet discussion.  But I do think it’s a very simple, classic and refined look for two twin beds.  And I especially love the example with the block print quilts folded at the end.  Isn’t that room dreamy?