Quiet Time

Praise the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. Psalm 104:1

Lately there have been a lot of things to celebrate and be grateful for. I am so blessed and all the praise goes to HIM.

WINNER!!!

Happy Saturday to you!  I woke up super excited to see who won $50 to Target. 

 

And the winner is . . .

Heather at Step Inside

Congratulations girlie!  Have a great time with your Target gift card!

Thank you so much to everyone for entering and for letting me in on some of your favorite blogs.  I’ll post more on this in the future, but I had a great time checking out your faves (some new, some I already love too).

What are y’all up to this weekend?  We have a wedding to attend tonight, and I am hoping to finally get around to adding some fall decor to our home.  We’re expected to finally get our first cool front this week!  Yay!!!

baby haircut

Is it time?  :(

Adding a Touch of Glamour

Wow! After reading each response to my Schlumpakinda post, I feel like a have a slew of sisters who really can relate.  I echo the sentiments of those who pointed out how GOOD they feel when they do put some effort into getting themselves together in the morning.  It just makes you feel better about yourself and ready to face the day. 

And the idea of getting prettied up also inspired me to add a touch of glamour to our sitting room, specifically, the reading nook.  We have a large leather club chair and bulky side table from our last house that isn’t necessarily my vision for this space, but right now, we’re working with what we have.  I’d like to have a plush, light colored chaise (light blue, gray?) and a beautiful little side table.  But alas, we have THIS:

  

Which, this morning, I turned into THIS

 

Here’s how I added a touch of glamour to this space.

1.  I placed a beveled mirror on the table top to reflect some light.   I haven’t yet affixed the mirror to the table, but I will do so soon.

2.  Added a glass vase full of gorgeous hydrangeas.

 

3.  Although the flowers are beautiful on their own, I wanted to layer the table a little more with some of my favorite things to give it that cozy feeling.  I added a photo from our wedding in a simple, silver frame, a small glass votive holder, and one of my favorite books. 

 

4.  Then, in an effort to minimize the impact of the bulky leather chair, I added some pillows and a throw blanket.  I played around a little with different pillows and the placement of the blanket. 

 

5.  Finally, I added some magazines to the ottoman, ready for me to read when the house is quiet and I have some time to myself.  *ahhhh*

 

It’s still our old furniture, just all glammed up! 

Source List

• Leather chair and ottoman & Throw- Z Gallerie
• Table- Crate & Barrel
• Silver frame, mirror, & pillows – Target
• Glass vase & votive holder- ??
• Magazines- Ballard Designs, Neiman Marcus, House Beautiful

**Don’t forget to enter to win $50 to TARGET!  Winner will be announced tomorrow.  ***Update: This giveaway is now closed. 

I’m sharing this post at these fabulous blogs:

{M} Between Naps on the Porch * Making The World Cuter * The Girl Creative * Sumo’s Sweet Stuff * The DIY Showoff * Thrifty Decor Chick * Skip To My Lou * Keeping it Simple * Mad in Crafts * Super Stinky Boys * C.R.A.F.T. * Tools are for Women Too {T} Tip Junkie * Today’s Creative Blog * All Thingz Related * Sugar Bee * New Nostalgia * I’m Topsy Turvy {W} Blue Cricket Design * Me and my Bucket * Someday Crafts * Domestically Speaking * My Backyard Eden * The Thrifty Home * Women Who Do It All * Gettin’ Crafty on Hump Day {Th} House of Hepworths * Somewhat Simple * The Shabby Chic Cottage * Beyond The Picket Fence * Life as Lori {F} Serenity Now * Infarrantly Creative *Just a Girl * Chic on a Shoestring Decorating * Decor Mamma * Remodelaholic * Fingerprints on the Fridge * Fun to Craft * Miss Mustard Seed * The Shabby Nest * The Inspired Room * A Few of My Favorite Things * My Romantic Home {S} A Vision to Remember * Funky Junk Interiors * A Little Lovely * Tatertots and Jello * Be Different Act Normal * Perfectly Imperfect {S} I Heart Nap Time * Under the Table and Dreaming

Goodbye, Hello...

I can't believe it is already time to say bye to NYC. I will only be back in Birmingham this afternoon for a couple of hours before turning around a leaving again. I promise to share details of the trip next week when I get back, it has been such an amazing trip. While I am looking forward to this weekend, with all the craziness I wish I was here....Not too bad for a vacation home. More images including before and afters, Traditional Home. I will be back next week and I can't wait to share everything with you and get back to "normal", whatever that is!

The Road to Schlumpadinkaville*??

I think this must be how it starts.  One day, you’re getting ready in the morning, carefully applying makeup, styling your hair (drying and curling), putting on high heels and cute work clothes, accessorizing, and adding a coordinating purse. . . then you become a stay at home mom. 

It starts innocently enough.  “I’m home, so I should be comfortable” (a barrage of tanks and capris ensue, quickly becoming the “uniform”), “my baby pulls my hair” (so I just keep it up, don’t even dry it anymore after showering- at least there is still showering:), “why fuss with makeup” (a quick coat of mascara is fine), and “no one’s noticing my jewelry and/or the baby just tries to eat it” (so sometimes I don’t even wear my engagement ring). Gasp!

Every day begins to look like this:

uniform + wet hair + clip - wedding ring

Maybe the “uniform” wouldn’t be so bad, but it’s literally the SAME PAIR of capris almost everyday (is super comfy a defense?).

But ladies, be honest, am I on the road to Schlumpadinkaville?  Is it the beginning of one of those times when, before you know it, you don’t even recognize your cute former self?  Then, in a desperate attempt to try to get you help, your family nominates you for one of those makeover shows where everyone is gasping at how you let yourself go? 

Do you SAHMs “get ready” each morning?  If so, how much time and effort do you give it?  I think getting a bit more prettied up each day could do me some good; I even made a hair appointment for this week.  I’m fascinated by this topic right now.  Would love to hear your thoughts. 

*Schlumpadinka.  n. Urban dictionary definition:  lazy people with self esteem/value/respect issues, who have given up on themselves, fashion and style that live in oversized t-shirts, sweatpants, black leggings, or think pajama pants are appropriate "going out" attire. Most recently brought to our attention on Oprah, the schlumpadinka is, in most urban centers, an epidemic.

**Enter to win $50 to Target here. 

Room To Grow

While looking for NY design inspiration I came across this space. While it stands to be warmed up some I think it would be an amazing space to live in...This picture makes my heart skip a beat...
And this one too...
Not loving this room but I had to include it because of the windows...
All images New York Magazine