Design Ideas

This blog is really a hodge-podge, isn't it? All I can think of today is paint colors and furniture arranging, so I guess that's what I need to write about! We'll be moving next month and I will have 2-3 weeks to get the inside of the house painted and move-in ready beforehand. Everything we did to the bungalow has been of necessity and this time it's purely cosmetic stuff that I want to do. So much more fun! OK, let's get to it.





Kitchen: What I have now is plain white painted cabinets with brass knobs - pretty dreary. What I want is this, sort of. I really want a warmer, more golden color on the cabinets, but you get the idea.

Master Suite: Again, what I have is pretty standard stuff, off-white, I think. I cannot come up with a picture of what I want so I'll do my best to describe it. Dark wood furniture, vibrant red raspberry walls, white trim, white bedding and a small amount of Caribbean blue and lemon yellow. I want to create the look of a Caribbean retreat - bright and exciting while still relaxing. Who knows, maybe I'll start drinking Pina Coladas in bed! And the most important thing? No more computer in our bedroom!!!!!

Abby's Room: The finding pictures thing isn't working out for me right now. Let's just hope your imagination is as good as mine is! She wants pale pink walls with stenciled black cats. Her bed is brass and black. Black antiqued accent tables. Pale pink bedding with at least one faux fur black pillow. We found a black beaded chandelier. One whole wall is already mirrored so when we're done, this room will just reek with fabulousness.

Ford's Room: He wants a hunting room. This was the most difficult one to imagine but by far the funnest to create. Khaki walls adorned with targets to aim his nurf shotguns at. A sign on the outside of the door "posting" the property for trespassers. Black metal bunk beds with heavy mossy netting around the top for camouflage. Oh, and Baxter finally gets to hang a deer head in the house! Wow will he be excited!

Dining Room: Neutral tone, either ecru or gray on the walls. Simple muted tones with a splash or two of raspberry, blue or yellow to tie in some of the other areas of the house.

Den: Same neutral tone as the dining room, natural slip-covered furniture, muted tones overall with some splashes of color from the throw pillows and other accessories.

So, what are my big overall decorative changes? Having downsized and now expanding again, I won't be filling every nook and cranny of my house right away. I'm going to mostly move in first and seek out specific additions as I see fit. I'm not just going to start collecting furniture willy-nilly. We will probably have less artwork on the walls than we used to and certainly more than we do now. I really don't know where I will be putting the big red paintings that hang in our bedroom now. We've had a red thing going on for a while now and I'm pretty tired of it. They might find a home in our finished basement but I'm going to let the walls talk to me before I hang anything up. I want more room for family photos!! And I want to dust less. I am never buying colored or patterned sheets again, or colored towels. In fact, I want white dishes too. I want to simplify and I'm looking for clean lines, less clutter, and more time to relax in our home. I love decorating and I hope to begin in a couple of weeks!

My Blonde Baby

Sometimes I think Abby is too good to be true. I know I'm her mom and I know I'm biased, but really - it's just everything I ever thought having a daughter would be like. She's 7 1/2 now. Too big for her britches. She still asks me to braid her hair, but she also likes to put on frosty lip gloss when I'm not paying attention. She got caught at the Mexican restaurant last week and tried to hide her lips from me. Didn't work out the way she thought it would. I wasn't really mad, but I did make her wipe it off.

This week, she was invited to a Felicity-themed-American Girl-birthday-party-extravaganza. I have secretly wanted to make her and her doll matching dresses since Christmas but haven't had a good excuse. I took the opportunity to avoid laundry, meal preparation, and general cleanliness to get the dress done in time. My mother found some old fabric, perfect for this sort of thing, with pretty yellow, lavender, coral and blue flowers. I trimmed the dresses in yellow ribbon and made her a bonnet and purse to match for each of them. She looked more beautiful and more pure and more Abby than I've seen her look since the day she was born. When we left for the party, I did feel something like pride; but it was more complicated than that. I don't really have a word for the way I felt. Maybe I was just happy for her. I hope to have many moments like that.

Last night, she spent the night with a friend. They stayed up way too late and watched Hannah Montana reruns and painted their toenails on towels. Today, she asked me if I could help her get the blue polish off of her toes. The boys had an event to attend together, so we had a "girls night." We took a long walk around Smyrna and talked the whole time. We talked about her brother and how I was like him in some ways when I was growing up and how I was like her in some ways when I was growing up. Then we talked about Patrick Owen, who used to hit me in the head with his metal lunch box and how he really had a crush on me. We laughed at how silly boys are. She talked vaguely about boys that liked her but wouldn't get specific. Then, we had leftovers for dinner in front of the TV and we painted our toenails on towels and had the most fun!

Today was a special day. Her whole week has been pretty special - but even on hard days when we don't get along and the thought of what 14 will bring sends shivers down my spine, she always ends the day with the same words in her sweet little voice, "Mommy, I love you." It's simple, it's sincere, and it has to be one of my favorite things in this whole world. Like I always tell her, if I could pick any little girl in the whole world to me my little girl, I would pick her. Thank you God for blessing me with this precious daughter! May we always be as close - closer - than we are today.

Where I'm From

Thank you to Jen for sharing this idea. If you want to play along, you can find the template to write one here.

"Where I'm From"

I am from my own imaginary world of friends and fairies that live in the woods. The place where dreams are real and anything is possible. I'm from Mrs. Butterworth's pancake syrup, Grape Nehi Soda, and cinnamon toast.

I am from the brown brick house that hides behind the mimosas, buckeyes, azaleas and trees. From the living room where I scribbled under the sofa cushions and hand-prints were made on the curb out front.

I am from the hollow tree, the sandy creek bank and the smell of the sweet gum blooming.

I am from Burton and Mayes, Gladys and Lola - hard working, stubborn, generous and kind.

I am from hilarious hat parties and holidays with the most delicious food. I am from beautiful women and charming gentlemen.


From "You can run as fast as a deer!" and "You'll be an author some day."

I am from The Baptist Church where Fagan Durham greeted me in his brightly colored sport coats each Sunday and told me how pretty I looked.

I'm from the city of Atlanta and the Blue Ridge Mountains, the foothills of Appalachia and from God fearing people who came here from Britain long ago. I'm from muscadine preserves, beans and cornbread, and homemade everything.

From the man who lived in Japan for two years in the snow, longing to come back to his home in the south, and the woman he married when he came back. I'm from every dream they ever shared together.


I am from the photographs hanging in my mother's hallway, furniture that we all pass along to one another, things that no one else but family can teach you and a home that will always be home, no matter where I go.

No More TBD

Our contract is signed! Our close date is decided! We are officially buying the house! Also, I got the job at Floor & Decor as their in-house copywriter. I'm still not entirely sure what that means or how much work I will get, but together with Baxter's raise, it should be enough to make ends meet! God is providing! This has been one of those "hairs on your head" kind of moments for me. We trust God to intervene when we are desperate. We cry out to Him when we are in danger or for the sake of a friend in need. But when changes are looming on the horizon, I don't fully trust Him to take care of the little details and He always does.

Nothing is certain, of course. Anything could happen to make this path more or less difficult but that could always be the case. We only have today. I think that it is especially difficult to think only of today when you are buying or selling a house because is requires planning and forethought. After going through what we went through last year, I also question our decisions a little more. So I am taking these last details as a sign that we are making the correct decision to buy this house and that I definitely need to homeschool again next year.

I am really excited about two things. First, I LOVE to decorate. The older I get, the more I wonder why I didn't choose it as a career. I spent the whole drive back from Athens decorating our new house in my head! Some we will do right away and some will have to wait due to cost, but I have a dream of how I eventually want the house to look and I'm so excited about seeing it through! Secondly, I am so tickled that we will be homeschooling again next year. I have really grown to love homeschooling and I am positive that it's the best thing for them right now. I am so glad that I can make this decision instead of having life make the decision for me.

We will be officially through with our school year next Thursday. Expect to see a lot of updating on PTO Blog now that I'm not giving it up. I want to share my curriculum decisions and expectations for next year. 2010 is really shaping up to be a year of forward progress for us! Praise God!

End of April

Here is a long-overdue update on our house situation. We will have a contract signed by the end of April. Whoo-hoo! What this basically means is that if everything goes through, we will be getting that tax credit we wanted. That could help us buy a new car, so let's hope we can secure financing. Right now, I'm just waiting on Baxter's review to help me make my decision about working. Several things have happened that are coloring my decision.

I found myself networking last week with a woman in the "rich" side of my neighborhood who I didn't know as well as most others. I discovered she is in marketing and her husband is in advertising. She offered to help me get back into the workplace and wants me to send her my resume. On the surface, this sounds like it could be an amazing opportunity. However, some part of me sees everything going on in my life right now as a huge test. This woman, although very funny to be around, is not at all like I would like to see myself in 5 years. She works all the time, her son has a nanny, and she is very career/money driven and not godly at all.

Then, I found myself in a conversation with a very successful attorney/mother who goes to my church. She is a very godly woman and understands the struggle I'm facing completely. I know that going back to work isn't breaking a commandment or anything, but I do see who I surround myself with as a reflection of the direction I'm going. I need to tread lightly here.

I also have heard of women who work 3 days a week, or even full time and still manage to homeschool. I'm so torn. I finally told Baxter that he needs to have this review SOON and he needs to look at me and say, "ok, this is how much I make ____, this is how much we spend _____, this is what I need you to contribute ______. Only then can I take what I have been weighing and make a real decision.

If you're praying for me, please pray that first and foremost, God sends me clear direction in these decisions. Pray that I can trust God fully with where He leads me. Pray that I have the strength (both mentally and physically) to keep up with this busy life I have. Finally, pray that my marriage will benefit from these changes. I could see that it might be difficult on our energy and patience with each other if I'm stretched too thin.