Maybe, just maybe, if I brought this…
Instead of this…

That wouldn’t happen.
A fabric potted plant from Etsy: it’s a good thing.

I’ve killed her. But she’s in a better place now. I mean, at least she’s no longer suffering. It was such a long and lingering death, I felt ending her life was the only humane thing to do. So, after dinner tonight, we gathered and gave a fond farewell to Fiona the fern, my family and I. Her final resting place: the kitchen garbage. May she rest in peace.
Fiona the Fern

August 2009 – February 2009
Issue 3 of Lonny Magazine is here!
I literally sang that line out loud as I typed it and my husband called me on it. He was all, what are you singing? And I was all, was I singing something? And he was all, um, yeah.
You see? I’m so riled up about Lonny’s latest on-line issue, I didn’t even know I was singing.
But there is so much to sing about, including this amazing office.
And these stripes.
And what about the paint treatment on the ceiling over the bar?
There’s even a section on organization. So much to sing about. Buggin David a bit while doing it: bonus.
I was so stunned when I saw it I can’t even remember what home decor magazine I was flipping through while waiting in line at the grocery store last week. In a beautifully decorated room I saw this chair:
With this logo in the credits:
No way, I thought. There’s no way KMART sells that contemporary rocking chair. There’s. No. Way. So I popped on line and I discovered not only does the discount giant sell that chair, but these modern masterpieces too.
They are all $150 and less which is such a steal. And it’s super fun and affordable way to try a modern piece in your place.
Have you seen the blog Belle Maison? If you haven’t, you need to stop, drop, and roll over there right now. The site dishes out daily doses of decor which feeds the souls of do it yourself decorators everywhere.
So, I was super stoked when the e-mail I sent Julie Thigpen last week about my design dilemma sparked such a fun response. The interior designer and owner of Modern Chic Home asked if she could use my e-mail and attached photos to kick off her Dear Designer series.
Of course, I said yes! And if you click here, you can not only check out my living room, you can also read all about the pretty pillows Julie said would spice up my space.
I admit, my home decor isn’t for everyone, but it is for me. And since you’ve now seen my living room, I thought you might like a little look at the rest of my home.

Latham’s Nursery is painted in yellow and green stripes with lavender accents. We decorated it before we knew if he was a boy or a girl.

Here’s Reichen’s big boy room. Cars and roads is the theme, of course. We plopped a big red chair in the corner so when we read, we have a comfy place to sit. An airplane chandelier hangs from his ceiling and he loves it.

Here’s the master bed room. I’m in love with the chocolate brown, blue, white, and black color combination. The canvas above the bed is a photo of my family and me walking in a pasture. See the little people next to the big tree? That’s us.

This is our guest room, with Reichen at the foot of the bed wearing his Lighting McQueen jammies. It’s purple! I told David, with all the boys in the house, I get one girly room. And here it is. My mom sleeps there when she comes to visit, so it works for us.

Most people in the Midwest use this little room at the front of the house for an office, but we really don’t have much of a need for one, so I turned it into a sitting room. It’s the space we hang out when friends come over and have a couple drinks before dinner.

Our basement is an open space where the kids stash all their stuff and we play, play, play. But I turned this specific section into a reading area and the boys and I use it every day.
So there you go. A little glimpse into the space the 3 Stinky Boys and I call home. I hope you enjoyed the tour!

If I had an extra $10,500 burning a hole in my pocket, I would totally buy this dresser from Berddorf Goodman. Isn’t it breathtaking? The piece has varying drawer pulls reclaimed from vintage chests. And as if whimsy weren’t enough, the drawers open on both sides.
You know what’s really handy, dandy about this little bloggity, blog thingamajig I have going on here? Every now and then, my handsome husband actually reads it.
The last time he hopped on was just before my birthday in December. He was looking for the perfect present for my 35th, and boy did he discover a doozy.
So, I thought, you know, just in case he needed an idea or two for future holidays such as Valentine’s Day, Easter, or President’s Day, these lamps from Z Gallerie would look perfect in our dining room.
Don’t you agree, Dear?
“Will the house ever be finished,” David whines as I pick out paint colors, again.
It’s a valid question, I guess. I’ve painted and decorated nearly every nook and cranny in our home, including the laundry room a few months ago.
“WHY would you want to paint the laundry room,” he wailed when I told him about our then weekend painting plans.
“Because,” I say, “I spend all day, every day in there.”
I feel the same way about our mudroom. The boys and I go in and out of there all day, every day and the boring tan walls taunt me.

This picture on cb2.com is the inspiration for my new mudroom. Not only do I love the paint color, I love the light fixture.

My husband doesn’t know it yet, but both are now mine. I purchased the paint a couple days ago, and ordered the oversized equator pendant lamp yesterday.

The shade is HUGE. It will fill nearly our entire mudroom, but that’s what I LOVE about it. I want it to make a statement. And it will. I just hope the statement my husband makes when I plead with him to put it up is, “Of course I will.” And with a smile on his face. That’s not too much to ask, is it?
I plan to paint and install the light fixture after the craziness of Christmas. I’ll post pictures as soon as I’m done. Wish me luck!
I know Domino Magazine is dead and gone but former Domino editor and blogger Michelle Adams has just launched Lonny Magazine, an online-only home magazine.

The site is stunning. I love that each story has tons of photos accompanying and really shows a range of tastes. And the best part: it’s free!