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!
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!
My husband is going to kill me for writing this, but I don’t remember the exact year we got married. I’m not telling you anything he doesn’t know. It’s totally true. The only reason I know the day we wed is because it fell on a Friday the 13th. I’m horrible with dates. It’s a problem that has plagued me my whole life. If I ever lose my handy, dandy old fashioned paper planer I’m screwed. I’ve scribbled the date down in that thing of every birthday and anniversary of every friends, relative and co-worker I’ve ever known.
The point to my sad story is this: when we married several years ago, I didn’t register for china. My mother-in-law gave us her mother’s china from when she walked down the aisle 50 plus years ago. The collection is beautiful. I love it so much I hung nearly every piece of it on my dining room wall. The only problem is I can’t use it.
So now I’ve decided maybe I should purchase a set of my own and I’ve been on the hunt.

This gorgeous piece is from the Bernardaud china collection. The pattern utilizes delicate colors in combination with trendsetting design. It’s kind of pricey though. You have to purchase each piece separately. Prices range from $85.00 – $216.00.

This collection is from designer Vera Wang . The Wedgwood place setting is inspired by the lace Wang often uses to create her bridal gowns. It’s $139.00 per place setting.

This is the Federal Platinum Blue collection from Lennox. The classic style is so simple and pretty. You do have to buy each piece separately. Prices range from $12.75 – $28.00. All collections can be found at www.dillards.com.
The only problem with not registering for china when my husband and I got married is I guess I can’t register for it now. I wonder if I did, would my friends and family buy is for me? Probably not.
In my humble opinion, it’s all about the ‘crap’ when it comes to making your house a home. I specifically use that word because that’s what my husband calls every single exquisite accessory I bring home. It doesn’t matter if it’s a picture, vase, or cabinet hardware - according to him it’s all ‘crap.’ For all you fellow ‘crap’ lovers out there, I found the light fixture of a life time.
It’s the Lights Up! Louie Pendant Lamp and you can find it online at Design Public. It’s an extraordinary combination of cute and stylish, they’re graceful and practical. In other words, it’s the perfect ‘crap’ to hang over my kitchen table. Did you hear that, hubby?