Wishful Wednesday ... Style

Today, Kelsey's topic is all about STYLE! Let's face it.. we all love to shop! Some... more than others! (i will fully admit that I fall into the later catagory! ha!) But, if I could choose one store to shop from over and over, it would be...

I Wish ... I had any J.Crew store as my personal closet and could shop from it daily!

About 70% of my closet items are from J.Crew.. but it sure would be nice to fill up that other 30%! AND.. be able to get the goods as soon as they come out! :) I love the simple, classic, clean lines of the J.Crew clothes. They never get old! Just about all my "staple" items are either from here or Banana. You can just never go wrong!!

If I had to choose anywhere else... it would definitely be the Saks 5th Avenue Shoe Department!!... I spent countless hours perusing their San Fran store!!

or the Neiman Marcus, again in San Fran! The store is beyond words gorgeous!!! Take a peek at this rotunda!

Now.. THAT would be an awesome closet!! :)

Top 2 Tuesday.. Desert Island

If I were stranded on a desert island alone... i would need:

{1} My iPhone - it has pictures of my kids and husband, all the music i would need AND internet (blog world) access! :) Who needs a rescue boat??! Well, unless it comes bearing margaritas!! ha!

{2} my camera! - you know i have to take pictures of such a beautiful place!! :)

Quote

i found this quote this morning... it really spoke to me! sometimes things dont always go according to your plan. but.. it's not really OUR plan is it?? it's HIS! we must be willing to let go of what WE think is best for us and realize that HE already knows! that's always a tough one for me. i like to have control over all the aspects of my life. i like to know what, where, when and how it's all going to happen. i have to learn how to let go... just give it all to Him! i may not always like the path.. it may be stressful and just plain HARD at times, but he never gives us more than we can handle! he has a plan and we just have to trust him and follow it!

i hope everyone has a fabulous Monday!!

Top Two Tuesday - Guilty Pleasures!

I'm a little late posting today's Top Two Tuesday... sorry! It's been a day! Today's topic is SOO fun though!! I just love playing along with Taylor's blog! :)

Top 2 Guilty Pleasures... ha! Boy, do I have lots of these! ;)

{1} Online Shopping

oh man... am I addicted or what?! when i get bored... i shop! when i'm in a good mood... i shop! when i've had the worst day ever.. I REALLY SHOP! some of my favorite go to sites.. pb, pbkids, banana, nordstroms - for jeans, kate spade and etsy! really, kate spade could have her own guilty pleasure catagory! haha!

{2} Sonic Happy Hour

i LOVE LOVE LOVE to stop at Sonic for happy hour! i don't drink coffee, i don't smoke, i don't do illegal drugs... I DO DRINK CAFFEINE! it's my "Must Have" of the day! :)

Sooo... what are your guilty pleasures??!

Show Us Your Life: China Patterns

Kelly has SUCH a fun topic today!! China Patterns! I just absolutely LOVE the tradition of registering for China when you get married! It's just such a classic thing to do. I love ooing and awing over it all! I was lucky enough to get several pieces of our china when we got married and I love being able to add to it for holidays and special occasions.

The China we (ok.. I) picked out is a Kate Spade pattern.. Library Lane and Larabee Dot. I wanted something with very clean lines and very simple... traditional to it's best! I immediately fell in love with the Library Lane pattern. It was EXACTLY what I had imagined that I wanted. You can get several "colors" of this pattern, but we went with the platinum trim.
We also picked out the Larabee Dot accent plates to go with it. Again, in platinum.

So, all put together, our place setting looks like this.... LOVE IT!!

I decided to stay with the Larabee Dot pattern for our flatware and glassware. I am a sucker for polka dots, so I just swooned over these!

I absolutely LOVE the china pattern that we chose! It's just so clean, classic, elegant and simple! Definitely timeless! I know it's something I can pass down to my LK one day! :)

I also have it on good authority that my grandmother's china will be gracing our home one day, as well! :) She has the most beautiful Noritake pattern that my grandfather bought for her in Japan during Vietnam. (yes... he had to smuggle it back into the states.. that rebel! haha!) I have just loved it since I was a little girl.

I can't wait to see everyone else's china!!!

Wishful Wednesday ... Dream Bedrooms

Today on Wishful Wednesday, we are talking about our dream bedrooms!! I started thinking about it and trying to find pictures, and I just couldn't narrow it down! (figures! ha!) So, beware of picture overload! :)

'I wish' .... I could come home to ANYONE OF THESE bedrooms each and every night!

I like all things simple and without fuss. I ADORE alot of white in a bedroom. It just makes the space seem so content and comfy... very serene. I do like a little bit of color though. Nothing too bold and bright, just light and airy, enough to bring a little bit of something into the room. Blue is always a go-to favorite for that purpose.. so is yellow!

I love love love the white beadboard in this picture!!

I also love a room that brings in both new and old.. like this one with the iron bed and rustic nightstand. This is one thing that I am loving about Pottery Barn right now! They never cease to make me swoon over every page!

And how awesome is that brick wall!!!! Oh my! LOVE it!

Our current bedroom resembles the picture above. We have a yellow print duvet and iron bed. If only I had that wall of windows behind it??! A girl can dream! ;)

Top 2 Tuesday : Before I die..

Every week I just look more and more forward to Top 2 Tuesday!! Taylor always has the best topics! This week it's all about the things I want to do before I die... a "bucket list" of sorts. Now.. there's LOTS I want to do before I die! Like, travel Europe, take my kids on the Disney cruise... the list goes on. But there's definitely two things that are on my "immediate/within the next few years" list!

{1} Move to South Carolina

Now.. I have no GOOD reason to choose South Carolina. ha! But, I do know that I DO NOT want to raise my children in Memphis. Dont get me wrong, I love being surrounded by family and friends, but the city and it's "issues" are just awful! I want to raise them somewhere with a slower pace style of life, definitely somewhere in the South! I thought about Texas.. but it's too hot! haha! (you can really tell how straight my priorities are on this one!! ha!) So, I next went to Georgia or North Carolina. Honestly either one of these would work too. I defitely want to be along the Southern East Coast. I came to the South Carolina decision because we know several people who live around Greenville and LOVE it!! It's a booming meca for young families our age and has SO much to offer!! It's nestled right in between the mountains and the coast! It's SO close to Charleston, Savannah and Atlanta. OH MY.. I WANT TO MOVE SOO BADLY!! I guess now I just have to get Chris on board with this! haha! And my Grams.. can't move without her! :)

{2} Go to the Kentucky Derby

I wont bore you with the reasons.. it's obvious! ha!

Show Us Your Life: Favorite Books

This week on Kelly's Korner, we're discussing our favorite books and favorite children's books. I am SO excited about this! Not because I read alot... b/c let's face it.. I NEVER have time to read! ha! But, I can't wait to see everyone's favorite children's books!!! I absolutely LOVE reading to my kids! And these days, I love when LK reads to me! (yes.. my sweet baby can READ TO ME!! ahhh!)

So, here's a few of my faves..

Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet In Heaven

James Patterson's Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas

this was an absolute tear-jerker!! but, SOOO good! i think i finished it in a matter of hours!

LK's favorite book series... Fancy Nancy! (and I have to admit.. I like reading them too!) ;)

Ethan's fave... Curious George! We have LOTS of these!!

One of my all-time favorite books is A.A.Milne's When We Were Very Young. He's the same author of the Winnie-The-Pooh books. I absolutely LOVE this collection of poems!

Another favorite in our house right now... The Beginner's Bible! Ethan got one from the Easter Bunny and loves hearing all the stories! It just makes my heart go pitter-patter! :)

Maybe one day I'll actually get a chance to finish a book again! haha! But for right now, I'm

VERY content with at least finishing Llama Llama Red Pajama or the "book about tractors" every night! :) Not to metion the elation I feel when LK reads an entire chapter from Charlotte's Web! My baby is SO smart!! And I LOVE that she LOVES to read! :)


Can't wait to see everyone's faves!! :)

Wishful Wednesday .. Throwing it away..

This week's Wishful Wednesday topic is regret. Wishing we hadn't thrown away or given up something. I tried really hard to think of something tangible that I may have tossed out, but I couldn't come up wiht anything. Oh, I'm sure there is something.. I just couldn't think that hard this early in the morning! ha! But one thing did keep coming to mind...

'I wish' .... I hadn't thrown away my years of ballet!!

Yes.. I was a ballerina! We're talking like 16+ years of training here!! I started when I was 2 years old and contined all the way through my freshman year at Ole Miss! And then.. DONE! I had just had enough.. gave it up! AHHH! It still drives me crazy! I honestly wish my parents would have just refused to let me quit!

I absolutely LOVED it and was good at it! (if I must say so myself.. haha!) I had dreams of NYC, Broadway.. oh, the visions! Now, dont get me wrong. I can't sing a lick, so Broadway was probably not in my future.. but a girl can dream, right?! ;) In fact, my real dream was to be a Rockette. But seeing as how I can't just magically wish 5 inches to add to my height overnight, that probably wasn't going to happen either! But a dream is a dream and mine were HUGE!

Funny how life changes things, huh?! One day I was dreaming of Broadway and the next I was joining a sorority and immersing myself in college life! But, I really do wish I had never given it up. Even if I had never made it to NYC, I think I would still be dancing. Heck, even if to just get the baby weight off! lol

As soon as LK was old enough to begin classes, I signed her up! I know you're not supposed to "live life through your children", but I can't help but just light up when I see her on stage. I admit.. I secretly have my Broadway hopes and dreams for her too! :) (and she CAN sing!! ha!)

On another note.. today Barnes & Noble is offering a FREE digital download of Angie Smith's new book! I went and downloaded a copy to my eReader on my iPhone! Go here to get it!! :)

Top 2 Tuesday ... Dream Houses

Top 2 Tuesday is all about dream houses today! How fun!!

I have to admit, lately I've been crazy about all things houses!! Maybe it's because Chris and I are at that stage where we want to find our "forever home" and we also know that we already need LOTS more room in our house! We knew when we bought our current house that we were only going to stay there a few years and we've reached that point. We're already talking about moving.

Right now, we live in the city. We live on the outskirts, so our roads are winding and quiet, but about 7 min from our house it the mall, Target, grocery.. everything. And I like this! I'm definitely not a country girl, but with children, I like the idea of being away from the big city. I love the idea of small towns and lots of land. More and more, C and I have been talking about building a house near my grandparents. They live northeast of Memphis, sort of inbetween Memphis and Jackson... still only about 25-30 min from the city limits though. They do have a Walmart and a Kroger though, so now if they can just get a Target and maybe a HobLob out there... I AM SO MOVING! haha!

I dont necessarily like "BIG" houses. I am drawn more to Southern, cottage-style homes. I dont like a lot of brick. I love when something just looks warm and inviting. I want something that will be "home" forever. Even as our children get older and move away.. they will always know where home is! I love houses that are just full of "family" rooms... mudrooms, hearth rooms, sitting areas, playrooms/study rooms, jack & jill baths, outdoor living areas... rooms that just bring people together!

I searched the Southern Living house plans and found a few that I love..

{1} House Plan 1

I just love how this one has several entrances and porches! And the outdoor fireplace on the porch is just to die for! If you look at the plans (link above), you'll see how open and airy the home is. This is a definite must for me! I love open plans with LOTS of windows!!

{2} House Plan 2

This house is just AMAZING!! I love every single detail about it! Right down the the Guest Cottage in the back. I would LOVE to make that a complete Guest House for my Grandmother! It has everything I want in a house.. a seperate office, a veranda, a huge open floor plan with a family room, a DRESSING AREA (oh, yes.. please!), a seperate porch by the garage - perfect for a mud room!, an incredible courtyard and entrance way, and the potential for a ridiculously cute sitting area upstairs!

Here are a few decor Must-Haves for my deam home:

Comfy, Elegant furniture.

This room is definitely my style! Light colors, lots of yellow and light woods, the wicker, the jute rugs.. LOVE it! I like casual and easy... furniture that makes you want to just plop right down and chat!

Kitchen - I like big, open spaces! I love farmhouse sinks! I like things to be simple, non-cluttered. I also dont like a lot of color in the kitchen. I love the statement that the gray cabinets makes below.. just enough color!

And who doesn't love a white kitchen! Goodness, what I would do for a white kitchen. Just plain GORGEOUS!

I love simple, clean lines in every room of the house. I'm just not about a lot of fuss! I adore the bathroom below! How incredible is that tile?!

Another thing my dream home must have... a butler's pantry! I just love the idea of open shelving! Nothing big.. just a hallway with built-in shelves would do me just fine! :)

MUDROOM! Oh.. I must have you! I have decided that no matter what, even if I have to give up other "pretties" in my home.. I have to have a mudroom! With having two very active chilren and two VERY big dogs, I have learned that this is not so much a luxury as a NEED! Again, nothing big.. just a little big of organization and easy to clean flooring! :)

I love in the house below you can see the "farmhouse" style garage doors and the double doors! I LOVE double doors!!

This is actually my friend, Leigh, on her front porch. I just LOVE her double doors!! (and the wreaths!!)

I love the arches below with the transom windows!

What home isn't complete without an outdoor living area?!

complete with super cute furniture...

Last, but not least, we have to have an awesome playroom/study area!! Wouldn't my kids just love this...

So.. that's my dream home! (and all it's essentials! ha!) Luckily, my husband and I have pretty similar tastes, so maybe one day I'll actually get it! :)