The Beach!

We just got back from 8 wonderful days at the beach! I loaded down the Sequoia and picked up Dustin's parents. Dustin was in a meeting in NC the week before, so we had to pick him up at the Panama City airport. This was the car before we picked up Neena and Papaw...just mine and Lil's stuff! They about died when I opened the trunk! (They made me deflate turtle so Papaw could see out of the back!)

The first five days we stayed at Tops'l in San Destin. The weather could not have been any more perfect! Lil LOVES the beach. She stayed so busy playing in the sand and loved swimming in the "WaaEERRR"



Dinner at Baytowne Wharf:

Lil was not into the family photo...squirming to get down.


Dinner at the Whale's Tail:

She LOVES french fries and thought this was hilarious!

My camera card ran out of memory on our third day, so all our other pics are on my mother-in-law's camera.

My family was staying near Rosemary Beach, so one day Dustin, Lillian, and I drove down to see them. My dad bought a cornhole (sp?) game, and all the guys had a blast competeing. I have heard that my dad is the cornhole king and he is so proud! The last three days we spent at Portofino in Pensacola. This place is amazing. We will stay here from now on. The condos and views are so gorgeous, the food is amazing, there are so many pools, and things to do! We did not want to leave!

Lillian is now twenty months (I can not believe it)

She is cutting her molars and it has been a NIGHTMARE!!! I am SO lucky to say that she has only been sick twice in her short little life, one ear infection, and one virus. She is always so happy and sleeps so well, except for right now! The teething pain makes her so restless and she cries hysterically and throws fits. She wakes up in the night and will NOT let me put her down, so she ends up in the bed with us, which is the one thing I said I would never do! :( Praying this passes quickly!!!

She is such a funny girl and answers any question with DOE (no) or Okkaaie (okay)

She is obsessed with airplanes. Anytime one flies by she hollars Paaee and points up in the sky.

She talks about her cousin Bryce all the time.

Talks on the phone all the time.

LOVES Blue's Clues still.

Loves french fries and any fruit, butterbeans, peas, not much on meat.

Loves to dance and it is so funny. She shakes her hips back and forth so fast....did not get that from me!

Says please and thank you all the time.

Is loving school (MMO)

She is pretty fearless...loves water, slides, and anything fast.

Sings ALL the time.

Knows O, A, B, C, and L of the ABC's

Reads outloud in her own jibberish. I find her in her room sitting on the floor with her Beginner's Bible pointing to the pages and "reading" out loud.

She is SO much fun and such a joy. She is very tall for her age. wonder why? :) I thank God everyday for blessing me with such a special girl!

Cuteness

This photo makes me so happy. Have you ever seen anything so cute??

We are leaving for seven days at the beach and I can . not . wait. I hope Lil loves the beach as much as I do!

Jewelry

What I'm Loving Now:

Pave' diamonds! (or rhinestones in my case) :) Have you noticed the Kardashians wearing them constantly? I love them. Don't think cocktail dress, think jeans and a blazer.

These are awesome. Nadri Pave' Doorknocker Pierced Earrings from QVC for $42.24. Never ordered anything from QVC before, but these might be my first purchase. Noir Jewelry Pave' Earrings. Zappos.com $180.00

Studs from Aldoshoes.com $18.00. Supercute with swimsuits this summer.

Feathers are everywhere. I am so over the hair extenstions, but love the earrings still. Especially natural-looking ones that blend in with your hair color. I like these.

Etsy - JudysDesigns $29.00

My Mom and I went into a lighting store years ago, and the salesperson told us "Lighting is the jewelry of your home" and it stuck! Except now we say "lighting is the Jewwrrry of your home" very country-like. Love it. It IS true though. Lighting can make or break a room, just like jewlry to an outfit. I have a lighting fetish. I would have a chandelier in every room if Dustin would let me. These are a few of my current favorites, all from Currey and Company...

Mom and I used the above in her current dining room.

The finish on this one above is gorgeous in person.

And my new favorite! Gorgeous finish and a tiny bit of whimsy. :)

Happy Monday. Expect great things this week!

Travis & a Recipe

My mother in law has been in the market for a new recliner for a while now, and we finally found the perfect one. I am not a recliner person at all, but I fell in love with this chair. The leather is gorgeous, and smells like heaven. Meet the Travis:

I can not wait for this chair to come in.

On another note...we had a great Memorial Day, swimming in the neighborhood pool, grilling, and throwing frisbee in the yard. It was perfect.

I tried a new recipe last Friday night and loved it. It is too easy and too good not to share!

Shrimp and Grits Casserole:
YIELD: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)
COURSE: Casseroles, Main Dishes
Ingredients
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter
1 (3-ounce) package 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 large egg whites
1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp, coarsely chopped
Cooking spray
Hot pepper sauce (optional)

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Combine milk and broth in a medium heavy saucepan; bring to a boil. Gradually add grits and salt to pan, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook 5 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in Parmesan, butter, and cream cheese. Stir in parsley and next 4 ingredients (through shrimp). Spoon mixture into an 11 x 7–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until set. Serve with hot pepper sauce, if desired.

Julianna Grimes, Cooking Light MARCH 2008

Enjoy!

If you are interested in ordering any furniture from Drexel Heritage, please email me for info.

New Look

Obviously, I re-did the blog. I love my time with Lillian, and would not trade it for anything in the world! Being a full-time mom is all I have ever wanted. I do, however, desparately miss the daily inspiration of working with fabrics, furniture, and design. So, I am hoping this blog will suffice for now. (and maybe even generate some business!) Thank you Jenny for turning my business card into a header, and for being my only reader! :-) I do sell drapes, and now furniture from my favorite line, so please email me if you have any questions, or are interested in my help!

Kitchen Before and After

Our kitchen when we bought the house: The backsplash, countertops, and floor were all the same ugly tile. We replaced the backsplash with tumbled stone on a diagonal, and replaced the countertops with granite. The island already had a granite slab top, so I had to match it. We popped up the bar and trimmed it out with beaded boards and added corbels. We antiqued all the cabinets, painted the island an ebony color and antiqued it, and tore out those hideous pendants and replaced them with one chandelier. The wall color and ceiling color were also changed to a slightly more golden neutral.And the after:

Please excuse the blurry photo, hopefully you get the idea. It is time for a new camera.

I love this kitchen and how it functions. Normally, you never see the cooktop in front of a window (this one has a snorkel draft), but it has been nice. I spend so much time there, and I like looking out the window, instead of staring at stone tiles. Our next house we will build ourselves, and I want a similar kitchen, but we will do the standard sink under the window and the cooktop in front of a backsplash with an overhead draft.

Anyways...we have had painters in the house yesterday and again today, doing some touch-ups, and trying to keep Lil out of their way has not been fun!

Happy Friday!!!

Ramblings

Im still here. I haven't been able to decide if I want to keep this up or not. Dustin hates the "publicness" of it, and I've started to agree with him. Not to mention that chasing after a sixteen-month-old and keeping house keeps me busy enough. Anyways, I decided to post a few random thoughts today. My Lil has gotten so big. She is fearless. She loves to run around with older kids - she thinks she is twelve. She is FULL of personality and makes us laugh all the time. Books, Blues Clues, playing outside, singing and dancing, strawberries, and butterbeans are her favorites. Have you seen the new Stages magazine? She has a full page ad. :-)

In other news...Our house is for sale! If anyone is looking in Reunion, let me know! We have four bedrooms, three and a half baths and a large keeping room, formal living and dining. The house backs up to walking trails and has a huge front/side yard. We love Reunion so much and think it is the best place to live and raise a family! We hope to never leave. ( We are building a new house here.)

I'm also selling drapes still....so message me if you are interested in that! I have sample books full of silks, linen, and burlap!

I guess that is about it for now. Here are two recent pics from last weekend. She loved the sprinkler!