My darling friends...

I have some very bad news (followed by very good news).

This bloggy has shared her last post.

She got very sick last night and decided that she would just shut down whenever she wanted and scribble things about and rearrange when rearranging was not in order and just thought it would be fun to go about and screw up months and monts of hard work and not let me put her back together...errr....I mean to say....some things just can't be fixed.

You can find me at my brand new bloggy address

wwwlifeondecatur.blogspot.com

Please come show your love over there...

I'll be waiting!

(did not intend for that to sound creepy...although it did)

craving flowers

Hi girls!

Do you love flowers like I do?

I dream of a monthly flower budget that is close to the amount of my mortgage.

That should provide a decent amount of floral for the month.

Truth be told...I don't buy flowers for myself nearly as much as I used to.

~~~

When I do splurge on the occasional bunch of flowers from Trader Joe's or the grocer...

I always say to myself and to Mr C...

"I'm going to start buying flowers more often!"

Then...that fades and I get busy and eventually forget that I made that little promise to myself.

Kinda sounds sad, doesn't it?

(are you totally thinking to yourself...this girl needs a life?)

~~~

When my parents used to live in Northern California...

their farmer's market had the most amazing flower bunches.

I would buy bunches and bunches to fill my mother's home.

They even wrapped them in newspaper.

(that is such a fun way to give someone flowers~try it!)

We had so much fun searching for enough vases for so many flowers and then stood at the kitchen sink together making our own arrangements.

I think the most unconventional vessels make the best vases.

Pitchers, glass jars...and old buckets.

~~~

I just love the feeling of having something so pretty and soft in the home.

They transform the energy in the room instantly.

I always pick the soft pinks, light greens and whites.

What colors do you look to with your flowers?

~~~

I want to re-create this little arrangement this weekend.

Maybe my darling Mr C will read this post at work today and bring home the supplies.

The flowers, of course.

(wink)

(major hubby points to be scored if these appear with you after work, honey)

~~~

This is my ideal color palette and arrangement.
It is perfection.
Is there anything more feminine than this?

Aside from us girls, that is.

(wink)
~~~

So...let's all go out and treat ourselves to some flowers this weekend and if you do...

post a picture of what you came up with.

I'm anxious to see what kind of lovelies you like in your homes.

That might be kinda fun.

(just a tip...costco even has some fabulous flower bunches...i have left the store with more than my fair share before)
~~~

My dear bloggy friends...

I hope you have a lovely weekend full of laughter and love and a few fresh flowers in your home.

Cheers to a wonderful weekend!

~~~

nooks and crannies

Hey there!

I have to tell you...I love when all of you creative bloggy ladies post photos from your homes.

I am nosey and I love to see the inside of where it all happens...

...in a non-creepy stalker sorta way.

So.......I thought I would invite you into my home and share just a little glance.

I wanted to show some photos of the nooks and crannies in our home...

These are the spaces where I love to put favorite things and pretty things.

Do you want to come inside and see them?

Let's go...

~do you see that fab tray right there, behind the planter, that is my new favorite find...it looks as if it has been around forever~

~shhhh....i just picked it up yesterday at home goods for $15!...don't you just love a good deal~

~ahhhh....my mother made me this memory board for my 32nd birthday...it sits right outside of our bedroom door and has some of my favorite family pics on it...

~hey...this is another gift from my mom...just a saying that i like real well~
~did you read it~

~just some photos and candles on one of my favorite pieces of furniture~

~a couple of years ago i went nuts for anything from z gallerie and this is one of those pieces from there~

~she's pretty, isn't she~

~uh~oh...that's milo...never mind him...he's always napping there~

~go back to sleep milo~

~i just found this little creamer set the other day at home goods~

~~this little birdie sits on the kitchen window right where i do my dishes~

~these are pictures of our breakfast room just aside from our kitchen...our table is black and bold and again...she came from z gallerie and happens to be one of my favorite pieces~

So...what did you think...

do you like my nooks and crannies?

I sure do hope so...

Can't wait to show you the workings on the living room/dining room change!

Lots of ideas and good stuff floating around!

Do you know how hard it is to choose fabric?

Sheesh...I'm torn between chocolate toile and solid taupes!

What's a girl to do?

~~~

creating my space

My decorative heart has been inspired.

My living room has frustrated me for some time.

It's "put together" and has some great pieces of furniture in it...it is just lacking the breath-taking...I can't stand being in any other room but this one factor.

So...I am changing that.

I am challenging myself to really "put -it- together!"

I have been digging through photos and flipping page after page of design magazines trying to relate to a style and find out how to put my essence into this room.

It has been my difficult room.

I have a hard time labeling my style because girls...I am all over the board.

I love vintage style and the rooms layered with billowy clouds of white.

I love dark pieces of furniture that make bold statements too.

Lately, I have been looking to bloggy friends for inspiration in my search.

I absolutely adore Tara's home photos.

She has great style and the sweetest personal touches.

I want to jump into Kasey's pictures of her home and just stay there for a couple of days (or until she kicks me out!)

For myself and my room challenge....

I have decided to stay true to my first design style that I fell in love with years ago....

The French Country room.

I adore large pieces of rustic furniture layered with antique vases and romantic colors.

I crave large baskets and Earthy tones with a hint of color here and there.

I found some photos of what I am inspired by and some ideas that are taking over in my brain.

Look what I have found:

~doesn't everyone need one of these~

~i think mine would have a big basket on top and an old galvanized bucket filled with lavender next to it~

~ i love the reds in this room~

~this room will still let me have some of the whites that i like with a little more rustic feel~

~must love a sofa overflowing with pillows~

~this is my ideal space...to me this is perfection...~

~ do you love the touches in this room as much as i do~

~a little yellow sure does brighten up the room doesn't it~

~i would surely sit in this room with a good book and my morning coffee~

~look at those floors~

~can somebody install those for me pleeease~

~i think i borrowed this photo from tara's blog and i was so excited coming across it because i have the same chairs in my garage waiting to be reupholstered~

So there you have it girls...

Next I will posting pictures of my front room and I will be showing the transformation into my French Country space.

I am so excited and I can hardly wait to get started.
m

(all photos are from country living)

my written pages

I am an organized pack rat of sorts. I hold onto anything that at one time meant anything to me. I am perfectly fine owning such said condition. It is part of who I am. I have letters from friends in the 6th grade declaring crushes on boys in my class (Brett Clanton was dreamy) and mentionings of stupid classroom lessons that Mrs. Arbaugh gave to us...although, she is the one who first taught about the dangers of mixing bleach with other cleaning chemicals and I diligently apply that lesson to daily cleaning activities...thank you Mrs. Arbaugh.


I have boxes (yes, that is plural) of hand written journal entries from the age of 6 and on...with everything important that has happened in my life up until now. I have written about school crushes and high school boyfriends...best friends and enemies...about when I fell in love for the first time and when my heart was later broken and a couple of times when I was the heart-breaker. I have written about when I met my husband 14 years ago and our engagement which led to our wedding...when my children were born...letters to them fill some of the pages and then I have pages and pages of the heartache and loneliness that filled many days of my struggling marriage. Reading those pages today still make me cry and feel so sorry for that girl that I used to be. ( I wish I could go back and let that girl that I was know that she will be okay with time and find Mr C to live happily ever after with). Those pages eventually led to include my divorce and the sadness and confusion that accompanied that change.

There are sad pages when when my dad was diagnosed with cancer and got so sick that I had to consider an Earthy future without him. Those pages are crinkled and are sorta noisy when you turn them to the next...there are dried tears on them. I still can't reread those pages yet. I write in my journal with one of my dad's old pens that my mother gave to me after he died. It is my favorite pen and I will hold onto it forever because I know his hands once used the same ink.

Pages and pages of memories of my children so small and delicate. Words about funny things they have done or overwhelming feelings of motherhood. The stories about things my kids would do are fun to reread and I love to share those with them. They like to pretend that they remember exactly what I am talking about...even though they were just a year old.

I have quotes that have special meaning to me...I write them down everywhere...journals included.

I love the pages that I wrote when Mr C and I started dating. I can't read them without smiling. When I do read them...I can feel exactly what I felt then...2 years ago. Giddy with love and excitement...the feeling of truly knowing without doubt that I was with my future...and an uncontrollable desire to make this relationship work since my last one got so badly off track. I have written letters to Mr C as well inside the binding...I have even given him 1 or 2 of them when we went over a couple of bumps in our road...they greatly helped to even out the pavement.

Today...I write about my inspirations...my children...my mother's move to Vegas and how she is still so sad after my dad passing almost 3 years ago...my sister and my worries for her (I worry about her even if there is nothing to worry about... like now)...I write about my children and my Mr C and our future...my pages have ideas on them that only my heart and head knows about...it keeps secrets of insecurities and confessions from my heart...it is my spirit on paper. I always imagine my children...when they are grown with children of their own...coming across these books of my life and opening the crinkled pages and learning about who I was inside.


What I write about on paper is true to what is floating in my head...and as close as you can possibly get to what is in my heart. I am so grateful that early on got into the habit of chronicling my life.

Hi girls.

First off~

Let it be known that I am a girly girl from my curly hair down to my pedicured toes.

But.........

I do love to follow (some) sports.

Mr C is entirely responsible for this.

Mr C sits with me every night and watches my design shows and keeps me company while I get my reality TV fix on the telly...so I decided early on in our relationship to reciprocate and watch the shows he enjoys.

This would include sports.

And pretty much only sports.

Sport, sports and more sports.

In the 2 years we have been sharing life...I have seen him through 2 Fantasy Football leagues, (Mr c has agreed to start a Fantasy Football League for myself and my girlfriends...you want in?), cheered with him for Superbowl games (Go Steelers),

and have sat in a sports bar for 4 hours in San Diego during our summer vacation to watch the basketball championship last year while the beach sat half a mile away waiting for me to just dip my toes in the water.

I deserve an award.

~

I have more sports knowledge than any of my girlfriends and I think I could put a few fellas to shame with what I have going on upstairs in the sports trivia section of my brain.

To be honest...

I love it.

LOVE. IT.

I have developed true girly crushes on some teams (and lots and lots of those good looking athletes) and am now adding very chic vintage sports t's to my wardrobe.

Try and pair up a vintage girl's Steelers T-shirt with a pair of True Religion Jeans and heals...You'll love it...trust me!!

So...I thought today I would share just a bit of my favorite NBA team...it is playoff time girls.

(please just indulge me)

I am all about the Boston Celtics.

I wear my green shirt with pride and do believe that it brings the team good luck.

After all...they did win last night right after I adorned the Lucky Green T.

In fact...I have 2 more coming in the post and I can hardly wait.

My sister is probably rolling her eyes right now...she always asks what happened to me!

Sheesh...can't a girl be girly and love sports?

Did I really just say that?

Anyway...if you watch the playoffs with your hubs or because you like the game yourself...give a little shout out to the Celtics...and send them some love.

m

P.S.

If you do watch...check out Kevin Garnett and my Favorite...Paul Pierce...they are so dreamy.

Oh...and Eddie House...he's a fox too.

See girls...sports has it perks!

~

drooling.....

Hi girls!

Do you have a hankie with you?

You might need one for this post...mine is right next to me!

Today we're talking bags.

It seems that this time of year is when I always start to look for my new handbag.

~sigh~

You understand the correlation, right?

Spring is a time for renewal and new.

Smart girls.

I have two very favorite things that I love to shop for.

Handbags and jeans.

These are the two things that I rationalize spending money on...

two things that blow the budget.

Today we are focusing on handbags.

(oh my! I'm so excited just typing about this)

All I will say is that it all began 5 years ago walking into Louis Vuitton.

*shameless name dropper, I know*

So...this year my search has already begun.

I'm looking for something with color.

I'm thinking bright greens and purples.

(hold on...need my hankie...already drooling)

Okay~

Let's move onto to what I've been looking at.

I'm dying to know what you think of these girls!

~~~

This one above is a Kooba Bucket Bag.

She's beautiful. No?

I think she looks fun.

I love her in this shade of purple and can see myself carrying her when going to run errands with the children...or for shopping in Scottsdale with Mr C.

(I do refer to all of my bags as "her" or "she")

AAhhhh...this is a Botkier Pleated Hobo and she is calling my name.

I can see her on my shoulder walking through Anthro looking for my next tea towel.

~~do you have goosebumps too~~

Another green bag.

This is a Botkier Pleated Satchel.

Her sister is the bag above.

Definitely a fun bag to carry to the movies or to dinner at Firebirds with Mr C.

I think my next bag just might be green.

Or...maybe it will be purple...

~~~

This is also a Botkier Soft Pleated Tote.

I love a good tote...don't you?

I love all of the dangly leather threads.

She is so bright and must definitely be carried only on special trips to the flea or antiquing with sister.

One cannot carry such a beautiful bright bag on the daily.

(Although...one would certainly like to!)
~~~

So girls...let me know what you think of these.

Can I pull of a bright green or purply bag?

Are there any other bags that I need to know about?

I'm ready to buy...but the sensible Mr C thinks I should wait until our trip to San Diego this summer.

I'm not so sure I like it when he is sensible.