Simply Stated

"So long...farewell"

2009-09-11T01:56:00.004-05:00

I have decided to stop blogging for now until life slows down a little. I have been bad about updating and doubt anyone still reads my posts since I have not been good about keeping them up lately. So from one of my favorite movies..."so long farewell" for now~

I love Sunday nights...

2009-08-23T19:36:00.003-05:00

I just came from a nice family dinner at my Mom and Dad's house and I am so excited about watching tv tonight. The feeling brings me back to my childhood and being excited about watching "The Wonderful World of Disney" on Sunday nights. My new favorite show...Mad Men is on at 9:00. I am completely obsessed with all of the set designs...take a look at this link for more detail on the authenticity of the sets. Time to go get in my pajamas and get ready to watch television.

Commitment issues...

2009-08-20T20:37:00.009-05:00

I have been an interior designer for 10 years now. All day long I design spaces for people, pick out fabrics, furniture, accessories, lighting, paint colors etc. When it comes to my own home I am at a total loss and suffer from major design commitment issues. I have been looking for bedding now for over a year...I bought a larger size mattress and as a result needed a new bed skirt. I have been bedskirtless (I don't think that is a word) for over a year...gasp! I have looked far and wide for the perfect bedding and have purchased at least four different duvet covers and shams. All four times I returned the items to the store because they weren't quite right. I finally found my bedding...behold

duvet at the end of the bed and 2 euro shams

You are probably thinking to yourself...why did it take me so long to find perfectly plain white bedding. I can admit it...I suffer from severe design commitment issues...maybe there is some type of therapy for this ailment. The good news is I absolutely love, love, love my simple white bedding...bad news is I still need to find fabric for pillows and a bed skirt as well as a wallpaper for the back of my built-in bookshelves, new accessories for the shelves, a headboard, paint color for the walls. My dad doesn't understand why he can't just come over and paint my room this weekend. What he doesn't understand is now I have 6 paint samples taped to my wall...I must find the perfect shade of blue to paint the walls...hopefully I will be able to post pictures of the new room soon but it might take another year to find that perfect shade of blue...exhausting, I know~

Happy Birthday James...

2009-08-02T17:11:00.003-05:00

Happy 3rd Birthday to my sweet nephew James! Aunt Stacy misses you and wish I could be there to help you celebrate today~

Blog Break...

2009-06-29T21:07:00.002-05:00

I am taking a little break from blogging but I will be back soon after life slows down just a little!

Saturday farmer's market...

2009-05-30T13:42:00.006-05:00

I spent my morning walking around and taking in all the activity at the Dallas Farmer's Market. I don't know how I have lived in this city for 10 years and have missed out on this little treasure. There is something about buying local produce directly from the person that grew it that makes it taste so good. Time to go eat some sweet East Texas peaches~

Hawaii check list...

2009-05-24T12:18:00.013-05:00

Just a couple weeks to go until my much anticipated vacation. I need to start checking items off my shopping list~

1. bathing suit...ugggh!

2. sun screen 50+ spf (gone are the days of tanning all day in the sun...I wish I had listened when I was young and dumb about what will happen to my skin when I am older. I just didn't realize that older came so fast! )

3. sun hat ~check~ (thanks to my lovely new Vera Bradley hat from Mary and Kevin for my b-day!)

4. cute sundress and sandals

5. beach bag

6.sunglasses

7. beach reads...any other suggestions?

Nice...

2009-05-24T12:07:00.005-05:00

I was recently having a really bad day and stopped at a drive thru on my way home from work...I placed my order and drove to the window to pay. The employee said that the car in front of me paid for my meal and told me "to have a nice day". Such a small random act of kindness...but it meant so much at that moment~

Cute couple...

2009-05-24T12:03:00.005-05:00

I heart the new postage Love stamps...King and Queen of Hearts. They are such a cute couple~

Remembrance...

2009-05-24T11:56:00.006-05:00

In remembrance and gratitude of all the men and women who have lost their lives defending our freedom~

Brady Bunch meets mountain retreat...

2009-05-21T21:07:00.009-05:00

I recently went on a carpet mill tour in Georgia for work. The company who was hosting us has a retreat house called "Catabwa" on the grounds of Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain. It was built in the fifties as the home for Bo Callaway and his family. It is located on top of a mountain and overlooks the grounds of Callaway Gardens and the mountains in the distance. From the outside the house wasn't much much to look at but when I stepped in the door it was like walking back in time. It was such a special house and nostalgia of the era it was built was present in every little detail. The best I can describe it was the Brady Bunch meets mountain retreat. It was such a wonderful place I wish I could go back again!

My favorite architect...

2009-05-02T22:04:00.008-05:00

"Who is your favorite architect?" This is a question that one of my co-workers asked me a couple weeks ago. It didn't take me long to answer...Frank Lloyd Wright. During my third year of college I went to meet my friend's family in Springfield, Illinois. We were driving around the town and turned the corner and saw this house...

After asking at the hotel, we discovered it was a Frank Lloyd Wright designed house and it was open to the public for tours. I have always loved tours of homes but when I walked in the front door of this house it was the most inspiring house I had ever seen. It is a large home but it wasn't the size that was impressive it was the thought and planning that went into the design of every room and detail. After that trip, I read everything I could get my hands on about FLW and his buildings. Over the next couple years I was able to see many other Wright buildings and homes in the Midwest. I hope you enjoy seeing some of the details below from some of the places I was able to visit during college~

Unity Temple, Oak Park Illinois (stained glass ceiling)

Samara, West Lafayette, Indiana (copper gutters and gardens)

FLW Home and Studio, Oak Park, Illinois (front entry door)

Meyer May House, Grand Rapids, Michigan (fireplace detail)

A little treat...

2009-04-18T22:05:00.004-05:00

I decided to buy an early birthday present for myself....this sweet little bag from Anthropologie. I have a minor obsession with bags and have far more than any one person really needs but one more can't hurt. I am back traveling again after weeks of being at home. First to Greenville, South Carolina for work and then on to Dubuque, Iowa to visit my Gramma, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins, Brothers, Sister in laws and best of all my niece and nephew for the weekend. I am really looking forward to both trips and will post about them when I return. Have a great week~

Spring in Texas

2009-04-06T19:19:00.003-05:00

I had a meeting in Austin today and decided to drive the 3 hours instead of lugging the numerous stone, tile and carpet samples on the airplane. It was nice to get out of the city and look at all the blooming wildflowers along the highway. Thank you Lady Bird....they sure are pretty~

This Weekend...

2009-04-03T18:45:00.006-05:00

While I was procrastinating this afternoon I found this link for the print above and thought it was really cute statement. I always start the weekend out with the best intentions and a list of tasks to get accomplished. On a good weekend I usually get through half of the list. Maybe this weekend will be different...probably not~

1. Check my taxes...write the check and mail...yuck!

2. Grocery Shopping

3. Get eyebrows waxed

4. Laundry and put away

5. Pick up house

6. Mail Easter cards

7. Go to Mom and Dad's on Sunday

8. Get rid of old computer monitor

9. Rotate winter to summer clothes in closet

10. Clean out ref./ freezer/pantry

11. Call Gramma

12 Bake and decorate Easter cookies
13. Return items to stores (I'm bad about trying clothes on before I buy them)

14. Take donations to Goodwill

15. Work on continuing education home study test

16. Put Christmas tree box in storage...this will be done as it has been on the weekend list for months now and has become pathetic since it is almost Easter~

My Grandma...

2009-03-30T19:03:00.012-05:00

It has been a difficult couple of weeks for me and I was feeling down this weekend with the anticipation of the problems and things I had to face with the week to come. I was thinking and praying and started remembering my Grandma. It is amazing how someone can be gone from your life for over 15 years and I can still miss her so much. I started writing down everything that reminded me of Grandma from childhood and it made me feel a little more positive about life. I really wish I had known her at my age now...there are so many more things I would ask and remember. She had some difficult circumstances in her life and faced many challenges far more important than my daily struggles with this thing or that thing. With everything in life it is all about keeping perspective...that's what I am going to tell myself on a daily basis and keep in mind what is truly important. I thought I would share some images that reminded me of my Grandma and put a smile on my face~

movies, movies and more movies

2009-03-25T02:06:00.010-05:00

I love going to the movies and my passion started when I was young. Let me give you a little background info, I grew up in a really small town in Iowa. It was a great place to be a little girl and I will write more about my hometown on another post but for now...movies. We had one movie theater called "The Holland Theater" and it was a one screen theater that would typically get the "new releases" months after they came out. The films would stay for 2 weeks at a time and then the movie reels would be packed up and move on to the next small town theater down the road.

Going to the movie as a child and a teenager was an exciting event...first of all I would wait for the movie listing to be posted in the local newspaper and fingers crossed it would not be rated PG-13 or R because it was just not allowed in my family..no exceptions. I remember vividly when really big movies would come to town it was an event and you would hope and pray you could get a ticket before the 200 seat theater sold out for the one showing that night. When I got old enough my parents would drop me off in front of the theater to meet my friends. Of course a pre-scheduled time (no cell phone back in the 80's) had been arranged for the pick-up. When I got to middle school and if the showing was early enough I was able to head over to "The Soda Jerk" or George's Pizza with my friends afterwards. With out fail the movie reel would break at least once...sometimes twice during the film....the seats and floors were just a little sticky and there was a big velvet curtain on either side of the rumpled screen. It was so much fun especially in a town with very little entertainment other that the roller skating rink, slumber parties and school or church sponsered activities. I believe the little Holland Theater closed shortly after my family moved away in 1989 and a multi-plex was built in it's place.

So after hearing my story you understand why I love the shiny new theaters with their stadium seating and seats that lean back with head rests and the smell of fresh popcorn in the lobby....ahhh! No waiting for movies to come around...you can see whatever you want when you want.

This weekend in Dallas the AFI Film Festival is starting and I am all ready to kick back in the theater and watch film after film...I just love going to the movies!

Will you play along...

2009-03-21T23:22:00.017-05:00

I was browsing through blogs this past weekend and came across Kelly's blog "Life in a Small Town" she had a fun little game on this post. I hope you will play too~

My Indulgences...

chai latte

celebrity gossip

A place you would like to visit...

Mackinac Island...The Grand Hotel

My Favorite Color...

pink

My age...

My name...

What you are doing now...

Going to bed...

On my mind...vacation

2009-03-21T18:18:00.008-05:00

After a really difficult week at work and the warm weather, I can't stop thinking about my summer vacation. My family has been planning a trip to Kauai, Hawaii since last fall. The airline tickets were purchased in September...the room reservations were made... all that there was left to do was to wait another nine months until July came around. After a recent trip to visit my brother's family in the Midwest we started talking about the trip and it didn't seem so far away anymore...only a little over three months to go. I have been blessed to have the opportunity to visit this beautiful location before so I know how absolutely gorgeous and relaxing it is to spend an entire week removed from normal life. All I have to keep in mind on difficult days is...only a couple more months to go~

Yummy in my Tummy

2009-03-17T20:53:00.009-05:00

Lately I have been starting almost every morning out with a yummy breakfast of strawberries and Greek Yogurt...sometimes mixed with a little granola to add some sweetness. I recently discovered Greek yogurt after reading about it on some blogs. Although it is a little more expensive than regular yogurt it is well worth the extra pennies and you can click here for printable coupons. I have not ventured out and tried the flavored varieties because I love the plain unsweetened so much~

I'm in love...

2009-03-14T22:38:00.011-05:00

with this wallpaper from the House of KWID, designed by Kelly Wearstler for Decorator's Walk. I really, really want this wallpaper for my bathroom or my bedroom, or any room in my house. I have had a sample on my desk in the aqua blue color for six months now but I fell in love with the raspberry color after I saw this picture above on Anna Spiro's blog, "Absolutely Beautiful Things". It is most definitely on my "want...must have someday" list.

this picture is from House and Garden magazine...love...love...love~

Pink Carnations and Welcome to My Blog

2009-03-13T18:16:00.012-05:00

Yes I know, to most carnations are throw away filler flowers....call me crazy but I love them! Every once in a while I will see them on sale at the market and I splurge and buy them for myself as a little treat. I have had this little bunch of pale pink mini carnations for two weeks now and they still look as fresh as the day I bought them. There is something about the way they smell and their petals are so soft and look like tissue paper. Give them a chance and you will see.

Welcome to my little blog...This will be a place where I post random little thoughts about my life...I look forward to sharing with you~