my weekend recap

I'm sure most of you are already thinking about the weekend ahead, but I wanted to share with you a bit of my Mother's Day. It was my first as a Mama, and well, it was quite perfect, actually...

waking to bright sunshine * melting at the happy faces smiling up at me from their cribs * spying a vase of fresh blooms on the table - surprise! * savoring a slice of spinach & goat cheese quiche at Caffe de Luca * sipping a mug of spicy chai tea latte * enjoying a peaceful family walk * tucking away a treat to enjoy at home - yes, another one! * sharing kisses, hugs and cuddles with my three true loves * feeling quite giddy about a present! from my in-laws * peering into shop windows in Lincoln Square * ordering german chocolate cake and carrot cake - with four forks - at Cafe Selmarie * laughing on the phone with my mama - and missing her like crazy * tucking into bed a bit early with my book * drifting dreamily off to sleep knowing that I am the luckiest woman in the world

And even though it came a few days late due to some shipping snafus... LOVING my present.

To my darling babies, my sweet, sweet Henry & Amelia - you can't possibly know the tremendous joy I feel in my heart when I gaze into your bright eyes, on your shining faces. You can't know the way my love for you grows evermore each day. Or how I get a lump in my throat when I think about the sheer magnitude of the task I've been given... to be your mother. How I have this instinct to fiercely protect you from harm. How I beam with pride as I watch you learn and grow. You came into my life and flipped it upside down, and now I can't imagine a second of it without you. You are my best gift ever.

To my dear Husband -- you are my one, my only. I feel like I can do anything when you are by my side. You remind me to smile if I am feeling down. You help me up when I fall. You make me feel beautiful at times when I am anything but. Thank you for making this day - and every day - so special.




(Images 1, 2, 3, & 4 all posted by Anna here and here)

hitting the pavement

We had a lovely walk today. Quite lovely. And quite long.

Even with a bit of a chill in the air, there were signs of spring all around. Blooming flowers. Budding trees. Green grass turning ever brighter. I took some pictures along the way and wanted to share some of my sunny, Chicago day with you!



A darling little bloom...



A charming house with a white picket fence...



This color pink makes me hungry for cotton candy...



I {heart} American flags...



Are you all as excited as me that tomorrow's Friday?

decorating with paper garlands

We did a little Valentine's decorating...







It was simple enough... I just used some scrap paper that I had from a project I did for Amelia's room and a few ribbons I had lying around in my craft bins. I traced three different sized glasses for the circles and cut out different sized and shaped hearts from construction paper.

And though the garlands have only been up a few days, I'm beginning to think that this house could use a little more pink!

a few photos from our holidays

For my Christmas decorating this year I focused on just a few things and actually kept most of my decorations tucked away in their boxes. This year it was all about a "natural" Christmas. We had a live fir in the living room decorated with my favorite ornaments - lots of glittery glass balls and vintage handmade ornaments -, our stockings were hung at the fireplace and fresh flowers and pointsettias bloomed in vases and pots around the house all season. It was refreshing to keep things simple. And the vibrant greenery really brightened things up on gray days.

A view of our sparkly tree from the kitchen. On the lockers, I hung some hand-stamped doilies.

Our tree. Before we put the angel on top and added the white quilted skirt below. I forgot to get pictures of the "after"!

A vignette of fresh greenery - pine boughs, mums and winter berries - with a favorite ironware urn and retro silver candlesticks.

White mums and pine branches. I painted the edges of the pine cones in gold to add a little shimmer.

A new addition to the fireplace this year!

New addition #2!

Our chalkboard door with a merry message.

A simple fruit centerpiece. Stacked tangerines and sparkling beaded apples and pears on cake stands add a festive touch.

A floral centerpiece. Fresh flowers - mums, lilies and carnations - in an assortment of old jam jars and recycled glass jars.

I love the bright pop of red in an otherwise white and green bouquet.

I just love flowers. ;)

That's all for now.

Thanks for letting me share.

decorating: nursery

Hallelujah, I found our cribs!

You wouldn't believe how hard it is to pick out a darn crib (something that I have to keep reminding myself will only be used for about 3 years) when you actually have to find two! And then to be sure that said crib fits the bill aesthetically but also gets good reviews and safety ratings.

The babies will be sharing the nursery for the first few years (or until we move into a new house), and so I really wanted something that was simple, modern and could work in a bunch of different room configurations.

I think this is perfect.

(Parklane Crib by BabyMod)

Hooray, something to cross off the list!

look what i got! (part 2)

New kitchen chairs from The Painted Lady!

We had a couple reasons to buy new chairs... Lulu took a liking to our old chairs (that were made of wicker) and chewed through the arms on every single one and she ate one of the seat cushions - darn dog!; and we decided we're going to go with booster seats in lieu of highchairs so we needed chairs that we could attach said boosters to. My one caveat was that I didn't want a "regular" set... I wanted something unique.

And so here's what we found! Four vintage, black-and-white chairs with worn appliques on the inside back. They're totally unique and are just the right amount of kitschy cool.







(Please excuse the bad photography... if it's one thing I could learn to do it's to take better pictures!)

look what i got! (part 1)

One of my new favorite things that I picked up last week at The Painted Lady.

I've been looking for a tall, narrow cabinet for the past year or so, and as soon as I saw this vintage, metal black-and-white locker cabinet I knew it was the one! It holds tons of stuff... like extra glasses, recipe binders, and kitchen linens, and is totally one-of-a-kind. How's that for lovely yet practical?

Needless to say, I love love love.

(12 compartment vintage locker cabinet.)

(Detail shot of the bottom.)

(Detail shot at the top. See my little magnet clothespins?)