2.23.2012

EMPTY

I love the look of empty frames in design.

(I think this space is by  Décor Demon)

I have collected quite a few frames during my thrifting adventures.  I think its time to pull those babies out!

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Love this blue and white..

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The above image is my FAVORITE!!! When I found it, I knew I wanted to do this in my house. 

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The coral and the aqua looks real good right about now.  Though we didn’t have a cold winter, I’m so ready for spring/summer and the colors used in that space screams summer!

 

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I love that these frames aren’t just on the walls.  Some are on the floor, the shelves, mantle, and side table.  It’s a bit much for my home (with the boys), but I like that the frames aren’t the same color.

It’s going to be in the 70’s today so I’m going to pull out the spray paint! I have the perfect place that is screaming for some attention.  Actually I have two; My hall and in my powder room.  Hmm, should I use  empty frames in both spaces? That may be overkill, huh?!

2.21.2012

TOMORROW…

The other day while watching Whitney Houston’s funeral, I posted on Facebook

Tomorrow… Forget tomorrow.

I love you today and hopefully I can say it again tomorrow.

If you haven’t noticed, life is precious.  A little over a month ago, my friends’ brother went missing.

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Patrick and Ericka are great peeps! I know people say that about their friends all of the time and I’m sure its true because my friends truly are great! He’s funny and laid back and Ericka is funny, but she doesn’t know it! They balance each other.  We often joke about how she is like my husband and I am like her husband.  He is a true “peoples person” while she is more reserved.  He’s into social media, she could care less…

On January 15th 2012, Patrick’s younger brother Charles S Parker went missing after a business meeting.

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(Charles and Patrick on Charles wedding day)

I won’t go into details about the disappearance because you can find out more on Google, but Charles body was found yesterday down in a well.

Why am I writing about this? I guess because I want to say that bad things happen to good people too.  Charles wasn’t some guy that was in the streets doing bad things.  He was an assistant manager at Bank of America.  He went to church every Sunday. As a matter of fact, the last day he was seen alive, he gave his rendition of the Martin Luther King Jr. “I Have a Dream” speech. Charles and his brother Patrick were also very talented singers. Charles was only 26 years old.

We sometimes take life for granted.  We also take the presence of those that we are blessed to know in life for granted. 

I will never understand why bad things like this happen.  But what I always think about in terrible situations is that we don’t say I love you enough.  Again, life is precious.

So instead of waiting til tomorrow…

I love you today and hopefully I’ll have the chance to say it again tomorrow.

 

Take care of yourself and love those around you.

 

HAVE YOU BEEN TO TARGET?

I was in Target yesterday and spotted some really good stuff!

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Turquoise lamps? Yummy!

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gold ottomans would be cute in a little girls room, or in a living room!

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I want these pink and white chevron pillows.  Don’t they look great with the gold ottomans?

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turquoise and white chevron pillows… I want these pillows, too! Love them with the pink floral pillow.

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mustard colored lamps…

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red foo dogs? YES! I needed these two years ago..

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Straw hats in natural, pink, and white for $2.50 each (found where the dollar items are)

These straw hats were my best score of the day! If you’re headed to the beach this year, you may want to RUN and grab you a few of these! I purchased all threeSmile

Have you been in Target lately?!

2.20.2012

THANK YOU

Thank you for all of your comments the other day. I feel much better now and I think it's mostly because I finally got that out. Sometimes all it takes is to release the frustration and to have people there that will receive it in a positive way. I'm learning to take it a day at a time.




I'll be be back shortly with decor related stuff. I've been looking at my kitchen and how far I've come with it. It's time to finish. I also have a few ideas for my bedroom (I see you rolling your eyes!). I must admit though, my design process will be a lot slower than before because I want to LOVE the final product and not just like it enough to blog about it. I realized that's what made me give up on a lot of the rooms I started on.




Again, thanks a lot for sharing your stories and words of encouragement with me.


L.Duncan


2.13.2012

I HAVE TO GET THIS OUT

I just finished reading Emily’s post over at Jones Design Company and I felt compelled to write my own.  I figure if I got out my own thoughts outs, maybe just maybe I would feel a little better.

As you know, I’m a mother of three boys.  I know that for some of you, just hearing that is a lot to imagine.  My boys are 7, 5, and 3 (another large pill to swallow).  This past weekend was probably the hardest weekend for me.  On Saturday morning while play wrestling, my 5 year old decided to head butt my oldest in the mouth.  It was terrible. He had to get a few stitches.  Can you imagine your 7 year old running upstairs with a mouth full of blood only to then realize that his lip is split open?  The first thing I did was panic because I could already hear my husband asking me where I was once I called him at work to tell him that I was going to have to take my son to the emergency room.  And by the way, I was upstairs paying a few bills online and reading blogs. 

I think its safe to say that I have a hard job being a stay at home mom raising three boys.  I know that a lot of people think that it’s nothing compared to working a full time job and then coming home to take care of your kids, but I think both are tough.  Sure I can go to the mall any time I want, but I have a three year old who I constantly have to chase behind, tell to stop, or no don’t touch that, or come back over her.  I hope that I ‘m not coming across as complaining in this post.  I just need to share with you how HARD my life with my boys can be sometimes.  As a mom, you get so much advice on what you should be doing to your child, but no one really knows what would work for you and your child.  They only know what works for them. 

I haven’t done much around my house lately as you can tell on the blog.  Why?  Because my boys destroy EVERYTHING.  I can’t tell you how many holes I’ve patched, how many of my things are broken.  Even their bedrooms are a mess (SERIOUSLY).  After I’ve worked so hard on a project, they totally destroy it.  Not on purpose, but it is destroyed nevertheless… So I’m discouraged to continue with anything. 

The reason why I decided to write this post is because I can feel myself slipping back into my depression.  I’m a bit overwhelmed with life.  I love my boys dearly, but sometimes I feel like I can’t keep up with everything.  I’ve been crying a lot lately.  My oldest son needs extra help in school.  He is not retaining things that he is being taught and I have considered homeschooling, but I think I would make things worse for him.    I feel like they aren’t getting as much attention as they need and have considered ending my blog and all of my other social media participation. 

I wish that I had people in my life that I could really share my feelings with, but I don’t.  I either have family members that give either the worst advice possible because that have never experienced raising multiple children of this age at the same time, or others who only did the best they knew how which is no where near the best these days.

I don’t beat my children.  I barely spank them.  I don’t feel like you have to do that to teach children the right thing to do.  I do raise my voice a lot.  And I have a short temper these days which results in me hurting their feelings and then hurting mine for hurting theirs. 

While I was reading Emily’s post, I cried.  I cried because I totally understand where she is coming from.  Women don’t help each other these days.  Do you know how many times I get awkward looks from people when I’m out with all my boys? I get the same thing from FAMILY.  Instead of reaching out to help, they judge.  It’s A LOT to take on.  I always say that my boys are good kids no matter what they’ve done and no matter how they act sometimes because they really are good kids.  I think we tend to forget that they are just children… How much are they expected to know after only being here on this earth a few years?  There are adults that act worse than children do. 

Anyway, I said all of this to say that I’m having a hard time right now.  Sometimes I feel like I should be use to having three kids by now, but in reality, you never are.  They do different things at different ages.  Right now I’m experiencing the rough playing and a 3 year old that gets into everything.  He also thinks its pretty funny to test me as much as he possibly can (sometimes I think its his life calling).

So here is my advice for women you may know with multiple children:

If you don’t have any or less that she does, ask if its ok for you to come over and lend a hand.

Do more play dates with her (if you have children too)

Don’t be so judgmental.  If you’ve never experienced what she is experiencing, don’t automatically assume that she is a bad mother.

If you’re running to the store, check to see if she needs something back. Or better yet, offer to go to the store with her to help out with the kids. 

 

There are so many things you can do to help. If you can’t do anything physically, encourage her with words.  Sometimes all a girl need is encouragement.

I’m glad I’m able to share a little bit of what I’m feeling right now with you.  5 years ago I didn’t have an outlet…

Thanks for listening.

I’M GONNA DO IT…

I’ve being toying with the idea of painting the chair I purchased last year for $15.

It’s in near perfect condition except for the color of the fabric.

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This morning I was doing a little blog hopping and ended up on two blogs that gave me the kick in the rear I needed to get started on this project.

Take this chaise for example found on the blog Me and Jilly

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Looks great, huh?!

And what about this little sweetie found here

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I LOVE the pink and gold on that bench!

I can’t mention those lovely makeovers without mentioning who that got the inspiration from…

Kristy Swain of Hyphen Interiors was the first person I saw do this (though I’m sure others have too).  I really loved the way her chair turned out and I can’t wait to start on mine! Hmmm…, I think I’m going to start today! Well wait, I need to decide on a color for my chair.

I’m thinking navy blue

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I could do orange

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I could even do teal. 

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I think navy or the teal may be the colors I go for!

What do you think of painting upholstered furniture? Would you be scared to do it? I mean the char was only 15 bucks.  If it doesn’t work out, I’ll just sit it in my garage until I’m ready to get it professionally doneSmile

2.07.2012

BARS AND CHILDREN… Yes or No?

I’m working on my home in a much slower pace than before because I want it to be exactly how I want it.  One thing that I want that I’ve certainly taken a liking to are home bars and bar carts.  You may remember when I showed you a sneak peek at my little “bar” that I’m putting together in my living room

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I’m still working on it

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While setting it up, I got to thinking if it is considered inappropriate for parents of young children to have bars set up in their home?

 

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Here’s what I think, I have two separate living areas in my home.  One is the family room and the other is in the works of becoming my “formal” living room (one again).  I figure if it’s not a space where the children are allowed to play and do whatever in, then it’s ok to have a small bar set-up.  I think anything can be done in a tasteful manner.  My husband and I don’t drink around the boys.  During our holiday party, I made sangria and the adults did drink that while the kids were around, but I think drinking wine is different. 

What are your thoughts on a home bar with children in the house?

Ps, Want to read a great write up for creating your own home bar?  Check out Deborah Milne’s article in the latest issue of House of Fifty!

2.06.2012

Y.O.L.O is the MOTTO

Today is my Birthday! I am now 29 years old.  For some this may seem like nothing, but for me it’s huge because it’s the last year in my 20’s!!!

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On Friday, two of my friends took me out to a new restaurant in town.  It was a much needed girls night out with two girls that have seen me through all of my twenties and most of my teenage years. 

There is nothing better than good friends.  Although they gave me things for my birthday, this picture is the best gift.  It made me realize how much I love those girls.  I’m tearing up just thinking about it.

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On Saturday, my friend Beatrice took me to see a musical at the Fox theater called “Memphis”.  We both gave it two thumbs up.

For the past few weeks I’ve been putting together a list of 30 things I want to do before I turn 30.  This entire year my motto is You Only Live Once (Y.O.L.O).  A few weeks ago, one of my friends brother went missing.  He’s still missing.  Fourteen days after his 25th birthday he was nowhere to be found.  And a few weeks before that, a classmate from high school died in her sleep.  I think Y.O.L.O is a good fit for how I'm feeling right now when it comes to living life.  That’s why I haven’t been doing much around my home.  DIY and interior decorating has consumed me for the past three years.  Over the holidays I had a small Christmas party with just a few of my closest friends.  While sitting at the table talking and laughing, I had a moment.  I realized that I missed hanging out.  I missed laughing.  I missed REAL TANGIBLE people!!! Blogging had become my everything.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy blogging, but I enjoy living life too.  I have put off a lot of things in my life for no real reason.  This year I plan to do as much as I possibly can.  I won’t bore you with the entire list, but I will blog about whatever it is I’ve done that was on the listSmile 

 Here’s to celebrating my birthday all year!!!

2.02.2012

NEEDING & CRAVING A POP OF COLOR

I don’t now if it’s the weather that have me itching to add a fun pop of color to my home or if it’s the fact that I haven't painted a piece a furniture in a while, but I’m craving a fabulous dose of color.  What is that color? Fuchsia!

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Not sure if I can go this bold by painting my cabinets, but how cool is this kitchen? I would love to drink lemonade while sitting at the island.  My attention would not be on the view through the windows, but on those gorgeous pink cabinets!

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With a house full of boys, I may not be able to go as bold, but I can definitely accent with it!

Towels in the kitchen?

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Or maybe I can add pillows?

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I haven’t had a problem adding it to my wardrobe!

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Just added these yesterday!

Call It Spring® Messore Slip Ons

 

Are you itching to add a pop of color to your home OR wardrobe?  Did the groundhog see its shadow today?  I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to ‘call it spring’!