Lots to share

We have been busy the last few weeks. We spent a week at the lake with my parents. Graham fell asleep on the way.

We celebrated my nephews first birthday

It was a super cute baseball theme.


My parents taught the kids to jump in the pool by themselves and swim like fish.

We took lots of golf cart rides.

We relaxed on the porch swing.


My sweet little niece got her ears pierced.

Aunt Amie and Kenna after she got her ears pierced. Kenna did so well.

Kenna cried for just a little bit and then she was ready to shop with Ella.


I house snooped.



We spent some time cruising the lake.

See Graham in the above picture? I have learned that it is pretty much impossible to get a good picture of him if he knows you have a camera. He either looks serious like he does in the above picture or he looks like this:



Again, one of Graham serious looks.

We saw the best fireworks ever.


The kids discovered something new on the boat. What's under that door that Grandpa is holding up? Can you guess? It's a potty and it got used way to much by my kids. And by kids I mean little D.


The invader was confined to the gated porch


But she didn't mind a bit.

My little man turned 5!! Stay tuned for more birthday pictures.


The big kids spent a few days with Grandpa and Grandma. While they were away I decorated the boy's room for their birthdays. Stay tuned for the the after shots.

Beautiful weather ahead this week. Fun in the sun, sewing, makeover reveals, and some new recipes. It is going to be a good week.

Cara's House: Kitchen, Entry, and family

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Hi Cara, it's me......your obsessed friend who can't stop giving you decorating ideas for your new home. Can't wait to see all the new finds you looked at today.
Anyhow, I messed around with some things in your kitchen. Now, I have no idea what color you want to do in there but I thought the green would compliment the blue idea from the family room.
I know you said you wanted to replace the hardware on the cabinets with new knobs and drawer pulls. I like these two options in either the brushed nickle or the rubbed bronze. The rubbed bronze would flow well with your appliances and black accents and would have the look of being a part of the cabinets rather than something that was added.

I love the walnut color of your cabinets and your floors. Pairing white with them would add softness, light and blend well with your white moldings and trim throughout the rest of the house.
I know this isn't your kitchen island but I thought it would look nice to paint your current island a color. White, or even sage green(like the bucket in the picture above) would work nicely.
A white table(similar to this $3200 one but much less expensive) and chairs will add light to room as well as tie in the color of the island. I like the size and lines of these bar stools. They would look nice in sage green or a shade of white.
I thought roman shades would work well on the wall of windows in your eating area. There is not enough room to do curtains and with the door to the patio being there drapes would get in the way. I like these roman shades from smith and noble. The darker ones are not the exact ones I was looking for but they are similar. They make a shade that is made of jute and has a black border like the one shown above. These would add nice texture and compliment the walnut wood. The other option is the sage stripe roman shade. This would be a great way to tie in the sage color (or what ever color you chose for the room) and let more light through.
You had mentioned replacing the counter tops. I thought this color of granite would look great with your wood tones, white moldings, and back splash. The big frame would be made into a chalkboard for the wall in your eating area. I love this rug for the eating area...texture and color:)
OK, so......that's all I got.

Cara's House

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So Cara, I can't your house out of my head so I thought I would put a design board together for you.
This is what I was thinking for the entry. Same colors on the walls as the Family room. French doors on the music room like you had talked about. A jute rug trimmed with black or brown. Large round table(not in this finish. Maybe black or even one with a table cloth) placed where your current one is. A few baskets placed on the floor next to the table to add texture and added storage. This table would really be great with knick knacks and the tall flowers you had mentioned. A cute little bench next to the door(again black would look nice) with a system of hooks for guest as well as a cute old looking sign of some sort hanging above. More frames for the wall on the left as you are exiting the entry and entering the hall and family room(I think there was wall space there).

Click on the design board arrow to view the family room design board.

I think a nice neutral color on the walls will look great with all of the vertical space and natural light. This color(it's the greenish brownish blob above the one chair), or one similar, will allow you to add and change color with accents throughout the year. The wall unit shown is similar to the pottery barn one you showed me today. I like the shutters on this one. The wall sign above it says, "Delighted you are here." I know you talked about doing a leather sectional but I couldn't find an image of one so lets pretend that this one has the right lines and is a sectional. I like these slip covered chairs. Pairing them with ottomans and placing them on either side of the fire place would look great. Using bamboo blinds on the two windows will add warmth and texture as well as tie into the dark brown of the sofa. The black cabinet would look great on the one short wall we were talking about. You could do a picture collage above the cabinet of all your cute babies and sweet family. I found this image of a wicker coffee table which I thought was fun. I still think something square or round would work great in the room too. This tree would look nice next to the wall unit on the big wall. Next to the tree on the half wall(near the hallway to your bedroom but still in family room) a small black bookcase with baskets and floor pillows(which I couldn't find a good image of) would be cute for a kids corner.
I used a blue color scheme but with your neutral large pieces you could use just about any color you would want. The only problem with doing the design boards is that you are limited on the images you can upload. So, the images in you board are just ideas of what we had talked about. I am sure you could find similar pieces at other stores for better prices and the right lines you are looking for.