Friday, February 19, 2010

entitled


There was an apology.

He said he was...

entitled

a cheater

selfish

irresponsible.

(i agree)

In our family, golf is a big deal. My husband works in the field and the humm of the game is a constant white noise in our home. My daughter roots and cheers for Tiger every Sunday. 

Is this any of our business? Probably not. Should we care? Probably not.

That's all I have to say about that.

these are a few of my favorite things...

Every now and then I like to list some of my favorite things. Share the wealth y'all!

Here we go...

coconut lime verbena body lotion


It's the greatest smell ever. Vacation in a bottle. The other products are great too. The scent is incredible. Promise.

the couch hugger side table


This baby floats around our family room. Dan and I fight over it.

ikea's 365+ kitchen products

 
I love this container. We store cereal in it. They line up nicely on top of the fridge!
The perfect dinner plate & you can't beat the price!
Ikea : $3.99

 
Lovin' these bowls, perfect size & I love the shape!

sourav dining table & bench


 This is THE greatest table! Honest. I promise. It's very sturdy and has a rustic texture that makes it impossible to ruin. We use it for everyday meals, fancy sit-down adult meals, as a matchbox car track, a craft table... we do everything on it and it's never looked better! And the price... did you see the price?
Size: 82"L x 38"W x 30"H (easily fits 8 adults)


I love the bench too! We only have one... on the other side of the table I have 3 old kitchen chairs. I really think we should get another bench though... it easily fits 4 little kid's be-hinds!

This is a photo of the table top... isn't it great? We've had the table for 6+ years and it doesn't have a scratch or any discoloration! It cleans up well with a damp cloth or some pledge.



jacobean floral wool rug
You may have seen this rug in some of my photos. It's in my family room and I LOVE IT! I purchased it 3 years ago at Target. I was looking for a quick, cheap solution until I could buy a nice wool rug that I had my eye on. Well, guess what! I totally forgot about that expensive, fancy rug, because I'm so smitten!

french axis rubber boot tray
 
I wanted a boot tray for years, but everything I liked had a large price tag. So every year, I put "boot tray" on my Christmas list. Never got one. Then, a few months ago, my darling husband found this baby! The price was right and it's the perfect size. Nice and long, fits 5 pairs of winter boots. Although, I'm looking forward to the day when those boots are replaced with wet flip flops!!!

expedit bookcase


I'm not the first Mom to sing the praises of these bookcases. They're sturdy, big and stylish. We have a small one in Coopers room and a big one in the basement play room. When we move (fingers crossed), I envision a wall of these in my new office. Heaven!

lemi shine
 
My new favorite product... by far. We have hard water and Lemi Shine is the ONLY product that removes the hard water spots. I use it in the dishwasher and it works like a charm. It's kind of pricey, but worth it. I promise. I find it at Target, but you can check their website for other locations.

night night baby sleepers



The best pj's of all time! I purchased some for Reilly when she was a baby, and Max wears them to this day. Everything washes out and they hold up like you wouldn't believe... no color fading! I love, love, love them! Oh... they come in big kid sizes too!

That's all I have for now :) I stand behind all of these items 100%! I do.



Thursday, February 18, 2010

cooper-isms

 
Cooper:  What's happening in Shady?
Me:  Shady?
Cooper:  Ya, Shady... you know, in the world.
Reilly:  He means Haiti.
Me:  Oh dear.

Cooper and Reilly's school has been collecting money for Haiti relief. I'm certain this is the source of his question. 

So we sat down. I explained a little, we talked a little, then we decided it was very, very sad and we should donate money to help. 

Now he's happily munching fishy crackers and playing bingo with his sister. Coop has no idea how lucky he is. Someday, he'll understand. I pray.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

bedroom in cyberspace

Today my master bedroom was featured on CasaSugar. Kinda fun. Right? The article has some fun (above the bed) decorating ideas. Here's a link.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

bathroom update and an etsy find...

bathroom
Over the weekend, we painted the master bathroom. This was our final color choice and I love it!
In the space, which gets a lot of natural light, it's the perfect shade of gray. It's not to dark, yet pops off the white trim and cabinets. I will post before and afters once the faucets and lights are installed AND all my new accessories arrive.

etsy find
While looking for some artwork for the master bath facelift, I ran across this Linda Hunt on Etsy. I love her work. All her pieces are fairly small  (5" x 7", 8"x 8", 6" x 6", ets.) and add the perfect pop of color! I really think I want one of her pieces. Don't you think one would look great on my new gray walls??
 
 
  
  






















Source: Linda Hunt

Monday, February 15, 2010

shutterfly.com

I'm gearing up for a new Shutterfly spring release. Currently working on Mother's Day cards, Father's Day cards, Thank You cards, Halloween Party Invitations and Halloween Greeting cards. Lot's to do and so little time. Isn't it always the way?

Anyway.

Soon a few other designs (I designed last December) will soon be available through Shutterfly. Here's a sneak peak...

 

  

  

  

 

 
 

All Petite Papier greeting cards, invitations & stationery are available through Shutterfly and Etsy.

Friday, February 12, 2010

bummed...

So we had a nice little V-day dinner planned for tonight. But. Guess who got the stomach flu? Hmmmm.... well...... nearly the entire house! First Reilly, then Max, then Coop, then ME! Again, dear husband has escaped the plague. What is going on? Will we ever be healthy again? This is the third straight week of yuck!

So. Instead of a romantic evening out, we're hitting Lowes and getting a few needed items for our master bathroom facelift. Before and after photos to come. Until then, here are some items I have purchased to date....

this...
A frame for the existing vanity mirror : Mirror Mate

a few of these...
 
 

Hexagon bath mats and towels (color-baltic): The Company Store

this...
 
Hanging metal candleholder: Bacon Square Farm (Etsy) 

2 of these...

 
Moen faucets: Ebay 
Tonight we plan on purchasing a paint color, light fixtures and towel bars. Wish us luck. We plan on painting the room a light to medium gray. Yikes! Gray scares the heck out of me. I always worry it will look bluish, violet-ish,  brownish or pinkish... all I want is a nice crisp gray without any undertones of color.  Suggestions?

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

cooper-isms

















Last Saturday morning, Dan took Coop to the doctor to have his lungs checked out. We're still struggling with an upper respiratory infection and he has been to the doctor 3 times and is going again tomorrow. Grrrr.

Anyway.

When Dan and Cooper were checking out with the receptionist and setting up another appointment, the receptionist said.... "Oh, it says your name is Thomas, but you go by Cooper. I love the name Thomas. Does your Mommy and Daddy every call you Thomas?" To which Cooper responded... "Only on Fridays" (total deadpan).

Receptionist.... "They call you Thomas on Fridays?"
Cooper.... "Yep."
Receptionist... "Ok, then we'll schedule your next appointment on Friday, so I can call you Thomas."

For the record, we never call him Thomas and I have no idea why he said what he said. Such and odd little boy!

Monday, February 8, 2010

sick update and some rambling thoughts

 
diggin his mismatch jammies

I hope I'm not typing to soon. But. Maybe. We're on the mend. I think. I hope. I pray. Cooper went back to the doctor on Saturday morning and his lungs are clear-ish. There is still some fluid, so I'm still hooking him up to the "breathing machine" every four hours. Coop goes back to the doctor on Wednesday. Hopefully we can retire the dreading machine.

Then we have Max. Max is almost finished with his antibiotics and seems to be on the mend. He'll go back to the doctor on Wednesday, so they will check and make sure his upper respiratory infection and double ear infections have cleared up. Oh! Did I happen to mention he also cut 3 teeth? That was the cherry on top of the sundae! He was a terribly crabby little baby. And because I was so sick, my dear husband tended to his needs every night. Thanks Danny!

Finally, my dear Reilly. We thought she escaped the plague unscathed. We couldn't have been more wrong. In the mist of all this mess, she managed to get the stomach flu. I never kept track, but she may have thrown-up a million times over the weekend. Maybe two million. Thank goodness we recently splurged on a nice carpet cleaner, cuz we broke that baby in. Well my dear husband did. Thanks Danny!

Reilly's on the mend and is back at school today. Fingers crossed I don't get the dreaded call from the school nurse. That scolding, how dare you bring this child to school, call!

If that didn't bore you to death... here are some thoughts. Just thoughts. No answers.

Change.
The word "change" was thrown around quite a lot the last few years. Quite frankly, I'm a little sick of it. I admit, I got caught up in the whole "Obama for Change" thing, but now I just wonder if change is always better?

I'm thinking, maybe it's not.

Could we take a u-turn and return back to the way it used to be? I don't mean when "W" was in office. I mean a little further back... when things weren't as scary. When we trusted our neighbors and community. When summertime meant, riding bikes, chasing fireflies, drippy ice cream cones, wearing your swimsuit all day long, little league games, windows open/air conditioning off and the smell of bug repellent. I used to stay outside well after dark, playing kick-the-can with neighbor friends and watching bats chase through our wooded backyard. Everything was so delightful. Maybe it was because I was in my parents home and being taken care of or maybe it's more than that.

 
Top Row: Chris (brother) & Steve (family friend)
Bottom Row: Me, Brad (brother), Ryan (brother) & Lori (family friend)

During my childhood, I was outside for as long as my parents and mother nature would allow. My bike was my transportation and I felt free. During weekends and school breaks, I would be out the door, Poptart in hand, at the crack of dawn... Freedom. Nature. Exercise. Fun. My brothers and I watched a little to no television, we didn't have video games, instead we played boardgames, read books or just made stuff up. Our imagination was better than any toy or television program.

Is it the 24/7 news? The Amber Alerts? The internet? Technology? Probably a little bit of everything. It all seems to mix up in one big pot and it's instilled fear. I admit, I play right into it. I want to wrap my babies up in my arms and push the world away. I think about moving to the middle of Montana. Creating a utopia. I know. That's not realistic.

So I wonder. How can I give my children the freedom I felt as a kid, and keep them safe? I really don't know, but it's my goal to give it a try. I want them to look back on their childhood and have wonderful memories.

Side note: We're currently planning to move. No far, probably a few miles. But one of our goals, my husband's and mine, is to move to a new home that will create some freedom for our children. Maybe a family-friendly neighborhood with lots of children their age or maybe a home with a little more space inside and out where they can play and explore. I don't know. I think when we come across it, we will know.

Friday, February 5, 2010

my design style...

Cornflower Cottage pointed me in the direction of an interesting website called Sproost. It is an online furniture and accessory store that lets you shop according to your own personal decor style. I took the quiz (super fun!) and according to Sproost my style combination is...

34% Rustic Revival
"You can take kid out of the country but you can't take the country out of the kid... or is your theme "you can take the kid out of the city, but you can't take the city out of the kid?" Either way you play it, you are one of the unique individuals who loves a mix of modern and country. The clean lines of the modern softened by rustic /vintage elements is the perfect mix in your mind. And can we blame you? You've taken the best aspects of two popular designs and mixed them in a manner that appeals young and old alike. A subtle background of white or light colors provides a nice canvas for all the wonderful flea market, eBay or garage sale finds as well as the classic modern pieces that you love."

33% Cottage Chic
"Who says that cottages can't be modern and chic? Who says that they have to be floral and cheesy? Not you! You love the carefree spirit that the cottage interior inspires, but you are also serious about your appreciation for modern art and hip treasures. You love old and new alike, and love to highlight them all to expose the uniqueness of each. What better way to show off these treasures than with a light background?"

and 33% Nantucket Style
 
"Oh how you love the beach! Who doesn't, right? And so your dream home is either perched in your favorite beach town, or you've brought that favorite beach town into your house. "

What's your style? Check out Sproost and find out!

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

M.I.A.

The Deegan's have been missing in action for the last week. No play-dates, no playing in the snow, no school, no shopping trips, only...
this...
 

and this...
 

and oh-my-goodness, this...
 
  
He's such a sad little dude.  Needless to say our house is still an infirmary. We've been to the doctor twice and are going again on Saturday. Will be back soon with more interesting posts.

Until then. I leave you with this...


 This is a picture Reilly drew when she was three. 
I was having it printed on canvas and thought it was 
cute enough to post. It's of Dan and I. Please notice the dots 
above our eyes...yep those are our foreheads!