Decor update

Exciting news - new chairs! Thanks to a little inheritance from the parents (my sister scored a washer & dryer for her soon to be 3 boys!) our lower level will be one step closer to complete. A lovely pair of these just arrived today:The super cool part? They are recliners! Yep, you heard me right - La-z-y Boys! Z, of course wanted giant, hideous overstuffed ones and I wanted cute club chairs. So we compromised. Club chairs that recline. I had tough time finding a more contemporary fabric that worked with our color scheme, but all in all I'm pleased. I really wanted the Riley, style, but settled on Fletcher because it fit better in the smallish amount of space we allotted. I really wish I could get the downstairs put back together after our little incident, but that should happen this weekend. Woulda been sweet to watch Grey's Anatomy tonight on the big TV from my own recliner! Hopefully this weekend I will re-assemble the lower level and I'll try to get some good pictures of the whole setup together.



In other home news, thanks to a work bonus I finally broke down and called a painter. I do not like to paint and I am not good at it! The wimpy green color of our entire main floor was being to wear on my psyche. I love the new dark taupey grey!

Before:

After:

Everything just looks much more sleek & modern now. Of course the main reason for the paint change would be the kitchen. The mossy green looked positively hideous next to the gorgeous cherry cabinets, black counter tops and most importantly, the blue/black/copper mosaic tile. Why on earth would one paint moss green here?! Here's a close-up of the new paint from the kitchen:

Our bedroom is still a huge work in progress, which frustrates me to no end. I just want to all done, which I know is crazy, but I can't help feeling that way nonetheless. I did purchase this gorgeous duvet from Pottery Barn:

However, it is not going to be used as a duvet. I'm going to convert it into curtains and hang it behind our bed. The plan for now is to use the colors in this duvet for paint. There is a light aqua shade that will be the bedroom walls and then the darker shade you see, I'm thinking about painting our master bath that color. It has a skylight and all white tile, so I think it can handle the bold shade. We'll see.

How have I never seen this website?

I stumbled across pokkadots website this evening while googling for a piece of art I had torn out of a catalog. No, I'm not expecting and don't plan to be anytime really soon, but I saw this 1,2, Buckle My Shoe series and instantly tore it out because it is totally my inspiration when it's time to do nursery #2 (girl or boy). It's just so me - colorful, fun and retro inspired!

I just had to bookmark it to make sure I don't lose it for someday. I mean, I left my keys at the UPS Store on Tuesday and didn't not figure it out until about 4 hours later when I really needed them. If I don't write things down these days, I do NOT remember!

Also, after browsing the tons of adorable canvases for sale, I started surfing the whole site and I LOVE it! Everything is adorable!

I know, I know...

Hi. I am MIA blogger. Work is kicking my ass. My f'ing 85 year old lady back pain is kicking my ass. Water in our basement is kicking my ass. H is kicking my ass. Life is kicking my ass. I'm actually really happy and in a good mood most days, just having trouble getting it all done.

So, I'll share a lovely picture from a recent party we threw. Nothing large, I think there were 14 adults, but the addition of 5 toddlers since the last time we had a get together made the vibe just a bit different ;-)In all my Martha Stewartesque craziness, I failed to take more photos once the party got going. I put together this fab tower of sweets with waffle bowls of assorted berries, brownies, brownie-moonpie fluff sandwiches, etc and I so wish I had taken a photo. But, alas, I did well and the moment I set it down our guests swooped in and gobbled it all up!

Hate

People always tell you "hate is a strong word". Normally, I agree. However, when speaking of the massive amounts of rain we Chicagoan's have endured in the past two days, I'm gonna say it. I HATE the rain.

Don't get me wrong, I know we are super fortunate compared to those braving the hurricane, but still, the weather is making me stabby. Several reasons:

1) Our lovely lower level, filled with soft, brand new carpet has disgusting water seepage. We have moved our entire entertainment center, couch, lots of toys, pillows and ripped up that gorgeous carpet. I attempted to use our Little Green Machine on it, but felt akin to drinking an entire swimming pool of water with an adorable bendy straw. NOT COOL. So I gave up. We are working on a rotating towel system around the edges. Praying we can get it dried out and put back together without spending thousand of dollars.

2) H, Z & I are all going nuts. Like stir crazy. I was forced to take my boys to McDonald's this morning to fulfill Z's breakfast out craving and H's need to run at the same time. Nothing like trans fats for all today.

3) Our yard, in all it's loveliness, looks like a swamp. Crazy standing water, floating toys and I'm about a zillion bugs. Yuck.

4) My hair. I look like a scraggly drowned rat every time I leave the house. It blows.

Sorry to be absent for like a month and only to return and post a ranting mess. Life has been so busy that I just haven't had room for blogging these days. Will try to return soon. With something nice.