Special delivery

I'll be back soon ... going to get one of these ...

{image via Etsy}

True Praise

I found this quote in my drawer today. I have no idea where I got it. But I like it.

"True praise is unconditional. It's not an attempt to manipulate God into producing the precise results we hope for. Instead, it helps us accept our situation as it is, whether or not He changes it. Continued praise helps us reach the place where we can say, "Father, I don't want You to remove this problem until You've done all You want to do through it, in me and in others."

It brings to mind a book I read years ago,  Mimosa: A True Story, by Amy Carmichael. It the story of a little Hindu girl who gets just simplest information about God one day. All she can grasp before she is taken away, is that there is a living God, a heavenly Father, who created the whole world that loves her. Despite the hardships and persecution she experiences throughout her life, she clings to this Heavenly Father, trusting in His love and believing that whatever He gives her is enough. The book is profound, challenging and life-changing. You can purchase the book here.

7 x 70: Gallery

Eviction Notice

o·ver·dueAdjective/ˌōvərˈd(y)o͞o/

1. Not yet having arrived, happened, or been done, though after the expected time.

For all of you anxiously wondering what is happening ... 

N-O-T-H-I-N-G yet!

But if you are in the mood for some lovely ginger cookies (they haven't done 

their job but they are yummy), here is the recipe:

Labor Inducing Gingersnap Cookie Recipe

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 tablespoons (or 1 stick) margarine
1/2 cup granulated sugar (will also need extra sugar to roll cookie dough in)
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup molasses
2 egg whites

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt and cayenne pepper in small mixing bowl.  Set dry ingredients aside.

Then blend margarine in large mixing bowl.  Stir in brown sugar and granulated sugar slowly.  Add the molasses, then the egg whites.  Finally, add the dry ingredients to your mix. 

Roll dough into ¾ inch balls.  Roll cookie balls in sugar to lightly coat each cookie.  Place balls on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake in oven for 8-10 minutes or until cookies are golden brown.

My Fall colors

Tomorrow is the official beginning of the Fall season. As I do most years I added a little Fall color to my garden. But this year, my colors are different.

In honor of the little girl who is soon to arrive ...

   I added pink! 

It may not be a traditional Fall color ...

But it is definitely my color of the year and I think just perfect for this season now. Oh, I know that Pantone chose hot pink (or honeysuckle as they called it) as their color too ... but I am declaring it mine. 

I even brought a little Fall color inside ...

Can you tell I am just a little excited about pink?

Nursery update

Well, I took lousy photos (the lighting was all off) and there were too many things still undone in the nursery (they were painting the inside of the closet today and things were everywhere!) to show the final reveal. So I will just show you snippets.

This client wanted pink. A lot of pink. And a nursery fit for a princess, on a less than royal budget ...

The crib belonged to the older brother and couldn't be changed but it dressed up well. We hung new drapes and added a beautiful chandelier ...

We used ready-made drapes that matched the crib bedding (from here) and I added a contrasting fabric to the bottom of the longer panels to make them long enough. 

The walls were painted the softest pink (Benjamin Moore Aztec Lily 2080-70) and the wallpaper is from here.

{chandelier from overstock}

We are still waiting for the rug which is backordered ...

{Serena & Lily Flokati Rug}

And a mirror which is in transit ...

{mirror}

Photos need to be placed in the frames (I'm thinking a black and white of this little girl's feet for one) ...

{frames from Ikea}

Knobs to be installed on the existing dresser ...

{Anthropologie}

And this chair and matching ottoman were covered with all the contents of the closet so it was futile to try to get good photos:

{Ektorp chair from Ikea}

I am learning to be patient! 

And so is my daughter. Today is her official due date. We are still waiting!

Waiting for baby

Today is my last install day before I take some time off to spend with my daughter who is due to have a baby any day now. Ironically I am putting on the finishing touches of a nursery for another sweet little girl who decided to come into the world a month early.

This nursery is all soft and pink and perfectly fit for a little princess. (I hope I get some nice photos to share with you later).

Original nursery mood board

But there is another nursery that is waiting in the wings ... waiting for the big move in day which is going to have to wait a little while after this little girl arrives.  But in the meantime ...

The newly painted crib arrived today! It is beautiful and exactly the way my daughter was hoping it would turn out. We started with a slightly used Bellini crib (well, very used actually by three darling little girls but in very good condition) which was generously donated by one of my lovely clients. And also generously painted by my lovely painter (THANK YOU Steve Radl!!!). We used Benjamin Moore's Tropical Teal #734. 

This was our inspiration for the crib / nursery

It is proudly being photographed in the humblest of settings right now - my garage / laundry room where it patiently awaits moving day. 

And I am trying to be just as patient as at the end of this day I am officially on 'baby watch' ... her due date is tomorrow ; )

My mouse pad of paper

I saw this over the weekend while I was perusing pinterest ...

It is originally from here and you can purchase it as a T-shirt. Now if you know me personally, you are probably thinking it would be the perfect gift for me. Take that out of your mind now! 

{via RedBubble}

But I have to admit it does describe what goes on inside my head very well. Apparently it is an inherited trait. When my youngest daughter was about two and a half, I think, we were at a local restaurant waiting for our food and I watched her looking at all the things cluttering the top of the table (the salt and pepper shakers, the sugar packets, etc.). As we sat there waiting, she proceeded to rearrange it all; lining everything up into neat little rows. When she was finished, she sat back and let out a big sigh. That is when I knew she had the same thing going on inside of her. 

It is not a bad thing. In fact, I have been able to channel it in positive ways. I have learned not to be (too) obsessive about it ... but I do function better when things are neat. Especially my desk top. One of the things that helps is my mouse pad notepads. My daughters bought me one for Mother's day - it was from Anthropologie. I checked and they don't have them anymore - but before they sold out I picked up a nice stack to make sure I didn't run out. My sister bought me some as well ...

          These were from Michaels. They call them Calendar Memo Pads.

What I love about them is that I always have a place to write down a note, a phone number or a reminder for myself without having to search for something to write on and my desk stays neat with less clutter (one pad / two functions). It has really helped these last few weeks as I have tried to get caught up with all of my projects as we await the new baby (yes ... we are still waiting). I can't tell you how many times I have gone back to my mouse pad to grab some information that I have scribbled down while talking on the phone or listening to a message. And when it looks to messy (I doodle) I just tear off the page and start fresh. Nice and neat ... just like I need like it ;)

Happy Monday Everyone!