A Lovely Find

I'm currently head-over-heels in love with this adorable play table and chairs set from Oeuf. I certainly can't afford to spend over $200 on a chair for a little person, but there's got to be some sort of DIY inspiration here, am I right?!

Memories of My Grammy

My grandmother passed away this past week. I was asked to write something about my memories of her, and I'd like to share it on here, as this blog for me has come to be a record of the major events in my life. While I love the idea of keeping a diary or journal, or scrapbooking or creating photo albums, I never quite seem to put the idea into practice. But I love scrolling back through my posts labeled "family" or "Violet" or "Lucy" and seeing years past unravel before me.

A random collection of memories of my Grammy:

Crunching gravel down the lane

Jumping in the colorful leaves

The lingering smell of Taboo

Coloring meticulously inside of the lines

Perfectly manicured fingernails

Eat your crust, it will make your cheeks rosy

Playing in the woods outside of the old house on Merrin Lane

Listening to the steady drone of the printer

Chocolate wrappers on special days

Printing banners and posters to our hearts' content

Sweets filled with cream

Spaghetti dinners with angel hair

Dancing to the lilting sounds of the Nutcracker 

Driving home on Christmas Eve with heavy eyes

Playing house on the brick patio, surrounded by yews

The creak of the porch swing

The glow of the fisherman lamp

Shelves filled with toys lining the play room

Blankets, doll clothing, and stockings crocheted with love

Tables piled high with projects

Goodie bags at Christmas

Back scratchers

Wooden deer and an orange afghan

The color purple

When I was asked to write something about my grandmother, I tried to think of one big moment, one really amazing story, but what came to me were the little things - the smells, the sights, the sounds. But really these little moments, these fleeting memories - they are the bits and pieces that make up a life. They are what we carry with us in the end. So in the words of one of my favorite writers, Roald Dahl, who is ever so much more eloquent than me, "Watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places." We love you, Grammy, and we will carry our memories of you in our hearts, always. Love, Lauren

10 Favorite Posts from 2014

2014 was a great year! I feel like I didn't get to blog as much as I would have liked, but I did get to spend a lot of time with my two beautiful girls, my amazing husband, friends, and start back to work part-time at a job that I love. I'm still proud of what I was able to accomplish, and am looking forward to a fresh start in 2015. Here are a few favorite posts from the past year:

1. Our kitchen update! This has been a long time coming and I'm so excited to finally have a "finished" kitchen.

2. Violet's bedroom. Speaking of her room, I was finally able to finish off her "big girl" bedroom and we both love how it turned out!

3. Fall in Love - one of my favorite idea boards was this gem that I worked on with RH Baby & Child. I would love to be able to bring this one to life, but considering that we might be finished in the baby department, I don't know that it's going to happen!

4. The new gallery wall in the family room. I created this for Apartment Therapy and I am absolutely thrilled with how it turned out. It's always a great feeling to get some of your favorite artwork out of storage and up onto the wall - it just adds so much personality to a space.

5. Violet and Lucy's birthday party. We decided to go with a shared party this year to keep things simple, but I did have a lot of fun with the party decor!

6. Speaking of parties, we had a lot of fun throwing together a last-minute Halloween bash for our family. We have a great neighborhood for trick-or-treating, so even though our house is teeny-tiny, we tend to be the go-to place on Halloween night.

7. Lucy's nursery. Although the space still isn't "finished" in my eyes, it's definitely a bright and happy space, just like our sweet little girl. Stay tuned for a "reveal" coming soon in 2015!

8. I loved working on this "Spring Fling" nursery with Britax. The pops of gold and pink just feel so fresh and happy!

9. A highlight of the girls' summer was this DIY water table that we created for Glidden paint. They had a blast splashing around in it, and it gave me peace of mind while I was doing other chores outside.

Here's to a fantastic 2015! Happy New Year :) xo, Lauren