Mixed thoughts

With the past couple of days being filled with images and videos of two major world events right now I can't help but feel that I'm being pulled in two different directions. I find myself getting sucked into pictures plastered all over the Internet of happiness and sadness at the same time. Sadness with the devastation in Alabama from the massive tornadoes and happiness from the images of the royal couple's nuptials. It's an emotional roller coaster!

My family in Alabama is safe and luckily, very luckily no one got attacked by this horrendous storm. It's hard to look at the flattened building and homes and not think of all the terror and devastation of those families. I cannot even fathom it all! I'm praying for the people affected by this storm, the lives lost and hope for a quickly recovery for the towns.

I hate to focus on the negative, so...on to the wedding madness! I really haven't been a fanatic about this whole thing, but a. who doesn't love weddings? b. they are so darn cute! and c. the media won me over with all the hype surrounding today. So, here are my comments and observations.

I love the whole "commoner" term that's been associated with Catherine (formerly known as Kate). I mean, really? Her parents might be "new money" and non-royalty but do we really consider millionaires to be "commoners" these days? I know the term is only because they are not from a royal status but I hate to call them common. This is anything but common. Millions of people watching and good Lord the details!

Another observation...what's with all the head gear? The hats and feathers and some things that I don't even know what to call are out of control! The Queen's hat wasn't so hot but I didn't know that it was a requirement to attend the wedding. Did they put an asterisk on the invitation so that the "commoners" would know to wear something adorning their heads? However, I have to say that I've been on a little bit of an accessory kick wanting to buy headbands and necklaces. Maybe I'll venture down the feather headpiece route. Could I pull it off? Hmm...I shall see.

Final thought for now (since I haven't actually watched the wedding...I cherish my sleep more and figured I'd take advantage of modern day technology-the DVR)....her dress was beautiful! We all have been wondering what it would look like and how elaborate it would be and I think she made the perfect choice! Traditional elegance. I love the lace details and the conservative nature of having the lace sleeves combined with the full skirt and oh so amazing train! It makes me want to put on my wedding dress and twirl around the house dreaming of a "commoners" wedding at the palace with my Prince. Haha...just kidding. She can keep her over the top, stuffy wedding. Mine was just perfect! However...I would love to kidnap her wardrobe.

A very (un)welcome Spring!

Right now I have a love-hate relationship with Spring and home ownership. I love the flowers in bloom and the mild temperatures but I hate the pollen and the running nose that I can't seem to escape. I love love love our house but hate feeling like no matter how much back breaking "clean-up" I do in the yard there's still more. That's probably the anal perfectionist in me however, there's nothing prettier than a well manicured yard. The house looks great and the yard looks great too but I'd love to do an overhaul and have someone come through, suck up all the old pine straw and lay more. Maybe I'll budget for that over the new couple of months. The oxymoron in all of this is that I'm really just talking about the natural areas. Who knew that a natural area required so much pruning and maintenance? I am learning a lot about gardening though and absolutely love it (with the exception on the pollen creeping into my eyes and nose). I made it my mission this weekend to clean up the flower beds and plant some flowers in our empty flower pots. Once I got started I noticed some real yucky looking "plants" which I ended up identifying as weeds using google images and some random weed sites. They were everywhere. They had yellow buds on them so I thought they might be flowers but they were ugly and I was secretly hoping they were weeds so that I could justify getting rid of them. Well, they were and now they're gone! The only thing really left are the azaleas, a dogwood tree and roses. Not a bad mix of plants! Someone spent some good money on making the landscaping at our house beautiful and it has been a very nice Springtime surprise for us! The azaleas cover the whole backyard and there are a few in the front with some roses and the lovely dogwood tree. A very quintessentially southern yard! That's one of the biggest things that I love about our neighborhood is all of the old, mature trees and mature landscaping. It's just so pretty right now spotting all the colors in the yards. I love it, but as I'm sitting here tying I'm sniffling and can't seem to muscle through this yucky pollen season! Here's to May! Spring temperatures, spring flowers and NO pollen!!

Closet rehab

I wish I could have a closet rehab! I go through phases of different things I'd like to spend money on. It pretty much switches daily between the cute pair of shoes I just saw at the store, to the dining room table I saw on an episode of House Hunters, to the pretty flowers I saw driving down the street. Lately it's been a little of everything (like I said, it changes daily and probably hourly) but right now as I sit here thinking that my grey cable knit sweater and black pants are dull I realize I want a wardrobe makeover. I'm not sure if it's that I really am into new clothes right now or if it's more of the fact that I'm looking forward to SPRING and cheery, warm weather clothing! I always get a little antsy towards the end of seasons and start looking forward to the change. But, back to clothes...I always think other people look cute and always see cute things in the store but just can't bring myself to ever spend money on clothes when I have perfectly find clothing to wear hanging in my closet. Shoes have been my weakness...I've been on a kick (ha, no pun intended) lately. Here's two pair that I've bought recently...in addition to a new pair of work shoes that I desperately needed. To my defense, I got one pair for a birthday gift and the other pair, well...they were on sale and go with everything and are "the new black", so I just had to have them :-)

Ahh...the weekend!

This picture pretty much captures what I'm planning to do every weekend until the next cold spell comes along. We've had this hammock since a wedding shower so long ago and have just never had a place to hang it! But, in our new house there is an absolutely perfect place and I think this is just what my weekends have been missing!

Speaking of the weekend, TGIF! Hmm...what happened to TGIF on ABC back in the day? I can't seem to find anything worth watching on a Friday night anymore and would love to watch some episodes of Full House, Step by Step and Family Matters!

Just a glimpse

I feel like I have become obsessed with ideas. But, to my defense I don't think it's just me. I'm just one of those people who once they get an idea in their heads I'm bound and determined to make it happen and soon and if for some reason I can't (ie...things out of my control) then I'll daydream about it until it all becomes a reality. Well, ever since we got the house and the options are practically limitless I find myself daydreaming about home ideas. I love how it all fell together without us really buying anything when we moved in, but I just always have these ideas of making the space more comfortable and homey...is that a word? Well, anyways, you get what I'm saying and I realize that, to quote a friend, "Rome wasn't built in a day" but it's so fun to look at ideas and imagine them in your own house. Here are some things that I love....

I love the use of vintage windows in home decor. I don't think I'll be as creative as this person was but I am planning to hunt down some cool windows at the antique store this weekend and hang them in the guest bedroom. I think that they'll give it a really cool, coastal, vintage feel and I actually got Jon to agree with me on this brilliant idea. I think it's funny how I used to hate the "shabby chic" look but I think I've discovered that it kinda personifies who I am. I've really been diggin' it lately and think it's time to bring some more "shabby chic" touches into our home.

The other rooms are ideas for our fireside living area and the sunroom. I LOOOVE the daybed idea for a sunroom. I just think it makes it so cozy and functional, especially if you're trying to incorporate an extra sleeping space for guests somewhere. I also LOVE the green chairs from the other sunroom setup and the drapes too! The purple chairs by the fireplace are NOT on the like list but I do love the way the chairs are set up in front of the fireplace. It's just so inviting. It makes you want to curl up next to the fireplace and read a book. Well, at least I think so. I think that set-up will definitely make it into the house when the resources allow.

Okay, I can't resist, I must share...I got sidetracked on Pottery Barn the other day and happened across this lovely baby girl room....I'll just tell Jon I was looking for my niece in the bun now....and of course, I'll add the disclaimer for those with wondering minds....I have NO reason to be looking at this but like I said...couldn't resist....and isn't it beautiful?