Red, White & Chambray

we had to go to this pretty place to "help" daddy with some scenery photos for a painting he's working on.
as soon as we got there, i had one kid dancing around about to pee her pants, another kid peeing on a rock, and another child peeing in her pants (nope, i'm not naming names...but she's kinda little and her name rhymes with bofeeya) all in all, a grand time.
we're off to a parade today then maybe we'll head back up the canyon for some more family togetherness, that is, if the parents don't go crazy first!

chambray rompers: old navy, ross

chambray shirt: old navy

red shirt: downeast

tan shorts: thrifted

red sandals: kohls 

linking up with Lindsey for what i wore wednesday

have an awesome, safe, dry panties type of 4th of July, mmmkay?

the big reveal...

come on into my home,
make yourself comfy
i'll get you a big bowl of cookie dough ice cream...
or i have some skinny cow ice cream sandwiches if you're watching your weight...
or, i have oodles of easter candy, if you're lactose intolerant.
we can talk while the kids fight over an etch a sketch


i've been re-doing my front room for a while now, & i'd love to show you, now that it's done.
it's a small space. only about 10 feet wide and 12 feet deep.

the motivation for the makeover was this here brown couch.
it might look ok, but it turns into the devil when you want to sit or lay on it.
it wasn't terribly uncommon for a cheek to fall asleep while sitting on it because it has bars under it that hit you in all the wrong places.
it's super uncomfy. and brown.
quite frankly, it was boring in there.

i had to find the perfect couch that would fit the room and fit our budget.
we were searching for a grey leather couch with a vintage modern vibe.
it had to be leather, because of it's proximity to the kitchen (and inevitable spills)
and it had to be 35" deep or narrower
it had to be comfortable
and hopefully under $1000.
(which is a hard price point when looking for super adorable grey leather couches)

our search ended when we found this pretty leather number.

I added some random, pretty grey and turquoise stripes to the wall.
I had all these paint colors on hand and didn't have to go buy any, which was nice.
I'm loving the stripes.

1. We found the leather sofa at Macys.com 
it's the Claudia sofa in Taupe
we had to wait about 3 weeks for the sample to come in the mail.
we were worried the taupe would be too brown.
but, when the sample came it was a nice warm grey so we went for it.
and, since we have a history of getting credit cards and never activating them, 
we decided to go ahead and get the macys card to save an extra $100
it ended up being $899 plus tax and shipping (around $1000)
(which is waaaaay better price-wise than the other sofas I had looked at)
2.  Pillow from Moxie Mandie more info HERE
3. IKEA
4. Pillows from Mindy Mae's Market (they sell all sorts of awesome stuff at discounted prices online...follow them on facebook & you won't regret it!)
5. Oh, how I love these paintings! Jeremy (my husband who is an artist) painted these of each of our kiddos :)  They make me happy!  To see more of his work click HERE

I kept the same Danish Modern side chair because the chair wasn't too terribly uncomfortable, and i happen to LOVE danish modern furniture.

I just added some bright reddish orange-ish color fabric and more pillows from ikea and some chevron from MMM. (since re-upholstering this, i've noticed this color ALLOVER the offices of Sterling Cooper Draper Price  (& if you don't know what SCDP is, i feel so sad for you.))

Dont' look too closely at my reupholster job...it was my first crack at sewing upholstery with piping...yeah, it's perfectly imperfect, just the way i like it ;)

Then, I wanted to add a little extra seating for when we have company.
With only the sofa and side chair, there just wasn't enough.
So, I went on the search for a table/bench that could be used as a coffee table OR a small bench for the kids to sit on.  I found the perfect one at IKEA

IKEA Molger bench in brown

it's decorated with another snazzy pillow from IKEA..(did I mention that I found those pillows for $2.99 each?? crayzay! that may be why there are 3 in this small space) and here's the third beautiful copper item that i was talkin about the other day...and some adorable vintage childrens books and some coasters.

The armoir also got a makeover, making it a lovely shade of yellow.
open it up, and it's (surprise, surprise) turquoise :)

some things we kept the same:
the turquoise table with our copper antiquities (no way i was getting rid of that!)

our collection of ebony elephants that we've been collecting each year on our anniversary, our lamp we bought when we were first married, our vase from downeast

 and some cool Aesop's fables illustrations from Jeremy's dad

and, in an effort to keep it real, i'll show you what it will really look like when you stop by:

so, come on over.  we can watch an episode of the new girl, or what not to wear (as seen here), or once upon a time ( i have them all recorded on our dvr :)  or, maybe we could watch madmen...or just gossip about WTFreakityFreak is going on with Don Draper...hope to see you soon!

oh, hey, it's just me...

i should be doing laundry.
but, i thought i'd pop in for a second and join in on the self-portrait saturday

so, here it goes....

and, if you don't know me...please, know this...i have 3 children.  so, i've earned every last one of those wrinkles ;)

On Motherhood

There are a lot of things I don't know about motherhood.  But these things I know for sure.
Motherhood is a commitment.
Motherhood requires patience.
Motherhood requires love.
Motherhood is unselfish.
Motherhood requires sacrifice.
Sacrifices of time.
Sacrifices of money.
Sacrifices of energy.

I don't think there is such thing as a perfect mother.  I am easily frustrated and become impatient a lot quicker than I'd like a lot of times.  One time, in a moment of stress,  I even had a fleeting, selfish thought that I wished I wasn't a mom.  That I could just have some time for myself.  Of course, I cried the rest of that day and vowed to be a better mom.  I held my kids closer, and tried to treat them better because of that thought.

I know I'm not the only one that's had difficulties with being a mom.  But, through my difficulties, I am striving to become stronger, more patient, and kinder.  And, I think the fact that I'm trying to make myself a better mom through it all and not giving up says a lot.

There are some people who give up on motherhood.  Give up on trying.  Give in to selfishness.  Give up on trying to be patient.  And it's sad.  Mothers, your kids NEED you.  I know there are some circumstances that might keep you away from your kids, I think kids are understanding about stuff like that.  Work, divorce, girl's night out, date night, you can't be there ALL the time. 

But, when you CAN be there for your kids and choose NOT to...that's hurtful.

I took a little informal poll from a few little ones I know asking them what makes a good mommy.  They all said similar things.  "tucking me into bed" "making me dinner" "hanging out with us as a family" "packing a lunch for me to take to school"  These all may seem like simple acts of service but, I think for kids these are important because they can't vocalize the way these simple acts of service make them feel.  You tuck them in to bed and they feel all warm and fuzzy and loved.  You provide for them meals each day and you are providing them with feelings of stability and make them feel like you'll always be there for them.

But, what happens when the kids grow up a bit and are teenagers.  They might not want you to tuck them in at night anymore, but they still want to feel loved.  They still need to feel like you will always be there for them.  Mothers, your kids NEED you.

Source: Uploaded by user via Danielle on Pinterest

Being a mom can be hard.  Being unselfish is hard. But, if we emulate our Savior, and his example of serving others we will be blessed.

"The Lord has directed, Bring up your children in light and truth. To me, there is no more important human effort. Being a father or a mother is not only a great challenge; it is a divine calling.  Being parents is the greatest trust that has been given to human beings."
-James E. Faust

So, here's to doing our best at being mothers.  Committed, patient, loving, unselfish mothers.  Let's give it our best because ya know they're gonna grow up so effin fast!
xo-Danielle