antique dishes.

I have been collecting old dishes for awhile and they have found a fitting home in our historic dining room. This old dry sink was a hand-me-down from my in-laws and it looks beautiful displaying my antique linens, dishes and tea cups in our dining room. The pedestal and flower pot on the right side of the dry sink was an heirloom from a family friend and it holds my hodgepodge of antique silverware and serving pieces.

My pieces are a collection of family pieces, Goodwill finds, antique store and flea market treasures. I love the collected look of this area in my home. My personal taste require a balance of the old and new. In my dining room I have a 110 year old metal vented grate sitting right next to my modern hightop dark wood table set. The juxtaposition of the old and new keeps me feeling like my homestyle is unique and memorable. Many more dining room pictures to come...this is a teaser.

the breakfast nook.

Our new home has a breakfast nook. This is such a charming little spot in our house and we have already spent quite a bit of time here. This area in the house has also become the "organizational heart of the house." It sits between the kitchen and dining room and has lots of storage nearby. The calender, house phone, computer and "junk drawer" are all nearby. The kids and I find ourselves here most days for breakfast and lunch. I fix the kids a meal and sit to organize coupons, pay bills, or jump online.

The world map under the glass of the table was left by the previous owner and has sparked a lot of conversation-so we are leaving it. The paint colors and wallpaper are also from the previous owner. We have added our own personal touches but enjoy the banquette as we bought it.

Except-as I look at these picture I realize that the base of the nook table needs to be painted white...don't you think?

towel aprons.

This summer my mom, sister and I were in the local antique store and saw some vintage aprons on sale that were a terry cloth fabric like a towel. We thought this was a really great idea because we ourselves are often using our aprons to "dry" our hands during cooking. That week my mom found a huge beach towel at TJ Maxx for $12 and we bought the waistband fabric for about $6. The cost of our materials and great cutting skills of my mother left us with a total of 6 aprons like the one pictured above. We found this project to be very simple and we love having a "towel apron" to use in the kitchen. We gave the remaining 3 as gifts to ladies in our family and they loved them as well.

the chandelier.

When we first looked at our home I fell in love with the dining room chandelier...so much so that I had it written into the offers. I love this shot of my little girl in vintage attire in our dining room (my favorite room in the house).

flower beds and landscaping.

For about six weeks this summer I was lucky enough to have my mom, dad and sister visit my family in Michigan. This was amazing! I moved out of my parents house at 18 and they have never been able to help me move all the times I moved in and out of college and apartments, but lucky for us they were able to help with the big move into our first purchased home this summer. Their help along with RJ's family really made this transition a great experience.

I was most looking forward to my mom and grandma's ability to give me some landscape/flower coaching in my yard. We have torn out at least 7 shrubs since we moved in, my husband has trimmed mountains of overgrown trees and my mom and grandparents have donated countless perennials and bags of mulch. The yard is a work in progress but has improved so much in the first month we have been here.

Enjoy the pictures of the transformation. I now have some yard confidence and look forward to more projects soon.

The indoor pictures will come soon. We have some painting projects slated for cooler weather!

summertime with family.

This summer we have moved into our dream home and spent an incredible amount of time with our families. What a treat this has all been. Both RJ and I have been blessed with generous, stable, thoughtful and loving families. We do not often get the opportunity to be with so much of our families at once (all but Adrian and Camber). This summer has been a reminder of how blessed RJ and I are, but also our children to have such great role models and so much love from family. I want to thank our families for all of their help and generosity during our move and this exciting time for our family. This is all a dream! We love you very much and hope you always see how grateful we are for all of you!

On a side note, my blog updates will pick up again once family leaves and I replace my broken camera!

jackson james.

My son is 4 years old today...it is hard to believe how quickly he is growing. He is an intelligent, charming, kind and generous little man. I am mesmerized and proud of him each and everyday. It is incredible how he can be so good when we as adults feel so flawed. I thank God for giving RJ and I- Jackson. He made us realize all that we had at a time in our relationship when we needed it. His smile and spirit make us happy everyday. I love you so much little boy.