Your birthday

Maya is here! She came early and surprised mom and dad. She is 1,000 more times amazing then we could have ever imagined. She is already 6 days old! :( She likes to sleep a lot so far and she is so tiny. She was 6 pounds, 8 ounces when she was born and 6 pounds when she came home. Mommy had not prepared for this, and all her clothes are way too big!


~Maya's Birth Story ~
October 19, 2011

I went to my doctor's appointment on Monday thinking it would just be a normal appointment. Well the doctor saw on the sonogram that Maya's tummy wasn't growing as large as it should. He decided at this point to induce and told me that I would be going into the hospital the next day. Needless to say, I was shocked but ready to meet her. We went into the hospital on Tuesday night and I started Cytotec to get my body ready to get this baby out. I started the Cytotec at 10 p.m. and then the contractions followed shortly after, they weren't too bad but kept me up most of the night. In the morning they started the Pitocin and I was on my way. Thankfully I decided to get my epidural early, so most of the labor was spent chatting with family. It was slow going at first, I went about 1 cm every hour or two. Well when I got to 5 cm the nurse decided to try and get things moving along and put me into a new position on my side with one leg up in the air. She said this helps the baby drop more into the birth canal. She got off on her shift at 7 and wanted to see me have this baby! After being in this position for about an hour, I started to feel a lot of pressure during the contractions and I called the nurse. She checked me and said I was at 10 cm and we were ready to have this baby. I couldn't believe it was already time!! A lot of people started coming into my room and bringing in all the supplies. They told me it was time to push (which I was the most nervous about). The nurse told me the average time was 2-4 hours and I was way too tired and weak from no food to even think about that long. Well it ended up being about 45 minutes that I had to push, and the baby was about to come out and my doctor wasn't even there yet, I thought the nurse was going to deliver my baby!! Maya was ready to meet the world. Well I had to wait 5 minutes for my doctor to get there where I could not push, and boy was that hard. The doctor finally arrived and it was time to meet you. They put you on my chest and you let out a big cry. You were so beautiful and your little fingers grabbed mine. It was an amazing experience!

Kelly Klein's Florida Home

One home I have always admired is Kelly Klein's Florida home that was featured in Elle Decor's May 2007 issue. Simple and uncluttered, with natural elements, it's a serene getaway.

I have never considered painting (or wallpapering) a room pink. (Okay, well I did paint my room pink when I was about 13). But Johnathan Adler did and I think he pulls it off. The accessories really make it.... that Mr. Adler sure is good!

I really want this light fixture from Lamps Plus for my front room. It would look a lot better than the 1980s light I have in there now. I would be so sad to leave it behind when I move though, which would eventually happen since we planned to only live in our house for 5 years, and it's already been 2 years. Does anyone else have this problem when doing upgrades to their house? Wishing they could take the fixtures with them when they move?? :)

Almost all white kitchens

It seems that I always seem to gravitate towards photos of "almost all white" kitchens. I think it is because they always look so nice, simple and clean to me. I'm not talking ALL white, that can be a little too spare, but I love white cabinetry and white subway tiles... most of the kitchen photos in my files seem to have both! Paired with black or marble countertops, wood floors and nice hardware... maybe some color on the walls or elsewhere... I think that could be my dream kitchen. A Viking range doesn't hurt either :)

The much-copied kitchen from the movie Somethings Gotta Give

I like the mix of traditional and modern elements (the chairs) in this one. Love the dog too!

Nice architecture in the ceiling

Love the tiled in niche above the stove!

Almost all white - with a splash of color



Love the large island



Subway tiles, black countertops, with a pop of color in the cabinets.. lovely...





Who would not want to have this huge walk-in pantry?

This one has all my elements...plus some cute Roman shades

I have been crushing on dark brown rooms lately. I think it especially works well in bedrooms, dining rooms and living rooms. I really want to paint a room in my house chocolate brown, but haven't gotten the nerve yet! I really love it contrasted with a crisp white trim and white linens, or with a "punch" of another bright color, like a citrus green.

Here's some inspiration...

Home of Jeff Andrews, photographed by Grey Crawford

Amanda Nisbet Design, Inc.

Laurey W. Glenn for Southern Living

Christopher Baker for House Beautiful

Walls are Benjamin Moore Chocolate Candy Brown and trim is Atrium White