Spring Break Part I

WARNING!! This is a very long post filled with mainly pictures! We had a blast at Lake Anna. We stayed three nights and truly wanted to stay longer. I can honestly say it was one of the most delightful trips I ever had at the lake. MaryEllen so graciously allows us to come whenever we want and take over her house. I can say, without a doubt, I have the best mother-in-law in the world!!!!

Lake Time!!!

My "hike" with Jackson!!

Johanna posing with GrandMary's orchid.

Does this picture of Dad surprise you?!

Jason would not put Jeremy down for charades.

Charades! The highlight of the trip. The kids wanted to play all the time. If only I had footage of MaryEllen acting out a pig!!!

GrandMary let Johanna take Kirsten home! She was over the moon with excitement!

Johanna is a really good driver, can you tell?

GrandMary mowing for the first time!!!

Lamps

My sister and I went to Home Goods today to pick out a lamp for her baby room. We found the perfect green ceramic lamp. I also spied a few other awesome lamps. Please excuse the pictures, I took them on my phone.

My sister's new lamp!

Spring Blooms

Spring has officially arrived in Virginia. The forsythia's are blooming, daffodils are popping up, and the spring peepers are so loud I can hear them when all the doors and windows are shut. Everyone seems to be in a better mood now that our long and snowy winter appears to be behind us. Now we are looking forward to the arrival of the Virginia bluebells.

My Boys!

I just thought I would share some sweet pictures of my boys and their daddy! I love these photos so much they make me want to cry. Maybe because I realize how much Jackson is growing up. Jeremy is developing many of the same traits Jackson had at his age which makes me delirious! I also love these pictures of my husband because he looks so happy. Jason has had it rough over the past seven months so a smile on his face means the world to me.

Sixx Design

I am so excited for 9 by Design to come to Bravo in April. They are a super fun husband and wife design team who do every aspect of renovating homes in Manhattan. There style is chic and modern and always umexpected. I wish I was brave enough to replicate their style. What I think is cool about this couple is that they live in every house they renovate. It should be fun to watch!

They also have a book that was printed in 2009 about their philosophies on design and raising a large family along with showcasing the homes they have renovated.

Flea Market Finds

Recent finds from Yesterday Rose in Fairfax.

Small oil painting that reminds of looking off the edge of the dock at Lake Anna.

Bird watercolor painting that I put in an antique frame I already had.

Third Time's The Charm

Today I decided to decorate my dry-sink for spring. Last week it served as a bar for my sister's baby shower. Now that the shower is behind us, I needed to update it. Since spring is in the air and Easter is right around the corner, I thought it only fitting to celebrate the approaching season. It took me three tries to get it right.

Dry-sink before the decorating began!

First Attempt:

I did not like the color of the frame on the needlepoint bird. It is hard to tell but it was actually pink.

Second Attempt:

I gave the frame a quick white rinse with acrylic paint. Still not perfect, but better.

Third Attempt:

I did not like the fern so I took tulips from the dining room table and put them in an old silver sugar jar.

Layering It Up

I have always loved the layered look for decorating your home. Layering your accessories and furniture seems to be all the buzz in the blog world. Pure Style Home and Newlywed Diaries have both done articles about how to make your home looked lived in, not decorated. My house certainly looks lived in, considering it is only 1400 square feet, three children running around, and two dogs living in it. I love my house (although I wish I could add on a few hundred feet). I truly enjoy accessorizing my house and rearranging my furniture. Accessories get moved around on a daily basis. On the way home from Charlottesville yesterday, the whole family stopped in Ruckersville to browse the plethora of antique shops. Although I did not get anything, mainly because my children were bored and let us know every five seconds, I was looking for neat brass accessories for the house. Hopefully I can talk my hubby into taking me to the George Mason Antiques Show today. I have had great luck with big pieces of furniture at this show. It is where I got my Swedish armoire and beat-up kitchen table. I am not looking for anything in particular, just something to add to my already lived-in looking home.

Photos Courtesy Of: Newlywed Diaries, A Country Farmhouse, Pure Style Home

Here is a sampling of some of my layered looks. If you come to my house tomorrow, I am sure it will look different!

(The pictures of my home are not that great, but you get the point)