perspective.

We have a lot going on right now.
We just welcomed Charlotte Grace Hyslop into the world. Our lives just got richer when "Lottie" made her entrance on August 7, 2012 weighing in at 7 pounds, 12 ounces.

 It was love at first sight. Actually, it was love way before that...

 And we have a wedding this weekend. We rejoice with Kiley as she marries Andy Faller on Saturday in Lincoln.  (As you can see from the photos, Kiley was at the birth too.)

The perspective is this:
I was talking with dear friend Janice Vespa who called to hear the birth details. I jokingly commented that we needed a trip to our home-away-from-home at the Vespas, as we have doctors' appointments in St. Louis in early September.
Then I realized... To date, we have quite possibly spent more time in our guest bedroom in the Vespa's home than we have living in our new house! No wonder we don't feel settled quite yet.  It was a bit sobering to think about how many days & weeks we have spent doing "cancer things" in St. Louis... and now we rejoice that we can focus on living in our new home.

This realization fascinated me.  Thanks for letting me share it.

my love affair with pottery barn.

It is true.  I love all things Pottery Barn.  Love their classic designs.  Love their quality. (Have you ever compared a light fixture with a PB light fixture? Love the no-plastic-parts.)  Love the 5% cash back on purchases with your PB card.  Love the helpful people in the wonderful Omaha store. 

It also helps me make decisions.  If Pottery Barn featured it, chances are it is in vogue and will be fashionable for some time.  They have done the research.  This makes my purchases less risky.  I also appreciate that everything coordinates from season to season and even year to year. I also love the catalogs. What a great resource for inspiration, creativity and decorating ideas.

I like finding one store and being a loyal customer.  Just FYI, I purchase 90% of my clothing at JCrew and hate mall shopping. I like one-stop shopping.  Thank you Pottery Barn!

 Needlework design by yours truly.  House numbers by Pottery Barn.

reality shots.

With photography it is easy to be selective about what is in the picture - and what isn't.  While we certainly are feeling more settled in our beautiful new house, I did not want to leave the impression that we have got it all together at 315 N. Thomas.  Yes, there are pockets of order and beautiful. But there are also areas of massive chaos, clutter and confusion.  Here are some photos with a broader lens. ha.

 The built-in dining room cabinets are gorgeous, but the dishes are in a box on the floor. Should I be unpacking them instead of blogging??

 Mike's clothes have not made it into the closet yet.

 Half of my clothes are organized. Half are still in chaos.

 We have a handy storage space built in under the stairs, but the sleeves are not in yet so the stuff is in a "piles" storage arrangement.

 OK. This is SCARY. This is the grand kid's playroom, now catch-all room for unpacked, yet-to-be-put-away items. I keep the door closed and light off. 

 This room has great potential but for now is still in the scary category. Mike built these glorious shelves but much of the space is being used for items that still need to be unloaded.

This photo was actually taken at the old house during the move.  It is Mike carefully going through all of the girls' shoes! I love this photo.  It captures the horrors of moving in a very sweet way.

the laundry room.

Today I am going to blog for my sanity. Waiting for an overdue baby is taxing. 

One of the many favorite parts of our house is the laundry room... And we thank our genius architect for helping us achieve it. Dave built the beautiful staircase down into the basement, and you round the corner into the laundry room!  We have hanging space and baskets right across from the washer & dryer so clothes go straight from dryer to hangers or shelf.

But our favorite part?  That the original claw foot tub from the old upstairs bathroom is our "laundry basket".  We had Dave cut a clothes shoot in the floor under the girls' bathroom sink console - and instead of dropping their clothes on the floor - their drop into the old tub!  The sheer delight of this will never get old.