It seems that every year, about this time, I start itching to get a new bag for Spring. I got a new bag last November that I still like, but I love seeing the new Spring styles. If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you probably know I have a thing for Michael Kors. His Santorini natural tote is a current fave.
Kate Spade’s straw bag with “petuna” ribbon is also pretty cute!
This yellow and white stripe leather one is fun too,
The tote bag I’ve been carrying for months is so cute, but too impractical for my current lifestyle- that being a mommy lifestyle. Since I don’t use a diaper bag anymore, my everyday bag has to double as purse + diaper bag. The previous tote I was using was too heavy and didn’t have any dividing compartments inside, so the contents kept getting all scrambled and I’d lose my keys, phone, etc. Not good when you’re juggling holding a baby and all . . . They had different color combinations that I debated for way too long over,
When designing our home, I dreamed of a little breakfast room with a window where we could enjoy our weekend mornings, lingering over the table with a cup of coffee and the paper or a magazine. The room would also double as a place for casual dinners and easy get-togethers with friends. The logical location for our breakfast room was just off the kitchen, adjacent to the living room. We ended up with two windows, plus the glass door, so lots of natural light. After moving in, the breakfast room sat empty while I struggled to find the perfect table for the space.
Ordering blinds and shutters for our home was one of the last things we did before moving in. I had only a short time to decide what we were going to do with our windows in terms of blinds/shutters and probably made some mistakes. I love the look of bamboo shades and wonder (secretly, so the hubby doesn’t freak out) if we should’ve gotten those instead. They just warm up a space so well. Anyhow . . . We opted for blinds on all the windows downstairs, leaving the two rear glass doors uncovered. Upstairs, we also have blinds in all the bedrooms,
Something about banquette seating just says relaxed and comfortable to me. I love it paired with unique chairs and patterned cushions. I originally wanted this in our home, but didn’t end up going that route because we didn’t want to interfere with the flow from the open living room to the breakfast room. Maybe we’ll change our minds in the future. For now, I can just enjoy these images. *via Diane Bergeron *Designer Annsley McAleer’s Boston home. Photo by Justin Bernhaut, Domino, April 2007.
Come on upstairs:
As you make your way upstairs, you first find the Laundry Room (installing jewlery harware!):
To the left is the Nursery:
And Nursery Bathroom:
Across from the Nursery is the Master Bedroom and Sitting Room:
Here’s the view from the Sitting Room into the Master Bathroom:
View from Master and Nursery towards two rear bedrooms:
Media Room:
The house has been under construction for about 6 months and here is what it looked like in early June 2010.
And look! We have a tree!
Actually, two trees! The garage is steel, but stained to look like wood. Wooden garages in Texas require a lot of maintenance and fade quite easily in the sun. The exterior is a combination of stone (for an Austin Hill Country feel) and siding. Jimmy wanted the tin porch roof.
We still are lacking our front door (iron, glass and wood), shutters, lanterns and paint on the white windows. And of course,
Oooh, I think I can see a house forming now!
In February 2010:
Better hurry, baby’s almost here!
The stairs are gonna be so cool. Behind us is the powder bath and Jimmy’s office.
March 2010:
This is the view as you enter the front door, which looks all the way to the living room and backyard. The staircase is in the middle on the right.
Jimmy’s office, which is just inside the front door to the right.
Kitchen: The sink goes under the larger window on the right with the dishwasher next to it.
After James was born and I began to venture out of the house again (albeit in short trips) with him in tow, I quickly realized how much stuff you need to take with you when you leave the house with a baby. Hauling around the stroller and my big diaper bag meant that I had really no room for my purse. Cross-body bag to the rescue- it works wonders because it’s so easy to just sling across your body. Look ma, no hands! It’s small- so it really just holds my keys, phone, small wallet with cash and debit card,
It was so exciting to see the foundation poured. It’s suddenly like, wow, there is really going to be a house here. OUR house! This was such an exciting time because, as you can see below, I was pretty pregnant and dreaming of bringing home baby to this new place:)
Handsome hubby!
Our decision to build a house was due in large part to our relationship with our friend and builder, Chris Bolio. Chris had a lot (about 7100 square feet) with an old house that he wanted to tear down and build new on. The cost was within our budget, we were familiar with Chris’ other projects, liked his aesthetic, and knew he’d do a great job so we bought the lot with its old house:
Backyard View
By December 2009, it (and 6-month pregnant me) looked like this:
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