Bah Hum Bug

Are you ready for the Holidays? Not me. I had a taste of what is to come Saturday at Butterball's Birthday Party and, frankly, I am scared. It was just family but still, that was 12 people. It all started with the egg free cake. I am not a baker but I can follow directions. All was well until I took it out of the cake pan to frost it.

It looked like a Birthday Pancake. So with an hour left before the guest arrived I decided to bake another layer. Two pancakes together almost equal a birthday cake. A little icing (actually a lot of icing to hide the dip on the side) and we were good to go.

All he really wanted was the icing. Next year he is getting a tub of icing and three candles.

Here he is blowing out the candles. Bill was also taping the excitement. Somehow during this time he got the video camera stuck in my hair. Evidently he didn't hear me saying "Bill, Bill, BILL!!!!" because he just kept yanking on the camera. Then it happened. The kind of warm, fuzzy moment we all hope to share with our children. I let one slip. It wasn't nice. And it is all on tape. Butterball, mama is sorry she said a bad word during your party, but I did have a video camera stuck to my head. One day we will laugh about this. Not today. Maybe when you are 18 and old enough to watch the video.

"What did you say?"

I wish I could show you more pictures, but shortly after this we had another incident. The twins were being extra rowdy and when I went to break it up, my camera was accidentally knocked out of my hands. Onto the floor. Where it broke. My NEW digital camera. No more bad words. There wasn't even any yelling. After all, we did have company. But there was some very angry whispering. About this time we broke out the beer and wine and laughed while Butterball blew out matches. At least he was happy.

Thankfully, the night ended on a happy note. The kids and I snuggled on the sofa and watched Willy Wonka. My hat is off to the costume designer. It must take a lot of work to make Johnny Depp look bad, but really, a bob? Disturbing.

Can you see why I am scared of Christmas? What about you? Ready to go or scared of a little HO HO HO?

John Oetgen

While reading Things That Inspire's post about The Atlanta Homes and Lifestyle Christmas House, I came across the name John Oetgen. I recognized his name from my days in Atlanta and decided to look him up.

Lucky me, I found a feature on his home in Atlanta Homes Magazine.

He shares the home with John Lineweaver and what a home it is.

Full of light, art ...

And fabulous one of a kind pieces.

What really stands out to me is that, although it is a beautiful home full of personal touches,

it doesn't fit into one decorating category. It looks timeless.

And really, isn't that the most any of us could ask for our homes?

Want to see more of his work? Check out the rest of this home that appeared in House Beautiful. The room above is my favorite. Gigantic plate wall, colorful pillows..who would have guessed.

Or how about this home? More good stuff here.

Late Night = Pretty Pictures

I was out late last night at a meeting..O.K. it wasn't that late, 9:00. But for me that is like 11:30. So for today's post all I have is some pretty pictures for you to look at.

But boy are they good. Do you love these lights or what? If you feel a strong need to get me something, two of these will do nicely.

The next 3 pictures are all from the same Flickr site and they have a similar crisp clean look that I like.

This looks like a grown up room, but not too stuffy.

A little more mod....love the blue and white especially the rug!

What did you think? Aren't they all great rooms? Which one did you like best?

Pictures from: High Street Market, 2-4 Xjavierx's

Butterball's Birthday

Today is Butterball's birthday. He is two!! Can you believe it? The past two years have flown...sort of.

We are going to have a small family party on Saturday.

Nothing big or fancy, but it is still fun to look at all the kiddie parties for ideas.

I guess I could spell out Butterball on cupcakes...but that is a lot of cupcakes. And a lot of temptation and I don't do well with sugar.

Speaking of sugar...this looks like a party my older two would love!!

If you are looking for party ideas, you have got to check out The Party Dress.

They have tons of great ideas. Click on this to get a bigger picture. The details are fabulous. Maybe next year....wonder if they have a Butterball themed party?

Butterball's party spread from last year. See that cake under the dome? We let him stuff himself with it. He loved it. We thought it was SO cute. Then he got all rashy and itchy and quite cranky. A month later we learned he was allergic to eggs. Live and learn. This year I am baking an egg free cake. I'm not a big baker...wish me luck!

Serious Boy
Where's my cake?

Happy Boy
Happy Birthday Butterball!! Mama loves you!!
Thank you for the outfit Gigi!!

pictures from: ?, Family Edmonton, Camille Style, Blue, Pink and Green, 5 & 6 The Party Dress

Awards & Trophies

I love big, old trophies and awards. I think they make great decorating accessories.

Engraved? All the better.

They give a room some personality. So what if it is someone else's personality? It still looks great.

Speaking of awards I want to thank Jeannine of Small & Chic in Cville

And Meggi at Chasing Davies for the Over The Top Blog Award.

It means a lot when other bloggers appreciate what you do.

Now if only these wonderful awards came with sterling silver trophies....

Instead I will have to be content with my kids soccer, basketball and swimming trophies. Maybe I'll paint them white like Jackie Terrell did. Think my kids would mind? Or even notice?

Thanks again to Small and Chic in Cville and Chasing Davies. Be sure to stop by their blogs and say "HI".

pictures from: Eddie Ross, 2 & 3 La Maison Fou, High Street Market, Heidi Claire, Design Editor, My Home Ideas

Out of Control

Lately my life has been out of control. I won't bore you with details. You know how it can get. When life gets crazy I crave organization.

Nothing makes me feel better than a tidy room.

Cleaning and straightening calms me down.

An organized closet? Pure joy.

All my shoes lined up in a row...

Everything in it's place....perfect.

Even better? Color coordinated organization.

I love the look of open shelving with everything so neatly stacked.
I bet my shelves would look like this for exactly two hours.

And can you imagine your pantry being this neat? Walking into this pantry would be like taking a Valium for me.

So, what do you do when your life gets out of control?

pictures from: 1-5 Style and Focus, Vintage Mint, Curbly, Country Living, Apartment Therapy, Squiddo

House of Blues

I came across this house tour on Apartment Therapy and just had to share. I love all the house tours on Apartment Therapy and, while fun to look at, most aren't exactly my taste. That's one reason I like it; it is something different. But last night I stumbled across a home that is fabulous, and right up my alley.

I just love all the blue...

With the bright white.

The walls looked like they are high gloss..almost lacquered.

I love it!

It makes me want to break out my paint brush.

Or even better, call a painter.


This crisp, clean style of decorating is really appealing to me right now.

You like? Want to see the whole story? Check out Apartment Therapy here.