Color Change

I've been threatening to rip my house apart and start over (decoratively speaking) for awhile now.  Brad sort of sighs and get this little exasperated look on his face, but he always tells me I can do whatever and that he knows he'll love it...he just doesn't have my vision. 

When we moved in our carpet was blue and our walls were this dull weird creamish color, and knowing we didn't have enough money to get new carpet, I had to choose something that went with blue.  So I went beige.  Beige, beige, beige and now I am so sick of it I can't see straight.  I have been dreaming of gray for the longest time, but having a baby and all, well, that set me back by a year or so :)  Anyway, the time has come.  I am leaving the land of taupe and I am thrilled.  It's taken me awhile to decide and my walls have looked like this for a few days, but I have finally made my decision.

Which one?  I'll show you when it's all done!

Little Folks Voile Quilt

So after I finally got rid of that flu, I finished this quilt for Paige!  I ordered the fabric earlier this year and wanted to have it done while it was still cold out; I barely made it.  It is made from Anna Maria Horner's Little Folks Voile line, which I am now completely obsessed with.  The voile is so soft and buttery and it was so delightful to sew on.  It's a little more expensive than your usual quilting cotton, but you get 55".  Ok.  So I know the color scheme is a little all over the place, but I really like it that way.  It gives it a lot of personality right?  

Roses

I have discovered one of the most awful things that can happen to you as a mother: getting the flu.  Okay.  So before if I ever got sick I could just take it easy, watch some movies, sleep, whatever.  Not now.  Oh boy, not now.  Not when there's a chubby cheeked one year old needing you for everything.  I  don't know where this flu came from but it descended on me with a fury and attacked every muscle I have.  I still don't feel like I've regained all my strength.  Post edit: I didn't do a very good job of specifying that while this flu was the pits, it has come and gone and hopefully I never see it again!

Anyway...it was just really hard and Brad had to step in and comfort me constantly.  He's pretty good at that.

So while I was down and out, I was watching Martha Stewart one day and she started talking about David Austin roses.  I was so excited I actually sat upright for a few minutes (it was a small miracle) to listen.  When Brad and I were engaged I stumbled upon these roses in a magazine and fell in love.  I wanted them so bad for our wedding!  But they were no where to be found.  And now here they were!  Some lovely english gentleman was explaining that they are now available as cut roses and can be ordered and sent straight to your door.  Sigh.  They are so beautiful.

Well Brad was watching this whole thing and a few days later we were on our way home from Costco and there was a curious looking package sitting on our porch.  He went and ordered them, that lovely lovely man of mine.  It was just the perk I needed.

When you first get them they don't look like much, just a pretty little rose.  But then...

you catch a glimpse of the beauty of the inside.  

Did I mention I'm crazy about that guy I married?  Crazy, crazy.

Also, I'm sorry but this will not be the last flower post for peony season is on its way!

Happy Happy Birthday Paige!

My rambling thoughts...skip ahead for a birthday celebration breakdown:  During the days leading up to Paige's birthday, well really the hours leading up to it, I was overcome with memory from those same hours last year.  It was all I could think about and the memories were so thick and so all encompassing that I started to write them down because they were demanding to come out in some forum or another.  I wrote them all in a series of posts that I did not publish because I was undecided.  Still am.  I never really got a chance, with her birth being a little traumatic and all, to share my labor and birth story here like I had intended...so who knows.  Maybe one of these days I'll post it, but all in all it was a very surreal couple days for me, remembering what happened to get this little daughter of mine here one year ago.

To start of the celebrating we went to JCW's with my family, a favorite place of Paige's.  Here she knows she can eat fries, sample ice cream, and chew on as many plastic spoons as she can get her hands on.

After that, we headed over to our house for the cake and gifts.  It was a joint party with my brother and sister, who have birthdays the same week as Paige.  See the little pink cupcake?  That was Paige's cake.

She opened gifts, but I must admit, I think it was a little funner for me than for her.  She did get herself some Woody loot.  The girl has a thing for him.

And finally, cake!  She got stripped down for this part since lately she likes to smear her food all over herself and I wasn't sure how the pink frosting would fare on her white cardigan.  She was mesmerized by the candle and she actually ate a good amount of her cupcake.  And we managed to fit it all in before nap time.

She's the light of my life and I can't wait to be with her everyday.  I can't believe I get to have her around and be her mom.  

The Last Month

May I just say that the last five weeks or so have kicked my behind.  They were a full of highs and lows and sickness and many, many things that kept me from updating this lovely little blog of mine.  I am missing blogging though, so prepare yourselves for a flurry of posts!  Doesn't that sound fun?  I really like that word.