Gone West

I'm off to Colorado & California for the next two weeks, so it will probably be pretty quiet around here.  I apologize in advance.

This will be such a well needed vacation and I can't wait to see my oldest dearest friends and take in the beauty of the west.

I'll see you all soon, my dear internet cosmos.

in haus press, via seesaw

United Thread

Well, folks, it is summer in Florida.  And you know what that means.  For the next 3.7 months, I will be constantly complaining about not being able to play outside because of the thickets of mosquitoes poised and ready to attack at my first step out the door, the blanket of humidity that envelops every single thing that walks near it, and therefore, my overall lack of ability to be outside and look and feel in any way acceptable while doing it.

All that being said, pretty soon I will be craving cooler climes.  And by pretty soon, I mean, right this second.

Not long ago I ran across this post about this lovely Etsy shop, United Thread.  I adore these paintings--they are so whimsical and dreamlike, yet they have such a poignant particularity about them.  All of the animals look so exactly real.  And the watering hole series is beyond amazing.

Another thing I love so very much about all these paintings is that for some reason, they remind me of fall.  All the warm lush colors and soft brush strokes--just looking at them makes me feel a little cooler.

(All images from United Thread)

Post script to the Mr.--I think those hens need to be added to your newfound collection asap.

Dalton

So, this time I have a good reason for neglecting the blog for the last few days.

The reason is wiggly and black and drooly and the silliest thing I've ever met.

Meet Dalton.

We have always known that we were meant to be a "two dog family".  Yes, I know, most people don't really think about things like this but, the Mr. & I, we are the type of people who absolutely do.

Anyway, we've had our wonderful Florida Brown Dog, Pax, for 3 years now and we knew now was the time to get him a friend.  Have you met Pax yet?  Let me refresh your memory:

So, back to the point.  Pax needed a friend and we went searching for his perfect companion.  To make a super long story short, we found the perfect dog, Dalton, from this great program called Paws on Parole and we knew he was the one.  After a long time of applications and meetings and such, another couple ended up taking him home.  We were destroyed.

Fast forward 3 weeks and it turns out one of Dalton's new owners is allergic to him.  (!!!!!!!)  First of all, let me be clear, if that were to happen to me, if I were to adopt a pup and be allergic to him, I would be devastated.  Needless to say, they were, and I truly felt for them.  But we were of course over the moon to be bringing him home to us.

I know it may sound silly but we just feel like it was meant to be.

So now we have a new dynamic duo in the house, and I'll tell you what, they are quite the pair.  Here, see for yourself.

Home Life

Happy hump day everyone!  Today I've got home on the brain (again).  I am currently in the process of sprucing up my home a bit in order to adequately house a new piano space, so that means I'm also back in the swing of obsessive re-designing.  Of course, nothing big ever quite happens in my current house--it all just seems to happen in my thoughts and on the pages of this blog.

But I suppose until the day comes when I can do a complete overhaul of my current home design, this blog will do just fine.

I recently ran across these photos by Kim Jeffery on Desire to Inspire and fell in love.  Remember my living room and dining room layouts I did a while back?  I feel like these photos may be my dreams in reality.  That yellow rug.  All the rustic hard wood against white and black canvases with the colorful accents thrown in.  Especially that gallery wall!  Swoon.

(Photos from here)

Tighten Up

Well, I've done it again.  I've gone and neglected you, my dear internet cosmos.  The last couple weeks have taught me a lot of important lessons including but not limited to:  how to stand up, be strong and take care of myself, how to bake 2 cakes from scratch and not gain 7,000 lbs., how to admit that I am still recovering from a broken foot that hit me hard 2 years ago and is still haunting me, and last but definitely not least, how to party hard and have the best 1 year wedding anniversary of all time.

All that being said, I'm back and better than ever.

Here's a little jam to help you start the week off right.  This video makes me so super happy.  I know it will do the same for you.