{the blog}

back in the saddle

I've left you hanging for a couple of weeks and I apologize... I have been burning the candle at both ends AND just got back from a little vaction with my husband.  I've been on the go a lot lately and am about to plant my feet firmly in this office so I can get ahead in order to get away (with peace of mind) once the baby comes.  My sweet intern Julie is leaving me sooner than I anticipated due to her brother's wedding, sorority rush, and an architecture internship in Birmingham that is snatching her out from under me... I could cry.  Friday will be her last day.  Feel free to pray for me... she has been a total Godsend and the remainder of this summer and remainder of this pregnancy without her is not something I'm looking forward to.

Chance and I just returned from Boston and Nantucket... but first...

a quick flashback: Independence Day.  We spent 24 hours in the car over a 5 day period and I managed to survive.  We headed north, waaaay north to Southern Illinois to spend the holiday with my family at my parents farm.  It seems like ages ago now, but it was wonderful.  Here are some pictures.      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More from me later... promise. 

treats

Julie just called (on her way into work) she's bringing me a Cinnamon Crunch Bagel from Panera.  Don't hate me because I have the best intern ever known to this earth.  It's raining and I have a warm bagel on the way... what more could I ask for?

Apparently I got behind on blog reading... catching up on my iSuwannee reads lead me to this deliciousness (above and below)... thank you for the eye candy Jamie.

 

In other delightful news, I spent yesterday afternoon deciding on the nursery.  I may post a sneak peek or I may just let the whole shebang be a surprise.  I will tell you this... Chance and I painted the walls and I hated the color... so I started over... this time decided to hire painters, because I hate to paint.  I've come full circle back to my first love... which means nothing to most of you... but you will see soon enough. 

home, home on the range

 

We packed up last Friday and headed north.  My husband thought it would be a great idea to take our 4 and 2 year old nieces with us to Illinois... so we did (I was a little nervous about 10+ hours in the car with a 2 & 4 year old).  We made it a 2 day trip, spending Friday night with our friends Jennie Marie, Carlton, and Emma Hensley.  I wasn't sure if I would remember which house was theirs as we were arriving after dark, but JM told me on the phone "you'll know which house it is when you see it"... I took her word for it...

 

Remember?  It was even lit up!!!  

 

JM, thank you for the hospitality and graciously allowing our mini-travelers to stay in EH's room... we had a blast.  Yummy food and good times!  Thank you!

Emma Hensley hated to see us leave on Saturday morning, we had so much fun!

My mom did not know we were bringing her granddaughters (I love to surprise people)- so when we arrived at the farm on Saturday afternoon she squealed and screamed and instantly started the tea party! Okay, maybe I don't have a picture of Saturday afternoon's tea party, but this photo from Sunday's breakfast will suffice. The terriers like to tea too, maybe it's the "kid height table".

 

Does everyone know that I've never lived at the farm?  My parents bought the farm when we lived in Louisville, Kentucky... it's 2 hours west of Louisville... outside of the small town where my parents both grew up.  My parents sold their house in Louisville 2 years ago, and since then mom lives at the farm, dad works in Chicago and they travel to see each other on weekends.  Just thought I'd clarify because it could get confusing.

 

Chance's side-kick (my dad) had to work until Wednesday, so Chance was on his own... he made good use of his time.  He got dad's 1962 Suburban Carry All running.  Like the gas tank?  He was so excited, and dad could not believe it when arrived home and it wasn't sitting (dead) where it always sat.  Mom told us we could have it if we could get it running.  Dad disagreed.  We'll see.  

   

I never dreamed I'd marry someone as resourceful as that man above.  I am in good hands.  I was thinking about it last week, I honestly think my dad likes Chance more than he likes me! (HA! I'm laughing but it's a little bit true.)

 

So since it was running I hopped in and had my husband take me for a spin. 

 

You've seen the outside of the farm... maybe you want to see a little of the inside?

 

That's Chasey... when it's dinner time (5:00 sharp) the girl stands in the pantry (where her dog food is kept).  Darby and I surprise my parents with Chasey as a Christmas gift Christmas of 1997.

There are lots of blankets and pillows and always a fire in the fireplace.

 

This is the "Prof" that's short for "Professor"... who's real name (officially on his dog tag) "Bird Brown, phD".  The Professor was my dog before Penelope & Paisley.  Then my dad stole him from me.  He is a rescue as well.  A brown dog.  With a name that starts with P.  I love him.  He always thinks it's funny to squeeze his wide-load into P&P's dog bed.  Paisley likes him too. 

The house was built in the early 1800s... this is the dining room... original to the house.

Mom, you can put my name on these pheasant/turkey/quail (bird) plates Darby already has some toile-ish plates. Thanks!

We like dogs.

  Who knew okra was beautiful when dried?  Mom did.

 

We laugh a lot.  I mean A LOT.  Like laugh so hard you think you might throw-up.

My sister brings it upon herself.  (pretend like I just uploaded a hilarious picture of her).

 

Instead I'll show you this picture of her taking a bite of spaghetti in the background.  My family is notorious for getting out the camera once everyone has a heaping plate full of food.  It's not nice.

But I did it anyway.

Some of you may have noticed the occassional comment from my cousin who we appropriately call "Cousie"... well, there she is.  If anyone lives in the Chicagoland area... she's a hair stylist in Naperville (we come from a long line of hair stylists), in fact she cut my hair while I was home.  If you want her info you can email me.  She's like the older sister Darby & I never had... and that's her mom in the background... who is my mom's sister, who is also a hair stylist. 

 

If you know me well, you know that plumbing and door hardware are slight obsessions.  The only thing better than Rocky Mountain is old, original hardware.  Mom and dad kept all the doors original to the house and put them back in after renovation.  Many still have skeleton keys.  It makes me happy.

 

The doors have been stripped... some of them left with crunchy old layers of paint. 

 

That door behind Paige leads to the master bedroom- it's my favorite door in the house.

 

We don't have grass at our house.  The girls take full advantage of their time in the grass at the farm.

 

Nice sunlight huh?  Fast dogs too.  Really fast.

Twin dogs, who happen to match the decor, love twin beds.

 

Daddy Boy talked us into staying one more day.  We complied.  Then he went into hibernation.

 

We spent some quality time with Gram & Gramp (my mom's parents).  We are so thankful for them, their health, and their love.  Gram has lots of fragile little things, yet she's always glad to see her great granddaughters.  I'm sure she was a little worried when Chance started this helicopter game...

 

The girls love Uncle Chance.  Feelings are mutual.

 

Paige was interested in the binoculars.  I wonder what she saw.

 

Yours truly above on the right.

 

We also took a couple of hours to visit with Mimi (dad's mom) and learn a little more about our heritage... we aren't the only identical twins, Papa (dad's dad) was a twin, and so was Papa's grandmother! 

   

Mimi as a child.

 

Papa's mom... Effie Ellen.

On Thanksgiving Day we headed to my great aunt, Mary Jo's house.  Over the river and thru the woods we saw some beautiful farm land.

 

Oh and did I mention my sister has a son too, who we did not offer to take with us (for obvious reasons like I can't feed him), but who later joined us?  John Martin, cutest boy in town.  He cries a lot, but he's so darn cute it's okay.  He also has a smile that will melt your heart!  I had pictures without the paci, but the paci is so cute...

 

So, back to Thanksgiving Day... in addition to all my relatives who I love so much, there was a new addition this year... and I'm not talking about the cutie above, although he is precious.

 

Holy snorgle-lips.  A tiny terrier.  I die.  I could not take it. I went crazy.  And to think my Great Aunt Jo had this phenomenal vintage green sofa in her basement made it all the better.

Brace yourself for terrier time...

 

A puppy makes everything more fun!

 

If Penelope & Paisley had only known their new cousin dog was going to be around, they would have come along too!

 

He's about 10 weeks old, a Jack Russell, who remains nameless.  They called him "JR" for Jack Russell, but I think a P name like Piper or Poncho would be cute.

 

I got 6" cut off my hair.  Finally.  Thank you Cousie.

 

We all took turns.  Kind of.  Well, maybe I should say... I shared the little man with everyone.

The good thing about a black and white dog is they look good on everything... which makes it harder to keep them off the furniture, your lap, etc. Here's Cousie again...

 

His real owner is below in the middle, my cousin Brett.  Brett if you get tired of the puppy, call me.

 

I love my family.  I am so blessed and grateful for them.

 

We don't have very many pictures like this so we took one for good measure.

 

Cousins, wait make that: a first-cousin on the left and a second-cousin on the right.  Love them.

 

There was lots of baby-kissing, frisbee-throwing, and tree-climbing too.

Mimi and Morgan...

 

There, of course was a lot of laughing.  These three are cousins by marriage.  Darby's husband, Cousie's husband, and my husband.  Not sure what they were laughing at, sorta scared to even ask.

 

 

My sister makes her children's clothes.  It's insane. These persimmon featherwale corduroy numbers had patch pockets in olive gingham and a ruffle at the bottom of the pants in the same fabric.  She doesn't sew for others... although she could make lots of money, and get lots of gray hair if she did. 

My sister and I ventured out of the house on Saturday for a little shopping.  She's not much of a shopper, she never has been... which has always annoyed the ever-living stew out of me.  She was always "that girl" sitting with the old men on the bench at the front of the store, pouting because she was ready to go.  Well, we hit a few spots she liked that I happened to like too.  I have not been to a Jo-Ann's fabric store in a very long time.  Here's what I fancied:

 

Its jute upholstery webbing.  Random?  I think not.  There's a girl on Etsy who makes bags and purses and uses this for the straps.  It reminds me of my own purse straps.  I didn't buy it.  But I might. $.89/yard.  Not sure why I didn't buy it... but I did not.  Could be cute banding on a table skirt or roman shades. 

 

Okay, so I couldn't resist.  These vintage Ralph Lauren boots were at one of my must-stop antique malls (in the middle of nowhere).  They had never been worn.  The price tag on the bottom (original) said $485.00.  I paid less than $100 for them.  Now, I fear I won't wear them.  I worry it was a weak moment purchase.  It was one of those "if the shoe fits" moments, and they are a 7.5 (they fit).  I love them.  They remind me of my Frye ones that are shorter.  We'll see. I may put them on ebay.  PS- that's my new sofa in the background... I'll tell you more about it later.  Cute linen kick pleat, right?  I spent a few hours resting on that sofa last night and came to realization that I LOVE IT. I was fearful at first it was an impulse buy, but last night confirmed for me that it wasn't.  The boots, however may be another story.

 

Vintage "wall pocket" as my mother informed me.  $8.00, I bought it for my kitchen.

Plaid fabric.  I liked it... in a Burberry sort of way. It was at JoAnns (Burberry would probably be offended). It would make a cute throw for an old tufted leather club chair, and I'd wear my Ralph Lauren boots whilst sipping espresso in front of the fire, and I'd be wearing round tortoise shell eyeglasses, with my sweater around my shoulders.  Oh, and I'd have my hunting dogs at my feet.  Are you laughing?

 

Vintage picnic baskets.  I was noticing them everywhere.  This is something I would collect and then my husband would secretly give to Goodwill when I wasn't looking.  I need no more collections.  But I liked them.

 

My mom and dad have an office in town, and this big "deer" as Morgan called it (actually an elk) hangs on the wall over dad's desk.  If it were to fall, it might be the end of DaddyBoy.  When I asked mom where it came from she started laughing uncontrollably "he bought it on ebay".  In his defense, he is a game hunter, and has bagged an elk or two, but not this particular one.  This is the kind of thing DaddyBoy does that cracks us up.  I wonder who "delivered" the elk, UPS or Fed Ex?

 

Chance and I had lunch at Hadley's... an old diner in town.  My Papa used to have coffee and lunch there almost everyday. I adore the floor pattern, the greek key border, the old diner stools, the aluminum foot rail... all of it.

 

The food was good too!

Holy-never-ending-blog-post... is anyone still reading?  I promise, it's coming to an end.

 

There they are... the two that make going "home" so much fun.  Circa 1987?  My mom in a sheep sweater and my dad in a zig-zag number with a big mustache.  I am always grateful that they haven't killed each other yet and that they are still married.  Thank you for a wonderful week of rest, laughter, good food, vintage shelter mags beside my bed, hot tea, good games of Catch Phrase, antiquing, and everything in between. 

Love you,

your favorite younger daughter

(who wants some of that furniture out in the barn and in the shop in town)

my Kodachrome road trip

10 things I thoroughly enjoyed while home on the farm in middle America over the weekend...

1) these buns

2) the sweet driving skills of my brother-in-law

3) that the terriers were in good company (look close, there is a dog under that barn)

4) ripe blueberries

5) the tiniest traveler was so well behaved

 

6) DQ ice cream cone pit stops

7) coffee on porch with hummingbirds, lots of them  

8) '65 Mustang fastback 2+2 (and the fact that my husband had it running in a few short hours)

 

9) quality time with my husband and my 4-leggers

10) time spent with my hilarious twin sister

 

11) hanging out with my parents

So that was 11 things, but that was hard to narrow down.

While I love design, I do it all day long... and sometimes it's really fun to see people and family on blogs... so I share these with you, in hopes that it'll inspire you to be transparent and real in your life... my favorite blogs are the ones where people are real and share openly about their life, their family, and their passions... so I comply.  No sense in enjoyin' and not playin' along!

This past weekend, I really enjoyed my break from the rat race of life.

Sometimes when there is not much to look at but fields of this stuff...

you are forced to stop to take a breath.

If you want to see more pictures (I haven't had time to load them all yet)... you can...

Go to my website.

Go to the CLIENT tab

Enter the password- roadtrip

I hope you enjoy.

 

this is how I feel today...

note: it is okay

Rather feel like this than to be bored to tears, right?

If I could be anywhere right this minute, I'd be on that porch swing sippin' coffee with my mom. We would probably would be discussing how crazy my dad is... (sorry dad) and deciding what antique shops we are going to hit once we get out of our jammies.

  

Once we mosey our way into town, we'd probably hit this place (below) first.  It's a great antique shop (my favorite by far).  The morning that Chance & I got married my girlfriends and I hit up this place together.  I was elated, what more could a girl want than to be in an antique shop with all her best friends.

I did let them know that I got first pick of everything since it was my wedding day.

While it felt sort of paparazzi like to have someone follow you with a camera while you shop, I am so glad the memories were captured.  Thanks Jason.

This (above) picture cracks me up.  I dont know what someone just said, but it look as if my friend and I are shocked, and maybe a little disgusted? We both have the same expression, it cracks me up.  And I don't know what was in Cameron's left hand,  but I hope she bought it...

Double Dog Farm

A little background: my dad and I exchange emails, phone calls, and design talk frequently. He (you've seen his farm here) and I love farm houses and farms.  He called last week and said - "You oughtasee the Gilbert's farm in Vermont", to which I replied "send me pictures".  The Gilberts are friends of my parents from our days in Louisville, Kentucky... they now live in the northeast and have this farm for weekend enjoyment in Vermont.     

This is what was in my inbox* the next morning:

their farm house

the barn

Atlas & Bear, the namesakes (a pair of "Swissies")

the view

There is a rich history (in the arts) on this place: from the homeowner...

The farm was first established by dutch settlers in 1790 in, still hostile, Indian territory.  Both a farm and a mill were set up on a stream in a high mountain valley.  The first product was timber; old growth pine and assorted hardwoods.  When they got the timber out of the way, the sheep moved in.  After the industrial revolution, the sheep were replaced by small plots of veggies and eventually the farm was purchased by a famous artist, Rockwell Kent (or his widow, it's not clear yet).  She eventually sold it to Irwin Hoffman, a landscape and portrait artist of some renown.  He painted a portrait of Alexander Solzenitzen, who had bought Hoffman's original farm in Cavendish, VT when he was exiled from the USSR.  There is one story that Solzenitzen waited in his car in a huff outside of the barn (Hoffman's studio) over some disagreement about his portrait.  Hoffman was also a famous string instrument maker and printer with both his workshop and press in the carriage house attached to the barn.  The Vermont symphony orchestra was said to have been born in the barn.  I am researching the history to confirm the stories, but  much of the above has been validated.

 

The farm is now just over 60 acres, most of it third and forth growth timber; sugar maple, ash, spruce, birch, butternut and others.  We have a 4 acre pasture and are just finishing clearing another 5 acres.  We are in a timber program and have just harvested about 3 acres of maple and spruce.  We have a pond and a clear mountain stream.  We are at 1700 feet at the farmhouse and 2000 feet at the top of the hill with amazing views to the east and north.

 

Wildlife is abundant but elusive.  We have moose and deer and have seen both on the property.  There is a large black bear on the hill, we have not seen him but we have seen his handiwork.  He stole a grill from our neighbor; over 100 lbs with full propane tank, and dragged it about 250 yards up the mountain.  This weekend we scouted Wildcat Ledge hoping to catch a glimpse of the several bobcat families that live in the caves.  None appeared for us.  Plenty of other stuff mostly turkey and pheasant.

 

The Appalachian Trail once ran along the western property line, now it runs along the ridge behind the house which is accessible by trail from our back door. 

This is the life I long for. I want to be in a simple house with a green door, a pair of dogs in the yard, a garden with a plethora of blue flowers, a barn with a little artist studio (where other amazing artists created art), far away from everyone and everything that makes this world crazy.  When the husband and I retire some day we hope for a simple life.  Those of you that long for beach houses and private jets please invite us for visits... but we'll be someplace like this.  Growing zinnias and veggies to share with neighbors (if there are any), raising dogs, building furniture in the barn, and listening to the likes of Emmylou Harris.

*: what was almost as entertaining as the photos was the email banter back and forth between my father and his friend.  Something funny about seeing email correspondence between grown men- there was talk of orchards and blueberries, bandsaws and missing fingers, and a little business too.  Thanks for the entertainment guys!