Simply Seleta

7.9.09

 

Another birthday, another year wiser.  I'm a numbers freak and couldn't help but notice that this year my birthday has a cool number combo that will never be repeated again.   

I feel that each of us is entitled to be king or queen for a day on our birthday.  Nothing wrong with that.  After all, how many times a year do you get to celebrate the day you were brought into this world?  So I'd like to take this time to thank my mom and dad for getting together several decades ago and making it all happen for me.  My mom tells me I was three weeks late for her June due date.  Wow, can you imagine waiting around an extra three weeks in the middle of a sweltering Mississippi summer for your first baby to be born?  

I get really sentimental on birthdays and always enjoy taking a minute to look back at all of the events from that particular year.  At first I started thinking about how many challenges we've had.  But then realized they were all managed, each one in their own time.  And that made me feel grateful.  Then I was snared into my perfectionist thinking that I didn't accomplish enough this year [a challenge I sometimes face while I'm out of the working world].  Until....I really started thinking about it.  This has been a wonderful year.  Full of family adventures and new experiences.  And we're all together, healthy and happy.  All in tact.  What a priceless gift.  So what if I'm not in a career making a dust trail behind many achievements?  I have a family.  And never will I be able to roll back the clock and experience the precious ages of our little ones again. 

 

Besides, a lot happened in one year.

A life was saved.

A baby was born.

Took two trips to New York.

Snuck off to Vegas.

Had family airplane rides, football games, camping trips, and beach fun.

Made two great friends who live all the way up in New York.  [love them!]

Even met a new blogging friend from Italy [more on that later].

 
THE LESSON HERE?

Appreciate each day you're given and cherish your experiences.  Just like the unique combination of numbers on my birthday this year, these experiences will never be repeated exactly as they happened.  And that makes for quite a memorable year.  I'm grateful to have these memories, and each one is a perfect birthday gift. 

IN THE MEANTIME...

Someone just delivered these to our hotel room and I think I need to go kiss my husband.  

[first photo courtesy of snippet + ink]

speaking of books...

I'll admit to having a bookshelf obsession.  Do you?

Obsessions are funny.  They can really take over your mind at times.  One lovely feature I consistently yearn to have in our house here at the beach is lots and lots of book shelves, something I absolutely love in a home.  I do have one set of shelves but they're located upstairs right smack in the middle of all the kids' bedrooms.  So you can imagine who has custody of those shelves.  Yep, lots of Dr. Seuss action happens on those shelves. I could be stingy and take over with our grown-up books, but that would be cruel. 

Let's take a moment and drool over some inspirational bookshelves.  These pics are all reruns, many from Domino.  But some things are worth seeing more than once.  I still miss Domino, by the way.  Although I'm totally excited about this magazine news from M.A. Belle. 

I think bookshelves add so much character to a house.  If treated properly.  By that I mean that there's a certain level of character books in shelves add to a home.  To me, it makes a space seem that much more cozy, that much more "real."  And the types of books one displays on their shelves can say so much about that person.  Or their design attitude.  Do they display antique books?  Just-for-looks books?  Design books?  Self-help books?  We have an interesting mix at our house.  My husband would like to someday go back and get a third degree, this time in Oceanography.  So we have lots of books about underwater life.  As you can imagine, we also have gobs of design books.  And of parenting books, it seems we have hundreds of those.  How I wish they would make parenting books gorgeous on the outside loaded with pretty patterns and colors.  Then it would be a double bang for your buck when you buy them.  You'd be making your house stylish all while learning how to be a better mom or dad.  I could deal.

Back to our topic.

If you're like me and don't have much wall space, you can create a similar look of a bookshelf with creative stacks of books like this, below.  Very mod.  Don't recommend it for anyone with a child under the age of five, though.  Or one who owns a large dog who likes to wag his/her tail a lot.  Potential disaster.

If you need more assurance and structure despite your limited wall space, you can take a single shelf vertical approach as seen here by the preciously mentioned (and ever stylish) M.A. Belle.

 

Erin, of Elements of Style, has a similar shelf in her swanky digs.   

Love this set below.  Shelves wrapped around a window are as delightful to me as a box of chocolates.

Painted shelves can always make a seriously chic statement.  

And here's a formal set complete with a silent butler mirror for any of the decorous divas out there.

So you see, there's always a place in your life for your books.  Even in the least expected places.

[photos courtesy of domino, isuwanee, and elements of style]

checking in

Wow, it sure has been interesting being offline for a week.  Not sure how I like it.  I'm taking a very quick three hour "offspring break" after about ten straight days of kidfest 24/7.  What is an offspring break?  Oh, it's a necessary parental luxury and can be found in the simply seleta dictionary:

off·spring break ( ȯf-ˌspriŋ) (brāk)
noun

1.  an interruption or escape from continuous physical activity with parental descendants; known to offer a pleasing change to both the mind and mental state.  Side effects include feelings of euphoria, clarity of thought and general sense of well-being.  Often the subject giggles with delight and finds joy in simply nothing more than complete silence or having the ability to finish a thought without interruption.

near antonyms:  crazed, crack-brained, cuckoo, bananas, batty, berserk, delirious, hysterical.

Now that you know the definition and emotional value of an offspring break, we'll move on.  I used my brief break to sneak in the bookstore and go online.  Can I just say that I love the smell of fresh-brewed coffee mixed with the sight of 20,000 square feet of books neatly stacked on shelves?  And it's a bonus that there are no small people at my feet requesting food, wiped bottoms or sibling mediation.  I think I may live it up and celebrate with a Caffè Latte.

Just as I'm boasting about having a nice break away...I found a book I'd like to recommend.  Of all the possible topics can you take a guess what it is?  Kids and design.  Perhaps I've lost my mind after all.  Either way, I have to tell you that I loved this book.  Mainly because it has great pictures mixed with endless brilliant and realistic ideas for both design and play.  And all of their projects not only look stylish and pretty, but include using items you may already have in your home.  That's a total bonus given today's economy.   

The book:

14 bucks.  You can get it here.

[first photo by monica buck]

under water

Pardon me, as I'm temporarily submerged in a schedule that doesn't allow me much time to play and talk design with you.  I guess this also applies to my 265 unanswered emails.  Yikes. 

Promise to be back very soon.  With lots and lots to chat about. 

green = good

this girl makes me want to garden.

 

these girls have total style.

this girl is so creative.

and this guy makes you want to stop and stay a while.

daydreamer

Sometimes when you're walking along the path of life you find a sweet surprise.  Husband and I found just that the other day.  Remember my post on sweet white cottages?  Low and behold we stumbled upon one for sale here at the beach.  Built in 1928.  Tons of charm.  Right on the bay.

I'm no expert on historic homes, but this one had me at the white picket fence...

the draping oaks...

and even a custom built aviary next to the main house.

Don't be fooled by this small window.  It has a big view of the bay.

Yes, the inside needs a ton of work.  But the potential is there, I can see the final vision in my mind [the benefit of being a professional daydreamer].  Besides, what's cooler than a historic cottage at the beach?  Nearly everything here is new, so something like that would be such a breath of fresh air. 

I had already started planning our family's life in this cottage: from sunset dinners in the cozy kitchen right down to the outside place we would plant our own herb garden.  There was only one snag with my plans: it's a two bedroom cottage.  And there's six of us. 

Oh well, a girl can still dream.

[iphone pics]

{goodbye} sweet nursery

Did I ever show you our youngest one's nursery? 

Probably not...mainly because I never finished designing it.  When you're the youngest child of four, those kind of things happen.  I kept thinking I would find the time to finish his sweet room.  But life got in the way.  There were mouths to feed, bills to pay and one day melted right into the next.  I blinked my eyes and suddenly our baby was asking for a big boy bed. 

It was time. 

This all sounded very rational and fine to me.  On the surface.  But I noticed his request kept getting softly denied month after month.  By me.  Letting go wasn't going to be as easy as I thought.  And I was seriously stalling.  My rebuttals to his request usually sounded like, "let's wait until we take a trip to Atlanta" or "isn't your crib nice and snuggly, are you sure you're ready for your big boy bed?"  I was having trouble letting go of my baby. 

You see, we've always had a crib [or two] in our house for the last 9 years and 11 months.  Even though I tend to profess about how much I love watching everyone grow bigger and gain independence, this milestone was starting to feel a little uncomfortable.

It was time. 

Ouch, what was that?  Suddenly my heart hurt.

Another thing that made this nursery special is that it has the original chandelier from my first baby.  Nearly 10 years ago.  It was pricey, but one of my first wise purchases as a designer.  Still looks pretty good.  I hope to pass it on to our grand babies one day.

As I took pictures of his room, I was beginning to notice I was the only one feeling sentimental about this whole "transition into a big boy bed" thing.  Does this little guy look sad to you?  Guess not.  And his sister is quite busy playing {sassy} ballerina.

I look at him now and wonder where the last three years have gone.  It seems like yesterday he needed me to hold him, rock him and let him know I would always be there for him.

Now he's building his castles and fighting the bad guys.  He's so busy.  And really wants to be big.  Can you blame him?

 

So I let husband break down the crib.  It's safe to say I broke down a little myself.  

But before all the moving there was one more thing I had to do...rock my sweet boy with his crib still in the room.  As long as he lets me, I'll always be right there for him. 

monday chill

I've cranked up some Moby and doing my best to relax after an incredibly exhausting and active weekend.  Let's look at a few peaceful spaces that have a rhythm of their own. 

And b-r-e-a-t-h-e. 

Because sometimes I forget.

[domino + elle decor]

the winner is...

Tricia!  This lovely tub by MacBeth Collection will be making its long journey to you all the way over in Houston, Texas!  I bet you and your sweet little one will get plenty of use out of this snazzy storage essential. 

[I kinda swiped borrowed this pretty pic from Tricia's blog]

pom pom hosts fab friday

Welcome back to fab friday! 
It's been a while so I thought the best host for today's giveaway
would be our blog celeb, Pom Pom.
Let's see what he's got up his fab furry sleeve.

Ah, yes.  I forgot Pom Pom favors The MacBeth Collection [as do we all].  And how brilliant is he knowing it's flip flop season! 

Well done, fab feline.

Today's giveaway is this MacBeth Collection tub right here.  I can see it looking adorable on a porch, an entryway, a kid's room, pretty much anywhere!  Oh and did you know MacBeth now sells fabulously sassy flip flops?  They're right over here. 

HOW TO WIN:  leave a comment about anything you find fab in your life these days.  I'd love to read all about it!  Comments will close tomorrow by noon.  One winner will be selected and announced on Monday.  Please enter only once.

So here's one last shot for the road.  He's a great model, isn't he?  [not bad for a half blind kitty]  Pom Pom says thanks a mill for letting him host.  He absolutely loves his fab friday divas.