Lamp Love

West Elm can sometimes lean a little too Art Deco for me, but they are still a go-to source for affordable lamps.  Sometimes they hit, sometimes they miss.  But here are just a few that have caught my eye recently {and they are all on sale, with free shipping today only [February 4, 2014]}:

geodesic lamp || pillar table lamp || morten table lamp || pillar table lamp in marble || mini abacus lamp

SOURCES :: ANTIQUES AT THE LOOP

A local go-to favorite of mine for affordable original art, furniture, knick knacks and lighting is Antiques at the Loop.  They recently moved locations and expanded and I have to say the new space is great.  I can tell some of the vendors are the same but there are some new ones that have really amped up the quality and "current" style of the place.  Antique stores, this one in particular, are my first stop in the search for affordable original art, already framed.  I didn't spend over $35 for any of the following pieces in my house - and just a side note: the frames are worth at least double that by themselves.

I honestly did not find many pieces for that $35 price tag on my last two trips, but there was still a nice array of artwork available.  Not everything at Antiques at the Loop is actually an antique, and it is the mix of vendors and styles and items that makes this shopping spot so interesting and resourceful.  If you are in the area I highly recommend taking the time to stroll through!

HOUSTON

This past weekend Stephen and I took an overdue "outing" to visit my little sister, Rachel, and my brother in law Hollis.  Hollis moved to Houston soon after college and, after long-distance-planning a wedding, Rachel moved out there about a year and a half ago.  They have a precious little duplex in an amazing part of town, a sweet group of friends, more places to be/eat/things to do than anyone I know, and blessed jobs.

Some life-long friends of ours moved to Baton Rouge almost a year ago so we were able to split up our travel time on the way out there and spend the night with them.  Quick but wonderful visit.

The drive was not bad at all and as much as I had planned on listening to all of C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity book on tape {fabulous by the way!!!} on the way over and back, Stephen and I found ourselves much too busy having uninterrupted conversation to bother much with anything else!

This was a fun little snack on the ride over: peanut butter yogurt covered pretzels with craisins and pistachios.  Yum!

When we arrived in Houston on Friday we met at Goode Company BBQ for lunch.  Admittedly I am NOT a big BBQ guru but from my experience of un-inspired BBQ reactions, this BBQ is in a league of its own.  Sliced beef with peppery sauce served on jalapeno bread.  Uh-mazing.

We ran around "town" {ha...Houston is HUGE} a bit, visiting Rachel's work {Marie Flanigan Interiors}, a frame shop, and a monster western store so Stephen could deck himself out for the rodeo.  He had every intention of purchasing a dinner-plate sized belt buckle but, seeing as it was a joke, he wasn't comfortable shelling out $350 for it {!!!!}.

{posing for a pic with a cow and a real "cowboy" to show the babies}
{omg Stephen I just noticed this but look at his belt buckle!!! ha!!}

The Houston rodeo is quite the event...with a carnival up front, a Christmas-Jubilee {for you locals} type shopping venue in a separate building complete with 4H events and live animals, and food tent after food tent.  I did not buy any animals but I did impulsively purchase this amazing cow hide rug

The company is from Brazil has been setting up shop at the rodeo for the past 40 years but does not sell to the public year round.  Their quality and prices were unreal and I tried, to no avail, to get them to let me open an account with them {they just don't do it}. I am beyond thrilled that I a}do not have a kitchen but b}have an extra rug for a room that is the least decorated in my house and never used.  PERFECT! :)

After our impulse shopping we went to our seats for the rodeo.  I did NOT know how they got bulls and horses to buck and I was NOT excited about it when I found out.  Basically they tighten a strap over a particular area on these male animals which makes them super mad...until the 8 or so seconds are up and  men on horses ride over and remove the strap so the rider and the animal get some relief.  Stephen thought I was a sissy, I am OK with being a sissy ;)

The rodeo was educational and really fun.  But, the piece de resistance was Mr. Tim McGraw.  I'm serious that guy can sing and move and climb and jump better than one might expect at his age, even for much younger.  Stephen and I went to his concert in college and he was just as good now as he was then.  We had a BLAST and the Houston radio stations played Tim McGraw songs back to back our entire ride home.  A+++

{our cute "cowboys" ;) }

 

Saturday Stephen and Hollis did boy stuff while Rachel and I ventured into IKEA territory.  I thought it was going to be overwhelming but I was impressed at how easy it was to maneuver.  We racked up on kitchen type stuffand then headed over to another huge experience...High Fashion Home.  I peruse the website every now and then for work, but have never purchased anything from them since much of what they have is available at different vendors.  {Seriously guys and I kid you not...one of the pictures in a previous post about which I said there was no saving it and I would just scrap it all and start over was from a vignette from their store! oops! ha.}  BUT the website can be a source though for many items in one place and they do carry some great lines.  Also, if I lived in Houston I can see how this store would be a HUGE help...tons of fabrics, clothes, accessories, not to mention furniture/lamps/tables galore.  We ran to a few more of Rachel's favorite interior stores/sources and then rested before dinner.

Saturday night was dinner at Max's Wine Dive which was DIVINE.  We each had different things and each was delicious.

I could not partake in everything, however, since I gave up fried food for Lent...serious sacrifice apparently {chips and salsa?? NO.  Tacos?? NO.  Fried oysters?? NO.}

{i die}

If we weren't leaving the next morning and if we didn't have a seven hour drive and if the time wasn't changing I could have visited and sipped vino there the entire night.  But alas all those things mentioned had to happen so we left by ten thirty or so. {which I must say is still at least an hour past this old lady's bedtime!!}

It was an awesome visit and made me miss my sister and Hollis {and Stephen} even more...now that I can visualize exactly where they are and what they are doing I feel like it should be down the street {and Stephen and I should have seven hour long uninterrupted stretches frequently.  He is my absolute best friend and I miss "hanging out"!!}.  Thanks for having us guys and we want to come back, soon! 

THINGS I'M LOVING...

These black knit jeans/pants {JEGGINGS} from American Eagle of all places...was in the mall for the first time in a very long time and a pair of mint colored cords caught my eye...the mint cords ended up being awful but on the way out I literally grabbed these without trying them on and I could wear them everyday.  And they are quite inexpensive {I got mine for less than $35!}...I won't say cheap because after the wear I've put on them they still look brand new!

This new year has brought back a devotion to one of my many loves....Cooking.  I love cooking, I love eating, I love experiencing different flavors, I love drinking wine while I cook, I love making my menus, and having a menu makes me enjoy grocery shopping so much more.  It really is a win/win all the way around. These meals off of Pinterest have helped kick start my renewed love: all tried, all true-ly delicious!

Source: goodlifeeats.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Source: eatliverun.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Source: comfyinthekitchen.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Source: neverhomemaker.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Source: food.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Source: inspiredbycharm.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Source: pink-parsley.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Source: greensnchocolate.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Source: sixsistersstuff.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Gardening.  Reading about it, planning it, dreaming of it, getting outside and working on it since I didn't just give birth and/or have a newborn that keeps me in the house on two hour intervals {do you think I am going to mention that on EVERY post? looks like I am.  I am serious though. If you haven't gathered I am honestly realizing how different my life is now from the past several and I feel like a Claritin commercial, where someone pulled away the foggy glasses and I can SEE again.  Melodramatic I am not.}

I have this book now and I love it.  And I love this magazine.  And obviously I love wine whilst I plan my garden ;)

{Last year's aftermath yesterday before I weeded the FOOL out of it.  I still have a ways to go}

Having more time to spend with my babies {vs. in front of a computer}

{Emory "learned" to swing yesterday.  Jacob is my only child that likes to swing before the age of 4.  The other two were terrified.  I was so proud of Emory yesterday because she made herself sit in that swing and, cautiously, tell me how high I could push her.  We started with no movement at all to "little push" to "big push" to "big high momma!!! ree ree go BIIIIIIIG high!".  Happy heart I have ;) }

Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze + Delta Faucet Champagne Bronze + Alabama White marble

{in a client's cabana bathroom}

That I am FINALLY getting around to putting things on our walls.  We painted almost the entire interior of our house a couple YEARS ago and our walls are still bare.  Decorating takes time and patience, that is for sure!!

This shoe mould instead of the typical quarter round:

{at a client's house}

My two new pairs of kicks...this was a serious stretch for me because since I went to college oh so many years ago I just keep repurchasing the same style New Balance gray shoes, and keep each pair for WAY too long.  Boring and comfortable.  Before Disney I knew I was probably going to wear shoes of this nature every day and my latest pair of New Balances was about to fall apart.  So I brought both of these home, planning to keep one, but decided on both.  And I love both of them and their individual uses ;)

This nasty looking neon yellow DRANK: its Airborne tangerine cold-symptom-reducer fizzy pellet thing but I promise you it has kept me from getting sick.  I just have one a day when I feel cold symptoms coming, until the cold symptoms stop, and it works! And now I'm used to the taste and I don't feel like it's giving me cancer {because seriously something that looks like that has GOT to be radioactive, right?!?! right??}.

And last but not least, this AMAZING, LIFE CHANGING book {at least is has been for me}.  It has met me exactly where I am right now with life, the kids, my focus, my "intentions," my personal walk with the Lord, everything.  Just as with any subjective piece of literature, there are some difficult sections that I just get the general message of and apply my own interpretation {aka BALANCE} to it, but overall this book is amazing and a wonderful bible study book.  My entire book is underlined and highlighted and it makes me very happy when I read it.

And a random PS to those who have asked recently : what ever happened to your master bedroom renovation you said you were going to do really fast and show pictures of but you never did?
yea, I kinda started and didn't come close to finishing, so it sits in a very pathetic, sad state of disarray. 
And that's OK with me for now....probably because I have kitchen on the brain.  I promise when I do finish it, I will show it! :)