Memorial Weekend

I have a ton of pictures from late April on that are begging to be blogged! So I will start with our Memorial Weekend trip to the Merson condo in North OC. It was a great time together. Stay tuned for more summer-fun pics coming your way!

Memorial Weekend 2009

Father's Day

Three years ago on June 21 we found out we were going to have a baby...and that same date this year Chris celebrated his third Father's Day. We are so blessed! And Charlotte is indeed Daddy's Little Girl. Chris - you are exactly the kind of father I dreamed you would be and more! Thanks for being such a loving and devoted daddy to my sweet girl. We sure had a fun day celebrating with the wonderful dads in our life.



The Merson Dads...



Charlotte snuggled with my Dad...



Cheers to all the wonderful dads that we know - you all play such an important role and we hope your special day was enjoyable!

Madeline's Peonies

I love when the pink peonies bloom in our garden. They once grew in the waterfront yard of my late grandmother (whom Charlotte Madeline was named after) and seem to produce more flowers each year. I love having this special memory of my Grandmom close to me every spring. And of course, CoCo and I love that they are PINK! We had fun snapping a few pictures last month with our delightful peonies and roses.

Project {PAINT}

I told you I hadn't forgotten!

Makeover #2 - Painting the first floor

Once upon a time you could find more color in my home than in a Crayola box. That worked for me 5.5 years ago, but I was longing for a neutral palette. My mom - a rock star painter - is helping me redo all my first floor walls. Goodbye mustard living room, farewell eggplant dining room, se la vie raspberry kitchen nook! We are knocking it out room by room and so far, so good!

BEFORE - Living Room from a long time ago with our old furniture:

AFTER:

I am in love with the Ballard Designs mirror that Chris gave me for Valentine's Day. We also have since banished the clunker big screen to the basement, moved furniture around and replaced the old TV with a new LED flat screen (that will eventually be wall-mounted). Eco-friendly, to boot! And my mother-in-law gave us that gorgeous cream wool rug that she no longer needed at the beach condo. Score! I think it will look so chic when we finally replace the floors. Right now it does a perfect job disguising the awful Berber carpet. Alas, another project...



Next projects to tackle with the paintbrush? The kitchen and dining room - be on the look-out for those updates, too!

OBX

I spent the last few days in Corolla on the Outer Banks of NC with my sister and our good friend, Laura. Kim had a wedding to shoot and we saw it as a perfect opportunity for a girls getaway. It was so relaxing. I picked up my camera maybe twice...seriously...this trip was all about lounging poolside and just doing nothing. So incredibly needed.

The view from our room, taken after the only rainstorm which lasted 20 mins and then blew out to sea:



The precious banner Chris and Charlotte made to welcome me home:



So thankful for my awesome husband who held down the fort so I could escape. So thankful to see my sister relax for the first time in months. So thankful for the blessing of girlfriends. And thankful for the sunshine, too.