diaryofasteelmagnolia

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2009-08-26T12:34:00.000-07:00

My dear friends,

Thank you so much for this journey and for the friendships that were made. I never thought in a million years I would meet so many wonderful people through blogging. I have had an enormous amount of fun doing this but I feel I have come to a place in my life where I really need to take more time for myself. I will still be reading your blogs occasionally but need to focus more on other things in life.

Thank you so much for each and every comment and all of your kind emails. I appreciate them more than you know.

Sincerely,
Kara

Snapshots of life...

2009-08-17T19:12:00.000-07:00

I know I have been so absent lately. I have barely been keeping head above water. Nonetheless, life goes on...here's a bit of what we've been up to.

Many ice cream parlor trips.

Having my heart melted by these halfsies toofers.
Isn't it amazing that this sweet face turns into this...

...maniac woman with a baby carriage?

And this little man. He just never stops. Big boy got a razor scooter and busted his chin open. 6 stitches later...

Happy Birthday Mom! This was a tough one. The first one without my precious father. She was a trooper.

Many of you have asked about my whereabouts. Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness. I am just really in a rut and have been taking time away. Hopefully soon I will be back to my normal self. Grief is such a hard thing. Thanks for your prayers. They mean so much.

Where have I been you ask? Self-medicating.

2009-08-06T21:22:00.000-07:00

Nothing like good old fashioned retail therapy.

Etsy :: Shopping Cart

Because pink pencils are a MUST and you can never have enough jewelry, right? Have you seen this Hilary persons etsy shop? I looooove her designs. So feminine and so vintage inspired. Go treat yourself. You deserve it.

A Work in Progress

2009-07-23T11:02:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I find working on kids' rooms sometimes quite challenging, but also very fun and rewarding. Trip's room has been a work in progress, and these images are all I'm going to share at this point because it's still not "finished." Window treatments still need to be done. And, at some point, I'd like to add bead board and then paint above it, possibly a dark brown. I'm not 100% sold on the lighting yet either. I just threw a leftover lamp in there for the time being. His old one was sooo baby and this is a much better solution, even if it's temporary. What do you think?

The fabric above is Premier Prints "Best Friend" in chocolate/linen. The artwork below, which I didn't fully photograph but you can see it here, is by Stephen Huneck. Have you heard of him? I LOVE his work. We are huge dog people.

I also striped his chest of drawers for some punchy fun.

And this little beach wagon I got him while we were at Sea World (probably the coolest thing in the entire park - in case you haven't noticed, I'm not big on theme parks! lol). I just love it so much because it really represents our lifestyle: slow, relaxed, and the vintage vibe gives it so much soul. I love that. The wicker chair at the top of post is an antique. I always love to add something old in my rooms.

Would it surprise you to know this is my favorite car of ALL time? George promised me when we have extra play funds he would buy me one. I'll hold my breath. :)
I drive a Jeep now but the old ones are so much better.

And these are his linens. The shams are square with ties on the left side. I have matching quilts that go on the end of the beds. White sheets, with a white woven blanket over. I like the layered look.
His V.V. (a certain someone who refuses to be called Grandma) recently bought him brown bunk beds for his birthday. They have a cottagey feel to them and bead board on the head/foot boards.

So that's it for now. You likey?

-Perspective-

2009-07-22T10:17:00.000-07:00

Well I was going to post on all the work I've done on Trip's room. But after reading this post my heart was lead in a different direction. I'm sure most of you have been there - caught up in trying to find your first home to purchase, whether or not you should relocate, or any related matter - and sometimes I think God just speaks to our hearts to pull us back from that place of chaos. To really bring us back to the moment we are in. I did a restorative yoga session two nights ago and it has really helped me train myself to come back to the moment instead of constantly living the future, which I just learned from losing my Dad so suddenly, isn't promised.

At church on Sunday, we were given a little pamphlet for the week with small devotionals to do each day. One really spoke to me and I wanted to share it with you:

Mark 4:21-34 He also said, "The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed upon the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how."

"Is that someone you? Are you a seed-scatterer for the Lord? This is a lowly occupation, but something we can all be. We can scatter a smile, an encouraging word, a reminder of God's mercy, a token of God's love. It might be a flower from my garden, shared with a neighbor. It could be food taken to someone who is homebound. We can all be scatterers for the Lord, if we open our eyes to opportunities close at hand. Leaving aside for the moment the big projects, committee work, things with name recognition attached, train your soul on this one simple thing: be a scatterer. Then lie down and take your rest; God the Spirit will water the good seed you have planted-while you sleep."

This idea of being a "scatterer" really stuck with me and now as I go about my days, I really think about being one every opportunity I get. You don't realize how many chances you get in one single day to be a scatterer until you are aware of the concept. Have a beautiful day!

My love for cottages just keeps growing, and growing, and growing...

2009-07-21T10:28:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you guys, but one of our (me and hubster) favorite things to do is explore new places, by foot. Being in south Florida, I have to tell you that places like this are unfortunately becoming a minority, due to all of the cookie cutter neighborhoods sprouting up like gremlins. There are places like this in old West Palm and on the island, but if you're budget is under 1-2 million, these are hard to come by in a safe neighborhood. We are looking to buy our first house within the next 6 months or so and since we have waited so long my standards are pretty high. I would rather rent a beach house forever than buy something I'm not in love with. But this one fits the bill to a "T", it's just a little out of my price range at the moment at $650,000. :) I thought I'd share it with you anyway.

Not too long ago we drove north about 20 miles to a little gem called downtown Stuart, FL. It's on the water and has a beautiful, quaint downtown that is historic and on the water. You know I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw this beauty with a For Sale sign out front. Naturally, we snuck around back to check out the digs. Here is the view. Not too bad, right?

And this is the back of the house. I peeked inside the windows and as I imagined, it was just as charming as the exterior. The only problem, it has 2 bedrooms. I always fall in love with these 2 BR cottages. What is it with me?! There wasn't even a garage to convert.
Nevertheless, I had to share this with you, my dear readers, because it seems we all have a pretty deep appreciation for places like this. Old homes with a soul. They just don't make 'em like they used to.

My search continues...we are still in the process of trying to get to Mount Dora, in case you were wondering. There is just not anything to update at the moment. Will keep you in the loop.

Around the House Part I

2009-07-20T20:01:00.000-07:00

In light of my recent loss I have really been trying to find the true beauty in my everyday life. The little things if you will. Sunsets. My beach cruiser. The vibrant colors of flowers. The little vignettes around my house that make me smile every time I walk by. I thought I would share with you some of those moments in my home. Since most of us are so design crazy and always pining away at things we don't have, let's take a moment to enjoy what we do have!
I would love to see some of your favorite spots in your own homes!
The above image is what I see every time I walk through my front door. My precious family. How I love the photography of my children.

And my dining room table. I can't tell you how many times my entire family has sat around this table and laughed until we cried. My mother and father included. This table has sentimental value on it that can never be replaced now that my Dad is gone. He would sit at the head, opposite my husband, laughing and telling stories all night. It is a farmhouse style with white legs. One of my first purchases.

I love to cook and while I might not have the most sophisticated selection of cookbooks, I adore them and the color they bring to the kitchen. My family loves them for the good food they put in their bellies! The one all the way to the right is an Hebert family cookbook that came from my husband's side of the family. They all have one. It's very special. And the blue ring binder is my collection of print out recipes that I collect.
*BTW - a great gift idea is to take all of your family's favorite recipes and make a book for everyone for Christmas on Snapfish (or any other site like that). My cousin did one for my Nana and she cherished it. You can even add family photos in with the recipes. I know it might sound corny, but we are big food lovers, so this fits our family very well!

I especially love this trey of my things. It has my very favorite signature scents (Jo Malone and Burberry - the original, not Weekend or any of those), a picture of me and my daughter, my turquoise necklace my mother gave to me, and always beautiful flowers (as you can see, someone bought new roses today). The lotions have special meaning too...they were pretty much the only time George nailed a gift on the head. It's a long standing joke between us. He says he won't "take orders" for gifts because he likes to think of things on his own. But he always ends up getting gifts that he is more excited about than me. It's hilarious. I could do a post on past Christmas/Anniversary gifts and have you in stitches!

And this last image is on top of my office desk hutch where I blog, pay bills, you know, all the fun stuff. My precious parents there in the forefront photo and Trip in the back. My magazine collection in its new home: Ikea holders!

Hope you enjoyed a mini tour of special spots of my home. More to come tomorrow. Maybe I'll venture into one of the kids' rooms!

A Virgin No More!

2009-07-19T22:45:00.000-07:00

I did it! I finally did it - I went to Ikea. I decided I needed a little retail therapy. Can you believe this design obsessed woman had never made it to Ikea before this weekend? I am helping my girlfriend who just moved home from Australia with her new house so we went to get some goodies. I have to say, this is quite an experience. Of course, to get the full effect we had to eat at the restaurant, which was surprisingly quite delicious, and after a long days shopping, pick up some goodies at the Swedish Cafe (we are SUCH nerds!).

The showrooms were pretty much what I expected - some things better quality than I imagined, and others much worse.
This kitchen was one of my favorites. I loved the built in office component, I totally need that. And the navy subway tile was a nice change. I like that. I would love that in a bathroom too!

Loved this sink too. Another item on my I need (but not really) list. All in all, I think it's a great place to get the look for less. (Minus some of the ultra modern garb, which I personally find totally offensive). I have a question - do any of you actually have an Ikea kitchen in your home? I am wondering what the life expectancy on one of these puppies is. I'm thinking 7-9 years? Am I being too hard? Too nice?

We had such a fun girls day, just the two of us. The men played Mommy all day and we both came home to mostly unscathed children. (And when I say mostly, I mean I got a phone call when I was 2 seconds from home...George was a little concerned because Mary Scott crawled up to him and apparently had made friends with Mr. Clean because he was all over her dress. No worries, we concluded there was no ingestion.) Not sure I'll be gone for another day long stint like this for a while though!
I must say, the highlight of my day was bringing home this adorable easel (1/2 chalkboard, 1/2 dry erase, with a paper roll for painting in the middle) to the munchkins. Trip absolutely adores it and you wouldn't believe Mary Scott - our little artist...she can hold her own on this thing. I have never seen a 12 month old draw on a chalkboard like this. She really wants to be big so badly!

*Sorry for the picture quality. I just had my Crackberry on me. My good machine is in the shop.

"An Affair With A House"

2009-07-13T15:21:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I think Bunny said it best. This past weekend we went to not only Sea Hell, I mean Sea World, but also exploring this great state of ours. Mr. Steel Mags and I have had relocation on the brain for a while now and I think our prayers have finally been answered in the form of Mount Dora. Mount Dora, sweet, sweet Mount Dora. This place is a gem. And I have found my dream house. I did not sleep one wink last night just imagining myself living here in this little paradise.

I have to say that I am/was fearful to even post this because I am scared to death someone else is going to get this house before we do. Please hear my plea to not take this from me! I have been waiting for this for a long time now. This is a process for us because now hubster has to find a new law firm and many things have to fall into place for this to happen. But it feels right. It feels so right. The whole thing...the house, the town, all of it. Mount Dora is dubbed the New England of Florida, and after living in New England for a brief stint, I can attest to this coinage. It does have an old Florida flair though - the moss draped trees etc. We are totally obsessed with this place and can't wait to get there. This comes with mixed emotions for me because of the recent passing of my father. But something (I won't go into) really eerie happened while we were there that let me know this was the place for us. You see, I have been praying for a sign so strong that I couldn't ignore it, and last night my prayers were answered. It's amazing when God works so loudly. He is amazing and all powerful. When you finally get answers to prayers you have been waiting for so long to get answered it feels SO good.

This is an historic house basically built new. And did I mention an interior designer worked her magic in this place? Beautiful wood floors, grasscloth wallpaper, all the bells and whistles. Not to mention my neighbors homes are equally as charming.

Check out my trees people! Holy trees! Next door there is a huge open lot of perfectly manicured grass to play and run around. There is a smaller yard that you don't see in this picture enclosed in the picketed fence area.

Are you swooning yet? Please pray that if this is God's will, it will be mine. It's been on the market for a little while now with reductions so I am nervous. But ultimately I know if it was meant to be it will work out.

And we're off!

2009-07-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

Hopefully there will be none of this! I've instructed Mr. Steel Mags to be on his best behavior!
We are taking a family trip to Sea World...this is our first trip to any theme park so I'm sure there will be lots of laughs (and four letter words if George drives).

Wish me luck...(wink)