doilies and tassels

As a child and teen, I was adament that when I grew up I would have neither doilies nor tassels in my home. I didn't understand the concept of those little details in home decor, yet it never failed that my grandparents on my Linz side would have tassels and my grandparents on my Benda side would have doilies. 

Now, I'm starting to realize how little details can really personalize a space. While I vouched to never have doilies and tassels, I'm finding they've been slowly welcomed and introduced into my space as I've come to appreciate them. 

Albeit the closest thing I have right now to tassels are the felted pom borders on my pillows:

...and my Bare Escentuals Kabuki brush:

...but it reminds me of how I've adapted a less formal tassel of sorts.

Here are a few ideas I'd love to incorporate more into my space (in order):

• Lace doily Earrings (featured on Etsy)
• Doilies and crochet home decor (by Kara Paisley Designs for Anthropolgie)
• Doily table runner (featured by Ashley Ann)
• Doily DIY bag (featured by Ashley Ann)
• Tassel garland
• More tassel pillows

My how things change as the years go on. :)

The Clark Pea Pod...

...will welcome a little pea to their pod soon! I'm so excited for them as they go through the adoption process. If interested in donating time, money or goods to this cause...feel free to click here for more info.

recap of Easter weekend

I got the opportunity to travel with Sean and his family to Indianapolis for Easter weekend, and a few highlighs included:

• Mollie's second birthday party and how much fun she had after opening her gifts (complete with dancing and singing)
• Picture-taking with Sean's mom's camera...and taking camera settings with Ashley
• Dinner with Ryan and Ashley for a double date night (Indy was actually a ghost town, but it was nice to get to hang out wth them and catch up)
• Topping it off with a speeding ticket on the way back with Sean's grandma in the back seat and the fun we all had with that one (Sean: "I was going how much??" Me (turning to Sean's grandma): "do you think we could get out of it if you mustered up some tears?" Sean's grandma: "please officer, don't arrest my boy! He was only trying to rush me back in time to see the Preds playoff game!")

...And above all, remembering how much we need His grace and forgiveness and how blessed we are that Christ made the way for our salvation. I continue to feel blessed beyond words and am grateful to be a part of God's family!

Marché in May?

...yes, please!
So I haven't been keeping up too much with blogging lately, but I have tried to stay consistent with my yearly goals. As for breakfast this month with my dad, we decided to go to Marché Artisan Foods since Pancake Pantry has forever been crossed off our list...and my mom joined us. It was nice to try someplace new (for them) and nice to try new menu items (for me).

courtesy of Marche Artisan Foods website

We ordered the Croissant French Toast with Maple Syrup and Powdered Sugar as an appetizer. My dad tried a lot, my mom tried a little, and I had just the right amount in between. (You can tell who in our family has the sweet tooths).  My mom and dad both had the Omelette du jour with Green Salad and I had the Bistro Steak with Roasted Potatoes and Eggs. We also all got coffee, and that was their first time to try Drew's Brews...and they really liked it. Three cups later, my mom was pretty chatty. (I inherit that attribute from her). 


We walked around Historic East Nashville for a bit to look at some of the beautiful houses there. Then we headed to my house to pick up Easton and go sit at the dog park. 


By that time in the day, it was pretty hot out, so we didn't last too long outside. Easton gets overheated very easily, and he had the sheepish grin on his face with tongue hanging out. We went back to my house and this was where we ended up:

It was a lovely, relaxing day!

the journey

Sometimes we invest our time and energy into something that just does not turn out the way we anticipate: my seed planting, for one. Perhaps I overwatered (we had a lot of rain), or there wasn't enough sun, or the permanent markers I used on the pots seeped through and poisoned the seedlings. In a world of disappointment, what is the best way to stay positive and hopeful for the future?

I find that with every failure, there is often the chance for growth and/or insight, and usually another opportunity is there. It may take you another direction than you expected, but the journey is the best part.

Even though I have given up on gardening for now (as I cheer on my mom and Sean for their gardening efforts), I think I might challenge myself to bake my first made-from-scratch pie.