I Would Like To Introduce You To Henry Strong

On August 25th we welcomed our son Henry Bihl Strong to the world. We have not stopped smiling since. The whole experience has been breathtaking and more than words could ever express.

Henry is Patrick's middle name and was his Grandfather's name. Bihl is my Mom's maiden name.

We have spent every day since just staring at this face...and thanking God for such a blessing.

Thank you all for all the e-mails, calls and comments. You don't know how much they have meant to me. I am so lucky to have such amazing and wonderful people in my life.

I'll Be Right Back....

I'll be right back...after we welcome a very special new member to our family.

The Nursery: Ceiling and Light

After a long search for wallpaper for the nursery walls, then wallpaper for the ceiling we decided to paint the ceiling. I went through several designs (these were just the beginning).....

I could have (and might have, ahem) gone a little crazy with the design but since Patrick volunteered to take on the challenge we decided to keep it somewhat "simple"- straight lines.

I knew I wanted to do tone on tone and gray, but after that I was relatively open to the exact shade. We had trim paint left over so I decided to use that as the darker color. I also liked that is was a gloss finish, something unexpected since the lighter color was an eggshell finish

I know the light fixture above was a favorite of many of you but don't worry, it went to a good home- our guest bedroom (which reallllly needed it). For the nursery light I knew what I wanted from the moment I saw it a year and half ago at Market.

I instantly loved the whimsical feel of the recycled styrofoam fixture but I knew it would have to be the right room. When we found out we were pregnant I knew just where it would find a home.

I know it is a little out there, a sentiment many, including the electrician, have conveyed to me but I could not love it more. It is unique and adds a playfulness the room needed.

Here is a picture of the full ceiling and light.

No, it is not your eyes playing tricks on you, it does look like the lines to the right are slightly uneven. I can assure you, after hours of taping, leveling and measuring the lines are perfect. It turns out that sometimes you don't know you have a huge dip in your ceiling until you decide to draw attention to it. C'est la vie.

So while I do still dream of wallpapered ceiling I could not be happier with the way things are looking overhead.

Side Table Needed- Bring In The Stump

There are still some items missing from the nursery, one of them being a side table for next to the rocker. Bring in this beauty...

A few months ago a wonderful client called to tell me that there were stumps on her street and volunteered to grab some for me. Of course I said yes and she has been holding on to these for months for me.

Last week I picked them up and this brings us to the part of the story that really Patrick should narrate. I had warned him of my next plan for the nursery- a stump side table- but what he was thinking when he opened my car and found the trunks I am sure would be a great comic relief.

Apparently there is a lot that goes into getting a stump from its natural state to a state suitable for home use, especially when the space it will be used in belongs to a baby. I will let you know what I find out and how this progresses. Needless to say this will be one of those things that will completed post baby arrival. I can't wait to for the finished product though, the lines in this one I hope will be fabulous!

Love The One You're With- Veranda Interiors

Today I am thrilled to welcome Melissa from Veranda Interiors as my guest blogger. I can't remember exactly when we became blog friends, but everyone should be lucky enough to have a friend like Melissa.

Her interiors are gorgeous, following her own home's progression is envy inducing and I have even made a special trip to H&M thanks to her post; but her kindness and support outweighs all of that. I feel very lucky to have met her in the crazy blog world!

I am SO thrilled to help out our expectant mother, workaholic, incredibly nice, favorite blogger Marianne by participating in this great series. When she first asked me to do this post we were hunkered down in our crappy rental while our new home was under construction, I sent a note back telling her that I could only do a 'hate the one your with' post. I really wanted to share images of our new home with you but we moved in and a week later we were off to our cabin at Tablerock Lake for the summer...so here I am, featuring the cabin since it is a place that we completely overhauled and we are now able to create so many wonderful memories here.

To ensure that the growth of the boys is documented as well as the fun that we have while here I set up this wall across from the front door so it is the first thing you are greeted with. I picked up the adorable growth chart off Etsy and have put some of our favorite images around it. They can change out from year to year...or I may just cram the frames closer together and add more.

The kitchen is the heart of the home and even here it is the same case. We are constantly seated at the island, creating yummy cookies with the boys, and cooking up a storm for my family when they come for the weekend, all 22 of them! The kitchen has come a long way, here is an image of what we were working with when we took possession of the home.

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The family room on the main level of the home gets a lot of use from guest and our little guys. All I have to say is thank goodness the cream sofas are slip-covered, ha! My favorite item in this space is the antique teak bench from Bali that we use as a coffee table. The patina is wonderful and it just gets better with use.

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The dining area of the home is right next to the great room so it had to all flow together. Once everything was drenched in white I started the hunt for decorative items. While I am still in search for many more things the space is working for me...for now.



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Since we are never here during the winter months I needed to fill the fireplace box with something. The pillar candles were perfect since it is a darker space of the home and the ambiance it gives off is perfect. Tucked away in one corner of the room is Nemo, our glass fish from Roost, he is our cork collector at the cabin and the only fish I can seem to keep alive.

We tend to party it up with a bevy or two by the camp fire or on the dock so we needed a space for a bar but we are a little cramped. To accommodate the storage we required I found a great antique armiour that I adore. It is tucked away nicely in a corner and serves a great purpose.

So this is where we have been hiding out this summer. Thank you so much for visiting and do come again, I promise to make you a wonderful meal we can share. Mel xo

Thank you Melissa, of course I love it. Now I can't wait to see the house progression in the coming months!!!