This year has a good deal of unknown ahead for us. So many decisions are up in the air, but somehow I feel rooted. In between the distractions there is a steady hum of peace where I place my trust. Here is a quote that has moved mountains, and knocked down walls for me this year..
“There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still.”
Of course, through it all, I am still trying to get dressed almost every day;) Happy almost weekend!
Since we rent our home, the easiest way to make a nice change to a room is a good rug. Whether it be wood floors or carpeted rooms, adding a rug over the floor space has been such a refreshing change of atmosphere in our home. I admit I have a thing for good textiles so I love the hunt for a rug that fits brings a room together. We have a good deal of foot traffic in this house, so when it comes to selecting a rug, I have seen the difference in quality revealed in the appearance of the rug within months. I’ve realized that it is well worth the effort to find a quality piece then settle for one that will have to be replaced in a few years. Here is a little more about the rug I chose from Loloi Rugs to replace the smaller stained carpets in our bedroom, and a cool background story on how this rug was made!
I wanted our room to stick with the calmer colors that we have going. The way the light pours in the windows was enough to brighten up the room without need for anything to take away from all the glorious morning light. Having used a Loloi rug in our guest room, I was familiar with the quality and trusted the craftsmanship. We ended up going with the Dorado rug which maintained the neutral tones, but added some really cool texture with the cowhide detail and the contrast pattern.
There are several types of hand craftsmanship that Loloi rugs uses. Hand tufted, hand woven, hand tufted, etc. They are assembled in India by the hands of skilled artisans for every step in the process, as opposed to using advanced machinery. I love that purchasing these rugs supports these artists and their craft. Weaving is more than a livelihood for these artisans–it’s the preservation of a proud legacy. They typically learn the trade from their mother or father, and then use their experience and knowledge to teach their sons and daughters one day too. Life in in the weaving villages is far different than anything we’re accustomed to in America. Instead of machines there are looms. Instead of engineers, weavers. Natural light floods the space. Chickens and cows roam the gravel roads just outside. To really get a grasp, you have to see this short video of these artisans at work. Fascinating isn’t it??
You can view and shop the full collection of Loloi Rugs here. So many stunning options of styles and colors. Good luck on choosing the one!
*Thank you Loloi Rugs for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.
When you are a hosting a shower you don’t have the extra hand to snap pics, but here are a few! My sister Angela is expecting her first baby in May, my family came in from St. Louis to join us, and many old and new friends came to celebrate. I love how new life brings people together. VIEW FULL POST
I have to make multiple decisions on a daily basis like what to make for breakfast and how to get 5 people dressed in under ten minutes, so when it comes to choosing a pair of glasses or sunnies I tend to get decision paralysis. Forget it. I can never decide on just one pair to have and to hold from this day forth. Probably why I would settle so often on cheap sunnies that would give me headaches or bend up in a month. You should see my glove compartment….. an embarrassing amount of unused shades. Any of this sound familiar to you? Read on.. VIEW FULL POST
“Everybody has in them a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be, How much you can love, What you can accomplish! And what your potential is. ” – Anne Frank
Happy Wednesday to each of you:) More 31 Dresses posts here.Photos by Morgan Blake.
How in the world are you supposed to take ten minutes for yourself during the days you hit the ground running the moment the alarm goes off? I have had to learn how the hard way. After one too many pent up emotional outbursts and tired tears, I decided it was worth fighting for the ten minutes a day for myself, rather than apologizing for all the harm a hurricane of emotions would do if I didn’t…
We got a last minute opportunity for Veronica and I to do a little film project together in New York (I look forward to sharing with you soon!). It takes a lot of shuffling to make trips like this happen these days, but we decided to go for it. Gabe was able to come with me to help with Rocco since I am still breastfeeding him, and Max and Gabriel stayed with my sister. I was thankful for the chance to make this into an adventure for Veronica, and I will never forget the way she skipped and chatted her way through this trip. She was so excited to be on an airplane, see the “statue of liberly” and stay in a “show n tell” (hotel).
We started bright and early with a 6:15am out of Atlanta, and would land with just enough time to drop bags at the hotel and for me to get to the film studio. Veronica made sure I didn’t catch a wink because she had so much to talk about and didn’t want to be awake by herself! Once we landed we headed to ground transportation. We hopped on an elevator with three suitcases, three backpacks, a stroller, a baby, a four year old, and two parents with minds already on check-in, naps, and getting to the studio on time. The elevator was small with only a few buttons. As we arrived on the bottom floor, I was checking to make sure we had everything to exit when Veronica started screaming at the top of her lungs. Considering she was as happy as a lark one minute before, I knew something terrible was happening. Gabe and I saw that her hand was stuck inside the elevator door as it had retracted to open. All four of her fingers were stuck, and as much as we we tried to tug them out, they weren’t budging. It became the longest three minutes of my life to date, and easily the most terrifying. My heart felt it would race right out of my chest. I began to pray, Gabe began to curse, and Veronica looked as if she was about to faint. There was a poor woman who got stuck on the elevator with us who was about to dial 911 before Gabe found a janitor and an employee to help us somehow pry the door just enough to slide her fingers out. Gabe and I admitted later to each other that the worst case scenario immediately rushed into our heads in those moments that we thought she was going to lose her fingers. By nothing short of a small miracle, they weren’t even broken. They immediately were swelling and she was in some shock, but she is a tough cookie. It took a buckets of tears (from both of us!), an ice pack, and a big sucker to calm her down, but she was moving them again that night. This incident shook us all up pretty bad and took us a while to snap out of it. Veronica now runs to the back of an elevator when she enters, and may be doing so for the rest of her life in which I wouldn’t blame her one bit. Gabe probably would have burned the elevator all together if he could have. 😉 Now we have had many scares in our life in birth stories, seeing our kids take a bad tumble, car accidents, etc. However, being in a situation where you are completely helpless as you watch your child go through a terrifying experience, the minutes drag into years and it seems you will go mad having to watch. I can’t begin to fathom what it feels like for parents who have had to witness worse. Ahhh. Moving along…
Thankfully the rest of the trip was a good experience! I will end on those positive notes. I have been to NYC several times, but never over the bridge to Brooklyn. We didn’t get much time to do or see much, but Gabe and I both got to catch up with some of our old and dear friends from college. We had a little time Saturday morning to explore so we decided to take Veronica to Jane’s Carousel which is as magical as Mary Poppins. We grabbed some bagels on the way, and were happy to have a little New York moment right under the Manhattan Bridge. Gabe and I were both really grateful for this memory with our girl. One on one time has to be fought for with three brothers, so you can imagine how much she loved the individual attention;)
Have you ever had a scary travel experience? I think I might stay put for a while after that one!
____ *Gabe and I both used this Ergo for walking around the airport and the city with Rocco. (A welcome relief of hands.)
Veronica’s coat: consigned, dress: old navy, boots: old navy, luggage: Skip Hop // My travel picks: Boots: Dolce Vita (on sale!), Denim: Rag & Bone c/o, wool coat: ASOS, hat: GigiPip luggage from Steamline (code IHOD for 10% off!).
