Childhood Dreams

A few weekends ago we went to Kansas City to see the house my hubby grew up in.  His childhood home was the 2012 Designer Showcase Home and it was just fabulous.  I took many pictures, but here are a few of my favorites.

This house has a presence, you notice it the moment you turn on the street.  It is hard to capture on camera, but it has a "wow factor"...

when we first entered we were greeted by a beautifully styled table.  I love how the print is just resting against the mirror and the lamp was exquisite.  This is also a very clever was to disguise the old fashion radiator heaters...

It's amazing how beautiful lighting can add that finishing touch, the chandeliers throughout the house were just gorgeous.  No detail was left undone...

A little sparkle can completely transform a room...

I loved the dining room, it was just stunning from the upholstered bench instead of chairs, to the silk dupioni window treatments, to the gold foiled walls...

somebody else also likes blue cabinets in their kitchen...

My hubby's old room which is now a little girls room.  It was this very spot where he decided he was going to be a doctor...

I took a couple shots of the teenage boy's room.  This is what my son wants in his room.  A TV/video/hanging out area...

and a sleeping area...

the coolest mirror on the closet door...

another girls room...

love the canopy...

the beautifully landscaped back yard...

My family (minus Scarlett who stayed home with my parents) in front the house...

so many happy memories were made here!!

Summer Time

Now that summer has officially begun I have my list of what I love so much about this season.  I love waking up without that sense of urgency to get my kids off to school...

which allows me to enjoy my cup of coffee in the morning....

I love being able to stay up a little later and read, I can do that since we have lazy mornings.

I love lounging poolside...

with my lunch...

and perhaps a cocktail.

I love having dinner outside whether it is at my favorite restaurant, or my own deck...

I love spending weeks at Lake Michigan...

enjoying the lazy days of summer...

where our only worry is how to build a better sandcastle...

And I love seeing my girls having a lemonade stand, just like I did with my sisters years ago...

Happy Summer!!

Girl Friday

Summer vacation officially begins today at 10 am when school is out.  As soon as the dismissal bell rings my kids and I, and the rest of the school, are off to 6 Flags.  It will be 95 degrees today so I need to remember to wear a tube top and bring the sunblock...

the gypsy caravan is coming through my city this weekend, I cant wait to see what treasures I find...

I need to put the finishing touches on my porch...

The best part of the weekend, our swimming pool opens...

and a big BBQ with friends....

Have a beautiful and long weekend!

Neck Candy

This past weekend I was in Kansas City and the one place I had to visit was Halls.  I love Halls,  there is only 1 and it is in KC,  it is technically a department store but to me it has more of a boutique feel.  They carry some fabulous lines and would be my go to store if I was looking for something special (and lived in Kansas City) 

While browsing the jewelry department I kept eyeing some beautiful beaded necklaces.  I am really into the hand beaded look.  It is reminiscent of the navajo necklaces and shoes I wore almost daily as a child, just the sight of the necklaces made me smile and take a little trip down memory lane...

Unfortunately my 9 year old was shopping with me and had had enough.  All she wanted to do was get back to the hotel and swim.  My thought was fine, I can always look on line.  For being such a nice and beautiful shop, they have the WORST website.  You cannot search for anything and what you do eventually find on their website is a fraction of what they have in the store.  

I never found the exact necklace I saw at Halls, I did find some pretty amazing substitutes.  I love this Fiona Paxton Coco necklace, it looks so fabulous on Drew...

and my gal Kate makes a great one too!

The Finishing Touch

I am slowly but surely making my way through our home to really make it "ours."  After 2 years I feel like I have made some good headway.  My kitchen cabinets should be finished hopefully by the first week in June, then all that is left on my first floor is the powder room.  When I saw this image on pinterest, I knew I had found THE wallpaper that I want.  The nice thing about a powder room, you can spend a little more on paper because you will use less...

After doing an internet search I have found out this is not even wallpaper, this is a jewel glass mosaic wall made of turquoise, tanzanite, and aquamarines.  Also, there are only a hand full of showrooms that carry this line and each showroom connects you with an installer that has been specifically trained to install these mosaics.  Unfortunately this is not going in my bathroom,  the website gave no prices but I can guess you would have to have a celebrity budget for this look.  Oh that and the nearest showroom is about 300 miles away.

I have complete faith that I will find something else equally fabulous on pinterest, I always do!

This and That

The latest American Girl Store recently opened in St. Louis, and I took my girls there as a special treat...

if you have been to any of these stores, then you know that it is complete overload and over stimulation for little girls...

however, we managed to keep it together and stay for lunch...

at each table you can play the mystery box while you are waiting for your food...

or you can feed your new baby...

we all agreed that the dessert was definitely the best part of the meal...

a very happy day indeed!!

 

Girl Friday, Kansas City Edition

My hubs grew up in Kansas City and his childhood home is the 2012 Designer Showcase Home to benefit the symphony.  The minute we found out this information we knew we would be heading to KC.

I am so excited to see his childhood home where he had so many happy memories.  I love hearing all his stories about what he and his siblings played on the third floor, what the house was like at Christmastime, the crazy neighbors, and how enormous the house seemed to him as a child.  He has dug out an old photo album and has been showing us pictures of what the house looked like in the 80's.  Top interior designers of Kansas City have been decorating this house for months so I am sure now it is nothing short of fabulous.

In addition to seeing his home, a mandatory stop at his all time favorite pizza joint is on our to do list...

On my to do list, a stop at one of my all time favorite joints...

We will be staying on the beautiful plaza...

and dining at one of my all time favorite restaurants...

Kansas City is supposed to have beautiful weather this weekend, good thing because I definitely plan on spending some time here...

Have a beautiful weekend!