The Barn.....

Bear with me as I make my way through the pile of catalogs that I have saved during my hectic-auction-planning whirl wind.

Today I had some time to browse the latest Pottery Barn catalog. Truth be told, I have tried to steer clear of "The Barn" in my decorating lately. I never want my cottage to have the fresh out of the pages, perfectly staged look of the Pottery Barn catalog.

However, I am often guilty of partaking in the instant gratification the Barn provides.

Below I am sharing some of my favs with you. Being a sucker for all things botanical, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the first item.










Where do you go to for "instant gratification" in your decorating? Has it changed over time?

A love affair.......with Anthropologie!

Yes, you read correctly. I am a huge fan from way back of Anthropologie.

This is my go to store...my happy place so to speak. I love the interior design of the store so much I would hire them to do my home! It is one of those stores that you could take me in blindfolded and I would immediately know where I am - the sound of the perfectly creeky floors, the scent of the burning candles, the music...they get it all right in my book.

Needing a break from my recently hectic life, I went to my happy place today. I fell in love with these pillows! I grabbed them, debated which one (or ones) to purchase....then I put them down and walked out of the store. Why? Because how much bird/nest themed decor does my home need? - Note to self, do a post on all the bird/nest themed decor in my house, call it "Hi, my name is Jill and I am a bird/nest decor addict".





And my favorite of the group....


I was proud of myself. However, I can't promise that these won't find their way into my home someday.....

WISTERIA LOVE

I love, love, love the Wisteria catalog.

With the extinction of my favorite shelter magazines (yes, I am still bitter about Cottage Living), I find myself spending more time looking at my favorite home accesory catalogs like Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware and Wisteria. The selections from the Wisteria catalog are particularly exquisite and not your sort of mass produced home accessories. The April 2009 edition that arrived at my house this week did not disappoint.

As I may have mentioned, I am chairing the BIG school auction this year which just happens to be taking place THIS Friday evening. My week has been insane! Last minute details and meetings have consumed every minute of my time. My children have been dining on mac and cheese and the laundry piles are immense and growing.

However, when I saw the Wisteria catalog in the stack of mail yesterday I put myself in "timeout" and actually sat down and savored each and every page.

I thought I would share some of my favorite things with you. Enjoy!

Happy Easter

My favorite holidays seem to correspond with the changing of seasons. Coincidence? I don't think so.

I love Halloween - the pumpkins, the costumes.....THE CANDY. I am always ready to watch a football game, make a pot of chili and get ready for the long winter.

But I really think my favorite holiday is Easter. This year in particular, after surviving our first Minnesota winter, spring signals this success! Plus, the candy isn't too bad either. Who doesn't love Peeps????

Wishing you all the blessing of this Easter and glorious spring season.

Rested and Refreshed!

I'm back!

It is amazing just what seeing a palm tree can do for the spirit! I arrived home feeling rested and rejuvenated - despite the snow we woke up to the day after got home. We had a great trip and enjoyed some much needed fun in the sun.

While I was gone, I did not visit any of my favorite blogs (gasp). It has been so fun to see what you all have been up to the last week. Seems like so many of you plan on going to the Farm Chicks show in June! I will be there and am really looking forward to meeting some of my favorite bloggers!

Easter and spring are the subjects of lots of posts lately. Stay-tuned for a post later this week on how I have brought spring into my cottage, never-mind the not-so-springlike weather we have in Minnesota (deep breaths).