Ramona & Beezus

Have you seen it yet?

I grew up with Ramona and have really enjoyed sharing Beverly Cleary's books with my girls.

So, on a perfectly beautiful summer day, I took my girls to see the Ramona & Beezus movie. It exceeded my expectations - sweet, charming, funny, with many "teachable" moments thrown in for good measure.

Happy Thursday, dear friends!

Nothing says 'cottage' like......

......dutch doors!

happy monday friends! i am recovering from yet another busy summer weekend spent on our lake enjoying the sunshine and lots of soccer.....yes, it is the sport whose season never ends!

this morning i had a photo shoot with the magazine that interviewed me on my definition of cottage style......i had to smile at NOTHING for at least 300 shots.....she kept telling me to 'relax', obviously she doesn't know me because 'relaxing' is not something that comes naturally to me.............que sera!

anyway.....thought i would begin sharing the oodles of things, both design and lifestyle, that i think define 'cottage style'......

not so practical in minnesota, but i love me a dutch door. my cottage in laguna beach, that i will own someday, will definitely have a dutch door!

top 2 photos from Cottage Home, bottom from Country Living

xo~

V is for Victory!

Shopping home decor stores is seriously one of my favorite hobbies....like some people like to run long distances, or decoupage...

On the rare occasions I find myself with a few hours all to myself, my mind instantly begins thinking about where I can go to check out some great home accessories (when really I should be folding laundry, but who wants to do THAT in their free time?).



Like our favorite magazines, retail home stores have also had a tough time in this economy. So if I may, I would like to turn this otherwise shallow post, into a "teachable moment" (if only for a moment). So here it goes, - run ladies, to your nearest home decor store and BUY something. And let me just say, I am not talking Home Goods and TJ Marshalls, I am talking Suzy's boutique from down the street. Suzy needs your biz.

Ok, off my soap box!



We have a lovely home decor store in Minneapolis called Victory. Victory's owner is a self taught interior designer (hmmm.....I DO think they are the best, no one can teach you style and instinct, you either got it or you don't) and fills her shop with luxury pillows, European vintage pieces (think gorgeous settee's), and small decorative objects and collectibles. she also has fabulous lighting!



I visited Victory this week, can you tell?

I thought I would take you along, cause couldn't we all use a little inspiration. Victory is full of inspiring vignettes.



And because Victory appeals to a high-end design client, I mostly go there just for inspiration, cause this chick isn't a high-end design client....nope, I am not.



But, I have a few carefully chosen pieces from this store in my cottage, cause this chick DOES believe in mixing high-end with flea market finds, and mass-retail goods (think Pottery Barn, Home Goods, TJ Marshalls)....it's truly what makes my cottage unique.

{a peek of the peak}

This is the time of year that all us midwest gardeners get rewarded for all the patient and diligent work in our gardens...our gardens are at their peak!

I always have mixed emotions. On one hand, my yard is at it's best. The neighbors ooh and ahh over my hosta lined front walkway, the enormous hydrangea blooms on my mature Annabelle's and my friends love to receive bouquets freshly cut from the gardens.

But when you live in Minnesota, like I have for the last three summers, you know that a garden's peak signifies the beginning of the end, so to speak.

It's all down hill from here....

winter is waiting in the wings....urgh!

But before there is nothing but a big white blanket in my cottage yard, I thought I would share some of my reward with you....cause no cottage would be complete without a garden, if I may say so myself.

By the way, this is my 200th post! So completely, hard to believe.

these are a few of my favorite things....

it's summer and all...and i am not like lots of you over-achieving gals who get lots pillows sewn, furniture painted, rooms re-decorated (for like $13.99) and thus have lots of fresh blog material to impress the masses with....

i do however, still do a bit of shopping...cause i do have my priorities...

when kasey was in town, we did manage to visit one favorite shop in my hometown....

i saw these french vocabulary cards first, i swear i did...

no, i did not have to wrestle them from kasey's french loving hands....i swear!



they happen to be a complete set....and in mint condition....

i won't even tell you what kasey bought, you'll have to ask her yourself....



oh, i know some of you are all excited about the "new" issue of Country Home magazine that is out of newsstands and i happen to know that it is really just recyled content dressed up in a shiny new cover (and i happen to be the kind of pack rat who already has all the back issues of Country Home, thank you very much), so i have taken to loving on my decorating books and recently began to expand my library.



i know this book happens to be a favorite for lots of you. i have enjoyed savoring every page of delicious white decor!

i also have to mention that yours truly was contacted by a local magazine to be interviewed about what i think are essentials to cottage decor...no, i am not kidding. got me sort of thinking about lots of things to share with you....and where to go with the whole vintage/styling/writing thing i got going.....kind of exciting i should say.....

things are in the works....i look forward to sharing them with all of you....in due time....first i must get over my aversion to talking about myself....

what are your favorite things these days? oh, and i would also love to hear what all of you think of when you think of essentials for cottage decor?

friendship.......

As I have gotten older, friendships with fabulous women are really, really, really important to me. And I have been blessed to have so many come and go in my life.

And if I were being perfectly honest with you all, I would tell you that having women friends has not come with out it's difficulties, disappointments, hurt and heartache. I think lots of it has do with my lack of self-confidence and fear of rejection. And as much as Oprah and Gayle represent the best of women friendships, we all know that day to day, it ain't that easy!

Blogging has brought such wonderful women into my life! Most definitely, the best part of my blogging journey as been meeting such inspiring and creative women.



My friend, Kasey and her beautiful, spunky daughter Lola came to visit my Minnesota cottage this past weekend! I know lots of you read Kasey's blog Lola B's and crack up, like I do, when you read her cheeky take on leading a stylish life while managing three kids, a husband and an emerging photography career!

I met Kasey over a year ago at the Farm Chicks Antiques Show. Oh yes, I was already a fan of her blog and was certainly a wee bit intimidated when I had the chance to meet her. I am certain I stumbled over my words and said something I probably regretted later. But it turns out, Kasey has become a steadfast friend. I look forward to our weekly phone calls and receiving her hilarious text messages. She makes friendship easy.

So how did we spend our weekend? We rode our cruisers to the beach, visited our neighborhood general store, shopped at Target, took a walk, sat on the dock, spent some money at a local vintage shop, dined lakeside, drank some wine and maybe a Skinny Girl margarita.....

And the best part? These two sweet 8 year olds each found a new bestie! My Abigail and Kasey's Lola literally met their match. Within minutes of meeting one another they were out laughing and jumping on our trampoline....like two peas in a pod.



And while as a mommy, I always think of myself as the teacher, this weekend I realized that even though Kasey and I brought our two little ones together, they taught us as much about friendship as we could have taught them. So why didn't we go and jump on the trampoline after we had our Skinny Girl margaritas Kasey???

Guess Who?

I have been catching up on laundry...

dusting the cobwebs...

fluffing pillows....

planning meals.....(and perhaps cocktails too)...

to welcome a friend (and her infamous daughter) for a visit....

i am pretty sure you all know her, she's a world traveler....

and one stylish blogger who always has a way with her words....

Can you guess who is coming to visit my cottage?

Come back on Monday to find out!

we interrupt our regularly scheduled....

Just what a busy mom needs during the summer months. I gave myself a time-out yesterday and stole some time wandering a favorite Minneapolis antiques store, Hunt & Gather on Xerxes Avenue.



I highly recommend it.



Nothing recharges my battery, so to speak, like wandering an antiques store.



Guess what? I only spent $9.40!



On what you ask?



I bought some of the old sign letters pictured above for the corkboard in my kitchen. The letters I bought spell out "Be Kind".......Later I realized that the reason I bought the "Be Kind" letters was to remind my children to be kind to one another....exactly the reason I needed my time-out in the first place.

Independence Day....in pictures

it was a great day....i am pooped



festivities began at 9:30....the neighborhood bike parade....except my children chose to ride a scooter and walk a dog.....they are non-conformists



i was a bit happy that i no longer had to run alongside a child trying to balance on a bike among 100 other kids and parents trying to run along and balance on a bike....

but also sad that it was probably my big girls' last year to even walk her dog in the parade...next year she just might think she is even too cool for that...{sigh}



after the parade we got some popcorn and enjoyed socializing in the park while the kids did the cake-walk, the dunk tank, the bounce house....i could not stop sweating in the stinkin' hot humidity...drank lots and lots of water....continued sweating anyway...



came home and enjoyed the air conditioned cottage....we all took naps! yippee for naps!



got ready for evenings festivities....friends over, pop-its and sparklers for the big and little kids....



good summer mix on the iPod and cold refreshments in the big vintage tub....



the mosquito killer the man at home depot sold us even worked....so it was pleasant to sit outside...hubby and i even sat out there after our guests left and the kids went to bed...{sigh}...



we watched fireworks on our beach with our neighbors.....it was a fantastic day....

Ramblings about the 4th of July......

Can it be the fourth of July already?

How can that be.....

I admire all you mothers of school-aged children who look forward to your summers with your children full-time.....

But I admit....I am not a member of your club.....and I am ok with that....

Don't get me wrong, I love my girls and love spending oodles of time with them....I have been an at-home mom since my big girl was born (almost 12 years ago) so I feel like I have plenty of full-time, pack the day with fun experience under my belt, so to speak.

I am here to tell you, once the little angels are in school full-time you kind of get used to having the days to yourself....doing whatever.you.feel.like. In the interest of full disclosure, my days are spent at yoga or the gym, Target, Trader Joe's, Cub Foods....or on glamourous days, Anthro, an occasional sale or antique store.... Not too exciting but, the days are mine, all mine.



But back to the 4th of July....perhaps I can't believe it's here because this summer has been, dare I say, enjoyable. I think it has something to do with my girls' ages and being more independent...



I thought these (red/white/blue) images from Coastal Living provided some festive eye candy for ya'll....as we all prepare for our firework festivities! We are staying home, celebrating in our little community of Cottagewood with a bike parade, carnival, cookout and then dinner with friends and fireworks over the lake. Don't you worry, I will have lots of pictures to share on Monday....



I am entertaining this weekend and contemplating what to cook on the grill....thinking it may be pork tenderloins with a yummy salsa to top it off.

What about you? What do you cook for a crowd? I know it varies by region, so I would love to hear where you are from!



And because I am just sentimental this way, A BIG thanks to those that served, or are currently serving in our military. It seems we have lost our perspective for just how much our liberty and freedoms are important to our way of life. Let this July 4th be a reminder of what has been sacrificied by so many so we may enjoy so much!