2014

via

Yes!

And just like that it's over…..

Now, on to the new year.

2013 was a great one for me professionally -

I launched my business {officially} and you came

and asked me to help you create your home…..

It's sometimes overwhelming and humbling all at

the same time.  It's been such a learning year for me,

business wise.  Diving in like I did really allowed me

to better define how I want to work, with whom I want

to work, my strengths and my deficits…..I know

plan to take what I have learned and go forward 

into 2014 wanting to do better,

be better and serve my clients better.

The graphic above really sums up how I 

personally feel about what I do and it's really

my goal for each home I get to work on.

And I strongly believe it's what my clients want.

And if you don't, I'm not your gal.

Our homes are more than a sofa and two chairs….

the best evoke a feeling to those that dwell

in them and those that visit.  So often

people visit my home and compliment

me and then go on to say something like, 

"you can never come to my house, because

it's not done, or it doesn't look like this".

I cringe when I hear comments like this because

I don't decorate my home to impress and 

definitely NOT to make anyone feel inferior.

I decorate my home as a gesture of love 

towards my family who live with me and

friends and family who visit.  For me, it's 

how I express that love….creating cozy,

warm spaces.  Let's just say gallery walls

are my 'love language'.

So thank you to the clients that patiently worked

with this newbie decorator in 2013, it was an honor

and privilege!  I can't wait to see what 2014 has in store!

Merry Christmas to *YoU*!!!

Wisdom from Dr. Seuss…….

Wishing you ALL peace, joy and love

this Christmas holiday!

I'll be back soon…..

Christmas cards, emotions and the holiday….

Really one of my favorite things about Christmas is receiving Christmas

cards with photos of my friends, family and their growing children.

  Having lived so many places, this annual tradition 

that brings me so much joy as I reflect on our time

in places we have lived and the precious friends we made.

The photo above is the card we sent this year of our

two girls - now ages 15 and 11.

Below is the card we sent exactly 10 years ago - when they

were 5  and 1…….ahhhhh, how time flies!

Being a mother to these two has been my greatest blessing.

Watching them grow up into really great people is such a joy!

But darn, does it all have to go so fast!

Long ago,  when I was a young momma, knee deep in sippy cups, the Wiggles and diapers, a wise {'older'} mother told me, "the days are long but the years are short".  I sort of thought, "yea, right!"

In my classic cynical {but endearing}way.

However, now that I am that 'older, wiser' momma, I say, 

"Truer words were never spoken!"

So much is expected during the holidays - mostly that we all 

share one emotion…..happiness, which I acknowledge is always

part of the Christmas equation.  However, like the tinge of sadness I felt

when I saw how these photos clearly point out the passage of time, 

or the void my husband might feel as he misses his dad this and 

every Christmas, or the stress of job loss a good friend is coping with…..

Christmastime also can make emotions stronger and losses more heavy.
Happiness in the Christmastime equation isn't at 100% for most -
and for some, they struggle to find where it might be found at all.

My wish for all of you is that joy and happiness are a bigger
portion of your Christmastime equation…..that any burdens
you are caring are comforted by the celebration of
Jesus' birth!  I hope that you feel the anticipation and
hope that comes with celebrating a new year!

Mostly, I thank you for coming here and supporting me!
Your friendships mean so much.
*****************
My posting over the next couple weeks may be sporadic as
I enjoy time with my family, including my parents who
will celebrate with us in Portland!

Our Christmas *hOmE*…..{the BIG tour}…...

** If you are visiting from Unskinny Boppy, WELCOME!**

Welcome to our Forever*Cottage

Christmas home 2013.

Our home is located beautiful Portland, Oregon.

We are lucky to be able to have the opportunity

to get a Forest Service permit each year to go

and cut a natural Christmas tree.  This year, however,
our girls really wanted the experience of picking out a more

manicured tree at a tree lot.  So the tree you 

see below is the natural tree I insisted we get

for our dining room and the fuller tree in our

living room you will see is our tree lot tree.

For the most part I really keep it pretty simple when

decorating for the holidays - I love using natural elements -

paperwhites, poinsettias, boxwood wreaths and natural garland.

************************

The 'star' of our dining room this year is the new dining

table that my very handy dad made for me!

It is made from knotty alder and finished with both

a mix of stain and watered down chalk paint to

give it the perfect aged patina!

I kept the decorations on our dining room tree very simple -

glittered pinecone ornaments I found at 

World Market and snow flakes I picked up at

Target a few years ago.  The vintage olive

bucket was bought with this use in mind - I love

using it as a tree stand {I had to get very creative

in order to make it work!}.

Our home is 'great room' style so the kitchen/family room/dining room

are all one large space.  I do have a formal living room

where we have our family tree and where we will 

open Christmas gifts on Christmas Eve - as has been

our family tradition since I was a little girl.

{Santa leaves gifts for Christmas morning.}

I am always a sucker for interesting poinsettias - I love these

cream and pink ones!

This vintage bench in our kitchen is a favorite spot

for my girls to do homework or talk to me when

I am working in the kitchen - I recently had a 

custom cushion made for it which makes it even

more cozy!

Our mantle is a bit busy but festive…...

The glittered vintage Santa's I have had for years.  I paired them

with other stuff I have - vintage brass candlesticks, a vintage box and books.

The grain sack stockings are new this year - I added my girls' initials when I found these

at Target - of all places!  

My greens are real - the boxwood wreath is getting a little dry

and the greens on the mantle were just added today - I am hoping

they make it through the holidays - I just can't do the faux greenery!

My gold stocking holders were formerly red Pottery Barn Kids

holders from YEARS ago - they were meant to hold a photo

but I sprayed them gold this year and then the glass

with chalkboard paint and used a chalk marker to

write my girls' names instead.

Amen…….

I also used the same chalk marker to write a message

on my vintage French bamboo mirror in our entry….

The pom pom garland is from West Elm.

And of course, paperwhites add the perfect 

amount of holiday cheer!

Ah…here's our lovely tree lot tree.

Looks like a Christmas tree should look -

my 11 year old is happy cause 'it is so embarrassing

to have a sparse Charlie Brown tree, mom".

My manger scene got tucked into my table top greenhouse - replacing

the dying sedum that were there before the holidays…..

Along with the mantle greenery, the coffee table in the great room has

also been decked out in some holiday greens. Love these

mini-cypress trees that you can pop into vintage

vases or inexpensive Ikea pots.

I keep my kitchen simple….I am OCD that way….

It is likely that if you come to our home you will be 

greeted by these two knuckleheads - they sort of like

to hang out on the front porch watching the world go by….

Thanks a bunch for visiting!  

MeRry ChIsTmAs to YoU aNd yOuRs!

Our Christmas *hOmE*….Part 1

I just finished an EPIC post on our home for a Holiday

Home Tour I am participating in on Wednesday so I am 

short on words but had many photos so thought I would

share some of our family room/dining room today…..

Plus, I can't miss out on participating in the Nester's holiday

link-up, right?  

I feel like I have so much blog content right now - 

the computer crash of last week was not timed well

{are they ever?}…..but I will devote a future post

to my new dining table pictured above.  My dear dad

made it for me for Christmas!  It is special and I love it.

Details to come….'cause I know you are all going to 

want to get your dad to make you one too.

This is a favorite spot in my house - made all the better

by our natural Christmas tree, new gingham cushion and 

handmade table - enough said.

My living room is festooned {don't you love that word?} with

these mini-cypress trees from my Safeway grocery store -

the Ikea pots make them classier, right?

I am loving this new Pottery Barn pillow cover - go get

yourself one, they are on sale RIGHT NOW!

Chalk pens - they aren't just for chalkboards, you know!

My busy mantle…..

More new table love….

 Did anyone else see the cute monogram letters for

stockings at Target?  I think they are the perfect addition

to our grain sack stockings!

NINE days till Christmas people!  Ackkkkkkkk!

All is calm, all is bright……{sort of}.

Well, kinda-sorta…..all is definitely bright around my home, but not all is not calm…..

How are you handling this season?  I find myself vacillating between

enjoying this month and absolutely loathing it at the same time.

My to-do lists are longer, social opportunities are more plentiful,

kids need more clothes, more treats, more money, Target

sees me more often, so does the wine shop, gift shop

and post office.  And don't even get me started on my

unfortunate 'wine incident' my computer encountered

last week!  The Apple store saw LOTS of me

this week and it wasn't all pretty.

December is a month that I have trouble blogging - being present 

with my family celebrating the birth of Jesus is what should

be important, right?  When I go online I am often left 

feeling like I'm just not cutting it - homes are decorated to 

look as if Better Homes & Gardens is showing up for a photo

shoot any minute, kids are crafting happily, bloggers are baking

teacher gifts wrapped as if they are presenting it to Martha Stewart

herself!  Don't even get me started on the gift guides - aren't we

still in a recession? 

I know all those images are meant to 

inspire, but sometimes, I acknowledge, they can also

leave you feeling inadequate and that is the opposite

of what I want to do here.  Nevermind that I 

am participating in a Holiday House Tour next week -

but don't you worry - when you see the photos you will

know that BH&G isn't visiting the Forever*Cottage.  While I am being

completely honest and forthright, I will admit to you and only you -

WE DON'T EVEN HAVE OUR TREE YET!

{the one pictured above is momma's tree with simple white lights}.

So spill it - how do you feel about all the holiday posts?

Inspired?

Inadequate?

A little of both?

* And I do look forward to showing you our holiday home -

simplicity at it's finest.  What's hard to  photograph is

love, comfort, delicious smells and the sound of laughter -

because isn't that what it's all about?
The rest is just 'stuff'.

Thanks for listening - 

Houston, we have a problem!

So apparently, it's not a good thing to give your MacBook a splash of red wine.  

My Mac seemed to recover well from its wild night but alas, began not working up to her formally reliable ways. As of yesterday, I went and bought myself a very nice Christmas gift - a new MacBook Air. Believe me, the timing of the purchase was not ideal but given the fact that I am a blogger and my design biz relies heavily on the use of a computer, it was necessary.  It was a lesson learned the hard way.

Obviously, my blogging has been zero, but I am participating in a fun House Tour next week so stay tuned!  I get my new computer tomorrow - thankfully my hard drive was not damaged so Apple is migrating my data as we speak!

Hope all is well with you. 

Christmas mantel!

I had loaded these photos earlier today and then sat down 

with my computer and a glass of wine and proceeded to

'splash' wine on my Mac keyboard! It's not working so I

am posting via an iPad. Good times.
{sorry to be such a complainer but my pain is fresh people!}

On to happier things….

This is our Christmas mantel for 2013! I used what I had -

my vintage brass candlestick collection, old books,

an Asian box that happens to be red and

freshly painted gold Pottery Barn Kids stocking

holders circa 2002.  I added a big boxwood wreath

and poinsettias and called it good.

I fully intend to add greenery to the mantel but thought

it was just too early and I am not motivated to switch it

out mid-month!  Probably will be added next week.

The grain sack stockings are new this year - from

my favorite Uber Chic boys!

Say prayers for my Macbook - hope you enjoyed my

mantel……..

* Update - I checked the correct usage of mantel vs. mantle and
have made corrections, thank you to those that pointed out
the correct definition/spelling.  If you are interested, please
see this link!

** In further news.....my Macbook is up and working!
Can I get an 'amen'!

Perspective.....

source

In the midst of my holiday panic yesterday {and laundry folding},

Charlie Brown's Christmas was on television.  I love

watching it with my children the same way I did

as a child - WITH the commercials on network televsion.

 I know, crazy. Weird?

I still get goose bumps when sweet Linus

delivers this monologue.

I am working hard on my holiday mantle.....hoping to 

post late Wednesday - I promise. Dang, it's almost 

December 4th!

December 1st.......

 I am writing this post on Sunday night - having just 

returned from our Thanksgiving holiday in central Oregon.

On the drive home, I tried to temper the panic I might have

felt when I checked my Instagram feed and saw

many images from other blogger's homes -

fully decked in holiday glory.  Mantels were

coifed and fluffed, trees freshly lit and even treats

were baking!  Girls, you give me fits!

 Sure, I may have had a natural tree strapped to the top of our SUV, 

but that is it folks. That's all I got - well, that and 6 loads of

dirty laundry.

I am confident however, that my house will be ready when

December 25th comes, it always is......But for tonight, I choose

to enjoy these images from our Thanksgiving weekend -

when sister's enjoyed each other's company,

nieces got to spend precious time with and aunt and uncle,

we played a mean game of family Pictionary, some of us learned

to knit, a hard working high school freshman got

some needed rest, doggies got extra snuggles, we walked

through a peaceful forest to select two Christmas trees, 

enjoyed central Oregon's sunshine and mountain views,

ate Thanksgiving dinner around Mimi and Bubba's table

followed by a wonderful Thai dinner OUT the following night, 

went to a Christmas parade and attempted a family Christmas card photo.

No stress tonight.....first, laundry.

Happy Thanksgiving!

source unkown

When I count my many blessings tomorrow, I will

include all of you - I appreciate the time you take

to come here and read my nonsense and seek

my design advice.  This blog has given

me so many opportunities to indulge

in all my design dreams! YOU are helping

to make that happen.  I am so 

grateful for the support I find here

and in blogland.

I hope each of you is able to pause

and count your blessings in the 

company of those you love.

I will be back Monday with my usual

sporadic posting......

Christmas Ideas 2013 - What momma wants........

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8

I learned long ago that it's best if I give my family
suggestions for what to give me for Christmas - makes
life easier and happier!  This year, as in past years,
I put together a collection of suggested gift items.
Obviously, I like monogrammed and cozy/warm items.
Oh, and I could use a new wallet.
Have you seen the Kontex towels
made in Japan? They had me at 'gingham'.
And I might want to show my love for my
beloved Oregon.

And lest you think I am spoiled - this collection is
sort of like the list my 11 year old creates to send to 'Santa' -
10 pages of items created as
the holiday catalogs arrive in the mail......
It's become her holiday tradition despite not really getting anything
off the list.  However, she is happy with anything she is given
and is one of the most generous and
enthusiastic gift givers.

A girl can dream, right?

Do you have an Ellen connection? Can ya help get this family to Sochi?

Ok, some facts about yours truly:

* I was born in Wisconsin

* I am half Swedish, half Norwegian

{with some other stuff thrown in for good measure}
{and yes, I know that makes me more than 100% a person}

* Curling is a legit sport among my 'people'

* Some of my 'people' may even be

Olympic curling athletes -

true story.

Actually, my cousin's sister-in-law has been a member

of the USA Women's Curling team the last three

Olympics.  AND, she just qualified

to go to Sochi and represent the United

States in her FOURTH Olympics!

{Michael Phelps has nothing on US Women's

Curler Debbie McCormick!}

My cousin is a school teacher and her husband has

his own lawn care business.  They would love to be able

to go to Sochi and cheer on Aunt Deb! However, flying to
Russia and staying there for two weeks for a family of
four is quite expensive. Soooo......they are
getting creative and humbly asking for help.

My cousin

has some cute kids and they made a video

trying to get the attention

of Ellen DeGeneres, cause she nice, and funny,

and generous, and nice, and funny, did I mention funny?

(did I mention generous?)

Well here is the cute video.........

So readers, if any of you happen to know Ellen, or Portia, or 

their gardner, housekeeper, chef, mailman etc....could you

pass this cute video on?  This family would love her help!

And wouldn't Carter make the cutest correspondent?

And this is Aunt Debbie, doing what she does best.

And just because I am Scandinavian, don't think, for one
second I know a thing about

curling....

And finally, dear readers, if you are so inclined and would
like to donate to get this sweet family to Sochi,
they have set up a site to accept donations.......

Here is the link! Just click on the image below:

I realize this is the time year we are all asked to
contribute to worthy causes, if you find it in your
heart to help this wonderful family fulfill a dream,
please accept my sincerest gratitude!

Go Team USA!!!!!

Tomato Basil Soup.....

We are heading into the holiday season which means lots

of rich foods and sweet treats.  And while I love to indulge as 

much as the next person, I also like to weave in some 

healthy, lighter dinners for my family during the season.

This tomato-basil soup recipe is a favorite!

I serve it with cheese toasts and a caesar salad.

Tomato-Basil Soup

{adapted from Portland's Palate - Junior League cookbook}

1/4 cup butter, plus 2 tablespoons, divided

5 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped and divided 

1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped

6 garlic cloves, minced and divided

3 {28 ounce} cans Italian plum tomatoes

Salt and Pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

2 cups chicken broth

In large saucepan over medium heat, melt 1/4 cup butter.  Add 3 

tablespoons basil, chopped onion and 4 cloves garlic.  Cook until tender,

about 15 minutes.  pour in tomatoes and their liquid.  Simmer

uncovered for 30 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

* Now - use either an immersion blender {THE best kitchen gadget}

or food processor to puree tomato mixture.  Return mixture

to saucepan {if you used a food processor}.

In small saucepan over medium heat, melt remaining 2 tablespoons

butter.  Add remaining 2 tablespoons basil, garlic and Italian seasonings

and saute for 5 minutes.  Combine sauteed herbs with chicken broth

and tomato mixture.  Simmer until heated through.

I am having a hard time getting my head around the fact

that next week is Thanksgiving! It really is my

favorite holiday.  I love the pause, the time

with family, the food........but geez, isn't it still September?

Happy Thursday!