Show Us Where You Live Friday: Children's Rooms

This is the 5th week of "Show Us Where You Live Friday" at Kelly's Korner. This week is CHILDREN'S ROOMS.

I won't be showing Sydney's room because I'm in the middle of moving her to another bedroom. I will show her new room in a month or two... right now she's in the "guest room".

Here are pictures of Sophia's bedroom--

Sophia, my youngest, is two years old. She started to sleep in her big-girl bed soon after she turned two. She will be moving into Sydney's old room once I have Sydney completely moved into what use to be the guest room. Nothing like musical rooms!

I included a few shots with different lighting... I love how the color changes shades with the light.

View from the doorway:
  
One of Sydney and Sophia's favorite things to do is read! They do a lot of reading in their bedrooms because we don't store any toys in their rooms. [We keep all the toys in the playroom which makes it easy when it comes to keeping their bedrooms clean and less distractions when they are taking a nap or going to bed!] 

This room was orginally Sydney's nursery and then it was Sophia's nursery. (Sydney pictured on the left in the nursery when she was 8 months old :)

Before Sydney was born, I designed the nursery closet on-line @ Easy Closets . It's an easy to use design tool and great quality closet system that I highly recommend if you want "Calfornia" type custom closets for half the price. The closet is made to order and shipped almost immediatley. My husband had no problem installing them. This is the smallest bedroom closet in our house and I was able to fit lots of clothes, shoes, blankets, stuffed animals, etc in this closet. You can also re-adjust the shelving & hanging rods as your child grows and their clothes are longer: 

One of the items on Sophia's closet shelf are these diaper pins from when my husband was baby. They were a gift from my mother-in-law. They have his initials engraved on them: 

 

• 1st picture (Dec06) - just inside the door of the NICU... very first time Sydney met her baby sister, Sophia. It was for a split second because children were not allowed in the NICU.
• 2nd picture (Dec06) - after we brought Sophia home from the hospital... she was laying in the sun trying to get rid of her Bilirubin.
• 3rd picture (Sept06) - Sophia is 9 months old in this picture with her sister Sydney who is 21 months old in this picture.

The "Sophia" wall-art below was a gift from my boss and his wife. It is little girls that makeup the name Sophia. I love how the artist incorporated Bob's hobby of fishing and my hobby of scrapbooking, although it's hard to see in this poor quality picture that I shot!

Well that's it for children's bedrooms (for now)!

Is it obvious that Sophia likes butterflies?

Thank you for stopping by this week. I am having fun looking at all the home tours. Thank You for letting me take a peak of your home.

 

If you missed any of the home tour these last few weeks, below are the room links:

1st week: Kitchen

• 2nd week: Living Room
• 3rd week: Guest Room
• 4th week: Dining Room

Enjoy your weekend.

xo,

Susan

They Keep Us Free

They Keep Us Free
by Roger Robicheau

In time of need their will is sure
American, their freedom pure

Protect our life and liberty
Unselfishly, they keep us free

Each soldier knows what is at stake
The risk is grave, there’s no mistake

With pride they serve our country strong
They face each foe to come along

Remember them while in your home
Or where you choose to freely roam

Don’t take for granted what you see
Some left this life, so it could be

To God I urge you all to pray
For soldier’s brave, to face each day

We should be thankful, one and all
For those who march to meet each call

Here is an amazing "Taps" performance by a 5th grade girl that will give you chills.



To all of you in the Armed Forces, Thank You for your great courage and for keeping our country free!

Happy Memorial Day. God Bless!
--Susan

Contest@Peace in the Pandemonium

You don't need to be a blogger... just post a comment! Click Here: 600--and a Contest!!

Brunch with the Hubby :)

Last Sunday, Bob and I had a delectable brunch at the always enchanting Spring Mill Café. It is located at the bottom of Barren Hill Road in Conshohocken PA. This area was my Grandfather's old stopping ground.... he grew up nearby on Joshua road and my Mom, right off the Ridge on Shawmont Ave in nearby Roxborough (where I was born).

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The Café, is a eclectic, cozy former country store that serves French Provincial cuisine with a twist.

Just my hubby and me having a wonderful morning!
We started with a CHEESE plate and RABBIT rillette as an appetizer...

Bob waiting on the porch while I take a picture... you can barely see him:

Bob's Eggs Benedict with Smoke Salmon:

[I ordered an amazing, creamy omelette with GOAT CHEESE... my favorite cheese! It was so rich and delicious!]

OH WAIT!... I can't forget about the C-O-F-F-E-E ...

La Colombe coffee (a favorite of Bob's and mine) is served at the Spring Mill Cafe. We ordered a few pounds of beans from their web-site when we got home... we haven't had it in while and forgot how much we loved it. When I lived in Manayunk, I use to enjoy a cup almost daily at their cafe on Main Street.

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Next stop, pick up the girls at Grandmom's....

Show us were you Live: Dining Room Edition

This is the 4th week of "Show Us Where You Live Friday" at Kelly's Korner.

• 1st week: Kitchen
• 2nd week: Living Room
• 3rd week: Guest Room

This week is the Dining Room Edition. The Dining Room is one of my favorite rooms because I really like the ceiling fixture and the dining room table [I can add two leafs to the table to accommodate 8-10 people!]... and the room always looks NICE & NEAT because we only use it ~4 times per year!

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Enjoy the tour! :) I look forward to seeing your Dining Rooms!

View of Dining Room from Foyer:

color palette is taupe tones with black accents

Sophia's View of the Dining Room from the Kitchen:

My favorite piece of furniture in our house is the Hickory White dining room TABLE. It is one of the best quality furniture pieces that I've ever purchased. The wood is BEAUTIFUL.

This Van Teal ceiling fixture is my favorite light fixture in our house:

Display cabinet from a distance BEFORE dusting and rearrangement:

Display cabinet AFTER a good cleaning:

2nd shelf down has 3 Tiffany pieces--the serving dish is a gift from my husband's cousin. the Vase and Bowl where "Winners Circle" gifts from work. 3rd shelf down are 6 engraved "olive-branch" wine glass from my mother-in-law

Dining Room table all dressed up for Thanksgiving '08:

print on the wall is West by Noah Li-Leger

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Thank you Kelly. I am enjoying all the home tours! Click here to go back to the Dining Room Tour at Kelly's Korner.

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Have a GREAT Weekend!!

--Susan

Finally! SHE SLEEPS

Miss "Phia", my determined 2 year old, did not want to take her nap today. I told her she could lay in my bed, read ONE book and then go to sleep. She read her ONE book for OVER ONE HOUR!!.... falling asleep while turning a page!

too cute!

Loving the thought of many more to come....

Since the girls were home last Friday, I decided to take a break from work and have lunch with them. Our destination was the restaurant at the golf course behind our house.

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It was a beautiful, humid day which I love! Miss Sydney likes to run ahead and pick dandelion flowers along they way. Sophia likes to take her time and walk next to Mommy. The girls ate a hot dog ($1 per hot dog!!) and I had a salad. We had a leisurely walk home, stopping to say HI to the barking neighborhood dogs.

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It was the most relaxing, enjoyable lunch that I've had in a while. I can't wait to do daily walks and outdoor lunches with MY GIRLS this summer...

My last day of work is this Friday, May 22nd!

I can't wait to start my "new job" staying home with the girls full-time!

Show Us Where You Live Friday: Guest Room Edition

This is the third "Show Us Where You Live Friday" at Kelly's Korner. The 1st Friday was Kitchen's, the 2nd Friday it was Living Rooms and today, it is GUEST ROOMS.

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When Sophia was born, we moved Sydney out of the nursery and into a smaller bedroom. We considered making the GUEST ROOM her bedroom because it was larger, but decided to give her the smaller bedroom in the back of the house because it had a better view. The downside is that there isn't much room for furniture and we could only fit a twin bed in her room.

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She came to us a couple months ago and said her (twin) bed was too small and no one could sleep with her (at least not comfortably!). She asked for a king size bed like her Mom & Dad so that Mommy, Daddy and Sophia could sleep with her. Her little sister does like to sleep with her so we agreed to move her into the guest room which has a queen bed. I have to agree that bed size is more important than a view, especially for a little girl who loves to cuddle with her Mommy and Daddy and listen to bedtime stories.

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Sooo.... here is the soon NOT-to-be Guest Room. It may be my least appealing room because it needs paint and artwork, but now I'm glad that we never got around to painting it.

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View from the doorway

(picture taken in the evening so it's kind of dark)

picture taken during the day from the "closet-side" of the room:

I purchased the hand rubbed (black) painted guest room furniture at a Home Furnishing Consignment Shop in Wayne, PA. It was a floor model from a local furniture showroom and was in perfect condition. I can't remember exactly how much I paid, but I think it was around $1,200 for the entire 6 piece set including the bed, 2 nightstands, armour, huge dresser and mirror. It is heavy, good quality furniture too!

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The bed linens, window drapery and lamps are all Restoration Hardware. The colors are Lichen and Chocolate. It's a shame that the room is not painted. I think a coat of paint would have pulled it all together.

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Sydney's shell collection is on the night stand:

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Below are the Guest Room Conversion plans:

Sydney would like a PURPLE ROOM (her room across the hallway is a beautiful shade of pink). We have decided to go with a lilac color with an underlying gray tone. So far, we've purchased the paint and the duvet from Serena and Lily. [They have been sitting in a closet for a few months now! This "house tour" is motivating me to do her room]. My goal is to create a room that she will enjoy for many years.

"Hydrangea" paint color

Delphine Duvet Cover
Heather Pebble Fabric for the sheets or Flat Roman Shades (?)--

OR Heather Florentine Fabric for the Roman Shades?
Pillows--
Picture of Finished product below, but with hand-rubbed black furniture???? I'm not sure if it will work, but I will give it a try.

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Thank you for stopping by my home! Click here to go back to Kelly's Guest Room Tour.

PS -I will post the pictures of Sydney's new room when it's complete, but it may be another few months.

Sand Art by Sydney & Sophia

A picture of the sand art that I mentioned in my Mother's Day Post below. Sophia's is on the left and Sydney's on the right.

Blessed!

I had the most wonderful, relaxing Mother's Day today with my hubby and girls. I woke-up to a BEAUTIFUL day with a wonderful BREEZE coming through the bedroom windows. Bob and the girls handed me four wonderful cards before I even rolled out of bed. Sophia let me borrow her "Me, Me, Me, it's all about Me Button". The Mother's Day card said that she wants it back tomorrow (no surprise to ME!).

We walked around the Village of Skippack Pennsylvania. They were having a Spring Fest event so the village was bustling with vendors and families that were out & about for Mother's Day brunch reservations. We had a fun brunch at Basta Pasta in Skippack. The food was YUM. The girls were angels during lunch (and the entire day for that matter!). We stopped by a craft booth which seemed to be the highlight of Sydney and Sophia's day. They both made a layered, colored sand bottle creation. Sydney was so proud of it. She held the bottle of sand on the drive home with a big smile on her face (the smile never left even went she started to dose off in the car). It was a smile of pure contentment... she really loves quality family time and will be getting much more of it very soon! Once we returned home, Sydney and I took a 2+ hour NAP in my bed which is not something I would normally do, but it felt good and was a nice ending to a beautiful morning. 


Bob made the day extra special by being extremely attentive which is something he does well and often! It was an ordinary day, but at the same time an extraordinary day with the girls giving me hugs, kisses and " I love yous" all day long. I am blessed more than I could ever imagine.

Below are some pics from brunch with my 3 favorite people in the whole, wide world!

I love you, Bob, Sydney & Sophia. Thank you for my special day!!
xoxoxo Love, Mamma

Tomorrow, I will post a pic of their sand bottle creations!

Happy Mother's Day!

--Susan