Well, hello.

It seems like our peonies jumped out overnight. Don't they look happy?

It's crazy to think how long we've had them now (since we took them from our last house's garden...and had originally planted them about seven years ago). It reminds me of the house plant Husband and I bought at Lowe's back when we were in college... and we STILL have it in our living room. If that plant were a person, IT would be headed off to college at this point.

Yesterday little guy and I ventured out with some clippers to pluck a few blooms for inside, when a giant spider crawled out from between some petals and stared at us. So, I decided it wasn't terribly urgent. Maybe Husband will do the honors (including the insect-check) before we bring them in. They sure smell good, though.

And yes, the hoses do frequently still get left strewn across the walkway by Husband. Good thing they are so pretty.

A few things...

I seem to have a thing for blankets these days. Here's another great one from CB2. I really like the color combination of grey and rust.

Also they now sell these oversized house numbers which are not too bad, considering I am all about holding out for the perfect house numbers :)

And this tape dispenser. I just really like it. I've (strangely) loved office supplies since I was a kid, and this is just plain cool. I honestly don't remember the last time I used masking tape, but I suddenly want to. Like, for everything.

Bunny love

Am I too old to want this in my Easter basket?

Also coveting these pillowcases for the little guy's room. So cute.

Ok, maybe this, too.

Happy Easter basket building!

Spring is here!

 

Happy first day of spring. I love the feel of this space ... I want to go grab some giant branches this instant! And my peonies are already poking up out of the ground which is always such a great thing.

(image credit unknown)

Saturday adventure

 Oooookay...I see it's been a while since we posted. Sorry for that. We've actually been tackling some smaller projects at our own house on top of the regular work load, all while in the nearly constant company of a very curious and enthusiastic 2 1/2 year old (this kid doesn't stop moving). Hopefully we'll have some progress photos to share soon, but for now here are just a few photos from the day's "adventure". It's not as often as we'd like, but every once in a while we try to carve out time for family adventures. Last time we took a ferry ride to Bainbridge Island (a big hit with the little guy) and on Saturday we visited the Seattle Aquarium.

The seals were super friendly and put on quite the show, swimming right up to the glass before twisting and diving below the surface (we called them sea lions a la Pete and Larry). In the underwater dome we watched a woman diver swim about feeding the fish. This may have been the highlight - our little guy called her "Sea Captain" (again, from Pete and Larry :) and waved excitedly. He hasn't been able to stop talking about it since.

Afterwards, we walked down to Pier 54, the original Ivar's. Little guy had his first fried food (their breaded, fried cod is amazing).  

And we couldn't resist a quick pit stop on the way home to see the Hammering Man outside the Seattle Art Museum. 

Hope your St. Patrick's Day weekend was great!

Instant Love: Ticking Blanket

Our trusty white denim duvet cover purchased YEARS ago from Eddie Bauer Home (remember when EB had a home store?) is just not going to make it much longer. It keeps tearing along the top, even after a last-ditch repair attempt. Sadly I haven't been able to find anything I like as much (it's quite heavy which means it doesn't need ironing and looks pretty good with very little maintenance - just how we like things!) but today this fabulous ticking blanket made in Maine got my heart racing. It suddenly occurred to me that I could easily get an inexpensive white cotton duvet cover (two, even, for ease of rotation) and then dress most of the bed with this most perfect blanket. Apparently it gets better and better with washing and wear. These days we are all about low-maintenance, hard-wearing, and beautiful, so it seems this would fit the bill!

Endless Possibilities

 

Welcome, 2014! Here's to a fresh new canvas; a brand new year to fill with fun new adventures, gratifying design, and an unwavering focus what matter most to you.

(image from Tumbler, credit unknown)