Things I Probably Shouldn't Tell You

1. My son is obsessed with poop these days. As of today, he has been peeing on the potty for one week - one whole week without accidents. He has pooped on the potty once, and it was after I bought him this book:




He loves the book and wants me to read it to him all the time. He asks questions about what the animals and people are doing in the book, and we make jokes about it. Is this a guy thing??

2. I made up a song today called "I love sour cream, and I love cream cheese: if it is cheesy and creamy, I love it." Just thought you should know.

3. I haven't cooked more than once a week in almost a year. With traveling and dealing with a picky eater (which means I would be cooking for one most nights), I have refused to cook real meals. Well, either I have refused or I have been to exhausted to lift a pan. But all that is going to change this week ... I just got home from Publix with close to $200 worth of groceries and plan to do some damage in the kitchen this week.

4. The past month has been hell. Capital H-E-Double Hockey Sticks. Between several health and financial issues (like slamming my finger in the car door, going into shock, and then hitting the babysitter's car and causing $800 worth of damage that same night), I have been hanging on by a thread. One morning, I was in a lot of pain and wanted to remember it. I wanted to remember the pain so I could remind myself of what it was like to hurt that much ... so I could be that grateful when it ended. So I took this:




5. Grey's Anatomy is my form of self-medication. If you need some help, I highly recommend it. Just be careful ... it's addicting. Seriously.

I'm a bad, bad, blogger ...

I really love to write. And I love to share on my blog. I'm just really bad at it ... and when anything feels overwhelming, my tendency is to ignore it. (Healthy, right?) So to the 3.5 of you who read this ... sorry. The good news (to all 4.5 of us) is I feel a little bit like I am having trouble containing the things that have been rising in me, and I want to share. So there are some posts a comin'.

In the meantime, I will leave you with my new favorite obsession song. And no, it's not because of the associated movie which I haven't seen. :) I just love Christina Perri! Enjoy.

Home, Sweet, Home | Simpsonville, SC

We've been here 10 days, and all the boxes save one are unpacked. We've painted four rooms and countless feet of trim, hung curtains and frames, and slept A LOT. I decided on a base palate of greys and blues, and one of the colors I love the most is in the laundry room. I got to paint it before the movers came, so it was super easy. It started out as a cream color, and there were lots of black streaks and marks on the wall. It's hard to see in this shot, but here's what it looked like prior to painting:





30 minutes and a half gallon of Behr paint later:





You can tell I took the picture later that night because of the yucky florescent light. But I lurrve the color and have enough to paint Henry's bathroom with it!

Once the washer and dryer were moved in, I added a white shelf (replacing the wire shelf that came in the room originally) and put a basket and tin pail on top. I haven't taken a final picture because I have been doing the mounds of laundry nonstop since we got here. I'll snap one once I have a moment to clear out the room.

Yay for making this house our home and yay for pretty colors. :)

Arrivederci, Italia! | Florence, Italy

Whew! After a whirlwind of 3 whole days, we have flown home, gotten the keys to the new house, painted two rooms (with help), and moved about 1/3 of our things (also with help). I am so glad to be back in the US! Thank you to all of my friends who prayed for our travels ... God was with us, and I had peace during the trip.

I still can't believe we spent our summer in Italy. We saw so many beautiful places and experienced new culture; I will always be grateful for the opportunity to live there for a season. And I will miss several things:

1. GELATO. Hands down our (and by "our" I mean mine and Henry's) favorite thing about Florence. There is a gelato shop on almost every corner, and we tried most of them before settling on our favorite, which was, lucky for us, right around the corner. My flavor was crema (vanilla), and Henry's was fragola (strawberry) until I converted him to crema. We (no lie) ate it every day, sometimes twice a day.

2. The Diner. We went there for lunch and Sunday breakfast a lot, and they have the best pancakes. Ever. Henry's favorite was blueberry, but he had strawberry the last week we were there, and o.m.g. they were delicious! One of the owners was British and incredibly nice ... he recognized us when we came and was sorry to see us leave. Also, it was nice to be a regular somewhere.

3. The shopping. Italy has two of my favorite stores, Benetton and Espirit. And while these shops are in the US, they aren't in Greenville. Florence has, yes count them, three Benetton stores. :)

4. Our new friends. It's always great to meet new people from around the world, and John's job is the perfect scenario for just that. We made a friend for life in Alessandra.



(Henry fell in love with her right away.)






On our last night in Italy, we spent it like most nights ... gelato in the Piazza Santa Maria Novella.





Walking past our favorite restaurant that was just down the street ...



(We ate here at least 66% of our time in Italy.)


Watching the last bit of daylight hit the Duomo ...





And returning home to our huge, ancient door ...





I snapped a couple of cute pics of Henry along the way.









I loved Italy and our time there. But oh how I love being home. Previews of the house coming soon!

Happy Birthday to My Guy! | Florence, Italy

I'm a big birthday person. Not big as in big parties or big presents - although those sometimes occur - but big as in emphatically celebrating the life of the person with the birthday. John, however, is not a big birthday person, and we have had some funny experiences through the years. I've gone all out for him, inviting all of his family and friends to a dinner where he was celebrated and sung to - yeah, he really loved that. Then there was the time that I told him not to make a big deal of my birthday (meaning no party or big gift), and he didn't even buy me a card or say happy birthday to me until I started crying over it. Fun times.



(We have learned a lot about each other in the last 5 years.)


So for his birthday this year, I took John to The Diner for brunch. It's this little spot tucked away behind the Duomo that serves American food (we are so sick of pasta and pizza!!). We did some minimal shopping for him afterward, and I didn't force him to try on anything (this is usually a struggle because he would buy something if it fit right but he hates trying things on.) We got some gelato, headed home, and relaxed for the rest of the day.

It was nice, and John had a good day, which was the point. But I feel like my husband needs to be celebrated in a big way. Here's why:

1. He has a huge desire to serve others. When we were first married, we would fight over who would bring the groceries inside because I was independent and he wanted to do it for me. He is always willing to help people without asking for anything in return. John truly has the heart of a servant.

2. He is a genius - he knows it and anyone who has ever worked with him knows it. But John would never brag about his intelligence; it's just the opposite actually.

3. He is an incredible father. He will spend 10-12 hours at the office dealing with billions of dollars and then come home to build forts and play cars and run around with Henry. John encourages Henry, always tries to see things from his point of view, and takes the time to teach Henry.

4. He has made it clear to me and Henry that we are his number one priority and that his purpose is to provide for us and protect us in every way he can. Anytime I share my anxieties with him, he knows he can't fix it, but he always reassures me that I am not in this alone, and he always has my back.

5. I could go on for a while, but I am pretty sure you have jobs or kids to get back to. So, I will end by saying that he is really easy on the eyes.

The Day the Pigeons Lost Their Sh%t | Florence, Italy

So, I have decided to take a break from my regularly scheduled obsession with thoughts about home decor and tell you a little story about pigeons.

A week or so ago, Alessandra and I were headed towards our usual lunch spot, Il Grillo, with Henry in tow. We were walking past one of the many outdoor eating establishments, when we noticed two pigeons lurking near a table that had not been cleared.

Now, a little backstory is required. The pigeons here are HUGE. They are huge, lurking, beggars who shamelessly bob around the city hoping for crumbs from unsuspecting tourists. (I say tourists because the locals are smart enough to know what happens when you feed them.) They are not afraid. These birds will circle your feet as you eat and will only return to the same spot if you happen to shoo them away with a slight movement (or a kick). Shameless, I tell you.

The second piece of information you need to know is that while I am uncomfortable with aggressive birds, Alessandra has an intense fear of all birds. This is important to know when you live in a city littered with huge, lurking, beggar pigeons.



(These guys are quite small compared to most in Florence.)


So on that day, we were strolling past that now infamous scene where two patrons had left their half-eaten plates and empty wine glasses on the table. Alessandra and I were chatting away about our upcoming holiday trips when two of the fattest pigeons I have ever seen hop up on the uncleared table. They began to peck away at the leftover food, as if taking turns enjoying their feast. Then, they start pecking at lightening speed, fighting over the food. They were going so fast and with such force, their wings began to flutter, and they were hovering/hopping over the food, trying to box each other out. The plates and silverware were clanking together, making a horrible cacophony of beastly gluttony, and the wine glasses were shoved off the table by their fat, little bodies. The shattering glass did not stop their war; these pigeons did not relent until the waiter came to literally beat them away with a stick.

It was seriously disturbing, and sadly, one of the experiences in Florence that I will never forget. And without trying to get all deep on you, I will say that scene reminded me of our animal-like desperation and depravity and demand to be fulfilled. Or, simply put, those pigeons lost their shit.

Color Choices | Florence, Italy

With the big move coming up, I have a lot of design decisions to make. First and foremost, I want to decide wall colors so that I can have the painting done quickly. Here is a layout of the downstairs part of the house:



(This is a rough draft since I have only seen pictures)


I have decided on an antique white color for section 1 because the kitchen cabinets are oak and the appliances are black. Since it is a rental and I can't change the cabinet colors (which I would paint an antique dark grey btw), the antique white will give some sort of balance and calmness to the space while lightening it up a bit.

But section 2 ... oh, section 2 ... is proving to be a bit harder to decide upon. It's basically a blank slate because we are getting new furniture, so I don't have color constraints there. I have narrowed it down to three colors, inspired of course, by Pinterest. As you can imagine, I have spent a lot of time there lately. So here are my 3 top favs right now:



(1. a creamy light taupe)




(2. a light green)




(3. a medium grey)


I am really going for a calm, soothing, inviting feel, so I think any of these colors would accomplish that. But which one??

Vote for your favorite in the comment section. I'll be sure to post before and after pictures of the final choice!