THE Room: Summer 2014

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I never know what to call this room. Technically it is the Formal Living/Dining Room. But since there is nothing formal about my 1800 square foot house, I try to come up with other alternatives for its name. Let’s see…

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The Gnome Room? There are a lot of gnomes hidden throughout this room.

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The Music Room? Well, there is the piano that I force my children to play. Hmmmm. They would probably call it “the torture room” or “my mommy is the meanest room”.

We can’t have that.

Let’s move along.

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The Art/Antique Room? We do have a lot of antiques in here, including these old industrial spools. And there is a lot of art, but not as much as in other areas of our home. In fact in the Music Room picture, you can see we have just now begun climbing up the arched wall. The kids’ head sculptures will be going up there this week.

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The Library?

This would perhaps be closer to the truth, because we do have a ton of books. But I have never seen a library with book shelves that messy. I am sure libraries would disassociate themselves from a room like this.

But it was almost what I called it.

Except.

Well, except when I was putting together this post and looking through the pictures, one theme seemed to stand out. It was rather unexpected. I don’t know what to think about it.

Can you guess what it is?

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Yep.

We have a flippin’ Dog Room. What the heck? They’re everywhere. From being there in person to their gigantic mugs on the wall, I think they have claimed this room.

CanIne do anything about it?

Probably not. But it makes me laugh nonetheless.

Do you have a mish/mash room at your home? Do you always wonder what it really is? Have you finally decided on a name? You might be surprised at what the room ruffeals.

Happy 4th of July!

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I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday! And for those of you in other countries, I hope you have a lovely Friday. We used to always have a party at our house to celebrate, because we happen to have a great view of the city’s fireworks from our front yard. But my husband keeps having to work on the holiday and so I am I spending it with my kids. He will be home in time to grill dinner and watch the fireworks, but not in time to conduct a party.

I am just hoping the neighbors do not break out their potato gun this year and they do not burn our house down!

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Stay safe and happy and enjoy that barbecue! We are making my husband’s lemon chicken.

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I have three outfits in my head for the day. I love this Modcloth dress from last year. Another choice will be my white H&M dress with the beaded red, white, and blue necklace and red sandals. Or I might wear my white Free People clearance find from last summer with my vest I just purchased for 75% off.

I could also wear my Caravane Dress shown previously in this post. I figure it will hide the sins of the drink below.

Or since I am not having a party and only my neighbors will see me, I might stick to jeans.

I plan on holding my children close as we watch fireworks. Our car will be on in our driveway and as the local radio station plays the final song as they do each and every year, “Proud To Be An American,” my eyes will well up as they do each and every year. My husband served in The Army and I am just so proud of him and all of the men and women who have served our country. That song always brings it home for me. The sky will explode for a mere moment and my heart will pound to its beat.

I can’t wait!

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What are your plans for the day? I am making The Relaxer from Mama’s Fish House as the cocktail of the day. I opted to use pineapple juice instead of fresh pineapple because that is what I felt they did at the restaurant. I changed the quantities of two ingredients. Instead of 1/4 oz. pineapple juice the recipe calls for (I actually think that might have been a typo, because that would only be about a Tablespoon), I added 1/4 cup and instead of 1/2 cup of ice, I added one cup. Here is the recipe. It is amazing! It tastes just like Maui to me. Which I guess means a chocolate piƱa colada.

Happy Fourth of July!

Moroccan Shag Pillows

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The week before we went on vacation, I had stumbled upon a delightful surprise. These Nate Berkus Moroccan Shag Pillows. They are from Target. They are sold out online, however, the website was saying they were sold out when I looked them up right after I purchased them, too. This leads me to believe that some stores might still have them.

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I had been wanting these pillows for months. But the day I decided to get them in the middle of May, they were gone. Two weeks later, I found them again. Someone had returned them. I was not going to let them be sold out from under me again.

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I love the black and white pattern in the room that is full of color. It is a nice contrast. And the shag effect on them makes them feel soft. I had to replace the pillows that used to be on the chairs. They had become too worn. And the Rabbit Pillows I purchased a few months ago, have been a little dog-handled. I need to fix the pompoms or cut them off completely.

I will say the insert in this pillow is not the best. The pillow is stiff because of that, but for $25, that is to be expected. The pillow does not have a zipper so it is not possible (without some work) to change its insert.

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Do you have a thing for pillows? I cannot get enough.

Crochet In An Orchard

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Orange you glad I didn’t do a punny title?

It was hard.

So crorchard.

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When I purchased this skirt (slightly similar skirt here) at Anthropologie in 2012, I loved it. But I only wore it once, because it is a tricky skirt to wear. The waist screams for a belt, and the dividing line down the middle is distracting.

Nonetheless, I loved it.

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I finally found a top that I think works with this skirt. It is from Forever 21. It is $20. You really can’t beat that. I just bought my top a few weeks ago and I cannot find it online now. I bought mine in a store so they may still have one near you, if you like it. I did found a slightly similar top for the same price here.

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The House of Harlow necklace was a steal at Nordstrom Rack and the gold cuff was less than $6 at Forever 21.

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And this is why I like to hold on to things in my closet. Because I knew one day this skirt would find its match.

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Much like myself and this tree.

So, do you hold on to your clothes even if you have not worn the item in over a year? And what else would you suggest pairing with this skirt? I am re-loving it again. I also have it in blue. Because it was a steal, I tell ya. A steal. Any suggestions for the blue? That one is even crorcharder to style. I am thinking my Daydrifter tee. What do you think?

*The affiliate links in this post go to a slightly similar skirt and shirt above. I could not find an exact match, so if you like the Doily Skirt, I would also check eBay.

* I shared this on The Pleated Poppy!