Live or Blog? Plus a really big house!

Seems I can't do both!  The last month or two have been crazy.  I haven't really had any desire to blog, just guilt!  But I do again, not sure what changed.  It may be the sunshine and arrival of spring.  I've popped out of my winter malaise like my crocuses and daffodils have popped out of their winter bulbs!

Last month Matt and I escaped to St. George for a little sunshine and quiet (only taking the 7 month old qualifies as quiet for parents of 6 kids, I'll tell you!)  What we didn't get was much sun and warmth, it snowed!  We did have a wonderful time.  Thank you to the super Grandparents who made it all possible!

We drove into Kolob Canyon of Zion National Park.  It was probably our sunniest day (the drive down).

We always check out the home show while we are there.  This time we saw more houses than usual because of the overall stormy weather which made hiking less than ideal.  In a questionable move, we decided to see the biggest house first.  It was a mere 10,764 square feet with four master suites (sweets!).  They each had these funky bathrooms.

 
But the true master had a shower with the coolest glass surround.

The first thing you saw was this fabulous garage, but admittedly it wasn't the prettiest approach. 
You walked into the courtyard where there was a fabulous seating area with fireplace
 and fountain.  We both loved this and want to make a smaller version for our back patio.  Wouldn't it be perfect?  No pool for little ones to drown in, very natural with real rock and a nice splashing. 

The backyard wasn't hurting in the fountain area either.  This was the coolest!  Here it is in daylight.

 And here it is at dusk!

 Even with the four master suites, there was plenty of room for a huge kitchen.

 The formal sitting area was flanked by huge stone covered columns. 

And the view wasn't too shabby. 

 It was a beautiful house and so fun to look at.  Of course it had a theater room, pool and lots of there pretty stuff, but I had to stop somewhere! 

Hope you enjoyed seeing this monster house.  I'll show you more beautiful desert houses over the next few days. 

Inspiration for Decoration

 Found a new blog, Inspiration for Decoration.  It's just like I like it, not much chit chat (which I always read even though I don't have the time, generally to hear someone pontificate over a pretty picture) and lots of pretty pictures. 

Today I'm thinking about mudrooms or the lack thereof.  I'd love to have this:

But instead I barely have room for this:


But mine isn't nearly as pretty.  Darn.

Southern Living Showcase Home

 Hooked on Houses featured this beautiful home recently. 

I love the ceilings, the light colors and pretty windows.

And this kitchen is so beautiful.  I love the cabinets, counters and colors!  When my kids get out of the drive cars all over the floors, leave lots of spills around, play in the snow period, I want pretty wood floors just like this. 

It's About Time for a Pretty Picture

Wouldn't you say so?

This one reminded me of my sister, Chelse; probably because of the yellow and the frames she used at her wedding reception.


I found this along with so many pretty bedrooms on Shorely Chic . 

This one undoubtable belongs in a warm, sunny beach house.

And I would love to have french doors just like this in my bedroom.

Shorely Chic has captured my attention with these beautiful images.  I really want to visit this pool!  You have to go here to see the rest of this beautiful house!

MaLM - Organize

Make a List Monday -- What to Organize
There are MANY things that I would like to organize, starting with my life, ha ha!

Let's see.

1. My life
2. my bedroom
3. my closet
4. my laundry room
5. my paperwork
6. my pantry
7. my garage
8. my storage room
9. my scrap/craft/exercise room

Okay, I could keep on going. . .

But let me just say that no matter how organized my pantry is, it will never look like this.

And it's a shame, too, because it is beautiful! But for one thing, I would never stencil all that on the walls. For another thing, my pantry shelves are all REALLY deep, so it won't ever look this good.

But if you want to see more of this beauty, check it out at House of Smith's.

Lake House Anyone?

Would anyone else like a beautiful lake house with beautiful cedar siding? If you could choose, where would you put your house? By a mountain, by a lake or ocean, in the desert or on the plains, or does it not matter as long as you are in the big city (or near it)? Just wondering.

Blue

What a pretty kitchen, don't you think? I'd paint my ceiling blue if I had a flat, un-vaulted one, and also if I hadn't already painted it once and realized what a total pain it was! I also love the few glass front cabinets, just the right amount I think.

I also love this living room. The blue is perfect. I don't have this formal of a space in my house though. Maybe someday. I love the curtains, fireplace, french doors and the symmetry.

Sarah Richardson's Cottage

I've heard a lot about Sarah Richardson, a designer from Canada, with several t.v. design shows, around the Internet these days. I pretty much love everything in her portfolio on her website, Sarah Richardson Design. I thought I'd share some pretty pictures of a cottage she designed.

I love the pastel colors, of course.

I love the beach house look.

All I'd need are a bunch of cosy rugs to make it work here in snow land. (It's coming. . .)


Watch for more soon.

Dining room light

Just another "perfect" dining room light. Of course, I have no idea where to get it, and if I did it would be way too expensive. Boo for me!

From Elements of Style

A Vaulted Kitchen

My lucky sister is getting to design a new kitchen (part of a new house she's building). I thought she might appreciate this inspiration :).


Isn't it gorgeous!

Seen on Daisy Pink Cupcake

Kids Bathroom Trough Sink

I think this is so adorable. I don't think I'd ever be brave enough to put something so non-traditional in my house though. I'm too cheap. I would always figure it wouldn't pay off in the end.


From La La Lovely

Pink Chair, oooooohhhh!

I love pink, I do. And this chair is darling! I wish I could sew a slipcover like this. Check out the before and after, too.

From Much To Do With Nothing

Darling Play Kitchen

I found a blog that mostly sells refinished furniture, The Frosted Gardner. And while some of the pieces are very cute, I really wanted to show you this play kitchen that her mother put together for the grand kids. Isn't it amazing?


A real fridge with treats, a real sink, lots of play pieces and all darling! I want to make one of these for my grand kids (in a lot of years). Check out the other pictures and a list of all the amenities here!

Stripes for the Playroom

Wouldn't a playroom (like mine) look darling in stripes like this?

Seen on Room Remix along with a lot of other great stripes.

Inspired Beautiful Bedrooms

Over at Things to Inspire, there is the most beautiful collection of bedroom pictures. The post is all about whether to build in windows on either side of a bed. I think it is beautiful and would always go for more windows (whenever I build my dream house). What do you think?

A Dining Room Light

I have been wanting a new light above my dining table ever since I moved in and hated our $40 special.

Matt promised we could get a new one, and even "gave" me one for my birthday (for me to choose out). The problem is, I can't decide what to get. And I've thought about it, trust me. I just saw this one on Simplified Bee, a new-to-me blog. I think this one might be perfect. Great, I'm sure it is terribly expensive.


That's why we still have the $40 special!

Another pretty one from Room Remix

A Spot of Sun

The kind of spot of sun I dream about all winter long-a beautfiul patio/dining area.

From Brabourne Farm

More beautiful parties

More partying going on around the blogosphere.


and much more at Daisy Pink Cupcake

Birthday parties

I haven't had too many really cute birthday parties for my kids, okay, I haven't had many parties for them period. I just think it is too much crazy work. But sometimes I feel up to it. I may have to use some of these really cute ideas I've seen around the web recently.

A sweet candy themed one at Hissyfits Photography.

A whole slew of adorable parties at Kara's Party Ideas like this adorable Raggedy Ann party.

And more cute parties at One Charming Party.

A Lovely Laundry

Not even a laundry room as pretty as this would make me want to wash all the clothes from our weekend away, plus loads before that are still waiting, lurking, stinking...


From Brabourne Farm