• family
  • Jan17

    22 Comments

    It feels so good to be home again after a weekend of travel and work…I met with several clients this weekend in Fort Worth, Texas, and it was so fun! I love that town!

    After working, i met up with my good friend Camille and we hit this classic FW establishment for burgers

    and then “the shops” as my oldest son likes to call ‘girl shopping’…which included speculating about the perfection of this bag at J Crew

    Brompton hobo
    and the satisfaction of walking away from it..
     
    We drove around TCU and other areas pointing out charming houses..we always do that no matter what city! We like red doors, awnings, trailing ivy and other cuteness…i know you are shocked!
     
    Mainly we enjoyed talking and talking and more talking…We talked about mid-winter funk, are we the only ones having it?? I think not! We talked a lot about balancing motherhood and work and living a life of faith in this world. 
     
    Pinned Image
     
    There are few things better than being able to truly be yourself with someone, warts and all and get good constructive feedback that both encourages and sharpens..i love you Camille and appreciate your faithful friendship!
     
    But its good to be home with my little boys and their handsome daddy..breaks can be good for a mama, In fact, i truly enjoyed playing ball with my guys outside yesterday, honestly that’s not usually my thing, but the break helped refresh and refocus me on my main job and blessings!! 
     

    BTW, I may be heading to San Antonio for a weekend of decorating in the spring (april?)? So if you are interested in becoming a part of that “weekend o’ decorating,” let me know.  Also have considered trips later in the year to New Jersey, Connecticut and the Cincinnati area…I ’m not able to do this kind of travel alot but i do love going and working on spaces in person..so drop me a line if you are interested!

    More updates on various projects coming soon!  Hope you have an amazing week!

    Scroll to Top

  • Dec24

    9 Comments

     

  • Dec22

    14 Comments

    Today is my day of grace. I have decided to give up on the things not accomplished.  Sure I MUST go to the store later today but I mopped the floor and gave up on the idea of deep cleaning before Saturday.  Lazy or realistic?  Everything doesnt have to be perfect to enjoy the weekend.  Trying to focus instead on the things that DID get done and enjoy the present.

    Little things around our house giving me joy (besides two crazy boys who move to fast to be photographed)

    {Clockwise: An old plastic wreath on the back of the front door…i love this thing..so twiggy and i am loving the stripe ribbon against all of the plaid around here; Elton playing Christmas hymns, so pretty; the smell of rosemary and my absolute fave..vintage plastic nativitys, i love these.}

    And near my kitchen sink…I am loving the small fresh wreath i found with some boxwood clippings.i really wanted a boxwood wreath but never ordered one..this with the plaid ribbon works for me…especially with the bamboo blinds…

    I love the blue and white anthro plates i have hanging in the sink area and oh my this Christmas card from Rifle…i love photo cards but this one is so pretty too!

     Wreaths on my french doors (outside) they were drying out so i got them for half price…and of course little boys playing nutcrackers when they aren’t squabbling!

    And I am amazed at these Christmas cards…so pretty…my friends have the cutest kids! I did get cards done but not all mailed and the boys didnt really cooperate for photos..oh well.  I will post it this weekend;

    What little things are you enjoying around your home today????  Best of luck getting done what you must and letting go of the rest!

    Remember God sent Jesus into the world so we don’t have to be perfect!

  • Nov23

    26 Comments

    On this Thanksgiving, I have had a lot to think about.  It’s been a tough year to be honest but I don’t think I have ever enjoyed nesting and preparing for Thanksgiving like i have this year.  My mom helped me clean and decorate today.  Enjoyed having her here so much. I also received an email from a client this morning with this wonderful prayer (scroll down to bottom of Edie’s post to read).

    And i have been decorating today, more than cleaning! or cooking.  What can i say, its what i enjoy. Good thing my father-in-law is bringing the dressing!

    I am hosting Thanksgiving this year and was going to use white plates and not do any of this…and then my mom and Henry took a long nap and i started pulling things out..so fun.  I found the placecards via pinterest!  And the little clothespins are from Olive manna from last year..so glad I remembered i have them…It’s  fun to have a reason to use mini clothespins..we girls are funny that way huh? I love the napkins i scored from World Market…notice my glasses and plates don’t match..just mismatched transferware…i only have a few pieces of Spode Woodlands..oh well.  Oh and there is a stack of books in the corner..just not Faulkner.

    This room isn’t perfect, you will notice all of the silverware isn’t even on the table yet because its not CLEAN!  And hello, there is a PIANO in front of the window because there is not other spot for it in our house! Oh and I want to change the rod in this room so bad..See how easily I can get off course with wants and things i want to do before I am happy with this room or my entire house.  When really I should be thankful for this shelter that God has provided. Thankful for the beautiful music my husband makes on the piano. God gives us Shelter in so many ways, physically and spiritually.  This has been his gift to me this  year and I am just now realizing it I think…Funny how God developed this thought and truth in me today while cleaning and decorating! I am so glad He speaks to me in the midst of daily sillyness like tiny clothes pins and printing placecards! He is pretty cool that way!

    Speaking of frivolous, I bought those black and white ANA tapers ($$) last Feb in Seattle when visiting Emily..glad to finally use them.  I thought they might look a little hallloween with the pumpkins but since there is black in the banner (etsy) and i pulled out the black moustaches from henry’s party so they are black too..with the cotton bolls I think it creates a “Southern Gothic Thanksgiving” at least in my mind..I guess I should stack Faulkner books everywhere too!  ha!

    Anyway, most bloggers post photos of food today i guess but not me…actually i need to get back to the kitchen… But please do go read the prayer on Edie’s blog and think on Shelter…my sweet boy always uses that word in prayer and its been on my mind, and has brought me to Psalm 91 today. Thanks Edie, thanks Deb Grabein, thanks Drew Mathis… thank you Jesus. And thank you readers if you were able to stay with me as i jumped around from decorating and faulkner to the Lord.  I know its all random..I am sure I will get lots of unsubscribes but I don’t care, my heart is full and I wanted to share…the Lord is good and his love endureth forever!

    Happy Thanksgiving…Love, Holly

    Oh and check back on friday..i will have some Black Friday shopping links and chatter!

     

  • Aug19

    9 Comments

    Well it will be hot for WEEKS, weeks yall here in south Texas BUT today is our last day of summer vacation.  Hard to believe.  Our summer has been a whirlwind.  I can’t believe my oldest will be a first grader.  SO excited for him and his new year.  His teacher seems great and lots of boys in his class.  My mom is getting better I think after a tough summer of complications from chemo.  I am already getting lots of emails from moms who are reading to work on their nests now that their littles are back in school. I love what i do and cant wait to help these famlies make their houses into homes they love.  I have a list of things i want to do around my own house…like this pergola over the garage door!

     

    Remember if you live in the Houston area I can come visit you in your home but I can also work with you online if you live in another state or country.

    Like my mid day obsession with green doors.

    Oh yes you can see  I am still addicted to Pinterest.  Do you enjoy looking at your own pins..dont forget to go back and look at what you’ve already pinned..if you are like me you pin the same things over and over (its like buying the same shirt over and over..how many white tees do i really need?!) I love looking at my pins..its like visiting friends..strange i know.

    {my kids would SO swing on this ladder but i do love it and the gray walls}

    But who can blame me??  They are some great photos and inspiration..visit all of my pins and see sources on my boards.

  • Jul27

    32 Comments

    Well this is a hard post to write. My beautiful mama is battling breast cancer. It’s so personal and simply scary that have not wanted to mention online. My mom said its okay. But still it just seemed like if i blogged about it would be too real and too out there.  But when I see my mom walk out in public with a pretty scarf on her head and not even blink,  it seems silly to be so fearful about all of this.  At least the talking about it part. Of course there is still plenty to worry about.  Like will it come back, is the chemo worth it? All of these issues.

    So anyway here is the deal.  I would appreciate your prayers for my mama. Her  name is Debby and she has been through a lot the past few years.  Yet she is always fun and positive and always praising God and clinging to Him. She is alive because of early detection.  GET YOUR MAMMOGRAM and make your mama and sisters do the same. 

    And while i am not really into pink ribbons, I am into art.

    This etsy artist , a cancer survivor herself, along with other artists, donate 100% percent to cancer research…that is beautiful art for an even better cause. 

    If you love art, check this out!  I have ordered two pieces and love them, for more than one reason.

    And if you are on this journey yourself or with someone you love, God bless you and keep you through all of this sorrow. One of my clients told me after going through this with both parents that it is a powerful journey, painful but powerful.

  • Jul22

    17 Comments

    We just had a little get together for Henry’s birthday last weekend…just one special family of friends and grandparents, etc..not the big bash that we threw last year.  Some years are big party years at our house some years are not, some years are flops at overpriced farms! ha!  This year we had pizza and mama limited herself to ”just a few crafty things” which i didn’t even make so it was a nice compromise.   

    My secret..buy everything, even handmade stuff (from etsy) and most of it is recyclable…

    along with Target plates, straws left over from something else,  and plenty of seating for little people!

    Colorful straws, root beer in bottles and a cute banner..do the kids even care??? I actually think they do, at least when they are little. Drew came in and said “mom it looks great” and Henry ended the night singing Happy Birthday to himself in the bathtub. He has actually been singing it for days..so sweet.

    In the vein of “we are not going overboard” i kept the theme and decoration to a minimum but we had to have something to play with…Henry loves ceiling fans, wheels and anything that goes “roundy round” so we did a few pinwheels…huge hit! Actually by the time of the party, he had worn these nearly out but PICKLED PARLOR on etsy makes some darling and TOUGH pinwheels…so cute.  Henry’s aunt also got some great pinwheels at Hobby Lobby for $1 each and they are huge!

    and the moustaches were fun and i can save for another time..not all of them got destroyed. I have many photos on my hard drive of adults playing with these as well;;

    Brother LOVED these.  I am so glad he still thinks i am cool.  My days are numbered i know.

    So the menu was simple: pizza, ice cream and fruit (and cupcakes!)

    Ice cream is a bit difficult to serve…and little spoons take time to tie on but its cute!;; Spoons from Garnish (thinkgarnish.com) So cute but its not like you can leave ice cream stacked like this..it uhhhh melts!  duh!

    I had seen various fruit cone ideas on Pinterest (I will blog more about that next week with inspiration photos styled better than here;) so i tried this too…stuffing fruit in the cones..actually i took this fruit before i dumped the fruit in the cones…something that take a bit more time than i realized.  Oh well.

    I love this banner I bought last year in Mississippi…at that old department store in Oxford. 

    I used it earlier in the week to get photos of the birthday boy! Thanks again Lynsey Kramer!

    image

    There is just something about being a mama and God’s creation that makes most mamas want to do something festive for birthdays..doesn’t have to be over the top..i am hoping i am learning the fine line between fun and frantic/crazy and pride. I think we all know our limits and what we are good with..some it may be an awesome cake or game..or some decorations or meal.  I just hope my boys remember they were loved and mama is very excited each year when we celebrate their birth into our world and family! That they are special.

    image

    I love you little Henry!

     

  • Jul16

    12 Comments

    We are having more birthday celebrations today..back to regular blogging next week…

    image

    I have to tell you, one way to combat “birthday party stress” and scale back is to have birthday photos taken the week of, you will feel like you have accomplished so much. My friend Lynsey captured these for us and now i feel like i can really enjoy just hanging out and celebrating today and don’t even have to pick up my camera.  Thanks friend!

    Y’all have a safe weekend!

  • Jul14

    10 Comments

    Yesterday was Henry’s birthday…I can’t believe my baby is two years old!

    You have sure changed our lives Mr Henry Brooks Mathis!

     Last year we had quite the celebration to mark his first birthday!

     This year is much more low key with just grandparents and one little family of friends…but it will be just as special in a different way. I hope to have  2 year photos to show soon…he is growing so fast and has so much hair now compared to his first birthday photos!

    Thank you Lord for this little boy and his lively spirit and zest for life. And for his big brother, help them grow and become oaks of righteousness, plantings of the Lord. amen.

  • Jun21

    127 Comments

    This is so weird to post about on the www but i feel the need to..not sure why..for some reason i really want to show y’all this baby board.  It’s so strange but i guess this is my love language,  so here it is. Maybe I can have a bit of closure once i share my silly, very premature plans.

    This was to be a nursery nook for MY little girl, just a little area of the master bedroom for a new baby.  I thought I would section the area off with some Aina drapes from IKEA.  See we recently found out we were expecting number three, total shock since we weren’t trying and number one was so hard to conceive, in fact he took years…so suddenly seeing two lines on the home pregnancy test was quite a shock..scary and exciting..Since it wasn’t planned surely God really wanted this little one to be a part of our family. I knew better than to fantasize it was a girl but I indulged myself knowing that God already had the baby’s life planned regardless of my thoughts or target purchases..I couldn’t jinx it, He is sovereign.  Little did i know it wasn’t meant to be.  I miscarried last weekend.

    I hadn’t announced on the blog yet, have only told a few friends and clients and family of course. Wishing i had not told big brother. But of course he has taken it in stride.

    I could go on and on, i know many of you have experienced this and I am so sorry for your loss and if even just reading this post brings any pain. I know some of you might be going through this and don’t have two children at home to comfort you like i do…just watching my boys right now is sweet balm to my soul.  So for all of you who have been through this, some of you many times, i pray you will have your babies soon and the grace to go on if you don not…my experience has me thinking about you and lots of other things.

    Original Paintings by Lisa Golightly

    I really wanted this piece of art for my baby girl’s nursery nook..I was already praying she would be a little girl not afraid of the monkey bars, unlike her mama… It’s from Lisa Golightly and was on the Sebastian Foster gallery page here but its gone…just like the little baby. {edited to say, i found a numbered print and was able to order it!}

    I don’t understand all of this..i just know our world and bodies are broken and things don’t work seamlessly on earth…but someday they will..in the meantime all of these sweet babies are in beautiful places, even more peaceful and wonderful than i can dream up on a design board.  A place where expensive cribs and linen don’t even matter.  I am really longing for that place.  Maybe that is why God allows us to experience these hardships, so we desire him and his promises more than what this world has to offer.

    So goodbye Sweet baby Caroline, if you were  even a girl.  I had dreams of buying you dresses and what your face and hair might be like..how wonderful it would be to have a daughter to watch get married and become a mother and one day take care of me when I was old and sick. Your brothers will have to do it all now..and i know they will..they are good boys so you can just rest and go be in the most beautiful nursery ever created with a Heavenly father that loves you even more than i could…goodbye baby.

    And if you any of you readers want to use these baby room ideas please enjoy, they were pulled together with much love and inspiration. I will post all of the sources later…or you can email me for specific information..

    love, Holly

    Related Posts with Thumbnails