Ordinary happenings

Lots of ordinary things going on around the house these days—my favorite kind of happenings.

Remember these?

Can you figure out which dwarf we are missing?

Grandma and Grandpa (Will’s parents) bought these Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Pez dispensers (with accompanying candy of course) for Frances several weeks ago and she is hooked.

George has taken a liking to them, too; as long as they are filled with M&Ms – George’s candy of choice. 

And I’m with George on that one.  I’ve never understood the allure of Pez candies, except that it must be the thrill of chomping down on an overly-sweet pink rectangle ejected out of the mouth of one of your favorite Disney princesses.  And then there is the necessary playtime with the figurines following lunch.

Moving on...what would you do with an entire morning to yourself – no kids, no husband, no schedule?  I was recently granted this extraordinary gift from Will who only left me with one instruction as he tossed my Kindle into my purse – do not come home until I was completely ready.  Have I mentioned how much I love my husband?

Truthfully I had asked for some alone time to browse for some house things.  My ideal “perfect morning” would not have included quite as much shopping (maybe a little window shopping in Pottery Barn or Nordstrom, but otherwise it would have landed me on a soft chair in Barnes & Noble or down a quiet trail at James River Landing park).  But I had grown tired of some of our home décor and felt the need to rejuvenate some spaces, particularly our kitchen shelves. 

For most of the summer, they’ve looked like this:

We usually rotate them seasonally, but I was in the mood for a simpler look than our usual fall tchotchke:

Maybe it’s the chaos in my life, but I have grown weary of the typical autumn decorations– gourds, scarecrows, dark colored leaves.  So I went to my go-to place for champagne items on our bottled beer budget—Home Goods.  Greatest home store on the planet (or at least in Richmond) where I hit the jackpot:



I was on the hunt for a set of three white canisters, but didn't find anything I liked so I settled on the three white pitchers that didn't come as a set but go well together.  I'll still keep my eye out for those pesky canisters though--I have always wanted some.




Love the "LOVE" milkbottles.  I guess that's the point.



Those white pitchers needed a little something, yes?  Sunflowers!  The perfect fall touch.

White pitchers = happy!






I loved this white watering can with painted sunflowers, which appears to be my unintentional Fall 2011 theme.



Ahhhh, much better!  There is something about white that makes things feel clean and fresh.

In other news, George has officially graduated out of his toddler car seat and into the preschool model that uses a real seat belt.

After months of lifting a squirmy sack of potatoes into the toddler seat, my back and arms are already breathing a huge sigh of relief.  And the little guy is very proud to be just like his sister – cup holders and all!

Happy Labor Day everyone!  Will is at the office today so sadly it doesn’t feel like a true holiday to me; but rumor has it he may be home earlier than normal.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed but have wisely decided not to share this news with Frances and George for fear of a mutiny come 5pm.