Gardening. Cooler than I thought.

I have learned a few things about my husband since we moved to Georgia.  Things I might never have known had we stuck it out in Boston.  For instance, Sean loves to cut wood.  Chop?  He chopped up a huge, old magnolia tree from my parents' yard.  He did it for fun.  I look forward to sewing or painting or making jewelry.  Seans just wants to chop wood.

Timber!!!!!

Sean is really interested in gardening. It is all he reads about and all he wants to talk about.  Everywhere we go he observes the plants.  This works out well because I want to "garden" but my method is trial and error. It's much better when someone involved is really informed and knows how it should be done.  We will probably waste much less money with Sean running the show.  I'm not ashamed to admit my contribution is hard labor and picking the prettiest flowers.

One of the big Azalea bushes in our yard.

Why am I telling you about my husband?  Well, we are in the process of planting a vegetable garden and I have learned something pretty incredible.  In the past, when I wanted to plant flowers in my city-yard (patch of grass) I would go to Home Depot or Lowe's and buy some flowers without much thought.  When our vegetable garden was just a thought we went to a local nursery called NeSmith's where they told us that they don't carry anything that won't grow in this area.  Lowe's and Home Depot will carry plants that are popular even if they don't do particularly well in your area.  Good to know but not the incredible thing.

Old Timey Plant Sale

Then this weekend we went to an "old timey plant sale" at Birdsong Nature Center (which was a cool new discovery as well).  I didn't think much about what "old timey" might mean.  When we got there we found out that all the plants were donated from gardens in the area.  I am pretty sure most of the plants had been propagated because they were really young looking.  It was amazing to talk to the people who had donated the plants.  Plants with stories?  Seriously.  Like antique plants.  How amazing is that?  Really amazing.  We went with the intention of just checking it out but how could we leave empty handed?  We talked to this woman with a really incredible butterfly garden and ended up buying some plants that came from her garden. We also bought some rose bushes, herbs, and a few flowers. 

I learned that many of the bugs important to the health of your garden will only thrive when they can eat plants native to the region. Pretty important little bit of information.  Healthy bugs = healthy poop = healthy plants.

Our spoils from the Plant Sale and NeSmith's

While we were talking to the rose guy we found out that there is a nursery in Tallahassee called Native Nursery  that specializes in.....native plants.  Very simply, they grow plants from plants found in local gardens...like antique pickers.  I. Never. Knew. This. Existed.  This makes gardening infinitely cooler in my opinion.

So here is our veggie garden in its infancy.  Here goes nothing...

Regarding the title.  I know community gardening is pretty hipster-y.  It was the last time I had contact with hipsters anyway.  Well, if you aren't on this already hipsters...get on it.  

Chandelier makeover.

This is nearly a completely unoriginal idea.  I wish I could claim some part of this is at least "inspired by..."...but it's pretty much a total copy cat project.  When I saw Jenny's post on LGN about spray painting her chandelier I had never seen or thought about painting a chandelier.

Chandeliers cost too much at their cheapest for me to buy one that I don't love.  The chandeliers that I love would require some saving and there are many things I would rather spend money on right now.  I had resolved to just live with our current chandelier and look at it as little as possible.  It was a metal multi color rub something something...I would never shop for this look so I don't have a clue what to call it.  I didn't get a before picture...oops.  You can see the bottom of it below.  It had small, off-white lamp shades over each bulb which I removed pretty soon after we moved in.

Whit and Uncle Ryan opening presents.

Also, the hardware in the kitchen is silver:

Oh and the sconces in the family room (seen behind Whit and Uncle Ryan) are brass.  WHAT!?  I don't know how this kind of thing happens.  It bugs me all day.

Ok so.  The light.

I love when you get an idea and know it's the right thing.  I could have so much more done if I didn't spend so much time wavering back and forth between ideas.  The second I read about painting a chandelier I knew exactly what I was going to do.  No wavering.

Here is the wall paper in our kitchen:

I am still surprised that I like it as much as I do.  I like the colors.  I hardly love any of the colors on their own.  I do, however, love how my furniture works with the colors.  There is an incredible flow happening in my house.  I have had flow in small doses in the past but never like this. (Finally!) My crazy bright chairs (here and here) and weird pink chest feel like they have a place in the real world...not just my world.

Incase you are wondering about the flow:  The overall feel of the wall paper is pink which is what works with my dresser and chairs.  Greens and blues are happening in the dining room and formal living room.

I knew immediately that my chandelier would be purple.  Purple things have been working their way into my kitchen accessories over the past two years but I haven't fully committed.  I have a love/hate relationship with purple.  It's one of those colors I like but can't wear or live in...you know?  I love the purple in the wall paper, though...a gray lavender.  Purple but not PURPLE.  Also, purple starts sounding terrible when you say it too much.  Purple.

Purple tray.

Purple canister.

After cleaning it and taping the electrical parts, I hung the chandelier from a tree branch and primed.

It looked so cool in the tree I was tempted to leave it.  Not really, but the juxtaposition was entertaining.

I used Krylon's Gum Drop.  I was afraid with a light color and all the pink happening already that I would get this pastel "ice cream" feeling.  I don't expect that to make sense but that is the name of my fear.  It's like when you go into an ice cream shop and the whole place smells like sugar.  By the time you get to the counter you don't even want ice cream b/c the smell was enough...it doesn't sound like a bad feeling..but it is.  It's just too much sweetness.

It turns out that feeling didn't happen.   Every time I see it I smile...literally.  

That's it.  Purple chandelier.  Even Sean loves it. I phrase it like that because he was less than excited when I told him my plans.  His first question was how much will it cost to replace it?  

Gallery wall on brick.

I haven't blogged in a while, I know.  This discovery, however, is too good not to share.  So...here is an out of the blue blog post.  Also, I hope it gets me blogging again...I need something to hold me accountable for getting things done around here.  My mind races thinking about all the things we need and want to do.  It's paralyzing.

We have had gallery photo walls in our past few houses.

Part of Gallery Wall

By the time we were getting our house ready to sell in Massachusetts I was glad to take down the photos.  It was starting to feel so tired.  Isn't there some twist that can be given to make gallery walls more exciting??!!?  All those frames were an investment and the big empty wall intimidated me so it stayed up until we had to put our house on the market.

New House

So..new house and a million frames that I am not that excited to find a place for.  For a month and a half all of my photos and art have been stacked on the floor, waiting to be destroyed by a toddler.  (Secretly, I was hoping a toddler might take a few out so I would feel less guilty about not using them.)  Almost two months and NOT A SINGLE frame has been damaged.  I guess I should be proud.

At some point, while I was waiting for my kids to make my decisions for me, inspiration struck...A gallery wall on my big, empty, ugly, awkward brick wall.  Yesss.  (Brick walls can be incredibly cool and urban....this one is too intentional...it's painful...)

The fireplace is not centered and it drives.me.nuts.

I hate hanging things.  Sean hangs everything with exactly the right tools.  I, on the other hand, have no desire to be that detailed and now that I have seen what amount of detail can and should be considered when hanging anything I worry that every nail I put in the wall will not hold.  So...I let Sean know I need to hang something and at some point he appears with the correct tools and things get hung.

When my third request to hang pictures on brick produced no results I asked why.  Sean was reluctant to put a bunch of holes in our brick wall and I realized that I was thankful that he never showed up with a hammer.  Having to place the pictures exactly where I wanted them the first time made me incredibly nervous...and I what if I didn't like it?...there would be a bunch of holes in our brick wall.  Not easy to fix...I'm guessing.  Details, details.

After some begging and false confidence (on my part) in how awesome it would look, Sean began to research alternatives to nails in brick.  Thank goodness he did!  He found these:

They clip to the brick and support up to 25lb.  I was skeptical because the word "clip" doesn't conjure up an image of strength, but they are magic.  I hung all the frames in about 10 minutes.  10 minutes.  (See B still watching a TV show on the ottoman?..10 minutes!) And nothing has fallen off yet.

10 minutes

Obviously, there will be tweaking done to spacing and I will probably add a frame or two but there are 6 less frames waiting to be destroyed by toddlers.

Boom.  Close up.

Want an update?

This one goes out to my Massachusetts friends.

Hi guys.  I miss you.  It's been just over a month now.  Thought I would drop you a line and let you know....if I haven't already...how we are doing.

*Grammar loving friends (ahem..you know who you are) I apologize ahead of time...just remember how much you love me otherwise.
**Very little of the normal design blogging going on.**

We moved in with my parents in Pelham, GA.  (Pelham: A Special Place....No..seriously...That's the town motto or whatever.)  Pelham is tiny.  2,000 people tiny.  That's TINY, right?  We are apx. 30 minutes from Thomasville, GA....50 minutes from Tallahassee, FL....3.5 hours from Atlanta, GA.  Not bad.  We moved in with my parents partially so we can get a feel for Thomasville and figure out where we want to live.  In the last month I have learned a few things about Thomasville one of which is that it takes at most 7 minutes to get anywhere in Thomasville....at least the parts I find important so far.  So it really doesn't matter where we end up b/c we are close to everything because it is much smaller and less traffic-y than Boston.  Go figure.  It's like packing for a tropical vacation while going through a New England winter.  It's almost impossible to fathom warmth and not needing at least a light jacket...It was hard to fathom no traffic and a small area.  But here we are!  NO TRAFFIC!!!  SMALL TOWNS!!!

Good LORD is it beautiful here.  In a totally different way than New England beautiful..because is definitely beautiful there.  My 30 minutes drive to Thomasville everyday has not yet gotten old.  The greenery is so lush.  I love it.  Pecan tress.  Have you ever seen one?  They are everywhere here.  Beautiful in the summer and amazingly creepy in the winter.  Check it.

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Why do I drive to Thomasville everyday?  B is going to school!!!  That's right and no...I did not cry the first day.  He loves it!  It is good for so many reasons.  I get one on one time with Whit...B is someone else's problem for three hours a day and I mean that in the nicest way possible.  The move for B has been than less than smooth.  It is getting better but all of the change hasn't been easy for him.  It's not always bad but he doesn't have his own play space and very few of his toys.  THANK GOD IT IS WARM AND HE CAN PLAY OUTSIDE! Good news, though...he and Whit are actually showing signs of friendship now.  They love playing together...mostly.  Ha.  Whit?  Whit is great.  She is on the verge of serious talking and she is so happy and makes friends with everyone.  Very southern already if I do say so myself.

Thomasville, GA.  Let me tell you...every time I visit Thomasville I fall more in love.  Sean and I were here in March (or April..?) and my Mom took Whit and me there one afternoon so go to a fabric store.  The downtown was unbelievable.  I went home and told Sean...we went there together the next day and that night we were looking at houses online.  True story.  More truth?  In my heart I have been ready to move south since I got pregnant with B.  I was just waiting for Sean to be ready.  I love Boston but I missed mt family and I needed them.  I waited...very patiently...and this spring Sean was ready.  Thomasville has an Amherst/Northampton/Cambridge feel which is why I think Sean was completely comfortable and excited about making the move.  The town puts a lot of value in the arts and in their past.  They have successfully and genuinely restored their downtown (main street).  Yesterday we went into town and everywhere there were people shopping downtown. It is not a charming ghost town of what once was like so many places I have seen (lived).  It is not a disney-fied version of the idealistic main street.  It actually IS a main street that people go to for clothes...coffee...food...gifts...home decor...

Harvesting pecans with Gator

What is the biggest difference between here and Mass?  People invite you to church when they find out you are new.  Someone actually apologized the other day for having not invited me already.  I was speechless.  "That's...ok?"  What?  Huge difference.  

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B at Chick - fil - a.

So..this is getting wordy and has very few pictures.  I will write a few more posts about some experiences we have had (and include more pictures!).  Quickly, though...we joined the Y which is across the street from B's school.  Whit loves getting to be around other kids...she really misses our regular weekly play date with Arabelle, Lillian, Ethan, Abigail, Luke, Mikayla, Olivia, and Liam. I miss Baby Bootcamp but have found a great and VERY challenging yoga class. We started going to First United Methodist in Thomasville.  I haven't been to Sunday School in over 10 years but I am very happy to return so some of the traditional aspects of church that Mercy House and Reunion chose to leave behind or alter.  We found so much growth and family in those churches but I can't lie that after starting a family I missed the community I experienced in a more traditional church.  I hope I don't offend any of my Mercyhousers or Reunion family. I love you all!  

Sean has some interviews coming up and we are starting to look at houses in Thomasville.  Request for prayer from my praying friends! 

That's it for now. 

Love you all.

Jaw on the floor.

If I had a time machine at this very moment I would go back to planning my wedding and include these two things.  Wow.

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Wall Inspiration

INSPIRATION!

This photo struck me when I saw it on a blog....crap.  I can't find the source now.  Why didn't I Pin It?! 

How cool is that?  Not wall paper.  Not paint.  Not a decal.  TEXTURE.  Wow.  What would you do with this idea?  I can't wait to brainstorm this one.  

Oh. Hi. We're Moving.

I was recently reminded of how long I have been absent from my blog.  There are a few very good reasons for that....and I finally feel like we are in a place where I can share them.

We are moving. Moving to Georgia that is!  After ten long years of living far, far, far from my family....I will return "home".  I am so excited.  I can't put into words exactly how excited I am to be minutes from my mom, dad, aunts, uncles, and cousins.  Tons of cousins!  If you are reading this and you are a McKenna or a McGrath, please know that we are really saddened that to be near my family means we must be far from you.  We will be making lots of trips back to visit because of course we love you ALL so very much.  (There were apx 80 people from Sean's family at our wedding...and that wasn't stretching the invites out to cousins of cousins of cousins.  Just cousins.  It's a BIG (awesome) FAMILY!)

BEFORE #1

Moving means selling our house and......we sold our house!  I am so thankful...relieved....nervous....in disbelief....sad...excited...everything.  But most of all I am so very thankful that it sold so quickly.  We have been working with a great agent.  His name is Ryan Wilson  and he knows what he is doing.  He is the main reason I haven't been blogging.  When he toured our house the first time he kindly asked, "Who painted?"  I told him he didn't have to be polite.  I know our color choices were bright.  We knew we would have to paint.  His relief was visible.

BEFORE #2

Soon after that tour Sean and I spent a lot of time undoing what we had spent two years doing.  We moved out so much stuff....so many pictures have come off the wall...we painted our crazy rooms neutral colors.  NEUTRAL?!?!?

AFTER

Since having my mom reupholster my chairs I have wondered what it would be like to live in a neutral color.  I wondered what effect my bright art and furniture would have against a neutral.   I wondered if I could live in a color that was calming.  Well, now I know. I am not saying I would never try it again but it hasn't been that great.  It's too sleepy living in neutral for me.  I do think it is more polished and grown-up looking in some (many) ways but it's just not me.  

Without having much to post about going on in my house lately...did you want to see me cleaning crayon off of the walls?...and with the existence of Pinterest I haven't felt inspired to blog, sadly.  I will be making a trip to GA to look at houses this weekend so maybe some posts will be heading your way.

Oh these are gone too...so sad:

Thanks for those who have asked about my blog.  I haven't given up.  I will be back in full force soon!