Obligatory Bump Shot & Giveaway Winner

Okay, okay, so you guys have worn me down. I've resisted showing pregnancy photos of me up until now primarily because (a) I honestly wasn't showing until around Thanksgiving and didn't look really pregnant until Christmas so until recently there wasn't much to look at and (b) I manage to remember that I should take some photographs only at really inopportune moments...like when I've removed all

Happy Second Anniversary, Odi et Amo!

{If I could give you each a Sprinkles cupcake, I would!}Today marks the completion of my second year as a blogger. 2010 was definitely an exciting time for this little blog as I saw my readership quadruple over the course of the year and my focus -- and my voice -- shift slowly towards the more personal (but I suppose pregnancy will do that to you).Last year at this time, I featured a roundup of

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I'm off for the next few days enjoying some quality time with the family and some much needed R&R. I'll be back next week though with plenty of updates on the nursery (including some DIYs) as I scurry to get the room in shape before returning to work in January.Love,AverillP.S. - The winner of the Bold & Noble Noah's Ark

Meet Matilda!

I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our family: Matilda, a 3.5 month old miniature dachshund! After the loss of our dear Olivia in October, Dave and I thought long and hard about whether or not we wanted another dog, especially since we're expecting a baby in just a few short months. Ultimately, however, we decided that, if we did want another dog, it was "now or never," as the

Goodbye Patrick.

Patrick {who so thoughtfully confiscated my father's blackberry for the duration of my wedding in 2006}I wanted to take a time out today from the usual blogging about design and babies to say goodbye to Patrick, my cousin Carol's husband. Patrick passed away today after suffering massive head trauma in a terrible car accident in mid October. On Monday my family went to say goodbye to him at the

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of year. I absolutely love the holiday's emphasis on family, gratitude and (of course!) food -- especially since those same virtues don't come with the attendant stresses of gifting and performance anxiety that Christmas inevitably seems to put everyone under. After a stressful fall, I'm particularly thankful this year for what I do have: my health, the

What's in a name?

To borrow a line from Shakespeare, "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." But what about a little boy? While I'm normally the type of person who makes quick, confident decisions, I find myself almost completely immobilized when it comes to naming my future son. I'm afraid of making the wrong decision, of saddling my son with an overly popular or trendy name, of having the other parents

Olivia...

Unfortunately we had no choice but to let go of Olivia today, just five short days after she first became ill. We still don't know the cause (it might have been bacterial, fungal, or a toxin), but the effect was quite simply devastating -- her liver completely shut down, and no manner of drug nor treatment was going to bring it back. I'm still in a state of shock at this twist my life has taken

Olivia Update

After a horrible day yesterday, when every sign pointed towards me having to say goodbye to Olivia today, we have received some very positive news this morning. Olivia has started to respond to treatments, her liver is recovering and, while we're not out of the woods yet, the vet is "cautiously optimistic".I will still count it as a tremendous blessing if I get to take Olivia home after this

Olivia...

Update (7pm): Many thanks for all the sweet messages and comments. We had to do a plasma transfusion today, but fortunately Olivia has responded very well to treatment so far and her vitals and behavior are both markedly better. We won't be out of the woods until tomorrow when we can do some more blood work, but this is a very hopeful development.Please excuse the lack of postings this week. My

The verdict is in....

Dave and I went to our anatomy ultrasound today and are happy to report (first and foremost) that everything looks great and....that we're expecting a boy in early March! Time to launch the nursery design efforts in earnest.In the meantime though, and (unfortunately) on a more somber note, I ask that you keep my cousin Carol, her husband and their darling daughter in your prayers and thoughts

My distraction...

As many of you have suspected for weeks now, I am indeed pregnant! As of today, I'm 14 weeks and 5 days along, which means I'm just into the second trimester and due March 8, 2011. This ultrasound was taken two weeks ago at a routine first trimester screening. I'll be back at the doctor's this Wednesday for (yet another) check-up. So far, everything's looking great and I'm feeling good. I feel

Knackered.

It may just be the beginning of August, but it's already been one helluva summer. My day job continues to get busier (made all the worse by several coworkers' recent resignations and an increase in my travel) and I suddenly find myself with a fully-booked social calendar. Oh yeah, and the recent "distractions" that I alluded to last week continue to, well, distract me (but more on that in a few

Vacation Recap: Scotland, Part 4

{Holyrood Abbey}[Note: This is a continuation of the recap of my recent trip to the United Kingdom. To view Part 1, click HERE. To view Part 2, click HERE. To view Part 3, click HERE.]Day 9, cont.: After driving through Glen Coe, Dave and I made one final stop before heading into Edinburgh at Stirling Castle. Strategically situated atop an extinct volcano along the narrowest part of the United

Family Room: Not Quite Finished Yet, But...

So I lied on Tuesday. I didn't get the family room done this week. But I should've known that. After all, I'll probably never consider the room totally, 100% complete. And I'm still waiting on a few key accessories for the built-ins. But I wanted to get you an update on where I am now. If you'll recall, this is what the room looked like when we moved in last August:After moving from a much

Family Room Preview...Almost There!

The curtains have been hung and the built-ins are almost complete, just a few more finishing touches and I promise I'll be sharing pictures of my (mostly) finished family room later on this week. Stay tuned!{And please forgive the hideous utility boxes in plain view through the window -- the backyard is next on the "to do" list!}

My Style in One Picture

{Jeneration Interiors}Last week Ally at From the Right Bank... challenged her readers to post one picture that thoroughly encapsulated their style. Intrigued, I set out to find my own picture...and it was a lot harder than I had initially expected. While I blog constantly about rooms and homes that inspire and awe me in some way, shape or form, I found it really hard to find a single room that

Vacation Recap: Scotland, Part 3

{Inverness, Scotland}[Note: This is a continuation of the recap of my recent trip to the United Kingdom. To view Part 1, click HERE. To view Part 2, click HERE.]Day 7. After a nearly a week in London, we caught a plane to Inverness, the unofficial capital of the Highlands. That evening, we were able to take full advantage of the long Scottish summer days and walk around the city. Situated on the

Vacation Recap: England, Part 2

[Note: This post is a continuation of the recap of my recent trip to the United Kingdom. To view part 1, go HERE.]Day 4. After a rainy, dreary Saturday, we awoke to a beautiful Sunday morning so we decided to head out of London for the second time to enjoy the gorgeous weather at Hampton Court in Richmond. Hampton Court was originally the private home of Cardinal Wolsey in the early 16th century

Vacation Recap: England, Part 1

I've finally managed to sort through the hundreds of photos I took of our recent trip and I thought I'd share some of my favorites here on the blog. I recognize that sharing the web-equivalent of a lengthy slide show of family vacation photos isn't exactly exciting stuff -- or really what this blog is about. But bear with me and I'll try and keep things lively and, in the interest of not boring