Illuma Journal

Some Days I Wish I Could Do My Wedding Over...

2008-10-14T15:37:00.000-07:00

Just so that I could wear one of these oh-so-romantic handmade necklaces from Tijusai:

Maybe a holiday party this year?

Today I'm Loving...

2008-07-25T07:29:00.000-07:00

1. Answered prayer- praise God that he answered our prayers for little Jackson's heart surgery.

2. This new method of digital editing Nick has discovered.

3. Brocade upholstery fabric (on sale:)

4. Craigslist finds: ~New dressers for the Master Bedroom
~New wingback chair for the Master (see fabric above)
~Chairs for the Living Room- fabric tbd
~Big Girl furniture for Avery (I know, silly, she's only 8 mos old- but I couldn't resist-such a deal and so cute...)
**I'll post before and after photos as we work on each item

5. Blik decals for the Master (check out the installation photos)

A Clue

2008-05-26T08:36:00.000-07:00

I've spent the morning reading other people's blogs. People who are open and honest, who spend time thinking. Right now, I feel like life is chaos. Like I don't get to think much anymore. Like what occupies my mind the most is Avery's next meal or nap, or if I'll have enough milk for when the babysitter comes. I feel obligated to take advantage of every nap to get a shower or finish the dishes, to respond to emails or make a grocery list.
I want to slow down. (Ha! I assumed life would be slow with a six month old!) I want to eat fresh, local food, buy/grow/make my daughter organic food and find her nonthreatening skin care products. I want to enjoy her for her. To soak in her laughter because it won't always be this way. I want to walk places with her (where do you walk when you live in RB? The library-my latest love). I want to read and craft and write letters and call those I love. I want to make Nick things. I want to write in Avery's baby book and have all of her photos printed and put in a book. I want to put pictures in the frames on her walls. I want to find used furniture to redo for our home. I want to be alone. I want to go to the museums. I want to remember what I learned about Art History in the five years I spent in college. I want to take action because the election in November means so much.
I'm still in my pjs this morning. I made sweet potato pancakes from the leftover sweet potatoes I made for Avery and that she refused. And now I'm sitting in bed with the computer, listening to the birds sing outside while my daughter and husband sleep. A luxury I rarely allow for myself. And I return to a book I read before I had a baby, that is all the more applicable now.

"For to be a woman is to have interests and duties, raying out in all directions from the central mothercore, like spokes from the hub of a wheel. The pattern of our lives is essentially circular. We must be open to all points of the compass; husband, children, friends, home, community; stretched out, exposed, sensitive like a spider's web to each breeze that blows, to each call that comes. How difficult for us,then, to achieve a balance in the midst of these contradictory tensions, and yet how necessary for the proper functioning of our lives. How much we need, and how arduous of attainment is that steadiness preached in all rules of holy living. How desirable and how distant is the ideal of the contemplative, artist or saint- the inner inviolable core, the single eye.
With a new awareness, both painful and humorous, I begin to understand why the saints were rarely married women. I am convinced it has nothing inherently to do, as I once supposed, with chastity or children. It has to do primarily with distractions. The bearing, rearing, feeding and educating of children, the running of a house with its thousand details, human relationships and their myriad pulls- woman's normal occupations in general run counter to creative life, or contemplative life, or saintly life. The problem is not merely one of Woman and Career, Woman and the Home, Woman and Independence. It is more basically: how to remain whole in the midst of the distractions of life; how to remain balanced, no matter what centrifugal forces tend to pull one off center; how to remain strong, no matter what shocks come in at the periphery and tend to crack the hub of the wheel.
What is the answer? There is no easy answer, no complete answer. I have only clues, shells from the sea. The bare beauty of the channelled whelk tells me that one answer, and perhaps a first step, is in simplification of life, in cutting out some of the distractions. But how? Total retirement is not possible. I cannot shed my responsibilities. I cannot permanently inhabit a desert island. I cannot be a nun in the midst of family life. I would not want to be. The solution for me, surely, is neither in total renunciation of the world, nor in total acceptance of it. I must find a balance somewhere, or an alternating rhythm between these two extremes; a pendulum between solitude and communion, between retreat and return. In my periods of retreat, perhaps I can learn something to carry back into my worldly life."
-Anne Morrow Lindbergh A Gift from the Sea

Mmmmm

2008-01-02T12:50:00.000-08:00

Love designer Karyl Pierce Paxton's New Orleans cottage featured in this month's House Beautiful.

Photos Courtesy of House Beautiful.

Updating on a Budget

2007-11-15T07:26:00.000-08:00

So, I'm totally over the cheap Target TV Armoire in my Living Room. It is looking a little worn and I'm feeling overwhelmed by all of the wood furniture in the room. But, what to do? I just came across this article from Southern Living - the catalyst for my next home improvement project. It features a creative way to get "an upscale look for a bargain price." Upholster it! Sounds crazy, huh? Well, nailheads and fabric have been on my mind as of late and what a great, inexpensive way to update the cabinet and ditch some wood! Here are the photos of their example.

Along the same lines, I've been considering the storage situation in our home and my ever growing china, serving piece, and glassware collection (with no real end in sight- I love this stuff). My thought has been to get a bigger hutch/buffet- our dining room can handle a larger scale piece and I can definitely handle more storage space. Another large piece of furniture isn't exactly in my budget these days, though. So, how about this gem of an idea from Southern Living as well? Install shelves and have a kick pleat skirt made to cover the goods. My only concern? Baby proofing. Any suggestions?

Little People

2007-10-02T16:53:00.000-07:00

I was just introduced to this artist out of the UK by Beach Bungalow 8. Some of it is a bit disturbing, but overall really interesting (and humourous) stuff. Check it out.

Citrus & Pebble

2007-08-26T18:05:00.000-07:00

Here's my latest inspiration for our Master Bedroom. Not that we are at all in the market to update- the nursery is kind of the big priority right now... But who can resist Brocade Home?

The Black Apple

2007-08-23T11:55:00.000-07:00

Found these prints by The Black Apple at Etsy- love them for a girl's room!

Take a Moment...

2007-08-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

These bears have the right idea.
Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.
Eddie Cantor
Via Ethos

Nancy Drew

2007-08-15T08:45:00.000-07:00

For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to collect all of the old Nancy Drew books. And now that we know we're having a girl, I'm all the more motivated so that she can experience the thrill of a Nancy Drew Mystery. Forget the new ones and all of the spin off series, I want the classics. Or, at least, what I thought were the classics. However, I've just discovered that the ones we grew up reading were actually revised editions (the first 34 that is). From 1959 through 1978 the Stratemeyer Syndicate removed stereotypes, outdated language and generally updated and shortened the stories for modern readers. So, apparently we've been missing out and didn't even know it. I just purchased the above titles on Ebay, and I'm pretty confident they are the revised versions. Oh, well, I have a few years to work on my, er, her, collection before she's able to read. Check out the Nancy Drew Library for all you'll ever need to know about every girl's favorite sleuth.

Nursery Art

2007-08-14T14:49:00.001-07:00

Just came across this great idea for art in the nursery from designer Windsor Smith. I'll have to keep my eyes open for vintage letters at the flea market this weekend.

Welcome.

2007-08-14T11:01:00.001-07:00

So, a variety of circumstances has gifted me with a few months of less chaotic time before our baby girl is scheduled to arrive in November. So, I'm jumping on the bandwagon and starting a blog. Thanks to Anjuli for making the first leap. May this become, most of all, a place for me to collect my varied self and catalog my inspiration. And, maybe, hopefully, a source of inspiration for others...