A Little Update + Three {New to me} Shops

I wanted to pop in and thank you all for your prayers and encouragement over the past week.  The silver lining of going through hard things such as this is all the love I've felt from friends near and far.  I've been so touched by the many people, some of whom I haven't talked to in ages, who have checked in and offered their support.  Thank you so much--strangely California doesn't feel so far from home because of all of you dear ones.

Actually, let me allow Mary Graham to thank you herself.

Her sweetness makes my heart ache.

Since I last wrote, Philip discovered the newly opened Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disorders Program through University of California San Francisco's Benoiff Children's Hospital.  Eosinophilic Esophagitis is one of four disorders in which they specialize and we were able to get a referral and a quick appointment--next week in fact!  Praise God!  We'll have allergy testing done next week.  I'm both grateful for the hope of answers from the testing and anxious about what we'll learn.  After much consideration, I chose to continue exclusively breastfeeding Mary Graham in the meantime.  Her weight seemed stable enough to justify it, and the benefits of breastmilk are obviously not to be discounted.   I did decide to take out more foods from my own diet (including many of the ones Wade has avoided for years), while we wait for allergy testing, which has proved very challenging.  I'm just really hungry.  Right when it begins to feel like it's just too hard, I watch my sweet baby drift off to sleep while she gazes up at me nursing, and I'd trade just about any food to be able to keep doing it.

trying out the bumbo (and sporting a sweater handmade by one of her great-grandmothers!)

Switching gears, I wanted to share three new (to me) online shops that have me so excited!  It just occurred to me that they all involve monograms! Ha!  All I have to say is this southern girl sure is glad these sweet things are available online!

Celerie & South

This beautiful shop was just opened by an online friend (btw, online friends are totally legit.  In case you were wondering :) who has fabulous taste.  She has a passion for monograms, so she is offering a collection of classic pieces for sale, all with the option to monogram of course.  You must check out all the monograms she has personally designed!  I think her site will be a go-to spot for me for gifts.

The Beaufort Bonnet Company

I discovered this company through Instagram and let me tell you--one look at their photos of sweet baby after sweet baby in a classic little bonnet and you will just die!  They sell other preciousness too, but the bonnets!  Oh the bonnets!  I may or may not have plans for my daughters to match on Easter!!!

The Threadbare Hare

Another discovery via Instagram.  Sara creates the most darling belts and dog collars!  I believe she has recently changed her business name, so she's still working on getting things situated on her etsy site, but definitely check back!  Ordering a belt for Wade is on my list!

Big Changes, Small Changes

Let's discuss the big changes first, shall we?  Today was a big day.  My husband and I exchanged these text messages:

We had been texting earlier in the day...Then, out of nowhere, I get the "Do you want to know where we're going?" text!

This was of course referring to the fact that he had finally been informed of where we would be moving come August when his residency here in Illinois is over.  Travis Air Force Base in California it is!  Wow!  I am processing and trying to let the reality of this sink in.  I am excited!  Admittedly, a little disappointed that we did not get our top picks in England, Germany or Italy.  But hey, California!  Bring it, I say!    The closest city to the base is Fairfield, California and I believe the base isn't too far from Napa (which sounds real good).  Looks like it's about an hour from San Francisco and Sacramento.  We will likely be there for three to four years, our kids will start school here, we will experience a lot of life here.  I can say I am just very glad to know where we are headed.  Now I can begin to picture what life may look like (though really, what do I know?) and ask God to prepare a place for us there.  We have truly been so blessed here in Illinois.  If we are able to meet and get to know people that are anything like those we now know here, I will be so thankful.

Does it seem rather strange to jump from news like this to silly little changes around our house?  Maybe, but small as they may be, they really do my heart good.  When so much is uncertain when you're moving around a lot, I find that looking for beauty in things like fresh flowers in the bathroom and monogrammed towels brings me a bit of joy.  And so I will share it.

Remember that photo I showed you?  The one with the bathroom that was all sorts of beige and blah?

Yes, well it's still the same bathroom, but I like being in there much more now.

I just adore my new towels.  So impressed with the quality and price.  Well done, Horchow.

I have also been loving the bright pops of emerald green (Pantone, I feel you and your color of the year!) and navy in the rug that I found at TJMaxx for a song.

The mirror I've had (purchased at Ross a couple years ago), and I was quite pleased with how it not only filled that large wall above the tub so well, but its shape echos the curves in the rug's pattern.  Meant to be!

Of course I always have fresh flowers in my bathroom!  You don't? :)

Oh, and I ended up going with this style monogram because I decided that it too worked nicely with the shape of the mirror and the pattern in the rug.  I am so happy with these towels.  Who would have thought towels with letters on them could make a girl so happy?

Actually, I was so pleased with my order that I placed a second one for some hand towels for our downstairs hall bath.  I knew I wanted to do a more angular style font in this case, but I spent forever trying to decide on a color (I know I made mention of pink!).  In the end, I went with black, and I am quite happy that I did.  I think it ties in nicely with the little rug (from Target) and provides some nice contrast to all the blues and greens in the art work and the beige on the floor.

I have never been quite sure why the designer of this house saw fit to include two long towel bars in a half bath.  Nevertheless, at least now I have two pretty towels hanging that make me happy.

Lastly, I spent yesterday's preschool hours whipping up a quick window treatment for Holland's room.  I know it's sort of ridiculous to work on something like this given that we just talked about how we'll be moving not too long from now.  But again, the process of creating beauty (or at least trying to!) is what I'm drawn to.

And so you could find me on the floor with some foam board, an exacto knife, and a staple gun following Jenny's oldie-but-a-goodie tutorial for quick DIY pelmet boxes.  It's really hard to photograph the windows in Holland's room with the light streaming in, so this little sneak peek will have to do.

As you can see, I used the yellow buffalo check I blogged about before...just not on her bolster pillows.  More details to come...

Monogrammed Towels

{Warning:  This post includes a tragic "before" photo that takes the cake for the "blandest bathroom" award.  Please proceed with caution :) }

By some amazing twist of fate, my husband has agreed that we can use some of our Christmas money we received as a gift to purchase new master bathroom towels.  We've had the same towels since we got married nearly eight years ago, and the prospect of fresh new towels has me very excited!  Adding a personal monogram to new towels?  This just about sends me over the edge.  Of course, spending the extra money on monogramming means the details of this decision need to be carefully considered.  I thought it would be helpful to me if I tried to organize my ideas, so I thought I'd share them here.

Before we go any further, I suppose I should give you an idea of the sad space where the new towels will hang.  With the exception of the plastic bath toys and the sink miscellany, this is pretty much how things looked when we moved in.

I know.  I tried to warn you.

Moving on to prettier things, here are some lovely images of monogrammed towels {and some really great bathrooms} that may help settle your stomach after what you just saw :)

Source: highstreetmarket.blogspot.com via Anne on Pinterest

Source: designsponge.com via Anne on Pinterest

Source: designsponge.com via Anne on Pinterest

Source: lonnymag.com via Anne on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Anne on Pinterest

Source: paloma81.blogspot.com via Anne on Pinterest

Source: thelittleblackdoor.blogspot.com via Anne on Pinterest

I think the styles I am inclined to use for my new towels are 1. the circular shape (as seen in the above photo), or 2. maybe this diamond style:

Source: bellalino.com via Anne on Pinterest

with this last style getting an honorable mention:

Source: Uploaded by user via Anne on Pinterest

I am thinking of going with classic navy in the master bathroom and maybe I'll sneak in a couple hand towels for our half bath (thinking maybe hot pink?  trust me.  it's another bland situation that could use a splash of color.)

I'd been planning to pick up some white towels from TJMaxx (love) that I could then have monogrammed.  I may still do this, but as I was searching for inspiration, I came across this deal from Horchow:

Source: horchow.com via Anne on Pinterest

The monogram is available in navy and a set, which includes two bath towels, two hand towels, and two washcloths is only $57.90.  And monogramming is included!  They are apparently Egyptian cotton, which I know is good, but this price makes me wonder if the quality could be that great?  There is nothing worse than a towel that doesn't actually dry you off.  Know what I mean?  I hate using a towel that merely rubs the water around!  (please tell me someone else knows what I'm talking about!)

I'll keep you posted!