Happy Wednesday!

                                              Photo taken in Paris, France

Pleased,

• that I am able to spend my days at home with my beautiful twins. They are growing so much everyday, and I truly have cherished every moment with them. I know that even though this job hunt has been hard it has also allowed me to spend so much time with them. They make my life so rich and beautiful. 
• that I have all the essentials now at our new home. We still have a few things to fill the empty walls and more tables and stuff to place our plethora of pictures of the kids, BUT we have everything that we need and that's all that matters.
• to have a wonderful Fiance that continues to be there for me when I feel at my lowest. It is nice to have a companion that you know will always be there for you.
• my mom reassuring me that "Where there's a will, there's a way!"

Relieved?

• to have released myself from a job that I didn't see a future in (for myself.)
• to be back into finding out what IS my ultimate career path
• that I have realized that this is only a bump in the road and that sometimes there are hard times in life, but good times are soon to come!
• to be able to express myself through this blog. I know that I have put it off for such a long time, but I now feel a sense of freedom to explore the things that I love and to be able to share them with people that have those same loves.

My new kitchen

Plates, Silver Spoons, Measuring Cups, Spoon Rest, Berry Basket- Anthropologie, Apron- Pier1




My most recent undertaking has been furnishing and trying to get my new apartment to feel like a home. I seemingly have reached a standstill. It is still a little hard to consider a new place your home when it doesn't exactly feel like a lived in and cozy place. However, what I can NOT seem to figure out is what will fix this small (relatively speaking) but MAJOR problem (in my mind). I am hoping that adding some more zest to the "heart of the home" will make it actually feel more like it should.

Does anyone have any good ideas for filling a new empty home with a small budget?

Cozy Home

Reading nook @ House Beautiful
warm, relaxing and inviting

It is nice to spend a lot of time with my kids. In someways it saddens me to think that pretty soon I will be starting a job and that will be it. No more kids to laugh and play with all day long! I just simply won't be able to be there for them day in and day out like I have been. But like they say--all good things must come to an end. AND WHO KNOWS--maybe one day I can share a lot of my time with them again! AH! I can feel my eyes welling up with tears at the thought of it.

On a lighter end of things. I have been obsessively creating in my mind a color palette and layout for my dream apartment. Dak and I (a few weeks ago) went to go look at apartments in New Jersey and it was amazing how we both fell in love with this one place. It is absolutely beautiful. Think of: skylights, tons of storage, balcony, window seat in the master bedroom, his&her sinks, large bedroom for the kids (tons of space for new toys!) and top condo in complex! It has become my dream and we are both hoping it will still be available once all of my job situations are in place. Then, we can live happily ever after in our quaint little 2 bedroom apartment (with skylights!). 

Anything "Shabby Chic" really gets me excited about home interiors. One individual in particular, (Rachel Ashwell) has it completely figured out. I would love my master bedroom to resemble this look found in her blog. A defining characteristic of the "shabby chic" look is how it seems to mesh together both regal and insouciance. 

Note: the crystal chandalier
and reupholstered sofa

 I'd also like to mention that in my local newspaper I found an article on Barns in Maryland selling Barn interiors, or farm-style furniture. Now I know that sounds a little too country and not enough rock & roll, BUT it looks like it is right up my alley. However, a lot of these items were quite expensive. One thing I don't think many people realize is just how easy it is to do a lot of these things yourself. Thrift store shopping and re-doing them to your liking. Who else gets your style more than you do?? Tell me that. Haha. My boyfriend really isn't that into the idea of buying 'old' items and making them new. You tell me this--what's better than the feeling of telling someone that YOU designed the item yourself? The answer is, nothing.

Eh, a girl can dream! Until then, I need to get to work so that I can start paying for this dream apartment of mine!

Too much of a good thing....

Is too much of a good thing ever really BAD? Sometimes I wonder if my overindulgence in shopping or my passion for makeup will make me a bad person. Once, not too long ago, I got a fortune in a fortune cookie that read "One day your vice will be your virtue." Not so sure if it's true, but I suppose that if I completely shirked my duties as a wonderful mummy and lovely girlfriend I would be a total loser and my vice would just simply be that--my vice.

I would like to begin by stating that I know I am not the only one that feels this way! I have just graduated from college a couple of months ago and am now furiously looking for work. BUT--in the MEANTIME...I am beginning to think there's nothing wrong with a couple months of Rest and Relaxation. Oh--and there's NOTHING wrong with a little bit of Glamour!

Shoe Clip @ Ban.do

Seen...here...            

Ted Baker @ASOS

and here....

Dress @ RiverofRomansk

A little sparkle, satin and chiffon. Just in time for the Valentine's Day Holiday. Your sweetie is sure to find you looking absolutely dashing in either one of these lady-like adornments ;D!

Paris

Paris was amazing. After the first day we were able to make arrangements to spend the rest of our stay at the Gerard's B&B. It was so beautiful. Robbie has pictures of the very pretty manor we stayed at. I even got to do a little vintage shopping while in Au Marais. It was quite lovely walking around to all the little shops and finding my own little diamonds in the rough. It is mesmerizing being here and trying to take everything in. Sometimes I don't feel I have enough breaths to fit in one day to sigh at all of the beautiful sights I have seen so far. hahahaha.

P.s. I will definitely need to make some alterations on the items I acquired on this trip.

La Tour Eiffel