Beach Trip 2016

After a nice breakfast in Charleston at Hominy Grill we hit the road for Amelia Island, FL. We arrived just after lunch and just in time for naptime! It worked out great because we unloaded Charlie's things, got him settled and down for a nap and then Bryan and I could unpack the rest of the car and get everything settled while Charlie snoozed.

Charlie was not so sure about  the sand and water at first. He quickly warmed up to the sand and was able to play in it, but the water was still iffy, even by the end of the trip.

We had a great time and, as always, it was sad to go home. Here are a few pictures:

The boys 10 minutes after arriving at the condo. Already relaxing. 

I love downtown Fernandina Beach. So fun to see another generation running down the streets. 

We (Bryan and I) hadn't been sleeping well. It was nice to watch the sunrise. 

We had every single meal at the condo on the balcony. We should really eat more meals outside. 

Not a fan. 

Pushing the button. 

Garden Update

Back to the garden. I really love Monday mornings in the garden. It is so peaceful and beautiful. This morning the weather finally has shifted from blazing hot to actually comfortable. So I'm glad I had a chance to play in the garden for once! 

The greens and grass have started to grow up. 

I spent a little time this morning weeding by hand. As long as the toddler would allow. It still needs a bunch more, but I just do what I can. 

I noticed, though, that's something has been digging around in our plot. 

Okra is dropping leaves or something is eating them up! 

We are still getting lots of okra. My paprika pepper is almost done. I'm looking forward to watching the butternut squash and greens grow. Yay for fall plants! 

The New House Tour: Charlie's Room

I don't think I've shared any photos of the new house yet. How can this be?!  

I've been working, along with Bryan and various family members, to get the house settled. The first room to be "done" is Charlie's room. Really it's just "done for now" as in a year or so we'll have to move to a "big boy bed" and that will spark a bunch of changes. So don't be surprised if you see Charlie's room again before other rooms are done. 

I kept the wall color the same. It's a brown color and while it's not my first choice, I'm fine with it and is in good enough shape that it will last the next year or so. When we make a big boys room we will likely paint. 

The curtains were re-done from his custom curtains in our last home. My mom so sweetly did those for us. 

The dresser was Bryan's grandfather's. 

We hung a chalkboard that was in our kitchen in the last house here for Charlie to color. The white bookshelf was from my room growing up. 

I did not take the time to style the toys. Sorry. I saw a small window in which I could take these photos and ran with it. 

We hung the animals over the changing table this time since someone kept wanting to take them down when they were over his crib. 

It's a fairly large room and I plan on putting two twin beds in here, if I can find some. Attractive twin bed sets are hard to come by. Let me know if you find some in the Memphis area. 

A sweet vignette on this dresser. The ceramic dog was in my grandfather's childhood room and Charlie's grandfather bought him the leather bound books before he was born. Pacifiers are a must. 

Thanks for joining on me on this tour. It rarely looks this tidy. 

A Couple Days in Charleston with a Toddler

"On our way" to the beach this year we stopped for a few days in Charleston, South Carolina over Labor Day weekend. I'd gathered some suggestions from friends and online, but was pretty nervous with our Charlie, who was 19 months at the time. We didn't schedule anything in advance except for a couple of dinner reservations which I had heard was a must. 

Our plan was to leave the house Saturday and drive as far as Charlie would allow, which happened to be Augusta, GA. We had a three hour drive in the morning and arrived in time to put our name in for brunch at Poogan's Porch. (I'd recommend making reservations as we waited over an hour.) 

Charlie was not thrilled about jumping from car seat to stroller. To kill time during our brunch wait we strolled along King Street, which was delightful. For me at least. We'd let Charlie out every once in a while to get that toddler energy out. 

One place we stopped in was the Savannah Bee Company. They offer mead tastings for $7, which Bryan took advantage of.  Charlie was a big fan of their honey he sampled. 

Brunch at Poogan's Porch was great. 

We checked into our hotel which had its own dock. (We stayed at a Courtyard Marriott to use my husband's hotel points.) Charlie loved running down the dock. 

We spent an hour or so at the hotel settling in, cooling off, and regrouping. Hotel lounging time is essential when traveling with kids, I've found. I would have found this a waste of time before having Charlie, but now it's kind of nice to take an hour or so rest. Prop up your feet, unbutton your pants, and cool off. 

Above are my sweet boys ready to go out to dinner. 

The one formal activity we actually did was the Fort Sumter tour. Prepare yourselves for many pictures. 

One really great thing of doing something so touristy is that everyone is a tourist and everyone is eager to take your picture if you take theirs. We got THREE family pictures in this one morning! 

Bryan is the history, specifically Civil War, buff. When I asked him if he wanted to go to Fort Sumter his eyes lit up. I'm normally not into battlefield trips but this one involves a boat ride. Sign me up!  

Because of the boat ride this was perfectly timed. We took a 45 minute boat ride, had an hour on the island, and then it took about 30 minutes to get back. Charlie alternated between stroller and running around. 

If you go, the fort isn't super stroller friendly, but it was nice to have the umbrella stroller so that we could easily manage it. Other families with bigger strollers struggled. 

Following lunch we walked along the water front and some of the parks. Charlie napped for approximately 15 minutes. Sigh... It was beautiful and hot. We hightailed it back to the hotel room. 

Overall we had a great time and loved the city. Charleston has such a nice boat and water culture. And the food was all amazing. 

Where we ate: 

Poogan's Porch

The Ordinary

Minero

FIG

Hominy Grill 

A Pep Talk

Sometimes do you find yourself having to give yourself a pep talk? That's what I've been doing the last day or two. Telling myself to get over it, put on your big girl panties, grow some balls, and deal with it.

We've had several friends move to our new part of town over the summer. It's been a great encouragement that not only are we doing the right thing, but I'm so excited to see how our families grow over the new few years. Several have taken on renovations prior to moving in or unpacking. We took a different approach and put all our things down and are now ready to think about paint and renovations.

I've styled up some surfaces, hung art, and moved furniture around. But in my mind I had our vacation as a big stopping point/starting point for the house design. I lost steam prior to the trip, but I knew after the trip it would be time to get in a few months work before holiday season set in. So the first full day back from vacation I called up our interior designer friend to ask him come over and help me pick out some paint colors. Only he's not decorating anymore. {Insert shocked and then sad emoji here.} I went into a tailspin. What was I going to do? Would I be able to find another designer who could so effortlessly pick colors? Some friends used a designer and they weren't happy. How smug I had been when I thought of mine and how they should have asked me for my designer. Ugh!!!!!!!!

And then part of me told the other part of me that was freaking out to shut up. I have always wanted to be an interior designer. (In fact, the designer who told me he was no longer designing convinced me not to pursue it. Life regret #1) I read countless design blogs, I subscribe to multiple design magazines, I practically live and breathe design. (Okay, well design and food.)  I can do this. I can pick some damn paint colors. Maybe I won't be able to pick them as quickly as he could, but come on! Fulfill your own damn fantasy and decorate your own damn house. (I apologize for all the damn's, I'm worked up.)

So, I'm going to try to be a big girl about this and do it myself. You are probably rolling your eyes right now, and if I weren't me I totally would be too. #justified.

I've decided to participate in the One Room Challenge next month. I'm not sure yet if I'll be doing my bedroom or the guest bedroom. Or the shed. The shed probably doesn't count as a room. It will be one of the bedrooms for sure. They will be painted the same color so they will be done simultaneously regardless. I just can't decide which one will get the brunt of my attention.

Anyways, that's probably more than you wanted to hear/read from my insane brain, but that's what's been going on. I'll have vacation pictures up soonish.