So I was super excited when I opened up this month’s Martha Steward Living, to see this amazing pull out ad  for jcp with all these fabulous interior design collaborations with very well known and respected interior designers.  Jonathan Adler being one of them.  SCORE!!!!  I actually took my girls out the very next day to the mall (which I never do) and I wanted to explore all of this new houseware awesomeness.  First let me give props to jcp (remember JC Penney!).  I haven’t shopped at a “penneys” since high school.  It’s just not a store that typically appeals to me.  jcp, as they are now called, has revamped their image inside and out and I am very impressed.  So I guess their new approach to marketing works.  They’ve taken a consumer like myself who doesn’t shop at jcp, was never interested in shopping at jcp, and got me to walk through their doors.  I didn’t have time to really wander and explore the store as I had my kids with me, but I’m eager to go back.  Not only do they have collaborations with interior designers but with great new fashion lines as well.  Well done jcp…well done.

I love what Jonathan Adler is doing with jcp.  The line “Happy Chic”  is very signature JA without loosing the quality and uniqueness of a JA piece at a higher end store.   Bright colors, bold graphics, lots of greek key and chevron motifs, and they are fun!!!!!!!!!  From 300 thread count sheets that were very soft and silky right out of the package to kitchen canister sets, I saw many pieces that I would put in my new house.   Stella loved the pink and red sheet sets. Pink and red is actually the color combo I was thinking for her new room, so to know that I can go out and purchase quality bedding with JA flair at a good price point is every mother’s dream come true.  I can definitely see the orange and yellow canisters sitting on my kitchen counter, a set of book ends as a great design detail on my built in book shelves, and the outdoor dining plates and pitcher to serve lunch on out by our new pool.  (yay pool!!!!!!!)

Jonathan has also designed a line of furniture.  I was disappointed that it wasn’t available at my local jcp because I really wanted to check it out.  Although they did have a selection of great poufs that would tastefully fit into anyone’s decor.

Thank you Jonathan Adler and jcp for bringing stylish and fun design to the masses.  Although I might still have to splurge on an original JA needlepoint accent pillow.

Happiness is Chic!

We walked around Virginia Highland, stopping at Bella Cucina…

…and Stanton Home Furnishings…

and George’s for a cold one (or two)…

Cooked our Sunday breakfast as usual…

Christi and I got our rings cleaned while Chelsey tried some on…

Found facial hair at the Beehive in Edgewood…

Had phở at So Ba in East Atlanta Village…

Found a really wonderful children’s book store…

Had pretzels with pimento cheese at the Brick Store pub in Decatur (the place where I said yes) while we brainstormed bachelorette party ideas…

Henry gave smooches and got a new bandana…

We played dress-up at Clothing Warehouse (and bought a few things too)…

We couldn’t have done it without the amazing Jen who I’m convinced has one of the most fun jobs on earth…

And before we headed to the airport for their flight home, Courtney had a quick mini session with my favorite neighbor Jill and her sweet little guy Theo…

Is he not a total charmer? He lights up a room!

If anyone wants to visit us in ATL, the guest room is open. I love having visitors on the calendar. I’m looking at you Casey…

For my dear friend and fellow ATLien Mathilde, 2013 brought goals of a uncluttered lifestyle. After watching Henry for us during our trip to South Florida for the holidays, we agreed that helping her reorganize her room would be a good way for me to return the favor.

Me and Mathilde at Epcot, January 2012.

Some quick background: I have to thank Mathilde immensely for letting me document this process. Going through someone’s bedroom is insanely personal and I made sure to get her full permission to share this journey on the blog. When you’re a super-smart, outgoing and incredibly involved professional like Mathilde, it’s easy to lack the time to tackle this kind of project. I was thrilled when she asked for the help and I can’t wait to unveil the final product.

We kicked off the shenanigans this past Saturday. We spent a few hours taking an inventory of the stuff that had built up in small piles on her bedroom floor and came up with a game plan on how we would keep things in order once we overhauled the space. She currently has a desk that doesn’t get much use aside from random storage. She also has a small dresser and bookshelf that are near capacity. Here’s a glimpse of the room ‘before’…

A panorama of Mathilde’s bedroom before the clean-up session. Click to enlarge.

By the end of the day, all of those piles you see on the floor had disappeared and we collected a giant bag full of clothes and shoes to donate. Huge progress. Next weekend we hit up IKEA for a few storage solutions and frames for some art to hang on the walls. Those gorgeous grey walls and lovely wood floors make a wondrous blank slate for a more functional and beautiful bedroom. Stay tuned for the big reveal. Thanks Mathilde!

I’ve never been big on New Years resolutions. I usually fall into the group of people who believe the things you’d like to change about your life shouldn’t magically come into focus on one particular day of the year.

This year, however, Jan. 1 seems like a natural transition point to make a few adjustments in the way we’ve been doing things around these parts. The holidays have thrown us into a flurry and I’m craving a reset. Most of my resolutions are pretty typical and hardly worth sharing. Publishing them here on this blog serves more of a documentation function for me than anything else. So, for the sake of making them ‘official’ by putting them down on paper, so to speak, here are some of my goals for 2013:

Read more. Jesse goes through books like crazy. I’ve always envied his evening routine of getting through a few chapters of a good book before bed. This year I’m on a quest to find books that I enjoy enough to read from start to finish. I’m starting with a book that was gifted to me by my future sister-in-law, a memoir from runner and novelist Haruki Murakami titled What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. So far it’s a perfect jump start, since the books I actually finish tend to be memoirs of sorts (Tina Fey’s Bossypants, Mindy Kaling’s Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? and Anthony Boudain’s Kitchen Confidential and Medium Raw are a few recent favorites). My current read is also providing a solid dose of motivation for goal number two…

Run more. I’m not running like I was back in 2010, and it shows. Since moving to Atlanta, we’ve tried to run at least once a week with the Candler Park and Lake Claire Run Club, though our attendance grade would be about a C. We don’t do much in addition to that, but that’s going to change. We’re eating much healthier, too, with a fridge full of fruits and veggies to prove it.

Swear less. Fewer f**ks, s**ts, damnits, etc. Time to clean the potty mouth.

That’s about it. Nothing too crazy or unusual and all very achievable. If you have any books you’d suggest, please share them. And any resolutions you’re committing to, too. I’m not sure 2012 can be topped, but I’m sure as heck going to try.

I’ve been using this Minted invitation as a jump-off point as we’ve started gathering ideas, so when I got an email saying they were having an inspiration board contest based on an invitation from their huge collection, I’d already done all the work so I might as well enter! Here’s my inspiration board:

Inspiration Board board by Mallory. See more Minted

It’s still very early in our planning and we’ve got quite a ways to go, but it’s nice to have an idea of what we’re leaning toward. I love that mustard color, can you tell?