Escape Hatch

Ever wish you could pull an escape hatch cord?

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I could use a few days surrounded by nature with little to no human contact.

How about you?

À la vie et à l'amour

-Cortney

Embracing Mediocrity

Through Pinterest and blog reading I have discovered that the world is full of really amazing people who seem to have Midas-like abilities.

They can reach into their pockets, pull out a piece of string, some lint and a spare penny and turn it into a fabulous side table.

And then take magazine spread quality photos of their project that they post on Instagram with a link to their 

eloquently composed blog about such project.

All while I'm still trying to ingest my first pot of coffee.

Outfit of the day... pajamas and old lady slippers paired with a 3rd cup of cheap store bought coffee.

After several months hiatus I recently decided to start blogging again.

As much as I enjoyed blogging I found myself comparing my simple, amateurish blog to that of other bloggers who have professionally designed pages, amazing photos of every meal, room and outfit, and loads of sponsors and advertisers who are paying them with either products or actual money.

I found myself feeling inadequate.

Not only because my blog itself is about as simple as it gets but because I feel no real desire to make it anything more than what it is.

Let me assure you - I am definitely not lazy.

I am simply content with mediocrity.

Because at the end of each day, my family doesn't ask me what I crafted that day using nothing more than an old tire and some used dental floss.

Tassel necklace I made from wooden beads I whittled individually from a tree in my own backyard and thread spun from my exotic neon pink silkworm collection. 

They want to know, "What's for dinner?" 

And then they want to know,

"Can we start eating right away or do we have to wait while you take pictures of dinner for your blog?"

PB & J.  It speaks for itself.

My point is... 

I'm okay being mediocre at certain things because I know that I excel in other areas that are more important to me.

I'm a great mom.

Despite some of my social media user names indicating I'm the World's Okayest Mom. 

And I'm a great wife.

Despite anything my husband might say to the contrary while I'm blogging and ignoring him.

À la vie et à l'amour

-Cortney

Be Faithful

Once again, I'm working on making changes to my blog's aesthetics or, as they say in show business, 

"I'm having some work done."

Hopefully when the bandages come off it'll be even better than a Joan Rivers facelift!

While I'm away, I have a photo from the August 2011 issue of Real Simple magazine to share with you...

Before you think I've lost my marbles, let me assure you this is not a look I'm trying to achieve in my home.

I am sharing it with you because of the quote that was also included beneath it from Billy Baldwin's decorating book, Billy Baldwin Decorates.

It reads,

"Be faithful to your own taste because nothing you really like is ever out of style."

It's my favorite decorating message/mantra and the first page I see when I open my giant black binder full of decorating ideas.

Preach, Billy!

À la vie et à l'amour

-Cortney

Re-Planted

Good morning faithful friends!

I have missed you all terribly but I needed a sort of extended brain-cation to get myself in order which still hasn't fully happened but I feel like minor progress has been made.

Until yesterday.

I was perusing one of the numerous blogs I read regularly and saw a fantastic 'Before and After' room decorated by an equally fantastic designer.

As I scrolled down there was an idea board complete with photos of the items used in the room along with the price of each item.

And there it was...

A four-effing-thousand-dollar coffee table!

I am not sure why I was so bothered by the high price tag on this coffee table but I couldn't stop thinking about how many lives (both human and animal) could be changed by $4000.

If I had $4000 to spend on a coffee table I could probably pay for lots of medication that would keep me from obsessing over stupid things like, "Why does someone need a $4000 coffee table?"

I mean, seriously, you can't take that stuff with you when you're gone. 

Unless it's a $4000 trunk which I suppose you could be buried in it if it were a really large trunk, or if you were a really small person, so that might actually be a furniture piece worth the investment.

I could probably fit into this one but you'd have to really squish me in.

It was depressing.

But it was also inspiring.

Not in the now-I-want-an-expensive-coffee-table sort of way but in the, 'you don't have to spend $4000 on a coffee table to make yourself happy' sort of way.

Do you see this cute little pot?

I happened upon it while thrifting a few months back and paid a whopping $2.00 to bring it home where it sat empty and lonely all that time.

Yesterday, while at Lowe's, I found the perfect size plant for the pot and it was on clearance for $5.50!

I snatched it up, replanted it into my little pot and added it to my desk tray.

It made me so happy to see it this morning when I sat down to work at my desk.

And it didn't cost me $4000.

And you know what else?

This...

It's a ladybug, which are supposedly lucky.

And it was crawling on the edge of the valance that hangs above my desk.

I can only assume it was hiding amongst the leaves of my new plant when I brought it home.

Maybe that plant will end up being the best $5.50 I ever spent!

...Or maybe I just need to have my house sprayed for insects.

À la vie et à l'amour

-Cortney