Highlights of My Week:

- A walk with Hot Husband through a beautiful state park near our home.
- Stuffing a shredder bin FULL of files from pre-1992 at work.
- Looking forward to getting cloth samples for my living room re-do project.
- My dog laying her sweet little head on my lap.
- 55-calorie beer that doesn't suck.
- Looking forward to thrift shopping with my crazy-talented sister this weekend.
- Sunny skies with perfect temperatures.

A Trend I Cannot Get Behind...

I think that both of these tables are lovely. But the one thing they have in common is the one thing I cannot have in my house. Do you see how they are alike? They are both "lipped" tables. I love the look of this style, but my house gets too dirty. I have been known to vacuum my coffee table. No joke. When I clean, I start by sweeping all the large particles onto the ground to vacuum, then I go back for a finer dusting. These tables would totally mess up my system! They look really hard to clean. Wouldn't dust and dirt get trapped in the "tray" of the table? Perhaps these people live in cleaner houses? Or they are better housekeepers? Am I the only one whose house gets too dirty to own one of these?

Images: 1.) Phoebe Howard, via Brabourne Farm. 2) Pottery Barn Moroccan Tray Table.

A Dream Weekend

A few years ago, my husband and I had the opportunity to stay at the Ritz Carlton, Half Moon Bay. We had no idea what we were in for. I had heard that it was nice, and was expecting something like the Hilton. The Ritz Carlton makes the Hilton look like a Motel 6. My friend and I spent the afternoon with glasses of wine, reading books in Adirondack chairs that overlooked the ocean, while the boys played a round of golf. At night, the fire pits were lit. The food was incredible, the spa was amazing, and the garlic fries in the golf clubhouse were a bit too yummy. I would really, really like to go back.

This is the kind of thing I think about when wondering whether or not to have kids. If we didn't have kids, we could go to the Ritz Carlton a lot more often. I wouldn't have to give up my reading habit. We could travel, be financially secure a LOT earlier... there really is a trade-off, and I will admit that sometimes having children does not seem worth it.

Spring Shoes

Un-manicured toes need not apply. From JCrew.

Today I Love: EmersonMade

The beautiful handmade flower above is from EmersonMade. I've been stalking their blog for quite some time now. Their lovelies never fail to amaze me.

Have YOU Met Miss Jones?

The Australian company Have You Met Miss Jones has incredible decorative pieces for the home. Some of their items are whimsical and baby-shower worthy, (hello, mr. owl!), but some are breathtaking works of art. Aren't those wings lovely?

Spotted: Custom IKEA Slipcovers

The incredibly talented Dana from the blog DanaMadeIt whipped up these oil-cloth slipcovers for her IKEA Henriksdal counter stools. I love this idea so much, I literally squealed a little when I saw them. Aren't they gorgeous?!

This idea helps me get past the last hurdle of buying my new dining room chairs. My husband has been objecting that the white slipcovers that come with the chairs will not hold up to daily use, especially once we have kids. But Dana saved the day! With her idea, I can have as many slipcovers as I can sew, including an oil-cloth set for everyday. (Read: waterproof and damp-rag-wipe-able.) Totally kid-friendly. Go over to Dana's blog to check it out!