Spring has arrived.

I've been in hiding lately and am finally re-emerging.  Kind of like the grass around here, I'm coming alive again.  In early January, we found out we were pregnant with No.3.  As with my other pregnancies, it wasn't long before I was sick, sick, sick.  I think I probably logged more time on the couch and in front of the TV in the last two months than in the last two years combined.  

Let's just say, I'm extremely thankful to be feeling like myself (mostly) again.  Here I am these days:

15 week bump

Obviously, when life gets hard and you enter survival mode, decorating is not a huge priority.  Just having clean clothes and dinner on the table becomes a very difficult goal.  In fact, one of our Christmas trees didn't even come down until around spring break.  Life.  It happens.  

Needless to say, my house was in constant disarray for quite awhile and that's just the way it had to be.  But boy, have I been eager to put my touch on our home again.  Spring always invigorates me and makes me want to break out color and fresh flowers and birds.  

So, that's exactly what I did this past weekend.  The decorations are nothing crazy and in fact, almost embarrassingly simple.  But it's spring at the Serene house and life feels fresh and new again, in more ways than one.  

Praise God for new beginnings and fresh starts!  

Does spring have you wanting to break out some new decorations?  Paint your toe nails?  Set a new goal?  What's new in your life today?

Rachel

GOLD Love: TV Room Redesign

We have a finished attic space in our house that I'm really looking forward to decorating.  It's very plain right now, with carpet that needs a little love and walls that could definitely use another coat of paint.  It's a tricky room because it's got the slanted ceiling that a lot of attics have and it also lacks light.  There's only one small window at the end of the long room.  Someday, I would love to add large dormer windows to open the space and add light but we shall see if that ever becomes a priority on our to-do list.

In the meantime, I know I could paint, add more storage and some decorative accessories and the room would be a lot more welcoming.  It's the room we have our only TV in, so I'd love to hang out in there and feel like it suits me.  Though we are often in this room, it is my least favorite in the house.  I would love to have it reflect the design sensibility of the rest of our home but have it's own unique style since it's set-apart from a lot of the rest of our home.  

This is where I'm hoping to take the room:  

I want to paint the walls a bright white to keep what little light there is in the room.  My friend Susan came over a few weeks ago and she had the idea to keep the walls white and paint the baseboards, door and window trim black. As soon as she said it, I knew that's what I would do. I LOVE black and white.  It can make a room feel modern OR vintage and never goes out of style.  The rest of my house has white trim but this room is sort of in the corner of the house and something different would be a lot of fun!

When I clear the room of all the stuffed animals, cushions, random kid-related objects and other miscellany it's hoarding, I will take a photo and show you the bones I am working with :)

I LOVE LOVE the wallpaper in my moodboard and planned to use it at each end of the room, but I think I've decided to go with a less expensive and easier-to-apply material.  These gold dot decals from The Land of Nod:  

{A Place For Us}

This photo won me over.  They don't have to just look good in a kids' room.  They are very Kate Spade-y and I love them!  Plus, who wants to put wallpaper on slanted walls? 

Other than that, I plan to get a black and white striped rug to cover the carpet and add pattern to the room.  I'm leaning toward this one from Crate and Barrel right now.  It's a great price for a large rug.

We will keep our current couch and chair-and-a-half in the room, which look similar to the ones on the moodboard.  I'm thinking of ordering several shelves from IKEA to create a low and enclosed storage unit for toys and to keep our TV on.  And of course, there will be lighting and accessories.  I'll keep you updated on the progress.  I'm hoping to paint soon!

Happy Day!

Rachel

A wreath + a fun tutorial

I love black and white stripes.  Probably a little too much.

As I thought about it, there are a lot of black and white stripes in my house:

{Ikea throw}

{Ikea bowls}

{Target crock, from two years ago}

And I just bought eight knobs for an armoire that are black and white striped.  I love how classic they feel and how they go with anything.  They are charming and a little vintage but bold and modern.  Basically everything I love together in one stripey-adorable-contrasty-way.

I made a wreath for our kitchen.  And of course, it was black and white stripes.  It actually took me awhile to come to this conclusion but once I did, it was like the seas parted and I knew it would be *perfect* in the space I had planned.

So, I wrapped some yarn around a straw wreath form.  For hours & hours.  It took me longer than expected.  But it's easy, inexpensive and striking-- so hey, it's a win!  I didn't include a tutorial for this part because it's basically holding and wrapping and most people have made a yarn wreath by now and know the jist of it.

But I did try something new this time.  I figured out how to make pom poms and stuck a bunch in the middle.

I adore the whimsy of the poms.  They are so fun and cute, and again, easy and inexpensive.

I made a quick video tutorial for you to see:

They take about 3 minutes to make.

If you need more details, this is an awesome and very detailed tutorial on pom poms. The only thing I do differently is use my fingers instead of the cardboard. I like them this way because you don't need any fancy equipment.  Just your hand, scissors and yarn.  The poms I made come out to about 1.5" in diameter.  But wrap the yarn around more or less fingers for a bigger or smaller pom.

Also, if you want a long string to hang them by, just make sure the string you use to tie the middle is long (you can always cut it off later if you change your mind or need it shorter).

I ended up having so much fun with pom poms that I added them to many Christmas gifts this year instead of bows.  I found that they looked good on the men's gifts with the cabin-ey wrap I had.

But there is all sorts of uses for poms (garland, anyone?).  So give it a whirl and see what you come up with. If you are on Instagram, tag me in your pom posts :)

With love and poms,
Rachel

Pursuing Peace

Peace.

I need more of it in my life. 

2013 was one of the most magical and exciting years of our lives but also one of the most stressful and chaotic. We lived in the city until June, when we moved out to the country.  Still close to the city but out far enough that we have our own oasis.  

We had searched and searched and knew in our heart of hearts what we wanted in a house but honestly, we knew what we wanted just didn't exist. Turns out though, sometimes God gives you dreams just to prove that HE CAN. It's a loooong wonderful story of God's BIG plan and a giant leap of faith; someday I will share it here.  

Ever since I've moved to my house in the country, I have understood a new kind of peace.  A peace in the quiet.  A peace in nature.  A peace in not coming and going so much.  A peace in living more simply.  BUT nothing is ever EVER perfect this side of Heaven.  And that has also become so evident to me this past year.

With great blessing comes great responsibility.  And sometimes, the burden of responsibility can zap the joy out of a wonderful blessing if you let it.  Take children for example, no one would deny that children are a beautiful blessing.  But I don't think there's a mom in the world that hasn't felt the strain, the tug, the grief, the hardship, the responsibility that is children.  And more often than not, it can be easy to let the responsibility of children cloud the joy that you have for them.  So we must fight against this.  

I adore our house and the adventure God has us on.  I look out my window every. single. day simply amazed.  God is sooo good and He is SO good to give us more than we could have ever asked or imagined.  Problem is, as much as the country scenery reminds me of God's blessing everyday, I still struggle with peace in a big way.  

I have a million and one thoughts going through my mind each hour.  Mostly negative, sometimes neutral, rarely lovely.  Can you relate?

I also struggle with anxiety.  Ever since my daughter, Haven, was born my anxiety has been an ever-present burden each day.  It doesn't keep me from living my life.  But it keeps me from enjoying it too many days than I would like.  
  
So, when you combine a "constant thinker" with anxiety and with the responsibility of a whole new life in the country... there are many days I wonder if I made the right choice.  Or if my husband and I were crazy and read God's cues wrong in every way.  In other words: I feel the need for peace.  To rest and know that God is God and that I am NOT.   

That is why my word for 2014 is peace.  Last year, my word was abide and I believe I learned a lot about coming close to God and letting Him abide in me for change in my life.  This year, I still want to abide but I want to focus on peace.  

The Bible says that, as believers, God freely offers us peace.  

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 5:1  

If we have accepted Jesus, we can experience a peace that nothing else in this world can offer.

However, the Bible doesn't say we will never have trouble.  In fact, Jesus himself says we will.  BUT the amazing and wonderful and crazy thing about God is that He ALWAYS. Every single time. Offers us His peace.  That's a promise.

Problem is?  

I have to accept His peace to know it.

That means, laying down my burdens and picking up His peace.  

It means going to the Word instead of my friends for approval.  For peace. 

It means, in faith, taking my thoughts captive and throwing out the record player of negativity.

It means when my day has fallen apart and I'm sitting on the floor sobbing, that God is there in that moment, hand extended, offering His peace.  

What do I have to do then?  Grab it.  

It doesn't mean God will change all of my problems right in that moment (if ever).  It doesn't mean I won't ever fear, mourn or feel pain, these things are natural and good at times. But it does mean I have His power from the holy spirit to have a direction-change.  To see things from a different set of eyes.  To move forward in trust and with the peace that offers.

This weekend, I sat and pondered God's sovereignty in my life.  Have I experienced hardship?  You bet.  Have I had days I thought I would never recover from?  Yes, many.

But God has always brought good from those problems.  He has always loved me through it, pushed me through it, and yes, even carried me through it.  Peace.  

It may have been years later, or in some cases, it won't be until Heaven when I experience the understanding of WHY He allowed some things in my life or the lives of other's I love.  But He has been faithful, over and over, and so I can know I can trust Him.  

Though I know this, there have been days that I have done it all on my own and didn't go to Him for peace. I later blamed Him for not bringing me the peace He says He will.  But it was only recently that I realized peace is a two-way street.  The Word says to "seek peace and pursue it" (1 Peter 3:11).  

How can I do that?  By guarding my thoughts, my heart.  By knowing scripture so I have something to think on when the enemy strikes.  I can't just sit around expecting God to bestow peace upon me.  He *might* do that.  But more often than not, He asks us to seek Him and His peace.    

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." Matthew 6:25-34

God's love for us should bring us peace.  When we know He loves us and is always caring for us, there isn't more that we really have to know to be comforted.  

And when you know that peace, there is a supernatural comfort despite the chaos around you.  I have experienced this on days when I have continually allowed God to take my problems instead of holding onto them for dear life trying to "work them out" or "fix them" or just not letting go because I'm scared to death that they are teaching me something and if I let go I will cease to learn.  It doesn't mean I never work through negative things in my life, it means there's a mental decision to let God be in control of them, and that I will trust whatever comes of them.  

Last week, I spent awhile searching for verses about peace.  I had a lovely hour finding verses and writing them down.  My kids weren't napping like I thought they would but I plugged through anyway while they played in their rooms.  All was well.  

And then, all at once, my kids were melting down, I got a huge headache, Judah gave Haven a fat lip, Haven hit the off button on my computer right when I was in the middle of something and I was really starting to feel frustration and exasperation rear their ugly heads.  

That was the turning point.  Would I choose the feelings and frustrations arising in me.  Or would I turn from them and pursue peace?

Then my son came over to me crying.  He was sad because I had to take away something he was really looking forward to because of the two blocks he purposely threw at his sister's face.  I held him while he cried about it and I said, "Let's take a deep breath together".  And over and over we sat there taking deep breaths. Eventually, Haven joined in too.  I was holding both kids.  

Peace was starting to come over me.  Then I said, "I know you are sad about not being able to have the hot cocoa party this afternoon, but the way you treated your sister was unkind and hurtful and we can't do that.  However, let's not let that ruin our day.  God offers us peace in each moment.  Let's try to find it this afternoon instead of dwelling on not getting cocoa today."  He calmed down after awhile.  And then we talked about what we could do to make our day the best it could be without the cocoa.  We went and did a large floor puzzle together for quite awhile and really enjoyed it.  

And you know what?  That hard several minutes turned into the best part of my day.  Because God clearly gave me an opportunity to practice what I had learned.  To step out of the moment, take a deep breath, meditate on God's peace, and walk in it.  

The walking in it part is where faith comes in.  We can "know" all about God's peace and never experience it, if in the moment when it's hardest, we don't push out our thoughts/troubles/fear and usher in the peace only Christ can offer.  

I  want to get better at this, but I have learned the best way to combat constant negative thoughts or a plaguing fear, is to, right in the moment, speak a scripture verse (out loud if I can).  There is extra power in our spoken word because of the faith it takes to speak (we often only speak what we truly believe).  

"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you." Isaiah 26:3 

"For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace." Romans 8:6

I may have learned some tools for peace along the way but I am sure I will write this post and then go blow it in this area.  I don't know everything there is to know about holding onto God's peace.  It takes time to understand God's offer of peace and to turn to it in times of trouble.  It's something I want to always seek to grow in but will probably never master in this life.  Regardless, I want this year to be marked by a growth in peace.  Not because "good" things happened to us (though I pray they do!) but because through whatever comes in 2014, I sought God, His love, His word, and His peace.  

For encouragement, I wanted to share this amazing example of peace.  I've really been reminded how far reaching and abundant God's peace is lately.  I follow a mom on Instagram (@cpray) who lost her husband in 2012.  She has three little kids.  You would never know by her posts that she is a young widow.  She SHINES brightly for Jesus and is always giving Him the glory. It's truly amazing.  Go find her and see what I mean.  It's heart-wrenching, but in the ashes, God has done marvelous things including bringing her a supernatural peace.  I'm sure there are days God's grace indwelled this peace within her and I'm also sure there are days she must fight for peace.  

So how about you?  Has there every been an event or season in your life when you have sought and received God's peace in a huge way?  Have you ever had a time where you just couldn't seem to find God's peace?

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

In peace,
Rachel

An easy way to spiff up any winter party

I hosted a Christmas party for my family this past weekend.  I love to bust out my creativity when I am having people over but with two littles, I have to be realistic.  Usually my method these days is to go simple on most everything and then choose one thing to make extra special.  I don’t want to be stressed and tense when people arrive (that’s hard to do!), therefore, I try to pick a menu that I can easily accomplish, then I give myself the freedom to “go all out” in one area for a special memory at my house. 

I like to choose something that people can get involved in when they arrive.  When you welcome people into your home and give them the option of a destination to visit during the party, along with something to do with their hands, even if they don’t know another soul, it helps them to feel welcome and at ease.  It’s also fun and shows the thoughtfulness you put into your guest’s experience in a tangible way (this is a great way to show love and hospitality!).

Because it was a winter event, this time around I chose to go with a hot cocoa bar!

It was suuuuper simple thanks to the help of Sam’s Club.  The whole idea was built around the concept of being able to DIY one’s own personalized cup of hot chocolate.  I purchased a large variety pack of some of the. best. cocoa. ever.  It had at least six packages of eight flavors (oatmeal cookie, caramel, raspberry, s’more etc.) so guests could choose their own special one.  The variety of different hot chocolates is a must-have and is what makes it so fun. 

Other than that, the special goodies to put in the cocoa are up to you.   I purchased some yummy biscottis from Sam's and they were a hit. I think they make the cocoa even more fun because it gives you something to bite into and easily elevates the drink to something more gourmet.  

I also had peppermint and regular whipped cream (not pictured) and gingerbread and French vanilla marshmallows.  I hunted high and low for the gourmet marshmallows you see at some specialty or confectionery stores but didn't find them the day I was shopping.  Usually they are square-shaped and uniquely flavored, oftentimes even dipped or dusted in chocolate or other sweet things.  However, when all else fails, your kids are crying, and you just need to buy something to plop place on the table, holiday ‘mallows from Jet Puff are great too J

Add some fun mini cookies or things for guests to nibble on and there you go! 

You can use paper cups, Styrofoam cups, or mugs from your cupboard.  I put some colorful paper straws in a glass for guests to use as stir-sticks.  

The other thing I had was an electric kettle.  My cocoa bar was set up upstairs, far away from my kitchen, so this was the best way to have hot water available to people.  For bigger gatherings I would recommend something like this as it heats itself up real quick (mine was from Target) .  If it’s just a few friends, a kettle on the stove is fine.  I wouldn’t send people to the microwave as it would get congested and take too much time.

Here are some more ideas you could add to your Cocoa Bar:

• A chalkboard sign with something to incorporate the theme
• A cute garland or bunting, tablecloths and platters.  
• A paper tablecloth you can write on, pointing to different ingredients on the table and labeling them
• Crushed peppermints or dark cocoa powder for dusting on hot chocolate
• Andes mints for sprinkling on top—hey, even sprinkles for that matter!
• A variety of syrups people could add into their cocoa

I set this whole thing up in about 15 minutes. You can have it be simple and casual (more like mine) or go all out with apothecary jars filled with goodies and a lot more décor. Whatever you have time for and whatever you want to do. Have fun and let me know if you try this at your next event. It won’t disappoint your guests on a cold winter day!

Cheers!
Rachel

Olioboard + a beautiful post on Christmas decorating

Today I wanted to share with you a little something I thought you might find useful.  Maybe you have heard of it but if you haven't and you like to decorate, then you probably need to know about it. When I first heard of it 6 months ago, I said to my husband, "How did I not know about this until now?!".

Introducing Olioboard...

This amazing website allows you to create "mood boards" for rooms in your house. Mood boards help you to see everything together in one place to know how colors, textures, patterns and different furniture will all play off of each other. 

Sure, you can make something like this in Photoshop or PS Elements (if you have those programs) but it could literally take you hours and hours finding and cropping all the photos you need for your design board.  Olioboard saves you the hassle and crops the backgrounds out of the images for you and even has a library of products to search that can easily be added to your board.  Also, you can have an "add to Oliboard" button on your browser's bookmark bar so when you find something at Anthropolgie.com that you want to incorporate into your mood board, you can click the add button, and voila, it's added to your account on Oliboard!  LOVE!

Here is a board I made for our art room:

If I showed you pictures of our art room I think you could see how this references the board.  That room isn't 100% finished but someday I will photograph it and show you!

This is a board I made for our master bedroom:

We haven't started in on that room yet (who knows when we will!) and my design may change along the way but I like what I have so far.

Next, I will probably do a board for our TV room.  It's dark and has low ceilings, I REALLY need to work some magic in there!  I might even solicit your help for that :)

So, check out Olioboard.  It's simple and easy to use.  I promise you will love it!


I also wanted to share with you this beautiful post from The Nester.  Sure the photos of her home are gorgeous but the heart behind the photographs is what I really love.  Nothing is ever perfect and neither are our homes. None of us have it all together and in the adjacent room to something beautifully decorated, might be spilled cheerios on the floor that I have been stepping around for two days.

I have a deep desire to be authentic in my life.  I love sharing my heart; probably to a fault.  So I hope this blog will be apart of my heart as you journey through my home.  You may see my tree that I lovingly decorated but you don't see how my kids broke an ornament the night we decorated it, I yelled and they went up to bed crying.  Sigh.

Life happens here.  Joy, sorrow, strife, peace, stress, tears... it's all here, it just might have a pretty bow on it.  So let's be real together.

See you real soon!
Rachel

These are a few of my (new) favorite things!

Our family went to Florida over Thanksgiving this year and I came home with a few goodies.  After unpacking for at least an hour, I got into full Christmas-decoration-mode and bought a few more items.  It seems every year I need to buy a few things in order to get my house fully fluffed and feathered for Christmas.  But, like I mentioned in my last post, I like to use what I have on hand or make something as often as I can. 

I just don’t make clocks very well.  Or mirrors.  Or blankets… 

Anyway, it’s on to the list of my (new) favorite things:

Birch candles | World Market | $6.99 // $9.99

These look very real.  More real than the Pottery Barn ones I saw at the mall on Saturday and probably cheaper.  I will never burn these babies.  They will live eternally on pretty pedestal candlesticks. 

Vintage clock | IKEA | $5.99

My son wanted to buy this clock when we went to IKEA over vacation.  I took one look at it and said, “YES!”  It’s not super heavy but it looks awesome and at less than $6, I love it even more! 

Silver Mirror | Kirkland’s | $29.98

I wanted a mirror for over our fireplace to make our living room feel larger, and since we have tall-ish ceilings, I needed a mirror that wouldn't look dinky.  I am sort of a cheap-skate so any item over $40 is really painful for me to buy.  Most mirrors I had seen this size (about 2.5’ x 3’) were at least $60, if not $100.  Ah, I mean a mirror is nice and all but I’d rather spend $100 on new shoes or a cleaning lady ;)  That being said, I LOVED this when I saw it.  It was on sale for $20 off and had the touch of bling I was looking to add to my rustic living room. 

*I bought this for $40 and now it's on sale for $30.  That's an AWESOME deal if you need a good-sized mirror!  

Annbritt Throw // Red Plaid Pillow Cover | IKEA // KA List Design | $29.99 // $29

I wanted to add some knitted pillows to my couch for the winter but I wasn't finding what I wanted in my price-range so I hadn't bought anything.  When we went to IKEA I found some beautiful cable-knit throws and decided to just get a throw instead. The one I originally saw was out of stock so I had to get this one.  And I am SO glad I did.  It’s so luxurious and soft. I adore it.   

In keeping with my cabin-chic theme for my décor right now, I also wanted to add some touches of plaid to my house. I had looked and looked for plaid pillows on Etsy and finally found this gem.  I love it because it’s got Sherpa on the other side.  I also love supporting handmade because I know how much every sale means to those small businesses! 

And that’s that!  What have you found out and about this season that you’ve taken home with you?  

Come back soon,

Rachel