two straight lines

Is it shallow of me to say that good design is enough to elevate my mood?  Today the kids and I headed up to the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM for short) so we could use free passes that were only good for the month of July.  Afterword we ate lunch in their little restaurant which was kid friendly AND beautiful, a rare combination.

The kid's mac & cheese (and fruit! and chips!) and my portobello wrap were served on over-sized china, and that together with the beautiful surroundings left me feeling so refreshed.  And lets face it, after 8 weeks of summer vacation, we could all use some refreshing!

What about you, what are your secret outings that keep your family going?  We are big on memberships to cultural places, museums, botanical gardens, etc.  I love knowing that I always have a place to take the kids when we need a change of scenery.

Even pre-kids, when I would visit New York City, I would always make a point of going to the Morgan Pierpont Library and having lunch alone in their cafe.  Something about museums is so calming to me.

As for the museum, the new building is amazing, I'd love to go back when I'm not chasing two little ones.  I believe it is the first LEED certified art museum in the world.  We buzzed through the galleries, completed a little "scavenger hunt," and I was even forced to write a haiku under duress in the lobby.  It was the last step of the scavenger hunt before we got THE PRIZE!

So, now I will share it with you, it was inspired by our favorite work of art in the museum-- "Blunt Tail Dog" by Alexander Calder (It was a really cool animobile- animal scupture/ mobile combo that I can't find a photo of online).

the red dog's standing

as it appears to juggle

balls of gray and black

and with that, I will leave you to your weekend. 

Just poppin' my head in to say that I've been asked to be a guest over at Habit for the month of August, so check it out.  I love that blog, and am thrilled to be a part of it!  My first post was today. 

Back soon!

So, I finally got my dining room painted last week.  I somehow eeked it out in one day with a lot of help from my husband with juggling the kids.  The harder part since then has been getting some decent photos of it.

I think its funny how photographing a room makes you examine it so much closer--  where the light falls, how it changes throughout the day, how the paint can look five different colors in different spots around the room at the exact same moment.  I usually sort of rush through life, and this process slows me down a bit...sometimes slower than I would like, of course.

The paint color is called Westie White, and I must admit is much subtler than I had planned.  I felt the main paint color in my last home was too dark for the long and gray Michigan winters, and chose a shade for this room that was one shade warmer but about the same depth as a favorite paint color I used in a previous home of mine.  Well, on the walls in this house, in this light, it looks much paler than I remember the other one.

I would have to describe it as a chalky white, or the palest Dove gray, or the color of moonlight if you don't imagine that being yellow.  It goes well with the things I have in here, a little shabby, a little worn.  I'm glad I chose it for this room and not a main living room, but here, with our new light fixture, it sort of glows, adds a quality to the light that I didn't plan, but quite like.

And, the light fixture is one you may have seen before.  It's from Restoration Hardware.  When my husband happened into a RH Outlet recently, he called me to see if I was interested in any light fixtures, and I said that I had always loved these, but would not be willing to pay that much for it.  When he arrived home later that night he had this one which he found for about 60% off.  He was also able to buy new lights for several other places in our house at amazing prices, so if you can find yourself an RH Outlet, I highly recommend it! 

Stop back by in the next few days for a product review of the paint I used for this project.  I also have one last project planned for this large blank wall, so keep an eye out out for that as well.

More thorough photos, including a before, found here.

 

Last weekend we decided to dine with the birds and eat on our upstairs balcony.  It's a pretty big space, it covers two rooms of our home below.  I'm embarrassed to say this was the first time I'd ever been out there.  We moved in in December and when spring finally came I could never get the door to the balcony open.  And I never remembered to ask Scott to open it for me when he was home.  He had been out there-- Clio our cat has ended up stranded there several times after climbing up the small cedar tree nearby.

The balcony is actually off of our bedroom, through a dressing room that we think used to be a small landing or maid's room from a back staircase that we no longer have.  The former owners were smart enough to add a master bath and dressing area there when they bought the house 15 years ago.

It's fun to see your neighborhood from a different view.  I told the kids this is the closest we will probably come to a tree house because the tree line is far too high here to build one.  I'm actually thinking some chaise lounges would be great here, a nice place to read after the kids go to bed, since in the summer it's still daylight at that time.  A neighbor suggested watching the fireworks out here.  Maybe we'll try that out this weekend.

I think I've mentioned before that we have a street in front as well as behind our house.  The houses in the back a charming smaller cottages that you see here.  We also have a tiny but cute garage.  I've never seen one with so many windows, I can't imagine why they put so many in.  And there is also a potting area which is pretty cool to have, even though I don't consider myself too much of a gardener yet.  It does store the kids outside toys nicely, though!

Check back next week for my dining room redo.  Nothing dramatic, just a new light fixture and some fresh paint.  I am starting with that room because there is the least amount of work to be done in there!  Happy Fourth of July to all of you who are stateside. 

XO- Courtney