A Southern Accent

Self Portrait Reflection Through a Window Nine years of marriage didn't used to sound like a lot of time together, back when marriages lasted forever and "till death do you part" was actually taken seriously. But I'm proud of our nine years together. We've managed to overcome some pretty big obstacles, parenting, four surgeries and my craziness that flairs up now and again. We're really not what you'd call a typical couple, by any means. We have seventeen years between us in age. When I was born, he was hitch-hiking his way across the US to get to San Francisco, where they wore flowers in their hair. Two weeks ago, when Walker stayed one evening with my mom, we decided to catch up on some housework with delivery pizza for dinner. As Mike was folding clothes, and I was touching up some paint on the ceiling in the family room, I looked at him and said, "Look at us. We are sooo not typical." Mike says, "Yeah, but it works for us....

I decided last night I could wait no longer. The Halloween box had to come down and we needed to sprinkle a little spooky dust around the house. I focused on the mantel, taking the existing, eclectic arrangement of knickknacks currently there, keeping some of it, and adding some fun items from around the house and my special Halloween box to kick-off the season around here. Here's a picture of the before, so you can see what I kept to create my spooky mantel scene: I kept the bronze bird up in front, the silhouette of Mike as a little boy, the black letter blocks (turned on their sides), the cream ceramic piece, the owl and the candle in the back. I added in some of my goodies from my Halloween box, some old books from the bookshelf, a little chest from the bedroom and some candles from the hall and came up with this! I'm a big believer in shopping the house, and most of the Halloween items I have came from HomeGoods and The Dollar Store, so the w...

Mostly random things to talk about today. We have our first parent-teacher conference today at Walker's school. Evidently, my little angel is a bit of an impulsive, aggressive, all-boy, all-the-time kindergartner. We've been working on it and he is getting better. That which is praised on the ball field, isn't quite what they expect in class, so he's having to find that balance. Which makes me feel like an awful parent because my child isn't the perfect little one in class. Like I'm doing something wrong, then I realize maybe it's not wrong, he's just learning and growing. Parenting is hard. And I have a feeling it gets harder. But it's worth it for my little snuggle bunny. Speaking of snuggle bunnies, we bought Walker a kids Snuggie back from Charleston and Mike didn't think he would like it. Walker has been inseparable from that thing since he opened it. He even put it back on over his clothes after he got dressed this morning and wore it u...

Mike and I celebrated nine years of marriage last week with a long weekend in Charleston, SC. We had a wonderful weekend of fine food, relaxing strolls and successful shopping! Carriage Ride Through Charleston It was oh so relaxing. Mike kept saying "I wish Walker was here." I kept saying, "Shut up and stop reminding me." We both missed our little guy a lot. I had to keep reminding him that a happy marriage makes for a happy child. Bike Rickshaw Tour of Charleston We actually decided this weekend that we are quite boring people (as we blew off our Saturday evening dinner reservations to instead grab burgers, hang out in our hotel room and watch football/read). I'm not going to bore you with all the details but the food was amazing. Let's just say Mike ate friend chicken livers twice while we were there. I had shrimp and grits, a B.L.F.G.T. (bacon, lettuce, fried green tomato) sandwich, sushi, coconut pie... And by the time we left, th...

  I'm excited to announce that my best friend is expecting! She's announced it on Facebook and everyone knows that's the official word these days, right? This is how she announced it: Daria is "16 and pregnant. One of these things is true." Only Daria. So, that means I now have an excuse to talk about baby stuff! And I hope to help with the shower, nursery decorations and new mommie advice! I already bought her the Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy. I loved that book when I was pregnant - the advice is invaluable. Things like knowing that the first ultrasound isn't what the movies make it look like and how incredible those frozen things they give you in the hospital to help with the pain are. I wish they had blogs back when my little guy was born. I guess they did, but I didn't know about them. I could have used some advice when my little guy cried every night from 6:00 - 8:00, when he wouldn't sleep at night, when he'd get a cold or...

My son's schedule has kept me on my toes this weekend. I seriously don't know how you people with more than one child do it. Walker and I went to the UNC football game in Chapel Hill that started at noon with my mom and nephew, then were planning to go to a classmate's birthday party in downtown Durham. During the game, he decided he wanted to skip the birthday party and instead, go to his soccer game. This meant we had to leave Chapel Hill no later than 1:30, to get back home, put on soccer gear and get to the soccer game by 2:20. Our car was parked in a lot at University Mall, and we took the bus into campus. Problem was, after I dragged Walker from Kenan Stadium to the buses at halftime, we realized they weren't running anymore. But, you can't explain to a five-year old that they missed their first soccer game of the season because the buses weren't running yet. This is where my mentality of "never say no" came into good use. I picked up my Bla...

My husband is a wuss when it comes to animals. You’d never guess it looking at him, but he is such a pansy when it comes to our brood, which now includes one cat, one dog, one hamster and two frogs. I don’t think I’ve ever referenced my devil cat on the blog, but I do have one. I rarely see him, so he and I don’t talk much anymore. I got him right out of college and he’s 13 years old now, but he never comes out of hiding unless my husband shakes his treat can, then proceeds to give him half the bottle because he is whining. He attacks our house guests (ask our friends Ashley and Jack) and he snarls at strangers. He won’t let Walker look at him without growling and hissing and he basically lives in the upstairs part of our house so Lucy can’t get to him. Last night, Lucy got upstairs by accident and I thought we were going to have a homicide in the other room before I could get in there and separate the two. Then there’s the crazy dog, which you’ve heard much about. Mike still refus...

I'll admit, I've never been schooled in the formalities of design, and such, couldn't really name the styles of specific types of furniture from different eras, but as I'm coming to love decor and starting to get more into the fun of it all, I'm learning. This may be basic stuff I never knew and most of you may already know, but thought I'd share anyhow in case there is that one other person out that that asks, "what they heck is a parsons table and why is it called that?" It's a trend I've seen in all of the major design publications and online - these sleek, simple tables, desks and accent pieces. Out with the chunky, clunky coffee table, and in with the modern and sophisticated look. I happened upon the parsons table after searching for hours upon hours on websites for the perfect coffee table for "the room". I kept coming across something called a parsons table, so I did what any intelligent person would do, I wikipedia-ed it....

Special for A Southern Accent readers: 26 issues of Southern Living Magazine for only $20! Just click on the logo below to contact Cheryl from Willow House to get this special offer or e-mail her at willowhousefl@gmail.com and mention A Southern Accent blog! Get a subscription for yourself, your mom, your MIL - makes a great Christmas or birthday gift!    As my sweet friend Erin from Blue-Eyed Bride posted on her blog a couple of weeks ago, Southern Living features great articles, here's just one example of why I love this magazine. And, by the way, I totally agree with everything this author writes! Dear Hollywood: An open letter to our friends in showbiz, bless their hearts by Amy Bickers Southern Living, September 2010 Attention, Tinsel Town. As the fall TV season begins, we hope you aren’t tempted once again to dust off those Southern stereotypes that make us cringe. An example: the crime show that featured a cold case in Nashville and depicted the city’s pol...

We got our new carpet in last week and we are loving it! As I mentioned before, it's the new Martha Stewart carpet at Home Depot, and even the guys putting it in were talking about how soft it is! What's even better - it is so affordable and has a lifetime stain warranty! (And no, they aren't paying me to say this stuff!!) Here's my crazy Lucy, checking out the carpet the first time. We have spent every evening hanging out on the floor, just enjoying the softness of it. I considered hardwoods in here, but I wanted to go for a cozy feel, and so glad I did! Also, I'm going to share some pics of the progress of my new room, but be warned I still have a long way to go! I am getting a lot of inspiration from reading other blogs, so wanted to share my fun finds with you guys as well! I've almost finished painting the room, doing it myself instead of paying Hugo who quoted me $350.00 for the room - no thank you Hugo. The color I chose is the same color Sherry and...

I often get comments and questions about my curly hair, so thought I'd respond to all the questions here. I haven't always had naturally curly hair. Actually, maybe I did, but maybe I always fought against it with a blow dryer, straightening iron, gel, spray, yadda yadda... But I have always had BIG hair. I slept in those hard rollers every night in high school so I could puff my hair up really big every day. When I was little, my mom would roll my hair in those pink sponge curlers every Saturday night for Sunday morning church. About a year ago, I just decided to give up on the fight, go natural. Also, I'm not a morning person, so anything that makes me get a couple more minutes of sleep is totally worth it to me. I learned this at a salon at a hotel in Charlotte last year. I had just started wearing my hair curly and didn't really know how to do it properly, so a lady at the salon gave me great tips that I still use today. Scrunch and Twirl: 1. The number ...

OUT WITH THIS!  IN WITH THIS! See you later summer! It's been good, but I'm ready for fall. What are you looking forward to most this fall?  (and you can't say clothes, because, duh...everyone knows that's number one!)   My little guy and I are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Halloween at Target and all of the fun stuff that comes with the Halloween season! I'm also excited about fall sports that have just started back - we had our first soccer practice this week - we've graduated to the big boy's field and Walker is playing flag football this year too!

"Never laugh at live dragons"— J.R.R. Tolkien We stood in line for 45 minutes to have the amazing Mimi paint Walker's face at our neighborhood pool Monday. She does awesome work and it's so worth the wait! And, the finished product.  Three minutes later, he jumped in the pool and it all washed off. Oh well.

Sorry Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware and (insert name here) overly priced home decor store. I'm breaking up with you. I've found a new love. One that doesn't make me pay insane prices for cute stuff and force my home to look like everyone else out there. I'm tired of being just one of the crowd. (You saw that Friend's episode, right?) Yes, I may still read those love letters you send me in the mail quite often, and I may have some longings for the pretties on your pages, but I will no longer be a slave to your prices. I've found someone new. With lots more character, lots more options and much less of a commitment when it comes to my money. And I drop by so much more often to see them because I never know what treasures I uncover each time we are together! Meet: the consignment shop. Behold, evidence of my new-found love... These two are the newest additions to my room remodel, currently making lots of progress. Walls are almost completel...

Although it looks like I may not have much to look forward to as far as college football, that doesn't mean you di-hard college football fanatics can't get excited about the season. And I know there are a lot of you girls out there that love it as much as many of the guys I know, so I thought I'd introduce you to a great resource a friend of mine has created on the web. Meet College Football Observer , an online portal that pulls content from NCAA football blogs, news, and content from across the nation into one place. It already has 35k+ fans on Facebook and just started a new pick em league online! Check it out for yourself and pass along to friends! Have a safe and happy memorial day weekend!

Spongebob is allowed in our house, but sometimes when I hear other people say "Oh, I don't let my son/daughter watch that show" I just don't get it. How did Spongebob get such a bad rap? I've heard people say "oh, it's sexual - Bikini Bottom? Sandy Cheeks?" Seriously? I never even went there in my head. I just thought they were cute little names someone made up and I don't generally consider myself to be naive. Then I heard someone say "well, they use the word stupid on there". Agreed, I don't like that word, but most of the time it's used in a mean way, so I use it as an example of how not to act towards your friends. See how I turned that around like that??? My little guy watches two episodes of Spongebob at night (each episode is 15 minutes) and I often find myself drawn into them as well. Here's what I've observed: - Spongebob gets up every morning and goes to work. This show responsibility. He also loves...

It's hurricane season again in North Carolina. Which for the most part, doesn't interfere with my day-to-day life, but my in-laws live at the beach. Which means all of these have been taken off the wall and packed up in case of impact. It is a beautiful arrangement, and I love how it fills in the room, but maybe we should consider another decorating option for that wall Mama? Praying for those on the coast and their families. Praying for the storm to blow out to sea. When I was a senior in college, Hurricane Fran came all of the way inland and crushed Chapel Hill. That same night my boyfriend of three years broke up with me, we lost all power in our dorm and all of the food in our cafeteria spoiled. I was an RA, so we weren't allowed to leave the property and go home. I lived on the 7th floor of our dorm and we had to patrol our floors each hour on the hour at night for three days because the fire alarms weren't working properly and residents were lig...