Pillows, Flip Flops, Owls, Oh My!

I wanted to take the chance to thank some people!

First of all, I won a giveaway for 3 pillow covers from Tara at Lauren Lane Decor!  They arrived last week, and even though we will be packing up and leaving this house in less than 2 weeks, I couldn't resist setting them up and enjoying them for now.  One is an awesome pink and white that Emmy was excited to have for her room!

The other two are a navy and white stripe which have a nice nautical flair to them.  I love the bold graphic element they add to my otherwise pretty neutral seating area!  Even Charlie has positioned himself to be able to see the new pillows!

If you haevn't visited Tara's blog, check it out!  She is very talented in the furniture biz.  And did I mention gorgeous.  See here:

 And her gorgeous work...

I also want to thank Ali of My Third True Love.  Ali has quickly become one of my bloggy bff's who will soon become a bff in real life when we meet in September!  She remembered my birthday which is coming this week, and sent me a couple awesome gifts!  I am a flip flop gal- it's all I wear in the summer, besides my clothes of course.  She sent me this fabulous pair of silver Cali-chic flip flops so I painted my toe nails to match. :)

 And look how cute they are without my stinky feet in them!

 And yes, you can see that I have big feet.  Disregard the numbers and just admire the peacock feather design.  Ali also sent me this adorable owl!  He looks so perfect in my family room for now!  I have named him Oliver which must be pronounced with a British accent.

Ali is also very talented and just refinished her own dining set, which is GORGEOUS.  See?

 My amazing and thoughtful friend, Allison also sent me a beautiful handmade card with a gorgeous sunflower photo.  She knows I love sunflowers!  I know many of you out there know Allison, and she is just the nicest- always has the best most thoughtful comments.  I am hoping to arrange a time to see her in September as well!  We are working on it!  Thank you so much, Allison, for remembering my birthday!

And in other moving related news, one of my best friends, Sandie (we have been friends since the 6th grade) read yesterday on my blog that I was sad about leaving my dogs at the kennel for an indefinite time.  She is a dog lover, and loves my doggies.  She has her own sweet dog, Stashu.  She told me not to board them and that she will take them.  So the plan is for us to board them for one week while we are closing on the house, etc, and then I will drive up to Boston Saturday the 26th and drive home the Sunday after.  I don't know how I will ever thank her enough.  She is an amazing woman with a huge heart.  And if you knew the rest of her story you would be even more impressed.  She is a cancer survivor turned marathon runner.  She's a complete inspiration.  She also happens to be the friend of mine that I would trust most with my children if I were to need someone to watch them for an extended period of time, so I know Charlie and Jake will be in good hands.  Heck, they might not even want to come back to us! :)

As of now we still don't have a house to move into, but I will be keeping you posted and you will know as soon as we do!  The kids are very excited about going to live with Gramma and Papa for a few weeks time, and my parents are even going to allow me to work a little in their basement.  They are the best, and I am thankful that my kids get to spend their temporary housing time at one of their happiest places!

Happy Sunday!