Writings
Come On In...It's COLD Outside!!!
Every Christmas...And I mean EVERY CHRISTMAS, My husband (bless his heart) questions the size of our Christmas tree. He thinks it can only be 7 feet tall and I always say 8 or 9. Our home has old and new bones with low ceilings, but my theory is - buy it taller and cut from the bottom so you still get a nice full tree. Genius right? We may look like we're having fun, a happy couple bundled in our winter gear, eyeing one tree after the next, up and down, but kid you not, we are bickering back and forth until Jay finally throws up his hands and says, "Fine, get whatever tree you want." Romantic yes? At this fun point, I usually go back to the car to get warm as Jay and the nice young men strap the tree I picked out to our car. Magically, by the time we get home and get the tree cut and up, Jay realizes once again, that it is the perfect tree! Every year I say, "Now remember this next year," but he never does. So it looks like our Christmas tree bickering will continue for many years to come. JOY!
I usually am so excited to get all the decorations out, but this year, I pulled out all of my Christmas buckets and bins and nothing looked worthy. I didn't know if I should try to recreate what worked last year, or start completely over. I questioned EVERYTHING that I pulled out of those boxes. Is this too old? Does this look country? Why do I still have this? This year, I had to ask myself over and over, "How am I going to make this special again?"
It always starts out as a struggle (just like buying the tree with Jay) and somehow ends up over the course of many days (actually weeks) to be just the right feeling I wanted to portray. The sad part is, I finally get it the way I want and then it's time to take it all down again. Ahhhh...So much work, but so worth all the effort!
The light off Lake Minnetonka creates a stunning winter warmth. Here, the mantle, in my opinion was still missing something...But what? It would be a few more weeks before inspiration would kick in (Thank you Mark D. Sikes for your book, "Beautiful,") and I added blue and white touches to get just the right look.
I went through my pantry and decided that this stunning Juliska soup tureen would be a beautiful touch of blue and white. There is something so fresh and classic about this, that I am just in love with it. The lemon cypress tree was a gift from a wonderful friend and florist, Designer Blooms.
I have always been obsessed with boats, clipper ships in particular (I have an obscene amount.) My boys always try to steer me away from antique stores that have boats in them, because who has time to watch mom pick up every boat in the store? Living on a lake, I am now in love with all kinds of boats. My tree shows this love with one of my favorites from John Derrian and Company. Honestly, if you are in NYC head to the East Village and browse his shops. Yes, plural!! There are three in a row and honestly, it's a wonder people don't see me skipping around like a lunatic. So many sweet finds, this pretty paper boat being one of them. 
AHHHH-MAZING isn't it? Also, a John Derrian find! Vintage art painted on wood. Look at him dashing through the snow...Honestly, I think my heart stopped beating for a good ten seconds here, which is a good indicator that this special piece HAD to be a part of Sweet Shady Lane.
More blue and white and can you even stand that it is in a clipper ship container? Again, heart stopped beating! Found this gem at English Traditions in Florida. This charming nautical nutcracker has an anchor on his hat and I love him! Flowers by, Designer Blooms never cease to make me happy!
Traditional greens look too heavy in my house with all the white wood work, so I opt for preserved boxwood to add just the right amount of Christmas magic. I found this particular boxwood on sale (YAY) at Ballard Design two years ago and it has held up very well. I love the different shades of color and depth in the balls that hang from champagne colored ribbon. It's not your traditional red Christmas, but it's warm, classic and inviting.
The mantle is finally finished! I added two small blue and white containers with greens to carry out the inspiration from the soup tureen. And now I'm sitting back looking at it all, wondering why I ever questioned myself in the first place! I have to remember that good design doesn't happen over night...It shouldn't. Let things EVOLVE. Be INSPIRED. And find JOY in the little details.
Wishing you all A VERY MEANINGFUL HOLIDAY!
XO...Heather
P.S Are you following @sweetshadylane on instagram? Lets be friends.
Canker sores, goodbye boys and getting present to love!
In a few short weeks, my two boys, Jack and Miles will be heading off to Los Angeles. Jack will be coaching hockey for the Junior LA Kings and Miles will be attending the New York Film Academy. CALIFORNIA, I HOPE YOU ARE READY FOR THESE TWO!!!
The story of my goodbye goes like this...I woke up one morning and I had a canker sore. Gross Heather! Why are you telling us about your canker sores? I know, but it's important and you'll find out why. Later that day, I got another one. By the next morning I had two on my tongue, one on my inner lip and two on the inside of my cheek. WOW, this is really too much information! And I thought this was a blog about decorating!! Well, please hang in there, because in just a few short paragraphs you are going to see some lovely decor pictures of what 980 Shady really looks like when it is inhabited by one teenager and one young adult.
Now back to my canker sores. I had never had a canker sore on my tongue before, let alone TWO of them and the pain was REALLY bad. Worse, I couldn’t speak, eat or swallow without severe pain. If you know me at all, you know not eating would become a real challenge, not to mention that I would become a bigger challenge to be around. Really, just no fun for anyone. Especially me!
I spent sixty dollars at Walgreens and bought every canker sore medication they sold. I was desperate for relief. I called all my yoga friends and begged them to sub my classes. I sulked around my house, nearly in tears and tried to explain my discomfort to anyone that would listen. Looking back, I really was a walking, mumbling-disaster! I tried the Walgreens medicine for a few days, but nothing helped. I was thankful for sleep, but by morning, the sores would be irritated again. I was back to square one, which was no relief in site!
Weeks before the canker sores appeared, I found myself being quite crabby towards my boys. They live in this beautiful attic space that was renovated just for them. Here's just a small window into the mess I avoid on a daily basis. Here's picture of what it looks like when Jack and Miles attempt to do their laundry. SCARY! I know! I mean why bother taking out the leather belt in your shorts? Mom will do it anyway!
Needless to say, when I'm not cleaning up everyday messes, I am left to deal with their frequent mini tornadoes. A fun highlight happened a few months ago when I was prepping the house for a party. I decided to take a quick peek at their bathroom before the guests arrived. This is what I found... After my heart attack, I asked the boys about the stickers. They both panicked and said, "Don't take those down! You didn't did you?" That fun little exchange left me speechless, walking away positive that they were clearly NOT my children!
In my already irritated state, I was bothered by everything! Their laundry, their friends, the gross dishes full of old Chinese food that they didn't even bother to rinse out, the chores that were ignored, the dirty socks all over house, the smell that came from their room, the X-box controllers and TV left on and not to mention their beautiful tiled shower that was now covered in skateboarding stickers!
You name it, I was irritated by it! So you get the picture right? I was a cranky mom and at the time, I really didn't know why. On top of my frustrations-I noticed that anytime my husband and I talked about the boys leaving, I would feel an irritating lump form in the back of my throat and would quickly deflect the conversation to something else. Looking back, I see that CLEARLY I was avoiding feeling what was really present. And yes, this is leading up to why I had so many canker sores!
My sister, Holly called me and I painstakingly tried to tell her about my canker sores. Remember, it is literally quite hard to speak. First, she was laughing, because I sounded like I had been to the dentist and my face was numb. I told her that I couldn’t speak and she quickly had compassion as she knew how painful they could be.
She asked, “Is there something you need to say to someone?” I said, “What do you mean?” She replied, “well, I believe that canker sores are a sign of not saying what needs to be said.” I said, “Ummm, listen crazy lady, I don’t think so, I believe they are a virus of some kind.” We continued the conversation and I told her I was going to make a doctor appointment. Lucky for me, the doctor could see me that day. I was thrilled! Finally, I was going to get some relief.
As I sat with the doctor, I was sure she would prescribe something to make the pesky little buggers disappear. I quickly listed off everything I had tried, how much pain I was experiencing, how I couldn’t eat and I eagerly waited for her to start typing up a prescription. Instead, she stopped typing, looked at me and asked a very simple question.
“Heather, is there an area in your life that has caused you stress?” I paused, a bit irritated that she hadn't already prescribed something. I looked at her and mumbled, "you know, my boys are moving in a few weeks and I think I’m sad." Ahhh! There it was! The truth! All of a sudden, I was present to my love for my boys and the tears started to flow!
And just so we are clear on how present...You know that scene in "Raising Arizona" where Holly Hunt is hysterically crying about loving someone? Well, that's kinda how I felt! Click the play button to see how my own hysterics were played out. [embed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GIyTFl4Cb4[/embed] Thankfully my doctor is patient and kind and just let me "feel."
My doctor is a mother of a young boy and I said what every adult said to me…"Enjoy every minute, because it goes by too fast." I made a promise to myself that I would share what I was feeling with my boys.
“Boys, I have been cranky and irritable and I have a mouth full of canker sores and I realized today that there is something I have been needing to say to you both. I’m going to miss you both so much! And just getting and being present to that feeling makes me cry, but they are tears of gratitude because I have been given a great love for you both. I thank God for the presence of His love in my life and the gifts He has given me in the two of you. My beautiful boys, how lucky I am to love so big.”
With in minutes, the replies where “ I love you mom.” And they even added little emoji hearts!
I felt such freedom in sharing my love that I almost failed to notice that my mouth wasn’t hurting anymore. I swallowed and it was effortless. My first thought was, get this lady some food!! No, but really I couldn't believe that my sister was right! I was holding onto love when it desperately wanted to be given away. My body was trying to tell me something and now I was finally listening. When I got home, I couldn't help but smile at all the silly nuances of living with teenage boys. I found the details of their daily living quite charming. I thought, who has time for a "perfect" home anyways? Joyfully, I knew the answer was not me!
I was so blown away by the concept of body and emotion, that I themed a whole yoga class on it. I always say in my classes, “fully present, fully alive!” Funny how for weeks, I ignored my own advice. I shared my experience with my students at Core Power Yoga and I encouraged them to create a clearing by sharing and saying what needs to be said to the people in their own lives.
“I don’t know what it is or who it is. Maybe it’s a simple thank you, maybe it’s an I’m sorry or I forgive you. Maybe it’s I love you or have I told you lately how special you are in my life. Or maybe it’s as simple as mine was, I’m just going to miss you so much.”
As I ended with that declaration, I felt the tears well up and that familiar lump in my throat and instead of running from the present moment, I just sat there with my students and it was lovely and beautiful, because it was true.
We finally live here!!
It's hard to believe that it has been two months since my last post! Today happens to be the first day of school and I am finely feeling like I have the chance to update my blog and take a deep breath! I guess you could say that I have been pretty busy moving in and getting settled! Whoa...Moving is not easy! There has been so much to do at 980 to get it up and running that I swear, there have been days were I don't sit down until I lay down to sleep!
Aside from the movers delivering items that I hadn't seen in almost two years, our college kids came bounding in the house along with a few significant others. So, before I knew it, we had a house full of teenagers and twenty-plus year olds ready to hit the lake and start up their summer fun! So, you can imagine that settling in was a bit of a challenge with that much excitement happening! Our summer days have been filled with boat rides, jet skis, fishing off the dock, lunch on the porch and lots and lots of laundry!!
I wish I could say that the house was all planned out and decorated way in advance, but unfortunately, that is not how I work. I tend to have to live in spaces before I can truly decorate them. And although furniture has been ordered, chairs are being recovered, rugs are coming, etc. I am still in the process of figuring what goes where and doing my best to make it all come together in a thoughtful and emotional way.
Needless to say, I am beyond excited to share all the fun that I have been having and now that summer has slowed down, I will be able to do just that!
Get ready for some fun decor...I can't wait to show you!!
Count down to June 20th!!
I have SO many details that I am excited to share with you all!! First of all, we have a move-in date!!! On JUNE 20th the Strommens will be packing up the little carriage house and moving into what we call "the big house." We are beyond excited!! I can't wait to share all the decorating details, but those will have to wait until construction is complete. Get ready for lots of fun wall-coverings, yummy fabrics, fun finds from Nantucket and all the little details that make a house a home! Here's a peak at what's happening at 980 Shady!
Spindles are in!
Tile work in girl's baths.
Shadow boxes are in!
Cool vintage lights in boy's room!
Lights, Paint, Action!
There is so much going on at Shady that it's hard to tell you about every lovely little detail. But what I am most excited about right now is that Landschute is done with the attic (the boy's room,) the second floor bedrooms (master and girls,) the baths, the basement (just wait until you see how cool-pics coming) and they have moved onto the main floor! The most exciting news at 980 Shady is that THE KITCHEN CABINETS ARE BEING SET IN PLACE!!! Can you tell that I'm excited? :)
I mentioned in my last post that Mary Monson has done such a fabulous job in finding vintage lights and I wanted to give you a sneak peek at her findings! I cannot wait to see them up and lit!
I also stopped out at the Junk Bonanza last weekend and came across a very special old pub sign. It says "Courage" at the top and "The Silent Whistle" below. It used to sit across from an old train station and when the train station closed, they renamed the pub, "The Silent Whistle." As some of you know, we live across the street from the railroad track that runs through downtown Wayzata and I hear that not-so silent whistle quite often. Needless to say, I HAD to have this sign. When I went back to pick it up, the sales woman told me that she could have sold it 200 times. It is such a great piece and will look amazing in the basement.
Vintage Lights
Vintage lights
Old Pub sign
Master bedroom
Sitting room off of master
Just waiting for wallpaper
laundry room table
Love these mini pantry doors
Kitchen cabinets arrived!