All white...and dirt.

I don't know if my house will ever be all white...

for several reasons...

2 children

1 husband

1 cat

1 dog

But it sure is pretty to look at!

All photos from BH&G

I am one of those moms that lets my kiddos eat breakfast on the couch on lazy mornings.

I let my dog on the couch (not sure how I would stop her even if I tried...and I have tried).

We have pizza picnics on the floor, snacks on couches during movies and lots of

little feet all over...not always clean feet.

No...as pretty as it is...I will stick with brown couches.

So worth it!

So for now girls who decorate with all white...please keep it up so I can oooh and ahhhh!

As for me I will keep mopping, spraying down, picking up, loving it...most days...and dreaming of all white!

Love and dirt, Tracey

You light up my life....Love and Lanterns.

I love light! I love natural sunlight, and candle light...

These new images from Pottery Barn make me smile, make me happy, and make me want to spend money! I WILL be hanging some great lanterns this summer with these amazing ropes and knots...love the knots!

I am an avid shell collector...I have buckets, and it is the very first thing I do when I get to any beach...hunt for shells. My family lived across the street from the ocean for years. Every day I would walk and, pray and search for shells and pray for the searching of shells:). I also prayed for my future husband...who years later purposed to me on that very beach (have to tell you cause it was so sweet and so ""me"...there were 94 stairs straight down to this beach, and he had left me an alarm to wake me up (my parents were in on it)...the note by my bed said to head to sunrise...so I did and as I stood at the top of the 94 stairs looking down I saw a huge question mark-the size of the beach-in the sand with one handsome prince as the dot...with a very shiny ring...dreams do come true!))...back to the lanterns and shells...all of that to say that to combine two of my favorite things as in these pictures makes me smile, and want to surround myslef with what I love!

Lanterns light up life, they warm your heart and home! I am so glad I was ahead of the times...last year-I made and gave http://tarahlowry.blogspot.com/...one of these flags for her birthday! Now this year I will need to get her a lantern to go with it!

....do you think when I remind my sweet husband of how special our engagement day was he will let me go buy ALL of these great lanterns?

...even if I sing him my own version of  "you light up my life"...(he might just say yes so I will stop singing).

Lanterns, shells, chunky knots...they sing summer, warmth and love to me!

oh...he's home from work....here I go...Youuuuuu light up my life....you give meeee hoooopeee (laughter is breaking out in the house....if I keep going he might just drive me to PB today:)..

Have a great day girls! May Jesus' light fill your day today with love and laughter and His peace!

Love and lanterns, Tracey

"Clean Living"...pure white "living" rooms.

As followers of Jesus, this week means so much. It is a time for us to reflect on

how we are living-in the shadow of the cross.

So what does that have to do with pretty amazing all white "living" rooms?

I just imagine what life would be like in my house with white couches. Believe you me-I would love them! I think about them, plan for them and WILL get them someday. However...with two really dirty kids (and I mean "dirty" in the most loving way possible). They bathe every night-don't get me wrong...they both just find their way to dirt, and they love collecting stuff...dirty stuff...stuff that can't coexist with...beautiful white couches. Let me add to our children...two pets...a cat that only started to shed when we added the dog (the vet says its because of  "stress"...huh...why am I not shedding!)...a dog who loves to roll in dirt...the same dirt the children play in! So...you get the idea...white couches...not a good idea.

What I love about this Holy week is the huge reminder that even with all of our dirt and stains we serve a God who cleaned it all for us! The dirt did not scare Him off...he takes our "slipcovers" and washes them...every stain, over and over again. Girls...my heavnly "mansion" has white couches...but for now I will stick with my brown couches, my dirty sweet little children, "stressed out" shedding cat...smelly muddy dog.....and my KING Jesus-who gets the pure white, no stains thing...and washes me (what feels like a daily necessity...sometimes hourly.) clean by His love and grace!

So enjoy these pictures of these beautiful rooms...

and at the same time be ever grateful for the "dirt" in your life...

and for the KING who washes it all clean...grace...grace...Gods grace.

"As for me and my house...

...we will serve the Lord" Joshua 24:15

By His grace and with His love...Tracey

For the love of black, cream...and a dog.

Source: MHI

I simply cannot get enough of black and cream together.

Source: MHI

From the dinning room...

Source: MHI

...to the kitchen...love how the top of the room is cream and the bottom black,

Source: CL

...and into the bathroom...

Source: BH

...out the front door.

Our dog LUCY...had to be...you got it black and cream! She looks so sweet in this picture

when she was a baby...now we call her "the beast"...lovingly of course. More...much more on her

later...lets just say she has brought out the best and the worst...but she's pretty in black and cream!

There...my very first post...done! Loving this!