On the Shelf

November 13, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (1)

As we have not just veterans on our minds at this time, but military personnel currently serving our country, it's the perfect opportunity to show some of the ways moms, dads, and even grandmaws and grandpaws can help the babies in their lives show support for these brave people.

So in honor of Veterans Day this week, here are a few ways to make a soldier-daddy proud of his little one… and possibly eager to show off his new baby gear and décor.

August 13, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (1)

In this August heat, it’s tempting to take a trip to the beach and spend the entire time under the cool water, wiggling my toes in the wet sand. Or maybe it’s better to stay dry yet cool, by visiting the aquarium. But even if I stay home, my master bedroom feels cool because I painted it blue a few months ago – a slate blue, inspired by a showroom I visited at the Las Vegas Market early last year.

When it’s this hot, even children get sluggish when they try to play outside. So why not give them an underwater paradise right in their bedroom?

June 23, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (1)

I have a brand new baby nephew, Julian. I was really surprised several months ago when his mommy sent me pictures of two bedding sets for his nursery that she couldn’t decide between – one had monkeys, the other had a jungle theme.

I would’ve bet money that lil Julian’s nursery would be done to the hilt in trains. His daddy, after all, is an engineer with Norfolk-Southern Railroad, and his paternal great-grandfathers were railroaders as well. His daddy, grandfather and uncle (my husband) have collected model trains all their lives.

I haven’t seen Julian’s nursery yet, but I thought I’d share some train products that his mommy could blend into the nursery, ...Read More

May 19, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (3)

Growing up in the suburbs of a big city, I was always enamored by farm life. As a child, driving from our home in New Orleans to see aunts and uncles two hours away, I loved passing the farms, with their cows tucked behind long white fences, and rows of crops.

I was 25 when I heard my first cow moo. I ate what I consider my very first fresh veggies at 31, when I moved to a small North Carolina town where is seems like every other yard has a vegetable garden. I also set foot on my first “farm” that year. But even then, it was just a big piece of property with a stable that housed mules and chickens… and the best, freshest eggs I’ve ever eaten. But to me, fresh eggs = farm, at its most basic level.

I learned about farms, as most of us did, as a toddler – through picture books, PBS shows and a plastic toy farm. Even looking at “vi...Read More

May 12, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

With the end of school just around the corner, kids are undoubtedly dreaming of how they will be spending their freedom this summer.

For me, it was hanging out in my neighborhood, which was full of kids my age. We’d form teams and play kickball in the street, softball in the empty lot across the street, or basketball in the driveway. Not a hot day passed that there wasn’t the sound of a ball bouncing around outside. We sometimes even heard the sounds of a distant crowd cheering from the stands of a playground around the corner where “real” sports were played, complete with team rosters and coaches.

Many lucky children today have the opportunity to bring their sports interests indoors through décor – and I’m sure moms everywhere are thankful footballs are on bedding and basketballs are on lamps, rather than lodged in a TV s...Read More