Mark and I both traveled to NC a couple weeks ago but we went to different parts of the state. We drove up to Charlotte on Friday night to get the weekend started early. We stayed with a couple of our close friends and their two adorable kids. Early Saturday morning, we all woke up and the boys started getting ready for their mini-roadtrip. Once they were packed and on their way, Lena and I got the kids dressed and made plans for our girl's weekend.
The first stop on the list was breakfast. We went to a small restaurant just down the road from their house and got coffee and yummy cinnamon rolls. Once we were fueled for the day, the window shopping commenced. We headed to the mall to drool over all of the things we couldn't buy. I couldn't ever remember visiting a Neiman Marcus so we went there first.
Let's stop here for a sec and talk about something .. k-i-d-s. Man, oh man. Let me start by saying that Lena and David have two awesome kids. They listen well and follow directions but they are still small children. Since I am currently child-less, I had no idea what I was in for. Take a 2 year old and a 4 year old (however obedient), add in Neiman Marcus and a child's curiosity and WOW. Needless to say I have an entirely new appreciation for single moms. Since NM decided it was a great idea to put a $200 sunglasses display on low shelves next to the sparkly jewelry, we constantly had to keep them in arms length. Once again, I don't know how moms out there do it. Lena was calm and collected the entire time and nothing got messed up. Super. Mom.
After NM, we went to Anthropologie, Francesca's and a couple other stores. The kids were doing really well but after several stores of them hearing "just look, don't touch" they were getting antsy. We stopped by Pottery Barn Kids and let them play in their "hands on" section. After a quick stop to admire the fountain, we piled the kids in the car and headed for the playground so they could really cut loose.
By the time we made it to the playground* the kids were passed out in their respective car seats. We decided to just let them sleep and take the long way to go get lunch. After a stop at Oodles of Noodles, we headed to West Elm.
::sigh:: I l-o-v-e West Elm. Seriously. If I had to pick only one store to decorate my entire house in, that would be it. I peruse their website frequently but never had set foot in a store. It was confirmed. I could have stayed their forever. Since I am constantly keeping an eye out for inspiration, I snapped a couple pictures. Two pics I took involved bedding .. specifically pillow placement.
I am not that girl that has 20 pillows on her bed. That's annoying to me. That's not to say I don't like pillows, I do .. but they have to be lived in and purposeful. As for "daily basis" chores, I don't fully make our bed. I just straighten the duvet and sleep pillows and call it a day. Two minutes. Done. I've been wanting to step it up, though, for when people come over. Something a little more interesting .. voila!
Note the little one zooming by in the left picture. Love. :)
The biggest "pro" for both of these beds is that they don't look stuffy. They look effortlessly lived in. That's what I was looking for. The "two shams with a centered accent pillow" is classic and it works great but this set-up is more my style. Now, all I have to do is re-create this at home. :)
After our wonderful West Elm debut, we tried the whole playground-thing again. This time it was a success and after much swinging, sliding and friend-making, it was time to wind down. A quick stop at Target and a RedBox rounded out the afternoon. We finally headed home, popped in a movie, grabbed pillows and blankets and relaxed the rest of the day.
Sunday we just hung around the house and the boys got home about 6:00pm. Mark and I immediately jumped in the car and drove back home. It was a long weekend but so much fun. I will report on Mark's weekend next.
*The strangest things happened on Saturday. By the end of the day it was just a running joke .. just to see what weird thing would happen next. I can't even remember now what all was involved but getting lost in an empty parking garage, being forced to get on the interstate and a mini Will.I.Am were involved. Hilariousness ensued.
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