Intern Wanted: No Experience Necessary

On this last day of summer, I thought this re-post from last summer would make all my mommy readers laugh a little. . .

Intern Wanted to assist in all domestic and child rearing responsibilities.

• Duties include changing poopy and wet diapers, cleaning of Diaper Genie, wiping runny noses and seepy eyes.  Administering all medication as need with occasional mild force.(See below)

• Ability to effectively manage and punish unruly children is a requirement, although no use of excessive force is permitted by State and Federal Laws. One must master such infective forms of control such as "Time Out" and sayings such as "it hurts my feelings when you throw large plastic trucks and Barbie's at my head."

• Children will  nap at appropriate times. Your time will be spent scrubbing showers with Tilex. (There is no conclusive evidence that there is permanent respiratory damage). Please limit exposure to no more than 20 minutes at a time. Just in Case.

• Daily vacuuming,  dusting, collecting of toys from small vents and uneven surfaces, dishes, and windexing of handprints and jelly smudges is a must.

• You will run 3 to 5 loads of laundry a day. You will fold 6.

• Intern will be expected to remain in the kitchen at all times. Healthy and nutritious meals must be provided at least three to five times a day.  Snack's must be readily available all day. You may not help yourself to the food. Should this happen,  you will gain an unfair amount of weight that you will not be able to lose for several years. This is discouraged by Blue Cross Blue Shield.

• There is limited exposure to the all forms of media other than the internet. Please limit yourself to no more than 10, 2 minute sessions. Television is to be left on Nick Jr.

• Please do not expect any reassurance or positive feedback. Once you prove yourself, in 18 or 20 years, you will be appreciated.

• You will work 20 hour days for unknown amounts of time. Vacations are only deemed necessary before emotional breakdowns.

• Finally, This is an unpaid position.

Sincerely,

Taylor C. Presson

Sheriff around these parts.

Interested Partys should contact www.sweethomecharlotte.net

I saw an ad for a Cool Design Intern this morning and thought I needed one as well. . .  GENIUS!!!

Charlotte Smarty Pants liked my blog so much that they posted it on their site. Check it out at:

http://www.charlottesmartypants.com/2011/09/intern-wanted/

Sweet Sadie Lane

Pixie Dust Age 2

Our bug turns 6 years old today and that seems impossible. . .  Impossible that in the flash of a moment, a blip in time and in the second that we layed eyes on her. . . that we were changed. Saved.  Our hearts stamped forever, engraved with eternal love for this child. More emotion than we could absorb, we both cried as we stared into the eyes of our new baby.

We will tell her the story of her birth throughout today, where we were, what we were feeling, how excited we were to finally meet her.  How I went into labor at Dean & Deluca, thirty minutes before we were supposed to go the movies to see Super Man.  As is an evident genetic superhero obsessive  trait, Scotty REALLY wanted to go. . .so we went and by the end of the movie the contractions were 8 minutes apart. Oh what an ordeal it was, the 4th of July fireworks were in South Park  and we were re-directed three times. . .

Last night, as I got to this part of the story, she stopped and said "What about Cooper?" Well, we told her. . ."Cooper wasnt even a thought in our mind or a peanut in my tummy." My answer must have suited her  because she literally dropped what she was doing and jumped into my arms. She held on for what seamed like forever, I hoped the moment would never end.

Sadie gets to have her own story, it's starts with mine but it ends with hers. I am lucky enough to get to edit it for just a while and then she will be grown and be her own writer and publisher.

It is one story that I cannot wait to read. . .

Much Love For Today,

Tay

Celerie Kemble: "I Would Rather Be Happy Than Dignified."

Yesterday was the Best. Day. Ever. And I had no idea it was coming! The date was on my calendar (of course!) but I honestly hadnt had the time to focus on the event. In a world that seems as though every minute of everyday is over scheduled, often daunting and sometimes extremely boring, yesterday was a breath of fresh air.

I drew the lucky card when I scored a ticket to the Mint Museum's Room to Bloom Decorative Arts Symposium at Charlotte Country Club. The bonus, this years speaker was acclaimed NYC designer Celerie Kemble. Just in case you havent heard of her, open up the new Special Edition Domino Magazine and turn to page 86. Celerie has a six page spread in the cult classic magazine that will change the way you feel about small spaces. She is also the author of Celerie Kemble: To Your Taste in 2008 and the recent Black & White: And A Bit in Between. Still not sure? Check out J.Crew's "Real Women" ad's and search for the blond-headed, long-legged beauty with the soulful eyes. Not amazed yet? This woman has three children 5 and under!

Check out artist Jennifer Levine's artwork front and center stage.

The Skinny

Celerie is the owner of Kemble Interiors in NYC and Palm Beach partners with her mother, acclaimed interior designer Mimi McMakin. She was an English Major and is a graduate of Harvard University and she never planned on a career in design. In fact, Celerie worked in movie production before a side hobby of scouring NYC flea markets turned into a new career including a year of unpaid internships and ultimately one extremely successful business. Celerie is an american classic, a true beauty and one of the sweetest souls I have ever met.

My friend Brittan, whose sadly couldn't make the event and whose ticket I scored, wisely encouraged me to get there early. I got to Charlotte Country Club at 8:59 and I think I was one of the first people in the grand space. I was by myself. I drank my 4th cup of coffee and grabbed a seat in the very, very front. (Insert dork here. . . again I am by myself and there are over 500 women, mostly in groups, in the room.)

Divine Inspiration

So I sat in the front and I took notes. . .9 pages worth of notes. . .and so I thought I would share with you my favorite moments from my 1 hour of design heaven.

Thoughts/Tips on Being a Designer

• "Be honest with yourself!" How do you live? Are you messy? Do you entertain?


• "You only remember things that are different."


• Stick with the traditional elements of scale. Other than that break the rules! Mix Metal, layer rugs, etc.


• When it comes to compromising with clients, Celerie points out that "Compromise is where the genius comes from!" I know my decorator friends always wish that they had endless budgets and total control over the decision process. Instead, Celerie has learned to embrace her clients differences and credits each individual room to "build(ing) from the additives." The elements that came to the marriage or the family, the unique and heirloom pieces that must either remain and/or be built around.


• Celerie is addicted to natural elements like sisal and seagrass. They are in every room she does.


• Do lots of editing (of the room.)


• Indulge in fabric and lighting.


• "When you need creative inspiration, take a break and come back."


• "Be open with your clients, build trust. Listen to what they say."


• One of my personal favorites is "Items that are found rather than made. . .that's when you get special!"

Thoughts on and from her Mother

• She never wanted to be a designer, she knew how hard it was. All she remembers is her mother running around the kitchen in her underpants "freaking out."


• "Nothing goes right all the time."


• "Keep your notepad by the bed" so that when you wake up with ideas you can write them down.


• "I'd Rather Be Happy Than Dignified."

Thoughts on Being a Mother

• Some of my favorite moments came from listening to Celerie describe "living" in her house with her three children. That she would rather have many nice things mostly destroyed than live a padded, sparse house. She also points out that so many of her New York clients have designated spaces for the children and for the adults and how this can be a very bad thing when the children break free from their constraints . . . they get very destructive!


• SNUGGLE WITH YOUR KIDS!


• "Never let things get to precious."


• Celerie has a crazy schedule, but she has the flexibility to be there when it really matters. She calls on her family and her mother in law often to help with the kids and to be there for "snuggle" time.

Our beautiful table in the Donald Ross room.

After the Decorative Arts Symposium, I ran to Cooper's pre-school for pick up and then headed straight to event sponsor Circa Interior's & Antiques in Myers Park for the book signing. Again yes, I am the first one in the shop and an obvious über dork, but I get to meet Celerie when she walks in the door. She is so open and friendly and I really do feel like I am just meeting a new friend at a cocktail party. She signs my book first because I am now running home to meet Sadie at the bus stop.

An amazing ottoman at Circa Interiors pre-book signing.

I am dying of excitement and an even bigger sap than I ever knew at this exact moment.

Celerie signed my book, chatted up sweet, sleepy Cooper with stories of her little one and over all won my heart forever!

Click below to Purchase Celerie Kemble: To Your Taste

http://www.amazon.com/Celerie-Kemble-Creating-Modern-Traditional/dp/0307394425

Click below to Purchase Celerie Kemble: Black & White (and a Bit In Between)

http://www.amazon.com/Black-White-Bit-Between-Collections/dp/0307715981/ref=lp_B001JRV6PQ_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335442277&sr=1-1

As an added bonus Wells Fargo Private Bank gave us all signed copy's of her latest book!

I hope you love her as much as I do!

Cheers,

Tay

Images that were not taken by me were taken from her website www.kembleinteriors.com and from the internet. I tried to link the images to the sources whenever possible.

The Proof is in the Angel

Not a day goes by that I do not worry that I have not done a good job in the mommy department. Good enough I always think to myself as I wonder who brushed Coopers teeth last?  Was it Sadie that had a bath yesterday or was it the other way around?  My good friends say that I am too hard on myself, that I short change the work that I do. But I am sceptical that they just love the "mommy" that they see, not the "mommy" that struggles with structure and discipline and well, with  most everything else.

Try not to judge me when I tell you that I am not a "natural" mother . By this I mean that I am not a "nurse," a "cook" or even a "sympathizer." I am a "fend for yourself" and "get your butt of the floor" kind of person who expects a lot, probably too much from my family. Sadly, I expect that much from myself as well.

Bring on my oldest little love,  Sadie Bug. A highly explosive, little ball of strong-willed, smart as a whip, energy that swirls and skips and mostly flips her way around our house. A constant work in progress, I would say. She wants me to have five baby's and is mad at me that we only gave her Cooper. I tell her that I can not wait to be the grandmother to her many grandbabys, but that we are a complete family and we leave it at that. She mothers everyone else's baby's as if they were her own.

On the morning of our church's recent epiphany pageant, Sadie (an angel) ran exhuberantly through the house declaring that "we were going to be late for HER pageant."  No recognition of a little baby named Jesus, nope this was her party. Later as all of the angels were dressed and lined up in the hallway, it was brought to my attention that Mary did not have angel wings and was refusing to leave the dressing room. After realizing that the Virgin Mary was were she was supposed be, I went down to the choir room to discover a very tiny little girl huddled in the corner, crying. Her name was Mary and as her warm, wet, salty tears hit my shoulder, she sobbed that she couldn't be an angel without wings. There were no more wings in the dressing room, they had all been handed out. As I carried her upstairs, I knew that we were going to ask Sadie for her wings and I knew that she would happily give them to this sweet little girl. I knew that my little one was so full of self-confidence that she didn't care what she wore and I was right. I had barely explained Mary's tears when Sadie reached behind her costume and produced her own wings.

That day Sadie went onstage with only a halo. She was gracious and kind and I cried for two days with joy. She is a wonderful, sweet, kind and occasionally an extremely feisty little girl, who is one day going to take this crazy world by the horns and do something really great. All our little one's are great, we just have to take a moment to see it sometimes and then tell them that they are great and then they will be.

Cheers,

Tay

Mommy's Are The Real Santa's Elves

*Future Elf

Tis the Season. . . ready, set, sprint!!!. One Christmas Tree up. Ornaments, half up. Stockings, up. Wreath, I am still working on that part. Two presents under the tree and 22 Day's left to go....my heart is racing just typing this. To that point, I shouldnt be writing, I have too much left to do!

Or maybe I should do what I know that I wont, which is sit down and burn a holiday candle and just relax and enjoy the holidays.That's what sweet Scotty would tell me to do. Scotty that gets up and goes to work everyday to provide for our family. The real life Santa . .And what am I? I am an economic simulator, a christmas time spender, a financial drain and I am one of Santa's many elves. Only Scrooge would be mean enough to care about something as trivial as money at Christmas. Not one to ever be confused with such a person, I will knowingly drain most of every paycheck until my Christmas work here is done. I will not sit down (at least during school hours) until the day after.

Just watch any Christmas movie with an Elf involved and you will not see one Elf napping, relaxing or checking email. Elves run a hundred miles an hour around a workshop (or the mall) to provide toys to all the boys and girls. As such, I will pack, wrap and ship, toys and presents to as many of my friends and family as I possibly can. I will assemble toys with 1,000 pieces and directions written in Chinese. My fingers will bleed from the paper cuts and my back will kill from being hunched over. I will make midnight runs to Target for more wrapping paper and last-minute dollar items for the stockings. I will agonize over what type of cookies we should leave out for Santa, and if Rudolph like carrots or not.

I will concentrate greatly on keeping my "Santa Tales" straight and pray that I don't make even one small mistake. That at least for now, I am still smarter than my darling, sweet and crafty daughter. I am not alone, only one of an almost infinite number of other elves working together to ensure our children have a special Christmas Day. See most importantly, all Mommy's are Santa's elves. We are responsible for spreading the Christmas spirit and for continuing to pass down the traditions of this holiday for generations to come. We will bring our family together to celebrate the birth of our most important family member, Jesus Christ. And for that I think Santa would be proud.

Cheers,

Tay

The End of an Era: Taking Down the Nursery

Last weekend, while I was getting some really good family time with my sister, Mama and my Aunt Sarah, a moving truck came to my house and stole part of my heart. Well not really stole it . . .but it feels that way more than a little. My sister Ashley's baby is getting our nursery set, I promised and I delivered. In the bottom of my heart I know that it belongs with her and my new nephew and I could not be more excited. So why is my heart still breaking almost a week later?

The very small, but still present, rational side of my brain, knows that Cooper had to move into a bigger room. It also knows that a crib, in my attic, is doing it absolutely no justice at all. I thought I would feel better once we painted his new room, or after I moved his books and trucks into his new bookshelf this afternoon. . .but I don't feel better. I just had a good cry. Again.

So I decided to create Cooper's baby box, which I did for Sadie when she was a year old, and I have been procrastinating doing with Cooper for an addition 20 months. Yes, all his baby stuff has been in his room for his entire life. Lock of hair. Check. Porcelain handprints. Check, Check. Teething toys. Still there. Pappy and Fuzz. . . ever-present. And it is as I type this blog that I realize it is not the loss of his nursery that is breaking my heart. It is realizing that this is the end of the "baby era" of my last little baby.

How could I be so far removed from my emotions? I am generally more than on top of them. Have I really been in denial of my little one's age? Were his growing limbs, feet and hair not a sign to me? His ability to verbally communicate in way a mother wishes a baby could? Hello, WHERE ON EARTH HAVE I BEEN? And while I know that we will enjoy this stage of his life, just as I have enjoyed his sister's change into her elementary years, I also realize that I will never again get the opportunity to smell my own childs "baby smells" and to be the sole interest in my baby's life.

Coop's is not a baby anymore, he is a solid toddler and I am going to morn that for a little longer. And after that, I am going to embrace this toddler stage and not complain any more. . .well until he goes to Kindergarten. In diapers.

Cheers,

Tay

In the Immediate Future

Sometime in February, when we were on parental cruise control, I thought it would be a GREAT idea to keep my wonderful and well-behaved children at home with me this summer. The bohemian life I always wanted, the last summer before I have to answer to CMS and it's thousands of rules and regulations; a summer straight out of a children book. You see where I am going with this, of course. . . .

Ha! This summer has kicked my butt! I mean, my kids and I have done everything there is to do around this town, and they are still B-O-R-E-D!! I am not bored, my to-do list is ridiculous! And while I have been toting my kids to and fro, my house feels like it is crumbling down on me! I have lost the little control I was able to maintain, and my summer of leisure has turned into a summer of chaos!

Tomorrow morning at 7:45, Sadie Bug goes to Kindergarten, but tonight I am dreaming of the future. The future of me that is. . .

Here is the  top 10 things I will do immediately:

10. I will clean out my attic and my closets and donate and gift what we do not need. I will call a dumpster service for the rest.

9. I will write the 1,000 thank you notes I owe everyone from summer birthdays! I am the rudest person alive and I am sorry about that.

8. I will go to the Mint Museum Uptown and actually leave the children's area.

7. I will go to Trader Joe's and Harris Teeter and purchase real food.  I will give up my pool snack bar addiction.

6.  I will call all of my friends and family and have an actual conversation with them that does not include begging and pleading for silence . The call will last longer than 2 minutes.

5. I will plan a weekday visit to our favorite live music venue The Fillmore, and I will stay up way to late.

4. I will call my tennis pro and beg him for forgiveness and plead with him that he fix my backhand.  Oh, and I will use the new, super cool, tennis racquet my mother gave me for my birthday. (*Mom, see #9!)

3.  I will start reading the newspaper again. For better or worse.

2. I will download music and create playlists that do not start with "The Wheels on the Bus!" I will listen to the music through out the day, creating a calm and happy environment for myself.

1. I will spend quality time with my man Scotty! I will have lunch with him once a week and we will NOT talk about the children! I may even make him dinner.

The above will undoubtedly make me the best, happiest, most rested, well-rounded mommy and wife in the universe!

Until next Summer!!!

Cheers,

Tay

Intern Wanted: No Experience Necessary

Intern Wanted to assist in all domestic and child rearing responsibilities.

• Duties include changing poopy and wet diapers, cleaning of Diaper Genie, wiping runny noses and seepy eyes.  Administering all medication as need with occasional mild force.(See below)

• Ability to effectively manage and punish unruly children is a requirement, although no use of excessive force is permitted by State and Federal Laws. One must master such infective forms of control such as "Time Out" and sayings such as "it hurts my feelings when you throw large plastic trucks and Barbie's at my head."

• Children will  nap at appropriate times. Your time will be spent scrubbing showers with Tilex. (There is no conclusive evidence that there is permanent respiratory damage). Please limit exposure to no more than 20 minutes at a time. Just in Case.

• Daily vacuuming,  dusting, collecting of toys from small vents and uneven surfaces, dishes, and windexing of handprints and jelly smudges is a must.

• You will run 3 to 5 loads of laundry a day. You will fold 6.

• Intern will be expected to remain in the kitchen at all times. Healthy and nutritious meals must be provided at least three to five times a day.  Snack's must be readily available all day. You may not help yourself to the food. Should this happen,  you will gain an unfair amount of weight that you will not be able to lose for several years. This is discouraged by Blue Cross Blue Shield.

• There is limited exposure to the all forms of media other than the internet. Please limit yourself to no more than 10, 2 minute sessions. Television is to be left on Nick Jr.

• Please do not expect any reassurance or positive feedback. Once you prove yourself, in 18 or 20 years, you will be appreciated.

• You will work 20 hour days for unknown amounts of time. Vacations are only deemed necessary before emotional breakdowns.

• Finally, This is an unpaid position.

Sincerely,

Taylor C. Presson

Sheriff around these parts.

Interested Partys should contact www.sweethomecharlotte.net

I saw an ad for a Cool Design Intern this morning and thought I needed one as well. . .  GENIUS!!!

Charlotte Smarty Pants liked my blog so much that they posted it on their site. Check it out at:

http://www.charlottesmartypants.com/2011/09/intern-wanted/

Interior Design: The Begining of an Obsession

Five years ago my husband and I moved into our new house in Dilworth. It was our second and his third house in the same quad of our same neighborhood, Dilworth. This house needed a TON of work, and was my LEAST favorite, but we had big plans for our little home. It was June 2nd 2006 and I was 4 weeks from delivering Sadie Lane, and I mean it when I say that I was a HUGE, GIGANTIC, SWOLLEN MESS! My sister-in-law Melinda and Scott arranged everything (everything that I did not throw away) in the house. I told you they were the best! The only problem was that the house didn't feel like mine.

I had never actually "lived" in a house. Houses were for necessary functions like sleeping, eating and basic grooming...they were not for hanging around in and never leaving. . . If you have ever had a newborn, or been close to someone who has, then you know there is almost NO leaving of the house. Sure you get to leave to go to the pediatricians and the grocery store, you may even leave to go for long walks . . . but you are there, in your house, for long, long periods of time.

*My totally empty family room. . .

Then I met my friend Erin, a women who LOVES to be in her house. The first time I went over there, I knew why! There were big comfy couches, and TV's in all the right spots and sophistication in the form of a master bath with a ((*&^%$) master tub and separate room for the potty. There was food in the refrigerator, coffee in a coffee pot and I am pretty sure real baked goods on the counter.

I went home and pondered this. . . I had heard about the domestic life, but that was for the suburbs, we live in the city. . .How could this be and how could I be so far behind. I bought my food at Dean and Deluca (or the Circle K Convenience Store), our beer and wine at a bar and my coffee at our local Dilworth Coffee Shop. . . fresh from them! Upon second thought, my new friend, well, she might be onto something!

So I started to learn, I bought Elle Decor and House Beautiful, I cut and clipped and created folders. I went to Robyns Fabrics and Callico Corners, and I cut fabric swatch after fabric swatch. The problem was that everything was SOOOOO EXPENSIVE!! Ask Callico Corners how much it costs to recover a chair and you will be lucky to get a quote less than $700. It was hopeless, I would never be able to afford anything. So I dug some more, and I found the best upholstery guy in the south and he was $250....and so it started, my obsession with fabric and interior design. I recovered almost everything in our house, everything that was left of course!

*My almost finished living room minus a cool modern lamp and the just the right throw rug!

Any one have any suggestions???

I wasnt doing half bad, a couple of mistakes along the way, but I was learning! Yet, I knew I needed more help, a friend refered me to her decorator, a women with a professional background in interiors, who was a new stay at home mommy as well. Meet my friend Collin, who has guided me so well over the last couple of years. I don't have a picture of her, but as soon as I see her, I am going to snap one of her, she is just that awesome!

So that's how it all began, a friend opened my eyes to living in comfort and another friend showed me how! Now I have coffee in the pantry, enough beer and wine for a snow day in July, a crisper full of fruit and veggies and at least three tv's in proper spots.

I don't think Scott ever cared one way or another, but one day, a long time ago, he walked in the door and said "it looks like a family lives here." And he was right, it was beginning to feel like home.

I could have titled this blog, the Domestication of Taylor, but I still have a long way to go! Now all I have to conquer is parenting, cooking and gardening. . . in that order!

Cheers,

Tay

This post is in support of Ruby, a wonderful women and friend of Collin's who has made pillow after pillow, curtains, slip covers and bench seats for me. . . . and to her battle against cancer. It is amazing how one women, who I have only met once in my life, can have brought me so much joy and comfort. I wish this for her.

*These are my very favorite curtains in the whole house!!! Ruby did them:)