Back in the Saddle

I've had a really hard time finding the time to blog lately. Life is such a balancing act, and I've been feeling a bit off-balanced recently. I just can't seem to get into a routine. The week of Labor Day, my daughter missed two days of school with a stomach virus. The week after that was a blur due to an event I was co-chairing at my daughter's school which sucked up most if not all of my free time.

Another recent development in our life is my daughter's newest activity - horseback riding. We are fortunate to live in a little corner of Middle Tennessee surrounded by beautiful farms, rolling hills and lots of horses. I've always loved these beautiful animals, but unfortunately never learned to ride. That's why I'm so proud that Meg's trying something new. In honor of her new hobby and my attempt to get back in the saddle of blogging, so to speak, I thought I'd share some of my favorite equestrian-inspired interiors.

Thom Filicia

Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles Magazine

Country Living

Windsor Smith via House Beautiful

And the girl who inspired it all . . .

My sweet equestrienne Meg riding Levi.

I hope to be a better blogger from now on . . . I miss it when I don't get a chance to read all my favorite blogs and share what's going on around our house.

Sources: House Beautiful, Country Living, Thom Filicia

And the Bad Blogger Award Goes To . . .

Yes, me. I'm the worst blogger in the land right now. My apologies. I really have no excuse except just life and stuff. You know how it is. Sometimes life gets in the way of blogging. Which is sad because I really enjoy blogging. This past week I've been doing a lot of stuff for other people and creatures including this fluffball . . .

and these two adorable rascals . . .

I even managed to finish one more small project for my daughter's room. Don't get too excited, it's a bulletin board that I just changed out the ribbon on . . . 

Ta-da! Yeah, I warned you. Hope you didn't die of excitement.

Okay, that's about all I got for today. Have to wade back in slowly. Blogging is like riding a bike - you never forget - but you should take it easy on your first ride. Happy Tuesday!

A Blogiversary and an Award

My blog hit a milestone on Friday . . . it celebrated it's one year anniversary! I can't believe I've kept up this blogging thing for a whole year.

I've learned so much and absolutely love the community I've found through the blogging world. Thank you to everyone who has ever read one of my posts and for all those encouraging comments . . . that's what makes it all worthwhile. I look forward to this new year and endeavor to make my blog better with each post and to post at least 2 to 3 times a week.

And the award? Sherry Hart from Design Indulgence nominated me for a Stylish Blogger Award!

I am beyond flattered that she thought of me and stylish in the same sentence. What an honor. If you haven't visited Design Indulgence you are truly missing out. Sherry is an interior designer in Atlanta who has a wonderful sense of style and a hilarious take on it all.

Basically, the deal is I have to list 7 things about myself. Hmm. I was trying to think of 7 things that wouldn't put my readers to sleep. Here's what I came up with. 

1. As my given name is Katherine, I have lots of nicknames. Obviously, Kathy is the one that stuck, but my most unusual one is Bug. My sister started it as Katie Bug in my teens which she then just shortened to Bug, and my husband adopted it and calls me that most often.

2. I've been married to my wonderful husband Matt (we met on a riverboat in college) for 13 and half years, and we have two beautiful children together - Meg (who will turn 9 in March) and Pierce (who will turn 6 in April). I love my family!

3. I was voted (well, actually tied for) "Best Dressed" in high school even though I attended an all-girls Catholic high school where we wore uniforms almost every day. Some people find this fact very amusing. I remind them that we did get to wear "civies" (civilian clothing) a LOT.

4. I love to read, and my favorite book since 8th grade is To Kill a Mockingbird. I wish I made more time to read, but I get so wrapped up in novels I just want to finish them and tend to ignore things like the children, making dinner and general household upkeep. The last book I read was Freedom by Jonathan Franzen . . . I really enjoyed it.

5. I have abnormally long arms which can make finding well-fitting jackets a challenge but was very useful while blocking shots on my 8th grade basketball team. And since my husband has abnormally short arms, our hope is that our children might have nice normal-length appendages.

6. My sister Susan and I look a good bit alike . . . so much so that my husband almost made an inappropriate "grab" once but caught himself just in time to save himself years of therapy.

This was a windy day at the beach a couple of years ago so please forgive our hair. I'm the one on the left.

7. This one should come as no surprise - I'm obsessed with interior design. I love all aspects of it! Ever since I moved into my first apartment after college until now, I've enjoyed picking out furniture, fabrics, rugs, paint colors, etc. It's my not-so-secret desire to turn this passion into a career.

Now I'm passing this along to 7 other bloggers who I feel are stylish and would like to learn more about. If you've already done it, I apologize, or if you don't have time, I understand that too. Thanks again, Sherry, for including me in your list! Here are my 7 nominees for the Stylish Blogger Award:

Sissy at Blue Hydrangea (the reason I started blogging)
Kim at What am I going to be when I grow up?
Gretchen at Gretchen Opgenorth
Julie at Milk and Honey Home
Kim at Chattafabulous
Marianne at Haven and Home
Bri at Me, You and a Wiener (it's her dog, Timmy, people)

We're enjoying snow here in the Nashville area. Hope you guys are safe and warm wherever you are!


Source: Photo by Dorthe Alstrup on 20x200.