Thankful

This is going to be a wordy post with only one picture which in the blog world = a bad post, so please forgive me. It is the week of Thanksgiving and I have so much to be thankful for it is hard to know where to begin. There have been so many changes this year, for the better. So, I will begin with why I chose this picture, taken move in day to the office, which should cover almost everything.

1. I took this picture when I was 6 or 7 months pregnant. Now Henry has been here 12 weeks and I can't imagine life without him. (okay two pictures)

2. Family. While this picture only shows Patrick and my Dad, my Mom was standing right beside me. Oh November has been C-C-C-razy, working before getting into daycare has been hard, even with the most understanding clients anyone could ask for. Every single one of our parents has come to the 'Ham to help and thank you doesn't even begin to feel adequate. Our lives would be so much less without an amazing support system and the love of our family. A special thank you to my Mom who not only has blazed down I-65 from Nashville several times in a matter of weeks, but also has helped us stay on top of the seemingly unending paperwork.

3. As previously stated the first picture was taken while moving into my new office, it still feels great. From moving into an office, to hiring a new employee this year the business has continued to be blessed. Some days I want to have a large pity party for myself because I work really hard. I hope that does not sound horrible, but it is true. Every time I feel a pity party coming on, I am quickly reminded how thankful I am to do what I love and work for myself. Over the last few months two of my very first clients are back with new homes and reflecting on our first meetings years ago versus now is special. Have I mentioned before how much I love my clients? Love. In December I will have more help and I hope to be able to really start sharing more with you. Professional pictures are really coming this time.....at least that is on the agenda.

4. Not shown but high on my thankful list are our friends. They have always been wonderful but the help we have had since having Henry is humbling. From the meals to the phone calls checking in on me multiple times (even knowing I probably would not be able to answer) we are surrounded by the most wonderful people. So many of my best friends live far away but they have never felt so close.

Finally, I would like to thank you dear blog reader. I feel like I have been a horrible blogger for a few months now and I am not sure when I will really be able to devote more time to H&H as well as reading other blogs. I do plan on continuing blogging though and hopefully balance will resume soon. I want you to know that I read every single comment/e-mail and I appreciate every person who clicks here, you would not believe how often you make my day.

I hope each and every one of you has a wonderful Thanksgiving with lots to be thankful for. I will be signing off for the week because frankly I am t-i-r-e-d and there is a lot to be done before taking some time off. I will be back next week though, hopefully refreshed and ready to go. Be safe and have a wonderful week.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Emily Joy Designs and Henry

When Henry was born I knew I wanted professional newborn pictures taken but I was intimidated and overwhelmed and I was not sure which direction to go. At six weeks I decided it was time; no longer a "new" newborn the clock was ticking. He had already changed so much from birth (and so much since these were taken)! So I called Emily Joy with Emily Joy Designs and I am so glad I did. Here is a small sampling of Henry's pictures and I could not be more pleased (especially since he was not cooperating that day).

I was nervous to have someone come take pictures since Henry and I were still figuring things out but she made me feel so comfortable, even when he was pitching a fit. As a mom (soon to be of three) Emily understands how to work with babies and children which was comforting to me. I could not recommend her services more! For more information you can visit her website or blog or e-mail her @ emilyjoygresham@gmail.com. I can't wait for our next session!

One Month

A lot of you have asked for Henry updates. Since it takes me on average 2 weeks to return a call or e-mail these days I figured I would do a post. This past weekend he turned one month old. I can't believe how fast time has flown by. It has been wonderful but it has also been hard. I am still trying to get used to the adjustments, especially extreme lack of sleep. Every moment has been amazing though...This picture features him in his first Ole Miss onsie, I don't blame him for being so upset...it is a tough life being a OM fan.

I had to include this picture because my best friend gave him the Rolling Stones onsie. Only those who know you so well could give such a perfect gift. Thanks Dew!

Also, several people have asked about Harry (dog). He appreciates it. I can report he has not been neglected...too much. I think when I moved my office out of the house it was a lot harder for him than the newest addition to the family.See the sign in the background of the picture above? I have been waiting for it and can now show you the last piece of the nursery. Post to come in the next few days...

Around Here

One week ago we were welcoming Henry into the world, it is hard to believe it has already been 7 days! Since then we have been doing a little of this and little of that. Henry has been working on his tan (or decreasing it I should say)...

Which we are happy to say is all cleared up. And while I am not working for a while that doesn't mean that the deliveries stop, they just come to the house instead of the office.Which meant HBS experienced his first job with MSI, delegating the deliveries (please excuse the wet hair, etc. I was lucky to even be dressed!)...

I loved everything that came in for clients, but I am most excited about this art/photography, can't wait to show you when it gets to its final destination- a law office fittingly.We have been getting used to being a family of three, the best transition one could ask for...
And in case you were wondering (although probably not) the stumps have lost their bark thanks to some help from Patrick (more on that later).
Hopefully very soon this one will make its way to the nursery as a side table. As you can tell it still needs a lot of work. Thank you for all the advice from this post. We have followed every comment and researched where you said to go, so helpful!
Have a wonderful and safe holiday weekend!

I Would Like To Introduce You To Henry Strong

On August 25th we welcomed our son Henry Bihl Strong to the world. We have not stopped smiling since. The whole experience has been breathtaking and more than words could ever express.

Henry is Patrick's middle name and was his Grandfather's name. Bihl is my Mom's maiden name.

We have spent every day since just staring at this face...and thanking God for such a blessing.

Thank you all for all the e-mails, calls and comments. You don't know how much they have meant to me. I am so lucky to have such amazing and wonderful people in my life.

Hello 30, I Have Been Expecting You

Tomorrow I turn the big 3-0 and that is just fine by me. I started this decade of my life as a junior in college and I end it in such a different place it is crazy to think about. Looking back: There was the last year of college and graduation which seems like a lifetime ago. Somewhere in there I called a lot of places home: Oxford, MS, New York, Destin, Vail and Memphis before landing here in the 'Ham for the last 5 years. I was lucky enough to start dating Patrick at 22 and we made it through a lot (very long distances at times) but we have had so much fun together through it all. There was a lot of travel, most to see friends around the country, some more exotic-Africa, Chile a few times including Patagonia and Peru. After moving to Birmingham and working for the best mentor, life brought me my next big adventure- starting my own company. Who would have thought something could be so hard and yet insanely rewarding at the same time. I don't think the past decade could have possibly been more fun or exciting. It has been a wild 10 years and one of the best parts has been the friends I have made along the way. (I had plans to post a series of pictures throughout the years but that would involve more scanning than this girl has time for at the moment)

But as my ole pal Tom Petty says, "It is time to move on, time to get going, what lies ahead I have no way of knowing". My 20's have ended with a very settled and happy exsistence and I look forward to continuing that into my 30's. I love our little house, our quaint neighborhood and our easy going ways and routines. I can't believe how far the business has come and I can't wait to see where it goes. I spent the majority of my 20's with Patrick and I can't wait to spend next decade (plus) with him. And last but not least I can't wait for the changes that are awaiting us come the end of August....

So come on 30, I have been ready for you for a while now. Thank you 20's, you leave me feeling so blessed and very grateful.

Thank You

I just wanted to say thank you for two things. First, thank you for all your calls, texts and e-mails yesterday regarding the tornados in Alabama. We are okay, the really bad tornado missed us by a few miles. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for so many others, including a really wonderful client of mine (they are physically fine which is such a blessing). Also, I wanted to say thank you for all the childcare comments and e-mails. I needed the advice, trust me! To take time out of your busy days to send me the wealth of information you did is really awesome. I appreciate your thoughtfulness and if I have not e-mailed back yet it is not because I am ignoring you, it is because the computer virus that won't quit is still having a blast in my computer.

I hope you have a wonderful and peaceful weekend.

PS- Anyone have any idea what why my right sidebar is not showing up? If you click on older posts it is there but not with the newest posts....

Image found She Takes Flight via Emphasis Added

Baby Strong Is A....

We are adding another male to the household...Baby Strong is a boy and we could not be more excited!!! I had numerous requests for a pregnant picture, this is one we took yesterday...
After months of thinking it was a girl I was shocked to find otherwise, Harry was in shock as well (or maybe relieved that someone will be coming along soon to take the unwanted attention off of him)...
So now it is time to start thinking about a nursery for little baby boy! I am not sure what I am going to do yet but I know I would like to use wallpaper is some way so that will probably be the jumping off point. I will keep y'all in the loop as I find inspirations and ideas.

A Few Answers

I seem to be behind on e-mail (what is new?) so I wanted to answer some questions I have received multi times. Some of these are repeats, sorry!

My watch- Several people wanted to know where it is from, I am asked about it a lot outside of the blog world as well. It was a gift from my husband 4 years ago right before we got engaged. It is one of my favorite possessions, I never get tired of it. It is nothing fancy, it is from Guess. I knew I wanted a black men's watch but at that time they were hard to find and options were very limited. I am sure this design is long gone but I would check any department store and I am sure you will find something similar.
Several people have asked what happened to the upholstered coffee table project.....Well I have decided to scrap it. I liked where it was going but I did not have time to complete it. It really needed the nail detail around the edges. I like to think I am a DIYer but these days there just doesn't seem to be enough time. Also, as much as I like a good project I love the look of professionally done work (just waiting for the wallet to agree). As far as the table I had it custom made about 4 years ago as well but similar tables are available from Restoration Hardware. If you are near Birmingham and would like a quote for one please e-mail me.
The mirror- This was a wedding gift from Jenny, the decorator I started with. She purchased it from a company at Market. I am not sure if it is still available. I will check for those of you who wanted info about it. The bowl on the coffee table is McCarty Pottery. I will have to do another post on this since I could go on for a while. Paint is Benjamin Moore Wheeling Neutral.
My Christmas Decorations- First, I would like to say THANK YOU for all the e-mails and comments from the Southern Flourish piece. Y'all are too sweet. I was surprised to open a few e-mails asking what my actual mantel looked like. Sigh....
The sad, sad truth is that we don't have a mantel. It depresses me to be honest. So for now all we have is a tree. And well, it is kind of sad too. Space was tight this year.
We don't have that many ornaments, slowly we are building up our collection. There are fillers on there but I would like to get to a point at which every one is special. This year we have added a few like this boy from our trip to Peru.
For those of you who asked for pictures of the trees lined up on my street here is the best I could do. Boooo. Sorry, I just couldn't get a picture. It is special though. I am not sure how other streets do it, but on ours there is a woman who is in charge of everything. We get an order form in our mailbox the first week of November and then they are delivered by volunteers the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It is nice to come home and have the tree there waiting for you.
I hope this answered some questions. If you have e-mailed me and have not heard back yet I promise I am getting to you! Thank you for your patience. I hope you have a great week!

To Peru & Back

I'm back from 10 wonderful days in Peru. My Husband and I love to travel and we had been saving for a big trip. A lot of locations were discussed but Peru was on the top of both of our lists so away we went. Joining us were my younger brother and Dad (on either end in the picture below).At some point I will make a complete list of all the places we went but I have a lot of catching up to do first! With over 1,000 pictures these are just some I picked but probably more are coming. We started off at Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world which is home to a whole community living on an island made completely out of reeds.
We took several train rides, most on the Hiram Bingham through amazing and mind blogging landscapes ( I will be back with better pictures).
We stayed at the most wonderful hotels like the Monasterio (below), Casa Andina and The Inkaterra...
Met so many interesting locals along the way...
Saw very remote places that constantly reminded all of us how lucky we are to go on trips like this one...
Snuck in a date night in Cusco, a truly hidden gem of a city.
But the whole reason we went was....Machu Picchu, ruins hidden the Andes Mountains that are beyond words.
I have been so blessed to travel to some amazing places- Africa, Patagonia and all over Chile (my Dad's home where that whole side of the family still lives), Europe and more and I can say that Machu Picchu is indescribably special. There is nothing I can type here that could begin to describe the spirit of this place.
We spent two days there and the second day we went really early to catch sunrise over Machu Picchu, I will never, ever, forget that moment. Ever. Watching the sun come up (over mountains 8,200 ft in elevation) onto ancient remains was moving and emotional...
The remains were astounding and on there own would have been impressive. However, the very remote setting surrounded by the Andes made it that much more unique (picture taken from high above)...
The trip covered Puno, Lake Titicaca, Cusco, Machu Picchu/Aquas Calientes, and ended in Peru.

I would recommend this trip to anyone. Peru is a wonderful country full of unique and special places. More to come at some point but I wanted to share were I had been. Now it is back to the real world, sigh.