The Boat Room is still not completely finished. There are many elements I'd like to add to the room to give it a cozier feel.

I hope you enjoy this little glimpse  into my home. If you have home tour posts on your blog please feel free to share them in the comments section.

The fabrics used in the room are all from the Robert Allen for Nautica collection. I love the combination of stripes, boat prints, and solids from the collection that Rayanne and her awesome designer crew (Hi Tony and Wayne!) helped me pick out. 

I chose twin beds for the room, because I felt like it would function as a great guest room for when we have large groups stay over. I wanted at least one guest room with twin beds.  The headboards and bedding were all custom made by my decorators.

I love this chair so much. Rayanne had it covered in the same Robert Allen fabric as the bedding and window treatments.

I need to add more wall decoration and a footstool to give this little nook a more lived in feeling.

The covered buttons on the pillows in contrasting fabric is a nice touch that add a bit of pop to the pillows and helps to tie the prints together. 

This space directly across from the beds is a problem area. I need a  desk chair and some unique, nautical art to hang above the desk.  

I love the desk. I found it at Ray's Interior Design Company in Gulfport, MS for a very reasonable price. I initially purchased it to use as a sofa table in my library, but it was too large for the room.  I still don't have the desk top styled the way I would like for it to  look. I'm also trying to see if I can find a more suitable place for the desk in the house. If I move it I could put in an armoire or chest of drawers in its place.

A little peek into the bathroom. 

Th Boat Room is still a bit of a work in progress.  British and Bruce currently share a room, but when the boys get a little older, this will more than likely become Bruce's bedroom. I'm in the process of adding a few more masculine touches to the room. Over the next few months I will be posting more house tour photos, and I'll give updates when I make changes in the rooms.

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After the festival, we walked around town for a bit. We hung out in Jackson Square and people watched. The boys were fascinated by a pretty living statue, and Brucie bravely had his picture taken with her. We made sure to stop in at the boys' favorite toy shop, Little Toy Shop. They each got a couple of Papo knight figurines to add to their collection.

After a delicious dinner at Lukes, the boys were worn out. We loaded everyone up in the SUV and headed back to Biloxi.

The following are snapshots I took that day:

I realized I was in zero pictures when we were getting ready to leave!

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British wanted a Skylanders birthday party. I was like "Sure kid! Whatever you want!" Then I realized there are NO official Skylander party decorations for sale. After I finished rocking back and forth in a fetal position for three hours, I looked around and found a couple of sellers on Etsy who make Skylander party decorations.

The following are pictures from British's family party and from his birthday weekend. There aren't any pictures of British or Brucie from British's big party because British's classmates were in most of the pictures. I was not about to ask the other parents for permission to post on my blog. That would be a tad creepy.

I wasn't able to get a cake from the place where we normally get the boys' birthday cakes. They were booked the weekend of British's birthday. So, I got a cake from Wal-Mart. It was SO good!

The day after the party Brucie helped himself to some left over cake.

St. Patrick's Day Fun:

My little leprechaun. Yes, he's wearing Halloween pajamas.

British is still searching for his "Pot o Gold."

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So this year he, of course, wanted to do the inexpensive yet thoughtful gift thing. I agreed on the condition that he actually followed through and didn't buy me something fancy. He actually kept his end of the bargain this year!

Nate found a first edition of Outlander by Diana Gabaldon for only $30 (he claims...). He sent it to her and asked her to sign it for me. The inscription says: To Mandy - The Well-Read Wife, To a fan who is adored by her husband and boys. Le Meas! (and Happy Valentine's Day!) Diana Gabaldon. I was blown away by Nate's present. It is by far my favorite Valentine's Day present I have ever received from him. I read all of the books in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series from November until about the end of January. Nate patiently listened to me rave about how romantic the books in the series were and how I fell in love with all of the characters. He said he started looking for a first edition after I finished the first book in the series. Nate said he corresponded with Diana Gabaldon via email and she was super nice, going out of her way to help him surprise me. (He also got me roses.:))

For Nate's gift, I bought him a vintage Physician's Prayer print from Etsy. A very similar framed print decorated the powder room at his parent's beachfront home. Hurricane Katrina destroyed the house and along with it many of the family heirlooms we all treasured. The Physician's Prayer that graced Nate's childhood home was actually written by his grandmother. Her husband, Nate's grandfather, was a physician, and she was one of the women responsible for creating a nationally recognized Doctor's Day. There is a lot of history behind the original prayer. The print I found on Etsy was very similar aesthetically to the original print, but it didn't have the prayer penned by his grandmother on it.

I also got the cute mugs pictured above for us to drink our morning coffee with. That present was probably more for me than Nate. He's not really a "cute mug" kind of guy.

Now that we're older and we have two little boys to think of, Valentine's Day is no longer just about the two of us. It's a family holiday. I decorate the house, and try to get the kids excited to celebrate. This year they got the usual V-Day gift of chocolates and they each got a Skylander along with a mini Lego character (in addition to presents received from their grandparents and their aunt Jenny). They both loved looking through the Valentines they received from their classmates when they got home from school that day. It was so sweet.

Here's some more Valentine's Day pictures from around the Boles household:

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Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler or Let The Good Times Roll!

Over the last two weeks my family, friends, and I have been busy celebrating Mardi Gras 2013. Mardi Gras can take weeks down South depending on how many Mardi Gras organizations you're in and how many parades you attend or ride in. Fun, fun, weeks of time. The above collage contains a few of the pictures taken at the ball for the ladies Mardi Gras organization I'm in, and a few from the ball for the men's organization Nate is in. For the ladies organization's ball, we had to dress in costumes and come out and dance in groups in order to present the night's theme. As I've never been much of a dancer, I was a little worried. However, I managed to learn the routine and not trip anyone. Success!

In the three pictures on the bottom left me, my friend A, and my SIL Jenny are doing what A has termed #mandying. It's the exact pose I have to strike in order to have a decent picture taken of me. I am not #mandying in all of the pictures unfortunately (example: see top right picture of me and my husband Nate).

Today we spent Fat Tuesday nearby at Jenny's beautiful home. Jenny, her friends, and my in-laws cooked a feast, and I ate way too much. But when there's chicken-chili, two Paul's King Cakes, deviled eggs, and jambalaya with sausage and shrimp around, someone has to eat it. Right? I'm pretty sure at one point I ate half of one of the king cakes with my hands like it was a subway sandwich.

Jenny's house is right on the parade route, so it's an ideal spot to sit and people watch. The boys literally caught two hefty bags full of beads and one gigantic wooden spear thing. I already had to hide the spear, because one of my tiny men chased me around the house with it! The boys had a blast today. They wore masks to the parade and were so excited to see the floats and catch beads.

I hope everyone had an awesome Mardi Gras! Now I'm off to rest for a few days!

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So, I decided to have Nate take a couple of pictures of me in the library reading a book I'm going to feature on my other blog. This should have taken five minutes tops. However, when five-year-old and three-year-old tiny men are in the mix, a five minute job turns into a thirty minute child wrangling scenario.

Here are a couple of outtakes from the "photo shoot." The book I'm reading in the first picture is Empress of Fashion: A Life of Diana Vreeland by Amanda Mackenzie Stuart. I'll be featuring it on The Well-Read Wife in a couple of weeks.

British thought it was hilarious to jump in front of the camera just as Nate took the picture. It was funny for a bit. After about the fifth time, not so funny.

I got up to take a break. When I came back, Brucie was in the chair "reading." He's reading The Purple Kangaroo by Michael Ian Black. It's a Boles family favorite (not at all because I'm slightly obsessed with Michael Ian Black).

Just in case you're wondering, I never actually read in that chair. It's really old, and I'm always scared it's going to fall to pieces when I sit in it. Also, it's really uncomfortable. I do most of my reading in bed at night using the Kindle app on my iPhone.

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The picture above is the only shot we were able to get of the pelican. The columns at the end of the pier are the first stages of the construction of our boat house. We keep our boat dry docked, but we thought it would be nice to have a peaceful area to sit and watch the water and wildlife.

The following are pictures I took after our walk on the pier.

Brucie playing with our poodle Margie. Margie is almost eleven years old, and still acts like a puppy!

British throwing a football. It hit me in the face (not hard), and I immediately said, "Oh! My nose"! B didn't get the Brady Bunch reference. It's a wee bit before his time. I'm going to have to introduce him to Marcia, Greg, and the rest of the Brady Bunch gang one of these days.

Brucie taking a break from rolling around in the grass. I bought Brucie's outfit from the Bobo and Coco Etsy shop.

British stops throwing the football around for a second. These boys are always on the move!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week!

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I love these little men so much.

The other night I was blowing my hair dry when Brucie came in the bathroom to peep in on me. I blew his hair with the blow dryer for a minute while he giggled and turned away. When I stopped, he said, "I hate my hair Mommy," and crossed his arms with a pout reminiscent of Shirley Temple.

 After inquiring why he doesn't like his hair and letting him know "hate" is not appropriate to say, he told me that he doesn't like having brown hair.

 I was flabbergasted. I love his hair. When I run my hands through that soft, still baby fine hair, I get a full on mommy high. "Brucie," I told him, "you actually have strawberry blonde hair. It's a very pretty color. So pretty that I am going to ask my stylist to color my hair like yours.." Then I pointed at his tiny head and said, "I want your hair, little man." I squeezed his cheeks and acted like I was gobbling him up.

We were quiet for a minute, and Brucie grabbed strands of my still wet, tangled hair. He looked as me with his huge blue eyes and said in only the way a three-year-old can, "I want your hair too Mommy. I like your hair." His expression was solemn.  I knew in that moment. This was his way of creating solidarity between us. Even if it's just a discussion about hair insecurities, we will always lift each other up.

That goes for everyone in the family. Nate, myself, British, and Brucie, we are a team.

When I picked British and Brucie up from school the next day after getting my hair colored, Brucie looked at me with awe. He touched my hair and said, "You not my mommy" while laughing.

It was a pretty big change: I went lighter and got bangs. Which lead to British's reaction, "Mommy! I like your hair!! You look skinny in those jeans"!!

British is in Kindergarten and at that age where the smallest thing excites him. Everything he said was in a scream out in the school parking lot. It felt so good for my son to be excited about my hair. The same way I am excited for him and his brother each time they score a goal or do well on a school assignment.

By the way, there is no way I looked skinny in those jeans. British is a true Southern gentleman.

The short car ride home from school I just beamed.

In case you're wondering how my hair turned out:

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I've wanted a baker's rack to display my pottery and casual dinnerware on for the longest time. I finally ordered one, and it came in the mail on Friday. Nate put it together for me and I quickly piled All. The. Things. on it. I'll probably end up changing how it's arranged. But for now, I'll enjoy walking by it and looking at things I kept in cabinets before. After all, what's the point of having pretty things if you only get to see them every once in a while?

Baker's Rack can be purchased here. Porcelain dinnerware by Ferm Living.

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When we got back from Starbucks we decided to go on a walk around our backyard. Here are some pictures from our backyard nature walk.

Brucie decided early on he wasn't in the mood for pictures. Just call him Sean Penn.

British loves hanging out on the pier. Brucie (in the background) not so much.

Brucie quit hugging Nate's leg for a minute and got adventurous.

We walked down to our little beach. This is after a couple of days of rain, so it's a bit flooded. I have big plans for "Boles Beach" this summer!

Brucie and I look back at the pier.

Muscles!

Nate told Brucie the mushrooms on the tree were steps to a fairy's house. Brucie kept asking, "Where's the fairy"?

That night I felt better. I still had trouble sleeping, but I felt like I had at least accomplished something during the day. Yes, getting Starbucks and taking a walk around the back yard can be an accomplishment. Sometimes.

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The boys loooove the new rug!

I rarely impulse shop when it comes to home decor, but I suffered a momentary lapse in judgement the other day while doing a little online shopping. I was looking at the prettiest, cotton hooked rugs on the Dash & Albert site, and then I saw one rug that sent me into pretty overload. From the vibrant colors to the beautiful flowers worked into the design, I loved everything about it. Even the name of the rug was pretty, the "Gypsy Rose" Cotton Hooked Rug. Sigh... I wanted this rug. Needed this rug up in my house. I must own Gypsy Rose Cotton Hooked Rug!

One small problem: It didn't match a damn thing in the house.

No problem. I'll buy the runner version of the rug and put it in the hallway in front of the library. This particular hallway is like a cave. When people visit they don't tend to go back in that area. Pretty rug that matches nothing will just be my little secret. Sshhh...

The rug was delivered today. It was everything I hoped for and more. When Nate saw it he said, "Interesting color choice with the rug there Mandy. So, what was the reasoning behind it"?

"Maybe it'll boost my serotonin levels a bit? It's really pretty and it makes me happy." (I've been pretty down in the dumps the past couple of months. Last week my psychiatrist put me on a new antidepressant to use in conjunction with the other two I'm on. It worked but caused really bad headaches. I discontinued using it for the time being.)

Nate just smiled at me after my response.

When the boys glimpsed the new rug for the first time they immediately fell on top of it and started rolling around. I might roll around on it myself after they go to bed tonight. I love to see their jubilant reactions to little changes. Now that's a serotonin boost!

The following are pictures of the boys modeling their new pajamas. We took these pictures in the sitting area of my bedroom.

New Jammies! Superstar!

Brucie strikes a pose in his new jammies!

British's pajamas are by Tea Collection and Brucie's jammies are by Zutano. Brucie's are meant to be worn during the daytime.  Zutano's clothes are so soft that I use them as pajamas.

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Brucie looking intellectual.

Last night Brucie woke up in a panic. He got in bed with Nate and I, and started chattering to me about how he doesn't know all of his colors. He listed somewhere around 15 different colors and said, "Dose are all the colors I know. I don't know all the colors." He seemed a little upset. I told him it's impossible to know all the colors and I was positive he knows as many colors as he should. He smiled that little smile where he wrinkles up his nose and crinkles his eyes. We talked a little bit more, and he fell back to sleep.

I didn't give it another thought until this morning.

This morning Brucie started his first day of Pre-K. I called Nate after he dropped off British and Brucie to see how it went. He said it went great. Then he mentioned that Brucie was a little upset because he "didn't do his homework." Nate explained to him he probably wouldn't have homework in Pre-K.

Aha! The conversation with Brucie the night before finally made sense. I told Nate about the great color calamity which lead him to say, "Hmmm. I wonder if he's going to be a gunner." 

Back when Nate was in med school everyone referred to the extreme overachievers as gunners. (I say extreme overachiever, because you're probably an overachiever if you're in med school in the first place. Am I right or am I right?) Gunners are the worst. Gunners study 24/7. Studying isn't necessarily a bad thing but... Gunners study like they're in the Hunger Games arena, and they'll do anything to be the last one standing (AKA ranked first in class). Gunners do things like make up false stories about other students with a higher rank and report them to the honors board the day before a test. Gunners are like the preppy villain in every 80s teen movie. They sucketh.

So, I was not thrilled when Nate referred to sweet Brucie Bear as a gunner. When I told Nate this he said, "Think about it. What if he inherits your anxiety and manifests it in academics?"

I did think about it.

All. Damn. Day. Long.

I really hope neither of the boys inherit my anxiety. Anxiety sucks. However, with the amount of anxiety I have, it they attributed it to academics... Holy shit! I may have given birth to a future Einstein!

My anxiety is epic. It is truly boundless. If there were Golden Globes for anxiety I would win in every category (except best television series drama - Downton Abbey is totally going to win).

Brucie's anxiety about his first day of Pre-K was cute, and I don't think it's anything to worry about. Just don't call him a gunner. Okay Nate?

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