Today is an edition of "Deep Thoughts by Erin"- with a smidge of design on the side:

I was out shopping for baby gifts last weekend (as many, many have graced the Gates family in the last 2 months). I was perusing Lester Harry's, a very lovely but VERY pricey baby boutique (cue Andrew yelling from across the store "This baby shirt is $95 bucks!!!What the f*ck??) when I saw it. The Serena and Lily embroidered baby sling that makes my tummy do flip flops of joy. I have coveted it before online, but had not seen it in person yet. I picked it up and inspected the lovely detailing and then actually, to my horror, held it up to myself. "Trying it on", if you will. I looked at Andrew and said "I think I might buy it"-- he assumed I meant as a gift for one of the baby momma's, but no, I meant for a very un-pregnant me.
My reasoning being that what if they don't make this particularly fabulous sling when I am actually pregnant? How upset would I be knowing that it existed and I hadn't bought it? I was trying to avoid future buyers remorse, but is it creepy (and bad luck) to buy a baby item when you don't, in fact, have a baby...or even know when you might want to have one? Looking at that sling brought up lot of questions for me: am I ready? Will I ever be ready? Do I even really want a baby or do I just want this stupid sling (which could be refashioned for carrying one of my dogs I suppose- granted they'd have to be heavily drugged to allow this)?
I think a lot of women my age face these questions with their 30th birthdays looming on the calendar. And it's especially present in my life when I spend a lot of time oogling adorable baby things for the blog, designing nurseries, working mostly with hip, young moms (and having friends who all are becoming hip, young moms too). I see posts like Erika's about her "bring you to tears it's so gorgeous" nursery she's designed (blew the one I designed outta the water) for her little one on the way and start craving to design my own. Look at this space- Oscar de la Renta fabric, drapes with coral and white stripes on the bias for trim, antique chandelier and a GOLD crib? This kid is going to have the most impeccable taste if this is how she starts her life!


Erika's sister Darby is like SuperMom meets Martha Stewart and her blog is something I love to read- with all their crafts and sticky fingers and cute adventures (and if my kids are even half as cute as hers I will be thankful) and yet she still has time to creatively redo her bathroom (love this before and after) and make her own baby clothes and accessories and then blog tutorials about them! If she can do it all, can't I? (Booming voice in my hed: NO!)
I've mysteriously also gotten hooked on the mega-mommy blog Dooce (for it's hysterically honest writing) and even oogled her nursery in which she used the awesome Julia Rothman wallpaper I posted about months ago! All of the sudden I am hit with more pangs of "buy that for the fictitious nursery- just in case!"

It's been a gloomy, damp week here in Boston and I am FED UP, I tell you. Every February/March I go on a "why the hell do I CHOOSE to live here??" tirade (super fun for Andrew to listen to annually) and imagine life in sunnier, warmer climates. Alas, I am a New Englander born and bred and this comes with the territory- we bitch and moan but never, ever leave. As Linda Richmond would say "discuss"...
Calgon, take me away....

A rainy day calls for moody music. I have been listening to this song on repeat for months and not tiring of it one bit...

(I also like to dork out *theme of the day* and watch the Twilight fanvideo set to the same song...wow, I can't believe I just admitted that)

Today I wake up after one of those fantastically draining emotional meltdown days and felt the need to do this post. I mean, really what do I have to be so stressed out about? My new healthy puppy and his brother, the best dog ever? My booming business? My adoring, amazing husband and family? It sounds really weak and lame when I write it down.
Then I remembered Nie Nie. If you have not heard of Stephanie Nielson and her husband and their ordeal, here's the short of it. Blogger and mother extraordinaire Stephanie and her husband Christian were in a small plane crash many months back- Stephanie really had to fight to live after being burned over 80% of her body. The blogging community rallied and really threw and unbelievable amount of support behind them.
Stephanie's life is one to emulate- just reading her blog you feel a pull towards gratitude and simpler things, like baking cupcakes with your children and giving your husband an extra kiss in the morning... creative, happy and full of life, she makes you want to strive to be a better person.

She threw her daughters a back to school party that looked so elegant and vintage pricess-y:
These handmade floral and sheet music crowns from Craftsbury Kids remind me of this party:
She also had her children help her write some positive, sweet affirmations on strips of paper and they all hid them all ober their town for people to find. A wonderful idea for any parent.
Nie Nie's home is as bright and beautiful as she is, and she loves making silhouettes of her children and hanging them up as well as tacking up large photos she takes of her kids on the wall in the kitchen (looks wonderful paired with the vintage looking chandelier)...


For silhouettes of your own you can have a bevy of things made with them on it through Simply Silhouettes. For plates with silhouettes try Rust Designs or dangle the faces of your loved ones on a pendant from here.

These pictures of her and her new baby on a hot summers day made me tear up- and this little bikini print just captures that happy, warm feeling:
Stephanie seems to always have on a cute apron while making something yummy or crafty with her kids- this apron and kids apron from Anthropologie reminds me of such times, as do these lovely bowls from the same.

Orly Kierly's much anticipated line for Target (coming soon) also just looks like Stephanie!
An avid vegetarian and unwaveringly grateful human being, these books from Amazon might bring a little Nie Nie in your life

Get well soon Stephanie.