"a style of our own" Blog

Welcome to Jacobs Casual Home Blog!

Thanks for stopping by! I’d like to welcome you to my blog. I’m a wife, mother and professional photographer on hiatus. I have two beautiful daughters and I’m preparing to welcome a third to the world very soon! My only boy, aside from my wonderful husband, is my adorable Schit-zu, Parker. I have a great love for design and DIY and a desire to share that passion with you through this blog. With a baby on the way and a possible out-of-state move soon after, I’m excited to take you along on our life journey.

Maternity Leave: WHEN? :

Friday, May 18, 2012

When are you taking maternity leave?

This has been the question recently asked by all. Do you think my big belly is giving me away? I have never been the type to sit down, say no or relax. What this means, is that I never listen to my doctor, nor my poor husband when they tell me, “Enough is enough; it is time to take maternity leave.”

Trust me, it’s not that I don’t want to listen, but I have worked since I was 16 years old. It’s hard for me to take time off, especially because I have my own photography business. I just don’t think I have the ability to shut off and relax. My mind is always going 100-miles a minute.

To be honest, this pregnancy has not been the easiest. Many complications have kept me on and off of bed rest and restriction. Don’t tell, but I’ve adapted the doctor’s version of “bed rest” to my own! I’m tired and a bit overwhelmed at the moment. I have been advised to take leave and take it easy now. My husband and I have accomplished many things on our to-do list, yet we have many others that we haven’t even started that need to be finished before the baby is born.

Still, the time is NOW….

I’m officially on maternity leave until further notice. I know you’ll understand; with our family dynamics about to change dramatically, we need some serious family time.

Baby is expected to be here sooner than we thought; maybe the week of May 21^st or 25^th. I am very thankful and grateful to all of you for working with me through the last few months with my restrictions and now through maternity leave. I will keep you posted as to my return to work. I will also try to share photos, when I can, upon her arrival.

In the meantime, I plan to continue regularly blogging about our personal journey as we transition from our family of five to six (this includes Parker).

Thank you all for your wonderful support! I can’t wait to see you all this summer as we photograph your changing and growing families.

See you all soon!!!!

Freebie Friday coming later today…

Tags: Maternity Leave, Personal, Photography

by Jacobs Casual Home

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New Summer Center Piece:

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Even though the weather here in Michigan is still more like early “cold” spring I am ready for a bit of summer. I’m not complaining; we have had a great winter and many warm and sunny days already this season. But our family loves SUMMER!

One of the reasons we are looking forward to our transfer is because we’ll be moving somewhere with warmer weather all year ‘round. To be honest, I’ll miss the four seasons with the fall leaves and snow on the ground around Christmas, but I will learn to live with it!!

I came across this wonderful bowl at one of our local furniture stores and fell in love with the style and feel of it right away, but I wanted to bring in some of our colors and summer textures. I kept walking the store and found these light blue glass buoys, along with a few shell ones and patterned ones. These were just the ticket!

This center piece has been in a bag waiting to make its debut since late last summer. I’m thrilled to finally break it out and use it.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. More home summer elements & designs coming soon!

Are you ready for your summer accessories?

Tags: Decorating, Summer Centerpieces, Tablescapes

by Jacobs Casual Home

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DIY Tablecloth:

Monday, May 14, 2012

Hello again!! As you may know by now, last week we were talking about the fun & simple DIY projects that came about due to a last-minute change in our birthday party plans! Thank you, Michigan weather!!! Fortunately, I’m both crafty and creative and managed to pull everything together in time.

Today’s DIY tutorial: our tablecloth.

I wanted to do something elegant that I could use for any occasion.

Supplies Needed:

- Tablecloth – I found mine at Wal-Mart; I wanted something in a plain white but heavy material.

- 2 Rolls of 1 ½ “ Ribbon – The size is up to you

- Thread & Sewing Machine

Steps:

First, wash and iron the tablecloth.
Then pin the ribbon onto the tablecloth about five inches from the bottom.
Finally, sew the ribbon on both sides of the tablecloth. Fold in the corners to get a finished look.

Now you have an elegant, yet simple tablecloth. This would also be fun with some funky ribbon or fabric and just as easy!

Our final product:

How do you like it? What are your next Birthday party plans?

Tags: Decorating, DIY Projects, Tablecloths

by Jacobs Casual Home

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Not A Day Goes By…

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Happy Mother’s Day to all the beautiful moms out there!

I hope you will have a great day filled of wonderful moments and memories to last a lifetime.

This time of year is always so difficult for me. I lost my mom very suddenly to cancer. My mom was my best friend. She passed away about four years ago, on May 27^th to be exact. You may read a bit about it here. I truly believe it doesn’t actually get easier with time, just a little more bearable.

Not a day goes by that I don’t think about her. Around Mother’s Day, or any special occasion, it seems to be even harder. As the birth of my third little girl approaches, I wish my mom was here to comfort me. I long for one more of our many conversations about life. However, I know she is looking down, enjoying every moment with us.

I adore my frequent chats with my girls now about friendships, love, life and the wonderful journey that lies ahead. I’m so very thankful and proud to have my daughters. My oldest is off to college soon and my youngest, now 9, has more energy than I know what to do with. If I could just bottle that up, we’d be in business.

As life continues, our journey is filled with ups and downs, happiness, sadness, silliness, lots of love and so much more. One day at a time, we enjoy every single moment.

Tags: Mother's Day, Personal

by Jacobs Casual Home

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Freebie Friday:

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Happy Freebie Friday!

I don’t know about you, but summer is my favorite time of year; the sunshine, the sand, the heat, the beach, the ice-cream, the feel of a brand new beach towel, the pool, cookouts, and the smell of suntan lotion… I LOVE IT!! Can you tell I’m obsessed with summer time?