Two of my favorite subjects – politics and decor – recently collided when the final images of President Obama’s updated Oval Office were released.

Photo Credit: Doug Miller/New York Times

The critics are split on their opinions of the new decor.  It certainly seems to be a fairly big change from that of President Bush’s office (seen below).

Photo Credit: Ron Edmonds/Associated Press

My first thought was that it is a major SnoreFest.  I mean, how beige can you get?  I’ve always enjoyed the formality of the Oval Office decor that most presidents (or their wives) choose.  When Laura Bush designed a smaller rug that showed-off the gorgeous hardwood floors beneath it, I thought it was the bees knees.

But upon further consideration, I’m actually really loving the Obama redo.  Further investigation reveals that it’s really a very subtle change – the large furniture pieces have simply been re-upholstered and the historical pieces have all remained in place.  It’s been said that the Obama Oval Office is more of a working office than that of his predecessors, so the slightly more casual fabrics now reflect the office’s use.  I would personally be happier working in a more comfortable environment than a more ostentatious one, much like I prefer to eat in our casual breakfast room than our more formal dining room.  Although casual, the office is still beautiful enough to be a great photo op for visiting dignitaries.

Photo Credit: Doug Miller/New York Times

Some of my favorite updates are the addition of the gold striped wallpaper and the arm chairs recovered in that delicious leather.  The designer, Michael Smith, added midnight blue lamps for a splash of color in the otherwise beige room.  I also love that the new rug features quotes from some of the nation’s most inspiring leaders.

What I could do without is the mica coffee table.  I think it’s too modern for the rest of the room.  Perhaps I should offer up my Britney Spears coffee table as a replacement?

A commentary-free video of Obama’s new Oval Office can be seen here.  All decor updates were provided by private donations (as with all White House decor updates), so no taxpayer funds were used to make the changes.

All politics aside, what do you think of Michael Smith’s room design?  If you were the President and his senior staff, what style of workspace would you prefer?

P.S. Any comments of a political nature will be deleted.  Focus on the decor, people.  My little blog is not the place for ranting about one party or another. 

I would like for you to meet the newest love of my life.

Emma Catherine arrived on Sunday, August 15th at 1:13 pm.  She weighed in at 9 lbs 1 oz (bigger than her brother!) and measured 19 1/2 inches long.

Miss Em is absolutely perfect in every way.  We are having the time of our lives with her, and Big Brother Zack is ridiculously smitten.

I have many, many sleepless nights ahead of me, as Emma’s theme song is “Up All Night, Sleep All Day.”  Other than that, she’s tremendously easy.  She only cries when she needs her diaper changed or when I haven’t recognized her hunger cues and she’s read to eat.  We are really lucky.

There will be more pictures to come as I settle into my routine as a mom of 2.  It’s been a shocking change to go from one child who’s pretty self-sufficient to having a newborn again.  I’m figuring it out, though, and wouldn’t change my new life for anything.

These two are my whole world.

The first time I had ever heard the word Leukemia was in 1996 when a childhood friend was diagnosed with the disease.

About three years later, my grandmother lost a fierce battle with Leukemia’s ugly sister, Lymphoma.

Within the last year and a half, two of my friends have had four-year old daughters who have had to take their turn in the Leukemia fight.

Leukemia & Lymphoma are two words that I never wish to hear again.

Through the magic of Facebook, I have reconnected with that original childhood friend, Lindy.  I have thought about her all these years and always hoped for the best.  I’m proud to say that after having two bone marrow transplants years ago, she is now cured and doing great.

Actually, Lindy isn’t just doing great – she’s also inspiring others.  A few years ago, she ran the San Diego Rock ‘n Roll Marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  Now, Lindy is back for more, setting her sights on the Chicago Marathon in October to raise even more money for LLS.

I am incredibly moved by Lindy’s motivation.  What was once such a foreign disease to me has really become front and center in my mind.  Visiting a beautiful, 4-year old little girl in the Children’s Hospital after being first diagnosed with Leukemia is certainly something I would never wish on anyone.  I still run upstairs and wake my own son for hugs and kisses every time I think about it.

There’s not much that I can personally do to fight these blood cancers.  Sure, I can hope and wish for a cure, but that’s just not enough for me.

So, in an effort to help Lindy reach her $2,700 fundraising goal before the Chicago Marathon, I have decided to do something a little different.  Since I can’t get out and run my own race in my current state, I’m using the power of this blog to ask you to help support her fundraising goal.  There are two ways to do this:

1.  Now through the end of August, I will donate 15% of the price of each piece of jewelry sold through my Stella & Dot website to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training program.  All you need to do to contribute in this way is shop my Stella & Dot e-Boutique and enter “Lindy Fundraising” as the hostess name when prompted.  This is a great way to get a little something for yourself (or start your holiday shopping!) and give back to a worthy cause at the same time.  I am honored that my S&D business allows me to do something like this.

2.  You can also visit Lindy’s Team in Training Fundraising page and directly contribute to her goal.  It’s very easy to donate any amount of your choice via the online donate button.

If you have any questions, please let me know!  I’d be happy to answer them (although it may take a few days since I’ll be having Baby Emma in about 48 hours!).

Thank you for taking the time to consider this worthy cause.  Together, we can help try to stamp out those two ugly words: Leukemia & Lymphoma.

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On a happier note, it’s time to announce the two winners of the Oregon Chai giveaway!

The winner of the 10-oz canister of Chai Tea Latte mix with a branded hot mug is April.  The winner of the 10-oz canister of Chai Tea Latte mix with a double-walled acrylic reusable iced tea cup is Ellen.  Congrats, ladies!

I hope everyone has a relaxing weekend where you can enjoy a little Me Time.

This giveaway is now closed.

Do you struggle with finding a little Me Time in your daily life?  With school going back in session soon, things are about to get really busy again!  Dance classes, soccer practice, and homework all interfere with that personal time that every Mommy needs.  Even if you don’t have children, traffic is always worse when school is in session, so everyone is effected!

The folks at Oregon Chai are on a mission to help people find a little Me Time.  They know that taking time for yourself isn’t just fun, but it helps you lead a better and more balanced life that can have real health benefits. Oregon Chai has partnered with national wellness expert Peggy Hall (PeggyHall.com) to provide some tips on having your own Me Time.  Peggy encourages you to:

• Get away from the guilt. You may feel like you need to be all things to all the people you care about all the time, and taking time for you is selfish—especially when you cancelled on that one lunch date three times and bailed on shopping with your mom last week. In truth, some Me Time will give you the break you need to be able to bring fresh energy and a renewed state of mind. Making sure you get what you need will help you give others what they need better.

• Ditch the rulebook—and the clichés. So maybe a bubble bath isn’t your thing—but going for an intense bike ride is. Great! Do it! Me Time isn’t do nothing time. It’s get in your element time—whatever your element may be.

• Don’t discredit the little things. Making little moments—like savoring a perfect cup of Oregon Chai—special each day goes a long way. There will be days when you can’t get out and do that long bike trek or slip into a book for an hour. There will also be days when you need a little more Me Time than just that too. This is when doing a few little things is so important.

I love it.  Those are great tips for when we really need to slow down.

Oregon Chai sent me a Me Time package to try out.  It couldn’t have come at a better time, with all that I have going on right now.  I’ll admit, I’d never made one of my coveted Chai Tea Lattes at home (that’s normally a Starbucks treat for me), but it couldn’t possibly be easier to do!  With a few scoops of the Chai Tea Latte mix, 6-8 oz of hot water, and a splash of milk, I was drinking a delicious drink in the comfort of my own home, having my own Me Time for WAY less than it would have cost at Starbucks.  Score!

Oregon Chai products are available for purchase through their online store, if you can’t find it in your local natural foods or grocery store.  They have many different options, including sugar free and vegan.  I think I want to try the Vanilla Chai Tea Latte next!

If you are a Chai Tea fan, than this giveaway is for you!  In order to help you have a little Me Time, Oregon Chai is giving away two prizes to my blog readers.

• a 10-oz canister of Chai Tea Latte mix with a branded hot mug (this is a big mug, y’all!), and
• a 10-oz canister of Chai Tea Latte mix with a double-walled acrylic resuable iced tea cup (I love this cup!).

To enter, please visit the Oregon Chai website and tell me which of their products sounds the yummiest!  I’ll pick a winner on Friday, August 13th!  Good luck!

This weekend, I was full-on nesting.  I went from being a lazy gal in my La-Z-Boy recliner, to the Energizer Bunny scrubbing everything in sight.  Baseboards. Floors. Walls.  Yes, it was absolutely insane.

But alas, no baby yet.

So, here I sit (I’m lazy again), trying to wrap up some loose ends that are floating around.  There are so many things I wanted to do and show you before the baby arrived, but it’s just not going to happen.  I figure you are soon going to be so distracted by cute baby pictures, that you really aren’t going to care. 

One thing that I MUST show you, though, are these wonderful decals that my friend Jodi at Back40 Life made for Emma and Zack.

Jodi custom made this monogram for Emma’s wall.  We measured the inside area of my favorite oval frame so that it would fit perfectly inside.  Isn’t that neat looking?

Jodi also surprised us with some vinyls for Zack!  He was too funny – “How did she know I have cars in my room and my favorite color is blue?”  Poor kid doesn’t quite understand Mommy’s blog yet.  Nevertheless, he LOVES that his name is on his door.  They are just too perfect.

Thanks, Jodi!  Jodi and her great vinyls can be found at Back40Life on Etsy.

I’ll have one more giveaway at the end of this week, and that will probably be my last post before D-Day (Delivery Day) or B-Day (Baby Day) or E-Day (Eviction Day) or whatever you want to call it.  Unless she makes an appearance on her own (I was gunning for today 8/9/10, but she had other plans), I’m scheduled to be induced on Sunday.  Expect pictures next week!  EEK and YAY!

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The winner of the awesome Daisy Ribbons giveaway Lauren, who chose the Zinnia flowers with striped and polka dot ribbon!  Congrats, Lauren!

The two winners of the amazing Scentsy giveaway are Lori, who loves the Dandy Cherry Plugin, and Melissa, who loves the Taro Plugin.  Congrats, ladies!

I am absolutely delighted to introduce you today to my new friend Kelley at Daisy Ribbons. I’m sure it’s absolutely no surprise that I’m suddenly obsessed with all things girlie – including bows and clips. Who knows if Emma will even have hair when she arrives, but a girl has to learn how to accessorize from birth, right?

Kelley creates the most adorable and unusual bows and clips that I’ve ever run across. All of her ribbon accessories are inspired by the beauty found in a garden. Each bloom and bug is carefully hand-sewn, and the ribbon edges are heat-sealed to prevent fraying. Each one is securely attached to a lined brooch back pin or a pinch clip, depending on what you want to use it for. All clips have a ‘no slip’ strip to prevent slipping in even the finest hair.

Since a picture is worth 1,000 words, you definitely need to check these out:

Daylily – Kelley sent the pink one for Emma and it is amazingly cute.

Zinnia – I love how full these flowers are!

Ladybug – This one comes in the traditional red and black, but I’m really diggin’ the hot pink and brown.

Butterfly – I also have this one for Miss Emma, and the colors make me do a ‘Happy Dance.’

Large Necklace – Kelley has also created these wonderful necklaces that can also be worn as pins.

Aren’t her lovelies, well, lovely?  I just can’t tell you how beautifully constructed Kelley’s pretties are.  You will absolutely not be disappointed in the slightest once you have one of these in your hands.  I cannot wait to put mine in Emma’s hair (or on a headband if she’s bald!).

So, how can you get some of these in your hands?  Easy!  First, you can order directly from the Daisy Ribbons website.  You can use coupon code DAISY to get 20% off your order of $30 or more.  Score!

Second, you can win some right here!  Kelley is very generously giving away 2 of her pretties of $12 or under to a lucky Living With Lindsay reader.  You have several ways to enter, so make sure you pay attention (and please put each entry in a different comment below so I can keep up!):

• Go to Daisy Ribbons, pick out your two favorite items and come back here to tell me what they are (Be specific about your choices, because they are what you will receive if you win!) – 1 entry
• ‘Like’ Daisy Ribbons on Facebook – 1 entry
• ‘Follow’ Daisy Ribbons on Twitter – 1 entry
• Place an order on the Daisy Ribbons website – 2 entries

This giveaway will run through Sunday, August 8th.  Thank you to Kelley for the amazing giveaway and the wonderful product!