Friday, June 22, 2012

how-to-mania-week

Get pumped, because tomorrow marks the first day of our How-to Mania week!  I have 7 AMAZING bloggers scheduled over the next several days... with 7 AMAZING how-to posts.  These how-to's are awesome... seriously... I'm already planning to try all of them.  And after this week, I'm pretty sure you'll agree.  Here's the lineup...


Saturday JUNE 23, 2012
{how to: make homemade cinnamon rolls}
Sunday JUNE 24, 2012
{how to: declutter}
Salena @ McKay Moments


Monday JUNE 25, 2012
{how to: diy vintage-looking photos in a jar}


Tuesday JUNE 26, 2012
{how to: start your own business}


Wednesday JUNE 27, 2012
{how to: make your own pizza for family pizza night}
Lindsey @ Grits & Grace


Thursday JUNE 28, 2012 
{Thankful Thursday-no guest post}


Friday JUNE 29, 2012
{how to: plan the perfect road trip}

Saturday JUNE 30, 2012
{how to: host a christmas party in july}
Chrystina @ Chrystina Noel


Told you.  Awesome.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

thankful thursday {link up}


{Link up your own Thankful Thursday post below...}

This Thursday I am thankful for...

1) Wasabi Peas.  I forgot how much I like wasabi peas.  I hardly ever buy them, but I made the mistake of grocery shopping when I was hungry this week, so I came home with all kinds of crazy things... wasabi peas included.  The crunchy snack has just enough kick to make me want more.  It never fails, I always end up getting one that makes my eyes water and nose run... but it's never enough to make me stop eating them.  They're addicting, I tell ya.
2) New friends.  While I will always, always, always be thankful for old friends... this week I am grateful for some new friends.  I love when you are spending time with new acquaintances and you have that moment... when it just clicks... when you realize there is depth to your new relationship.

3) BEACH WEEK!  Need I say more?  I mean, really.  It's a full week... at the BEACH.  Lance and I make the 10 hour drive on Saturday to meet up with Lance's family for a full week of fun in the sun.  Looking forward to relaxing by the ocean... playing with my nieces... reading by the pool... and getting lots of great family time.  And... the guest posts scheduled for next week are AMAZING... take my word for it.

What are you thankful for this week? Grab the Thankful Thursday button from the right sidebar and link up your own post below. Be sure to visit the other Thankful Thursday participants and share the love!!

Also linking up with:

book review

It's been quite a while since my last book review... a long while... 8 months ago, to be exact.  And sadly, that was the same opening sentence used for the last book review post.  I'm a terribly inconsistent reader... somedays I can't seem to put a book down... and others I can't seem to pick a book up.  Lately, it's been more of the latter for me.

But regardless... here's what I've been reading lately (or in the last 8 months, rather)...

 The Hunger Games {by Suzanne Collins}
I may be the very last person on the planet to start this trilogy... but none-the-less... it was good.  In March when my family visited Louisville, we all went to see The Hunger Games movie.  My dad had read the trilogy and really enjoyed it, as did several of my other friends.  The movie was enough to spark my interest... and once I read Lindsey's post on why the book is so much better than the movie... I decided to go ahead and buy my own copy... and I definitely don't regret it.


The Happiness Project {by Gretchen Rubin}
This book was on my Christmas list and I was completely stoked to find it in my stocking this year.  I started it right at the beginning of the year... highly motivated... but sadly my bookmark is still very much in the middle of this book.  I haven't cracked it open in months.  The way the book is divided up is by months... each month is a new chapter with a new "happiness project."  I thought maybe I would just read one chapter a month and just stay on track with the author... but that hasn't really happened either.  I'm not giving up on this one though... still plan on finishing it... eventually.


Treasure Island {by Robert Louis Stevenson}
However, I am calling it quits on this one.  I just can't do it.  The whole pirate lingo is killing me and I really have no idea what John Silver is even talking about.  I really wanted to try to finish it, but it just isn't working for me.  I still have 100+ pages left and can't seem persevere.  This one is moving from the nightstand back to the bookshelf.  Maybe I'll give it another try... in a few years.


Adopted for Life {by Russell Moore}
I just finished this book last week... soooo good.  It's a great mix of Moore's own personal adoption stories with solid Biblical theology.  We bought this book over two years ago... I read chapter 1 out loud to Lance on our way home from our very first visit to Louisville... and cried.  This book will move you.  If you are even remotely considering adoption, or know someone who is, you need to read this book.  Be prepared to be challenged and encouraged... all at the same time.


Catching Fire {by Suzanne Collins}
I just started book 2 of The Hunger Games trilogy... like, just started... last night.  I'm thinking this will be the perfect beach read for our trip next week.  Nothing like reading with your toes in the sand:)  I'm hoping this book is just as good as the first one... if so, I'll be in good shape.

What about you?  What are you reading these days?  Anything new I should pack in my beach bag next week?

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

top 10 :: summertime daydreaming

I'm convinced, everything is better in the summertime.  The days are longer... the fruit is sweeter... the sun is brighter... and the beach seems closer.  And seeing that tomorrow is the first official day of summer, here's what I've been daydreaming about lately...

...thinking I need a tent in my backyard...

...with strawberry margaritas...

...and this cute little burlap banner strung across the entrance to my tent...

...snacking on ranier cherries 'til my heart's content...

...I'll dress up my messy summer hair with pretty vintage pins...
...all while living in shorts and flip flops...
...or maybe a pretty racerback tank for those summer date nights...
...eating fresh avocado cilantro salads...

...sipping on white-wine-strawberry-lemondae-sangria late into the evening...

...or at least until the fire flies come out...

Have you been daydreaming about summer lately??


Linking up with Angie over at Many Little Blessings.

Monday, June 18, 2012

my green (sort of) thumb...

 
A few weekends ago, something crazy happened.  In the dead heat of early summer, I decided that I needed to plant flowers.  Lance was out of town, so I headed to Lowes to pick up a few gardening essentials...

If I'm being honest, I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing when it comes to gardening.  I consider it a true triumph if I keep potted plants alive for more than three weeks.  My first Lowes trip was so successful that I decided to stop by for another visit...

I created a flower bed completely from scratch... like dug up grass and weeds and cleared out a little empty row of dirt along the front of the house and planted away...
I kept things pretty simple with mostly petunias... and some kind of whispy flowery things that I bought 75% off during my second Lowes trip... I have no idea what they are called... I just know they need lots of sun... and they were $0.83.  You can also see my barely-alive butterfly bush on the far end of the flowerbed... It was also 75% off... hence it's sad state.

I also planted a few tomato plants... my cherry tomatoes are already coming in...


But if I'm honest, potted plants are more my thing.  They are way less intimidating.

And they're mobile... just in case we move again...
My next door neighbor was nice enough to give me a bunch of beautiful terra-cotta pots... I love them.  I have two by the front door, a few over on the side of the house, and one in the backyard.

One of the pots was in rough condition...

But nothing a little spray paint can't fix...

I got a little carried away with the spray paint... as this tends to happen to me when spray paint is involved... and one spray painted pot and matching chair later... I had this cute little set up on the side of our house...
I LOVE how this little space ended up.

Even though I don't really have a green thumb... my next door neighbor does.  A few weeks ago, she pulled some lilies from her own yard and gave them to me.  The lilies sat in a bucket of water for almost a week... I thought surely I killed them.

Wrong.  The other day I looked out my window and saw this gorgeous bloom.  I'm in love.
Maybe my thumb is greener than I thought...

Friday, June 15, 2012

my parent's house... redecorated {part 4}

Welcome to the fourth and final edition of my parent's home redecoration project!

Let me bring you up to speed really quick... about a month ago my sister and I flew to Houston to redecorate my parent's entire house.  It was a whirlwind, but we had a blast... here's the recap...

Today we'll take a peek at the changes we made in the master bedroom.  But even better than that... a little question/answer session with the homeowners themselves.  Get stoked... exciting things going on over here.

Okay, first up... the "before" picture of my parent's master bedroom:
No, that's not my mom and dad under the covers.  That would be weird.  Let me explain... when I went around the house one morning snapping "before" pictures, my parent's bed wasn't made yet... so, I just threw all the blankets on the bed so you could get an idea of what the bedding looked like beforehand... I didn't realize that it looked like they were hiding little oompa loompas in their bed.  Sorry about that.

But never-the-less... here's the "after" photos...


We went with really simple bedding (TJ Maxx) with whites, creams, and blues.  I love how the bedding brightens up the entire room.  We still need to get some bigger pillows to really fill up the shams.  The lamps we found for the master bedroom were probably one of my favorite purchases... I literally yelped with excitement when we found them in TJ Maxx.  The glass table at the end of the bed was kind of a last minute "mistake."  It was originally in the family room... but got kicked out after the re-do.  We didn't want to get rid of it, so the glass table made its way into the master bedroom... at least until my parents find a fabulous bench for the end of the bed.


We kept things pretty simple over by the dresser... the biggest change being some major declutterizing.  My Nana and Pop gave my parents this gorgeous handblown vase for Christmas this year... it used to be on the coffee table in the family room, but we moved it into the master bedroom with a light, natural arrangement.  We wanted something that would make a statement, but still be able to keep the dresser clean.


Then over to the right of the bed, my parents have this great little seating area.  This space ended up being one of my absolute favorites.  When we started this redecoration project, I kept telling my sister, "we HAVE to get rid of those blue wing back chairs..."  Well, that wasn't in the budget.  But surprise, surprise... the wing backs are growing on me.  We got rid of the ugly round tablecloth table (go ahead... go check out the before photo again) and replaced it with a beautiful piece that was hiding upstairs in the media room.  We found a great lamp (TJ Maxx) that matched the bedside lamps, but had a slightly different shape.  This little space turned into the perfect, cozy reading corner.

So... there you have it.  The master bedroom... and the final part of the tour.  I hope you enjoyed seeing all the changes we made to my parent's house.  Wondering what my parents think of the space???  Well, let's ask them!!

Q&A with Mom & Dad...

What is your favorite room in the house?
  Mom: Family room!
  Dad: My favorite room is definitely the family room area.

Why?
  Mom: Because you made it HUGE!
  Dad: You guys were able to do what other professional designers could not; come up with a functional way to place the furniture that works!


What change do you think made the biggest impact?
  Mom: Moving the sofa table out of the family room made the biggest impact.
  Dad: Just cleaning up and getting rid of the years of accumulation of stuff.  The result was a cleaner, more modern appearance.

What change were you most surprised by?
  Mom: I was most surprised by the upstairs guest room at the top of the stairs with the fun bright colors!
  Dad: Your ability to make the family room work with our existing furniture.


How do you feel about pillows with numbers on them?
  Mom: I LOVE the pillows with numbers on them.  They are some of my favorite additions!
  Dad: I'm actually still trying to figure that one out.  I like them... they look great... but I'm not convinced that the pillow with a "9" on it isn't really supposed to be a "6."  I'm seriously considering turning it upside-down just to add some spice to my life.


How do you feel about spray paint?
  Mom: I love the spray painted little wicker stool (from white to turquoise), as well as the living room coffee table (from gold legs to brown).
  Dad: I used to hate it until I discovered that little gadget that you put over the can that lets you paint without your finger going numb from pressing down on the button. I like it so much now that I actually did what you asked me to do and spray painted the coffee table in the living room!  Then I got carried away and spray painted the outside bench in the front yard!  However, I'm not a fan of spray painting a $2,000 piece of furniture.


Have you started going to your FFA (Faux Foliage Anonymous) meetings yet?
  Mom: Yes, we have started our FFA meetings.  We are giving all the extra faux foliage to the Bluebird Resale Shop!  I promise not to cry!
  Dad: Ha! I never had any idea we had so much fake greenery in our house.  It's the accumulation of years along with the fact that it's easier to put it in a corner somewhere than carry it outside to the trash.

Were you surprised to see any of your old items in a new spot?
  Mom: I love the little piece of furniture that you added to our master bedroom between the blue chairs.  I am not even sure where it was in the house before, so yes, that was a nice surprise!
  Dad: I love the table that cam from the game room and now resides in the master bedroom.  You guys did a great job of "repurposing" some of our old stuff.

What's next on the to-do list?
  Mom: The next thing on our to-do list is to get rid of the huge heap of "STUFF" that is taking up half of our garage!
  Dad: Figuring out how to get rid of the piles of stuff that are now preventing me from parking my truck in the garage.  Seriously, that is a huge pile of stuff that I now have to deal with.  The current plan is to haul it all down to the Bluebird Resale shop and hope I can make some money from it.

Would you hire your interior designers again in the future?
  Mom: I would rehire our interior designers in a heartbeat and I believe they are wanted by many of my Facebook followers as well!
  Dad: Abso-damn-lutely!!

You heard the man... abso-damn-lutely.  Let us know if you would like to go on our waiting list;)