There's been a new addition to our living room! I've recently added the cutest little fern, and boy does it act big! I'm loving the bright pop of green that it brings to the space, plus the factor that it cleans our air. It's a contributor, and I like that. :) I've recently decided that I'm diggin' the vibe houseplants put off. To date, I have three different plants. They bring a certain happiness to a space and I love their lush color. But don't go thinking that I'm going to go all houseplant crazy on you and have like 10 in the same room... not happening. 1 yes, 10 no. Our little fern is small, but not for long! It's growing rapidly! Love. Seriously Love. I'll share more living room ...
Crazy For Stripes….
I've recently decided that our entry way is lacking a little personality. And I've always liked the look of stripes, but lately I've been a little nutty over them. Every time I see them in a room, I get excited. But, I'm picky about my stripes... I don't want anything hugely bold, but rather soft and subtle. These rooms have my heart racing! Via Via Via Via Oh boy. I love me some stripes. They're practically perfect! I can't wait to get them painted in our entryway. We already have the base color and now it's just choosing the perfect "stripe" color, which I think is handled! Seems like it could be a great weekend project! I. Can't. Wait! ...
Lovely Fabric Finds New Home
On my recent trip to JoAnn's Fabric I found two fabrics that I had to have. If you've ever shopped for fabric, you know that if you find something you love, you will completely regret not buying it. Right then. I tend to dream about it for three days before I've finally had enough. Then I go back to buy it, and it's gone. HATE THAT! Aarrrgggg..... I did a little preventative maintenance this go round and I bought a yard of each of these beauties: Yes, I am aware that we are going into fall. And yes, I am also aware that one of these fabrics is spring/ summery. I don't care. The little voice was telling me that I had to buy these... listen to the little voice, people. Listen. I've ...
Our Farm: Week 14
Yes, it has been 6 weeks since our last farm pictures. Wow, time has flown! It's easy to say that we're on the down hill slide of things for the year. It won't be long until the beans start turning yellow and drying out. Combining season is right around the corner! We're still irrigating the corn, but it's only got a watering or two before it's done. Just like the beans, it will start to dry out and turn a golden color. At least it sticks around for awhile. It makes everything feel very fall-ish. The stalks are loaded with corn! The corn has tasseled, which sends the silk down to the plant, which produces the corn. Very scientific. Really. You can slightly see that the beans are ...
Paper Wreath
Happy Monday! We had a very busy weekend working on a couple of big landscaping projects... 4 ton of rock was involved... which had to be unloaded by hand. Enough said. More on that later though. I must admit that I've recently become infatuated with The Nester's wreath. So much in fact, that it was imperative I make my own. Seriously. So that's what I did. Easy peasy, really. I started with a basic wreath form, a thoughts dictionary, drew 2 different leaf sizes, and cut out about 562 leaves. That was the hardest part! Then I got busy hot gluing those paper leaves all over the wreath. So simple. For now, it's in the office. But I like it so much I may have to make another one for a ...
Landscaping Love: Part 2
Here we are in part two of the sprinkler system/ lawn seeding series. Everything is going beautifully and we are thrilled to have a front and backyard! We're happy with the dirt area for now, but can't wait to start seeing some green grass shooting up. :) We're still missing the two other Blue Spruce trees for our berm, but they should be planted next week. This weekend the hubby and I hit up a local nursery that had all their plants on sale... like 75% off. It was awesome! We picked up enough to do a whole section in our front yard and it looks so good, that I'm itching to go back and buy more! We also started on the walkway path from our garage to the front door. We got all excited ...
Landscaping Love: Part 1
I feel like I have a lot of posts that begin with "Part". Perhaps that's because we have so many projects going on, or so many different things to get done before something is considered complete. In a way, it's a beautiful thing. It means that we're making progress and I love progress. Today's topic is something that the hubby and I have REALLY wanted to get started. In every way, this is part of a new series. Landscaping. It makes such a huge difference to a home and it's something that we have ZERO of. Well, if you consider random rock landscaping then we have boat loads! Seriously. The whole rock thing is a little annoying to us, because, well, we don't have enough dirt to start a ...
Mudroom Updates
Happy Monday! You may have noticed that I decided to take last week off from the blog. It's canning season around here and I was so busy making apricot and peach jam, green beans, pickled green beans and freezing corn, peppers, beats, carrots, green chilies, etc. that I didn't have the time, or energy, to write up blog posts. Sorry about that. Today's post is all about the mudroom. I bought a new rug, which has inspired me to do a whole bunch of other things that really need done. So, we're making a list. It wouldn't be a project if it didn't make my list. Everything goes on the list. Here's what we've got: Before this we had nothing for a rug. And the mud and dirt was making me crazy ...
Master Bedroom Progress: Part 1
If you'll notice, I have deemed the master bedroom a series. This would be Part 1. Yes, we have made some progress. Lots of it really, but there's still so much to do! I'm not going to get overwhelmed, I'm not going to get overwhelmed. :) I'm a big believer in white bedding. It's so pretty and it makes the room look luxurious, while drawing attention to the bed. We finally got all of the blinds installed (some were on back order) and now I am on the hunt for curtains. As you'll be able to tell from the pictures, the bamboo blinds are definitely see through. And that's a problem. :) Here's what we've got going on right now, which is a total work in progress. No, it's not bad. I ...
Mirror Mirror
I've made a change to our breakfast nook. I was searching the clearance section of our Hobby Lobby and came across a black mirror for a great price. When I first saw it I wasn't sure where I would hang it, but it was too good of a deal to pass up at $15.00. So I proudly carried it throughout the store (it was too big for the cart) and drove that baby straight home. On my drive home a light bulb went off! This mirror was going in the breakfast nook. Here it was before: And here it is now: I'm loving the contrast of the black and white and how the mirror enhances the dresser. On a side note, I've realized that photographing the breakfast nook in the morning is a mistake.... the ...
Chalk It Up!
On my last visit to our local thrift store I bought a frame and mirror combo. It wasn't really my style... but I saw potential! It had been at the thrift store for a couple of months and was 50% off! YES! Here it was before: Why yes, I had already removed the mirror, pictures and hooks before I realized I didn't take a "before" picture. My bad. Here's the after: It turned out awesome! I simply sprayed the mirror with 3 heavy coats of chalkboard spray paint, sprayed the frame white and covered the photo slots with some leftover fabric! Love! I now have a place to hang my apron! Sometimes it can be out of sight, out of mind. But not for this lady anymore. :) Need ...
Kitchen Progress
Happy Friday! I have been working on the kitchen for the past couple of days and have finally made some progress that's worth showing. It's in no way finished. In fact, there are a couple of things that need to be hung on the wall. I had a successful trip to the thrift store and scored an awesome item that makes my heart happy. I'll show it to you next week! I managed to shop around my house to pick up most of the decor items and I'm still on the hunt for more as I try to set the tone for the room. Setting the tone has been the hardest. My decorating style has changed, and while I have a ton of items that don't represent my new style, I can't see getting rid of everything at once. It's ...
Our Farm: Week Three, Four & Eight
So, I'll be frank, you won't even recognize our fields. They've completely changed. Like a lot. Remember this: (Week Two) Well, that quickly turned into this: (Week Three) Then this: (Week Four) And now THIS: (Week Eight) Told you it had really, really grown! It's taller than me! (Corn & Beans) While I was out taking pictures this weekend, I was lucky enough to capture some great shots of the airplane sprayer that dusts crops with different kinds of spray. I swear he saw me taking pictures and made sure to do a few extra loops. :) So there you have it! It'll only keep growing! :) ...
Breakfast Nook Progress
My hubby and I went round and round when we were building our home. He thought that we only needed one "eating area". Be that a dining room or a breakfast nook, he only wanted one. Why? Because he knew that we would probably eat at the kitchen bar every night and not sit in either room. ;) He might be right. But that didn't stop me from still wanting a dining room and a breakfast nook. Yes, my friends, we have both. And while we don't use them everyday, they most definitely serve a purpose. You see, I have plans for these rooms. I like to entertain and host family gatherings and this house is set up perfectly for it! And truth be told, that excites me. While my handsome husband still ...
Our Dining Room
Happy Monday! I know that I've been telling you I would show you the interior of our home. And I'm sure that you've quit believing me by now. The thing is, I keep changing it up. But I can't keep waiting around to show you. So, this is our dining room. As it sits, right now. Do I already have plans for this room? Changes to make? Art to ad? Accessories to buy? YOU BET! Let's also add curtains and a rug to the list. Then MAYBE, just maybe, this room will be complete. So, what do you think? For just shopping our house, it's turned out lovely. ...
Peanut Butter Cookies
Happy Monday everyone! Before we moved and built our new home we lived on a wonderful street with the sweetest neighbors. My husband had recently undergone a big knee surgery and I was busy being his nurse. One of our awesome neighbors, Cindy, surprised us with a platter of delicious peanut butter cookies. They were awesome! When I returned the platter I told her how much we enjoyed the cookies and that I would love her recipe. A couple weeks later Cindy knocked on our door with a package in her hand. Rather than writing down her recipe on a recipe card, Cindy bought me the same cookbook as hers, which happened to be from 1968 when she got married. Very cool. She even filled it with sweet ...
Hands On: The Kitchen
The creative juices weren't flowing as easily today. This post was almost named "The Grabby Kitchen". But instead, I decided to go with something a little less grabbing and a bit more confusing. Ha! Really, you have no idea what I'm about to discuss. Could it be cooking? A new tutorial? A new kitchen tool review? No. No. And No. We're talking about the kitchen knobs and handles. It's equally as exciting as any of those other topics, probably more so. Up until a few days ago, every time I went to open our cabinet drawers I would pinch my finger, break my stubby nails, or do damage to our cabinet finish. All compliments of our soft close drawers (which are truly fantastic). The bonus of ...
Our Entryway
This past weekend was chock full of home goodness. We worked on projects, we hung pictures and we organized. It was wonderful. I had a chance to purge through all of my old decorating items and managed to fill an entire box designated to Goodwill. My style has changed a bit and I tried to re-purpose as much as possible. Spray paint was my BFF! I managed to throw together our entry way, which turned out quite lovely and cheerful. Two of my favorite things! But before I show it to you, do you remember this: I had talked about it before here. I loved it's shape, style and mostly it's price tag. At $15.00, I knew it had to be mine! After several coats of white spray paint (seriously, look ...
A Painted Front Door
Who here loves a painted front door? ME! I must say that our original white door looked fine, it just wasn't enough of a statement and not the type of entrance that I had imagined. So, I went in search for the perfect paint color. I wanted something that would give visitors a welcoming vibe, but still look classy with our black rock. We love how it turned out! But just so you remember, here's the before: And here's the after: We painted the front door Wythe Blue from Benjamin Moore and absolutely love it. It's the perfect pop against the black rock. There's still a ton to do with the front porch, but it's looking so much better. Obviously my white pots are empty.... I'm on the ...
Kitchen Progress= Major Love
Hey there! Long time no talk! It's my fault, I know. Let's just say that I've been busy. First we unpacked. Then we washed... everything. Then we put it away. I'm still on the, "putting it away part", but have made some serious progress. The kitchen was my first priority and I was so relieved that nothing was broken during our move. (Big hugs to our amazing family that helped us move. I didn't find a single item that was broken!) And, believe it or not, all of my kitchen/ entertaining items fit inside the kitchen. With room to spare! My family reading this can understand my excitement. I have a lot of things kitchen... After hugging every item that I unpacked, I quickly turned my ...
We’re Moving In!
It's finally here my sweet friends. We're moving in! It's rather exciting!! I know that I have much to fill you in on.... like the 4 solid days of painting doors, trim, touch ups, you name it and we've painted it! Or the appliances that are completely installed and look amazing. Or the extensive cleaning and picking up that I had to do to get ready to move in. But seriously, I found an entire kitchen drawer filled with nails, screws, installation instructions, pens, sharpies, rubber bands, etc. It's like the workers already deemed that drawer "the junk drawer". I couldn't empty it fast enough! I'll be back to the normal schedule here soon, complete with some "in progress" photos! Oh ...
