In with the new....

"I do think New Year's resolutions can't technically be expected to begin on New Year's Day, don't you? Since, because it's an extension of New Year's Eve, smokers are already on a smoking roll and cannot be expected to stop abruptly on the stroke of midnight with so much nicotine in the system. Also dieting on New Year's Day isn't a good idea as you can't eat rationally but really need to be free to consume whatever is necessary, moment by moment, in order to ease your hangover. I think it would be much more sensible if resolutions began generally on January the second."
Bridget Jones' Diary

I typically do not believe in making resolutions on the sole account that I can never keep them.  To me, it seems a bit soul crushing to be all hopped up on the "newness" of the year, to make these promises to yourself, and inevitably break them... don't you? 

On the flip side, I'm in a rut.  I'm finding that I'm in this endless cycle of not really being 100% happy in the end due to the previous choices and habits that have led me to this place.  That being said, I think it is time to resolve to make some resolutions.  (Disclaimer: the previous statement does not allude to anything cryptic or indicate regret with where I am, so please don't start the rumor mill... I'm simply stating that I'm at a standstill and now it's time to make things happen!)

Here are the things that I'm hoping to do in 2010:

1. In 2010, I will be more in charge of my happiness and will seek out situations, people, and places that make me happy.  Basically, I will remove as much negativity from my environment as possible.
2. In 2010, I will not be afraid of change.
3. In 2010, I will get in shape.  Seriously.  And to do this, I will work out no less than 3 days a week, and one of those days will be with a personal trainer (at least through the end of February).
4. In 2010, I will keep the house in better shape.  Chores will be completed daily, rather than weekly.
5. In 2010, I will pay off all of my credit cards.  And I already have a plan in action to do this! :)
6. In 2010, I will demonstrate more patience with my family and friends.

There are probably other things I want to do, but these are the big things that have been looming in my mind the past few weeks.  I think they are all do-able.  Some of the prospective outcomes of these resolutions are already frightening to me, but I have to remind myself of resolution #2 up there, right?  I'm hoping that in one year from today, I can look back at this post and check off all 6 of the resolutions.  Or at least say that I worked on accomplishing them up until that point.... and that they didn't die off with the final bubbles in my champagne glass tonight!

Happy New Year everyone.... I know it keeps being said, but 2010 is going to be a great year!

You're so vain....

So I had a nice 4 hour spa day yesterday and I am feeling wonderful daaaaaahling! The reason why I was so lucky to enjoy a 4 hour spa day is a long story -- basically, I was gifted one at Mother's Day by the hubbs, and the spa felt that I needed another one due to some things that happened while I was there. I didn't feel that a re-do was necessary, but who am I to turn down a spa day?

At any rate, I had an AMAZING facial yesterday. I have never had dermaplaning done (not sure if I spelled that right....), and I think I'm officially addicted. Up until this morning, I had been contemplating Botox, Restalyne or something to help with what I can only describe as Father Time taking over my face. Perhaps it is motherhood, or maybe my uber-stressful job, but I am noticing fine lines like never before. I know it is inevitable, but I am 28 for crying out loud!

I hadn't planned on having dermaplaning done yesterday, but the girl who did my facial said she does it to almost all of her clients, and honestly I didn't know she had done it until it was already done. To those of you who don't know what it is, basically, they take a surgical blade and exfoliate your entire face with it. Since it is a blade, it removes all the baby fine hair that covers your face along with all the nasty, dead skin that is sitting there on your face too. Because it is a fairly intense form of exfoliation, I understand that you shouldn't do it more than 1x every 4 or so weeks.

At any rate, I was washing my face and noticed that all of those fine lines that seemed so prominent just yesterday morning were.... gone! Not like disappeared, but I seriously did not notice them until I was nose-pressed-against-the-mirror examining my skin. I put on my foundation (love love love Korres' lightweight foundation) and I think I finally have that airbrushed look that I have longed for when looking at all those gorge models in the magazines..... *sigh* love it!

Has anyone else had dermaplaning done? Am I just a bit kooky for liking it so much? Honestly, I am not one to get facials that often, but it is one of my new year's resolutions to get them more often (along with some others that I'm working on.... look for that post by this weekend), and I'm definitely feeling like more dermaplaning is in my future.....

The most wonderful time of the year!

I absolutely LOVE Christmas. A little piece of my heart breaks when we have to take down the ornaments, even though I know it is only a year until the next Christmas. And I've found that I enjoy Christmas more as an adult than I did as a child. Or perhaps it is just that I enjoy it differently. I truly do love giving gifts, but what gets my heart jumping for joy are the lights on the houses.... the holiday songs.... and being together with family and friends. Here are a few shots of our Christmas... enjoy!

Christmas Centerpiece....

Oh you know, just a little bit late. I'm hoping to catch up on blog posts today, and as long as Campbell is watching Blues Clues, I might just get it done! :)

I've been wanting to post this for a couple of weeks. I put together this centerpiece for our dining room when I was in the throws of decorating. It cost me a whopping $12 to put together... seriously! I love it though, and love the way it puts a little glow on the table ( the picture doesn't it do it much justice, however).

Here's the breakdown on supplies:

- Large jar = $5 at Walmart (can you believe that? Might have been a mis-price!)

- Strand of battery operated lights= $7

- A bunch of un-used ornaments= Free (but I think they were like $1 a few years ago at Ikea)

- Extra garland unused from a few years ago= Free

I pretty much just willy-nilly tossed the stuff in the jar, turned on the lights and viola! Christmas joy! I'm loving the the battery operated lights so much that I'm thinking of incorporating them in all of my centerpieces... at least for a little while! :)

Where does the time go???

Ok, seriously. I was hoping that I would be much better with staying up on posting on the blog. Ugh. Time just slips away from me so quickly, especially with the holidays. What have I been doing with all my "free" time, you ask? Ummm.. here's a quick run down.

- decorating the house

- Christmas shopping

- CLEANING!

- working (blaaaaah)

- and then of course, dealing with Miss Campbell being sick....

The house is all Christmas'd up! I've gotten creative with centerpieces, so I'll post those in the next few days, as well as our home all decorated.

In the meantime, here's a shot of the fam. This was intended to be the Christmas card this year, but alas- we've decided to forgo Christmas cards this year. No time to get them done! Soooo....

Happy Holidays from the Norwoods!

Easy- Peezy and oh so delish!

With the holidays literally around the corner, I thought I might share some of my favorite easy dishes that are great to take along as your contribution to a holiday meal or party. These are also great to make if you are the hostess (or host!) at said party....

1) The easiest fake cobbler you can make!
- This is my go-to dessert, and it has only 3 (yes 3!) ingredients!

• Yellow cake mix
• 1 stick of butter (melted)
• 2 cans of your favorite pie filling

1. Spread pie filling along the bottom of a rectangular or square baking dish.
2. Take the DRY cake mix and cover the pie filling (you may not need the entire package of cake mix).
3. Drizzle the melted butter all over the top of the dry mix. Using a fork, spread the butter so the entire top is moist.
4. Bake the concoction at 375 for about 30 minutes or until the topping is a golden brown color. Let cool, and serve! This is beyond delish with vanilla ice cream!

2) Cranberry-Barbecue Meatballs

- Again, another 3 ingredient recipe! These will be devoured, so you might need to double up!

• 1 can of jellied cranberry sauce
• 2 bottles of original flavor barbecue sauce
• 1 bag of frozen meatballs (of course, you can make your own if you so choose, but that takes the easy-peezyness out of it!)

1. Combine the BBQ sauce and the cranberry sauce in a crockpot. Heat on high for about 20 mins.
2. Once the sauce is mostly melted, throw in the meatballs. Cook in the crockpot for about 4 hours on high. Enjoy!

3) Spinach and Artichoke Dip

- Notoriously addictive, you can make this with little to no fat depending on your crowd!

• 2 packages of softened cream cheese (I go with fat free)
• 1 package of frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained of all water.
• 1 can of artichokes (forgo the ones that are sitting in oil and save some calories)
• 2-3 large spoonfulls of sour cream (again, I go with fat free)
• 2-3 large spoonfulls of Duke's mayo (I go full fat with this baby!)
• Shredded mozzarella cheese (part skim will melt pleasantly)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Put the cream cheese, the sour cream, and the mayo in the crockpot.
2. Chop up the artichokes. I prefer a food processor, but if you don't have one, just chop them messily! Throw them into the crock pot with the stuff in step 1.
3. Throw in the spinach. Stir everything up.
4. Salt and pepper your concoction, top with the mozz cheese, and cook on high for about 2 hours; make sure you stir occassionally so you avoid burnage!
5. Serve hot with pita chips or crackers!

4) The infamous sausage dip

- This is not a recipe I've created, nor do I make it. Ryan always makes this, and he got it from someone else! This will be completely devoured about 10 minutes after you serve it, so make an extra!

• 2 packages of softened cream cheese (go fat free!)
• 1 can of Rotell tomato stuff
• 1 package of hot/spicy pork sausage, cooked

1. Combine above ingredients in a crockpot and cook on high for about 2 hours, or until creamy.
2. Serve with tortilla chips, or Ryan's way with Fritos!

I hope everyone has a tasty and restful Thanksgiving!! Gobble Gobble!

Right on Target

I'm a huge huge HUGE fan of Target. Not so many people are (for example, Ryan's Nana... who swears she never finds ANYTHING at Target.... impossible, I say!), but I'm an even bigger fan when Target gives me fashion and a great price at the same time.


I purchased this Merona Shawl Collar sweatshirt last week in black. I personally liked how fashionable it was, while still making me comfy... which is always incredibly important at my increasingly stressful job.

Imagine my excitement when one of my co-workers pointed out that it looks just like this beauty from JCrew.

Here are the similarities and differences:
Similarities:

• shawl collar
• fleecey cotton material
• incredibly chic enough to wear with heels and khakis, or casual enough to wear with flats and jeans (or my new fave cords from Ann Taylor Loft)

Differences

• pocket style... Jcrew has the kangaroo pocket, while the Target brand has small side pockets (I prefer the side pockets, as kangaroo pockets tend to emphasize a belly)
• toggle button... Jcrew has non, while the Target brand does.
• variety of color... Jcrew's offering is in muted tones (black, light grey, etc).... Target has just about all the colors of the rainbow!
• price.... You can buy the Jcrew version for a mere $59.99.... or head to your local Target and pick up the Merona version for $19.99!

The verdict.... I say go with the Target brand, and get a couple in your fave colors without breaking the bank! I'm headed back for at least 2 more..... I just have to decide on the colors!

Preliminary Patio Post

Try saying that 3 times fast!


Well, the patio has been in for about 2 weeks now and I just haven't had a moment to post pictures or anything. While the pictures aren't the most BEAUTIFUL things ever due to the backyard still being in recovery mode (the lush backyard was definitely torn up in the process), we are super excited to finally have our patio!


Ryan and his dad are working on putting in new steps on the deck this coming weekend, and hopefully we should start the furniture hunt soon. I can't wait to have the patio all decorated and set up with furniture.... soon, very soon!



So here are the pics... before and after!

Our backyard and deck before the patio was put in (we DID have steps on the deck, but they were torn out for the patio install...)

Another shot of the backyard before the patio...

Detail of the patio design... we went with stamped concrete over paver stones.

The completed patio!

Another shot of the patio... as you can see, the yard is totally torn up! The section that comes up to the side of the deck is going to be Ryan's grilling station!

Mirror Makeover

When my sister, Celia, moved out to California last December, she offered up a load of goodies from her super chic apartment. I snagged a HUGE mirror with a faux gilded frame, along with some other great items. At the time, I didn't know exactly where or when I would use the mirror, but the size of it was too good to pass up. Once we moved into our home, I knew that the mirror was the perfect size for our dining room.... the faux gold, however? Not so much.

I mean, judge for yourselves.

Here's a close up of the faux gold frame. Isn't it to die for? Gag me, please.

Enter 1 can of Rustoleum's 2x spray paint in Heirlom White. In less than an hour, the mirror went from gaudy to gorgeous!

Here it is, hanging in our dining room (ignore the odd white lines on the mirror.... must have been some weird thing from the flash).

And a close up of the frame... isn't it lovely?

Now I just have to be careful since now I want to spray paint everything!

Next project update... the patio! We're on deck for the work to begin on Monday, as long as the rain holds off!

Best invention for mommies!

I am in LOVE with the Dwink box!

Campbell has started her love of juice boxes, but I'm totally over the phrase, "Don't squeeze it!" since I've said it about half a million times in the past week. Dwink boxes are hard, plastic holders for all sizes of drink boxes, soy milk boxes, and even those soft Capri Sun type juice packages. My life is instantly improved by at least 70% by the sheer fact that I am no longer saying "Don't squeeze it!" every time Campbell drinks out a juice box. And for a mere $4.99! Needless to say, we bought 2.

Campbell loves them too!

And here is one more gratuitous shot of Miss Campbell enjoying her new Dwink box. She's so darn cute!

Mommies, you can find them at the Dwink box website. These also make great gifts for mommies, too!

Updates

Ok, I've been really horrible at keeping up with the blog. We've been so busy, it often feels like the day has just begun by the time it is about to end. I guess this is growing up....

So here in a nutshell is what has been going on...

1) School started. I'm beyond stressed and overwhelmed, but trying to find the joy in the work. It's hard most days... heck, most weeks. But I'm trying, and I guess we'll see how things work out as the year progresses.

2) In addition to working like a crazy woman, I've started working out again. Woohoo! Ryan has a total workout/food plan, so he's encouraging me to stay on track. 4 days a week, I'm at the gym at Woodlake. It's nice, but ugh- some days it takes just about every grain of energy I have left to just walk in there, especially after the days I'm having at work.

3) We have been BUSY! Ryan has been coaching a baseball team, so just about every weekend is consumed with something related to baseball. We've also been out of town for a wedding, and I swear it takes me almost 2 weeks to get readjusted after being out of town for a few days.

4) Campbell is growing up fast! She's not growing a lot size-wise (she's still a petite little thing!), but she is talking up a storm. And she is FUNNY! Ryan and I spend a lot of our free time laughing at her, and it's nice to have our own little comedian here in the house.

I'm sure there are other things that have been going on that have been consuming our time, but I couldn't think if anything else right now if I tried. With all the stuff going on around here, some of the projects around the house have slowed to a stop. But we do have a very exciting addition to announce....








THE PATIO! :) Yes, the long awaited patio will be put in by the end of the month. (Wait, you didn't think I was referencing something else, did you??) I can't wait! Before and afters will definitely be up for your enjoyment!

And speaking of home improvements, has anyone seen or heard of this Cricut thing?? I saw an infomercial on it this morning... and I think I want one. They are pricey though, I think.... but I might have to get one!

Absence makes the heart grow fonder...

If that's true, then you must adore me, right?? Uh huh. Well, I've been beyond absent.... the whole new school year has been so overwhelming, but I think I'm starting to get back in the groove....

Just in time to be off for two days of work! Haha! Ryan and I are taking our very first trip away from Campbell for the weekend to take part in Megan and Bobby's wedding in Hendersonville, NC. I'm so excited!!! Pictures, updates, etc will follow!

What a difference a sink makes!

When we purchased our 4 year old home in February, we quickly learned that "builder grade" really means "boring and cheap". We've done a few upgrades around the house to make it less cookie cutter and a little more "us". For example, Ryan and his dad hung crown moulding all throughout the living room and dining room downstairs. We also installed a natural stone tile backsplash in the kitchen.




Saturday night, our kitchen went from this:

To THIS:

Isn't she purrrrty?!?! The new sink and faucet totally upgrades the overall look of the kitchen and just makes things look NICE. My awesome dad works for a company that sells these materials (sinks, faucets, tubs, toilets, etc), and got us an AMAZING deal on the sink and faucet... basically, we paid $80 for $800 worth of sink and faucet! How about that for an inexpensive upgrade?? And Ryan's awesome dad worked his tail off to help install the sink and faucet.... we are certainly lucky to have family who have great hook ups and are incredibly skilled!



Ok, one more gratuious shot of the new sink in our kitchen....

We have a couple other upgrades we're planning on for the house.... I can't wait to bring this house out of boring, cookie cutter builder grade to a fantastic and stylish home!

I can see clearly now...

There is no shortage of people to tell you that a baby will change your life. People will remind you that you'll maybe have stretch marks, so make sure you use that cocoa butter. People might even inform you that in order to lose those last 10 pounds, you will have to work harder than when you tried to push that little precious baby out and into the world.

But not a SOUL informed me that after having a baby, my skin would look similar to that of a 14 year old smack in the middle of puberty!

The breakouts started when I was pregnant with Campbell. I just kept reminding myself of the old wives' saying "Boys give beauty, girls take it away". I was diligent about washing my face, but honestly, I was the size of a small whale, so I figured that clear skin probably didn't make too big of a difference in my overall appearance. Plus, I am a make-up queen, so I was pretty good at hiding a nasty breakout most of the time.

I figured once Campbell was born, the breakouts would quickly fizzle out. Ok, fine- I was positive that the day after Campbell was born, I would not have any more icky breakouts! I didn't have breakouts before Campbell was born, so I figured that as soon as she was out, I'd be back to my old self. Yeah right.... if the swelling that occurred was any indication, it would be at least 3 weeks, if not longer until my skin was back to it's pre-baby self.

Helloooo.... 14 months later, I was still battling breakouts. My skin was NOT smooth.... I had little bumps covering my cheeks, and I was riddled with large zits that took weeks to get rid of. So, here I was, still trying to lose those last 10 pounds and covered in a face of zits!

I tried everything.... but I wasn't ready to admit that my skin needed serious help in the form of a well advertised product called ProActiv. I've always been able to use Neutrogena or something similar, but alas- we can't keep doing what we've always done. I wasn't ready for the committment with ProActiv though, and found some great reviews with AcneFree. Based on price ($14.99) and convenience (you can buy it at Target, Wal-Mart, etc), I decided to try AcneFree's Clear Skin system.

People- my skin is CLEAR! It has been one week and I have been using the system exactly as it describes (AM and PM, 3 steps each time). My skin is smooth, and I have no breakouts! I, do, experience a tad bit of dryness, but it is a small price to pay for the smooth, clear skin I am now enjoying! My hope is that I can go without wearing make-up more often (before, I wore make-up almost no matter what).

So, for all of you who are having skin troubles, I definitely recommend you check out AcneFree!

Who doesn't love a wedding?

OOOHH I love weddings! I just love wedding dresses, seeing the wedding party, watching the bride come down the aisle, and all that jazz. I cry EVERY TIME the bride comes down the aisle. I don't know what it is, but I just up and cry like I'm getting married. Never mind the fact that I actually laughed as I walked down the aisle... maybe I'm making up for the fact that I didn't cry?



And, oh yeah, if I'm in the "crowd", I definitely mentally critique the bridesmaid dresses. I just sometimes do not get the dresses that people wear in weddings. Maybe the bride is trying to make everyone else look hideous so they look exponentially wonderful... who knows. I tried to make an effort to have my girls wear dresses that they could wear again, and I actually know at least one of my maids who did!



So imagine how over the moon I was when one of my bestest girls in the world decided that she would let the BRIDESMAIDS pick out their dresses? Well, actually I kind of got nervous because we all know that people's idea of appropriate are all over the place. Thank GOD Megan put down some ground rules for her dresses (ex. no cotton, must be black, not too short, not floor length, etc). I searched and searched for a dress.... and folks, it just came in the mail today. I was not photo ready, so no pics of ME in the dress, but here it is from JCrew's website:

Of course, it's in black.... but oh goodness it is WONDERFUL. And I will certainly wear it again. I jumped for joy all over my bathroom after putting it on. The fit is perfect (thank you, amazing customer service people at JCrew... you are WONDERFUL!), and I am so pleased with it. And it doesn't hurt that it was on sale for $99, from it's original $215, either!

And speaking of Megan's wedding... she's getting married in the gorgeous Hendersonville area (think NC's Smokey Mountains) at the Pinebrook Manor. One of my other besties, Angela, and I decided that we wanted to have a more homey stay than just sitting in a hotel, SO, check out the cottage we booked for ourselves and our men.....

The Gardener's Cottage

Now, I just have to cool my jets until the big day.... September 26th! I'm so excited to be part of Megan's wedding... and of course to see my wonderful SBC girls! :)

Drop Everything and Read....

The Time Traveler's Wife.

No, I'm serious. If you haven't read it.... stop what you're doing (well, wait... finish reading my blog, of course) and read this book. It is AMAZING.

I was on the search for a good book to read during our beach trip, and the movie trailers for The Time Traveler's Wife made me curious. Seriously folks, after reading this book, I get chills every time I see the movie trailers on tv. It is THAT GOOD.

The basic premise of the book is that Henry, a time traveler, has a genetic defect that causes him to time travel to various times and locations. During his travels he meets Clare, who in present time is actually 8 years younger than him, but throughout his travels he sees her at various times in her life- the earliest at 6 years old. I know what you're thinking.... that this sounds crazy and not at all engaging, but you have to read the book to really understand how this happens... it makes much more sense than how I'm explaining it. The book is about love, loss, longing, life, parenthood, and friendship. It has a comedic undertone in the book, but if you aren't moved to tears at least once while reading this, you my friend are heartless.

Home Sweet Home

I do love traveling... and even more so to the beach.... but I also love coming home. I do hate to leave the beach, though. We had gorgeous weather (though it was fairly windy most days), and the family time is fun too!



Campbell liked the beach way more this year than last. Last year, I could hardly walk her down to the water without her screaming (she was 9 weeks old). This year, she would just plop down in the wet sand by the water and play for a good amount of time. And we made it away without her eating too much sand! Thumbs up!

Finding shells

Eating goldfish crackers on the beach.... is there any better time to eat them?

Don't even try taking my tootsie pop....

Every year, I take some black and white pictures on the beach. Campbell acted like she was on "America's Next Top Model", picking up sand and letting it blow in the wind, rolling around in the sand, and running out to the water. We got some amazing shots, and I can't wait to get them framed and hung around the house!

*Sigh*.... I can't wait till next year.... only 51 more weeks! :)

Beach Bound!

We are beach bound this weekend and I CANNOT WAIT! Yes, I know, I've been on "vacation" all summer... but there is just something totally different about GOING on vacation. And we are going to one of my favorite vacation spots in the Outer Banks.

I probably need to throw out this disclaimer.... I'm not a huge fan of the entire Outer Banks. I'm not big on the whole "touristy" area with the five million seafood buffett restaurants and beach shops on every corner. If this is the only way you've vacationed in the Outer Banks, I'm sorry... but you need to try the 4 wheel drive beaches. I was like you.... traditional OBX vacationer.... until I went on vacation with the Rudacille clan (Ryan's maternal side of the family).

The 4 wheel drive beaches begin where the road in Corolla ends. Literally. It's nuts... you are driving on regular road with double yellow lines, and then all the sudden.... there's the ocean and no more road! And this is where the most beautiful beaches and HOMES (yes, homes!) are located. Turn on the 4wd and be ready for a turbulent drive down the beach!

We stay about 7 miles down, which is a pretty hefty drive... which means that once you get to the house, barring any emergencies, you are probably going to be staying down by the house for the extent of the vacation, which I love! I love not feeling like I need to visit the shops at the beach, or going out for a night at a restaurant. I don't feel rushed to end my day at the beach so I can go to that "new spot" or that "highly recommended spot" down the highway. When I tell people about where we stay, I always say, "When we get to the house, I take off my shoes, and I don't wear shoes again until we leave!". I think perhaps Kenny Chesney was singing about "our spot" when he said "No shirt, no shoes, no problems...."

One of my most favorite things about where we stay is that we are right in the middle of where the wild horses live. Yes... wild horses! There is honestly nothing more magical than waking up early and seeing a herd of horses eating seagrass right outside of your house. They come out when you aren't expecting to see them, like right after an evening storm.... we saw them racing each other along the shore. Last year, we saw the horses every single day.... I hope we are lucky enough to see them at least once this year!

Here are a few pictures of the horses from last year.... I hope I have the opportunity to add to my collection of photographs this year! We'll be back sometime on August 1st! Have a great weekend and week everyone!

Is this our garage?

Let me remind you of the state of our garage before the clean-up...

Holy disaster area, Batman! We had stuff, literally, strewn everywhere. We didn't even walk through there, because... well, we couldn't!



After 2 truck loads of furniture, decorative items that had no place in our new home, and other random items we had no use for sent to Goodwill, and 1 truckload of stuff that was determined to live at the dump, we now have a much more organized and clean space to call our garage!






Ignore the saw set up in the middle of the garage, as well as the PVC pipes in the floor. Ryan is working on assembling an ECU themed ladder golf game. We would have liked to do shelving in the garage, but all we could manage in about the 5 hours we spent in there was to clean and discard. Shelving is on the project list...



Speaking of projects- in going through the garage, we found a bounty of projects to tackle! There were a couple of "too good to part with" items in the garage that didn't quite fit with the decor in our home now. Well, stay tuned.... we are going to transform a couple of things to put in the house!



I'm pretty excited.... however, when I'll get to them is another issue entirely. We leave for the beach this Saturday, so hopefully I can utilize some nap times this week to get a start on my projects. If not, I have time when we get back!

Design inspiration please!

Ok fellow bloggers and lurkers... please turn your creativity in this direction! We need some ideas in decorating our kitchen! Our kitchen is painted green (yes green)... Behr's "Asparagus" to be exact. A great little aloe plant given to us by Brandon and PJ is our design inspiration...

The walls are actually very close to the green in the aloe plant (despite the way the walls photograph), and we loved the contrast of the green with the black and the white in the pot, so we would like to incorporate black and white in the decorative elements.

Issue #1:: The big wall at the back of the kitchen.

Please ignore the light fixture... that will be switched out soon. But the wall... what do we do with it? I have no idea! I'm not really into shelving... the thought of shelves in the kitchen kind of bugs me because of all the dusting that would inevitably need to be done. I'm not sure if we should go in the route of traditional kitchen-y artwork... and if so, what would be best? Any ideas?

Issue #2:: The large (beautiful) windows....

These are adjacent to the wall that needs decorative elements. I'm not sure what kind of window coverings to go with. Cafe style curtains that cover the bottom half of the window? Full length curtains? And then, what color? Ryan is quite partial to the damask pattern on the flower pot, and the only other pattern that I'm a bit open to to coordinate with the damask is stripes (which continues into our living room, which is connected to the kitchen). So, solid or patterned curtains? No curtains at all, and blinds instead? I'd prefer not to completely cover the windows with something that blocks out the light because I do love the natural light that comes through said windows, plus it is going to eventually have an even better view once the patio is put in. Ugh.... I'm going bonkers with this.

Ideas???

Spring, er- Summer Cleaning

Oh what fun... look what Ryan and I are tackling tomorrow!

Yep folks, that's our garage. And only about 75% of it, I might add. This has been the "catch all" since we moved in late February. We are borrowing a truck, loading that bad boy up, and taking almost everything to Goodwill! We haven't even started yet, but I'm crazy with anticipation... I can't wait to be able to WALK through our garage, and easily find stuff I'm looking for. It is going to be SO cathartic to get rid of a lot of this stuff too... much of it brings back the days of apartments, renting, and a mish-mash of "stuff" used to decorate old spaces.