Keeping Track of Our Ideas...

Sometimes I feel like I am being pulled in a million directions with what to do in certain rooms since I love so many different ideas and looks. Here is a sampling of what I am loving right now:

1. This kitchen island! I love the marble counters and the simple lines

2. Distressed mantles. I am on the hunt for one as we speak to add a little character to our family room. They add interest and dimension, and best of all can be a fraction of the cost of building a new mantle!

3. White slipcovered furniture (this never changes for me!).

(pictures above from Country Living)

4. The garden-y feel of this dining room! It is both unique and refreshing, love it!

(picture from House Beautiful)

5. A mixture of creams and whites in the bedroom to soften it up. The creams add warmth to the white palette for those cool winter evenings when you just want to curl up with a hot chocolate and your favorite book!

All Things White

As those of you who know me know very well, I LOVE WHITE! In my world, the more white, the merrier. As you can see we picked a very dark wood floor to contrast with all our white furniture, but left to my own devices I would have immediately gone with a painted white wood floor. So, I am sure you can guess what color I would like to redo the kitchen with. Slowly I am collecting pictures of what I would like to do in the kitchen and ideas that I find interesting. My current plan is to use shelves instead of upper cabinetry along one whole wall as seen here in Rachel Ashwell's kitchen:


I am not sure whether or not I will do floating shelves though, or use slabs of carrera marble on brackets which I saw on an episode of my favorite show, Bravo's Flipping Out.

Let The Destruction Begin!

Today we decided on our hardwood flooring, which is going to be one of the biggest jobs in our reno. We decided on solid hardwood Birch in a charcoal finish, which is a really dark color but not reddish at all. Our only decision left before we go ahead and place the order on Monday is whether we go with the 2 1/4 inch planks or the 3 1/4 inch planks. There is a 20% savings to go with the narrower plank so that is where our dilema lays... But the good news is since we are ordering such a large quantity they did give us a pretty good discount!

Here is a sampling of what the color looks like:

Boo!

Tonight I decided it was time to pull out the Halloween gear and outfit the front porch. I was hoping to put out more pumpkins, but I will just have to wait until the grocery store has more selection. And while the picture is up, anyone have any suggestions for paint colors on the front trim? I am not sure about keeping the door either since it is a little different than our tastes... Give me your thoughts!

Oh Koi

Now that it is getting cooler at night I am starting to wonder how much longer we can keep the fish out in the pond? When we moved in August we also became the proud owners of 5 large koi fish that reside in the pond in the back yard. So the picture below is not our waterfall and pond since I was too lazy to go out and take a picture this morning but you get the idea of how shallow the water is and how big the fish are. We have been unsuccessfully trying to pawn these fish off on anyone who will take them (we would gladly offer up the indoor pond, food, and all accessories to the kind soul who gives them a new home!) but now that the cool weather is fast approaching I am starting to get worried about how much cool weather they can take. If you know anything about caring for fish PLEASE help us out!

See it!

Last night I was so excited to see the ballet version of Peter Pan as performed by the Royal Winnipeg Ballet with my Aunt. We had great seats and thoroughly enjoyed the entire performance! If they are coming to a city near you definitely pick up some tickets and check it out, it was by far one of the most fun and entertaining ballets I have seen. The dancer playing the role of Tinkerbell was unbelievable and was absolutely hilarious:

The Smell of Fall~

Well, it is officially the first day of Fall today. It is hard to believe that the lazy days of Summer are already past, especially since we had such a hectic Summer and only had time to enjoy one long weekend at the cabin when we usually go out there every weekend possible. But as much as we will miss the warm evenings and BBQ-ing it is always fun to look forward to all the wonderful things Fall brings: pumpkin lined doorsteps; Thanksgiving; leaves changing color; the excitement of Halloween; a comfy wool sweater.

Last week I was excited to see that Bath & Body Works had a sale on all their WallFlower sets and took the opportunity to get the aromas of Fall circulating throughout the house. Of the different scents I bought my absolute favorite is Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin, which is a mouth watering blend of "spicy pumpkin puree with sweet butter and vanilla cream". Mmmmm already the house smells amazing.

Definitely check out the 2 for $20 sale instore or online at www.bathandbodyworks.com

It's That Time of Year Again

When we got home last night I could tell that while we were away fall decided to make it's first appearance. The backyard was covered in leaves and the trees are all starting to change, which is really beautiful now that we live on a street that has a lot of mature trees, so this afternoon we enjoyed some sunshine and raked the leaves. Now I just have to come up with some cool crafts to do with all the pinecones and berries we have back there. Maybe a nice arrangement for the kitchen table would be fun!

Happy Mexican Independance Day!

To join in on the Mexican Independance Day festivities we went down to Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs to enjoy some authentic Mexican food, dancing, and music. There was a lot of excitement and entertainment to go around at a local restaurant we enjoyed dinner at and then we topped off the night with a trip to an old fashioned candy store for some chocolate!

I'm Helpless...

...against cute baby clothes! I found the cutest onesies by Dr. Seuss a few days ago and have since acquired about 10 more (their power over me is unstoppable!).

I also discovered C&C baby, famous for their adult line of super soft t-shirts, and cannot get over how adorable their little shirts and dresses are.

I found this apple shirt so cute that I bought it in 3 different sizes so she can wear it until she is 18 months old.

129 Days to Go!

It has been a few weeks since we updated the belly pics, so here is a shot on my way to the pool for the afternoon at 21 and a half weeks.

Good Night Moon

I took this picture of the moon yesterday evening and it reminded me of the book from when I was little.

Life's a Beach

Nothing is more relaxing than the sounds of the ocean on a sunny day, which we were very grateful to enjoy today!!!

To Dye For!

Today we made a haul at the Newport Beach Shabby Chic store, for both the baby and me (they are having an awesome 20% off sale right now!!!). We finally settled on a crib set and I am really excited to get the nursery in order now that I have a plan. I have been in love with this tie dye bumper and the ribbon embellished crib skirt for about 3 months now but had not narrowed down my choices enough to actually buy it. But seeing it in person convinced me that it is the perfect blend of fun and my favorite color, white! I also love that it is blue, yet still girlie enough for a girls room. I bought the skirt and the bumper, but opted for a solid white sheet instead and will definitely post pics as soon as I have it up in the baby's room.

One Shirt, Two Shirt, Pink Shirt, New Shirt?

We are so in love with these Dr. Seuss onesies we found at Nordstrom! There were so many to choose from and they were all equally precious, we may have to make another trip.

Holly's Favorite:

Sean's Favorite:

Life is Good!

Sunny days, balmy nights, it doesn't get much better than this! So far we are having a great time (let's just say the shopping trips have been very successful). I have bought 6 tank tops in 2 days because that is about all I can wear at 105 degrees besides dresses, but no complaints here.

I am sure anyone would get a giggle out of the hideous car we rented at the airport. We looked like undercover cops cruising around in this on Saturday (thank goodness we only needed it for one day!):

Bitter Sweet

We leave for our long awaited trip tomorrow morning at 7 am (YAYYY!) but I am already bummed that our furbabies are not coming along. This will be the longest we have ever been away from them since they usually come along on all our trips, but I know that they will be having a blast with their cousin Dede (also a dog) while they stay at my Parent's house. Two weeks without these little faces looking up at me every morning is the only part of this trip I am not looking forward too.

A Little Fun in the Sun

Ahhh, I am already in rest and relaxation mode just thinking about the vacation we leave for on Saturday morning. We are taking a 2 week trip to Palm Springs and plan on doing a whole lot of absolutely nothing! On the agenda so far: Eating, eating and eating some more at all our favorite restaurants; shopping (I am hoping to get the baby bedding along with some well deserved new clothes for myself and of course lots of fabulous shoes); lounging by the pool.

I am having a tough time packing since it is starting to feel a lot like fall here and it is going to be about 100 degrees there so the only thing sitting in my suitcase at this point is a big bottle of sunscreen and this dress, which I will probably wear to death:

First Girl Purchase

So last week we found out we are having a baby girl (YAY!!) and until now everything we had bought was gender neutral. Last night I had to quickly pop in to the mall and before I left I treated myself to a quick stop at Baby Gap. Of course everything was waaaaay too cute for words but I only allowed myself one item since I know that most of the clothes will come from our baby shower. Next Spring/Summer Baby Girl will be rocking this cute little dress:

The Good, The Bad, and The VERY Ugly

As promised, I am here to share the fruits of our weekend of hardwork, along with some of the nitty gritty that still needs to be done.

First the GOOD: finally we are wallpaper free in the family room! We still have to replace the floors, mantle, lighting and window coverings, but we are getting there.





Now for the BAD: Well, it isn't as bad anymore since they are gone (thanks to Sean's electrical genius) but let's just say that home made switch plates are not a good look, anywhere... ever!



And who could forget the UGLY: Yes, I am ashamed to say this is our main floor powder room. I think the previous owners must have been going for the "graveyard at night" look because even on the sunniest day you come out of that bathroom feeling scared and alone. The diagnosis for this room is a full gutting.

What a baby!

Last weekend we took the plunge and bought our first big baby item: a Quinny Buzz stroller. Since we will not be using it for at least 4 more months Sean decided to take it for the ultimate test drive with Rosy. Poor Mung Kee wanted in on the fun but had to wait his turn, which he decided against after witnessing Rosy do a "pop-a-wheely".

The Looooong Weekend

So this weekend was long, but it felt even longer because we spent it removing several walls of lovely 80's wallpaper. And to up the fun factor it was the vinyl, plastic kind that really doesn't want to come off. Sean also did a great job of replacing our outlets and light switches since the previous owners thought decoupaging light switch plates was an artform. I promise to share pics in the next couple of days of just how bad it was (think black walls with neon paint splattered on it).