Most Likely to Spontaneously Combust

Starting the Blog Back Up

2011-11-08T15:52:00.002-05:00

I think it's time I get back with it! To get started how about a pic of my cute puppy... um yes!

So the list of To Do's

Discuss Pinterest
Show recent home improvements
More pics of the fur creatures
Show craft projects
and tons more!!!

Stay tuned!

Paint + Storm Door

2010-06-01T18:08:00.008-04:00

So we finally started back into the DIY world now that the wedding is over! I love having my weekends back, not that I didn't love my wedding, but that was super time consuming!

A before picture of the front of our house. Looks just like the one my cousin painted for us as a wedding present. Kelly lives in Italy and paints daily where ever she may be, Florida, London, Spain, North Carolina, Virginia and it continues. My wedding gift from Bubba was a portrait of our house that we love so much. When you go to that link scroll down to see our house, and if you have time feel free to look around at her work!

An inside picture of the new storm door and the old front door!

Now the good stuff! Painting the front door peach! The results are awesome! It's such a change and it really adds something to our house! First coat picture, kinda grainy.

Close up of the pretty paint color. And two finished pictures with the storm door and the new color! You like?

WE GOT MARRIED!

2010-05-30T14:49:00.010-04:00

I have been absent from the blog forever now due to my recent wedding! We got married May 1st in Virginia Beach and I spend the 2-3 months prior planning and writing thank you cards! So I will shower you with pictures since those are always more fun!

The wedding was a hit, our band played for four hours, 30 minutes longer than planned! Full on 80's and classic rock and a packed dance floor! Nothing went wrong and I loved every minute!

Ceremony site was in Bubba's grandparents backyard. They had been working on the lawn for months, and I do think it turned out lovely!

Need to add some more group shots later!

Maylen did an awesome job as flower girl! She had also been planning for months!

Lovely rehearsal diner pic of the boys! Best Man and my husband!

Following Mere's Lead

2010-02-04T16:21:00.005-05:00

A blog I enjoy to follow, which is written by one of my greatest friends from college, had a fun game up today, so I decided to play along. It's great having friends with blogs that live far away. It's not perfect for catching up, but it's something!

I am playing "Mere's" game. I was reflecting on my life tonight- where I am, where I'd like to be, where I hope I will be in 5, 10 years, etc. So, I decided to play a game with my faint, few blog readers. I will list a time and then use some words/phrases to describe it, however many come to mind at the time. Let's play!

What I think of the Past
-- I think of my immaturity, and how I have grown since. Of the mistakes I have made, but how I regret nothing.
-- I think of Virginia Tech, some of the best days of my life were spent there!
-- dance and HighTechs... I wish I was still dancing

What I'm experiencing in the Present
-- wedding plans... wedding plans...
-- the joy of getting married to my best friend in the whole world
-- a new name
-- a wonderful future to dream about
-- going to the gym, dieting.... neither very fun

What I'm anticipating/hopeful for in the Future
-- Health, that's all I ever want in a new year for friends and family
-- kids before I am 30
-- continued success in our jobs, enough to live the life we enjoy
-- trips, and traveling to different countries and throughout the US to see friends and family

Won't you play with me?
(i.e. do a similar post on your blog so I can read your little life reflections!)

Massive Mudroom Makeover

2010-01-25T20:47:00.029-05:00

YAAY!!!! The blue walls are gone, the checkered tiles are in the trash, and the mud, the dirt is gone!!!

Let's just start with our little helper, who had to be blocked out of the room and was not happy!!! Oh and the clutter... isn't that nice...

So, to make this post more fun, lets start with the best before and after shots!!! Even though it's not technically the complete shot. The grout is still wet as we speak....

(Sorry for the overexposed shot!)
Now, for the detailed in between shots!! As you can see we went from a deep blue to a grey purple color. We used the same "London Coach" paint that we used in the kitchen, and painted the other two walls white!! The two white walls were painted on brick so that took three coats all by themselves!! We started the painting on Friday night and finished Saturday morning. The purple only took two coats and we didn't need primer.

A few good shots of the black and white checkered stick on tiles. We pulled those up pretty quickly with our hands and a lil pick tool.

After we ripped up the old floor we started prepping for the new tile. We borrowed a friends saw for cutting the tile, and of course we had a few moments of trying to make it work. And a little bickering to make it fun!Close up of the clean white brick and the gross old cement floor! We ripped up the floor all the way into the laundry room! Yay for no more gross dirty floor!How gross is this floor... ugh!!!

And then came the lying of the tile, measure twice and cut once. This was a bit of a trouble spot since we weren't exactly sure where to start, at the door, a lil after the base board. Yes, we left the base boards on but that was because the floor was uneven and some of the baseboards didn't even touch the floor. But back to laying tile, we wanted to start in the center of the door and a little bit away from the door as to leave room for grout. We actually did that way all around the room. So some of the grout is thick by the walls.... oh well!

Once we had the first three rows measured and cut we laid thin set and used the spacers and tiled away. Well actually we made it about half way down the room and had to quit Saturday evening. And then on Sunday Bubs finished the room without me. After 24 hours of thin set drying we started grouting. The grouting wasn't too bad, even though I was the one with the sponge and he was the one actually doing the man labor. We had a process, he started grouting and i came in behind him with the wet sponge to collect the excess grout. I had to keep reminding him that I had midget arms and could not reach as far as him!! Bubs cute butt, grouting his way out of the room.

And now three days later the grout is still not completely dry but it's getting there. And the white is coming through! Yay! I was slightly worried that the brown was going to stay there! I also sponged the floor down on Tuesday to get rid of some more excess grout. As you can see it's still there though! Once the floors are completely dry I will mop and then start to put the furniture back!!! And sorry for the overexposed picture!

Air Purifiers

2010-01-23T12:53:00.007-05:00

Green plants, they are so pretty and serve a great purpose! They create oxygen and are amazing for your homes inside air, especially in the winter. And since Autumn decided to eat one of our palms in the bedroom, we bought some more.
The two palms have been sitting in the bedroom for over a year now and Autumn decided to eat slash destroy one the other day. Obviously being me I saved the plant and re-potted it. But it has now shrunk in size. We also have had my work plant sitting in the dinning room for the past month for X-mas break watering. Now that, that guy is going back to work we wanted more green for the dining room. Yes, more green!

We found a cool new palm spiky looking guy for $10 bucks so we grabbed him and another palm looking plant on sale for only $2 bucks!! I couldn't resist this guy on sale!! We also bought each of these guys a new brown weaved pot!

This little orchid was also on sale, only $2. I hope I can keep this one alive!!

Being that I am a pack rat, yes everyone mock I was sad to say goodbye to my three live poinsettias. They were trashed due to the fact that X-mas was over and I didn't have the heart to kill them. So in comes Bubba with a half day from work, and they are all gone. But all is good, I have three new plants to take care of!!! Yay!!! Enjoy the green!

Grout... oh how I hate you!!

2010-01-06T19:03:00.006-05:00

Unfortunately I can't live without grout, being that I have it three rooms already and we are adding it in one more. When we bought the house the grout was already dirty and with the pup and us the grout got dirtier. So Ebs and I sought out Lowe's ( our favorite weekend hang out) for some acidic grout cleaner! We left with cleaner, sealer and a brush. So check out the before and after pictures!All the supplies I needed shown above, including a solo club and rubber glove. Two buckets one for keeping the grout wet and the other for cleaning up the dirt after use pour on the cleaner. It got dirty! But it was well worth it!Shows the clean and dirty grout...

This one above is a great one of the dirty grout and the newly cleaned grout!

Ahhhhhhhh, all clean! It's amazing how well it worked once it dried and I had re-mopped the floor. And a close up of the pretty white grout!

Home Made Wreath

2009-12-13T20:14:00.006-05:00

I took a ton of pictures of the process... but they were deleted. Being that my camera is broken I use bubs, and last night there was some drinking, priceless shots and a full memory. So, I just took one of the finished product! Nella is on the rampage to get out so I had to stand outside with the door shut to get this picture. And its raining, and cold... so your only getting this one pic. And yes I am complaining a lot, ok I'll stop. Soooo, drum roll please... the wreath!

I bought a green wire wreath builder thing, and some cute white glittery accessories. Saved the bottom row of branches from our X-mas tree and created a wreath. There was only one size for the wreath wire so I didn't have to use many branches at all. Nor did I use all of the white accessories, but this means I can make a bigger one next year! Yes! (more complaining, I can't turn this picture right side up!!!)

Wine Bottles... Again

2009-12-13T19:35:00.010-05:00

Apparently I drink a lot of wine, but I'm back again with another crafty wine bottle project! I will be doing more wine bottles to add a collection on my mantle but for now here are two I finished! I saw these in West Elm, (my favorite store) and decided I could make them for way less. The collection is by David Stark and specific for the store. These could also be made in colors... add a little dye to the twine. Anyway, can you see the bottles sitting on the right side of the mantle? The X-mas tree is super cute too, I'm sure that one is harder to do, but think about the possibilities for objects!!!So, they were made with some twine in two different colors, wine bottles, scissors, and hot glue. The first one I did by myself and the second I had the man toys help, he spun and I held the twine and glue. It was so simple and I love the outcome! The first guy was easy, and with Bubs design help it was complete within 20 minutes. It was his idea to stop before the neck to give it a different look. It's growing on me!

This guy was a bit trickier since the neck had such a steep slope. We had to stop and start from the top so the twine stayed together. And we had to use a ton more hot glue. And of course I burnt my fingers.. ugh!

December, the best month of the Year!

2009-12-02T19:52:00.006-05:00

I love the month of December, for X-mas and my B-day!!! Gifts, gifts and gifts! haha! No for the lights, food and time off! Everything is wonderful around the holidays, and there are rumors of snow soon! yay! So here are some pics of my holiday decorations! We got the tree on Sunday and the rest of the decorations have been going up ever since!

December also means going home to see family and friends. We just went to Delaware for Turkey day and made a trip to the beach with the pup. We have been doing this for over a year now, in both seasons but winter is probably my favorite. The wind is brisk and the water freezing. But Autumn puts her feet in and we still walk the whole beach! As always I carry WaWa coffee with me!! If only they had WaWa's in the south!!!

Salsa!!

2009-11-18T08:49:00.007-05:00

As you all know from my previous entries that i like to garden, and I never told you what all I did with my fruits of labor. Well, I ate a lot of tomato's straight off the plant and sauteed the peppers, squash and zucchini but the best thing was salsa. I made tons of homemade salsa this past summer and still am from the veggies and spices from my garden!

One of my best bowls recently was super hot and had local produce from my garden and my parents! It had four different kinds of peppers, tomato's, onions, lime and cilantro. The only thing not from a local garden were the limes and onions. Yes, yes I know you see canned tomato's, but don't worry I usually cut up an extra tomato too dull down the spice from the canned tomato's with peppers.

I put the tomato's in first, then dice up the onions and peppers to throw in. I use a chopper so they are diced up very small, no seeds for the jalapenos. Chop the cilantro a bit and squeeze the lime and set in the fridge for at least 30 min. And you have homemade salsa. And any tortilla chip will do!

This particular bowl was super spicy for Halloween and had to have a warning label for the weak!

Halloween Luffa

2009-11-01T14:48:00.004-05:00

Halloween!!! My costume this year was so random and awesome! I got the idea from a homemade halloween costume site! It was so easy too! 15 yards of tool, 100 safety pins, 3 feet of rope and an old dress! After pinning 15 yards of cut up tool onto the dress my fingers were sore but I loved how it turned out!

Of course Nella in in the picture and she enjoyed chewing on the dress!
Almost complete dress.... about 2 hours of work!

Add some purple feather lashes, fun blue earrings and a Jamaican and you've got a Luffa!!! Stay Clean!

2009-11-01T14:02:00.005-05:00

Thanks Mere!! I love doing this and I am happy I got the opportunity! Hopefully you all can do one for yourself!
So, here are the rules:
Fill out the questions below, using only one word. Then pass this award along to six of your favorite bloggers, and tell 'em you did so! Have fun. :)

1. Where is your cell phone? somewhere
2. Your hair? knot

3. Your mother? crazy
4. Your father? calm
5. Your favorite food? salad
6. Your dream last night? none
7. Your favorite drink? water

8. Your dream/goal? life
9. What room are you in? living
10. Your hobby? dance
11. Your fear? falling
12. Where do you want to be in six years? mom
13. Where were you last night? home
14. Something that you aren't? confrontational
15. Muffins? today
16. Wish list item? garbage disposal
17. Where did you grow up? Delaware?
18. Last thing you did? watch Grey's
19. What are you wearing? PJ's
20. Your TV? on
21. Your pets? Autumn, dog and Nella, cat

22. Friends? best
23. Your life? wonderful
24. Your mood? exhausted

25. Missing someone? nope
26. Vehicle? Toyota yaris
27. Something you're not wearing? bra
28. Your favorite store? tjmaxx
29. Your favorite color? pink
30. When was the last time you laughed? last night
31. Last time you cried? yesterday
32. Your best friend? Bestest
33. One place that I could go over and over? outerbanks
34. One person who emails you regularly? jamie
35. Favorite place to eat? del friscos

Allison

Erin

Meghan (her blog in in the works)

and I think that's the list of my blogging friends!!!

OBX

2009-10-20T19:56:00.005-04:00

I just wanted to say how much I love the outer banks in NC. I go at least 2 times every year, and this year there was a hurricane. So I didn't get much beach time, but I did get awesome pictures! And I am here to share! And yes that is the Nights in Rodanthe house, we usually stay about 20 minutes down the road from it!
Ahhh the beach...

Kitchen Rug

2009-10-20T19:47:00.004-04:00

I always love the idea of a rug in the kitchen, it just screams coffee on Sunday mornings! I had the idea in my head that it would be a jute beige rug that was as big as the room. But I didn't think that was possible giving the size of the room and the price of rugs! Luckily enough I go to TJMaxx once a week, cause I found one! For under 100 bucks! WHAT! Yes I was so excited. One thing I learned the hard way with jute rugs is that they are natural fibers and stain... from anything! Carpet cleaner doggie feet, chocolate! haha! It's ok though since I wanted the light colored rug! Oh well the pets love it and so do I! And that's all that matters!

Autumn sure loves the rug, I find her here every afternoon. Lounging with her paws crossed!

Another GiveAway!

2009-10-05T10:03:00.005-04:00

This time by "Get It Girl Style", another cute home decor blog that I have fallen for! Enjoy her blog and try to win the give away of a Print and T-shirt from Designer SFGirlbybay.com. I love the print, here is a pic: "Keep Calm and Carry On" It comes in all colors and looks good in any home! Enjoy and good luck!
Here is the link where you just post your comment to enter to win.
http://getitgirlstyle.blogspot.com/

Halloween Giveaway

2009-10-01T13:35:00.004-04:00

Courtesy of Sa-Sea Boutique A lovely blog I just stumbled upon that is having a fun Halloween pillow giveaway! Oh how I would love the chandelier pillow sitting in the hammock during our Halloween party... next to the dead guy we plan on having!!!
Bubs and I have huge plans for the party this year and I hope you all can make it! Not to mention tons of food and Drinks!!! Black drinks....

http://saseaboutique.blogspot.com/

http://saseaboutique.blogspot.com/2009/09/spooky-giveaway.html

Hokie Flowers

2009-09-20T19:46:00.006-04:00

Hokie flowers are Gerber Daisies and Marigolds! After a trip to Lowes and Home Depot today Bubs and I came back with two different Hokie colored flowers. Cause what other kind of flowers are there?

Lindz's Bachelorette Weekend

2009-08-31T20:57:00.011-04:00

Weekend with the girls was a blast! Lindz and Dave are getting married in two weeks and we celebrated for Lindz on Sat. with a day at the beach and a night out in OC, MD. The group of girls were a blast, new and old faces celebrated for one special occasion! So enough of the small talk, how about some pics!!!

Lindz and I grew up together through dance and school, and have been the best of friends since 7th grade. I am honored to be a bridesmaid and couldn't be happier! Love you Shitz!

Wine torches

2009-08-16T13:00:00.010-04:00

I found a cool DIY project on designspongeonline.com/that involved wine bottles and a few pieces of metal. Well those few pieces of metal happen to be copper and extremely hard to find. After an hour and a half Lowe's trip we came back with all the pieces we needed to create our own wine bottle torches or sconces. We are going to hang them around the back yard, two on the fence and two on the back of our house. This should be super cute when complete!

Finished product! We now have two on the fence and two on the back of the house! Hopefully these will keep the bugs away!!

Garden... Fried Green Maters

2009-08-13T13:04:00.006-04:00

SO this time my computer is actually back and working!

My garden has been growing out of control this summer! It just recently started to wind down. The squash, zucchini and cucumbers are about gone but the Maters and peppers are thriving! A few pics of our fruits of labor!

I also started saving some compost under the sink and added some of that juice to the remaining tomato's and peppers!

The fried green maters were wonderful, something I will make again! I can not take credit for the green tomatoes though, and yes, aren't they huge! I staked my best friends tomatoes (cause he had not yet!) and knocked a few off. So I decided not to waste them and try my hand at frying!

Finished Product! Oh so yummy! And I fried them in EVOO so they were slightly healthier.

Computers Back!

2009-08-11T20:33:00.003-04:00

Got my computer back and as usual its driving me crazy! But now I can start posting again!

Welcome Miss Avery

2009-07-28T16:28:00.003-04:00

Miss Avery Carrington Brandt was born this morning around 9am. (Erin please yell at me if my info is wrong!) Mom, Dad, Maylen and Avery are all doing well! Congrats Erin and Chris I can't wait to meet your daughter! Love you all! And since they live so far away I don't have any pictures yet. In the mean time here is a link to their blog for details! http://www.maylenandavery.blogspot.com/

Wedding theme

2009-07-27T15:53:00.007-04:00

To the Tee!!! This is almost exactly what I want for my wedding... peach and pale yellow. I'm so glad I found a picture! Only the dress doesn't match!!!

Long over due Bedroom changes!

2009-07-26T16:39:00.010-04:00

I have never posted pictures of our bedroom, and I have no idea why not. So lets start from when we bought the house and the room was blue!
I wanted a brown accent wall in the house somewhere, so I went for the bedroom since the accent wall was already there. And I am not one for blue especially that dark of a blue. We painted the wall brown, bought new night stands from Target and used the same bedding and curtains we had from Bub's Graduation gift. We also found the dresser at a yard sale for 30 bucks. Gotta love the yard sale finds! The lamps and mirror are capiz a new shell material I became obsessed with!

We also bought two live palms from Lowe's that are living outside now due to the weather. Otherwise they soak up water through old wine bottles in the bedroom!I think Nella sneaks into every one of my pictures! Yes the blinds are uneven, again from Nella. (Depreciater #1)

Chairs Pretty in Pink

2009-07-07T18:34:00.000-04:00

I finally sewed the slip covers for the bar stools! Yay! And I can sew!! After having the sewing machine in my possession for about 4 months now, I completed the chairs in only 3 hours! Who knew sewing would be so easy.. NOT! Let me say the slip covers are done and look lovely, they by no means are high quality! But it's ok because they work for what I need them to do!! I am also going to add some cute green satin ribbons to connect the two pieces.... in a few months... as soon as I can!

Don't mind the ribbon, I cut that off. I was just showing my skills... of not knowing how to tie off the string.
I was told this weekend by a real seamstress that using a hot glue gun to attach the ribbons would be sufficient. So that is what I will be doing! Easy peasy!

Of course during lunch I couldn't help myself and I went into Marshalls looking at dish towels. But again I couldn't help myself and I bought some cute pink and white striped ones to match the chairs!!

Finished Product! Oh and there's the bean! She made it into all of my pics!

Wedding snippet

2009-07-06T17:08:00.000-04:00

The color scheme I found for the wedding and for the centerpieces. I love milk glass and I love pairing that with clear vases as centerpieces!

A Date has been Set!

2009-06-23T15:27:00.001-04:00

The wedding date has been set! May 1st it is, at the Princess Anne Country Club in Virginia Beach. The ceremony will take place in Bubba's grandparents back yard. It will be lovely and I am working on more details as we speak!!

2009-06-14T21:58:00.000-04:00

I will let the pictures speak for themselves!!

And yes I am crying and out of my very nice dress I wore to dinner. Who knew!

And the story goes like this....

We went out to dinner at our favorite restaurant Fiamma Restaurant in Dilworth. Just an average date night, so I didn't even think anything could happen. After dinner we got home Bubs built a fire, I grabbed the wine and tunes. We were just sitting by the fire chatting and drinking when he asked "how many boulders?" Now to me this is an every day question and nothing crazy but to the rest of you its our lil saying of how much we love each other. After my trips to Colorado (and yes I am obsessed with that state), we started measuring our love in boulders. And depending how you feel is how many boulders you get! So Friday night I was feeling 17 boulders, an all time high, and he said "enough boulders to spend the rest of your life with me" and got down on one knee with the ring and asked "(my full name) will you marry me?" And after about 6 "shut ups" and "are you serious" I said yes! And he got the correct hand and finger!!!! There were plenty of tears and tons of phone calls. Oh and a gorgeous ring that he picked out all by himself! Ahhh sigh. We are so happy and so excited to spend the rest of our lives together! Now apparently we have to plan this thing!!! EK!

Windows!!!

2009-06-11T21:42:00.000-04:00

Finally, a long over due post of pictures of the windows. I have been away for over a week and haven't had a chance to update the site with pics! But here we go! Again my computer has a virus and refuses to let me use the internet so I am working from two different computers. Bare with me! Which means i only have the after pictures right. Which is what you all wanted anyway! I will do another post of before pictures shortly!!!

I saved 4 of the old windows so I could make frames and mirrors out of them. And we may turn two of the windows into a headboard, without the glass. Any ideas of what else to do with them? These guys are over 50 years old and in great shape. I wanted to keep them forever!

The old windows out of the house already! It took them only 2 hours to remove and install all 12 windows. Amazing...really they were awesome!

New windows sitting in their spots in the dinning room. They aren't sealed yet as you can see!

The picture window installed and waiting to be sealed.

Finished product! The picture window sealed and ready to be used! It looks soooo clean! We jsut hung the blinds so the view isn't as good as shown here. I will post some pictures of that as well!

WE GOT NEW WINDOWS

2009-05-27T11:49:00.000-04:00

12 to be exact, and they are fantastic! Low argon E, heat resistant, and cute! Another bonus, since they are energy efficient, we get a tax credit! yay! We went with the craftman style look, only grids on the top half. Super chic, and makes looking outside simple!

Ahhh the pictures, yes I took plenty! But my computer is dying and trying to make me hate it for life. So once that lil guy is fixed or I pick a new computer, pictures will have to come later. Sorry!

Random living room details.

2009-05-17T20:14:00.000-04:00

With the fireplace taking up much of the living room,we had to get a flat screen to sit on the mantle. So the next question was what to do with the cable box and DVD player. I decided a tall bookcase structure next to the mantle would look nice. And I found the perfect piece at West Elm, and on sale. The tall bookcase holds the cable box and my stack of Real Simple Mags. I showed a picture of it earlier with the pictures on the wall, but this picture also shows the white fireplace we painted the first day we moved in.
Oh and yes we were watching American Idol. Go Chris!!!!Here is a close up of the curtains for the living room. That again have been up for months now. But I am just getting to posting pictures. More pics will come of the finished product! Bubs put them up with our new curtain rods. Oh, and we are getting new windows within the next month that are energy efficient!

Garden Update

2009-05-12T18:22:00.000-04:00

This is my fourth year growing a garden and it just keeps getting bigger and better. I just added to the original group of veggies Bubba and I planted a few weeks ago. This week Bubs planted squash and zucchini. Today cherry tomato's were also planted and all of the spices. It was Bubs idea to plant them in pots on the front steps. I think I am going to repaint the pots white or maybe lime green! haha... nah! Any color suggestions?

Pop of Pink

2009-05-12T18:16:00.000-04:00

Real quick, I picked some roses and put them in my cute lil ikea vase. I have wanted a lil pop of pink in the bathroom this whole time, and this is as far as I have gotten! Haha, one day will be the shower curtain. Any ideas?

Happy Anniversary

2009-04-30T10:20:00.000-04:00

This week is Bubs and my 3 year anniversary! Yes, I know that may not be a big deal for some but it is huge for us! I couldn't be happier in our relationship! We did dinner and gifts last night! Of course it brought on a new project for us, corn hole boxes! Those will be built in the next few weeks in time for summer cook outs! And yes that was my gift to him. While I got the best gift ever, a DVD of pictures chronologically over the past years. A tear. Thanks love, here's to many more!!!

Weekly Update!

2009-04-26T14:47:00.000-04:00

Sorry it has been so long since my last post! I have been running around like crazy. And I just spend last night is the best town EVER, BLACKSBURG! So here are some pics! Oh and the flowers are blooming and its gorgeous! I made diaper cakes for Allison and Stacie for the office baby shower. They are both due in about a month, one with a girl and one with a boy. Aren't these cute!!

The garden was planted last weekend and soon I will have fresh veggies and spices!

Bathroom... Darkened

2009-04-14T21:39:00.000-04:00

We have had this paint since we first moved into the house and just now got around to painting. It's a continuous process of decorating. I am very happy with the results and glad we waiting until now. That way we had time to forget how annoying painting can be!

The new color of Forest Green for the room that matches the tiles in the shower. Now I need white towels, a new shower curtain long enough to raise the rod and an Amy Butler shower curtain. So, not finished but finally painted!

You like? Such a small space pictures are hard to get. And yes we went for a dark color for a small space, but I like it!

1/2 of the chairs FINISHED

2009-04-13T19:16:00.000-04:00

I finally finished the chairs for the dining room! I love the pattern with the green!
Bubs and I started working together by taking the cushions off and measuring the fabric. Which did not go well, apparently we do not work well together, I a bit bossy and him at a loss of words. So after we narrowly cut the fabric and managed to fit all four seats within two yards of cloth we started stapling. And then the stapler broke... so a week later and a new stapler I completed the cushions. Bubs finished the chairs by reattaching the seats and now... we have seats again!Notice the sewing machine sitting and waiting for the next set of chairs! Thank goodness I have left over fabric to practice!!!

I love the two patterns together!! What do you all think?? Any suggestions?

YardSale Find

2009-04-06T21:44:00.000-04:00

Making this a quick post, but had to get pics up of the new couch. This 1920's beauty is slightly smelly but gorgeous! It was recently reupholstered in a rich blue with a small flower pattern. I was given extra fabric so I can make an ottoman when I find the perfect stool. I think it goes great with the rug. I am so excited about this guy, now I just need some pillows and cable in the nook. As of now it is set up for old school Nintendo only. I have been febreezing it daily and keeping a candle lit but I still smell a hint of attic. Oh well it's such a beaut!

Bubs tried sitting in the couch every which way and we rearranged the room a few times... and may still switch things around. Still pondering the setup of the room, any ideas? But for now its working.

a lil inspiration

2009-03-24T20:52:00.000-04:00

I found this pic and just fell in love. I have a feeling the dog caught my eye but I love the frame arrangement and again the dog on the table. Just fantastic!

So here is a sneak peak of our living room. Bubs and I are both huge picture guru's so obviously we have a ton displayed. This doesn't even show the whole wall, or the other room!

Fabric and Tables

2009-03-24T20:34:00.000-04:00

Just a quick post of fabric selections and table painting! The black and white fabric is for the dining room and the floral is for the kitchen! Now all I have to do is sew... Good thing the floral is only for two bar stools. Pics to follow!

New Out Door patio table with the free slab of granite from Lowes! Got to love being the first to buy countertops at the new Lowes. I picked these flowers from down the street. They have lasted for days!

Painted Table. I came home from work on Friday and the table was completed! Thanks Bubs!

Sucked into the IKEA WORLD

2009-03-17T21:31:00.001-04:00

IKEA pub table with bar stools. These are only the beginning shots of both pieces, completed pics...when completed. Also notice the paint color of the kitchen, London Coach!
Things to be completed: Paint pub table a black satin finish to match chair legs.
Make slip covers for the two bar stools. The fabric is a pink and LIME GREEN floral print by Alexander Henry (similar to Amy Butler) I ordered it with the black and white fabric. We shall see how I do sewing...

The two pillows are for the hammock from Home Depot. I have been eyeing them forever! They are indoor outdoor, so I plan to keep them safe inside until the weather perks up!Close up of the chair... waiting for the new slip covers!

The next IKEA find, a piece of cabinetry for the gaping hole between the fridge and stove. (Used to be the wine cooler, which now lives in the mud room.)
After dragging Matt and Bubba around the store for about 2 hours, not to mention 2 trips we got all the pieces together, and assembled it! The butcher block top is being stained daily and takes about 2 weeks until it is usable! We also have double the amount of extra butcher block with 4 takers for cutting boards! I also got a huge butcher block cutting board for myself!

Waiting on new hardware to match the rest of the kitchen. And we put it on wheels so it can travel to the sink or wherever for meal prepping!

CRAZY OVER A RUG

2009-03-17T21:18:00.001-04:00

Absolutely LOVE this rug... so excited that I can't even put it into words! Ahhh! Yes, it may be a bit much, or extreme, but as you can see by my taste in paint colors it works! We had been planning to get a chaise lounge for this room anyway and now white will be perfect. A few colorful pillows and done! We will eventually add a floor lamp and maybe a TV for a lil den reading room! Then one day the "nook" will have a purpose!

I already can't keep the pets off this guy! How does it look with the wall color? I'm pretty pleased!

LOVE IT!!!

Dining Room Updates, more LIME GREEN

2009-03-17T20:36:00.000-04:00

So it has taken me forever to finish the dining room, even though it may be my favorite room in the house! I finally decided against a rug, but am sticking with the upholstered chairs. I bought a black & white print fabric for the chairs. I can't get the pic so you will have to wait for the real thing! Still the curtains are stumping me, any suggestions?
The turtle was a random find that Bubba had to have. But you know what, I love it!

New table scape with the pretty fake apples! The green dish is actually the bottom of a terracotta pot painted and baked from Pottery Barn. They use them as chargers and I love it! Too bad my table isn't big enough for four!

The stickers have been on the wall for a while now, even though most disapprove! Oh well I think they are so cool, and so what if they are shiny! Who doesn't love a shiny object?

Lastly, I took all the stuff off the hutch so it could be displayed. I will be adding more glass to the top level in various shades of green and white. The two vases and pot will soon hold aloe and some twigs from the blooming trees!

Hope you enjoyed the room, and please give me your opinions!

X-MAS in MARCH!!

2009-03-03T20:42:00.000-05:00

It was a winter wonderland for the first time ever on Bubba's Bday. The snow was dumping on us all night and resulted in a snow day for Bub's and a half snow day for me! Sweet snow in March, in the SOUTH!!! Basically I am going to let the pictures tell the story!

Autumn giving me a huge kiss... and not posing for a pic with Bubs.

Autumn loved the snow as you can see in the pics of her playing for hours. I tried bringing Nella outside but she was not having it!

Oh, and a tree fell down in the backyard! We hoisted the sucker back up and tied it to the fence. And it's still standing... for now!
My lovely house in the snow... care to sit in the hammock?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUBSTERS!!!

2009-03-01T12:32:00.000-05:00

Today is Bubs bday and it is pouring down rain! Which means no paint balling, sad face. We had 22 people braced and ready for a 3 hour romp of outdoor war. This adventure had been planned for weeks and Bubs is super bummed. So instead we are inside for the day watching movies and maybe hitting up Ikea! Either way, happy bday love! And don't worry the cake will be yummy!

Birthday Bike Slash Beach Cruiser Completed!

2009-02-25T21:56:00.001-05:00

This year on my birthday I didn't get a bow or to rip wrapping paper, instead I got the "close your eyes" and "stay put" surprise. And we all know I love surprises! During the gift giving I was called outside, while keeping my eyes closed and humming, for the big unveiling. Finally Bubba said "Happy Birthday, Open your eyes"! And starring back at me was a blue (mind you its dark out) antique bike, with flat tires and rust. Haha! I LOVED IT! All the VB (virginia beach) kids have been raving about these so called "beach cruisers" forever! Now I finally have one of my own, and Bubba can go in public with me!! Apparently my Delaware "bike" wasn't cutting it!
Did I mention this was a birthday project that Bubba and I were going to take on ourselves!

So, we (Bubba) sanded off the blue paint, red paint and silver down to the metal frame. He had already taken off the wheels, petals and chain. Once sanded it was time for the primer and paint! A quick coat of white primer and then (my new obsession) LIME GREEN PAINT!!!

One spoke is original and one is from the 80's, either way they both were painted white!

After a trip to WalMart purchasing two new tires, two petals, one seat, one bell, and a super cute basket, Wallah! My brand new antique Beach Cruiser!!!

In this picture you can see Bubba's blue Cruiser and my unacceptable hot pink mountain bike!

Close up of the basket, it comes with a strap, soooo cool!

Thanks Love! I absolutely love my birthday gift!!!

Oh Crap I just bought a CAR

2009-02-15T18:51:00.001-05:00

After months of contemplating buying a new car or just sticking with lil red till she dies, I went shopping. Lil Red has been with me since high school, 9 years to be exact and she rocks. She treated me well, only a few cosmetic incidents through the years and 104,765 miles. Yah, it was about time to get a new means of transportation. So I finally took a morning and went looking for a car!

I had my mind set on a Volvo s40, searched high and low for the lil guy, including Delaware. So I went to CarMax with the intention of only driving the lil s40 that I found online (2008 -22,000 miles). Little and cute... usually my only criteria. But when Bubs and I hoped in the lil guy we were not sold. The glove compartment hit his knees and he was pretty much over it. I enjoyed the Volvo but wasn't sold. So of course I went to the Toyota dealership.

Camry and Corollas seemed to be in my price range, so we walked the lot looking for more. None were really what I wanted. Until we stumbled across the Prius, which I thought was cute in the front. Bubs was not so impressed. But once we walked a few feet over to the Yaris, with a much cuter back and color, we hopped on in for a test drive. I loved the lil guy, just like Lil Red small and easy to drive. Bubs was also happy cause he had room to sit, not to mention George (car guy) was 6'4 and comfortable in the backseat.

And then before I knew it I was buying a car. I kid you not, I had no idea I had even committed to the car but paper work was being signed and I was shaking hands. Not to mention I started sweating and had to lose a layer!! Once I had a minute to sit I called my cousin and she told me to haggle and not buy the car until I had gotten the best deal possible. Which furthered my apprehension of buying a car so impulsively. But a few "you can do it's" later I was buying my new car. And don't worry Erin, I haggled and got another few thousand off the price! No matter what I am happy and driving my brand new Toyota Yaris! Take a look.

New Counter Tops

2009-02-05T20:27:00.000-05:00

I loved the 1950's original cabinets in my kitchen but hated the counters and the color. I stuck with white cabinets and stainless steel appliances but HAD to have a new sink and counter tops. Yes, I had to, did I mention the small piece of the counter (not pictured) wasn't even attached!

New counter color, salt and pepper with the new under mount sink.

I thought the next buyer would enjoy my autograph.

Finished porduct!!! I LOVE MY NEW COUNTER TOPS.

More to come of the new fridge and wall color!

YaY! It snowed today!

2009-02-04T20:36:00.000-05:00

For the second time this year! CRAZY!!! Haha Silly South!

On my way to work this morning i had to stop and capture this image! I just love my house.
My view from the front porch. Oh I'm sorry, just throwing in the VT love!

The Newest Addition... Autumn

2009-02-02T18:40:00.000-05:00

Autumn, Miss Autumn... and i think that's all we call her!

Kim is being modest here. Autumn has obtained many informal and rather strange nicknames. An obvious one and my personal favorite has been Little Brown, i mean what can i say its easy, fun and little cliche, but it gets her tail wagging so again a personal favorite. Kim has gone down a slight different route and has elected to use Padfoot on a regular basis. My only guess is the way she prances around the hardwoods. Either name we choose on any given day Autumn is my dog when she is good and Kim's when she is bad.

She is our sweet mutt from a local Humane Society as well! I love pound pets!
Click to give to the Animals here. Once a day and it helps homeless animals everywhere!

She is quite the cuddlier and snorer!

I think any dog owner in the early stages of parenthood makes a decision on whether or not they are going to lay the hammer down and not allow the pets to invade the humans person bubble. I personally thought i would be the hard A double S on making sure pets are in their bed and i'm in my human bed. BIG NEGATIVE. When Kim says cuddle. She is trying to down play the head to toe stretch session the goes on all night. And she definately doesnt mind the left paw jab to the cheak when she is chasing kitties in doggy dream world.

We think she is a Vizsla. Or mainly one...

The day we got her! P.S. She still loves sleeping here plust the 40 pounds she as obtained

One of our most recent pics of her on Bubba's dads boat!

Miss Nella

2009-02-02T18:16:00.000-05:00

I talk about the cat and dog but haven't properly introduced them, so lets begin...

Nella, Nellabean, Nellabella, Miss Priss.... our white fluffy cat from the local Humane Society.

She is super sweet and lovely! Her favorite thing is to nuzzle with her favorite fleece blanket.

Changing The "Nook" to.... be determined

2009-02-02T17:13:00.000-05:00

We may have painted the whole house before we even moved in! Woops! The color of choice was steel gray that kinda turned blue! Now the room has tons of nature art and pictures! Any suggestions of what to do with this room?

Autumn tends to sleep through redecorating.

The cat eats the blinds. Ek.

Painting the fireplace!

2009-02-02T16:53:00.000-05:00

Going from Black to White. I love how huge the fireplace looks in the room!

Bonus! A pic of the X-mas Tree. Actually I can't find the pic's of the fireplace redo! So this will have to do! By the way I absolutley loved my real 7 foot X-mas Tree from Virginia Beach originally from Boone NC! And yes the tree was up before the furniture!

After, all white!

Dining Room Color Change - LIME GREEN

2009-01-31T15:53:00.000-05:00

I wanted this color somewhere in the house and we decided to go for the unconventional, the dining room. We will accent the room with Black and White to play off of the hutch and table. All black and white accessories to come. Hopefully there will be a DIY project for the chairs... Damask fabric?

Now we just need curtains and some more wall art.

Inside Pics of the House - Before

2009-01-31T15:03:00.000-05:00

2nd Bedroom

3rd Bedroom Now Office

2nd Bath

Master Bedroom

Master Bath

The "Nook"

Mud Room

Living Room (Black Fireplace)

Dining Room

Kitchen

Buying my First House

2009-01-30T10:45:00.000-05:00

This is my new house, my new love! These pics were taken the day I finalized the offer! And there is the SOLD sign!

Blogging Begins

2009-01-14T21:04:00.001-05:00

Just trying to get this thing rolling! I will be updating everyone with renovation pics of the new house. But lets start with some basic shots!!! Enjoy!