Come on in: Welcome to my backyard!

Welcome to my backyard!

When we first saw our home 7 years ago we fell in love with the backyard. 

It was picturesque with the patio, the pond, the trees!

We loved the thought of not staring at a big tall fence.

I grew up on a golfcourse with a fairway view so I was sold!

  Please enjoy some of my favorite photos over the past few years. 

I am really going to miss this :(

 The bench was made by Kenny's grandfather <3

 I LOVE the Magnolia tree! 

Not so much the giant leaves on the ground, but I don't mow so it's not my problem. hehe!

 These are my Day Lilies! 

My Mom has transplanted them from each house we have lived in. 

I will be taking a few with me to our new home!

And here is the tomato plant... apparently they were good.

I forget what these are called, something lily. I think they are so pretty.

 Hydrangeas are beautiful while they last. 

I had some trouble with them.

When it gets hot out, they wilt and look very very sad.

 

Yummy Strawberries!

Hello, Day Lillies! I love you!

I can't forget to share the ducks! 

This past winter I counted 43 geese in the pond!!

This is Edward. 

He has lived in our backyard since we moved in and likes to sunbathe on the solar screens.

we face east/west and it gets pretty warm back there.

We get lots of critters in our yard.

Frogs, Small Garden Snakes (haven't seen them, thank goodness!!), Turtles (one made it all the way onto the patio, he was clearly lost), Hummingbirds,  A Giant Slug (I have named him Turbo) and Bunnies!

Lots of baby bunnies :)

More pretties :)

Occasionaly we will get the fishin' poles out. 

But we have NEVER caught a fish.

Never.

I wonder if there is any?

 And here's where we like to unwind and enjoy the pinion wood smoker.

 My little turquoise garden bird I found on one of my many trips to Canton.

 Here we are feeding the ducks and I couldn't keep the bread away from Caroline!

Lots of hard work went into this backyard. 

Kenny built the deck and patio cover, he's so handy!

I'm going to go out there right now and enjoy it while I can.

Thanks Andrea for hosting the link up!

Sorry I'm a day late!

Better that than never :)

Want it Wednesday: Summertime Must Haves for the Home!

Summertime is almost here!

Bring on the cookouts, the games, the family fun, and the heat!

Have you been to One Kings Lane? Well, you need to go, like right now!

Everyday they launch new sales events and it's everything you need for the home.

Like this bocce ball set, or these awesome wire baskets, or these pretty pillows to spruce up your sofa.

click the scrolling images above to find my must haves this summer.

What's on my walls?

What's on my walls?

Not as much as there used to be since we had to "de-clutter" and "de-personalize" our home before listing it. But here are a handful of my favorites that are still up... 

 

I love this typography panel! It's the first thing we see entering the house and makes for sweet reminders throughout the day :)

I am a huge fan of travel photography. Found these two at the Main Street art fest in Fort Worth a few years back. Greek architecture and Italian wine are a good combo!

These two are in my kitchen. The plate was "borrowed" from the Queen Mary. My grandparents were known to keep little momentos like that from all of their adventures. The other 3 plates are at my mom's house... Yes grandmother "borrowed" 4 plates, haha! The tea pot tiles are probably something I found at hobby lobby but I don't quite remember.

This little guy is 1 of 2 my dad brought home from one of his many trips to Asia back in the day. He did a lot of business travel when my brother and I were little and always came home with the neatest gifts. The second cat is still at my parents house hanging next to the oven. 

And then there's my uber talented mom who painted this water taxi from a photograph we took on my first trip to Venice. It's probably one of my favorites :)

She painted these three pretty flowers for Caroline's room. So in love with them!

And here is where my Momma's talent came from, my grandmother Eloise. This is a less than quality print out of a painting of Eloise by her teacher, Texas artist Olin Travis. I won't get into why I don't have the original painting, let's just say several family paintings were sold by a family member without us knowing and my mom and I are very sad about it :( 

Last one. 

The little ballerina was painted by my niece and now hangs above Caroline's crib. She was about 7 or 8 at the time, now 12 and is a wonderful artist! 

I had to share this one. This was my Mother's Day gift from my Mom. It's not quite finished but will be just in time for when we move to our new house this summer! 

I hope you enjoyed what's on my walls! Thanks, Andrea at Momfessionals for hosting! Now I'm off to see what's on y'all's walls!

Mac and Cheese, Really?!

It's my first link up and I thought I'd share our kitchen redo!

 

7 years ago we bought our first home!

It was a day we will never forget... and same goes for the kitchen!

 

It all started with the mac and cheese colored walls.

Seriously, the walls looked like some one poured the blue box cheese powder into a gallon of paint and slopped it on to the walls!

take a look for yourself...

 

We soon began the process of redoing the kitchen starting with paint.

I can't rember the exact date but painting occured within a month of moving. 

I couldn't walk out of my bedroom and see this everyday (albeit cheerful) any longer!

 

I chose a much more neutral color...

enter: Sherwin Williams Latte.

 

I prefer a latte over powder cheese any day

 

 Side note: Have you seen the "Do you wanna go to Starbucks" Frozen Parody?

Awesomeness! link below.

 

Back to the kitchen.

 

 

 

Then came the new appliances and a simple white drum shade to replace the cobalt blue saucer light.

and the biggest change of all... white cabinets WITH hardware!

 

Houses very rarely have kitchen hardware and it drives me nuts!

 

The final project was replacing the mexican tile island top with black granite.

To save $$, I framed out a sheet of plywood and tiled 12x12 granite tiles on top.

 

 

We loved the way it turned out and hope that the future owners enjoy it as much as we have!

 

Because...

 

 We have FINALLY found a new "old" house!

It only took 18 months... eighteen months, ugh!

 

 Once the master bath redo is complete we will move to our cozy yellow farm house in the country this summer!

 

 

Plenty of pics to come of that project, stay tuned!

 

P.S. Someone needs to make a Mom version of this!

Do you wanna go to Starbucks?

 

 

Pantone Color of the Year 2014:: Radiant Orchid

I am loving 2014's Pantone color of the year, Radiant Orchid!
Here are a few finds to get you on trend...

clockwise from top left:

KENDRA SCOTT Rayne Necklace // DL RHEIN Cypress Pillow // STEVE MADDEN Round Sunglasses // J CREW Factory Girls Peter Pan Dress // TERRAIN Blooming Jasmine Candle // VINCE CAMUTO Horn Clutch // J CREW Etta Pumps // ESSIE Nail Polish

Black and White for the Home

My heart skips a beat for black and white!

Clockwise from top left...

This Nate Berkus Aluminum Enameled Decorative Black and White Box would look fab a top a stack of really great coffee table books!

I am dying over these Suri Round Boxes from Pulp Home!

Another win over at Pulp Home with this Black Merced Embroidered Pillow! A pair of these would really jazz up your sofa!

Oh Tory, how I love thee Bailey Box in your new home accessories line!

I am waiting with bated breath to purchase this Spotted pillow from Furbish Studio for whenever I get new living room furniture.

I want it ALL!

Be Bold, Be Brave

Freshen up your favorite room with a graphic black and white rug!

Don't be scared, remember black and white is a classic combo that goes with pretty much anything!

1. Jonathan Adler Kilim Rug / 2. Black on White Manuscript Rug /

3. Madeline Weinrib White and Black Endless / 4. PB Teen Tribal Dhurrie Rug

 

 

 

 

I'm at Hello, Splendor Today!

Happy Monday!

Head on over to Hello, Splendor the official blog of Pulp Design Studios and check out my post for our Splendid Little series!

It's a little something for baby and a little something for mom!

Lusting Over Lavender!

Remember this scene from the Parent Trap?

{the original}

Grandfather: My dear, what are you doing?

Susan: Making a memory.

Grandfather: A memory?

Susan: All my life when I'm quite grown up I will always remember my grandfather and how he smelled of {sniffs again} tobacco and peppermint...

I love that movie!

The scent that brings me back home is lavender,

and lately I have been noticing much more than just the fragrance.

1

The beautiful thing about lavender is how pretty it dries!

I love this wreath and can use it all year long.

hmm... I think I may have found Christmas color palette inspiration!

 2 

Since my Momma has a green house, she always has an abundance fragrant herbs.

I usually make a little bath sachet out of my old ballet tights and

hang it under the tub faucet as it fills.

This time, I'll give the homemade salt scrub a try!

Start with 4 cups of sea salt or kosher salt.

Mix in several drops of an aromatic bath oil and dried lavender. 

Pour into a jar.

Use a few spoonfuls of salts per bath

seems easy enough, right!?

And what a great little gift for the holidays!

 3 

I refuse to suffer through another episode of CSI Miami.

So,

while my Husband and Horatio solve another mystery,

I go "shopping"!

That's when I came across this comfy, cozy duvet cover!

It would be perfect for my guest bedroom.

 4

What's cold weather with out hot chocolate?

cold

I never thought about mixing lavender and cooking,

but this sounds divine!

Notes: since the lavender is fragrant, adjust the amount according to your preference. For a creamier hot chocolate, a 1:1 ratio or dark to milk chocolate can be used.

hot chocolate:

2 cups whole milk

3 oz. dark chocolate (70% cacao)

1 oz. milk chocolate

1/4 tsp. lavender buds

whipped cream:

1/2 cup cold heavy whipping cream

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract or seeds from 1/4 of a vanilla bean pod

1/2 tbs. sugar

For the whipped cream, place the cold cream, vanilla and sugar into a cold mixing bowl. Beat the mixture with a whisk or mixer until stiff peaks form. Keep refrigerated until ready for use. For the hot chocolate, beat the milk and lavender over medium heat, whisking occasionally until the milk begins to simmer. Remove from the heat and let the lavender steep for 5 minutes. Strain the lavender and return the milk to the saucepan. Over medium heat, add the chocolate and mix until the chocolate is melted and incorporated. Whisk the milk mixture for 10 - 20 seconds or until frothy. Pour into a large mug and serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

 

 

 What is your favorite fragrance?