inherited garden

I love the fact that we "inherited" somewhat of a garden in purchasing our home.  We have two peony plants, one of which is currently blooming,

and four rose bushes.  One is in bloom, three are getting close.  There's nothing that brightens my day like fresh cut flowers.  They make a room smile.  

Happy Friday!  Hope your weekend is sunny, inside and out.

ode to coffee

 "The powers of a man's mind are directly proportional to the quantity of coffee he drinks."  - Sir James MacKintosh

Coffee should be black as night, hot as hell and strong as love.  (seen on a mug at the Christmas Tree Shop)

I like mine light and sweet.

days like today

call for a pot full of chili.

this past week

It was quite nice to take a week off from blogging.  I kept up with all of the blogs I follow, but took time off from writing my own posts to spend more time with Travis' parents, and my boys, while they were here visiting.  House guests are a good excuse for a little blog vacay.  

So, here's a summary of this past week.

Let's start with Easter Sunday.  It's the freshest in my mind...and quite honestly, there are moments of this past week that I'd rather not remember, but we won't get into that. 

Easter Sunday was rainy.  We had a constant light rain, all day long.  We went to church online, but not because it was raining.  We have yet to find a "home church" here in Enid, and with family visiting and a baby, it was just easier this way.  Plus, we love LifeChurch.

We had pancakes with fresh strawberries and whipped cream for breakfast while we finished listening to Craig's sermon.  (If you have a good chunk of time, you should listen, but if you only have a few minutes, ffwd to 10:51 and listen until around 13:55 for a good chuckle.  Worth your time.  Pretty funny.)

We snapped a few (dozen) first Easter pictures of Callan.  Doesn't he look so handsome?!  :)

We played.

We had garbage disposal trouble while the steaks were on the grill and as the potatoes finished boiling.  I despise unwelcomed (word?) kinks in my plans.  But it's fixed.  Father-in-law to the rescue.

We had an Easter dinner of steak, potatoes, and salad, along with bread and spinach dip for an appetizer, and Kahlua cake for dessert.

We took a family picture.  Nothing like an unflattering picture to remind you that you still have 30 lbs. to lose.  Fabulous.  Callan was born 6 months ago.  I don't have an excuse.

Over the course of last week, we enjoyed meals together, and lots of Callan time.  On Thursday night, we made homemade bruschetta on toasted ciabatta bread alongside stuffed shells and salad.  It (the bruschetta) was so easy, and amazingly delicious.  It's going in my recipe box.  Here's the recipe, if you're interested.  You won't be disappointed.  I promise.  That is unless you don't like tomatoes.

Callan had lots of play/snuggle/sleepy time with Travis' parents while they were here.

Love this picture of my boys.

This is one of my current favorite pictures of Callan - I just love that nose crinkle!

Overall, we had a lovely visit with Travis' parents.  Watching my little man interact with his grandparents was priceless.  Cherished memories.  We are incredibly thankful for all they have done/do for us.  Thanks to my FIL, I no longer have gaping holes in the walls where the 1970s intercoms used to reside.  Lots of little projects got tackled while they were here.  I'm a happy girl. 

As I type this, my in-laws are trying to get home to Fresno.  Weather and an ill-equipped airline are putting kinks in their travel plan.  You (now) know how I feel about kinked plans.  I'm frustrated for them.  Hopefully they can make it home tonight.  Happy (?) Birthday to my mother-in-law.  (I'm already saving up some of that simple syrup you requested. ;))

Today has been filled with laundry, straightening up, playing blog catch-up, and naps.  We have two weeks to recover before my parents arrive for their week-long visit.  Hopefully we'll start/finish a few more projects before their arrival.

Here's what I'm hoping to accomplish this week:

hang some artwork

prime Callan's room

prep the guestroom and hall bath for their next guests

finish putting together the front living room

Here's hoping for a crossed off project list by the end of the week!

I hope you had a blessed Easter!  He IS risen!

happy easter

 

 

buh-bye red { 2 of 3 }

 We enjoyed our first meal as a little family at the dining table in the DINING ROOM over the weekend. 

Callan sat with us, in his highchair.  He enjoyed gnawing on the shoulder straps as we chowed down on pasta with spinach and sausage, and salad.  The chair seemed to swallow him up, but he'll fit into it soon enough - he's getting so big so fast!

This morning, we enjoyed a sinfully delish breakfast of biscuits and chocolate gravy in the dining room.  We're slowly but surely moving away from eating every meal at the coffee table.

Yeah, we're growing up. 

So our original plan was to make the designated dining room into my craft room.  But after a bit of thinking and realizing, "hey, Callan's going to be eating solid foods soon...maybe we shouldn't introduce him to pureed bananas and sweet potatoes over carpet (although it's already badly stained)".  So we made the switch.  And I have to say, I love it.  

It's quite cozy.  Like a big sunshiny hug.

((squeeeeze))

Ok, so maybe the rug is a bit undersized, the curtains are temporary until I can buy the ones I have my eye on, the built-in is waiting on a fresh coat of paint to liven it up, the chandelier needs updating, and the walls need some artwork...but hey, I'm loving the upgrade from before.  So I won't knit-pick.  (Wait, I think I just did...)

So much better, right?

Buh-bye RED!

Over the weekend, I finished painting the front of the living room.  It was a mess when I snapped pictures of it earlier, so all you get, right now, is a peek at the wall color and the curtains. 

My in-laws are in the car on their way to our house as I type this.  They flew from Fresno to OKC to spend a week with us and to enjoy some quality time with Callan.  So, I'm out for the week.  I'll be back next week to share any progress around the house and pictures from our visit together.  

Hope your week is lovely!  Later gators!

PS - read more about how we're saying adios to red in our new house in buh-bye red {1 of 3}

{ link love} & more

There's a lot going on in this post.  My in-laws will be here on Monday night, so you won't hear much from me next week.  I thought I'd throw it all at you now instead of scheduling posts for next week.  Makes life easier for me.  I'll probably share a few pictures of some freshly painted rooms on Monday, but that's about it.  

So here we go.

Our pantry door is now a chalkboard message board.  As I use something up from the pantry, I can write it on the outside of the door, reminding me to restock that item, or we can write little notes back and forth to one another, or...

The image I have in my head is this:  Callan, a couple years old...I'm making dinner, and he's sitting on the floor at that bottom chalkboard scribbling away.  So sweet.  The thought of it makes me smile.

While unpacking and organizing some of my craft stuff, I came across some random pieces of design projects that I did for classes a few years ago. Remnants from some of my favorite designs.

These are a few elevations from an in-home Interior Design office.

This was one of my favorite informal design projects.  If I was 7 years old, I'd love to have a playhouse just like this.  Heck, I'd like to have one like it now, at 31!  It could be my craft palace ;)
(Only there'd be less pink.)

A very time-consuming and demanding restaurant design.
Pure headache.

This is a watercolor perspective for a guest suite at a winery I designed.
One of my favorite projects.

 And of course a few pictures of our little man.
Because I can't get enough.

Oh, and a peek at the hoop I made for my lovely hoop swap partner.  (Hi L!)

And now from some Link Love!

Have you seen hoop art cuter than this?  <3

I have absolutely no need for invitations right now, but I LOVE these!!

Aren't these the cutest little paper flowers you've ever seen?

You will love this website - inspiration ga-lore!

I have always had a thing for Marshall and Lily's sofa  (I couldn't find a better picture...). How I Met Your Mother is one of my all time favorite shows.

I dig Joel Dewberry fabric.

I love her blog...and I really think I need to make one of these dolls.  I'll have to ask my 3.5 week old niece if she wants one. 

This necklace is totally cute. 

The concept of this bag/clutch is amazing!  Sooo want one.  I want one of these too. 

I really love this rug.  I wish I had an extra $400. Actually, an extra $20 would be nice too.  ;)

I want to sling this bag over my shoulder and take it home with me.

I adore this.  Could be a totally cute diy.  

Pintrest?  Love it.  

That's it for me.  Hope you have a wonderful weekend!  We'll be crazy busy getting ready for our first over-night guests since we moved into the house.  Exciting.  On our list is a little painting and a lot of cleaning and organizing.  

I'm out! 

flowers & fabric

 Aren't these flowers beautiful?

They're amazing.

I snipped a few to bring inside to enjoy.  They make me smile.  

I love that we have beautiful flowers sprouting up in our yard.  Happy surprises.  I can't wait for my two peony plants to bloom!

I recently finished this project.  All it is is words printed on fabric, and a few pieces of fabric sewn together and thrown into a frame.  It was more or less a test run to see if I could get my printer to print on fabric.  It was a success, so I plan on making another with more ideal fabrics.  But I'll keep this one up until I make it's replacement.  No rush.

Here's the other sewing project I was working on.  My grandmother has been making these for as long as I can remember.  I wanted to try my hand at it.  It's cute, right?  Not bad for my first attempt; certainly far from perfect, so don't look too closely.  My intention was to use it as hoop art, but...

...it doesn't fit.  

With all that fabric on fabric on fabric...it's too thick.  So now I'm on the look out for a frame or some other way to display it.  Ideas? 

Today's plan is to get started on painting this room.

 What a disaster.  And you'd think we have triplets with all those baby entertainers.  Ha!  Once the walls are painted, we'll finally be able to get the room put together.  Really looking forward to that moment.  This will be my last painting project before my in-laws arrive for their week long visit on Monday.  Lots to do before then!