simple.just.practical.

The big holiday is over and done. Does anyone else feel the tiniest bit depressed when it's all over? I don't know about you, but for me, the anticipation coming up to the big day is what I revel in the most. Sure, the presents are way up there for the kids, but mine equally anticipate the activities we get up to prior to the big day. Our little list of activities (dare I say traditions) help make the season that much more special.  In no particular order: ✔1. Christmas Gardens Lights-our botanical garden have a gorgeous display 2. The Nutcracker play ✔3. Gingerbread houses ✔ 4. Baking cookies 5. Mulled wine (just the husband and I of course) 6.  Watching Christmas movies:: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone ✔ Love Actually ✔ The Holiday ✔ Elf The Polar Express ✔ Last Christmas (new addition for me this year) ✔ 8. Visiting w/ Santa (with kids) ✔ 9 . Advent calendars ✔ 10. Ebelskivers ✔ 11. Christmas Eve Boxes       We managed to almost complete the lis...

It’s been a long time since I was in this space and I forget that I used to keep up a blog. I still read blogs daily and enjoy them so. Everything from the professional bloggers/vloggers to the average person. I may prefer the latter in my honest opinion since it feels like real life and a bit more relatable. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you the current state of our world but to say the holidays are almost upon us and there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon. One of the first vaccines was administered in my town in our state today. I’m not a 100% sure I’d get this vaccine if given the opportunity but I’m thankful for the hardworking scientists and frontline workers.  It’s been an incredible 9 months. I, like everyone else in the country/world, miss my family dearly and wish I could be with them. My folks are immunocompromised and while I could visit them I would hate to inadvertently spread the virus to them. Thankfully we can video chat as they are a bit more technologically ...

After only 8 months we finally hung curtains for the basement doors. It was always on my list but we could never figure out what type of covering we wanted. We purchased the curtains and rods at Ikea. The total cost was about $40 before taxes. Not too shabby. I'm very happy with the look of it but not so much with the color of the basement walls. I'm also at a loss on how I want to use the space. We use it as a home for my rabbits and a general dumping ground for toys I guess I always envisioned it as the adult lounge space. I thought modern, swanky, wine bar. Back to reality...we don't spend too much time there as it's cold in the winter. I spied this at the local store and thought it would be a great solution. The price is reasonable, just $150 and the reviews are decent. It can be hung on the wall or placed on the stand. It adds ambiance and warmth.  I can image sipping wine here in the winter after the kids have gone to bed. I asked for one for Christmas but d...

It's been a long time since I updated. In the past 8 months or so we've settled into our new home, welcomed a new baby, and survived the first few months with two young kiddos. We've made some small progress at changing the home, nothing major though. I think the biggest and still on going project has been painting. I knocked out the most needed painting before the baby arrived. Now I cannot seem to find the time or energy to finish up the smaller areas (master bath, kids bath, and guest room). I have paint purchased for at least two of the spaces.

We finally made it into the new place after much packing and cleaning at the old place. I knew it would take a bit of time to get settled but I wish I could snap my fingers and have it done immediately. How quickly you forget how much time it took to get a place looking the way you want it... So far we've: - put up a wire fence along the split rail fence to keep the dogs and kid in - installed new dishwasher (nice stainless one we found on clearance) - hung curtains (albeit all temporary until I figure out a decor) - installed faux wood blinds in our bathroom (I mostly did this one) - assembled patio set (really just pulling the chairs out of the box and assembling the table) - installed unfinished cabinetry in laundry room One the list: - install new faucet and garbage disposal (they are in boxes waiting their turn) - assemble new natural gas grill for patio - assemble remaining two patio chairs buried in the garage - baby gates at top of stairs (to corral the kid)...

I love it when a plan comes together! We scored my dream sectional (see post below) off Craigslist for half off! The old owners bought the couch in December then moved. The sectional didn't fit well in their new (small) space so it needed to go. It's a sleeper too, bonus! We managed to grab a second truck and DH's dad to help with the move.  I cannot wait until we get it into the new house. It's living in the garage of the new house for now. I would have bought the sofa full price from the store but getting it half off can't be beat. With a kid (and another on the way) and two dogs, it's going to get more than a little beat up. I won't feel guilty for buying a new piece of furniture.

Our 10+ yr old dishes have met their end. That and the other half hates the dishes I picked out before we were married (let alone living together). We finally have a reason to chuck the stuff and try to agree on a new set. Wants: - inexpensive (what with a toddler who likes to break stuff) - modern (but not the funky shaped plates) - non bulky (i.e. fits in the dishwasher nicely) - generous bowls for cereal and soups (hate those shallow "bowls") - lightweight-ish So far I like these based solely on their good looks and cheap price but I've yet to hold them in real life. Each 16 piece set is only about $30 from Walmart. 

The new house has an awesome feature. The rec room (in the basement) has a wet bar area. The current owners didn't take advantage of it. They just installed a counter and a sink, no cabinets above or below. Eventually I would like to make this a nice swanky area for the adults. The other half would like a big tv and a beer fridge...we'll see about the beer fridge. I found a few pictures online of what I'd like to do with the small space. I'd like to do either a light colored slab granite top or tile granite top paired with dark wood cabinets. A mini fridge or wine fridge would be a nice touch as well.  The color of the cabinets are right on as is the layout.  I adore the glass tile back splash on this one.

The new house has laminate flooring installed on the main and basement floors. I'm not opposed to laminate but the laminate in the house looks cheap. We installed laminate in our current home in a cherry color and it looks much more rich and less like laminate. Not wanting to do the laminate thing again we are opting for wood floors. We're pretty sure we'll be doing the new flooring within a short amount of time after moving in. Just the other day I came across another flooring option. Not wood and not laminate. Something supposedly more durable, water proof, and less expensive than wood. Reviews are decent for this new product and we're intrigued. I'm leery of this new product since we thought laminate was more durable than wood. I'm also afraid the look won't look like wood. It's vinyl plank flooring. The product we've heard rave reviews on is by Traffic Master called Allure. We'd like the wood installed in the bathrooms but we're wor...

Another cute little feature in the home is a small front porch. We've always envisioned having a front porch. After all is said and done it will be the last space we'll furnish. That didn't stop me from shopping for things to place there. We figured a rattan set would work because the area is covered. We wanted seating for 2 (the space won't accommodate more than that). We'd love to be able to work in a small table too. The prices for these outdoor sets are astronomical.  Target's Rolston Loveseat $239 on sale The love seat fits us well and is super comfortable. I'm hoping it will be even cheaper at the end of the summer or during a summer sale.

A huge selling point for us was the backyard view and deck. The backyard is a decent size compared to the other homes we'd seen. I have no idea why the newer construction homes were put on lots so small. We were thrilled to find a nice sized yard backing to permanent open space with a play area to boot! Now we don't have to install a play area in our yard. Our current patio is ity-bity. We can fit a small table, 2 chairs, and a grill out there. You can imagine with our new space we'd need something a bit more substantial. Now I know it's still winter time but I couldn't help but start looking for furnishings for the newest room in our house. I searched online and was appalled by the price of outdoor dining sets. This stuff sits outside all year why would you spend so much? I figured we needed at least a 4 seater but preferably a 6 seater. I set an arbitrary budget of $500. I found a few options within the price range. I wanted a low maintenance set. The seating ...

One day while waiting for some showings to be complete we ran to our local furniture store. I always wanted a sectional but our current room was too small to accommodate one. We decided upon leather because well that's what we have now and it works wonderfully with a toddler and pets. To give the other half a better idea of what I wanted to do with our new family room I created a little mood board. I'd like to have an accent wall in a either a blue or gray color and then tan for the rest of the walls. 

After spending a bit to make sure my toddler's room was up to par on decorations I wasn't ready to can the whole idea after getting to the new house. I'm planning on painting the new toddler room the same or similar color and putting up the same art work and curtains. This one will be simple save for painting. Oh how I've come to loathe painting. Perhaps it's the crappy coverage low VOC paints that make me miserable but I know our air quality is somewhat improved over the other stuff. The new nursery has presented some challenges, namely that we aren't 100% sure that the new occupant will be female. We aren't sure whether the toddler will outgrow the crib by the time the newbie arrives. Not wanting to do the same old neutral color scheme again I found a great blog that manages to add color and a bit of modern sophistication to their nursery.  That and if the newbie turns out to be a boy it would be just a matter of changing bedding and wall art. Anyway ...

My whole reason for creating this blog is to share my design ideas with someone other than my husband. My design appetite was ready for something new. Having pretty much completed every room in the current house I'd run out of space for new things and new design. I know getting the next house to where I want it to be won't be easy or quick (esp. with a new baby on the way). It'll probably take a few years but I'm excited for the opportunity. To be honest the thought of decorating a new home seemed daunting after just finishing all the last minute home improvement projects and anticipating a newborn while chasing down a toddler. Over the past few weeks I've felt my enthusiasm build. I've been scouring websites for ideas and even managed to pick out a new sofa (which we may or may not purchase immediately after moving in), and patio set. Here is the order in which I think we'll complete projects. Most will be as simple as a coat of paint. Some will requi...

It's a funny story about how we found the new house. I adore cyber house hunting and stumbled across this gem a few months before we became serious about moving. The home was perfect: 4 bedroom plus a bonus room, 2 car garage, 2 living spaces, a rec room, and most importantly backing to open space. Early on we decided that having a private back yard was the most important aspect in a new home. After this requirement we knew we needed 4 bedrooms (or 3 and an office space), a 2 car garage at least, and a basement.  We toured approximately 8 homes (only 4 with our realtor) before we knew we needed to put in an offer or we'd lose the home I so desperately wanted.  So far things are good. I haven't started counting all my chickens just yet, there could still be some hiccups along the way. Here's a sneak peak. It's a huge reason we bought the house.

We've done many a home improvement project on our little house over the 7 years we've lived here. We got married in the house and had our first baby in the house. It has a special place in our hearts. After much debate we decided we were outgrowing our space. Our little starter home was quickly filling with baby items and the news that another would be on the way pushed us over the edge. We set a deadline. The modest 1,200 sq ft, 3 bedroom, 2 bath home would hit the market in less than a month. With a 3 page list we got to work. We painted (and painted and painted), rented a storage unit, de-cluttered (that's an understatement), and fixed up all the minor imperfections we'd overlooked in our time here. Happily after less than 1 week on the market and a stager who pointed out some not-so-obvious furniture arrangements we were under contract. Yes the hard work paid off. We never expected to go under contract so quickly. Lugging the toddler, 2 dogs, and 2 rabbits was h...