A Pop of Pink

Sorry for my absence yesterday - I was busy running errands - heading to 2 doctors appointments, cleaning, and of course...p-a-c-k-i-n-g. I officially 'purged' for this first time in YEARS. I am usually the girl who holds on to every article of clothing and pair of shoes, because, 'I'll wear that again...' - yeah right. It felt so good - and I ended up with SIX huge garbage bags of full clothing/shoes that I no longer wear or need. The sad thing? A lot of the shoes have never been worn, and some of the clothing still has tags on it...ever happen to you? 

Although I was able to get rid of a ton, there are a few pieces I will probably never get rid of (feel free to call me a hoarder, like my husband does), like these shoes...

It was fun to 'rediscover' some of my shoes, and dream about wearing them again (I have not attempted to walk in 5+ inch heels in quite some time). For the past several months, I've been living in my flats...and I can't wait to get back to heels! There's just something about the way they make you feel, no? 

I am so ready to be moved - only a few more days! My living room currently looks like this, and it's driving me nuts! I hate clutter just as much as I hate 'the waiting game.' It's hard to believe Friday night we will be in our new home...I can't wait!

Enough about moving...let's get to what I really wanted to talk about today - PINK! Not just anything pink, pink in your home. I love decorating with pink, but it can be tricky, especially if your guy has anything to do with it! However, I'm here to prove to you, it's easy to add pops of this gorgeous hue to any room without making it look too feminine. A few perfect examples...

all images above via

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Add PINK to your home with: 

candles

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art

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coffee table books (one of my favorites)

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fresh flowers

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throw pillows

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Do you have any pink in your home? 

37 Weeks & My Baby Items

Happy Monday, hope you had a great weekend! 37 weeks...welcome to 'full term!' Can't believe I'm saying that - as there is so much more to do before the arrival of this little one! I have been feeling pretty well for the most part - my hands have started to swell a tiny bit (not much, but enough for me to remove my rings), and everything involving physical movement (stairs, getting out of bed, rolling over at night, hauling in groceries, etc) seems a bit more difficult these days! I am getting very excited to get fully moved (this upcoming weekend), and n-e-s-t! I have been craving more and more sweets (not out of the ordinary for me), and discovered my new, favorite treat - carrot cream cheese cupcakes...yum. If you live near a Native Foods, you must try it! It's vegan, and you would never know (I've never had a vegan dessert before this, and it is one of the best carrot cake/cupcakes I've ever had)! 

Much of my weekend was spent running errands and testing paint...see what I mean? 

It's amazing how different the color looks once you get it on the wall - some of them look NOTHING like the color on the paint swatch! We have decided on a color, and I'll be sharing more on that soon! 

This weekend, I also finished buying all of the 'newborn essentials' I will need - at least for the first few weeks...I would much rather figure out I need something and buy it after the baby is here, than stock up on 100 items I don't need/will never use. This isn't everything (obviously), and not all of these are among my 'essentials' list ... just a few items I am most excited about! 

Did you do anything fun this weekend? 

A House Update ((and a paint FAIL))

It's Friday! I am SO happy it's the weekend...how about you? As I mentioned earlier this week, we will most likely spend the majority of our weekend organizing and packing (one of my least favorite things in the world!), but it will be nice to have a bit of downtime as well. My husband will be heading to 'Daddy Boot Camp' tomorrow - can't wait to hear how it goes, I just laugh every time I think of it!

I will leave you today with a few updates on the house - some of the painting is complete, and I love it all most of it. The one epic fail occurred in the nursery - oh joy! But let's start off with something a little more pleasing to the eye...a sneak peek of the kitchen! I am very happy with the way the it's turning out...we're almost there!

Ok...back to the nursery. I ended up going with a Benjamin Moore color (instead of Valspar, which I originally wrote about) for quality and VOC reasons. Anyway, the color I chose looks absolutely hideous - like a pink highlighter! I know neon is 'in' and all, but somehow I just don't think it works for a wall color. I was so shocked when I walked into the room, and kept trying to talk myself into liking it, but it wasn't working (I was up for 3 hours in the middle of the night thinking about how much I hated it). It was simply NOT what I had in mind for the room. This morning, I caved. We are changing it (hallelujah!). I ordered three new samples to be tested in the room over the weekend, and will let the painters know the decision so they can 'fix' the room on Monday. Oops. Without further adieu, I present: the NEON PINK NURSERY.

*please note, these photos don't even do it justice

The color is Benjamin Moore's 'Mixed Fruit.' - don't. do. it. 

It almost glows in the dark - seriously. 

Let's move on to some of my better color choices, shall we? For the majority of the house, we chose BM's 'Revere Pewter,' and to say I love it is an understatement! I was having the most difficult time choosing a color, and couldn't be more thrilled with the way this gray looks on our walls - love! 

I wanted something a bit more dramatic in my office, and decided on BM's 'Stormy Monday.'

Do you like the colors I chose (besides the obvious neon nursery disaster)? 

In other exciting news, I am an auntie again to a beautiful baby boy - Graham Reid! This is my first nephew, and I am so happy for the (now) family of 4! Congratulations you guys! xo 

Have a great weekend! 

Good Things Happening...In The Form Of Mail

Hello, lassies! How is your day going? I have had such a busy week, I am looking forward to the weekend (although, that will probably be even busier). Sometimes I hate the mail (like when they lose all of my mailed letters, thank yous, and birthday cards), but other times I love it (like when I get unexpected letters or packages)!

Today was a very exciting day for me (in terms of the mail). I received the lamp I have been lusting after (ever since I spotted it on Alex Berlin's home tour), and it's just as pretty in person as I had hoped!

I also received two packages of gifts for baby girl - full of the sweetest, most precious items! Thank you Aunties Sara & Meredith - swoon! 

Have you received anything good in the mail lately? 

Renovation Realities

So far, the renovation process has been fairly simple (my husband may tell you a different story). We haven't had any major issues, and each project is turning out better than we had anticipated, which is very exciting. I think this is one of those situations where you're hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst. You never know what you're going to get when you hire someone else to do the job, but we feel that doing research and making expectations clear have really helped us (along with getting more than one bid for each project). In addition to those details, not having to live WITH the renovations has definitely kept stress to a minimum - our lease isn't up until September, so the timing couldn't be better!  I can't imagine living in home that is somewhat 'under construction' - especially a kitchen...props to the people who do that!

The kitchen is coming along extremely well, and I am loving all of the changes - SO happy we decided to go for it! The look and feel of the room have already changed so much, I can't wait for the final reveal!

Again - I apologize, as you'll have to live with the photos from my iPhone for the time being. I need to take my camera over there to get some better shots...but for now, these will have to do!

New countertops & sink installed, backsplash demo complete, and cabinet boxes painted white (terrible lighting, making everything look yellow-ish, which it isn't...well, except the old paint color which is now covered up by subway tile). 

Subway tile going up! Again, terrible lighting, but with the shade removed from the window, this was the best I could do. You can see the subway tile on it's way to the ceiling...no grout yet (we decided on bright white grout). Also seen here - new faucet. 

And here is the kitchen from the same view BEFORE: 

Old backsplash:




New backsplash: detail is a little better in this photo - no grout yet.




We are having roman shades made (to replace the bamboo shades) out of this fabric:

I can't wait for the cabinet doors to be replaced, complete with new hardware. This will (almost) complete the project! We chose cup pulls for the drawers, and chrome knobs for the cabinets. 

On to the master bedroom! We had a built-in made for this awkward HOLE in the wall, and I love the way it turned out (still needs to be painted). It makes the space so much prettier and more functional.

Before:


After: 

Hardware: 

Today, painting begins! We are repainting every room, and I am anxious to see how this will change the look of everything...more on that to come. SO close, yet so far! Happy hump day! 

Rock It or Knock It

Happy Tuesday! There are so many trends (and a few 'out there' looks) that I love, and there are definitely others I loathe. I thought it would be fun to put together a list of debate-worthy looks, and ask you, "Would you rock it or knock it?"

midi skirt 

ankle socks 

oversized hats

floral denim

harem pants

cat eye eyeliner

leather pants

tribal print

pajama-inspired pants

So, which looks would you rock? Which ones would you knock? 

36 Weeks

My weekend recap: errands, running to the house to check on renovations, errands, errands, a few more errands, running to the house to check on things, errands, errands, running to the house, church, errands, bed. As you can see, I had a thrilling weekend...sigh. It really wasn't too bad, because seeing the house come together IS exciting, it just felt like a lot of running around - which is exactly what it was. I was able to watch some of the Olympics, which was a nice break - my favorite being the gymnastics and swimming!

Today, I am officially '36 weeks,' and I can't believe it - where has the time gone?! I think it's time for another update...

this is not the best display of the bump - but it's the only photo i have from the weekend 

(please excuse the messy guest room) 

there it is! 

How far along? 36 Weeks

Total weight gain: up 22 lbs

Maternity clothes? not really....just dresses and yoga pants. The dress in the photo above was SO uncomfortable (no stretch, not maternity) that I ended up changing after a few hours 

Stretch marks? still none 

Sleep: still sleeping well, but waking up more frequently to use the ladies' room

Best moment this week: heading to the doctor on Thursday - will get my last ultrasound, and an estimate of how much this little babe will weigh! 

Miss Anything? Getting dressed...sigh. It is really difficult to choose outfits these days - I feel like I've worn all of my dresses SO many times, and am in no mood to buy new things when I only have 4 weeks left. Yesterday, I wore (non maternity) leggings and a tank with a jean jacket - even that felt uncomfortable. 

Movement: many swift kicks to the ribs! 

Food cravings: popsicles and water

Anything making you queasy or sick: still meat...will I ever eat it again? 

Gender: GIRL! I had a slight panic yesterday and thought 'What if they tell me it's a boy at my appointment this week?!' I haven't had an ultrasound since 20 weeks, and started getting nervous - ha!  

Labor Signs: No

Symptoms: Extreme fatigue...back to napping once a day (totally not my style). Also having these crazy tinsel-like flashes in my vision every once in a while. This started happening again last night, so I googled, and found a forum with my EXACT symptoms - turns out it's a 'painless migraine,' which makes sense, as I usually get painFUL migraines...weird huh? I am going to ask my doctor more about this on Thursday. Also having some nerve pain in my back and upper thigh (anyone else experience this?). It's a very weird sensation - like an electric shock. 

Belly Button in or out? still in - barely! 

Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time: happy, excited, and tired! 

Looking forward to: Sending my hubby to 'DADDY BOOT CAMP' this weekend...LOL. I am excited to see what he learns! For the record - he is excited about this, too. Putting the nursery together (finally)! Everyone seems to be so worried about the fact that I haven't done this yet...but since we just closed on the house, I have a reason...and this is just the way I work ;) 

Happy Birthday to my angel, best friend, and rock - my MAMA! I so wish my mom and I lived closer, so I could see her every day...I could never spend "too much time" with her - EVER! I love you, Mom, wish we could celebrate together today! 

Happy Monday, ladies!