Sa Sea Boutique

Making Progress on Loft

2012-01-26T08:07:00.001-08:00

I finally made new curtains for the kid's loft area! I will be posting more pictures after this weekend, but I am just too excited not to share these curtains.
The horizontal stripe at the top was a beautiful accident! I originally cut the fabric too short, so I had to think of a fun way to extend them! Love when an accident turns out so wonderful!

xoxo

Ultra Race

2012-01-23T08:55:00.001-08:00

This past weekend my hubby and I ran in a 100 mile Ultra-Marathon!
We were asked to sign up and since we are avid runners, we decided to sign up for the cause. It was definitely a crazy challenge and nothing like we have ever done before.....but all worth it!

I was assigned the last leg of the race at MIDNIGHT.......which sounds crazy enough in itself! To make it all even more interested....the entire trail was in the woods.....on a dirt/sand/mud trail......and I would basically be alone! (I honestly didn't realize these details until I arrived at the race, which is probably a good thing!)

Chad ran first (he was the 8th leg of the race) and I waited at the finish line as he finished his 8 mile run. The look on his face scared me a little bit as I asked him about the trail and if I would be okay out there running.

My leg began at midnight and I just ran off into the woods not exactly knowing what I was going to face. I blasted my music to hide the howling noises that I had heard as I waited at the start line.....and ran my heart out looking for these little glow sticks to guide me thru the scary woods! It was SOOOOO dark and I only saw a few other runners, going the opposite direction as me the whole time I was in the woods!

I was making great time, and felt so proud that I was concurring such a serious fear of being in the woods alone........until I realized I had made a wrong turn and came across a drink station for the second time! I had added a mile to my distance at this point and just laughed it off and was thankful that I had trained so hard! I started to get SUPER annoyed with myself when I passed the SAME drink station for the 3rd time.......and realized that I would now be running 10+ miles in the woods that night! At this point I informed the guys at the water station that if I passed this station again they were going to have to call for someone to come and pick me up because I was done! :) OOPS!!!!!!

Once I found my way in the correct direction I ran my heart out and finished my now 10+ mile leg in 1 hour and 45 min! I normally wouldn't be so proud of this time....but seeing as how it was all on loose sand and dirt and I had to rely on the tiny lamp on my head to guide me...and had to walk thru the loose mud that had been made when a few wild boars had tried to nest on the path......I felt great!

My super sweet hubby was there to ride his bike with me on the last mile and was soo proud of me! It wasn't until I crossed the finish line that he mentioned to me that he was sooo shocked I even finished the race because he had been scared out of his mind out there! ha!

I absolutely love facing these awesome challenges with my best friend, and have never been so excited to see his face as I did when I had come out of the woods that night! :)
xoxo

New Years Fun!

2012-01-12T09:52:00.000-08:00

I have been missing from the blog world for a bit, but I have some fun ideas I have been working on and I AM BACK!

We spent our New Years in Northern Virginia with my sister and her family! It was such a great trip!!!!!!!!!
Chad and I grew up there and it is always so nice to go back "home" and show our kids where we used to hang out.
Here is just a little piece of our vacation in pictures.....

I bought yard and taught myself how to crochet a scarf on our 14 hour car trip from Florida to Virginia!

My sister and I took our girls to the American Girl store in DC! It was so great! I absolutely love enjoying it all with them!

My sister and I on the metro into DC! I road backwards and seriously almost got sick! I have been away from the city for too long if I can't handle the metro anymore!

Love this picture of my family! It was super cold out and it was fun to bundle up in all of our winter gear!

Love being in the city with my hubby! We used to skip school and walk around there when we were in high school!

The kids were super bummed that we couldn't go in and just say hi to the President! ha!

We went to see ICE and froze our tails off in the 5 degree weather! It was sooo fun! They had a fun little ice skating rink set up at the end and it was so much fun! Love seeing my Florida babies doing winter sports that Chad and I used to enjoy!

We downloaded the 2011 ball drop on the ipad and played it on the tv via AppleTV. We celebrated "midnight" at 9:00 with the kids. They were sooo funny and so proud of themselves for "making it up until midnight". So fun!

After a 14 hour drive home it was sooo nice to be welcomed by my little Roxy!

Kids didn't start back to school until this past Tuesday.....and as soon as I dropped them off I came home and painted my nails in some fun polish. I think it is fun, but for the past three days Kacey has been begging me to take the blue off and just do all of my nails in glitter. ha!

I have spent the beginning of 2012 training for an upcoming 100 mile relay race that I signed up for. chad and I are both running a 12 mile leg, and I am training like a crazy lady!

Hope your new years is off to a great start!!!!!
xoxo

Cyber Monday DEALZ!

2011-11-28T07:30:00.000-08:00

HURRY AND RUN TO GROOP DEALZ AND GET IN ON THE CYBER MONDAY SA-SEA BOUTIQUE DEAL!!!!!!!
I HAVE PURCHASED A TON OF CHRISTMAS GIFTS FROM GROUP DEALZ THIS SEASON AND I WAS BEYOND EXCITED TO BE FEATURED!

CHECK IT OUT AND HELP SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES THIS CYBER MONDAY!

XOXO

How Will I ever decide?

2011-11-15T13:49:00.000-08:00

It is no secret that I LOVE having our pictures taken with one of my favorite friends, Maria with Snidershots! She has this rare ability to capture my family in a way that really describes us! I can look back at the pictures she has taken of my family over the past 5 years and truly remember my kids at that stage. I feel So lucky to have her not only as a friend, but as my all time favorite photographer!

I haven't sent out Christmas cards since Collin was born (don't judge), and this year I am getting an early start to make sure that I actually do it!

I have NO idea how on earth I will pick the right picture............because I love ALLLLL of them!

This picture just makes me smile! Chad works sooo hard for our family and I feel like this shows us all giving him some love. :)

love this! how does she come up with this stuff?! I have no clue!

My little man (pics taken the day before he turned 5) knows how to rock a camera! He wanted to wear his green crocks and I was totally okay with it. They aren't my fave choice, but I want to remember what he liked at this stage.

This is so fun!

This guy has been by my side since I was in middle school and I always love seeing pictures of just us! It is kind of rare since we are always behind the lens taking pics of our kids!

My baby girl! I always think she looks like me and people rarely agree......but I will have to carry this picture around with me now to show that we DO look alike! (kind of....maybe a little bit)

My babies!!!!!! This picture makes me smile so big! I am getting a huge one of these and I know that it will make me smile daily when I look at it!

We are VERY blessed!!!!!!!!

Hope you have an amazing day!
xoxo

Countdown to Christmas Tutorial

2011-11-12T08:44:00.001-08:00

I have been really into tutorials this past week, after taking a long break from them. It has been fun to come up with new projects to try!

This is a super easy project that I know my kids will love, and will also make a cute little gift to friends.

Countdown to Christmas Board
-Boards (I bought these at Michaels on Sale for $1!!!!!)
-Craft paint
-Chalk Board Paint
-Painters tape

I wrote the wording freehand, but you could use a stencil if you needed.

TaDa!!!!! I am going to hang this between my kid's bedroom so that they can take turns updating the countdown!

This also reminds me that I am not totally crazy for wanting to decorate my home now for Christmas....I mean 43 days isn't that long!!!!!

xoxo

Chicken And Brie Pockets

2011-11-11T10:40:00.000-08:00

I am not into cooking.....or trying new foods....so in order for me to make a post about a meal it has to be really easy, have little ingredients, and taste great!
So trust me that this is all of the above!

I found this recipe a few months ago while sitting at the pediatricians office in a magazine and copied it down. I have made it about once a week since then. :)

Chicken and Brie Pockets
-crescent rolls (each pkg will make 4 pockets, so use as many as you need)
-chicken breasts (as many as needed)
-Seasoning of choice
-Brie

I pounded the chicken and cut them in half. These are sams club size chicken breasts.

Cook for about 4 mins on each side and season chicken as you would like. They shouldn't be cooked all the way thru....but pretty close.

Spread out the crescent rolls (with two triangles making a rectangle) and place the chicken and sliced brie in the middle and wrap it up. You could really use any cheese or add bacon, turkey, ham, whatever you would like.

I do my best to get all the gaps closed up, but it really isn't that big of a deal if some cheese melts out. (see....easy!)

Bake according to the crescent roll package. (375 for 12 min...or until chicken is done)

My kids love it......and so do we!!!!! win-win!!!!

Enjoy!!!!
xoxo

Sweatshirt Blanket Tutorial

2011-11-10T10:02:00.000-08:00

I absolutely LOVE that my kids are involved in sports, and really enjoy them! Chad and I both were really involved in sports when we were little and both played on travel teams in middle and high school. (I played Soccer and Chad played Baseball) I think it kept us out of a lot of trouble....and I can only hope that my kids remain as excited about sports as they are right now!

I am Collin's coach for the 4th season and the games start in December. I know we live in Florida but it does get really chilly during January and February games! Just trust me!

Kacey has been doing really well this year with soccer and just made the DA (developmental academy) team a few weeks ago! This is really exciting stuff, and includes 2 nights of practice and Friday night games. WOW....THAT'S A LOT OF SOCCER!

I decided to make them each a blanket with their names that we could keep in the soccer bags to snuggle in while they watched each others games. I couldn't be happier with how they turned out!

Materials...
-Martha Stuart Paint. (you can use any brand, I just love her colors)
-1 yard of sweatshirt material per blanket (prewash)
-freezer paper
-tiny scissors or a knife
-sponge brush

I cut out my stencil using a knife onto the freezer paper and ironed it onto my fabric. I had to push really hard to make sure that there were not any gaps.

Used the sponge brush to dab paint onto the stencil

I peeled it off immediately because I used a lot of paint and didn't want it to soak thru the paper.

I am loving how they turned out! I can wash them easily....and they are sure to keep my little soccer players warm this season!

xoxo

My Baby Boy Is Five

2011-11-07T07:29:00.000-08:00

It absolutely blows my mind that my baby boy is 5! I know that means he is no longer a baby....but I have warned him that no matter how old he is...I will always call him my baby.

I love looking at old pictures...and especially on my kid's birthdays. I know it is so cliche but it is crazy how fast they grow up! It makes me so sad!

I had collin just 3 weeks after my 27th birthday....and was SOOO excited to meet him! The birth of Collin was going to complete our family and I was so happy!

This pic was on my 27th birthday.....it makes me laugh because I don't think I even looked Pregnant from this angle.

I carried him ALL OUT FRONT!

On my way to the hospital.

I was induced...so 17 hours later I was able to meet my favorite little guy!

Proud parents!!!!!!!

I still check on him when he is sleeping.....and he still has this cute little baby face!

My little man on his first bday!

Turning 2 Rocks!

My stylish little 3 year old!

Playing golf with dad on his 4th birthday

This year he wanted to go bowling...and to a USF Soccer game....so we did! Can't believe he is 5!!!!!

I probably couldn't be more proud of my little five year old!
He has a heart of gold and cares so much about his friends, his family, his dogs, and has the ability to really know how to brighten your day! He is a total morning person....and wakes up in the best mood daily! He has a laugh that can make even the saddest person smile, and truly enjoys being around the people he loves. Collin is an all around athlete and can play any sport he tries. He has a love for soccer and it blows my mind how skilled he is at it!

I can't wait to see what is in store for my favorite 5 year old!! Whatever it is....I know it is going to be great!!!!!!!!!!!

xoxo

Easy Lace Knee Socks Tutorial

2011-11-04T12:02:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite blogs Dear Lizzy did a tutorial yesterday on Knee High Socks. I have wanted these for a year now....and have just been waiting for the weather to get cool again. (I live in Florida.....if I wait for it to get COLD....I will be waiting till maybe January)

Supplies that I used on my first pair....
Knee High Socks
Lace
Wooden Buttons

I ruffled the lace prior to sewing them onto the socks......then sewed it around the edge. The buttons were sewed on by hand which is never fun.....but turned out great!!!!!!

I also have the supplies to make a few other varieties....and I can't wait to try them out. I also made a few pairs for my daughter and I know she will be excited!

I am SUPER happy with the final product!!!!!!!

Hope you have an amazing weekend! We will be celebrating my little man's 5th birthday ALL weekend, which should be a great time!

xoxo

Holding On...

2011-11-02T11:30:00.001-07:00

This coming weekend my little guy is turning 5!
Five seems SOOOO big to me! So until then....I will be hanging out with my little 4 year old.....and enjoying every single second!

xoxo

Riding Boots= Love

2011-11-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

I am in love with my birthday boots! I seem to crave boots every year when my birthday comes around and this year was no different!

I had a hard time finding riding boots that weren't too dressy and did not have buckles.....but I couldn't be happier that I waited until I found what I REALLY wanted! (boots from Dillards)

I am planning our Christmas card photos with Snidershots around these babies....and I can't wait!

Now if only it wouldn't warm up to 80 degrees daily, I could actually wear them!

xoxo

Halloween Birthday Bash

2011-10-30T17:36:00.001-07:00

It is really no secret at all that I LOVE Halloween! I remember being SUPER stoked that my due date for Collin was close enough to Halloween that I could throw him Halloween Birthday Parties if he wanted.....and lucky for me he loves the holiday as much as I do!

This weekend we celebrated Collin's upcoming 5th Birthday....and it went off perfectly! Even looking at these pictures makes me so happy!

The family......Grammy the witch......Kacey is Ariel......Collin is Batman.....Grampy is Robin......I am Captain Hook....and Chad is Mr. Smee. I had sooo much fun making each of the costumes and then seeing everyone really pull off the look. Makes this mama proud!

Possibly my favorite picture ever. They are too cute!!!!!!!!!!!!

ha! Kacey helped me pick out all of the fabric and the design of how she wanted her costume. She absolutely LOVES stuff like this!
The party began at 6, and we had 22 kids and just as many parents! I was a little nervous because we have never had that many people over.....BUT IT WAS PERFECT!!!!!!!!

We set up craft table for crafts while we waited for everyone to show up! The boys colored edible vampire teeth while the girl's made fall flower pens! TOTAL SUCCESS!

The boys showing off their vampire teeth! ha!

My little batman!

The girl's with their flower pens.

Collin picked ALL of the games himself! I gave him a list of about 20 activities and he picked what he wanted to do and was SOOO excited about planning his party himself.

Freeze dance is his all time favorite game! Playing to halloween music takes the game to the highest level of fun....and a lot of fun to watch!

There was a relay race with an eyeball on a spoon. haha....from the looks of this picture it is obvious that Collin was cheating! (sorry....the judges were all drinking white wine sangria! bad judgement)

My favorite part of the night was when my mom sat on a rocking chair in our spooky "grave yard" and read "There was an old lady who swallowed a bat" to the kids in a spooky witch voice. All of the kids sat and listened soo well and really enjoyed it!

After she finished reading the story she handed out little bags of "Rat eyeballs, Spider legs, and ghost poop" to go along with the book. (idea via pinterest)

I made owl and spider cupcakes and the kids loved them! Collin picked out Orange flavored cake with chocolate frosting, and it was really a good combo!

My fave serving piece of all!!!!!!!

I still can't believe my little man is turning 5! Where on earth did the last 5 years go..and how can I get my little baby back!

We had these milk jugs all around our fence and they were a great accent! The whole family got into painting them.....and it looked great with the lights!

Our spooky grave yard was a success!
I can honestly say that it was the best party I have ever done!!!!! I think all of the parents and kids had a blast......and Collin hasn't stopped talking about it today!

I am going to bed one proud mama tonight.....and looking forward to Halloween tomorrow! Hope everyone had a wonderfully festive weekend!!!!!!!!!!

xoxo

I love a rainy day...

2011-10-28T14:14:00.001-07:00

I AM IN LOVE with my Hunter Rain Boots!!!!!!! I actually get excited when the weather says we are expecting rain just so that I can wear them!

Now if only we were expecting colder weather in Florida so that I could wear my Hunter socks to go with them!

I have been VERY busy planning my son's Halloween 5th Birthday party planned for tomorrow night! We will be having 24 kids and their parents over for a spooky costume party....and I honestly can't wait!!!!!!!

Hope everyone has a festive weekend!
xoxo

Mickey's Halloween Party

2011-10-21T08:53:00.000-07:00

Last night we went to Disney for the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. It was a great time.....7 hours of a good time! :)
My sister and her family came down to visit from VA, and the weather was absolutely AMAZING here! We had a total blast! Here is the night in pictures......

Our gang.....minus Chad who had to work. :(

Argh! haha

my kids weren't thrilled I didn't finish sewing their costumes for this year prior to our disney trip.....but this mom has been busy!

Proud Grammy and Grampy with their babies

Best picture of the day! ha! Looks like my sister is in trouble in 10 years when Elle starts to drive.

My bats. These were their last years costumes....but perfect for the chilly night!

We had a BLAST! The kids LOADED up on candy.....went to a dance party with Woody and Jessie, Watched a scary parade, had so much fun people watching all of the adults that seriously decked themselves up and were SOOO serious about their costumes, Collin was finally tall enough for a big deal roller coaster, and we just had a great night!!!!!! Can't wait until next year!

xoxo

Bday Fun!

2011-10-17T06:53:00.001-07:00

I had an AMAZING birthday weekend!!!!!
I love the month of October.....and that my birthday falls in the middle. I will have to say that I do miss the fall weather of living in Virginia....but I will deal with our warm Florida fall for our amazing winters.

We started the weekend with a fun night at Kacey's School fall festival. The kids really had a great time!

My mother in law was here for the weekend to help us celebrate.

Love that Chad got into a festive outfit with us!!!!!

Sunday morning (my birthday) I got the whole family up at 5am to drive an hour and watch Chad and I run a 15k race! They were super excited to cheer for us!

Our race started out on the wrong foot.....we were in line for the rest room when the race started....so we had to clock our own time. It was actually kind of fun to start late because it felt amazing to pass so many people and catch up to where we were at our pace run. :)
We ended up running 10 miles in just over 9 min miles......AND COULDN'T BE HAPPIER! I really enjoy running with my hubby, and it was his first race ever....and he did amazing!

turning 32 is fun!!!!!!

My family!

Sushi dinner......my all time favorite! Love how they know our name and our orders whenever we show up or call for an order. Makes me smile!

a Snickers blizzard was an amazing way to end such a special day!!!!!

Here's to another great year with my amazing family and friends!
xoxo

shattered....

2011-10-11T08:46:00.001-07:00

My daughter LOVES to have her nails painted so we tried out "shattering" our nails for halloween. It was really cool how it worked.....and perfect for halloween!!!!!

We purchased "Atomic Orange" by OPI, "black shatter" by OPI, and used OPI top coat after to make it all really shiny!

First you paint the nails with the under color.....and it is REALLY important that you wait for it to dry all the way. I will admit we were too excited and so I couldn't wait, and it brushed off some of my orange. Why does everything take soo long to dry, I am not patient enough for this!

Kacey pulled out her American Girl catalog as reading material while I painted her up. ha!

Loved the orange alone....but just wasn't spooky enough for us.

Wahoo.....spooky halloween nails for us!!!!! I am totally going to do green and red for Christmas as well. It is just fun and a nice change.

Try it!!!!!
xoxo

32 Random facts....

2011-10-06T10:27:00.000-07:00

I am almost 32 years old.....and I think it pretty much kicks ass! I love the 30's!!!!!! I decided to do 32 random facts about myself in honor of the new year!

1. I could eat sushi 7 days a week and never get sick of it
2. I am spending my big birthday running a 15k with my hubby
3. I live in Florida but still live 45 min from the beach, and this is so sad to me
4. I love my friends
5. My kids are total homebodies just like their mama
6. My favorite color is turquoise, and has been since I was in high school
7. I have coached soccer for my son's team for 3 seasons and haven't lost a game!!!!!
8. The sight of people brushing their teeth makes me ill
9. My kids and I do not like soda.....AT ALL.
10. I am not a beer girl....but will drink cheap keg bear in red solo cups and enjoy it!
11. I think it is absolutely annoying when people copy others!
12. Girl's nights always make me happy....I have a great group of girlfriends!
13. Teen Mom makes me cry on a weekly basis! (on mtv)
14. I can't even watch jersey shore for two min.....most annoying show ever!
15. I redecorate my house all the time, yet I always keep the same colors
16. I could redecorate my entire home at Home Goods
17. I love to run....alone....unless I am with Chad or my dad.
18. I smile the entire time my kids tell us about their day during dinner.....and I pray that they are always so open with us!
19. Family bike rides make me happy!
20. Bleach is my all time favorite cleaning supply
21. I seriously figured out the game of roulette while in Aruba and am dying to go to Vegas and convince my hubby of this. :)
22. Santa still brings me gifts
23.Carrot Cake is my all time fave
24. I eat ice cream pretty much on a nightly basis
25. Have zero problem cutting bad people out of my life and never looking back
26. It makes me SO HAPPY every year when my husband brings four boxes of Halloween decorations down from the attic
27. I haven't colored my hair since before I was married.....and am convinced it keeps getting darker each year.
28. Wear jeans on a daily basis
29. Am addicted to Couponing
30. My favorite thing to do is spend the day at the beach with my family
31. Read my nook nightly to fall asleep
32. LOVE MY LIFE

xoxo

Costumes are being made....

2011-10-05T08:24:00.000-07:00

My kids get really excited about picking out costumes each year.......and actually still enjoy me making them! Kacey gets REALLY into it and loves to pick out the fabric and stand over my shoulder to make sure that I do it all just right!

We have a lot of fabric, sewing, designing going on around here lately! She does not want the same costume as ANYONE.....and has made sure that hers will be a different style. :)

Hopefully we will be done with all of this in time.....

xoxo

It's been a while...

2011-09-29T07:10:00.000-07:00

I have been an awful blogger....and I am so sad about it! I thought that the two hours of "kid free" time each day while my kids are at school would allow me to be so on top of everything.......but instead I have volunteered in the classes.....volunteered in the library......volunteered to help friends.....and basically given away most of my free time! I guess it will have to wait until next year when both of my kids are in elementary school. :)

Since I have last blogged my best friend and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary! I honestly feel like we have just been married forever and so I was shocked to realize it has only been 8 little years! I feel SOOO lucky that I get to live with my best friend, share our kids with my best friend, and grow old with my best friend. Chad and I used to talk on the phone daily in high school and talk about how crazy it would be if we really ended up getting married and got to grow old with each other......how lucky are we that our dream came true!?!

In honor of our anniversary......we decided to run a half marathon together. Crazy right?! It has actually been a super fun plan! We were originally planning on running the race in october...but it filled up faster than we had thought. Soo.....now we are running the race in February. We are soooo ready, and having a great time training for it! Such a fun gift/celebration for us. Running 13 miles is kind of like a marriage.....some miles suck.....some fly by.....but the feeling you get from it is absolutely amazing and worth all of the training that goes into it!

Our kids seriously slept with crayons and paper under their pillows......woke up early.....made cards....made us yogurt and cereal in bed.....and were SOOO proud of themselves! Such a super proud moment when we can sit back and realize that everything up until this point has lead us to raise two super sweet and amazingly thoughtful kids! Makes it all soo worth it!

Kacey is too cute.....she always calls us her "love birds". ha!

Collin must think that we wear transparent clothing.....wonderful. :)

I am working on a few posts of halloween party/decorating ideas. We are getting ready to have Collin's 5th Birthday.....Halloween Style! I am so excited....and he comes up with new games and spooky ideas daily. I LOVE YOU OCTOBER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

XOXO

Nate Berkus Love

2011-09-13T19:12:00.000-07:00

It is no secret that I LOVE Nate Berkus! I love his line for the home, I loved him on Oprah, I love his show, I love it all! I have recorded every single show that he has been on and I watch them daily! I watch for inspiration, tricks, new styles, and also with my fingers crossed that One day I would see one of my pillow cases sitting on a couch!!!!!!!!!

THIS CAME TRUE YESTERDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have never hit the Pause button so fast in my life!!!!!!!

I have followed Tamara's blog from the very beginning and have watched her transform her home into such an amazing beauty! It was no shock that she would be featured on "House Proud" yesterday on his first show of the season! The shock was when I realized that she had purchased one of my Paris Address cases for her amazingly recovered sofa!!!!!!!

Just to make things even more exciting...I checked out the Nate Berkus Show site and saw my pillow as the main image! I feel like a proud mama! :)

I will now describe this Paris Address Case as the "As Seen On The Nate Berkas Show Paris Address Pillow Case" haha!

Just wanted to say...

2011-08-30T09:05:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to remind you to....

(image via pinterest)

Back To School

2011-08-22T08:39:00.001-07:00

I am slightly in shock that I have kids in school....so this post is blowing my mind!

Kacey started 1st Grade today and she was beyond excited! She got the teacher that we had wanted, a few buddies in her class, and she is super ready! She is such a hard worker that I know she will do great!

Collin started his first day of VPK this morning as well! (see, big day for me!) He has never really liked preschool and would much rather be attached to my hip, but he did GREAT! He has several of his buddies in his class so he was actually really excited! WAHOO!!!

THE TOOTHLESS 1ST GRADER!!!!!!!!

THUMBS UP TO THE PRESCHOOLER!!!!!

I managed to hold it together today and was just proud of my kids! They are super ready for this....and I know they will do great!
xoxo

Lucky Number 7

2011-08-15T08:56:00.000-07:00

My baby girl turned 7 almost 3 weeks ago...and I am still in shock! How on earth did this happen?!

She decided she wanted to have a Princess party this year....so I jumped at the chance of having her party outside of our home. With a trip the following week.....I was not looking forward to doing it here!

Such a sweet, toothless girl!

She brought 3 of her fave dolls to enjoy the party! ha!

The "before pic" of most of the girls.

The Glam Team working on Kacey. A little much, but she was sooo excited!

The "after pic" of most of the girls all glammed up.

They did the runway.....learned new dances......played games......and had a great time! Kacey was beyond excited about it!

I stayed up almost all night making her cake. She had requested a "turquoise wedding cake w pink and yellow cake inside....and lots of flowers".

I would say it was a success!

Turning 7 looks like a lot of fun! I am so happy Kacey has made some really great friends!

Only my child would choose the Olive Garden for her birthday dinner. :) At least it is a step up from her choice last year...Subway!

I am sooo proud of my little 7 year old!
xoxo

I miss you

2011-08-10T14:47:00.000-07:00

We spent an AMAZING week in Aruba...and I want to go back!
The weather is beautiful! The people are possibly the nicest I have ever met! And I never wanted to leave!

Such a beautiful view!

Thumbs up to Aruba!

My little surfer boy!

Beach beauty

Banana Hammock! (I have an embarrassing amount of these pics on my camera from the week! Some things will always make me laugh...and I am okay with that!)

Banana boat....not as funny as a banana Hammock....but definitely super fun time!

We snorkled a few times, and the kids absolutely LOVE it!

Jeep Tour!

Breath Taking view of the natural bridge

My family! Love how adventurous they are!

My man!

this cave was soo cool! (and I am grateful we did not see any bats while in there!)

Ha! Poor guy didn't have kid's sizes at this place.

Love this pic!

Dinner in town! (collin bought a drum with his money and I don't think he has stopped drumming since!)

Really....he hasn't stopped drumming! ha!

Going out deep sea fishing!

We were all super excited......till we got about 5 miles out and the waves grew. Let's just say it was a mess and this family will not ever go deep sea fishing again! ugh!

Not a care in the world on vacation!

Amazing sunset dinner ON the beach! A girl could get used to this!!!!!

My little family....happy as can be!

My love! We haven't stopped talking about when we can go back!

This is the sign of a great vacation!!!!!!

I am super sad that school starts in less than two weeks and I won't be able to spend all day with my little buds. We are going to be super busy finishing up our NO BUMMER SUMMER list!!!!!!

xoxo

Seven Years.....REALLY?!

2011-07-19T06:48:00.000-07:00

It absolutely blows my mind how fast time flies by with kids! I am slightly in shock that my baby girl is turning 7 this coming weekend! I have NO idea how this happened.....how she is almost 7....and how I am the mother of a 7 year old! How!?!

I love love looking back at pictures of the past seven years.....and especially around my kid's birthdays! I love to see how we prepared for their arrival, how we were so excited and didn't even know them yet! I love seeing their baby faces as they change and grow, and how happy they make us! Pictures are my all time favorite thing!

These pictures make me smile! I was JUST married........a new homeowner.......and far far away from family when I was pregnant with my little Kacey and these pictures just make me smile!

I was 15 weeks pregnant in this picture....and I already knew I was having a little girl! It is soo funny because I totally thought I was "showing" at this time. ha!

29 weeks. I LOVED being pregnant and my big belly! Kacey was SOOOOOO active in my stomach and Chad and I would sit for hours just watching her move and talking to her!

Chad and my dad worked so hard on Kacey's room and I would just stand there and watch!

It was actually kind of funny watching them!

My little nursery! I used to spend hours laying in here just looking around! I loved it!

This was Kacey's room until she was almost 3!

Her bathroom! I was a little nervous about painting it bright orange, but I just sort of went with it. I actually still love that bathroom.....wallpaper boarder and all! :)

This is the best! I was SOOOOO ready for Kacey's arrival here.....and I still went 3 weeks! I actually feel sorry for myself looking at this!

Looking back at all of this makes me miss my baby girl as a baby......but I absolutely LOVE the stage that she is in!

xoxo

MADE MY DAY!!!!!!!

2011-07-08T17:30:00.000-07:00

CHECK OUT YOUNGHOUSELOVE AND SEE WHY THEY TOTALLY MADE MY DAY!!!!!

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THEIR BLOG AND ALL OF THEIR PROJECTS, BUT SEEING MY CASES ON IT TODAY JUST BRIGHTENED MY DAY!
XOXO

Birthday Cake Time Again.....

2011-07-08T13:47:00.000-07:00

I am always in shock when my "baby girl" has a birthday coming up and this year is no different! We are getting ready to celebrate her 7th birthday in a few weeks, and she is beyond excited! She has picked to have her birthday party at a little girl's salon and I am sure it will be a super great time for her and her friends!

Kacey LOVES to pick out what her cake is going to look like....and then I do my best to try to make what she has requested!

I keep it a big surprise and don't show her the cake until right before her party! It has been a fun tradition!

I am NOT a baker.....but I still have fun with it!

Kacey with her cake last year! Blows my mind how big she is getting!

6th birthday cake at her Garden Tea Party

5th Birthday "Ariel Wedding Cake" at her pool party

4th Birthday I did my best to make Cinderella's Carriage.

3rd Birthday Cinderella cake.

I have a few ideas for her salon party......but she has requested....."a wedding cake, with nail polish and glitter". Good thing I have a few weeks to figure this out!

All American Weekend

2011-07-05T08:30:00.000-07:00

We have been beyond busy this summer.....and this past weekend was no different.

After being gone for basically 3 full weeks....we enjoyed a fun family filled weekend around town. We all had a blast, and the kids are excited to be spending today doing absolutely nothing while I am spending the day screen printing and getting my shop back open in full swing!

there is just something about cotton candy that a little guy can't resist at the baseball field!

The 4th started out with breakfast of champions! ha!

I have made this cake every year since I was pregnant with Kacey....and this year the kids got to make and decorate it all by themselves. they were so proud!

mmmmm!!!!!!!!!

We spend the entire day at my parents pool and it was great!

Thank goodness they love to play together! They are two little fish and could spend every day at the pool if we let them!

They have mastered the flip!

Nothing like watching fireworks with the family and great friends!!!!!!
Hope you all had a fun filled weekend as well!
xoxo

No Bummer Summer

2011-06-14T09:37:00.000-07:00

For the past three summers we have made a "List of Things to do" and have included all of the fun activities that each one of us want to do before school starts back up.
It is one of my favorite things to sit down and brainstorm about....and this year was no different. We have a BUNCH of adventures ahead of us this summer and I can't wait!!!!!

We started our summer on a family vacation to South Carolina. It was a TOTAL BLAST! Chad and I had our first apartment together there..so it was fun to check out our old stomping grounds with the kids!
Here is our week in pics....

The weather was AMAZING!!!!!!!

Chad and I hosted a Mexican Fiesta dinner with fajitas...rice and beans...beergaritas...and lots of laughs.

We listed a water park visit on our "no bummer summer list"...and it was SOO MUCH FUN! Both of the kids went down every slide and had a blast!

Date night with the family!

The best crab cakes I have EVER had at dinner out with the family! MMMMM...I would take the 9 hour drive again just to have another taste!

Collin stepped in a little at a time and "accidentally" got all wet on our night beach walk. ha!

We had our own pool in the back of our beach house. It was amazing!

My little fearless fish!

I am so grateful I have two water babies!

Hanging out with my sister in law! so fun!

We both have the same "go to" silly face move. ha!

Love her!!!!!

My boys! Collin was beyond thrilled to have his daddy home from work for the week!

Coolest building ever! It was like an arcade, fun house, science museum....all in one!

Ballers! ha!

Collin added "find somewhere to go snowboarding" on our summer to do list....we all laughed until he found a snowboard video game. he was beyond excited and gave us his best "TOLD YOU I WOULD GO SNOWBOARDING IN THE SUMMER" look.

I have no idea how these things work!

We had the best week and it was a great way to kick off our summer of fun!

xoxo

Can't believe it has been 10 years

2011-05-15T18:30:00.000-07:00

I graduated from Radford University (in VA) 10 years ago this month! I am still in shock that it has really been that long!!!!!!!!!

I decided to put together a little list of the things that have stayed the same since the good old college days....just to make me feel like life hasn't changed too much! (yeah right!)

1-I still get to share my life with Chad! This has to be my favorite thing that has remained the same!

2-I still own the same snowboard jacket, gloves, and pants because living in florida....I just can't seem to part with it and buy a new one. sad sad sad.

3-It still makes me laugh that SOO many women think that a themed party is just an excuse to dress like they are still in college...aka...skimp on wearing clothes... (those outfits should be retired AS SOON AS YOU GRADUATE..NO MATTER HOW AMAZING YOU FEEL YOU LOOK...it looks silly)

4-I still want to order pizza after a few drinks....although now I am drinking wine instead of crap beer....and "late night pizza order" is now at 9:00

5-I catch myself watching TLC at lunch. I think that my tv in college only got TLC (hours upon hours of watching The Wedding Story and The Baby Story) and MTV to watch the Real World. ha!

6-I still turn to the gym or go for a run when I need time alone.

7-I keep in touch and remain great friends with so many of my college buds.....I love this!

8-A dream Saturday morning is still just staying in bed all day long....and waking up refreshed just in time for happy hour. (this no longer happens....but still sounds amazing)

9-Weekend road trips still make me beyond happy! (although now I pack juice boxes and share the car with my family.....instead of loading up the car with friends and crap food)

10-I still wait till Saturday to do laundry...even though I no longer have to wait in the hall laundry room for my loads to be finished to ensure that nobody takes my clothes.

It is kind of funny how I still can't believe that it has been 10 years ago that I graduated! Looking back I wouldn't change anything at all!

Too funny, I found this picture of my freshman side of my dorm room! hahaha! I loved that tapestry! I remember being so excited when Chad gave me the abercrombie poster (he worked there and they were getting rid of it), I thought it was so cool!
I am so glad I took this picture so that I can show my kids! There are no words that could describe this mess without this picture!

xoxo

Mother's Day Weekend

2011-05-10T12:13:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have been super rough with my asthma and allergies in full swing...BUT after massive amounts of meds...I was all better and ready for an amazing Mother's Day weekend that my family had planned for me.

I am grateful every single day for being a mother to my two favorite people in the world....and even more thankful that I get to share them with my best friend. I honestly couldn't be more proud of the kids that I get to raise and spend each day with!

Mother's day weekend is always one of my favorites and this year was no different. Breakfast in bed....homemade cards and gifts......lots of love....long family bike ride......evening at my parents house by the pool...nap by the pool next to my mom.....LOVED IT ALL!!!!!

My favorite part has to be listening to Chad and the kids in the kitchen as they make breakfast and talk about how "surprised" I will be when they show me. It is the sweetest sound!!!!!

On mother's day I was also surprised with a NEW BIKE! I have wanted this bike for a while...and was super excited!

The kids have been riding bikes without training wheels for a while now.....and have been begging me to take them for rides after school, so we were all excited!

The hubby was a BMX bike racer when we were growing up....so I think he might be the happiest with all of the bike rides that we have in our future!

We went on a four mile bike ride......without any complaining! I just need to put the big basket on the front so that we can carry more snacks and drinks for our rides!

I feel like one lucky lady!

Hope everyone else spent mother's day with the moms in their lives!

xoxo

Easter Weekend....and Strawberry Sangria Recipe

2011-04-27T07:21:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter Weekend!
We had a fun filled weekend full of Soccer, Egg Hunts, Egg dying, Chocolate, and the Beach. It was exactly how I had hoped it would all turn out! Gotta love it when that happens!

We had a fun time coloring eggs!

I did not have vinegar....so we had to wait a while for them to get bright. And waiting isn't as much fun without silly faces.

Note to Self: Do not punch out holes until after reading directions!

Hmm....can you tell which ones Collin did?! This little guy is all things sports!

The Easter Bunny Came!!!!!!!!!!

The kids were super excited about the tennis gear!

Why oh why do I always get chocolate for them!

My Easter Basket.....Strawberry Sangria! MMMMM!

We packed coolers after our Egg hunt....and went to the beach with some great friends!

Such a wonderful way to spend Easter in Florida!

Love this little girl! She is a TOTAL water girl!

Both kids were swimming before they were 3, and I don't think they have stopped since!

Collin was super excited that there were actually waves this time!

We had a great time!

And I probably should mention that I am waiting for my lucky day......I was pooped on.....on the forehead.....while drinking sangria and talking to my friend, Ashley. Yup.....no biggie! I hear it is good luck! :)

BEST STRAWBERRY SANGRIA RECIPE.....

1/2 CUP SUGAR

8 MINT LEAVES

2 (750-MILL) BOTTLES OF DRY WHITE WINE

4 CUPS SLICED STRAWBERRIES

1/4 CUP OF BRANDY

STIR....AND REFRIGERATE FOR AT LEAST TWO HOURS.

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!

xoxo

Loving the Earth

2011-04-22T10:12:00.001-07:00

Happy Earth Day!!!!!!!!
Every year I try to do something in the yard for Earth day.....and this year is no different!

We love hanging out in the backyard.....and have been doing really well keeping good care of all of our plants and trees this year! Wahooo!!!!!

We planted three little palms! The kids loved it.....they will grow and block the view of our neighbor's back door......and it was a great way to spend the day with the family.

Kacey and Collin worked really hard and were so proud of themselves! They love this stuff!

Our new hanging plant! My mom snips the "babies" and loves them until they are big and beautiful like this. It is my first time being trusted with one. :)

Gotta love a little pop of color!

The kids painted little bird houses and it has been really fun watching the birds come in for a snack.

I wonder how long it will be until Kali catches one of these birds.....for her little snack.

Kali the wonder dog just turned 2 this past week! I can't believe she is two!!!!!!!!!!!! And I am wondering when on earth she will lose some of this puppy energy!

Hope you all have a wonderful Earth Day and plant something in your yard to give back!

xoxo

Easter Basket Treats

2011-04-18T10:23:00.000-07:00

We had another amazing weekend here!
Soccer, birthday party, shopping, yard work, and it ended with a great evening at my parents house by their pool.
I love the weekends, and especially when they involve cupcakes!!!!!!

My mom had a cute project for the kids to do at her house, and I think I might have been just as excited as the kids.

Easter Basket Cupcakes
*Coconut
*Green Food Coloring
*cupcakes frosted with white icing
*Marshmallow Bunnies
*jelly Beans

She put the coconut in a plastic bag and then added a few drops of green food coloring and shook it around until all of the "grass" was green.

Then the kids went to town. They each added mainly marshmallow bunnies....but they loved it!

too cute!

My mom tutors 12 kids a week in math, so we made some extras for her students.

I love how they turned out, and they tasted sooo good!

Hope you get to try this with your little ones!

xoxo

Painted Flower Pot Tutorial

2011-04-12T09:17:00.000-07:00

I do not have a green thumb....but I love having plants around my home and backyard.
Last year around this time we made painted flower pots for our yard and Kacey's teachers here and the striped pot is still one of my favorites!

This year I took it a little step further.

You will need:
-Plastic Flower pots (I got these super cute colors at Walmart for $1 for the smaller and $2 for the larger pots. They had several other/larger sizes to choose from as well)
-Chalkboard spray paint
-painters tape and newspaper to frame out your chalkboard area
-craft paint

I marked off where I wanted the chalkboard portion to be and then I sprayed them.

My original plan was to leave them just with chalkboard squares...but I didn't set the tape perfectly so I used my craft paint and took it a step further.

I love how they turned out!!!!!!!!!!
Ideas to use the flower pots for...
-easter basket
-flower pot
-birthday gift pail with gloves, shovel, seeds, and dirt
-teacher's appreciation gift
-welcome to the neighborhood gift
-ANYTHING YOU WANT!!!!!!

I put together a little Easter kit for my niece. I added a bird feeder for her to paint, seed packet, candy, and some other flowering goodies.

This is for me.....with a special message to my new plant.

enjoy!!!!

xoxo

Beachy Living Partial Reveal

2011-04-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

This wall didn't change much in our spring makeover.....but it is one of my fave parts.
I purchased these vintage maps of the 3 states that Chad and I have lived in together over a year ago....and have been waiting to figure out what to do with them.

I just really love the blues in the maps...and that we can point out where we have lived on each of them. It just makes me happy!

I will be putting up a tutorial on how I framed each of them for under $6 each!

I also added a new pillow case to my shop today! I just love the color combo...and I am also a sucker for a pom pom trim!

Hope you all are enjoying this BEAUTIFUL spring weather!!!!!!!!
xoxo

The Number 5

2011-04-05T16:22:00.000-07:00

The number 5 has always been my favorite number!
It was my soccer number, and I have always claimed that it was "MY" number.

I was super excited when my mom found this Funf wine several months ago!

*It has the number 5 on it.
*Funf means 5 in German.....and I lived in Germany for 4 years as a child.
*It is white and looks great in my wine box that my amazing friends got me from Pottery barn for my bday.
*It tastes super good.
AND........
*It is under $7!!!!!!!!!

Just thought I would share my new favorite reason for loving the number 5!

xoxo

Orange Groves

2011-04-04T09:45:00.001-07:00

This weekend we had a beautiful weather!!!!!! After the tornado warnings....flooding....and winds earlier in the week...this was a great way to end the week!

We went with 6 families in hopes of going Strawberry picking! I was super excited about trying out a strawberry pie and making strawberry shortcakes.

BUT.....due to all the rain earlier in the week.....IT FLOODED AND NO MORE STRAWBERRIES.

No big deal....we quickly switched over to all things orange and went orange picking!

Such a fun way for the kids to get out and get excited about eating healthy!

Love this little guy! The oranges were actually really hard to pull off....so they had to work for it!

Spending time outside with these three is the best. Adding a whole load of friends is even better!!!

My workout girl.

Yup....of course you need to taste test them! ***Note to self....bring wet wipes next time. This step is VERY sticky!***

This pull ended in Collin on the ground...holding the orange. ha!

That is a whole lot of kids! They really loved it!
The parents did too!!!!!!!

After we were done picking oranges we headed out to our FAVE Pizza place. I should mention that it is our fave because they let you bring your own wine and beer....and even provide the glasses!!!!!!!

Great day with great food....great wine....great friends.....and great memories!!!!!!!
xoxo

Ruffle Shade

2011-03-30T08:05:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I did a total transformation on my living/dining room, and I am in love with how it turned out! (pictures to come.....still have one big project to complete)

I have never been in love with our light over the dining room table....and I have big plans to replace it in time. Until then, I wanted to add some softness to it with shades. I fell in love with a few at Ballard Designs....but couldn't bring myself to spend $20 per shade!!!!!!

I stopped off at the Goodwill...and found 5 shades for $5 total......despite the AWFUL 80's print...I had a vision!

See....AWFUL!!!!!!
I spray painted them with primer, and then just a flat white. It covered REALLY well, which kind of surprised me.

I made ruffles......and took out my trusty glue gun to add them to the shades. this was a SUPER easy project!

They just make me smile! I don't even feel the need to rush out and buy a new fixture anymore!

I do believe that for about $10 for all five shades.....this project was a total success!!!!!

I have a few more projects that I will be sharing this week....so be on the lookout!

xoxo

Rain Rain Go Away...

2011-03-29T11:41:00.000-07:00

I know that I shouldn't complain about the rain we have had this week......because my family in Virginia has been dealing with snow. BUT........I am SOOOO ready to get our porch and yard in order that I just can't wait!

We are getting some new trees and bushes for our backyard...and this is VERY exciting for me!

We live in a cookie cutter neighborhood and the thought of feeling like my backyard is OUR little oasis makes me very excited!!!!!!!

This is our back porch currently. I love it.....but Love how the picture below feels a little better! (might be their view of the water......and not of the neighbors backyard. :)
I might be making my spring/summer porch project a little bigger than I had originally planned.

We had thought about screening the porch in.....but the idea of one more thing for the dog to destroy just annoys me! The little railing does look so nice though........

Hope you are staying out of the rain and enjoying all that Spring has to offer!

xoxo

GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!

2011-03-25T07:09:00.000-07:00

I have been beyond busy with company, kids, orders, allergies......and am using this weekend to catch up!

For now.....there is a giveaway today at Decorating is Bliss........so run on over and check it out!!!!!!!

Have a great day!!!!!!
xoxo

Beach Lovin

2011-03-14T14:19:00.001-07:00

It is no secret that I LOVE the beach! We used to live just a few miles away from the beach on the east coast of Florida....and I MISS that daily!

I know I shouldn't complain that it takes about 45 min from our home now....but it seems like a big difference to us!

This weekend we went to the beach for our first visit of 2011....AND IT WAS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!

love how everyone in our family is either a K or a C!

After a day at the pool and beach (ocean water is COLD now...so the heated pool was our first choice!) we changed and went back down to the ocean. just can't get enough!

LOVE how Kacey turned the camera when she took this picture. She has a good eye!

So happy that we both have the same love for the beach!

My toothless little girl! haha!

Beach soccer is too fun!

What can I say.....we love big shades!

Collin just looks like he belongs living ON the beach! I don't think there is every a day that goes by without someone saying, "wow...he looks just like a little surfer". And I can totally see him living in California being a surfer some day! (although....we will have to follow him, I can NOT imagine being that far from him!!)

Beautiful sunset to end the first day at the beach in 2011.
Hope your weekend was full of fun family time too!

xoxo

"Beachy" or "Frenchy"???

2011-03-11T08:51:00.000-08:00

I can't decide if the new cases that I added in my shop are "Beachy" or "Frenchy".....but I am certain that I LOVE them!

I actually have a few beautiful vintage grainsacks.....yet I am just scared to cut them up and make pillow cases out of them. I followed their same pattern and made some with tea stained fabric and turquoise stripes.

The fabric is a little textured...and it really gives it a cool look.

Head on over to my etsy shop to check them out!

What do you say?!

Beachy?
Frenchy?

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

We will be spending most of ours at the beach!!!!!

xoxo

TV Console Reveal!!!!!!

2011-03-10T05:56:00.001-08:00

I couldn't be more excited with our new TV situation!!!!!!!!!!!!

I purchased this dresser/console table on craigslist a few weeks ago....for $55....and I seriously feel like I hit the jackpot!!!!!!!

This is the before.....
SOOOO much potential!
I love how the dvd player, and all of the components fit perfectly in the middle section and all of the extra goodies go on the sides....YET IT LOOKS MORE LIKE A DRESSER WITH DRAWERS!!

There was a bit of water damage on the top, and there was a greasy stain all over it! I am pretty sure that the seller tried to make it look nicer and loaded it up with pledge prior to selling.

After stripping stain, two coats of primer, and two coats of paint......I am one seriously happy girl!

I think Chad is just as excited, if not more, than me!

I kept the original hardware because I really did love it.

Our last project is to get a cover to hide the cords...and then paint it the wall color.

I am thrilled that my home is really coming together!
I will be posting a tutorial on how I stripped the stain and layers of pledge tomorrow!

xoxo

Reveal...tomorrow

2011-03-09T13:06:00.000-08:00

This beautiful baby is officially painted.....tv is mounted over it......and we are all thrilled with it.

Problem is.....my pics are taking FOREVER to download....so the big reveal will be tomorrow! wahoooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

xoxo

Watch Out

2011-03-08T11:01:00.000-08:00

I totally forgot to post that as of January.....OUR KIDS ARE OFFICIALLY TWO WHEEL BIKE RIDING PROS!
They amaze me daily....and learned how to ride in less than 30 min!

This fact makes Chad VERY happy, because he used to race BMX bikes....and wants nothing more than to have bike loving kids!

Collin is seriously good! He just has such determination in everything that he does! (tried out a new function with my camera...and I do believe I screwed up EVERY single picture of their first try on two wheels! GRRR!)

Kacey is a little more cautious....but did great! (Not so great at putting together this outfit..ha!)

This picture just makes me smile! I must have taken hundreds of pictures of us on top of the RV at the Daytona 500...........but catching this moment makes me smile. haha!

xoxo

Inspiration

2011-03-01T07:13:00.000-08:00

I have been a busy busy girl lately!

My house is FINALLY coming together!

I found a few amazing pics the other day and have really hit the ground running after seeing them! (please excuse...I have no idea where they came from originally....I found them on google)

Turquoise, white and red are my favorite color combo! Thought it might be a little bold to add to a room.....BUT I AM GOING FOR IT!

I painted a few of my dining room chairs a similar blue a few years ago....AND I LOVE THEM!

I have been adding a few additional red items in my living room, and they really pop!

This kitchen just makes me smile! I think just a few pops of color make it feel a little more approachable than my original ALL white!

This last pic is amazing to me! I made myself a few coral cases from my shop and they fit really well!
I am hoping to post pics of our "new and improved" living room this weekend........and will be posting pics this week of our mounted tv over my amazing craigslist find!

xoxo

thank you...thank you!

2011-02-28T07:33:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much for the help with my redecorating process! I received great emails and comments on ideas for our living/dining room!

I found some great pictures that I LOVE and have been spray painting away ALL weekend! I love seeing a plan come together!!!!!!!!

Pictures of my room to come! (we also are having our tv mounted over the dresser that I purchased off of craigslist and refinished! busy busy!)

love the white with pops of color! Looks so relaxing and inviting!

Excuse the Christmas tree....but I love the pops of red and blue! Great way to tie in my fave color with my red farm table!

xoxo

I've been Rearranging....

2011-02-25T11:02:00.001-08:00

Kacey is at school today...and my mom took Collin on a date to see a movie.....which means that I have had some time to screen print and rearrange.

I love how things are coming along in my home.....
except that I feel that I have an awful lot of "goldish", and I am not a "goldish" person....AT ALL.

Should I get out the spray paint and go to town on all of my frames? Mirrors? Clocks?

I am going for more of a "relaxed/beachy/cozy/family" feel......and this just isn't screaming any of that!

HELP!!!!!!!!

This is our dining room. I have grown to love the red legs on the farm table. Once I FINALLY decide on the color of wood floors...I think it will really look great!

I purchased this hutch off of craigslist...and I really love it. I origionally bought it to paint....but then I got a little nervous about changing it.

This is a new addition! I am still deciding on knobs......and will do a post about how this baby has transformed over the past 6 months.

A whole different problem is.........what to hang over my bed!!!!!!!! I wanted to do three matching frames.......but didn't want to take away from the arch in the headboard. Please excuse the bright blue paint tape that I hung them up with while I took the picture.

Do they work?!

xoxo

Weekend In Pics...

2011-02-21T19:42:00.001-08:00

I love the weekends!
I love spending it with my family......outside......in this beautiful weather we have been having!
This weekend was busy....but totally amazing!

Golfing with the kids, Chad, and my dad! My kids just love being outside and learning new sports!

Kacey is too cute! She did a great job, but I honestly think she liked raking the sand the best! ha!

I am one of "those moms" that let their kids pick out their outfits! I think they love it....and I love looking at how proud they are! I mean....of course orange crocs are perfect for golf!

Kacey and Grampy! (my dad!) I just love this picture!

We headed out to Daytona to watch the 500! We have been for 3 years now....staying on the infield!
I am not a Nascar girl....but I do love a great family weekend!

Chad's family rents an RV every year on turn two.....and it is honestly the BEST seat in the whole place! We sit ON TOP of the RV and watch the race!

My kids enjoying the race! Yes, we are THAT close! It is SOOOO loud, but really fun!

My Crew

Collin was TOTALLY into it! He wouldn't take his eyes off of the cars! He absolutely LOVED it!

I hope that your weekend was amazing too!
xoxo!

Bathroom Art

2011-02-16T10:19:00.000-08:00

I love my kid's bathroom! It is a bright turquoise with white accents, and I think it feels so fresh and beachy.

I purchased 6 mini paintings from Lollipopart on etsy and had a vision of hanging them all in matching white frames.

I have been on the search for a while...and didn't have any luck at all!

I went into Michaels the other day and realized that the $1 frames fit!!!!!!!!

With a few coats of white spray paint.....laminating each photo (the frames do not come with glass, and being a bathroom I wanted to protect them from water).....and hanging them on the wall.....I AM BEYOND THRILLED!

I am now on the search for a wooden basket that I can paint and stick on the top of the toilet.

I love the lollipopart...but you could easily do this with your kid's drawings, clipart, or pictures from their favorite books!

For under $10 you can fix up the space and it isn't a big deal to switch out the images as they grow older and want to change things up a bit.

have a great day!!!!!!
xoxo

Love Day

2011-02-14T11:23:00.001-08:00

This was a SUPER weekend filled with family, friends and tons of fun!

My hubby and I hardly ever go on dates! We just kind of feel like after we put our kids to bed at 7:30, we have a date night EVERY night.....so when the weekend comes and we think about going out for dinner we just would rather bring the kids along with us.

We did go on a date this friday, for sushi, and it was nice.
I just love spending time with Chad, no matter where we go!

Totally forgot to take my driving glasses off. ha!

This guy has been my valentine for 13 years! And that makes me feel old....and super lucky!

Our Valentines breakfast was pink pancakes! They were surprisingly VERY good!

Hope your Valentines day is full of love.....pink and red hearts.....chocolate.....wine.....and spent with your favorites!

xoxo

A touch of Color

2011-02-10T07:01:00.000-08:00

It is a gloomy/rainy day here in Florida and I am dreaming of a touch of color!

I found this picture a while ago and love how they updated the bottom of a plain white curtain with just a bit of color.

I love it!

I think it is a great way to customize my new all white curtains in the living room......now if I could just get caught up on orders....finish painting the new tv console that I got for my family room....mount the tv over the new table.....and remember to put dinner on the table each night.

xoxo

Dreaming of The Beach

2011-02-08T06:56:00.000-08:00

Today I am wishing that I was on the beach....with my family.....new magazines......and a cold drink.

Instead....I am heading out to Kacey's school to volunteer in her classroom (I go every tuesday and thursday while Collin is in preschool). I look forward to it.......yet it doesn't seem as enjoyable today as the beach.

xoxo

I am in love with Craig

2011-02-07T08:58:00.000-08:00

This weekend my hubby went and picked up this piece that I found on Craigslist!

It is EXACTLY what I have been looking for to mount our TV over in the living room!

I just left home depot where I stocked up on primer, cleaner, brushes and paint swatches!

My goal is to be staring at this baby painted either white or light light turquoise by this saturday!

FINGERS CROSSED!!!!!!

xoxo

My Cheers

2011-02-04T10:06:00.000-08:00

Chad and I have always wanted to have a place to go where they know our name when we walk in....know what we like to order.....they write little notes and give us free goodies when we pick up our orders to go....they always ask how are kids are doing when we go on date nights.....and I have never had a bad meal there. WE FINALLY HAVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We just had NO idea that it would be at a Sushi restaurant!

If you live in Tampa area.....look up Bonsai Sushi...and thank me later!

We eat there once a week......order dinner from there AT LEAST once a week.....and it is the one place that I always request!

This is my fave roll!!!!!!!!
If you are what you eat......I am this!
We laugh because I order the "rising sun" and my hubby orders "the sexy man" roll.
I still giggle when I order and they say, "okay, you want one sexy man?!" haha

My kids even love it there!
(yes, they bring their own chopsticks! too cute!)

We finally found our very own "Cheers"!

xoxo

Stylish Blogger

2011-02-02T10:36:00.000-08:00

I have the most talented friends! My fab friend, Ashley from Lemon and Lavender sent over a Stylish Blogger award to me, and I think it is super fun! I LOVE Ashley's style and all of the amazing work that she does! She is a girl that appreciates good wine, espresso, style, her family, and her friends.....how could you go wrong with a friend like that?!

These stir sticks are too cute! I mean.....you have to continue to Sip...and Repeat if your stir stick is telling you to!

Here are 7 Random facts about me....
1-I don't LOVE food.....but I could seriously eat Sushi EVERY single night of the week!
2-I am a total homebody, and have always been that way!
3-I have lived in my home for almost 4 years and I do not feel as though any room is "finished"
4-I could go to TJ Maxx on a daily basis and never get sick of looking around
5-I actually enjoy running, alone.
6-I am pretty sure I have an obsession with my NookColor.....and I am okay with it
7-I dream of living in a house ON the beach.....in a small town......and owning a turquoise bike with a basket (what.....a girl can dream!)

enjoy!
xoxo

Burlap Love

2011-02-01T07:13:00.000-08:00

Some New Burlap goodies in my shop!

Check them out and enjoy!

I am adding a few of these to my back porch!
xoxo

Where did January Go?!

2011-01-28T13:47:00.000-08:00

I have no idea where January has gone!

We have been non-stop busy with birthdays, soccer, my shop , girl's night out, school, and on and on.

I love being busy......but wish that I could add a few more hours to each day!

Here's our last few weeks in photos...

My mom celebrated her birthday! Wine and Angel food cake with Strawberries= AMAZING!

I will leave out the part that this night ended with ALL of us doing cartwheels IN my living room! I will also never leak the video I took. haha!

We took Kacey out to dinner to celebrate a WONDERFUL report card! It honestly shocks me at how well she is reading, doing math, and such a great student! YEAH KACEY!

HAHA!

Chad had his birthday!!!!! His big day happened to fall on Soccer Practice night (he is coaching Kacey's team....and I am coaching Collin's soccer team) so we had cupcakes with the team.....followed by ice cream cake the kids decorated at home. mmmm....sugar!

Kacey was invited to a tea party birthday party! I was excited too!

When we arrived......I realized it was a Kid's only party!!!!! This was our first! :)
I had no idea what to do with myself for two hours so instead of having some "alone time", I met up with Collin and Chad at the sports store.

I have about 10 pictures of me TRYING to get a picture with our dog Kali!
This dog probably has the equivalent of a Masters Degree in Dog training......yet she doesn't listen much! Grrrr!

Yeah! A picture with Kali! Sometimes I wish I didn't love her so much because she is a LOT of work!
Here's to hoping February moves a bit slower than January!
xoxo

Plan B

2011-01-28T05:41:00.001-08:00

I posted earlier that I have had trouble deciding what to do with our windows in the living room! I found this picture below online and LOVED what she had done!

This was our living room without any curtains! (and I should admit that we have lived here for almost 4 years without curtains!)

I like how it looks.......but I know it will be even better once I get panels for the other side of windows! I am also going to add some color to the curtains once I figure out how I am going to set it all up.

I do believe that my plan B might turn out better than what I had originally hoped for! fingers crossed!!!!

xoxo

Paris Love

2011-01-27T10:13:00.000-08:00

Today this is putting a big smile on my face! LOVE Young House Love! Love that they have their cutie little baby girl hanging out under their Paris Pillow Case!

Check them out! They are redoing their second home in Virginia (where I am from) and I LOVE all of their ideas and their amazing ability to "go for it" with any project!

xoxo

The Gift that Keeps Giving...

2011-01-25T06:52:00.000-08:00

I have a problem.....I have a hard time checking out at the grocery store without buying at least one magazine! It doesn't matter if I go to an isle without any magazines....I still wonder over and pick one up "just to take a peek".

I have no problem dishing out $5 to $10 on a few magazines......reading them while I wait in the pick up line to get Kacey from school.....and then they sit on my coffee table.

BUT ALL OF THAT HAS CHANGED IN 2011!!!!!!!!!!

I now have the Nook Color......and not only do I get to run my shop while on the go.....but I also have super cheap subscriptions to my favorite magazines! AND THEY JUST AUTOMATICALLY GET DOWNLOADED INTO MY NOOK!!!!!!!!!!

I now love Mondays because Us Weekly is just magically there when I wake up!

Thank you NookColor for saving my coffee table from collecting new magazines weekly.......and for making Mondays a little easier to deal with!

xoxo

Smores Perfection!!!!!!

2011-01-17T16:15:00.000-08:00

I have a serious LOVE for Smores! I make them OFTEN in my microwave.....own a fire pit JUST so that we can make them........and I will buy any cereal, granola bar, snack of any type that says it is smores flavor. I LOVE THEM!

This new years we celebrated with a group of great friends......AND SMORES!

BUT NOT JUST ANY SMORES..........

REECES PEANUT BUTTER SMORES!

MY FAVORITE CANDY....COMBINED WITH MY ALL TIME FAVORITE DESSERT= PERFECTION!!!!!!!!!!!!

STEP ONE: Have hubby find a stick that holds FOUR marshmallows to speed up the process

STEP TWO: Smash a perfectly toasted marshmallow, a Reeces, and graham crackers! I AM HUNGRY RIGHT NOW FOR ONE!!!!!!!!!!

ENJOY WITH YOUR FAVORITE PEOPLE!!!!!

You can thank me later for improving on the best snack food EVER! :)
XOXO,

PICTURE FRAME HELP NEEDED!!!!

2011-01-14T08:23:00.001-08:00

My master bedroom is about 70% complete right now! I am LOVING it!

It is amazing how great starting out your day in an amazing room feels!

BUT....I have a dilemma....I have NO idea what to hang over our bed! I wanted large white frames.....but this rounded headboard throws me for a loop! I swore that I would never own another headboard that wasn't flat on the top.....and here I am again!

Two square frames?
Three Square Frames?
Two large frames
Four medium frames in a square?
HELP!!!!!!!!!

Every picture that I LOVE.......has nothing hanging over the bed. I guess I just don't LOVE it in my own room! We have very high ceilings and it just feels like it is missing something!

Any suggestions?!

Jersey Cases

2011-01-13T10:38:00.000-08:00

I often feel bad that I make all types of girlie things for Kacey and her room......blankets for her dolls, ruffle pillow cases, skirts, glitter frames...and so on. I wanted to make something fun with Collin for his room......so we went to town on a little project.

We found an old softball shirt of Chad's and a vintage Atlanta Braves shirt that I had ordered online for Chad YEARS ago.

I combined these shirts that were fit for a yard sale....with my love of pillows.....AND WE MADE TWO OF THE COOLEST PILLOWS TO DATE!

Collin couldn't be more excited about them and Chad was super happy to come home from work and see what we had done!

I am thinking these would be the PERFECT accent to any basement, man cave, or bar! I hate throwing away old uniforms...so this is a great fit!

xoxo

Master Project

2011-01-05T18:40:00.000-08:00

I have spent the entire year sick.....but after a trip to the Dr's I am hoping that I am on the mend!

As I mentioned before, we purchased a fabric headboard from Ballard Designs just before Christmas.....AND IT HAS ARRIVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have drawn pictures..........stayed up at night planning it all out............and after this weekend my room will look close to this picture. MY DREAM MASTER BEDROOM!

Too bad I didn't get the room all set BEFORE getting sick! I think being sick in my new room....with my new NookColor.......and my new SUPER SOFT and cozy blanket the kids got me for Christmas....would have been just a little nicer! :)

xoxo

Not a Great Start

2011-01-04T09:55:00.001-08:00

I have seriously high hopes for 2011.......and I have spent almost the entire year sick. BUMMER!

I have convinced myself that it is just giving me the time to rest because 2011 is going to be full of projects, new designs, lots of family and friend time, and great adventures!

So here's to sitting with a few new pay-per-view movies for the kids and drinking hot tea till this nasty cold is gone!

Here's to a happy and healthy 2011!
xoxo

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!

2011-01-02T18:10:00.001-08:00

Hope your New Year is starting out great!

I have to say that 2010 was the best year of my adult life!

I have an amazing husband.....two kids that I couldn't imagine being more wonderful......super family and friends......and I feel like I am in the right place with the right people!

I know that 2011 will be just as amazing.....and I look forward to all that awaits!

xoxo

I've Been Busy!

2010-12-26T15:32:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!
I have been MIA lately spending some much needed time with family and friends!

Just a few pics of the past week......

We went to Disney to the Mickey's Christmas Party and it was AMAZING! (so bummed that I didn't get many pics, but I am waiting to see what the photo pass has to offer!)

Christmas Eve Gingerbread house decorating...

ha!

We went for a rid in the back of the truck on Christmas Eve with my parents to check out Christmas lights and go caroling

And on our trip we SAW SANTA!!!!!!!!!!! The kids were beyond excited!

Christmas morning pics always crack me up!

This is just wrong!!!!!!!!!!!

This cracks me up! Kacey could spend all day playing with her American Girl Dolls!

Love spending Christmas Night with Grammy and Grampy!

We had the Merriest Christmas!

I spend the majority of the day sitting by the Christmas tree reading my new NookColor! I LOVE it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now if only I could figure out how to get it to clean up all of these new toys my kids got! HMMMM.....
xoxo

Last day to order for Christmas Delivery...

2010-12-13T05:46:00.001-08:00

Today is the last day to order for Christmas Delivery!

xoxo

Christmas Delivery

2010-12-11T06:29:00.000-08:00

We are running out of time......
To ensure Christmas delivery on Pillow Case orders from my Shop.....you must hurry!

Last day to order is Monday, December 13.

This year....give the gift of a stylish/cozy home!

OR

Give your guests a nice cozy and festive bedroom to stay in as they visit you for the holidays!

xoxo

Caring....

2010-12-10T13:37:00.000-08:00

Being a Caring person is an AMAZING quality to have!!!!!!

And we couldn't have been more excited to hear that Kacey was picked to be Student of The Month........for being so Caring and such a Great Friend and Student.

We were invited to a great breakfast at her school this morning to celebrate and watch her get her award!

Such a HUGE Deal!!!

Chad and I couldn't be more proud of the caring kids that we have!
Have a great weekend!
xoxo

Curtain Dilemma.....SOLVED!

2010-12-09T11:35:00.000-08:00

I have lived in my home for almost 4 years.......and these windows drive me nuts!!!!!

I love how they look....and thought they were a great feature....until I realized that I had no idea how to hang curtains over them!

I am finally ready to commit after a LOT of thought!

I found this picture online, and this is exactly how I am going to hang them!!!!!!!! I purchased white rods....white curtains......and I am just waiting for my husband to come home from work and get them up!

I am not sure where I found this picture.......but I am SO grateful for it!
After almost 4 years of being so annoyed with this wall......I will finally have curtains!

xoxo

Oh Christmas Tree

2010-12-08T11:02:00.001-08:00

I purchased this Tree last year and it is super small! It was going to be our 2nd tree and we would get a real one for our living room!
I kind of fell in love with it...and didn't want to add a new one this year!

We don't have a theme.....or a color pattern at all for our tree!

It is an old fashioned.....family.....memory filled tree! just my style!
(no idea why this is underlined....can't switch it)

Love seeing the the pictures of my kids and all of the handmade ornaments on the tree!

Collin was only a few weeks old in his first Christmas pictures......and it makes me miss having babies around just looking at this! (NOT enough for a 3rd child though....just saying I miss it!)

I have every Swarovski Crystal ornament from the past 8 years! One day I am going to put a small tree together with just those beautiful ornaments! They just glow!

It is sooo fun that Chad and I both grew up with Family trees as well! We both were given all of our childhood ornaments when we got married....and they make me sooo happy!
This was my first Christmas ornament!

I think out of all of the ornaments on our tree.......the paper ornament Chad made with his picture is my FAVORITE!!!!!!!! He is SOOO cute......and I actually knew him at this age! So it just brings back so many wonderful memories!

This is the ornament that I bought this year from Pottery Barn! I just love it!

Our angel is from Germany! I lived in Germany for 4 years growing up......and we had a very similar angel on our tree growing up! I was given this BEAUTIFUL wax angel for our wedding and it is SOO special!
Christmas in Germany is the BEST! Absolutely beautiful and I love that I have a piece of it on our tree!

I hope you all are enjoying all of the many memories and traditions that this season brings!!!!

xoxo

Advise Please

2010-12-07T07:07:00.000-08:00

I don't know what it is about the holidays that gets me in the mood to redo every room in my home! This year is no different!

I have refinished this dry sink and have been moving it from room to room for the past month. This weekend I decided to try it out in my kitchen! I THINK I love it!

We are going to repaint our cabinets white....and add hard wood floors.......and I feel that this piece gives me the motivation to get going on the project!

Let me know.....does it go?!
xoxo

Proud Mama!!!!!

2010-12-05T17:06:00.000-08:00

Last week Kacey had her Christmas Musical!!!!!!

I do believe I have waited since she was born for a school event like this! I love this stuff.....it makes the holidays so much brighter!

She was super excited!

We left before Chad got home....and never remembered to get a picture after of the four of us! That always seems to happen!

That would be my sweet little girl in the back giving "I Love You" signs!

She did a great job and I have watched the video several times since the concert!

Kids make the holidays....and every day SO much brighter!
xoxo

Dear Santa..

2010-12-02T07:16:00.001-08:00

Dear Santa...
I would LOVE the New Color Nook from Barnes and Noble!

Please!
Please!
Please!

Thank you!
Katie

December 1st

2010-12-01T09:48:00.000-08:00

I LOVE December for SOOO many reasons! But today I am excited because I have my whole house decorated already.....and for the first time I am not going to be rushing around to get it done!!!!!!!!!!

Check out the Christmas Cases in my shop to get your home in the Spirit of Christmas!

This last picture is of Kacey.......and the outfit she picked out for school today!
When she came out of her room all dressed I was quickly told that "Today is December 1st......I can FINALLY wear all of my Christmas colors to school!" haha!

I am not sure if I know anyone with as much Christmas Cheer as this little girl!

xoxo

The Master

2010-11-29T19:17:00.000-08:00

I have SOO much going on with orders in my shop and all that comes along with getting ready for Christmas....BUT......that doesn't stop me from working on our home.

I just feel so happy decorating and making all of my ideas become a reality. I am a total planner.....and a bit of a dreamer.

But this weekend.....I became a little bit closer to having our dream bedroom! The walls have been painted a similar blue for a few years....and I just purchased from Ballard Designs a new headboard! I can't wait to get all of the finishing touches done!!!!!

I love this bed!!!!!!!!!!

I love that they have a slipcover available for if I change my mind on the color!
I love that it look so clean and classic!
I love that I know I could have made it.......yet I went for the splurge because I have WAY too much on my plate at the moment!

If Only I could speed up the next four weeks until it is delivered. HMMMM.....

xoxo

I'm Back!!!!

2010-11-29T08:11:00.000-08:00

We have had a crazy busy few weeks!!!!!!!!

Flu that was passed around to each one of us......school parties........visiting family in Orlando........family visiting us for Thanksgiving........celebrating Christmas early with family.........setting the house up........and just spending good quality time with my family!

Here is one week in pics....

Visiting Bubba in Orlando for the afternoon.

I was helping out with Kacey's Kindergarten class for their Thanksgiving Feast. Collin was invited too.....and he LOVED being in Kindergarten. It was soooo cute!!!!!!!!!

I made the entire meal by myself and was SOOO happy with how it all turned out! MMMM!

By the looks of this....you would have thought they made the whole meal! ha!

We even made our own Butter!!!!!

I am thankful for this guy!

We celebrated Christmas early with Chad's mom and grandma....and Kacey got another American Girl doll! She was beyond excited!!!!!!!!!!

Our Elf On The Shelf, Brady, is BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My silly little elf's helping us decorated the Christmas Tree!

They had a fun time remembering each ornament! Our tree is filled with ornaments that Chad and I received as kids.....ornaments that each one of us has made over the years (my FAVE is the paper ornament with Chad's 2nd grade picture on it!)......and I love all of the memories that each one holds!

I am pretty sure that Collin hung ALL of the ornaments in one spot! The tree almost fell over! ha!

I LOVE our angel! It is from Germany.....and is just like the one we had when I was little!

Hope your weekend was relaxing.....yet fun filled!

xoxo

Linen Love

2010-11-18T10:47:00.001-08:00

I love linen! I also love bedding! It is sort of an obsession really!

I ran to target to load up on some more gatorade for my sick little guy.......and fell in love with this new duvet cover by Simply Shabby Chic!

You can't go wrong with linen, ruffles, and Shabby Chic!

xoxo

Get out of here flu!!!!!

2010-11-16T18:15:00.000-08:00

My poor little guy has come down with a stomach bug.

I absolutely HATE it when my kids are sick! They are total troopers, braver that I am with a stomach bug BY FAR!

I have been hanging out on the couch for 24 hours with my son, rented 3 pay per view movies (even though we have a ton of movies of our own.....new movies are always best when sick), put down four bottles of gatorade, and snuggling.

Here's to hoping that this flu bug misses the rest of us and gets out of our home FAST!

xoxo

Thankful

2010-11-12T07:38:00.000-08:00

This is the season to really think about all the things you are thankful for!

I am ALWAYS thankful for my family!
I am thankful for the next two days with no real plans..........and spending it with the 3 people that make me feel like the luckiest lady!

Hope your weekend is spent doing whatever it is you enjoy.....with the people that make you the happiest!
xoxo

photo taken by Maria With Snidershots.

HELP!!!!!

2010-11-10T08:13:00.001-08:00

I have been in the process of deciding on what type of wood floors to get for almost a year! That is so sad!
I can't decide!!!!!!!
I have 2 kids....a small dog.....and a large dog......and I absolutely can't stand tile or carpet!

I LOVE the idea of having real wood floor because it is amazingly beautiful and since I have mainly white furniture in my home...I think it will add a nice natural element into my home.

BUT......like I said....I have two dogs and I know that I might just freak out if it gets ruined (my large dog, Kali, has made herself known by eating the bottom lining of TWO cages and eating the carpet under her cage.....IN TWO ROOMS!)

I can't decide what style and color that I want!

Here is what is bugging me...
-my home is pretty dark for the most part and I am worried that the dark floors will make it feel so much darker.
-I WANT real wood floors.....but I just am not sure that they are a great idea with kids, dogs, and in my kitchen.
-I am not really a fan of light wood floors....but they might brighten up my house.

See....these are the things that keep me up at night. (sad, I know)

I LOVE this color! This is my top choice....but nervous it is too dark.

Love how this looks so natural and this makes me think that it will be okay if my dogs have paw marks on the floors.

LOVE the large planks here! But I don't want my house to feel too rustic.

These might be a little too thin......but I feel like it would lighten up my house a bit.

These floors are TOO light for my taste.....but this is my favorite picture of all....and so I am somehow drawn to it.

HELP!!!!!!

ANY IDEAS?!

XOXO

20 Things That Make Me Happy...

2010-11-09T17:31:00.000-08:00

1. Spending as much time as possible with my kids and husband!
2. Watching my kids play with each other and knowing they get along so well
3. Having my sister and her family visit.
4. Spending all day at my parents house by their pool.
5. Going to Disney with my family and letting the kids plan whatever we do.
6. Wine
7. When Chad picks up Sushi and brings it home to eat while we watch a movie. (this happens several times a week)
8. Getting voice messages from my kids if I am not home when they are going to bed.
9. Pumpkin Swirl Bread that my mom makes! I have yet to attempt it because she spoils me every fall and makes it for us!
10. Going shopping all alone! I just take my time, and purchase what I really want strictly because I like it!
11. Watching old movies that my sister and I loved as kids.....with my kids!
12. White Sheets.....I will never own sheets that aren't white! They just feel so clean and cozy to me!
13. Same for White Towels. LOVE THEM!!!!!
14. Bleach (because I love everything white)
15. When Chad falls asleep on the couch and I can catch up on my shows that I have recorded.
16. Picking my kids up from school and they are just as excited to see me...as I am to see them.
17. I have loved the color turquoise before it was even fashionable.
18. Having sushi and wine nights with my girlfriends
19. When the power goes out and we sit around and play board games with candle lights.
20. This chilly weather we are having in Florida! LOVE it!!!!!

Start a New Tradition

2010-11-08T07:35:00.001-08:00

I have MANY traditions that I hold onto and make sure that I get my kids excited about them as well.......but the Tradition of Advent is BY FAR my favorite!!!!!!!!!

I can't remember when we started this in our family...but I know it will stick around forever!

I have just added to my etsy shop a new Advent Calendar and I am VERY excited about it! I wish it was December already!

An Advent calendar is a special calendar which is used to count or celebrate the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas. It is a great way to give the kids little Christmas goodies that they can actually ENJOY during the month of December! I always hated it when they would get a cute Christmas shirt, hat, hair bow, or anything Christmas related ON Christmas and it would have to wait an entire year in the attic for them to enjoy it!

We use the advent Calendar to give the kids little goodies, crafts, candy, or decorations that get them excited about Christmas!

Start a new tradition in your family!

The pockets are deep enough for holding the gifts!

You could also use a little Christmas Elf or Santa and just have the kids move it each day while counting down the days until Santa comes!!!!!

HOPE YOU ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!

xoxo

My little man is Growing Up!

2010-11-08T04:54:00.000-08:00

This weekend we celebrated my little Collin's 4th Birthday! I am in shock that he is 4!!!!!!!!!! I absolutely LOVE everything about him! He is the sweetest, kindest, sports loving, gentle boy!
I spend every day with him....and couldn't imagine spending my days any other way!

This picture is how I remember him as a baby....happy and chunky! Such a sweet baby!

Ha! I LOVE this picture of him on his 1st birthday!

Turning 2 Rocked! ha! He has always been such a relaxed little boy!

I remember being in shock that he was 3......I imagine that I will feel the same way EVERY year!

This past year has been amazing! Collin scored 10 goals in only 5 soccer games.......LOVES going to the driving range to hit golf balls with his dad.......caught his first fish..........goes to preschool for a few hours a week.........writes his name...............and has just made me fall more and more in love with him each day!

One of his birthday requests was to fly a kite! THEY LOVED IT!

His face melts my heart!

My little man is growing up.....and I couldn't be more proud of him!

Halloween Pics....late

2010-11-07T18:00:00.001-08:00

We had a WONDERFUL Halloween!!!!!! The day before we celebrated Collin's 4th birthday with a Halloween Costume Party....and had a total blast!

This year we went Trick Or Treating at my parents neighborhood. They are always so festive for every holiday and it is totally geared towards kids! My neighborhood has so many small kids that nobody really stays at their house to pass out candy....so it isn't nearly as fun!

There are long driveways so most of the people set up shop down at the bottom so that they can hang out and pass out candy! so cute! this is where my mom passed out candy for the night.

ha! I am one of the crazy people that lets my kids eat as much candy as they want on Halloween!

Chad and I were..."where's waldo". ha! It was SO much fun! I always dress up, I think my kids love it too!

Collin the Halloween Bat! He was super proud of the costume we made!

The night started with Trunk or Treat at their playground where the kids trick or treat at the golf carts and then had a fun halloween dinner! My dad was too cute with the kids!

My little Fashion Fairytale Barbie. She designed, picked out all of the fabrics, and instructed me on every step of making her costume! so cute!

Grammy the Witch and Kacey at Trunk or Treat!

ha!!!! Trick or Treating in the Golf Cart! They had a blast!!!!!!!!!!!

xoxo

CANDLE TUTORIAL!!!!!!

2010-11-05T14:53:00.001-07:00

I WAS SERIOUS WHEN I SAID I LOVED THE CANDLES IN MY LAST POST!!!!!! AND I WAS BEYOND EXCITED WHEN KAREN LEFT ME A MESSAGE ABOUT HER COUSIN'S BLOG AND HOW SHE DID A TUTORIAL ON HOW TO MAKE THE CANDLES THAT I WAS ABOUT TO PURCHASE!!!!!!!!

THIS SERIOUSLY MADE MY DAY....WEEK.....MAYBE EVEN MONTH! I WENT RIGHT OUT AND PURCHASED CANDLES FOR UNDER $1, PACKS OF TISSUE PAPER FOR UNDER $3, AND GOT TO WORK!!!!!!!!!

JUST CUT THE TISSUE PAPER TO THE SIZE THAT FITS YOUR CANDLE......LAY IT OUT OVER CANDLE AND USE A HAIR DRYER TO MELT IT ONTO CANDLE (I HAD TO HOLD IT REALLY CLOSE TO THE CANDLE TO GET IT TO MELT THE WAY THAT I WANTED IT TO)

I COULDN'T BE HAPPIER WITH THE CANDLES THAT I MADE!!!!!!!!!!

******
BUT DO NOT BURN THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THESE ARE FOR SHOW ONLY! ******

I SET THESE OUT THE WAY THAT I WILL SET THEM OUT AT CHRISTMAS! IS IT TOO SOON TO DECORATE FOR CHRISTMAS NOW?!?!

BROWN AND CREAM FOR THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!!

CAN'T GO WRONG WITH BROWN POLKA DOTS! THESE ARE FOR THANKSGIVING...AND I WILL PROBABLY PUT THEM BACK AFTER CHRISTMAS AGAIN! LOVE THEM!

I AM SOOO THRILLED THAT I SERIOUSLY SPENT UNDER $10 TO MAKE 6 CANDLES.....AND I HAVE ENOUGH TISSUE PAPER TO MAKE MORE OR WRAP GIFTS!

I HAVE CLEARED UP ROOM ON MY WISH LIST TO ADD MORE! ;)

XOXO,
KATIE

Taper Love

2010-11-03T09:12:00.001-07:00

I love taper candles....and I NEVER burn them! I have a few places in my house where I display them, and I just enjoy looking at them. I have always wanted a good striped candle...and this morning I FOUND THEM!!!!!!!! I have a huge list of "i really really really wants"!

Ana Designs Taper Candles.....found here

love how the colors pop!!!!!!! I have picked out my faves for each season!

They are a bit higher than I would like to spend for taper candles.....BUT.....I have been looking for good striped candles for years and since I never burn them I can justify it! :)

xoxo

Halloween Birthday Party

2010-11-02T07:06:00.001-07:00

This past weekend was FULL of fun, friends, family......AND SUGAR!!!!!!

We Celebrated Collin's birthday a week early with a Halloween Birthday Bash...and he loved every min of it!!!!!!

Collin as the "Halloween Bat". We made his costume and he couldn't have been more proud!

He is not really into being the center of attention, but he listened to the Birthday song if it meant he could have his cupcake.

So proud of my little man!!!!!

We played the toilet paper mummy game.....it was so cute! and funny!

Decorated pumpkins that they picked from our little "pumpkin patch" we had set up in the corner of the yard. They were SERIOUS about pumpkin designing. ha!

FREEZE DANCE to Monster Mash! This was funny!

Chad and I dressed up as Where's Waldo! ha!

Fashion Fairytale Barbie and The big Halloween Bat

Collin wanted to be twins with his Grampy! They are too cute!

The tower of cupcakes!

We had a blast!!!!!!!
15 kids......loads of adults......lots of sugar.....and it was a total success!!!!!!!!!!!

Collin is already talking about his halloween party next year! yikes!!!!!

xoxo

Costume Rewind

2010-10-28T13:26:00.000-07:00

I love Halloween...and costumes could possibly be my favorite part!!!!!!

I had fun today going back and looking at all of my babies costumes over the year!

Kacey's first Halloween.....A SKUNK! I thought it was super funny and I figured it was the only year I could pick out her costume so I went for it!

2005....Piglet. This year we lived in West Palm Beach and hadn't had power all week due to Hurricane Wilma. It was a blast!

2006 Kacey was in LOVE with Cinderella! Roxy too.

2007...Collin's first halloween (he was born the week after halloween in 2006) Cinderella AGAIN, Gus Gus, Fairy Godmother and Prince Charming.

2008: Collin was Captain Hook. I loved this costume!!!!!!!!!!

2008....Kacey wanted to be Cinderella AGAIN, but settled for Sleeping Beauty. :)

2009,..... Alice in Wonderland

2009....Collin was a golfer! I gave him the catalog and this was the only thing he wanted to be! :)

I love this picture! I made Chad a Caddy costume. :)

Can't wait to show their costumes this year! They both picked them out and I sewed them! Kacey actually picked out all the fabric and completely designed it, which was a really amazing thing to watch!

xoxo

Our very own Spooky Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-26T08:13:00.001-07:00

My kids ask me DAILY......over and over.......if it is time for Collin's Halloween Birthday Party. I am thankful that I still have time to get things ready....but I wish it was here so that they would stop asking me! :)

I have been adding a new craft project for them every evening and they LOVE IT! My poor husband comes home to a new wall decorated each night, and we have decided that we are currently living in a Preschool classroom! But we are okay with it!

Sunday we made these Bats to hang on the wall. Collin is going to be a bat for halloween, so he was super excited about these guys!

I just cut them out of construction paper, folded them in half, and taped one side to the wall so that when the fan is on, it looks like they are flapping their wings.

(chad seriously let collin decorate with stickers as well....NOT my idea!)

Yesterday we decided to make a pumpkin patch on the wall. I cut out random sizes and let them go to town decorating the faces. They really enjoyed this one!

We are setting up a pumpkin patch in the yard for the party as well and letting the kids pick theirs out before decorating them!

I have no idea what project we are going to do today....they kids want to do ghosts but I am not sure if my walls can handle another project!

xoxo

New Shop Alert!

2010-10-24T08:21:00.000-07:00

I recently was listed in a Treasury on Etsy with one of my new favorite shops! I always love it when people have cute soap out for their guests! I am stocking up on some of these for the holidays and all of the overnight guests that we are planning on having! Such a cute little gift!!!!!!

Check out the shop at KcSoapsNMore

These Macaron soaps seriously look good enough to eat!

I have a few people in mind for these super cute cupcake soaps!

I am making candy apples this week and I hope they turn out half as cute as these soap apples!

Love all of them!

enjoy!
xoxo,

Ghost Tutorial

2010-10-22T10:24:00.001-07:00

I have wanted to make these ghosts for a few years....and finally did it!!!!!

This is such an easy project and it doesn't take long to dry so the kids didn't get bored!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
Cheese cloth (found it at Joanns Fabric)

Liquid Fabric Starch

Toilet Paper rolls
(or paper towel rolls, milk jug, water bottles, depending on size you would like)

Tin Foil

bowl, bucket, or paint tray for dipping the cloth in starch

This is the brand that I used (from Walmart)

We just played around with the tin foil and this is what we ended up with

I dipped the cloth into the Liquid Starch and then placed over our forms until we were happy with the way they looked. We set them out in the sun for about 2 hours and they were done!!!!!!

We had planned a little Halloween dinner for Kacey's buddy on our street. They were all REALLY EXCITED!!!!!!

They might possibly be my favorite decorations! I am going to place them on the food table for Collin's Party!

We went shopping for all Halloween type foods......mainly sugar!

They had a really great time at their "Halloween Dinner" eating orange foods, dancing to spooky music, and discussing what they did at school that day! TOO CUTE!!!
xoxo

In love with a Pumpkin

2010-10-19T17:56:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went to a cute Pumpkin Patch with the kids for fall pictures with Snidershots. I hadn't planned on getting pumpkins because I just purchased 30 small ones for Collin's upcoming birthday party.......BUT THEN I FELL IN LOVE WITH A GREEN PUMPKIN!

I couldn't pass it up.....and I couldn't tell my kid's NO to picking out their own after I had decided that I was getting one.

So we now have 3 beautiful pumpkins on our porch.....and I love them!

I think I might even use my front door this fall.....instead of always using garage door.

I added a new little wreath that I made to the door too!

Hope you are having as much fun as me decorating your home for the season!!!!!
xoxo

BOO SIGN

2010-10-18T19:37:00.000-07:00

Our home is looking Spooky....and it makes me VERY happy!

The kids and I have been trying to do at least one Halloween craft a week.

This past week we made a BOO sign! I have wanted to do this for a few seasons, but never really got around to it. I couldn't be happier with out the project turned out, and how much pride they take in helping!

This project cost me about $5, and I love how it turned out!

The letters are from Joanns Fabric. (they go on sale often!)

We had the paint from last year, so I didn't have to go out and pick any up.
Collin loves to paint, so he totally enjoyed it!

Kacey enjoys ANY craft and comes home from school daily to see what else I have planned for her to make!

I am really excited about how they turned out! The kids picked the designs and then I painted them. (They suggested me making a few more pumpkins.....but I ran out of paint!)

xoxo

Boo Buckets.....ARE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-10-18T12:43:00.001-07:00

Do you remember Boo Buckets from Mcdonalds??????

Well, I do! And I LOVED them! I LOVED that your meal came inside the bucket and that whenever they came out it meant Halloween was just around the corner!

I was BEYOND excited when I saw that they were BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We got the kids all ready to go to the pumpkin patch and surprised them with a trip to McDonalds for these super cute buckets! (maybe I am a little too excited over these....but I just remember how much I LOVED them!)

THEY WERE EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They now come with stickers to decorate Mr. Potato Head in all types of costumes!

Since it's Monday and cooking isn't so easy to do on Mondays....I say surprise the kids with a Boo Bucket!!!!!!!

xoxo

31 rocks!!!!!!!

2010-10-17T06:56:00.001-07:00

I just celebrated my 31st birthday yesterday.....and it was GREAT!!!

I spent the morning at soccer games cheering on my two favorite players.........had a super fun girl's date with my mom while my hubby took the kids to a birthday party for their friend...........was told by TWO people that they guessed it was my 21st birthday..........spent the evening with, wine, cake, and my family by the pool.....followed by a golf cart ride to a really cool Haunted House in my parent's neighborhood!!!!!!! (will leave out the part that BOTH my camera and my mom's camera had dead batteries! SAD!)

Absolutely PERFECT!

I was so nervous last year about entering the "dreaded 30's"......but I have to say....I LOVE THEM!!!

For me I feel like I am SOO much more confident, able to choose the people that I enjoy spending my time with so much better, and realize that it is totally okay to ENJOY sitting around and doing nothing at all with my hubby and kids!

I am super excited that I have 9 years left in my 30's because I honestly ENJOY them!

My FAVORITE part of being born in October is that I have the most amazing fall decorations due to my generous friends and family! Yesterday I received this Galvanized Metal 3-Tier Stand from Pottery Barn, and I can not WAIT to stack tons of cupcakes on it for Collin's Halloween Birthday Party!

Be on the look out this week for a few cute Halloween decorating ideas!!!!!!!

xoxo