kitchens kitchens kitchens

So we're thinking about how we are going to update out kitchen.... we don't want to do too much for fear of really going too far compared to homes around us--and our kitchen has great bones! Here are a couple pictures for you to get an idea of how the kitchen looks... (note these photos are from when we bought the home, the decor belongs to the previous owners but the colors are still the same).





Here are our ideas.... I LOVE blue and white and have white curtains in there already so we want to do a nice glossy cobalt blue on top and white on the bottom with



new countertops courtesy of Ikea:



and new flooring to match the rest of the home...



and I really want this for our pots and pans.... from Crate & Barrell


What do you think? A little hard to manage but of course, living here, I can put it all together :)

healthy cleaning!

Every weekend I do my cleaning and I try to find new items that last and help me stay a little more environmentally friendly. Being married to an environmental engineer who tries to keep the planet clean has helped us be "green" since before it was cool. Now I'm so thankful it's in style because we have more options than EVER before.

The Dish Dumpling

The Dish Dumpling is a sponge in an agave wrapper. It makes removing even baked-on food easy. Best of all, it's dye-free and biodegradable.

Martha Stewart Toilet Bowl Cleaner


No fragrances or colors, just natural cleaning agents. All packaging is recyclable. Sounds great to me!

Bamboo Cloth


This is a great eco-friendly, natural way to wipe, dust and polish.

Seventh Generation Laundry Detergent



Seriously, this line needs their own post but I won't bore all you out there that don't like the clean :) This stuff is Non-toxic & biodegradable, Hypoallergenic, Free of phosphates & optical brighteners, Safe for septic & greywater systems, Not tested on animals, Kosher-certified

Why is this so hard...?

So this weekend my main goal was to find Easter decorations.

Sounds simple, right?

boy was I wrong...

Okay there were some things I liked at JoAnn's but I really didn't want to shell out $30 for a fake egg cone tree--I mean seriously I could make that for like 10 bucks... and then it made me realize, yes I CAN make that!

But of course for me to make it on my own meant I had to do something better so here is my list of items to make for the home :)

Rustic basket and pom-pom chicks:



Grass centerpiece with "chocolate" bunnies (I actually made this already!)



Pussy Willow Nest:



What will you be making this year?

Happy Friday!

I plan on making shower gifts and cleaning this weekend... what about all of you guys?

Maybe you need a make-up Organizing Checklist... from Real Simple (also includes a bathroom organization checklist! Woot Woot!)

hmm... why am I so excited about that?

May you want to try a challenge? Check out the Throw out fifty things challenge over at Makeunder My Life such a great blog with information about EVERYTHING :)

Or maybe you could be like me and update your 101 in 1001 list

Enjoy the weekend!

Do you hear that pitter patter...??

No... Not for me... not yet anyways! I've been caught up in a baby whirlwind. My older brother and his wife are going to be introducing their first child to the world sometime in June and I am SO EXCITED! The Husband is also excited because I can blow off all my I-want-a-baby-steam on someone else :)

All this baby nonsense did get me thinking about what I would want for my future baby... see, I'm not really a big fan of "BABY" labeled stuff. So I would want something that allows me to keep some simple style in my life... luckily so many brands out there allow that!

Petunia Pickle Bottom makes some AMAZING diaper bags, that quite honestly I want just as a purse! So which would I pick for my little one and myself to carry around?

I just love the Cosmopolitan Carryall in Juniper Berry Crumb Cake


When it comes to the baby's room I thought about having something a little more grown up, but still perfectly baby. I found this pic over at the beautiful Let your creativity Flow.



Isn't that chandelier amazing?? I would love that in a baby's room!

and this room by angie hranowsky found via High-Heeled Foot in the Door--isn't it lovely!



I wouldn't mind staying in a baby/guest room like this one :)

What are some not-so-babyish items that you guys have found and loved?

So the shower is coming up soon and I have a few ideas of gifts I want to give... see you guys with more on that after the weekend! :)

Love this...cute for kids... and those of us that are kids at heart!

So, I love looking through online catalogs and imaging things I could do for less. Quite honestly, I have expensive taste but my mind always wins over my heart (in matters involving shopping of course!)


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This is one thing I saw while browsing the blogroll that just got me excited to try on my own!! a few yards of felt (I'm thinking that'll work the best) and some paint and stiff brushes and I should be go right? Any tips from other crafters? Maybe a different type of fabric would work better?

Catch Up...

So this weekend was going to be the weekend I sat down and gave the world a blog posting to be proud of!

...and then I decided to clean the kitchen and go to ikea for a new table and chairs set. whoops...

Well, this weekend did make me realize that I've been forgetting to share a lot of great, simple insight. I'm proud to be a wife. And I pray that we will be fortunate enough to let me be a stay-at-home mom for at least a couple of years (comfortably, of course!). The biggest thing that I know makes my husband happy (and secretly me too--shh don't tell him!) is a clean house. Now, I'm no Martha but I like the think I've got my own way of doing home cleaning that makes it simple and very effective.

So I wanted to share with you my weekley cleaning list... some items you may notice on other lists are not found here. That's because either a) I don't like doing them or b) it's a daily or monthly cleaning chore!



psst... clicking on the pic will make it larger

hmm... beautiful eye candy for a Tuesday!

Recently, there was a post over at High-heeled Foot in the Door that got me thinking... she was talking about having beautiful Hermes boxes to decorate with and it made me remember about a beautiful post I once found that featured another beautiful box... from Laduree! I honestly can't remember where I saw this post but it made me fall in love... and I got a little hungry!

I wanted so bad to have one of those boxes... one for what's inside, but also because they are so simply beautiful. Not overdone, not too much just great to photograph... hope you enjoy this eye candy to get you to the middle of the week!


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Source: found on my computer--anyone know where this is from??


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Just because....

Quite honestly, sometimes I google products I typically buy just to see if I can find (at a reasonable shipping price) the same thing from another country. I try to not go all out, but every once in a while it's okay to splurge here are some sites I've found that aren't TOO crazy on the shipping to the US but provide little daily pleasures :)

THE Ô DOR is one of the most recent Houses in the French market, recognized as one of the most prestigious, acknowledged throughout the world as an ambassador of taste and excellence (description from Urban Tea Merchants site). Basically, I love it for it's options in buying and you can buy from the Urban Tea Merchant (ships from Vancouver, not France) and I mean really these tins would be gorgeous afterwards!



Sometimes you want just a little something... you know that stunning set of earrings that people always ask about and you can say "oh these? They're from Peru." Yeah Overstock.com makes that easy!




Lastly, glasses! I used to go over to my Aunt's house when I was younger... she always had these amazing crystal glasses and gold rims and I used to feel like a princess drinking out of them! Now, these would be more my style... haven't ever bought from Just Morocco.com but it looks promising!!

Dreaming....

so this weekend I'm going to try and find some time to work on our craft/guest room... but since you've already seen my love for martha's craft room here and I thought I would share another room that I just love... then after the weekend I'll share some shots of my room! Since it's still in progress this will be more motivation for me to work harder on it--and I need that motivation!

this room is from the very lovely amanda over at Kevin and Amanda. Okay, is that room amazing? Seeing that really made me realize that I can make my craft room exactly how I want it! I'm working on an idea I found over at Team DIY (here) to store my craft paper (I have much less than Amanda!) and we'll see how it turns out.


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I can't wait to post pics of my room... anyone have any great craft room pictures?? What about works in progress? I'd love to see it!!

Simply sweet!

I couldn't resist posting this...



How YUMMY do those strawberries look?!?! Head over to the wonderful Tartelette to enter to win a cookbook and check out her AWESOME photography!

This weekend....

I thought I would get a jump start on this weekend... I'm only excited because quite honestly we don't do much on the weekends. We clean, do laundry, cook, clean some more, and I always talk myself into at least one home improvement project (last weekend was painting the living room AND dining room).

This weekend will be different. I absolutely LOVE horses... and I really love that we have the Florida Carriage Museum less than an hour away from my home! Each year there is the Florida Carriage and Horse Festival where competitors showcase equine performances, elegantly presented horse drawn carriages, and beautifully groomed horses of all kind. The Museum, which is free of charge on Festival day, allows the visitor to experience "four galleries of over 165 restored antique European and American carriages, including the only full state Golden Carriage in the United States." Florida Carriage Museum

There are over 400 acres at this museum and I cannot wait to go and take a million pictures, all of which I promise to share!

What do you think: if you could, would you want to live in a time where your only mode of transportation was via horse and carriage??

The things I regret...

Things I regret:

Finally! I promise these would come... because I feel it is best to be very honest about this. I think everyone has a few things they regret after such a big event... especially someone like me who has been planning her wedding since she was 5! And I know these things aren't horrible, trust me I absolutely LOVED my wedding day these are just little things that I want to get off my chest and well, it's my blog :)

Firstly... I really regret our Cake! We had a 'friendor' for our cake... well kind of. She was a friend of about 5 or 6 of our friends. And we didn't have a tasting, but before we decided to use her we saw a bunch of pictures of cakes she had made and it all looked amazing! So, we met, we planned, and I was very VERY specific. I mean I had drawings, pictures, a list, everything! But my cake turned out... not as perfect as I imagined. The colors were not the colors we spoke about, she made some kind of cake topper thing when I wanted my DIY cake topperfrom Goose Grease to be the shining star on my own wooden stand (which she didn't use and I honestly don't know where it is now. Oh and as you'll see the in pic below... the icing didn't cover well and there are spots where the cake shows through. And while she was a friendor of sorts I should note--we paid a big price (in money and other ways) for a cake I didn't like...




Toast

My mom really wanted us to do a toast and a cake cutting thing. Here's the thing--I didn't want that at all! Although my sister-in-law and brother got us some AMAZING toasting flutes, it wasn't something we planned on using. Even better once we finally said okay fine we'll do it, we get up to the cake and everyone is watching and waiting and my mom brings out apply juice and pours it and then we have to just wait and it was just... odd...


yes, beautiful.... but I wish it had been better planned, that's all I regret when it comes down to it, no planning

So that's it.... I know out of a whole day only two things I disliked! haha but overall, I'm happy to be married and I'm happy to be with my husband.... and I will be getting a new cake for our one year anniversary lol it's already planend :)

One more thing...

Okay, I know I know, I promised I would give you guys the things I regret, but that just wouldn't be fair to one person.

I think this says it all--no matter what I would never forget the man that means everything to me...

ONE (okay, FOUR) THINGS I WOULD NEVER REGRET!

Since we're still on the things I would never regret (I'll get to the things that I wish I could have changed tomorrow) let me run down the four most beautiful girls in my life:







These girls were so awesome. I've known them all for quite a few years and I couldn't imagine my life without them!! They are beautiful, strong, amazing, talented, and caring! They helped me out so much and they devoted so much of themselves and their time to making sure my big day was going to be perfect!

Simply the Truth

So tonight I was driving home and decided I would be totally honest and real with you guys: there are so many things about my wedding that I regret BIG TIME!

Don't get me wrong, it was beautiful, simple, casual, lovely--but if I could do it all over again I would. Note: this is by NO MEANS a comprehensive list... there were more things I love and more things I loved less but this is just a general overview to allow me to vent it out!

BUT FIRST.... a few of the things I could never in a million years regret!

1) Location



I would probably still have the reception in the same place but I would have made it a TRUE family bbq! The ceremony was fine but honestly I would have been just as happy in the court house!!




Although, can you really beat a picture like this?!?!




2) Photographer

here are some amazing "getting ready" shots from the two lovely ladies of FatCatz!




Tomorrow: THE BIGGEST THING I WOULD NEVER REGRET

i can never get enough....

...of beautiful craft rooms!

Thanks to Martha we have the chance to tour her homes whenever we feel like it! I wanted to share Cantitoe Corners Craft Room, in case any of you haven't had the opportunity to see it before!

Do you have a great craft room? Share with us! I'd love to see pictures!

Here are the pictures... I hope you enjoy it!

Wouldn't you like to craft in this room anytime you like?




I really should start collecting and keeping my random fabric pieces for scrapbooking... do you guys use old fabric when you craft scrapbook? What do you use it the most for?


Oh to have all that glitter!


So organized... and I bet it's like this when she's crafting too! I make a mess :)