Big Day for a Big Dog

Happy birthday Lexi! 

I can't believe you are already three years old! It's been quite the adventure since you entered into our lives. You've taught me the importance of keeping clothes off of the floor, high top tables, the joy of running outside, being patient, and loving unconditionally. Sure, you can be a pain one minute, but you never stop loving, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Every day you amaze me and keep me laughing. 

The way you rest your head on the bed - looking for a little attention, the way you watch TV with us and bark at animals on the screen, pretend to fall asleep upstairs with us, then make your way to the futon when we forget to cover it. I can't imagine not having you in our lives. Your big wagging tail and lap dog minded self keeps a smile on my face.  Happy birthday - and many more!

Mini Kitchen Update

I'm back with another post... pictures included! Again, it's nothing fancy, but it's something I should have done awhile ago, and just kept forgetting or putting it off. Thanks to my love of DIY blogs and Pinterest I have been itching to use chalkboard paint in the house. Even before we moved, I had it in my head that I wanted to use the paint. A family I babysat for years ago had chalkboard paint in their laundry room which was also a mud room between the garage and kitchen. They would write down important numbers/info in there, as well as any other fun messages. I thought it was a great idea. Once we settled in I came up with a plan to paint the tiny wall next to the fridge. Similar to something like this:

However, the wall I wanted to paint on isn't technically a wall. It's more of a built in so I wanted to paint a thin piece of plywood as to not ruin the wood with paint. After coming up with a plan we went to the store and bought our supplies, and even purchased a small can of magnetic paint. Long story short, the project was put on hold when Drew became nervous about the plywood staying sturdy. During an impromptu visit to Ikea we came across these cool glass "noticeboards" that can be used with dry erase markers.

We decided this looked a lot sleeker and cleaner than a chalkboard. Plus, since our kitchen has a strong Ikea/modern look to it (I think the drawers and cabinets came from Ikea) we thought it would compliment nicely.

Drew hung the boards awhile back and I have enjoyed writing and erasing chores/notes daily. Around that same time I came up with the idea to turn the top board into a universal calendar that I can change/update each month, to include the big events. We both keep our own personal calendars through gmail, but this gives us something to glance at for some of the bigger/important events, ie. a wedding. It wasn't hard, but I FINALLY sat down and sketched out the poster board for the calendar today. I think I've had that poster board since the beginning of the month. Oh well, better late than never.

I think it turned out pretty well. It definitely does the job for now. We can always tweak the poster board color or put fabric behind it - the options are endless. And, we can still use the second noticeboard for notes or doodling. I am such a nerd, as I get such a feeling of accomplishment erasing my "to do" list for the day! It has also stopped me from writing on a bunch of post-it notes that I forget about and leave everywhere.
ps. if some of the areas look smeared/ terribly erased it's because I was "erasing" on the computer. I had a couple important notes (phone numbers, addresses, etc) on the board when I took the pictures and opted to try and blur the details out via my photo program. The boards clean up/wipe off wonderfully in person and seem to compliment the frosted doors in the dinning room.

58* in January!!

Are you enjoying this weather we are having? Wow! I can not believe it. It is January 29th and I have the windows and doors open. I'm airing out the house! Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining. I love a little winter each year, but this spring-like weather is wonderful! Lexi has been outside for hours. We took a nice long walk around the neighborhood. The kids next door are outside jumping on the trampoline in t-shirts. I love it! I should really be working in the yard, cleaning up before the trash comes tomorrow, but after all that rain yesterday... it's swampy.

On the flip side, it's crazy to think that we will be back in freezing temperatures Thursday and Friday. I better get out and enjoy this nice weather while I can...

As Promised....

Pictures of the master bathroom. Of course, while I have been promising them for a coupe of weeks now, they aren't that exciting. As I mentioned, I painted it the same color as the master bedroom.
Before it was an orangey brown color (the lighting is really bad and did not like my camera too much). If you look really close you can se the new color along the bottom near where the white shower tile starts:

After:

I would like to add a picture or a little roman shade to add some color to the bathroom, but that will come in time. I'm not interested in spending lots of money, but if I find some sale fabric or get some inspiration, then we will see. It's funny, because that picture above looks like the left hand wall isn't painted, but it is, and it's the same color as the wall straight on, the lighting is just that goofy.

Again, these pictures aren't too exciting, I know. But, I promised to share. We are really struggling with what to do with the basement. We're painted it twice and just aren't satisfied with the color. Drew was really gun-ho about working on the basement when we moved in, but he's lost a little steam and we've shifted gears a bit in terms of priorities -- all that for another post. (Maybe later today or tomorrow). I need to get moving and get changed. I can't believe how warm it is outside today! Nearly 50 in January!

Chill in the Air

Mother nature, please make up your mind! I can't believe how cold it is outside. Okay, I guess it isn't that cold considering it is January, but the random warm days throughout the week are such a tease. Saturday was beautiful, and today I saw flurries! Not cool.
Outside of the weather, it was another busy week for us. I finished painting the bathroom (I know, I owe you photos), picked up some furniture/clutter from my parents house, worked, and spent the weekend with one of my great friends, Beth, who was in town looking for wedding dresses. I had a blast getting to know the other bridesmaids and looking for her dress, but boy was it exhausting! It makes me laugh to think about because I hardly had to do anything. She was the one trying on dresses and trying to make a decision. The first appointment was at 9:30am and we wrapped up at 5pm. It was a long day, but well worth it because she found "the dress"! (Sorry, no picture to share - you'll have to wait until she is married.)
Speaking of "the dress" one of the stores we stopped at was where I found my dress. And, as luck should have it, a girl looking for her dress tried mine on. It gave me a weird, exciting feeling. At the same time, It was strange how different I thought the girl looked in the dress. I know that sounds terrible, but I guess since I had never seen anyone in the dress before, I see it as "my" dress. The girl didn't seem too excited wearing the dress so I don't think it was the one for her. Regardless, it was fun to be on the other side of the process. It's the first wedding I am a part of since Drew and I got married so I have a different perspective on things, and I feel as though I can offer useful advice. Beth's wedding will also be our first destination wedding. Beth is originally from Cincinnati, but she lives in Chicago now and her family move to Jacksonville. The wedding will be in Florida in October. We're planning to make a vacation out of it. Okay, now I am just rambling.

2013 - I'm here!!!

Yikes!!!! I can't believe I've been away from writing for more than a month... and it's a new year! For those of you still reading, thank you and I am sorry! I will be better! I'm determined to stay up on writing this new year. I/we have so much to be grateful for, and hopefully exciting things to share.
December was crazy. The last time I wrote I was in Denver. I am home. I passed all of my Pure Barre training/certification, which was a bit nerve wrecking and overwhelming. It's still a bit overwhelming right now, which is why I have been so distracted. Teaching has been a lot harder than I imagined. I feel like I am improving with each class and getting more and more comfortable, but at the same time the clients are use to instructors who have been teaching for six months or a year and I am just not at that level right now. The other instructors have been great and supportive, but it is still a lot of pressure. Don't get me wrong, some of the clients have been great too and provided me with positive feedback, but I still have things to work on and need to find my rhythm. Most importantly, I need to up the energy in my classes. The owner is reviewing my class tomorrow so hopefully she will see some improvement in my teaching since my first couple classes (which she took).
Drew is still working for Amazon. Things have calmed down a lot for him and his schedule is finally back to normal. No more crazy holiday hours. Although, now that the holidays have come and gone, so have a lot of the workers, which means there are a lot less people working each shift. In some ways that is nice, but from what Drew has said, there is still a lot of work to get done and people aren't working as quickly as necessary.
Speaking of the holidays, we had a fantastic Christmas and low key new year. Christmas was all about family which we wouldn't have any other way. New year's eve... well... let's just say Drew was asleep by 9pm and with just Lexi keeping me awake, I too missed the ball drop. I did wake to fireworks in the neighborhood, but was back to sleep a few minutes later - talk about feeling old. Oh well. We had a productive new years day compared to others who were up later. One of these years (it's been awhile) we will have a more exciting night.
As for the house, today was the first time I've tackled anything DIYish since recovering the dining room chairs for Thanksgiving. I decided to paint the master bathroom. I took some before pictures which I will try to post tomorrow or Thursday along with after pictures. I need more natural light for the after pictures. The ones I tried to take this evening looked horrible!
I realize this is only a snippet of the last month, but it is a start. I will be back soon with more, I promise.  I just really need to plan my class for tomorrow and get some sleep!