{Happy New Year}

{via Pinterest}

{What An Amazing Day}

We had an amazing Christmas! I can't say that I'm sad it's over with.  As much as I loved our Christmas tree this year I was super happy to see it go so that I could have the space back in our house. 

Landry wasn't amused by all that Santa left her but Mom & Dad sure did enjoy celebrating her 1st Christmas.  We both couldn't wait for her to wake up even though we knew to her it was just another day. It's amazing being able to share Christmas with your children. 

She did love the purple dog.  She talks & says her name.  She would laugh at her when she would talk to her & then look at us & smile like we had something to do with it.  The other toys are bit big for her right now but I know once she gets to where she can sit up by herself she'll really enjoy them. 

We hosted this year & it was so much fun.  We didn't do the traditional Christmas dinner.  We had steaks, corn casserole, broccoli rice casserole, pineapple casserole, green beans, mac n cheese, mashed potatoes, salad & rolls.  Desserts were Earthquake cake & banana pudding.  It was all delicious!

After we opened gifts & ate lunch we sat outside around the fire pit & just talked & laughed. 

We are so truly blessed.

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! 

We've worked on some projects this week & have a few more up our sleeve to share with y'all.  I'll be back to regular posting next week! 

Happy New Year!

{Merry Christmas}

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!



{Duck, Duck, Goose...}

 We are in the process of planning a remodel for our bathroom.  It's actually come a very long way from where we started!

This was the bathroom when we  bought the house in August 2006. 

It was hideous!  And it stunk so B.A.D.!

It's come along way from where it started but as most rooms in our house it's going to change pretty soon. 



It's definitely brighter.  It's a small bathroom but the only one we have.  It works for us although if we stay in this house we'll be building two more sometime in the next few years.  

So the whole point of this post was to show you a recent project I worked on.  We purchased this piece from Target several years ago.  It was kind of boring so I decided to give it a makeover with some ASCP.  After looking at all the colors over & over again I decided on Duck Egg.  It's a gorgeous color! 

Not the best before picture.  I always get so excited to start a project that I forget to take before pictures.  Anyway, after a coat of Duck Egg & clear wax it's now this gorgeous beauty!

It looks more like a custom piece than an off the shelf piece.  I absolutely love the way it turned out! 

I cannot believe that Christmas is in 2 days.  We are so excited for Landry's first Christmas we can hardly stand it.  She has a horrible cold though & we are hoping it's gone before Santa comes. 

Hope everyone has a great Friday!

{Happy Birthday, Ashley}

I had scheduled for this post to post yesterday morning but for some reason it didn't & posted the hallway post instead.  Anyway, yesterday was my husband, Ashley's 31st birthday.  He's an amazing husband, best friend & father to our girls.  

He's the kind of man I hope our daughter will marry one day.  He's a hard worker, kind, loving, extremely patient & hilarious!  He makes me smile when no one else can.  And still gives me butterflies every time he pulls up in the driveway.  

This pic was taken when Landry was still in the NICU.  It's one of my favorites.  She always held on tightly to his finger. 

This one was taken one night randomly as he was carrying her to the bathtub.  I always have my camera handy & ready to go for moments like this. 

I wish y'all could see the way he looks at her.  You can see his love for her & it melts my heart every single time. 

We had a great night celebrating with family & friends!  We are so blessed to have him in our lives.

Happy Birthday, Ashley!

We love you!

{Horizontal Hallway}

I had mentioned in a previous post that I was loving the striped walls I was seeing all over Pinterest!  I finally decided to just bite the bullet & get started.  My awesome husband helped with the project because it was definitely a two person job.  He did the math which turned out to be easy because from baseboard to ceiling was 90" & I knew I wanted an odd number of stripes so the top & bottom would be the same color.  Our stripes ended up being 10" wide. 

We used a long level marked the stripes with a pencil & then taped them off.  We got confused in the beginning & were forgetting that tape couldn't be put in the stripes that were being painted.  That's confusing isn't it?  Yeah, I just confused myself. 

Once we got going it went pretty fast.  In all it took us about 2.5 hours to pencil & tape off everything.  I couldn't wait to get the paint on!  We kept the original color because we love it.  It's Ralph Lauren's Oatmeal mixed in Behr paint.  The color we chose to be the other stripe is by Valspar.  It's called La Fonda.  Did you all just think about Napoleon Dynamite too?

It's a a few shades lighter than the RL Oatmeal. 

The whole project took us about 4 hours from start to finish.  We did one coat of paint for the stripes.  It covered so well that it didn't need another one.  It turned out amazing.  We still have to erase what's left of the pencil lines but that won't take much time.

I've ordered a new light to get rid of the hideous builder one I purchased when we bought the house.  It's the Moravian Star light from Shades of Light.  I cannot wait for it to arrive & be hung!

Only thing left to do is find a runner that is long enough.  I've thought about buying two if I can't find one.  The one we have now is okay but it's just too short.  I found a gorgeous rug at West Elm & placed the order but later got an email saying it was on back order until the end of February.  I decided against it hoping I could find something I like just as much & that I wouldn't have to wait that long for. 

The hallway is coming along nicely. 

{ASCP - Paris Gray}

I've been a longtime fan of Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint.  I bought my first can 10 months ago & have been addicted ever since.  It's the smoothest paint I've ever used.  The coverage is amazing & I love that there is no sanding or priming required.  There's no smell which is awesome because we have a special little lady in the house that doesn't need all the chemicals most paint has. 

Anyway, I just bought Paris Gray from Classic Wall Finishes.  I love Patty & Karen.  They are both awesome & so friendly.  You don't find customer service like that anymore. 

Last year I painted a piece I purchased off Craigslist in a white from the Martha Stewart paint line.  I had originally thought I wanted to paint it Arles but it was too bright on its own so I mixed it with a little Old White and loved the color but it just wasn't what I was going for.  So I went back to the drawing board & decided that Paris Gray would be the way to go. 

It turned out amazing!  It's probably one of my favorite pieces of furniture in our house! 

Excuse the mess around & underneath the piece.  This room is a work in progress. 

I ordered the Handstamped Cursive Writing knob from Vintage Skye.  Their knobs are amazing!  I cannot wait to find another piece to paint so I can order more knobs from them. 

Hope everyone has a great Monday!

{A Much Needed FaceLift}

I've been wanting a facelit for a while but never seem to get around to finding someone to do it because that just isn't my thing.  So long story short I found The Mustard Ceiling from one of the other blogs I read {can't remember which one} & fell in love with her blog!  She ran a Black Friday sale & I knew it was my opportunity to do get this blog a much needed facelift. 

Elizabeth is amazing to work with.  She really listens to what you want & at the end of the process you have a beautiful blog to show off!  She is extremely talented & very patient.  So if you are looking for a facelift you should check her out.  She's pretty awesome. 

I'm in the process of cooking The Pioneer Woman's Chicken Tortilla Soup so I'll back later to update y'all on some of the projects we've gotten done around the house. 

And just because I can't get enough of her I'll leave y'all with a picture of our beautiful sweet Landry who turned 6 months old on December 2nd!

I tried every thing imaginable to get her to smile but she just wasn't having it.  She loves bathtime & Mom was interrupting it with picture taking. 

{Landry, Peanuts & Projects}

I haven't blogged in a while because we've been busy getting projects done around the house & my husband is picking peanuts which means late nights for him & long nights with our precious baby girl for me.  I'm exhausted & getting ready to clean up the kitchen from dinner but wanted to share a few pictures of the one thing that takes up most of our time.  Our sweet girl, Landry, will be 5 months old in 7 days.  It's hard to believe that she's been in our lives that long.  I cannot imagine my life without her.  We are trying to enjoy every moment with her!  Her smile is so big & her eyes so bright.  She makes every single day better!  I have no idea what we did to deserve her but we are so thankful & grateful. 

{Roomspiration: Guest Bedrooms}

I'm participating in the Roomspiration Blog Hop & Link Party & today it's all about guest bedrooms!   We have one guest bedroom & it's probably one of my favorite rooms in our home.  Mainly because it's almost done. 

It has definitely come along way from where it originally started.  All of the before pictures are on our old computer that evidently has some sort virus because we can't get on it.  Insert sad face.  

We refinished the original hardwood floors last year.  And we did a great job if I say so myself. 

The green chair is a find at one of the local used furniture stores.  It was in great shape, cost $39 & just needed some love.  Unfortunately I have yet to give it the love it needs.  I want to do a white or cream slipcover.  That's on the to do list. 

The next things on the list are to paint the ceiling in Martha Stewart's Zinc, add crown molding & Layla Grace's Provence chandelier.   

 We want a headboard but can't decide between these two.  These are both from West Elm which is one of my favorite stores right now!  I love the curves of the first one but I also love the nailhead in the second one!  What's a girl to do?

We are debating on this rug from IKEA too.  I love the texture it would add to the space.  We currently have a yellow & white rug from Pottery Barn in there.  It's too obvious to me though so it has to go. 

Well that's our guest room.  Hope you enjoyed! 

I'm linking up over at DIY By Design. 

{Stripes... Yes, Please!}

My addiction for Pinterest hasn't gotten any better.  I feel like I should be in a circle saying, "Hi, My name is Jessica & I'm addicted to Pinterest." 

I found an amazing blog via Pinterest the other day & literally stayed up until 3 a.m. reading every single word that Laurel-Dawn wrote.  Her blog is called Abode Love.  It's amazing.  I mean like jaw dropping drooling all over the keyboard amazing.  

It was here that I fell in love with the striped wall.  She did stripes in her hallway.  It's gorgeous & I want it.  Now.  I'll quit rambling about it & show you what I'm talking about. 

Gorgeous.  Right?

So, this our inspiration.  Now on to the  dilema.  Last year we painted our hallway, living room & kitchen RL's Oatmeal.  We had it color matched in Behr paint.  It's my favorite paint.  Now I have to find a coordinating color.  So I'm on a mission to find a color that is close to what we have.   

Something like this.

{Image courtesy of Pinterest}

We are going to switch out the light too.  It's the typical builder light.  Ugly.  And to think I picked it out five years ago makes me cringe.  We both love the lighting from Schoolhouse Electric.  And we've picked this one out for the hallway. 

Not sure if we'll pick this finish or the antique black.  I'm excited about the changes we are slowly making in our home.  It definitely has been a labor of love but worth every dollar & every minute. 

And just for fun here are some more amazing striped hallways!

 {Images courtesy of Pinterest}

 Happy Wednesday!

{Remembering}

{Thanks, Irene}

So Irene has made her way out of NC finally!  The sun is shining & it's back to being 1,000 degrees.   We were one of the fortunate as we had minor damage to our home.  We never lost power although some in our small town did.  We are praying for those who lost loved ones, homes & power. 

Our porch was literally ripped from our house.  And thank goodness I was staying with my sister an hour away with our daughter because the awning landed where I normally park my car.  The porch was an eye sore and something on our to do list.  Thanks to Irene we can move it up on our list.  I'm so happy it was just our porch and nothing major. 

So now we just wait on our insurance company and go from there.  I'll be searching Pinterest for some inspiration photos.  We'd like some completely different than what was there.  You can see from this above picture that it was just an ugly metal awning.  I'll be anxious to get it done but until then I'll be painting the door and looking for new light fixtures.  I mean a new porch requires new accessories, right?

Hope everyone had a great weekend!



{A List That Never Ends}

I found this image on Pinterest & boy does it apply to me these days!  I drafted a list of things that need to be done before Christmas & it's quite intimidating.  We are having Christmas at our house this year & I'm a stickler for all things being perfect.  Right now I currently have 2 walls in our bedroom painted, beadboard put up in the breakfast nook with no paint & no chair rail and our exterior doors primed.  I love starting projects but hate finishing them.  I always get so side tracked by the next project & so our home ends up being a house full of unfinished projects. 

I decided to make a daily list of things that I hope to accomplish by Thanksgiving.  I'm hoping it will help keep me motivated.  Is anyone else having this problem?  I hate to think I'm alone in this boat.  What did you do to help you get things completed? 

First on my list is getting our doors painted.  We've never painted the side doors to our home.  The fronts are going white & the back black.  I'm going to test out Glidden's new Door & Trim paint in Deepest Black.  Bad news is Home Depot was completely out it when I went today to buy it.  I'm going  to see if I can order it online because the nearest HD is an hour away. 

I hope to see some progress on my to do list by the end of the week.  Our daughter is only 2 months old & so our time is extremely limited but thank goodness for her 4 hour naps during the day! 

Happy Tuesday!

{Allen + Roth Lighting}

I went to Lowe's today with my dad for a few items & while he was having a piece of tile cut I was browsing the lighting section.  I normally am not a fan of the lighting at Lowe's but much to my surprise I saw these amazing lights that were not the typical Lowe's merchandise. 

Have you seen them yet?  I so wish I had a place to put one or two of these.....

My favorite was this one

But I wouldn't mind taking this one home too

Or this guy

 The prices are just as amazing as the pieces themselves. 

{Gallery Walls.... Getting The Hang of It}

I'm in the process of redoing our bedroom.  It's always been the room last on the list but I decided that I was going to bump it up a few spots & get it done!  I'm painting the walls a color by Valspar called Cliveden Leather.  It's a gorgeous brown.  I'm doing a little at a time since we have a newborn in the house & don't have much free time on my hands. 

There's a wall in our room that has nothing on it.  You see it the minute you walk in or by our room.  I know that I want to do some type of gallery wall.  I've seen so many pictures online that I love & am using as inspiration but the one thing I can't decide on is do I want a true gallery wall or a gallery wall using shelving?

I love both.  I'm normally not so indecisive but this time I just can't seem to make a decision.  I asked my husband & he said "whatever you like" so that leaves the decision making all up to me.  

So, do I want no shelf?

Or shelf?

{Images courtesy of West Elm}

Lots to think about but thankfully I have plenty of time because painting the room is going to take me at least until the end of the week.

Happy Monday!

{Giving New Life to an Old Piece}

I have a favorite used furniture store that I visit quite frequently & I have only left there once without purchasing something.  Most of the pieces I've sold but every now & then I find a piece that I love & refuse to get rid of.  When I spotted this piece I knew I had to have it.  I had no idea where I was going to put it but I loved it & it was coming home with me.  It's solid wood & the curves are gorgeous.  I didn't take an appropriate before picture so I apologize for that but here's what it looks like upside down before I painted it. 

I used ASCP in Graphite on the top & Old Ochre on the bottom!  I waxed the entire piece to finish it off!  It looks great & even my husband loves it! 

Sorry for the horrible pictures!  I'm still trying to learn how to use our camera.  This picture truly doesn't do the piece justice. 

I hate that you can see the cords from the lamps.  I'll have to figure something out to hide them because they are driving me crazy.  We had a drop leaf table there before & it hid them well. 

Here's a sneak peek of my next project!

Happy Tuesday!