10.31.2013

Happy Halloween!!

Halloween is so much more fun for me this year with a little one!  I've never been a huge fan of the holiday but having a baby to dress up and living in a neighborhood full of kids has made me more excited! 


Miller is going as an Alligator.   We got to give the costume a test run this weekend at a 1st birthday costume party and he doesn't seem to mind it at all. 


Hope you all have a happy and safe Halloween and I promise I will share the excessive pics I take next week!
SHARE:

10.30.2013

Kitchen Updates: Picking out Cabinets

It's been awhile since I've given you any house updates but we are in the process of picking out materials for our kitchen renovation!! 

It has been so much fun spending time with our designer and looking at the awesome 3D CAD models of what our kitchen is going to turn into. It's taken us about a month to really come up with a design that we're happy with and there are still a few small details that I want to tweak here and there but we have the main layout figured out.  Ahhhh!!! I'm so excited and nervous at the same time to see how it will really turn out. 

Now that we've figured out the layout it's time to move onto the fun stuff.  Let me tell you though, picking out the cabinets, colors, hardware, flooring, granite, etc has been so much harder than I anticipated!   I went in there with a big dreams thanks to Pinterest and Blogs and I've had to put some of them to rest because they just aren't going to fit into our budget.   Since we're doing a complete kitchen refiguration that requires construction, the construction is a big chunk of our budget so I'm having to scale back on some other details.

As I told you before I was leaning toward gray cabinets.  As much as I would love custom cabinets in the gray of my choice that is just not in our budget so I only had one gray option in the mid level cabinets we were looking at.  I loved that color gray but I hated all the cabinet styles it came in :(.  Talk about wanting to throw an adult temper tantrum. I was looking for a simple shaker style cabinet and unfortunately their only option that was close was so boring and plain and just looked cheap in the gray.  I spent a full week or so looking at the other cabinet styles over and over again hoping maybe I would like another one. I was googling them, pinteresting them, looking at the designers pictures over and over and I just could not find a style that both me and Kyle loved in that cabinet line.  

Soooo I had to be a big kid and put the gray cabinets to rest and move on.   Here is what I'm looking at now:

-white cabinets
-gray backsplash
-light white/gray granite

 Since I couldn't get my gray cabinets I'm hoping to incorporate gray with a backsplash, granite, and gray/blue paint.  

Here is our current cabinet choice- we're about 90% sure about it:

 It's the Sedona style by Homecrest and we would get it in Alpine white. 

Here are some more pictures below from the Homecrest website:


I didn't love it at first but my designer showed me some pictures of a kitchen he designed that used the Sedona in white and I totally fell in love.   

Here are some inspiration photos I pinned yesterday to get me excited about the white cabinets and gray backsplash:

 via

 via

 via

I also love this marble backsplash I saw on Bryn Alexandra

So that is where we are right now!  Next step is figuring out the exact backsplash and granite. 

 I would love to hear your thoughts on a monochromatic kitchen with gray backsplash and gray/white granite.   I'm hoping it will look very clean without being too modern and really lighten up our space.   

SHARE:

10.25.2013

Five on Friday

It seems I can only get my act together on Fridays.... and it still takes me half the day



1. New Blog Look 
I had the talented Shannon at Shannan Page Design spruce up my blog for me.  I was feeling white, pink and gold.  I needed some girly-ness in my life.




2. Baby Weight and Working out
I am 2lbs shy of my pre-baby weight.  To be honest I have done nothing to lose those 38lbs  BUT before you want to punch me in the face let me tell you 2 things 1. NONE of my pants fit and 2. I was about 5lbs heavier than I wanted to be when I got pregnant.   I can get my pants on but I can't even dream about buttoning them.  I gain most of my weight in my thighs/back side and I usually keep it in check by exercising- I cannot diet, I'm awful at it and then I end up binge eating.  So I try to make up for my eating habits with exercise.   Since it's been a full year since I did any form of exercise I decided it was time to start working out again.     
I pinned this workout below and today was the first day I tried it. 
 
It's a great workout but after I repeated it twice I was dyinggggggg!  I decided for my first time just to do it twice and then work up to 3 times.  I'm hoping to do this on Mon, Wed, and Fri.  then walking or running on the other days depending on my schedule. 
Does anyone have any good at home exercises?  

3. Talenti Sea Salt Caramel
This stuff is amazing! I've seen everyone posting pictures of it on instagram, blogs, facebook, etc so I decided to give it a try and oh my yum.   Everyone was right. It is to die for.  I cannot wait to try more flavors.  (as you can see this is why my pants don't fit)

4. This Quote
So true and easy to forget with all the social media out there.

5. My Little Family
 It was a year ago last week that we found out that we had been picked for a puppy and that we were having a baby.  It's amazing how much life has changed in just one short year.   I feel grateful and beyond blessed for our little family. 



SHARE:

10.11.2013

Five on Friday


I'm back with more things I've loving this Friday...

1. Scandal




O.M.G. For the past week I have been binge watching Scandal.  All these people kept raving about it to me so I pulled up my Netflix to give it a try and now I'm hooked!! I don't know if it's all the crazy underground political scandals, the torrid love affair between Fitz and Olivia, the awesomeness of Olivia Pope and Assoc, or just the amazing wardrobe that Kerry Washington gets to wear as Olivia Pope.   Either way I am totally hooked and about the start the new season!
Anyone else a scandal fan?

2. Fisher Price Rainforest Activity Mat 




This has been my lifesaver lately!! Miller LOVES this thing and just screams and coos while he's in it.  This can buy me about 20 minutes of free time to do things like make breakfast and run to the bathroom. 

3. Target Cartwheel App


I want to hate this app because it makes me sign in via Facebook which is super annoying and I don't need Facebook to know what I'm buying and where I'm shopping but I digress. The app is right on your smartphone and you just add the coupons/sales you want to take advantage of and then the cashier will scan the bar code on your phone.  It's so easy to use and coupled up with the RedCard makes shopping at Target even better for me.  I've managed to save some money using it- nothing crazy but every little $5-$10 savings on boring stuff like toilet paper and soap gives me more money in my clothes/shoes/handbag shopping budget. 

4. Gray Kitchen Cabinets
I think I've mentioned before that we are having our kitchen remodeled.  Well we met with the designer last week and every since then the wheels in my head have been spinning. 
I am really obsessed with gray kitchen cabinets instead of white (which I originally wanted) and here are some inspiration photos.

via




What do you all think?  Do you think gray cabinets are too trendy?  What wall color would you use with them?

5. Olivia Palermo
I'm pretty sure I've talked about my love of her fashion before but I would just love to raid her closet.  I mean I don't have anywhere awesome to wear half the outfits she puts together but still she always looks so effortlessly chic.










SHARE:

10.04.2013

Five on Friday

I'm back and linking up with more things I'm loving this Friday


1. Homemade Silver Cleaner
One of my favorite silver necklaces that I was dying to wear had become tarnished.  The idea of driving to the grocery store just to get silver cleaner was out of the question so I did what I always do- I googled it!  Low and behold there is a super easy and free way to clean silver jewelry. 
I followed these directions here and listed them below.  I only soaked mine for 10 minutes because it wasn't too tarnished. 



Ingredients for Homemade Silver Cleaner:
  • 1 quart of hot water
  • 1 tablespoon of baking soda
  • 1 sheet of aluminum foil
  • non-aluminum dish
Instructions for Making Homemade Silver Cleaner:
  • Line bottom of non-aluminum dish with a sheet of aluminum foil
  • Mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda into a quart of hot water
  • Soak for a half hour — time may vary depending on degree of tarnish
  • Buff with clean, dry cloth

2.  Tuffed Ottoman from Overstock

We're in the process of decorating our basement which is going to be a tv room/playroom so I'm looking for an ottoman to use down there. I am leaning toward this one from Overstock because it's cheap and I that way I won't get upset if it gets ruined by my husband, the dog, or Miller.  
Does anyone have experience ordering furniture from Overstock.com?  I've never done it before but a lot of people love it and have great experience.


3. Seche Vite Fast Drying Top Coat


I'm 95% sure I've blogged about this before but this is hands down the best top coat ever.  I refuse to pay for manicures because they wear off in 3 days so I do all my own manicures and with this top coat they will last a week.  Not only that your nails are completely dry in 5 minutes!! You really can't beat that. 

4. Stay Dry Bath Apron and Towel 



 I was given one of these by my sister in law and I love it! It is perfect for bath time. First off it keeps you dry and the apron can be lifted up to act as towel to cover the baby while you're moving from the bath before you wrap them in their towel.  I'm getting all of my girlfriends one of these from now on. 

5.  Amazon Prime 

I signed up for a trial and now I'm sold. The one or two day free shipping is amazing. I pretty much try to order anything I possibly can off Amazon now because I'm so addicted. 
SHARE:

10.02.2013

Wednesday Wishlist

Happy Humpday!

Here are some items that I am lusting over this week:




Bloomingdales currently has their 20% off Friends and Family sale with the code FRIENDS 

J.Crew currently has 25% off sweaters with the code SWEATERS 



I'm loving this color for fall and winter!  You can also find these on Bloomingdales and use the F&F 20% off with the code FRIENDS

What are you lusting over this week?

SHARE:

10.01.2013

New Mom Essentials

I have a few friends that are having babies soon and it got me thinking about some things for me (not the baby) that I absolutely could not have lived without those first few weeks.   


New Mom Essentials



1. Lansinoh Lanolin Cream- If you plan on breastfeeding this is a must. I started using this stuff right away at the advice a few friends and I swear it saved my nipples.  I never had any cracking, pain, or bleeding and I was able to phase out of using this after a few weeks

2. Victoria's Secret Foldover Waist Yoga Pants- I cannot say enough great things about these pants- especially if you have to have a c-section.  You are going to want something comfortable that doesn't put any pressure on your incision and these do the trick.  I actually wore these for workout pants through out my pregnancy and they've been great transition pants as I get back into my old clothes.

3. Gilligan & O'Malley Sleep Nursing Bras-  when you're breastfeeding you need to wear a bra 24/7 and these are so comfy.   I wear them day and night- not just for sleeping.  

4. VitaCoco Coconut water-  It's really easy to get run down and dehydrated those first few weeks so I kept a bunch of coconut water in the fridge so I could easily grab it when I was thirsty.  The great part is you can buy them flavored so you can have a flavored drink without all the sugar from juice or soda.

5. Kind Bars or any kind of Protein Bar- When you're exhausted and running around with a baby you don't have time to think about good nutrition so having easy to access to something delicious and good for you is a must.

6. Dry Shampoo- Again you'll be busy and might not have time to wash your hair so dry shampoo is a lifesaver!  I just use the cheap Salon Grafix kind and it works great for me.

7. Sunglasses-  Thanks to sleep deprivation you're going to have nice big black circles under your eyes so rock those sunglasses. 

8. Ipad/Kindle-  My ipad mini has been my lifesaver over the past few months.  When it's 2am and you're trying to stay awake browsing the internet, reading, watching episodes of Gossip Girl , etc will help keep you awake while you feed the baby.  Trust me. 

9. Under Eye Concealer-  If I don't get enough sleep I get the worst black circles under my eyes.  I've actually had people ask me how I got a black eye. They're that bad.  My favorite concealer is Laura Mercier Under Eye Concealer.

10. Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleanser Towelettes-  I used these in the hospital when I was bedridden and continue to use them on those days that I'm just too exhausted or too busy to get a proper shower. 


SHARE:
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Blogger Template Created by pipdig