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Showing posts from June, 2014

Nothing says love more than a bistro set

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This week we celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary. Go us! We aren't big spenders on gifts and, truthfully, our anniversary kind of snuck up on us. So, in true, new-home-owner-fashion, we splurged on something for the house. A bistro set for the front porch. The reclaimed wood table satisfies the "wood anniversary gift" year and it is definitely something we can enjoy together while sipping a cold beverage or five. Happy anniversary to my main (handy)man!

What did the rug say to the floor?

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...I've got you covered. (harhar) The irony of wood floors is that they are so great, you have to cover them up with rugs to protect them. And, rugs are expensive (in a whiny voice)! So, we headed to Ikea on Sunday to see what we could find and we found one, well, technically two. Check it out! Here is the picture of the living room after we moved in:

You're Outta Here Part 4 & 5

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While we were away in Sonoma last weekend, a magic elf  my sister lent us a hand and removed the wallpaper in Cinderella's bedroom and the guest room. Woohoo! This was definitely a much needed boost to home improvement plans and it feels great to cross off a few more items on the To Do List. If you remember, here's what the guest room/sleeping porch looked like when we moved in.  And, here it is, minus wallpaper and lacy curtains + messy guest bed:

A Sweet, Sweet Delta Breeze

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After a short hiatus from blogging due to attending a family wedding in Sonoma County over the weekend, I am excited to share with you the most amazing thing to happen to our 99 year old house. We installed a house fan!!! It is awesome!  

What are sisters for?

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As a poor graduate student (who graduates tomorrow), my sister is pretty much willing to do anything around the house for a little cash. Before we moved in, I roped her into painting the mudroom with me. In this case, creamsicle orange was not so sweet. Here's my sister with the lovely orange walls. Check out that hand-painted flower in the lower right. Priceless!

And, You're Outta Here Part 3

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What's out, you ask? Another wallpapered room. Hooray! Nate and I got busy (Heehee) over Mother's Day Weekend while Cinderella was at my parents' house and took down the full bath's hideous, HIDEOUS, wallpaper. We were feeling so ambitious we even went to Sherwin Williams, bought some paint, and painted the sucker. Happy Mothers Day to Meeeeee! Check out the before:

A bowl full of cherries. Literally, one bowl.

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We have two cherry trees in our backyard and one of them is big and beautiful and has to be at least 30 or 40 years old. In late March, it bloomed with the most fragrant smelling flowers. The whole backyard was intoxicating.   I had visions of our family picking cherries, just like we did at my grandparents' house when I was a child. After waiting over two weeks for these babies to ripen, I finally picked the "good ones" on Tuesday and let the birds have the rest. They must be Rainer cherries or another yellow/pink variety because they never turned red. If you know or have any ideas, please leave me a comment.     We literally have one bowlful of cherries.

When life gives you a lemon tree...

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...dig a hole and plant it! When we moved from Kansas to California, my mom's childhood best friend, Sarah, stopped by our rental home in Sacramento with a lovely, totally California, housewarming gift--a lemon tree! We potted it in hopes it would survive until we found a more permanent home for it (and us). This little guy gave us two lemons last year, and is loaded with 18 lemons right now. I can't wait to make lemoncello, lemontini, lemon fizz, and lemon drops this winter/spring. There might just be enough for lemon bars, lemon pound cake, and lemon cream pie too. I'm a sucker for booze and sweets. Two weekends ago, I planted it in our backyard and it's starting to bloom again! It must really love its new home just as much as we love ours.

I {heart} School House Electric and a front porch update

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As I drooled over the old homes in Lawrence, Kansas, where we lived for seven years, I dreamed of one day owning my own historic home. I would note websites and resources for my future home and fell in love with School House Electric , makers of iconic lighting and home furnishings, based out of Portland, Oregon. Their stuff is seriously cool, and I couldn't wait until I had a home worthy of their accouterments. On a recent work trip, I was able to stop by their showroom and it exceeded all my expectations. First, it has its own coffee shop and if you know anything about Portland, you know they are serious about their coffee. It was ah-mazing! The staff was also super friendly and helpful (read: they didn't call the cops when I wandered aimlessly for two hours while hopped up on caffeine) . Here are a few pictures (not great quality) from my visit.

This is what home repair looks like with a 3 year old

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She calls herself the Fairy Princess Plumber

Instant Gratification or You're Outta Here Part 2

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Another quick project we did the minute after getting keys to the house was take down the wallpaper in the kitchen. We both kind of liked the bright yellow/brown/white flowers, but it was either falling off the wall or being held to the wall with duct-paper. Super classy. It had to go!