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the big 3-0

2012-01-30T19:48:00.001-06:00

Well friends, I officially hit the big 3-0 yesterday. It wasn't marked with any big celebration, as I was battling a cold and feeling a little under the weather!

B.T.C Grocery in Water Valley, Mississippi

Saturday, I did venture out for a fun cooking class with my friend Hayden at the B.T.C Grocery in Water Valley, Mississippi where we learned to make the most delicious artichoke soup ( among other things...) and I enjoyed a wonderful breakfast at Honey Bee Bakery with Lew on Sunday. Have I ever mentioned that going out for breakfast is one of my most favorite things to do...

His gift of a Kindle was perfectly timed, as I spent a good portion of the weekend on the couch or in bed. And although I never want to see a brick and mortar books stores (and most specifically independent bookstores) close, I'm excited to read on my e-reader too!

To be honest, I can't really decide how I feel about thirty... but it's here so I'm taking the attitude that hopefully the next thirty years will be even better than the first thirty.

Rambling Road Update...

2012-01-29T16:28:00.002-06:00

January has been a busy month! A few weeks ago my mom and I headed to Atlanta for a quick buying trip for Rambling Road. We loved getting to visit all the showrooms at market and see what is new, and even squeezed in a quick trip to Scott Antique Market where I picked up several new things for my house (pics to come soon). Be sure to check out the Rambling Road site to see our new booth space in Sugar Magnolia, we've got about twice as much space and have filled it to the brim with great stuff!

Wishing...

2012-01-18T05:53:00.000-06:00

the lovely mary straton smith

Do y'all read Mary Straton's "Wish List Wednesday" posts?! It is one of my favorite reads on Wednesdays as she has a great eye for unique finds and I love seeing what she posts each week.

She even featured my sister-in-law Amy's Etsy creations last week on her Etsy themed post! If you don't already read them, so check her out!

Want to know my wish today? I wish I were headed to Alt Summit.... I just know it would be major. So inspiring to be around so many creative people (and I feel certain I would be slightly start struck by all my blogger crushes). Oh, maybe someday!

p.s. Did you know Mary Straton convinced me to start this blog? yep, she sure did.

a thank you, a few random thoughts and the civil wars....

2012-01-09T16:33:00.001-06:00

First, THANK YOU, thank you, thank you for all the kind comments on the house! I was totally flattered by your responses and it was so fun to hear from people that don't normally comment! Makes this whole blog think feel more like a two way street when I hear back from y'all!

It was a hectic last week and from the looks of it, this one will be about the same. I'm not complaining. You see, last week was one of those work weeks that make me stop and think that I should not ever complain about my job, because it is really fun! I spent two day in Jackson working and getting a chance to catch up with some "tourism" friends and then spent a few days here in Oxford touring around a film production crew scouting for a potential movie project. We ate and toured and ate and toured and ate some more and it was really fun! Work projects like that make me get out and experience all the great things about Oxford and remember why we love living in this little town. Now I'm crossing my fingers it comes to here.

This week I am headed to Memphis to see The Civil Wars in concert with Mary Straton and I am so excited! Stay tuned for a recap...

p.s. you might remember I posted about The Civil Wars here before.

how about that house tour?

2012-01-02T19:27:00.000-06:00

Ok, here it is! It's been promised and promised since we moved in in August, but I finally got it together to take some photos and gather the before shots. They don't all match up in exactly, but it will give you a good idea of the before. Also, the before photos must have been reduced at some point because that is as big as I can get them. So, here we go... come on in.

Kitchen:

We owe Courtney Jones all the credit for helping us design the kitchen layout.

Kitchen before...

kitchen after... they installed a tile backsplash today! i'll post updated photos soon.

Mudroom/ Butler's Pantry:

Before, this was the end of the house. The laundry and pantry were located in this hallway. We moved the laundry into a storage room, incorporating it into the house.

before...

This picture shows where the washer/dryer would have been. The cabinets in the before picture were on this wall.

after...

Across from the old washer/ dryer location there were these cabinets. We left them, painting them to match our trim and use them as a pantry.

Storage Room/ Laundry Room :

This room was a storage room off the carport that backed up the back hallway. We switched the laundry hook ups and cut a doorway from the hall to incorporate this into our house.

before...

after...

The washing machine is across from this desk which runs the length of the room, providing a seat for each of us and some storage above.

Entry :

before...

after...

Den:

The wall that is on the right side of the image below is now gone and the den/ kitchen are basically one large open space.

before...

after...

Dining Area:

before...

after.

I talked about our decision to use a garage door in place of the sliding doors in this post, if you are curious.

Hallway:

before.

The after image is taken from the opposite direction ( looking down the hall from the main living space). For some perspective, the first door on the left is the hall bath. Across from the hall bath is the front bedroom. The next door on the left is the linen closet, and the last door in the left is the master bedroom. The last door on the right is the back bedroom.

after...

Hall Bath:

before...

after... ( fyi that shower curtain is about to be replaced)

You may remember that I blogged about our bathroom tile, and the tin in the shower in this post. You can also see the sinks and floor tile in that same post.

Front Bedroom:

before...

after...

Back Bedroom:

before...

after...

Our Bedroom:

before...

after...

Master Bath:

before...

after....

So there it is! We are working on some plans for the exterior improvement and the screen porch addition and hope to start on those sometime soon! It was a lot of work, and somethings turned out better than we expected ( garage door, hall bath) and some might not be our dream, but are working for now ( laundry room).

At the end of the day, it is our home and we love it not only for all the hard work we've poured into it, but also because we share it with each other ( and of course minnie lou) because after all "home is where your heart is"... but we'd be lying if we didn't say we love how it turned out!

year end review...

2012-01-01T19:27:00.000-06:00

As 2012 starts today I had to pay tribute to 2011. It was a good year. One of the best yet, I'd say. Why you ask?

Well let's see 2010 ended with my best pal asking me to be his wife, which meant the first 2 months of 2011 were spent celebrating, planning and feeling quite blissful.

our engagement night, December 23, 2010

a fun evening with my Oxford girlfriends celebrating my engagement.

Lauren, me and Lewis at an incredibly fun engagement party ( that happened to fall on my 29th birthday!)

my wonderful "tourism" friends ( including fellow blogger Mary Straton Smith) threw a dinner for me that made me realize how truly blessed I am to have a job that has given me such incredible friends all over the State)

my mom and I at luncheon during the wedding weekend

March brought our wedding weekend... it rained and rained and rained, and we were certainly glad we'd decided on an indoor location!

our very non-traditional rehearsal dinner.

one of our favorite wedding pictures...

it was everything we wanted it to be! You can view the wedding slide show in this post if you want to see more.

I love to travel, and this year brought travel to Florida for a low key yet lovely honeymoon, a trip to Europe ( for work... another reason to love my job!), several trips to New Orleans and a vacation in Anguilla.

although very unflattering, this is the only photo from our honeymoon!

Nothing says New Orleans like Cafe Du Monde

Anguilla

We spent countless weekends and evening working on our new house, which we moved into in August. The house tour post is scheduled and will be on here tomorrow!!

the dumpster that spent the majority of last year in the front yard!

We headed to Meridian one weekend to see one of my favorite singers in concert... Patty Griffin. If I had a bucket list, seeing her in concert would have been on it.

I have had a lot of fun and a great creative outlet in my mom and my side business, Rambling Road Interiors...

And we've shared more than a few fun times with family and friends that all contributed to making this year go down in history as one of the best yet....

Celebrating my friend Emily's engagement with a weekend in Oxford

lewis' big catch ( on one of several trips to the River House!)

always my pal....Hayden

football season

the thanksgiving holidays with our growing family.

Lewis and Minnie Lou have taken up hunting...

and most recently we celebrated a wonderful Christmas. Here's hoping that 2012 and the start of my 30's ( eek!) can keep up!

christmas recap

2011-12-28T18:21:00.001-06:00

I could kick myself for not taking more photos this Christmas season! We had a great evening at my parent's house (the bottom 4 photos are all of my mom's wonderful decorations) celebrating with my brother and his family, a wonderful few days at home cooking, wrapping presents and enjoying the holiday season and then a really fun christmas eve with my parents, lewis' parents and several good friends. Christmas day was the perfect first christmas as a married couple, as we spent the day together eating a big breakfast, exchanging stockings and watching holiday movies. I guess these few photos will have to supplement the memories, because they are all I've got!

p.s. When catching up on some blog reading today, my friend Leslie's blog was a humbling reminder that even in a time of such joy for some, there are many that are hurting. Her baby daughter has been pretty sick these last few days and even though it looks like she is on the mend, I'm sure they'd still love your prayers.

and another one in the books...

2011-12-26T12:23:00.001-06:00

Hope you all had the merriest of merry Christmas holidays! This pretty pup and I are enjoying a day at home cleaning, packing up the tree and enjoying some leftovers before I head back to work tomorrow!

Enjoy the last few days of 2011, more year end posts to come if all goes as planned!

merry christmas...

2011-12-25T19:36:00.002-06:00

image via anthropologie

Oh, come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant!
Oh, come ye, oh, come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him
Born the king of angels:
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.

christmas cheer

2011-12-21T11:40:00.001-06:00

we are 100% in christmas mode around here. we celebrated with some of my family in memphis last night and starting this afternoon i am officially taking off work until next tuesday! i am so excited for a little vacation time.

this weekend we'll welcome our families as well as some great friend to our house in oxford for a little christmas eve celebration. and in preparation i am thinking i'll make this recipe that was on mary straton's blog for a stove top medley that makes the house smell like christmas.

you can find the recipe here. what about you, how are you spending these last few days before christmas?

christmas decor

2011-12-19T12:39:00.002-06:00

i love the way the house feels when it is decorated for christmas (but i am always pretty glad to see it go and get all cleaned up too). this year, well let's face it, all the time i love a rustic look, with just a little sparkle...and it seems lots of other people are too!

( images above via haven and home)

( image via two ellie)

(image via haven and home)

(above images via dear marguerite)

(image via two ellie)

fish on.

2011-12-19T12:10:00.000-06:00

this past weekend lewis and one of his friends headed to arkansas to fish with my brother( in case you forgot or are new here, he's a fly fishing guide for jamie rouse fly fishing adventures in heber springs, arkansas). they had a blast and caught some big fish too! you can check out matt's blog post on their day and remember, if you need a last minute christmas gift for someone they have gift certificates. i can speak from personal experience, it is a lot of fun!

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas...

2011-12-11T20:36:00.001-06:00

'round here it is beginning to feel a lot like christmas.

reading the recipes...

2011-12-11T20:06:00.001-06:00

this afternoon i headed over to square books to pick up a few christmas presents. with a cup of chai tea in hand, i browsed while i was waiting on the clerk to help me locate a certain book. i could spend hours in square books. it is the kind of book store that is cozy and quaint and inspiring.

(image from here)

the search for my specific book took me down the street to their annex, off square books. somehow i ended up in front of a table filled with cookbooks, and found that there were several cookbooks i would have liked to take home and look through. whether or not i cook the recipes, i certainly enjoy browsing the recipes and getting ideas.

what about you guys.... what are your favorites? or do you have any good recommendations?

have yourself a merry little christmas...

2011-12-08T15:30:00.000-06:00

when i was growing up my grandmother and i would always watch old movies together. to this day, i still love to an old movie and at christmas time "meet me in st. louis" is hard to beat.

does it get better than judy garland singing have yourself a merry little christmas? classic.

if you haven't seen it, trust me it's worth watching! here's a sneak peek to tempt you...

christmas cards

2011-12-04T19:47:00.001-06:00

have you sent out christmas cards yet? i was so impressed by my friends who were so on top of it and got their cards out the day after thanksgiving! we love checking the mail each day to see what cards have arrived.

since it is our first married christmas, i was particularly excited to send out a card this year (and thanks to the wedding list i actually had all the addresses i needed right at my fingertips).

my friend emelie has opened a new design business here in oxford, so i called on her for the job.

some people saw a card using one of my wedding photos on her facebook page, she used it as a sample when selling her cards. it was really pretty, but for some reason i didn't want to use a wedding photo!

i really wanted a picture of me, lewis and minnie lou. it took about a million tries to get one that i was pleased with... thanks to my sister-in-law amy for capturing the best one!

so whether you receive one in the mail or not, here's wishing you a happy holiday season! ( and if you still need someone to make some excellent christmas cards, check out town square designs)

thankful...

2011-11-26T09:25:00.001-06:00

our thanksgiving holiday has been filled with family, food, fishing and much relaxing! we are at my parents river house in heber spring, arkansas for a few days. lew's family stayed with us in oxford earlier in the week... more family, food (it feels like we've been eating for weeks!), and some football! i certainly feel grateful for all our many blessing this year...

the original millner crew... the flowers are from my parents 32nd wedding anniversary this week!

the herringtons

our family...mom and dad, matthew, amy and caroline, me and lew.

a lot of family...

after catching this nice one yesterday morning, lewis and my dad headed too to the "duck camp" to see how good minnie lou the retriever actually is! so far, the report and pictures look pretty good.

meanwhile all those girls cousins pictured above have been shopping for some black friday deals and making a movie night ( at the one screen theatre here in heber) to see the latest twilight film...

happy thanksgiving!

speaking of bags...

2011-11-23T07:46:00.000-06:00

if you read yesterday's post, it appears i have bags on the brain! this time i am thinking a lot larger than a clutch. if you are a regular reader you may know that i travel a good bit for my job. i'm self admittedly the worst packer in america... i don't plan outfits, i take too many pairs of shoes and most importantly, i rarely have the right bag to pack in. i end up with an assortment of mismatched totes overflowing with stuff! hardly the image i want to portray, especially when traveling for work!

so, since the holidays are upon us i am thinking of asking santa for some new luggage but need some help finding the right thing. ideally i would like leather ( or at least part leather) weekender style bag. it needs to close at the top too. what can y'all suggest? do you have a favorite brand of luggage?

here are a couple i've seen that have caught my eye....

tradesman bag via school house electric and supply company

kate spade weekender

kate spade book clutch

2011-11-22T09:43:00.001-06:00

have y'all seen these kate spade book clutches? i don't know how i stumbled upon these but i think they are adorable and sort of smart. wouldn't it be fun with a black dress and some great shoes for a holiday party?

p.s. don't they kind of remind you of the famous carrie bradshaw magazine clutch?

the christmas spirit....

2011-11-16T12:02:00.001-06:00

i'm almost feel a little silly saying that i have christmas fever already and it's not even thanksgiving! i think i am just really excited about decorating and celebrating in our new house. i've even bought a few christmas presents already! i'm trying to spread the christmas spirit, and since lewis hasn't caught it yet, i moved on to the dog. i think it worked. minnie lou is enjoying her new reindeer toy ( yes, i bought that in a moment of impulse in petsmart on saturday)

how about y'all? what are you most looking forward to this holiday season?

eating my way through new orleans...

2011-11-09T14:37:00.001-06:00

taking a break from eating my way through New Orleans to say hello! The food here is good people!

I'm at a conference but certainly enjoying myself too! Be back with better posts soon.

p.s. this is my first ever blog post on my phone! thanks blogger for the app!

get your funny on...

2011-11-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

3 funny ladies. 3 sure-to-be funny books that i am dying to read. nothing like a good laugh before you turn out the lights to make you sleep well, huh?

A tip for your tuesday

2011-11-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

how about a helpful hint on this tuesday morning! this one was a really exciting find for me, because those of you who know me, know that i am the world's biggest klutz. if it can be dropped, broken, twisted or bruised, i've probably done it.

so, finding a tip to salvage a broken make up compact was stellar. i've thrown countless compacts away because of the mess i had made ( not to mention thrown countless make up bags away because the broken eyeshadow then spilled inside and made a big mess.... ).

so, here it is. your tip for re-compacting your broken eye shadows and make up compacts! click here for the full tutorial.

a new LBD.

2011-11-01T05:00:00.000-05:00

i keep going back to this over and over again...

mod dress from emersonmade

add to your reader: laura c styles

2011-10-31T08:09:00.000-05:00

morning readers! happy halloween! let's start the day off on a totally un-halloween note shall we?

one of my college friends, laura clotfelter, has entered the blogging world and i want to introduce y'all! after college laura moved to new york and worked at kate spade and vera wang-- and now she's launched a new styling business and will be blogging (and tweeting) all kind of great advice to help us all be more fashionable!

check her out, and if you need someone to help you revamp your closet, she's your girl.

hello friday...

2011-10-28T15:28:00.000-05:00

(the screen porch at the river house)

happy friday friends. we're heading out to my parents cabin in heber springs, arkansas for the weekend and i could not be more excited for a cozy weekend on the river! although i am a tad jealous of my friends who are all heading to snoop dog tonight at the lyric theater ( yep, our wedding venue), i know this is just what i need!

in the spirit of the river, i wanted to share this video of my brother's latest fishing highlights! he's a great guide on the little red river...

have a great weekend....

dear genevieve

2011-10-27T19:42:00.001-05:00

i've been feeling a little under the weather this week, so i headed home an hour early this afternoon and snuggled up on the couch and hit play on the dvr for one of my favorites.... dear genevieve.

you might remember my wish to be the 3rd picker sister? if that can't happen, i'll settle for just being pals with genevieve gorder...or maybe just getting to shadow her for a day.

fall is in the air...

2011-10-24T16:38:00.001-05:00

have i told y'all that fall makes me very happy? cooler temps, warm soups, and in our case, lots and lots of time in the grove. when you live in a college town and have a guest room- or in our case, 2 guest rooms-- friends and family line up for a room on game weekends. in an attempt to find some good breakfast items to have on hand for such occassions, that were easy ( most important because these weekends are always crazy hectic), i decided to throw skepticism to the wind and try the pumpkin bread recipe that is taking pinterest by storm ( seriously i think everyone is pinning this!)

ingredients: 1 cake mix, 1 can of pumpkin, and in my case, some spices to taste. the recipe called for pumpkin pie spice, which i did not have, so i just threw in some cinnamon etc. bake for 30 minutes on 350. i decided to try erica's method and use a spice cake mix instead of the plain yellow one the recipe called for and have now had two weekends full of house guests asking for the recipe.

it seems i've been lucky and had several weekends where the football part got put on the back burner and some girl time in the grove took priority. i am certainly not complaining....

one weekend i got some quality time with my four college besties... emelie, mk, lauren and laura ( you can't even tell that lauren is pregnant!) laura is new the the blogging world and has a new styling business in atlanta, so check her out!

mk, kristin and hayden hanging at kristin's tent, which will be featured on the travel channel soon!

here's hoping you are enjoying the cooler temps and fall activities as much as we are!

the civil wars....

2011-10-17T14:58:00.001-05:00

a few weeks ago mary straton posted about her new musical love, the civil wars. not knowing about this duo, i immediately checked them out and have since become a fast fan! her voice is haunting and gorgeous and he is soulful and bluesy ( and pretty cute too!) do you know them? see for yourself here.

eclectic wall

2011-10-11T15:44:00.004-05:00

something about this image just gets me! i love pretty much everything about it, from the variety of the items in the gallery wall, to the twiggy branches in the vase on the table... and that wall color is to die for. once again, thanks to pinterest for making a quick work break in the afternoon filled with such inspiration.

what is it about the south?

2011-10-10T13:58:00.001-05:00

i've discussed my love for the south and southern culture here before... so i'm sure it will be no surprise to anyone that today's post is also in relation to that very topic. combine southern culture with my love for early morning news programs, namely msnbc's morning joe ( before i switch over to the today show) and you've got the makings of a good monday morning.

this morning garden and gun magazine's editor-and-chief david dibenedetto, alongside the ever inspiring julia reed were on morning joe chatting about the rise in the popularity of all things southern... just in time to promote the garden and gun southern food issue. host joe scarborough ( a southern guy himself, and sporting his alabama gear on air this morning) begged the question "what is it about southern culture that spawns such creativity?"

we promote it all the time in my line of work, but you have to think there is something magical about a place that has produced some of the finest literature in america, where almost all genre's of music can trace their roots and let's not even get started on the food! so, check out the video here ( getting the embed code from msnbc is apparently a trick).

still loving barn doors...

2011-10-05T07:05:00.000-05:00

you know when you see something over and over and still don't tire of it? barn doors are sort of that for me. seems like there are several images i saw on blogs over the past year and now they are all over pinterest but still catch myself stopping and looking (and thinking "have i pinned that one yet?")

here are few favorites:

all images via pinterest.

what about you? what do you think you'll always love?

recovered books.

2011-10-04T19:55:00.000-05:00

have y'all seen the recovered book contests on the fox is black? the graphic design blog posts challenges for graphic artists to redesign the covers to books and recently did one of my favorite books, jane eyre. i could really go on and on about my love for this book which i've read many, many times since the first time i read it in 8th grade... maybe more on that in another post.

what do you think? would a cover like this peak your interest over the one posted above?

p.s. thanks to nishta for sharing the fox is black post with me!

ricotta: made and devoured...

2011-09-29T15:12:00.000-05:00

it was a beautiful saturday night... a garage door open kind of evening! lewis was grilling out a pork tenderloin and it seemed like the perfect time to try that ricotta i'd been so scared of attempting.

i whipped it right up and in no time it was in the cheese cloth.... almost ready. this time i used the recipe i reference in my earlier post and it was very simple. next time i want to try one that uses buttermilk though, just for comparison sake.

i toasted some ciabatta bread from bottletree bakery in my grill pan and sprinkled each toast with fresh ricotta and some honey.... i was beaming with pride, and almost spoiled my dinner.

minnie lou thought they looked pretty yummy herself... just not quite good enough to get off that comfy chair.

anthropologie's decorating advice

2011-09-21T10:09:00.001-05:00

did y'all see this cute post on roost with 5 tips from anthropologie for decorating your house? good advice for any style. check it out here.

do you have decorating advice you swear by? my go to is this: my mom is telling me that if you love something, the kind of love it where it just hits you and you really really love it, then you should buy it and you'll find a way to make it work! and you most likely won't tire of it.

welcome weekend!

2011-09-16T14:54:00.001-05:00

i don't know about y'all but that four day week last week, made this 5 day week seem long! ( that sentence is sort of a tongue twister huh?) so this weekend is very welcome! in addition to enjoying cooler temperatures and celebrating my friend emelie's 30th b'day, i'll be spending the day on saturday selling tons of stuff at the indoor yard sale here in oxford, so if you are around "these parts" you should come look for some treasures in other people's junk! ( but secretly wish i was in ottawa shopping at this yard sale! )

here's hoping your weekend is exactly what you hope it will be.... and that lot's of people are looking for a good bargain here in oxford!

p.s. coming up next week: pictures of our house ( i've gotten lots of emails requesting!), a report on the homemade ricotta, and another unique post on my favorite book!

a new goal: make homemade ricotta

2011-09-13T10:28:00.002-05:00

(image from here)

have y'all ever made homemade ricotta cheese? every where i turn someone is proclaiming how easy it is and how it is so worth the little extra effort. having tasted two of my friend's homemade ricottas i can vouch for how much better it tastes, but for some reason i am totally intimidated to try it on my own!

my friend amy uses this recipe from roy finamore's cookbook entitled tasty, and serves it on grilled ciabatta with honey. heaven.

and i'm inspired today by nishta's zucchini fritters (which contain homemade ricotta). how wonderful do they look? ( and a great way to use up the loads of zucchini we've gotten from our C.S.A).

so y'all wish me luck! i'll let you know how it turns out....

just because...

2011-09-12T13:16:00.000-05:00

i really, really like this. from coco and kelly via pinterest. hope your monday is cheery and bright.

music to my ears

2011-09-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

i've been proclaiming for about 3 years now that i need to update the music on my ipod, because i've listened to it all so much i kind of want to scream. and this fall is answering my prayers. october 11 you can bet i'm downloading the new ryan adams album, "fire and ashes" and wilco's new album "the whole love" comes out this fall as well. my ears will be happy!

p.s. remember this post about ryan adams?

daddy's girl.

2011-09-08T10:22:00.003-05:00

(image via life to her years)

have y'all seen this sweet, funny and pretty spot on blog, life to her years. it's a dad's blog about enriching the lives of your daughters. i've only read a few posts, but many of them reminded me of the sweet and unique way that daughter's bring out the soft spots in a dad's heart! it brought back memories of funny "life lessons" emails my dad sent me when i went off to college, or memories we made together when he took me hunting with him or fishing ( usually at some point during these trips he'd say, "don't be such a girl." to which i always thought, "but i am a girl." oh dads!) all and all that bond is pretty unique and whether you are a daughter or have a daughter it is a sweet blog! have to admit while reading it i couldn't help but think that i hope lewis gets to experience life as a dad of a daughter someday!

p.s. my friend chris writes also writes a sweet blog about his life with a wife and two daughters, called sorority house... i immediately emailed him this blog when i saw it because it reminded me of him!

2011-09-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

the weather around here is teasing us with fall temperatures. we are certainly in for a few more warm days, but these cooler temps have me evaluating my fall wardrobe. now, i'd be lying if i said i needed more boots, but i "need" these! ( i made the picture big so y'all could see just how fabulous they are). oh and yes, as always they are frye... the frye melissa button to be exact.

adding to my library

2011-09-07T08:40:00.001-05:00

if you were wanting to buy me a happy today and just couldn't think of what to get, i'm dropping in to offer a suggestion...

actually, kidding aside, i am thinking i might have to order this today! i love to read design*sponge, in fact it is one of my daily stalks and am sure the book is pure goodness.

read more about it over at design*sponge.

the picker sisters

2011-09-05T15:27:00.001-05:00

do y'all watch the picker sisters? i'm hooked and am secretly wishing they'd decide they needed a 3rd "sister" and pick me! if you haven't seen it, tracy and tonya (you might have seen them both on extreme home makeover) are best friends and have opened a shop in LA where they sell furniture and other items they've created or repurposed from old junk they find while picking all over the country!

they've been down south in all the episodes i've seen, which makes it even more personal and fun for me to watch, but i love watching their minds work when they look at this stuff in junk yards and old buildings and figure out what they could do with it!

pictures via show website

i mean wouldn't you look at an old grain silo and see the chair pictured above? check it out and maybe you'll be as ~~envious~~ inspired as i am!

For my mississippi peeps.

2011-08-29T14:07:00.000-05:00

from etsy via pinterst

and another welcome...

2011-08-25T09:32:00.000-05:00

another blog welcome to my sister-in-law amy, who is joining the blog world! i know y'all have all heard me go on and on about my brother's blog, and now his wife will be blogging too!

amy makes these soy way candles that are all natural, eco-friendly and smell divine! we've burning the banana nut bread scent around our house for a few weeks now and people constantly think something is baking. check her out.

p.s. if you want one, you can visit her blog and contact her to order, or we are selling them in the rambling road booth in sugar magnolia in oxford.

school days...school days...

2011-08-24T13:51:00.002-05:00

(pillows are from here, but spotted in the slideshow mentioned below)

i always loved back to school time. first, i love nothing more than some good school supplies and getting them organized, but also that anticipation of seeing folks you hadn't seen all summer, catching up, new routines and new school clothes. it is just all so good.

i always feel a little of that buzz around this time of the year, even though i'm not in school and nor do i have children to be starting school ( i look foward to those days though!).

i loved this slideshow today on kirtsy about back to school stuff for adults! check it out. sort of a fun collection of school related images, don't you think?

p.s. if you aren't visiting kirtsy already, get ready, it's another great site filled with daily slideshows curated by designers, artists and bloggers. kind of cool, huh?

tie-neck blouses

2011-08-24T13:19:00.000-05:00

image via shopbop

well, it's arrived again. the time of year when i start to dream of fall clothes but the temps really aren't dropping...

as i've been window shopping on the internet one trend i keep spotting that -- i'm loving for fall -- are tie-neck blouses. my mom is cringing right now, she hates a tie neck blouse! piperlime has some good choices which are mostly 3/4 or long sleeved and then i saw this marc by marc jacobs one. It would be perfect work attire to transition into fall, don't you think? the skirt is pretty cute too!

a change is gonna do you good...

2011-08-23T07:45:00.000-05:00

of the ~~millions~~ handful of readers i get daily i know there are several people who come to my blog to link to others. just in case you are wondering where the links are they are now all on their own page.

just changing things up a little. happy reading and happy blogging, whichever you choose.

image via pinterest.

just a few friday morning finds.

2011-08-19T11:32:00.000-05:00

if you look back over the past few week's posts you'd swear i only live for the weekends! it's actually not the case usually, but this week has been one of those weeks that kicks your booty so i'm on vacation today and enjoying nesting in my new house and trying not to leave the house b/c when you live in a college town today is what is known as "move in day" which means it is insanity out there!

i sent some fabric that i'd been saving for about a year off to be made into a pillow for our couch this week. it has butterflies, worms and creepy crawly bugs on it and i love it! it's design legacy and when i went looking for a picture to show y'all i came across these other gems i wish i could order up as well.

this is the closest i could get to the fabric i selected. it's not quite these colors, but you get the idea.

i often say i have a shoe problem, but that is only because they are cheaper than chairs! i could collect odd chairs, i swear! both of those above wish they could find a place in my home, i know they do.

how cute is the fabric made from old khaki's?? i can totally see that in a little boy's room or made into pillow to give a manly fair to a more feminine room.

a map of morocco anyone? i love this look of old framed maps. this would make me want to take a vacation!

these spools are just good. i like them. i think you could hang them on the wall and use them to attach curtains too, or just throw them in a bowl from something to look at.

don't you all need a motel light up sign for your house? i kind of think i do.

whether you are livin' for the weekend or not, hope it's a good one! tgif!

on the vacation wishlist....

2011-08-12T10:59:00.000-05:00

image via cupcakes and cashmere

perhaps it's the summer heat, or just the hectic pace we've been keeping with the move and all, but i've got vacation dreams on the brain. know where would top my list... portland, oregon! yep. i've always wanted to go, and after my friend lauren went a few years ago her stories only affirmed my desire.

now... just to come upon a windfall of money and convince lewis. bet your bottom dollar when those happen i'll start packing! until then, i'll just be dreaming. where are your vacation dream spot? or what about portland reviews, thoughts anyone?

the new southern belle.

2011-08-11T09:13:00.001-05:00

my friend nishta ( of the great food blog blue jean gourmet) reminded me of this interesting article in this month's garden and gun magazine about the new southern belle. i loved it and if you are the least bit southern i think you will too!

check it out here. and if you don't get this magazine-- you should! it is smart, interesting, beautiful and all around goodness!

p.s. here is another great essay about being southern, written by nishta.

progress looks like this:

2011-08-08T20:00:00.001-05:00

i debated on waiting to get things looking a little bit more finished and cute to post about this, but nah....

in addition to all our weekend fun, we did accomplish some things around the house! in fact, we built this desk for our laundry room ( yes we know the middle is sagging, we're working on that!) by built, i mean we purchased a salvaged counter top and then sanded and painted it and mounted it on top of two file cabinets! that's building right? it looks really cute in person and will soon have a center support!

and lewis hung our kitchen shelves.... which are the same wood as the beam that runs down the middle of the kitchen/ den. they look so good especially after i stocked them full of cups, plates etc.

and as a follow up to my last post, i had to show our sunflower loot!

instagram pics of the weekend.

2011-08-08T11:06:00.001-05:00

after tackling a few more home projects on friday evening ( more to come on that) saturday we headed about 20 minutes down the road to water valley, mississippi for the water valley watermelon carnival.

lewis has a pal that is running for state senate and he was there campaigning so we went to be supportive and dared to brave the heat for a few hours!

we got there just in time for the watermelon auction.....they are huge! and even have a special cart to carry the winner's melons to their car!

when we couldn't take the heat anymore, we headed into "downtown" water valley to check out their old fashioned grocery store, the b.t.c. grocery. i'd heard about this place and wanted to see for myself. visually it was incredible and the selection of good was equally as nice! we left wishing we had this place in oxford.

they make hand made sandwiches and soups too if you are in this neck of the woods and looking for some lunch! too bad we'd already tried the fair food at the carnival, i think the sandwiches would have been a better bet. we did make out with some dill havarti cheese and fresh homemade angel hair pasta that were both delicious!

wrapping up the theme of enduring the heat, we spent sunday morning on the square in oxford watching bikers compete in the 2nd oxford endurance weekend, and then headed out to pick some sunflowers at our friend's farm.

here's hoping your weekend was a nice as ours was, and hopefully maybe cooler!? happy monday!

in weather this hot...

2011-08-02T17:07:00.000-05:00

we could all use something refreshing! how about refreshing your computer desk top? if you are like me and are at your computer all the time it is fun to have something new to look at each day! i love these cute desk top calendars that martha carter makes. check out her cute blog and download one for yourself!

dreaming of art.

2011-07-29T09:30:00.001-05:00

well, we made it through our first night in our new house! it looks a little like a bomb went off in the place, but i am confident that a weekend of sorting, moving and organizing will make a vast improvement!

in the meantime our white walls have me dreaming of some new art. what kind of art? well, lots if i had an unlimited budget but if i were saving for one in particular it would be this....

what about you guys, have you invested in any art? this piece caught my eye months ago and hasn't left my mind since.

the artist is a guy named bradley gordon. for more of his awesome work you can visit his gallery website.

blazing blazer.

2011-07-26T14:12:00.000-05:00

in spite of the blazing temps outside, when i saw this image on from ainsley with love, my immediate thought was i need this blazer. just another reason to wish for fall. this and more at her blog from the new jcrew fall line.

ps. as much as i love a skinny jean with boots over it, i'm thrilled at the return of a wide leg too!

pinterest makes me hungry...

2011-07-25T13:16:00.000-05:00

seriously y'all! the food images on pinterest will make your mouth water (even if you've just eaten lunch!)

i was expecting great house ideas and maybe some clothes envy but had no idea the delicious recipes that i would be printing almost daily! what are y'all's favorite food boards?

we have a garage door.... in our kitchen.

2011-07-18T12:28:00.000-05:00

yep, you read it right. we have a garage door in our kitchen... and i love it!

a few notes about this:

* we saw the idea in a book and totally copied. their door was metal and we changed to wood because of the price but also to match our other exterior doors. we have tiny windows and felt this would bring in lots of natural light.

* i know that hardware would totally drive some people nuts hanging down, we decided we wouldn't mind. also, we had to opt out of a pendant light over our table to accommodate this, but we decided that was ok too.

* someday we hope to have a screened in porch that this door will open into making it much more practical.

* we aren't worried about curtains or privacy because there are woods behind our home!

see for yourself:

friday afternoon fun.

2011-07-15T14:26:00.000-05:00

how about a little fun for your friday afternoon? take this style quiz from homegoods and former domino magazine editor-and-chief deborah needleman.

click here for the quiz

i was bohemian classic, which seems about right. the questions are quirky and make you think about how you live in your space. what is your style?

mission organization....

2011-07-15T08:22:00.001-05:00

image via pinterest

i need something like this.... if y'all saw the state of my jewelry... well, let's just say it is ~~a little~~ a lot disorganized! speaking of organizing, my mom is coming down this weekend to help us start moving and do a lot of organizing/ cleaning out! nothing feels better than a good purge of junk! hope y'alls weekend plans are as exciting as mine!

a yellow chair.

2011-07-12T13:45:00.000-05:00

yesterday my mom went to an estate sale in memphis hunting for some unique pieces for rambling road interiors. she texted me a picture of this chair, which i adore! i love the velvet and the pop of color! would you use a yellow chair in your house? i totally would.

p.s. check out our rambling road blog to see more of what we have, and some inspiration and ideas along the way too!

shoe lust

2011-07-09T21:13:00.000-05:00

i've proclaimed my love for frye shoes here before ( oh and here too!). i was making a mad dash through belk this week while i was in jackson for work and came across these dolls.... and they were half off. i practically skidded to a stop and asked the clerk frantically to see if they had my size ( or any size near it) but alas, no luck! someone should snatch them up, especially at that price! if weren't still a two house family i might be temped to buy those and these too! they are going on my wishlist for fall shoes, that is for sure ( and on my style board on pinterest!)

our own beer garden

2011-07-09T21:10:00.000-05:00

we're not even finished with the inside of our house, but you can't stop a girl from dreaming. once we move on to the outside (and then backyard) i think it would be fun to have a beer garden table like this! but before that, we need outside paint color inspiration! who's got ideas??

happy birthday mister.

2011-07-05T16:21:00.001-05:00

hope everyone had a great july 4th. we celebrate lewis every year in addition to america. he's almost a yankee doodle dandy, he was born on the 3rd of july! ( and his pictured above wearing his favorite shirt which is made from terry cloth) we had what felt like an all american 4th of july/ lewis 31st birthday weekend. he and his friends smoked a pig, i made orzo salad and we had strawberry birthday cake, beer and fireworks! and as usual i forgot to take pictures. we also hit the lake for some skiing, and went to our friends annual fourth of july party featuring the best firework's around! hope you're weekend was as fun filled as our was!

island times.

2011-06-29T13:00:00.002-05:00

so, as you may remember a few weeks ago we were in anguilla with lewis' family. it is beyond gorgeous, extremely hot and a great place for relaxing. his parents have been going for 13 ( or more) years, so they know all the spots to go. these pictures don't even scratch the surface of all that we did while we were there!

unfortunately day 1 and 2 were a little rainy, and we were a little stir crazy. lewis and i decided to explore one of the local resorts, Cap Jaluca. the view was stunning and the sun even started to peak out for a minute! we were thrilled because there was a wedding about to happen on the beach and we wanted sunshine for them! lewis did not bring his shades as you could see in the picture below and was feeling a little grouchy about it.

lewis' dad loves to watch the sunset each afternoon and the although clouds always seem to roll in around sunset, the sky was always gorgeous and the view from our deck wasn't too bad either!

our condo was right next to the viceroy resort, which is the island's newest resort and might be one of the most visually interesting places i've ever been. i've tagged a bunch of the photos of the viceroy on my pinterest travel board. it's designed by the one and only kelly wertsler and is thus gorgeous!

above is the view from the viceroy pool deck. as you can see the below, the water is crystal clear!

another evening lewis and i headed back to the viceroy for sushi at the sunset bar. i wish it wasn't dark so you could see the view behind us!

this shot is from another day, but this is what our sushi dinner view looked like!

a couple of afternoons we headed to johnno's. lewis' dad (big lewis) loves their whole fish and they usually have live music. it's a great spot for people watching as lots of locals head this way on their days off. the last two days we were there were national holidays so this place was packed full to watch the sail boat races that started and ended here!

if there was a drink of the trip, this is probably it. it seemed like lewis always had a cold carib in his hand, because frankly it was the best way to beat the heat!

always one for adventure, lewis convinced me to sea kayak with him to a local snorkeling hot spot that can't be accessed except by boat. little bay, is gorgeous, and was well worth the anxiety being in open waters in a kayak caused me! too bad when we got there my snorkeling gear was broken and my shoes washed out to sea! oh well!

our last afternoon we hit up the boat races, and these girls were fascinated by my camera. they asked if i would take their picture and when i said yes, this was their immediate response. future models?

it was actually quite exciting, and sonic ( the boat behind us) pulled a narrow win. they weren't favored and when they won, the crowds on the beach went crazy!

(those last few are just a few other shots from the week!)

a february wedding shower.

2011-06-29T08:36:00.000-05:00

back in february, some friends hosted a great wedding shower/ brunch for me at tin pan alley! (i've been meaning to share these pictures for a long time) the details were just perfect and the atmosphere was amazing. i loved all the dainty china, mismatched flowers, candles and unique decorations!

can you tell we are ohhing an ahhing over a baby??

twine

2011-06-28T10:56:00.002-05:00

don't you love twine like this?? i feel like there are a million uses and all the colors are so cute!

image via BHLDN

p.s. we used twine like this on our wedding invites!

do you pin??

2011-06-27T09:20:00.001-05:00

so, after about 15 people told me they thought i would love pinterest, i've finally joined. although i was hesitant to find another internet time suck, i couldn't resist having all my "inspiration" images in one place ( not to mention the treasure trove of images to be found there!)

let me know if your pinning too, i'd love to follow you! if you want to follow me, here's the link to my board. remember, i'm just getting started, many more to come!

if i had no plans this weekend...

2011-06-24T08:17:00.002-05:00

i would make this wreath that leslie and her sister made. her tutorial is here and i think it looks super doable!

we'll be celebrating the wedding of one of lewis' long time friends all weekend, so craft project aren't likely to happen, however, i'm filing this one away in my mind for a lazy weekend.

happy weekend friends!

how about some kitchen pictures.

2011-06-15T06:47:00.001-05:00

well, we don't have counter tops yet, or the back splash, but we are making process... and are thrilled with how it has turned out. take a look, i hope you like it. a big thanks to courtney for all her help redoing the lay out of the kitchen for us.

it's hard to believe it used to look like this huh? oh, and for good measure i thought i'd throw in a few bathroom pics as well...

guest bath room shower/ tub

master bathroom shower/ tub

guest bathroom sink (and mirror that weighs a million pounds). i posted about this tile before.

master bathroom sink/ toilet.

keri russell's home in elle decor

2011-06-14T20:37:00.001-05:00

while traveling to anguilla last week i thumbed through the latest issue of elle decor. this month's issue features keri russell's home ( i was a total felicity junky) --and the story of she and her husband's complete redo of the place. they used tons of reclaimed and repurposed materials and the final result is so fabulous! how homey and comfortable does this place look while still being chic? i love it. you can read the article and see more images at elle decor.

(all images via elle decor)

go home day.

2011-06-14T08:39:00.001-05:00

it's go home day! we're packed and about to head to the ferry to catch our plane.... a trip is always fun, but go home day is always good too! we're ready to see our minnie lou, sleep in our own bed and stop eating so much! more pictures and stories to come from our island adventure.....

hello from the beach...

2011-06-07T20:34:00.002-05:00

we're on vacation with lew's family in anguilla...they've come here for 13 years! we just arrived today and have been awake for what seems like a million hours, but my husband kindly pointed out that i've been neglecting the blog-- and it's not for lack of material!

did i tell you we're almost done with the kitchen at the new casa? we spent last weekend installing cabinets and appliances. it seems like yesterday that it looked like this. we took a lot of inspiration from the kitchen pictured above. see more picture of that kitchen redo at little green notebook. we'll post pics of ours really soon, i promise.

until then....

a welcome to the blog world...

2011-06-02T15:16:00.000-05:00

my friend mitchell just joined the blogging world. she's worked in dc and new york in fashion and interior design for the past 6 years and has just moved to birmingham and welcomed a beautiful baby girl... her blog is sure to be a great read. check her out!

travelin' tales: greenwood edition.

2011-05-31T10:01:00.005-05:00

well, last week took me south to the mississippi delta to greenwood, mississippi. it was for work, but i can assure you there was plenty to find pleasure in even while working. for one, the hotel. the alluvian hotel is a destination all in itself if nothing else for the breakfast and the beds. both are heavenly. the hotel is owned by the viking range corporation and they know how to do it right, i tell ya!

we were there for a tourism meeting which included lots of great food, at local favorites including gardinias ( my favorite) and luscos ( a greenwood tradition) and a cooking school class at viking.

too bad i didn't take a single picture!

new header...new name...

2011-05-23T16:51:00.004-05:00

wow, i feel so much better, kind of like after a new haircut! a big thank you to my friend emelie mcgee for the new header! more tweaks might be coming, so hang with me!

p.s. her company town square designs does great work if you need some custom design at a not so custom price!

mink muffs

2011-05-17T15:16:00.001-05:00

essie's mink muffs = my new fav.

mother's day, birthdays and more.

2011-05-17T08:54:00.005-05:00

well, i've been traveling, traveling, traveling since last week and am struggling to know what day of the week or what time zone i am in! i'll catch up soon.

it seems i've missed so much! first, i wasn't home to celebrate mother's day, but hope my wonderful mom knows how much i love her.

then, it was also my pal lauren's 29th birthday.... it feels like just yesterday that we were together in oxford celebrating her 19th, 20th and 21st birthdays together! so much has changed in our lives since those days, but i hope 29 is as special as any yet for her!

also, we have floors in the new house!! pictures to come of those asap! although it has felt like we'd never finish, there is light at the end of the tunnel!

here's hoping your week is off to a great start, promise to be back soon!

nuptials

2011-05-03T10:35:00.003-05:00

well, as i recovered from double decker i spent a great deal of time watching all the recaps of the royal wedding. i'll admit, i was a sucker for it. in fact, lewis asked me how long we were going to watch clips of the same thing over and over again. he also told me that kate middleton was hot. i agree, she looked gorgeous!

so, speaking of weddings you should all read this post about weddings by julia reed. ( thanks ferriday for sharing on your blog!) i love julia reed and think she is hysterical her book queen of the turtle derby is a must read.

happy tuesday...

oxford on Design*Sponge today!

2011-04-26T15:10:00.007-05:00

my friend erin wrote this awesome post for design*sponge today about oxford ( and a few little towns near here, water valley and taylor!) you may remember erin from this post, or read her blog afterschool oxford.

check out her recommendations for what to do in oxford town and then plan a trip here.

move night.

2011-04-24T17:52:00.003-05:00

i love to go to the movies, but rarely actually make it to the theater. but, we ( yep, after much arm twisting i convinced lewis to see a "chick flick") are heading out in a few to see water for elephants. i finished the book last night and am excited to see the movie version but am usually a firm believer that books are better than their movie versions. have you seen it? or better yet, have you read the book?

happy easter

2011-04-24T17:28:00.002-05:00

Crown him with many crowns,
 the Lamb upon his throne,
 Hark! how the heavenly anthem drowns
 all music but its own.
 Awake, my soul, and sing
 of him who died for thee,
 and hail him as thy matchless King
 through all eternity.

happy easter friends. hope everyone has enjoyed the holiday. it was nice to pause for a day of rest and reflection before the start of a hectic week. here is what will i be doing for the next 7 days. happy start to the week.

psst...

2011-04-13T16:01:00.002-05:00

just letting y'all know there is a new post over at rambling road... some cute new items headed to our booths tomorrow. check it out!

mary straton's wish list inspiration

2011-04-12T14:38:00.009-05:00

(light via this etsy seller )

thanks to mary straton's wish list wednesday last week (she posts a wish list on wednesdays that is always worth checking out!) i found this great light for our kitchen. her wish list became mine and i ordered it yesterday! i can't wait to for it to arrive!

and speaking of can't wait.... i can't wait to show y'all the tile that was installed in our bathroom today! ( after this, we decided to keep our day jobs and let the professionals handle it from here on out!) things finally feel like they are starting to come together at this casa...

more to come.

making your house a home.

2011-04-11T15:18:00.005-05:00

(image found via cup of jo)

i've been thinking a lot about our new house. it's much more modern (yet was built in the 60's) than our current house... ( i like saying "our" now!!) when people come to our house one thing people often tell me is that it feels so homey. i want to keep that vibe alive in the new space, even if it is cleaner. so, send me your inspiration for homey spaces! i love seeing what over people think makes a home feel like home!

why i love spring.

2011-04-11T13:19:00.006-05:00

bet you were thinking i was going to talk about the pretty weather or beautiful flowers, or open toe shoes..... haha, nope- i am more of a fall girl anyway! it's only the time of year when the best candy ever hits the local drugstore shelves.

hope your monday has a little afternoon indulgence, as you can see, mine did!

do you journal?

2011-04-04T13:49:00.005-05:00

(image via oprah.com)

do you keep a journal? i have at many, many points during my life and at other times have kept notebooks filled with quotes, or thoughts, ideas and inspirations... it can be so fun (and sometimes mortifying) to look back through them! sometimes i can find no better clarity on something than when i write it down... so, you can imagine that i loved this article in this month's oprah magazine where she looked back at her journals from her lifetime....

and i especially loved that she noted that she prefers an unlined page! me too oprah, me too!

(and better yet, make it a moleskine.)

what about you? do you journal? unlined or lined notebook?

i'm just saying....

2011-04-01T07:00:00.000-05:00

i love this.

via haven and home ( originally from this old house magazine)

wedding pictures!!

2011-03-31T11:39:00.004-05:00

our wedding pictures are here, and i am so thrilled with them! it was like reliving the whole day over again. our photographer, christina did an amazing job and was a delight to work with!

if you are interested in seeing some shots of our big day, you can view our wedding slideshow here. or for a tiny peak, just check out her blog post on us here.

p.s. yes, we did include minnie lou in some pictures.... are we total dorks?

reclaimed space

2011-03-21T15:10:00.005-05:00

i am totally wishing i lived in one of those reclaimed space houses. the austin based company builds these eco-friendly sustainable housing units from all reclaimed materials. check out their website to see some awesome interior photos....

p.s. do y'all know how much i want to go to austin, texas??

our flying dog.

2011-03-20T18:31:00.006-05:00

remember minnie lou? she's not so mini anymore huh?

not going to lie here...we think she's pretty great.

lewis has been working with her almost everyday perfecting her retrieving skills but from these pictures it looks more like he's teaching her to fly...

new name. new look??

2011-03-15T11:51:00.003-05:00

well, with new name i am thinking it's time for a new blog look too! but i am looking for inspiration.

so friends, what are some of your favorite blog header or layout designs? please share with me!

never say never....

2011-03-15T09:07:00.003-05:00

( photo via jcrew)

around my office we used to ( um, maybe still do) joke about a former boss who wore a lot of demin shirts....so it feels a little hypocritical to say this, but i really want this demin shirt. it's way more fashionable than the aforementioned shirt-wearers were.... or so i'll keep telling myself.

p.s. check out how cute paula looks rocking this shirt over at two ellie.

well... isn't this just the coolest news...

2011-03-14T11:18:00.001-05:00

a interior design studio might be coming to the anthropologie near you! ( not me, but can't wait to check this out next time i am near an anthro that will offer this service)

meet the herringtons....

2011-03-12T13:13:00.005-06:00

well, i can hardly believe a week has already passed! the wedding was perfect, the reception was very fun and the honeymoon was relaxing!! lots of wedding ( and other) posts to come! thanks for hanging with me while i took a little hiatus!

a seat on memory lane

2011-02-24T10:38:00.004-06:00

i was catching up on some design*sponge reading and spotted this image.... and it stopped me in my tracks. not because i love it so ( although i like that green paint on those shelves), but because my high school had those chairs!!!

it was in an assembly hall, schadt hall it was called and there were rows and rows of them in multiple colors... see those silver hooks on the side that linked them all together.... kind of makes me wish i had one for my house! memories....

our 15 minutes of fame...

2011-02-23T11:44:00.003-06:00

our local paper did an insert with stories and information about weddings... and featured lewis and i in a section about engagements! although, slightly embarrassing, it was great fun to share our two versions of the story and see it in print.... and what a great keepsake!

plaid love

2011-02-16T14:16:00.002-06:00

since it's love week.... let's talk about something i love. have i ever told y'all i love plaid? because i do. i am always drawn to it.... check out her scarf/ blanket draped over her purse. plaid is sort of like the comfort food of patterns to me

oh and the image via the sartorialist

in other house news.....

2011-02-16T09:14:00.006-06:00

it's been a while, so i figured a few pictures to show progress on the house and all our hardwork would be worth sharing. ( sorry, they are all from my phone!)

first of all, we retiled both bathrooms.... the guest bath below has black hex tiles (and is now much cleaner than in this photo)

and the master has white hex tile with black grout. i will post pictures of the sinks, light fixtures etc. soon.

also, my mom and i hit the road to atlanta one weekend for a little buying trip for rambling road, but made a stop at ikea. here is all our loot-- all for the new house!

one of those boxes contains these lights, which we spotted and thought were a steal for $20 and would work great until we can afford all the more expensive ones that i keep falling in love with...

and if i do say so myself, i think they look pretty good. our new appliances have since arrived and hopefully we'll have some cabinets soon!

lewis also painted the entire inside of the house, and himself.

we also installed all new outside doors-- this is the front door, and sadly i didn't take any pictures of the others! and they of course now have hardware and have been sealed.

my funny valentine!

2011-02-15T13:47:00.003-06:00

happy day after valentines day!! hope everyone had a great day/night....

we headed to our favorite spot, snackbar, and had a yummy dinner. sorry all that was left to show was two clean plates!

and what about gifts? how about this as a gift for each other.... our new hardwood floors for our new house were delivered while we ate dinner! i can't wait to see what they look like installed!