monogrammed flag

Look what my amazing mother found after reading my post about the flag I was lusting after!

Doesn't it look so much like the one that is on this house that I posted about yesterday?

We just planted a gorgeous hydrangea bush yesterday in our backyard. AJ is working hard to make it a fabulous little spot with our plants, garden and a patio where we can put our non-existant dining set... here is the one I have my eye on, it's Martha Stewart from Home Depot. I love it when my favorite one is the cheapest one. That doesn't happen very often, my mom says I have champagne taste on a beer budget.

home ideas...

I'm sitting at the kitchen table with spit up on my cardigan and a little boy pretending he's Tarzan next to me... he's in this stage where he's constantly banging on his chest and belly. I'm in desperate need of doing laundry (how was I just caught up this weekend?!), but really have been looking forward to writing this post today. We've been brainstorming some of the projects we want to get to after we are done with the flipper (yikkes, I really need to post some photos of that progress!). One of the things we know we want to do this summer is build a front porch. Here are a couple of pics that I've seen recently that I'm completely in love with and want to replicate in some form...

Here is the front of our house now. Really barren, right? There were bushes that were decades old there when we bought it but it was blocking all the light. I'd love to make the walkway S-shaped and plant artsy gardens in the inlets of the walkway.

Every time I'm out walking I'm staring at people's porches and picking out pieces of them that I'd like to replicate. Like for example... Kim and I drove by this house in Concord and I loved the pillars. AJ and I have this vision that we'll have two steps and they will extend nearly the length of the porch (which I think will be the length of the house, not half the length of the house like in this photo). We don't want any railings so we need to ensure that the porch is low enough to the ground.

Don't you just love this monogrammed flag? I'm drooling. And can't figure out where to get that exact one... I can find out where to get argyle and leopard print flags but not this exact one... But wouldn't something like this look fab on the front porch once it's complete?

All right, different topic... remember the wainscoting that we put into the kitchen?

Well, I've been brainstorming about the type of fireplace mantle to put into our living room. Currently it is just a very simple board put up for the mantle. There is nothing unique or interesting about it... We didn't want something too froo froo because the rest of the house, including the wainscoting, is fairly simple (except for our banister). What do you think about this fireplace that I found on The Lettered Cottage? I'm in love with how it would unify the two rooms, especially since the downstairs of our house is pretty open. Doesn't it go perfectly with the wainscoting?




Have an amazing day! I'm going into work to run an event today... so I have seven centerpieces of gorgeous yellow tulips in my car ready to go (how fab is it that I get paid to make centerpieces? :))

 

chairs

Remember these chairs that I found on the side of the road?

I found them about a year and a half ago in Gloucester and fit them in my Civic... tight quarters, people, but I know a good chair when I see one. They are sooo comfortable ... and ugly. While I was on maternity leave Mom and I were trying to make some slipcovers for them. My sewing experience is minimal (to put it nicely) so we decided to rip off the old fabric and make a new pattern out of it. The tearing and cutting and imagining took FOREVER.

Here is a photo of the chair with the slipcover (so far). I still need to sew the top and bottom halves together and iron them but honestly, I was so proud that I didn't end up duct taping them together I am posting about them now instead of waiting. :)

I'll be the first person to admit it doesn't look like a professional did it but it looks a whole heck of a lot better than it did for two months when I had pins sticking out of the pattern... I kept it on the chair like that. UGG. My in-laws came this weekend, and knowing they were going to be here motivated me to mostly finish the part of the cover that was intimidating me. Isn't it funny that the thing I was most dreading took only half and hour?

I'll post more pictures this week of the chairs completed... and with my vision for pillows. I'm thinking of bringing in some gray to tie the kitchen to the living room and tie in the gray stripes in the couch.

More later... HAPPY EASTER!

chipper chickens

We got six baby chicks in time for Easter!

Touching his first baby chick.

Staring at the chicks (who are sitting in our living room under a heat lamp).

Six baby chicks April and Kerry picked up for us ...

they drove five hours out to MA with chirping chicks!

house envy: #2

This house is one one of our regular walks... the neighbor told us that no one is living there because the owner has been moved into a nursing home, and it's not being sold because of some sort of tax law (don't ask me, I didn't totally understand the whole story). BUT when she lived there she wasn't there alone... there were about 30 cats there with her. Sick.

If you had to choose three things to do to the outside of the house, what would it be? Here are mine:

1. Landscape... this includes taking down those spindly little trees in the front of the house.
2. Redo the porch on the left of the house.
3. Tear down the garage (it's crumbling)
If I had more than three things I was able to do I'd paint the house and redo the front steps.

Here's a close up view of the front and the side porch. I didn't want to venture onto the property just in case someone came by... but all I wanted to do was look in the windows and find out the damage left behind from those cats.

Here is the crumbling garage. In between the house and garage there is a mini side porch.

What if you did the paint job like this?

What would you do to it?

dedication

We dedicated Drew this Sunday at church... in the post I wrote on an unplanned pregnancy I mentioned that the doctors thought something was seriously wrong with Drew before he was born and it was during those few months that AJ and I had to give Drew to God and say "Lord... you know we want him but he's yours' first and foremost". It was such a reminder to me that we need to be doing that continually...

The proud Daddy and Drew... Don't they look cute in their navy and khakis?

Drew being dedicated by Seth and Pablo.

We invited the whole church over after the service for a light lunch. My goal was to spend $0 on decorations... so I went out to the yard and cut some forsythia branches and used varying sizes of rectangular vases. My mom got us that runner (Ralph Lauren) from Macy's for $1.60. Yep, a Ralph Lauren runner for $1.60. I thought it looked sharp with all the white dishes... and I love the combo of yellow and gray.

Years ago I saw a Pottery Barn catalog with wrapped silverware and remembered it for our party. I used cheapo twine and white paper napkins folded in half. It was a smidge time consuming but I had fun doing it.

The view from across the kitchen after everything was picked up.

I'm submitting this tablescape to

favorite things...

I was lying in bed last night just thinking about a few of our standbys and favorite things... you know those things that you take for granted because you just use them all the time... and decided to share:


  

AJ's fave shoe for marathon training: Adidas Supernova... we have quite a few pairs of these lying around our house... he gets a new pair all the time because of the amount of miles he logs on them.

AJ's fave tool for his millions of home projects: Saws All. This thing is amazing. It tackles deconstructing your house and with the same grace it saws down small trees (I surprised AJ one day by taking down some in our yard).

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One of Jen's fave dishes for entertaining: the Great White 3 tiered stand from Pottery Barn. Love love love bringing height to a table when doing a dessert bar and this piece does it perfectly.

Jen's fave style dress: J.Crew Boardroom dress (basically all my dresses are shift dresses like this, although I only have one J.Crew because they are soo out of our price range...). Love the professional-ness to the silhouette.

AJ's weakness: Dunkin Donuts iced-coffee

Jen's weakness: Trader Joe's Chocolate Covered PB pretzels (but who are we kidding... these aren't our only weaknesses)

 

AJ's fave marathon: Philadelphia... he says they are the friendliest and best organized

Our jogging stroller (it's coming in the mail in the next few days! I already know it'll be a fave...): BOB Ironman... it's SUPER lightweight, we would know, we ran all around REI with it... I found an amazing deal online that was $100 cheaper than REI at DMart stores. This was a fab gift from AJ's co-workers!

 

Website weaknesses:

AJ loves MLS, a real estate listing service... he's a real estate agent so he's looking at the new listings all over the state daily. Really. It's his addiction. Well... that and running. And destructing things.

I'm in love with Young House Love. And This Old House. And basically any website that gives me incredible before and after home pics... especially when it's a DIY project (do-it-yourself).

  

AJ totally loves the movie Shawshank Redemption. I loved the last scene and was cringing for the rest of the movie.

I am obsessed with the book At Home in Mitford (and the rest of the series). It is this hysterical, and completely relaxing story that you can lose yourself in, about an Episcopal priest.

I could think of a million more things but I'll try not to bore you... :)

 

birthday brunch oatmeal

We celebrated my Dad's birthday on Saturday with a brunch... he always tells us how the things he knows how to cook are sauteed onions, eggs and oatmeal. He's mastered this amazing recipe... it's the best oatmeal I've ever had. During breakfast Drew got passed around (naturally... that is the way every family gathering goes... it's about the only time AJ and I are able to eat without holding him). I love this one picture of him, he's discovered his hands (the purple tint, cold temperature and dryness to them can attest to the fact that they never leave his mouth now... in fact, don't get near him, he'll probably try to lick you too).

And here is the oatmeal master with his grandson:

Dad's Oatmeal

1 egg
2 cups milk (any kind works, I've had both whole and almond milk, both were great)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup oatmeal (quick or old-fashioned)
1 tablespoon coconut (I'm a coconut lover and put a bunch more in)
1 chopped apple
1/4 cup raisins
Whip egg, mix in milk and brown sugar in pan. Add oatmeal and on low heat, stirring constantly, cook slowly. When oatmeal just starts to bubble add coconut, apples and raisins.
Variation: I mixed the egg, milk and brown sugar and then added the oatmeal, coconut and fruit. I divided up the recipe into a smaller amount and put it in the microwave for a minute, stirred it, put it back in for a minute, stirred it and then back in for 30 seconds. It was done to perfection...

This serves 3.

wrought iron what?

My friend Cari was out for a walk the other day when she texted me about finding these fabulous wrought iron treasures in someone's trash... I looked at the picture in her text and couldn't exactly tell what I was looking at but if she thought they were fabulous, and free, I would take them... (fabulous and free is practically my motto for life).

Last night we got a fun little visit from Cari and her husband Seth. This is us with them at our wedding (we were the first wedding he officiated!)... this isn't anyone's best photo, but we had been dancing like crazy at this point:

What do you think you do with these wrought iron things?

Yes, that is my umbrella in the phone... it is absolutely down pouring here today. Seth was wondering if they were decorative ornaments to put on a bed (there are two longer ones and two shorter)... do you see the area where they should be held together?

And a close up:

I almost took a picture of myself because I looked so ridiculous going outside to shoot these photos but then I didn't want to scare anyone off... I was in rain boots, my Pink pants and a polar fleece top... didn't look fab, let's just put it that way... here's what we were working with:

We don't love things that are froo-froo... but one of the pieces might look fabulous on a mantle if done right... What would you do with them? Would you paint them or leave them as is?

baby friends...

I'm always on the lookout for friends for Drew... (granted I'm pretty sure he doesn't even know what his name is yet, so I'm not convinced he really would know what a friend is)... one of my only friends in the area with a baby, Heather, brought Mason over the other day... I'm pretty sure Drew didn't know what to do with Mason. Mason just learned to crawl and was all over the place!

I guess I should rephrase my comment about "looking for friends for Drew"... I'm always looking for "mom friends" too... there are just too few of them right now! :)

white kitchen & butcher block counters

A couple people have asked me for tips on inexpensively redoing their kitchen. I think that one of the cheapest ways would be to paint your cabinets (here is a good tutorial on how to do that well from Young House Love) and install some butcher block counters, it'll lighten up your whole kitchen. What do you think about these kitchens as inspiration, do you like the lighter or darker butcher block? Which is your favorite?











All of the photos were taken from DecorPad... except for the middle one, which is from IKEA's webpage.