Random Things

This post is ALL over the place.  Consider this your warning...

- We are bracing for a big snow storm here.  Seriously, I'm so excited.  That's one of the many things I love about being a teacher - you are never too old to appreciate a snow day!  The school system just announced that they are dismissing two hours early today because the snow is "supposed" to start around 2PM.  This early dismissal doesn't affect me - since I get off at 11 anyway - but I'm still giddy as a school-girl.  Fingers crossed that this isn't just a lot of hype for a false alarm.

Y'all, that's the front page of the NATIONAL weather right now.  To be fair, our local guys are saying to only expect 1 - 5 inches, but still....

- My dad bought a boat.  It is an old pontoon; but we are SO excited about it!  My dad loves being on the water, and he has talked about owning a boat for YEARS now.  I'm honestly so happy that he has this little "toy" for himself.  (Growing up with two girls, he often had to trade things like that for gymnastics lessons and designer dresses.)  This past weekend - when, ironically, it was 70 degrees outside - we took the boat out, and I made us have a proper "Boat Christening Ceremony" in which we drank champagne, poured it on the hull, read some funny wishes to the "gods of the sea" and officially gave her her new name - Bear Necessity.  (You like it?)  *Funny thing about the name... I spent all Sunday morning coming up with a list of 15+ possible names to choose from.  Kathryn came up with this one off the top of her head, and it stuck. Go figure.

- I REALLY need to do things in the next six months: 1.) get in shape and lose weight and 2.) check some things off of my 30 Before 30 list.  In an effort to figuratively "kill two birds with one stone," I'm seriously considering signing up for a half-marathon late spring. Right now, I am looking at either the Alexandria Running Festival Half on May 26th or the Virginia Wine Country Half on June 2nd.  That leaves me more than enough time to complete a 16 week training plan.  *To be fair, I just should confess that I've actually signed up - and paid for - a half-marathon before; and, well, since it is still on my list you can probably guess how that went. ;)  Anyways, I'm determined (or at least getting there) to really do it this time... But, here are my questions for YOU:  First, would any of you be interested in training and then actually meeting me there to run one of these together?  I think that would be SO motivating (especially if we got a group to do it), not to mention fun! And, second, if you've ever run a half before, what recommendations do you have - training plans? Timelines? Anything, really.

- My sister  My beauty coach recently introduced me to two new make-up products that I'm loving.  The first is a coral blush that is just the right shade for my freckles and skin tone, and the second is a Mist & Set product that I LOVE because my face is notorious for "eating" make-up within an hour of application.  So far, I think it really works. They are both made by E.L.F.* and - the best part - they are only $3.00 each.  As if you needed another excuse to make a Target run... :)

- I had to come back and add this after I read about it on Karen At Home:  While you are at Target, check out the new line of Chevron crib sheets by Circo.  They match Sam's bedroom perfectly!!! (And, no, I don't agree that chevron is kind-of 2011... I was just ahead of the style trends.)

- And finally, as you've probably noticed, I've made a conscious effort to focus on more of the things about myself that make me feel good lately - like decorating.  To be honest, when I first made this commitment to myself, I had a bit of a blogger's block.  If I'm not making fun of myself, what am I going to talk about? And then, once I got started, it came pretty easily --- so easily, in fact, that I'm starting to feel sort-of guilty - like I'm being conceited or fake.  (Seriously, what is wrong with me? I posted a few pictures of my - imperfect - house.  It's not like I published Glamor Shots.)  Anyway, all that to say, I've got some more posts coming up about some organization projects etc. that I've been working on, and they make me happy. But, rest assured, my guest room ceiling is falling in (literally), I overslept and didn't take a shower before work yesterday, and Sam ate an entire bag of goldfish while I grocery shopped last night. :) There, I feel better...

Ok, that's enough rambling for now.  I'll let you know if the snow hits.  Have a good day!

P.S. This is just my opinion about the product, and I'm not receiving any incentives for endorsing it.

2013 Home Goal: Master Bedroom

Yesterday, I gave a little spur-of-the-moment home tour to show off some of the projects that were completed and goals that were met at our house over the last year.  Surprisingly, I found that when I make just ONE goal, the odds of succeeding are much greater. (Who knew?) See for yourself...

Read more about the evolution of the sun-room here, and see "updated" photos here.

Anyway, in keeping with that plan, today I'm sharing my home goal for 2013:

(See more before photos here.)

There is nothing really wrong with this room; in fact, I actually made-it-over once already a few years ago, but it has never been exactly right.  Now that I am a mom, and the rest of my house is covered in toys (and spaghetti and cheerios), I really want a space that is for ME (well, and Jeff) - and a non-white bedspread would probably be good too.

I'm hoping to make some simple changes (i.e. bedding, rug, window treatments, & some wall art) to make the room feel a little more "finished" and a little more grown-up.

So, where to start?!? Well, my parents gifted me with a round, floral rug with shades of coral, blue, yellow, and green about a year ago.  We have that in our room now, and I'm using it as a starting point to help determine colors, style, etc.  They also gave me beautiful Pottery Barn bedding as a Christmas gift this year (pictured below).

Other than those two items, I'm planning to spend very little money and do most everything on my own (with the help of several family members, of course).  I'm going to take my time with this, but I will keep you updated on the progress.

In the meantime, here are a few of the inspiration photos I've been pinning to my "Bedroom Re-Do" file... They are dreamy! (Pun intended.) Enjoy!

Source

Source

YHL

Nesting Place

6th Street Design School

What is your 2013 home goal?  Have you started?

Impromptu Instagram House Tour

Am I the only one that has a MAJOR decorating itch this time of year? I don't know what it is - maybe the fresh and open (and also kind-of empty and sad) feeling of a house after all the Christmas decorations are put away, or the tiny bit of extra cash in my pocket thanks to some generous family members at the holidays - but in my "free" time these last few weeks, I've been doing a lot of pinning and playing and rearranging.  Normally, this season is really blah for me in terms of decorating; but, this year, I've had so much fun with it!

Anyway, as you might have noticed,  I've also had a small case of "blogger's block" recently.   So, in an effort to solve that little problem... I thought I'd post an impromptu (and imperfect) house tour featuring some of the changes and additions around here in the past twelve months or so.

(Please forgive me for the horribly amateur photography skills - these photos were all taken on my iPhone and posted to Instagram with the 'Rise' or 'Valencia' filter. Follow me here.  I promise I won't always blow-up your feed with random house photos.)

You've already seen this, but BOY do I love my new chalkboard.  I'm already thinking about Valentine's-related quotes to put on it.

Moving on...

A year ago, I said that my home goal for 2012 was to re-do my sun-room; and, as shocking as it is even to me, I actually managed to accomplish that goal... This is the room where we spend the VAST majority of our time when we are home.  It isn't going to be featured in a magazine anytime soon, but it is toddler-friendly (note the lack of "knick knacks"), playful, and cozy.  I'm really happy with the way it turned out.

The top of the coffee table was originally in Jeff's grandparents' bedroom and his mom had kept it in her attic for twenty years (for some reason), but it didn't have legs.  I literally stole those legs off of a footstool in Poppy's basement, and it turned out PERFECT. People comment on it all the time, and it is nice and soft for our clumsy little man.

Elephant head from Cardboard Safari last Christmas and Sam's cardboard castle (What can I say? I like cardboard.) from Fab.com this year.

New chairs for both my boys - courtesy of parents.  (Sam's name is on his... In case you couldn't tell who's is who's.)

And Mama's old chair, fabulously recovered.  #bestdecisionofmylife (or something like that)  P.S. That plant in the background is fake, from Ikea.  I wish I had bought ten more.

Even more surprising than the completion of the sun-room, is the fact that I also got my dining room gussied up quite a bit with "overflow" decor etc.

Rug from Rugs USA on sale after Christmas last year, but apparently it is still going on.  It was cheap, and I LOVE it.  I would buy six more if it wasn't awkward to have your whole house in chevron.

Family rules decal from Urban Walls - WON on Saige Wisdom's awesome GIFTaway back in November.  So simple, but it adds a lot to the room.  Plus, even though the rules were already written, they fit us perfectly.

Another hand-me-down thanks to my mom's ridiculous re-decorating addiction. #igetitfrommymama (literally)

The only thing new here is the driftwood - which I snagged at TJ Maxx for five bucks, I just had a lot of fun putting the little vignette together with random things from around my house. 

And, last but not least, here are the frames from Poppy's that I had planned to spray-paint as one of my 2011 home goals but have been sitting in my basement ever since (there's the unmotivated-me you know and love).  I finally decided to use them as-is, and it's not too shabby.

Maybe one day I'll write about my 2013 home goals or something of substance; but, for now, thanks for humoring me.  Here's hoping the blogging bug strikes again soon... :)