Tuesday, May 28, 2013

memorial day projects...

not gonna lie, memorial day weekend wasn't the kick-off to summer i had hoped it would be. it rained for 2 solid days and temperature were in the 50's. lame. monday however turned out to be a beauty, so i finally tackled some of my outdoor pre-summer projects.

first up, building & installing my pre-fab garden bed on the sunny side of the house. i bought a couple of these kits, modified & assembled them (thanks to my future bro-in-law for letting me borrow his circular saw- i totally need one of my own now) to fit our little driveway side garden (it's the only place the dogs won't lift their leg to pee btw). put our tomatoes & peppers in the ground, finally...now let the daily watering begin...



i also tackled the little random weed patch to the side of our rear stairs. the previous owner built a little dog house under the back porch,  but the entrance to it was so junky. i couldn't stand to look at it anymore so i decided on a rock garden to fit the bird bath (also left by the previous owner) and some planters. let's just hope hank doesn't knock it over on his way into his clubhouse...


another small, but imperative project was the grill area. currently we were rolling the grill in & out of the garage each time we wanted to use it- which honestly made me not want to grill very often. instead, we laid 6, 18" bluestone squares down and made a little landing pad for the grill...


bring it on summer!

b-dawg...

is my fur nephew this most amazing dog ever or what? my brother-in-law sent me this photo over the weekend, they are out of town and have friends puppy-sitting brisby who sent them this...amazing right?...


Friday, May 24, 2013

high end vs. low end...

do you know about copy cat chic? if you don't, you should. high end design replicated on a low end budget....just want i need. i think this concept is what everyone should strive for in their home. my god, if i spend $5,000 on a couch and my couch got messed up i might seriously slit my wrists. but if i got the couch for a fraction of that cost (in my case it would have to be like a $600 couch, that's how broke i am), then my wrists might stay in tact should the dog F it up. and if you're anything like am, in 3 years from now i'll want a new damn couch anyway because it doesn't "go" with the redesign of the dang living room.

yeah, so now i totally need this rustic outdoor dining set...minus the chandelier since i don't have a covered back porch of course...



seriously, go check out their post for the prices of their room redo.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

i heart college...

over the weekend we celebrated the graduation of this girl...



from this place...



and my heart was full to have my sweet cousin share the same alma mater as me. i've been graduated for 11 years from this special place, and every time i go back more & more of my heart is left there. the memories, the friendships, the knowledge, the life skills i gained there- i will forever be grateful for this place...




...and maybe someday, my own children will come to love this place as much as my best friends, my future husband and i do...



dear peony...

the best part about owning your own home is taking pride in how you keep the outside of it. in other words, your lawn, your trees, your vegetable & flower gardens, your planters & pots. it's so satisfying to wake up each morning and see what new items are in bloom, how large your vegetables are growing, how fragrant your herbs are becoming...it's my favorite part of my morning, to step outside and see this little slice of life taking shape...




"the fattest and most scrumptious of all flowers, a rare fusion of fluff and majesty, the peony is now coming into bloom" 
- henry mitchell, american writer

Thursday, May 16, 2013

the truth about your 30's...



i've never known how to express exactly how i feel about this issue...but i'm so glad that erin gates from elements of style did...she could not have read my mind/heart better if she tried. so well written & thought out, and so, so, true...  

read her post, 'on being in your thirties'.

there is SO much going on in your life when you are in your late 20's & early/mid 30's...careers, financial burden, buying homes, dating, marrying, divorcing, pregnancy, miscarriage, etc. and you always feel like you're being judged, one way or the other, by your peers, your family, your self. sometimes all of these things start to interfere with one another too, create rifts in friendship, make you self doubt, even create jealousy and irritation within you...i know that have for me.

thank you erin, really, thank you. you are not alone.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

currently reading...

i definitely have an author obsession with gillian flynn. having read gone girl and flying through sharp objects for book group, i couldn't help but start reading dark places. i never in a million years thought i'd like psychological thrillers, but i guess i'm sort of a twisted person at heart or something because i can't get enough!...


summer furniture...

summer, you cannot get here fast enough. and when you come will you please bring me these goodies for the backyard to put around our fire pit...








and maybe this pillow or that one

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

father's day gift...

is shopping for father's day the most impossible shopping trip ever? i sort of feel like i get my father a rotation of the same things year after year, don't you? i am totally smitten with the father's day commission project, such a brilliant idea...



too bad they've already reached their max for this year...but i bet you could commission a project with an artist on etsy. OR, you could attempt to paint one yourself??? 

Friday, May 10, 2013

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

harvest table love...


i need a custom jeff soderbergh harvest table in my life, desperately, for all the glamorous, rustic, al fresco dinner parties i am planning in my head.

what are you doing friday night?

i'm probably gonna go see this, by myself, because that's how i roll...


...i've only been waiting for this damn movie to come out for what seems like a bazillion years.


i also have z: a novel of zelda fitzgerald by theresa anne fowler on my 'to read' list...as you can probably tell, i'm going through my 'i love all things '20's' phase right now.


the lazy girl cooks...

i know i can't be the only person on the planet who doesn't actually enjoy cooking. i mean, i do like to cook, but it feels like so much time & effort to create something that literally takes like 5 minutes to eat... at least the way i inhale my food anyway. maybe when i'm cooking for 2 on a more regular basis (come july!) it'll be worth it, but right now it falls into that "i'd rather be doing anything than this" category for me.

thank god for any/all recipes that have the words "quick" and "easy" in them. i made the pioneer woman's quick & easy roasted red pepper pasta sauce last night...good god was it easy to make and tasty. i'm telling you, this woman is a freakin' genius. i changed the recipe a little to...

1. only used about 2 tablespoons of butter instead of the 4 the recipe called for- only used them to sauté the onions, garlic & peppers in the beginning

2. instead of transferring the sauteed vegetables into the food processor i just used my immersion blender right in the sauté pan, make it more chunky than the puree she's going for...and less damn things i have to clean at the end

3. never added any broth to it, and just a dash of 2% milk to lighten it up (didn't have any cream on hand)- could probably forgo any milk/cream anyway

4. added some fresh chopped basil from my herb garden, highly recommend that.


Monday, May 6, 2013

best purchase ever...

there are perks to be a crazy person and planning your entire wedding in one months time...you get to spend the rest of the time on crafting projects or hunting for treasures! i dragged my sweet girlfriends (and one super adorable dog) out to worcester on sunday to hit up crompton collective for their vintage wedding inspired weekend event. and despite the fact that we spent a beautiful cinco de mayo afternoon in worcester (although i was pleasantly surprised by the area, not at all what i thought it was going to be like) we had a pretty nice time. 

i got a few great items for our sweet summer wedding...including this bad boy...


not surprising, both my mother and future sister-in-law have volunteered to help test out what candies we should fill it with. isn't it so cool? even after the wedding i think it'll be a fun piece to have in the house...who knows, maybe we'll fill it with little dog bones for the dogs, could be useful.

Thursday, May 2, 2013

this just happened...

my cousin is graduating from hobart, my alma mater, in 2 weeks... i have been jealous of her for the last 4 years. no seriously, i wish i was back in college every single day of my life. and then this text exchange happens this afternoon, while i'm trapped inside my office on this beautiful spring day...


just telling it like it is.

upcoming shopping adventure...

my girlfriend and i are heading to compton collective this weekend in worcester to not only check out the store for the first time, but they're also having their 'vintage wedding' weekend of vendors...since that's right up my alley for my own wedding this summer i thought it would be a perfect time to go. i hope it's as great as it looks! will keep you posted on what we find...


Wednesday, May 1, 2013

mason jars are the coolest, and so is my family...

so yeah, my mom and sister are kind of awesome...is this not the most adorable bridal shower invitation you've ever seen? so.very.lucky....