House Tour

I did this weeks ago (before I realized my OOT friends are coming to visit!!) but just realized I never posted it :)....

Since several of my friends have moved out of state (I'm talking to you, Nikki, Carissa and Kristi!), I thought I'd give you a virtual tour of the house since we've gotten settled in. I kind of walked you through it here but we've done some things. So come on in! There is still plenty to hang and do, perhaps there always will be!, but this is the way I'd like to remember it someday when we've moved into our retirement lake house ;) and want to look back on these days....

First floor:

Entry: Looking out from the study. That wall needs something (not a toy - pictured here) and I know it will just come to me someday. Most decor things do when I'm patient :) 

Study: This room is tough to photograph as you can't see the book shelves or that we do in fact have artwork hung in here :)  But what you can see is that we scored an awesome executive desk on Craigslist. The chair, filing cabinet and book shelf as well. We are really pleased with it! And the savings, of course!

Master Bedroom: Another room that is a work in progress but I still love it. We improved the bed with a new Target blanket (the color coordinates so remarkably well that I feel it was made for this bedroom!) and I finally got an insert for the duvet. These two things have made me look forward to melting into this cozy bed each night. Never underestimate the power of perfecting a sleepy space. I know I won't do that again! Look close and say Hi to a nap-protesting Grayson! :)

Dining Room: Those gadget-ey boxes in the corner have become a fixture here!

We painted the dining room the same gray as the kitchen cabinets in our last house. This is only one coat though. Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter - pretty much their most popular gray ever but whatever. It's pretty :) 

Breakfast Room: You have seen plenty of the kitchen but this awesome fixture was gifted to us by my sisters and their husbands. Isn't it beautiful?! It's Gabby and OMG I want one of everything they have. So cool and SO Andrea. ;) I stare at it every day. I love having things in the house that I love that much. Besides my boys, of course.

Living Room: I swear this is a different rug and print than in the dining room. It was supposed to be a much smaller geometric but it works here so I kept it. I'm probably a broken record but I dream of cream sofas OR velvet charcoal gray. But these wipe clean (every other day b/c that's how often they need to be cleaned with kids!)

Guest Bathroom

Guest Bathroom: Added the mirror just this morning and this is officially the only complete room in the house. :)

Second Floor:

Left looks over the living room; Right looks to front of house; Straight ahead are the guest and media rooms. 

The play room needs some work. I have some ideas but am in no rush and the kids don't care :) 

Play Room: We got the reading corner situated. Those magazine racks are from Joss and Main, really cool in theory but hardly hold any weight. Oh well, they look fun I guess. We also got a fun diner that is moving in soon. Isn't this all so intriguing? ;)

Grayson's Room: Still nautical but some updates this time around :) I love how the sailboat prints turned out - Joss and Main with Ikea frames. It doesn't get any better (and cheaper) than Ikea frames, am I right?!

I racked my brain for some cool art for the opposing wall and then I thought, Grayson brings home art every other day from school! And it's adorable! So another cool $10 purchase from Ikea and one whole wall is decorated with priceless art ;) And can be changed out over the years so I dig it. Maybe some day he'll want prints put up or something. So transitional. Yay!

All the same stuff from the old house. Oh, except the blue furniture, which is from (let's all say it together now) IKEA! ;) Grayson's getting great at picking out his own clothes so this has been a big help.

My favorite picture of these 2 guys: the print from my sister's wedding in Maine where Beau is holding up Grayson to the lit up captain's wheel. Just so sweet. And then just behind that is Grayson's side of the jack and jill bathroom.

Walker's Room: Still some things to hang but Beau is trying to break the record for longest time it takes to hang things. Just kidding, I'll leave him alone now ;)

Walker's room from opposite corner - looks like a totally different, and less interesting, room from pic above :)

Guest bedroom: These colors look goofy. This bed set is more navy and I'm working on a blue/gold look in here. I'd be a lot closer if the "gold" lamp from Joss & Main didn't show up silver! Maybe I'll paint it someday. :)

Guest Bedroom: I want to buy a dozen of these (from Target - yay!). And we purposefully hung it low for our not-as-tall family and friends :)

Guest Bathroom: May you never know the sights of the boys' bathroom. (Why can't men sit down to pee?) If you ever come see us, and please do!, I beg you to stick to this bathroom upstairs. That is all.

Media Room: This dark room is so hard to photograph for me! This is the wet bar that was a game time decision. We're glad we did it even though it's storage for now and we're in no rush to put that fridge in. I love the way it turned out though!

Beau's favorite room!

This probably shows the colors the best. Front wall and ceiling are painted black,  walls are Benjamin Moore kendall charcoal. We are very happy with it! Last up - just need some custom cabinets built up front and need to purchase the back row, which will be a love seat. But no rush. It's a process! 

 That's about it for our tour! The only things not really pictured are the kitchen, which you've seen before and a spare bedroom that is our junk room for now. Come see us!!

My favorite (but old) picture from when it snowed. :)

A Random Photo Dump Post :)

I haven't done a post in quite some time about the every day things we have been up to. (i.e. a photo dump.) ;) I like to go back every once in a while and read about what we were up to when things were "simpler" so I want to get back to doing these occasionally.

Walker is a real life walker! It is so strange to pass my baby in the hallway! He beams with pride and still looks like a little drunk sailor. I love watching him learn. :)

)

We have had some really good friend time this past weekend.  My heart is super full knowing we have some great people in our lives. First, a spontaneous get together over at our house with our neighbors. It has been great getting to know them and they are awesome, so that's good! Saturday, we had a birthday party with my MOPS group of girls, then while Beau was golfing with his long time friends, some of my Dallas girls came up to see the house! We had a great time visiting and catching up and planning for the next baby in the group. Loved every second!

The Dallas girls brought the boys gifts! Which included slime - Grayson about died! 

We later had some friends who are new parents over for dinner! Scott and Krissi and their 5 week old baby boy came over and we had the best time. They are so easy to be with and it was their first time out of the house with baby (with the exception of doc appts) so we felt honored by that ;) I can NOT believe that I didn't get a picture of that gorgeous child! He smells so babyish and is so soft and made me want another one, like now. I wish you could just bypass the pregnancy part....Anyway, we look forward to seeing them more often. :)

Beau and I also met with a new Life Group from church that we joined. It went really well and we really like the 4 other couples. The couple leading it is one I have known for a while through MOPS and I adore Liz! Super excited for this new chapter for us. We still keep in touch with our first Life Group and miss them dearly but they meet during the week when Beau is OOT. This new group meets on Sundays, which works perfectly for us! Overall, lots of wonderful people in our lives - new and old (you know what I mean) - and we are thankful for every one of them/you!

Bottom picture of the Church bulletin: the Life Group husbands at a bowling night. They make Beau (center) look short!  Seriously, he's 6' 2" - how does that happen? :) 

Mimi, Ma and Aunt Charmaine came to visit last week and we had a good ol' time as always. I could watch my mom and her sister all day. They are just hilarious together! They enjoyed being with the boys and then we went upstairs to see the new media room. They were so funny in there! :)

Ma and Mimi - So comfy.

Baby Walker cuddled with Ma :)

Charmaine, Ma, Silly-faced Grayson and Mimi. I'd love for them to come by more often and I'm not afraid to lure them with the promise of a movie!

Grayson is a soccer player! And a golfer! And a Super Hero! He's busy busy and I wish I could record him ever waking minute of every day. Y'all, he's FUNNY. And smart and beautiful... What was I talking about?

Oh yes, soccer! Go Outlaws!

I may have mentioned before that Beau LOVES (sarcasm) to hang things. Pictures are one thing but light fixtures are really his sweet spot (more sarcasm.) He particularly loves a challenge - like when there's a big problem that results in his arms going numb above his head because all the blood has flowed out of them. ;) I'm guessing wall hangings aren't looking so bad after all, huh? :D

Sweet guy - rarely gripes. He told me there was an impossible problem with the chain and wiring. And then had it hung 10 minutes later. He can do anything!

Probably my most random post to date but there you have it! Just a few things we have been up to in the past week! 

Here's to 25 years!

Mimi and Pop (formerly known as Earlene and Jeff) celebrate their 25th wedding Anniversary today! And while they are celebrating in Santa Fe for 6 WHOLE DAYS (come home soon please?!), I am celebrating them here with a blog post listing 10 reasons I adore them:

1. Unconditional Love. And I mean this. 
2. A phone call away. They are supporters, rescuers, comforters, forgivers, shoulders to cry on, problem solvers, listening ears, warriors who have fought for us, celebrators of our successes, stern words when we need them, forgivers, cheerleaders and our best friends. All just a phone call away.
3. I recently posted a Facebook status about being in a store watching a woman my age with her mother crunching numbers trying to figure 75% of $3.99. They finally had to use a calculator to figure it out. I am so thankful to have parents that just would not stand for this. Intelligence/problem solving/knowledge/education was/is of utmost importance to them and for this, I am indebted to them.
4. Always trying to better us. From making me come home every Sunday in college to balance my checkbook with Jeff to his Life Lessons (that usually began with, "Kiddo, there are 2 types of people in this world....") The goal was to always make us better, wiser people.
5. Humor. An essential part of our lives.
6. World's Best Grandparents. There is a new, softer side to people when they become Grandparents. A role that I have loved seeing them take on full time. Thank you for loving my babies so, so much.
7. Moving to Frisco. So maybe there was business here too. But it MADE this next chapter of my life. No one will ever understand how much having them down the street meant to me as a new Mom.
8. Travel. From Chicago to Vegas to DC to Santa Fe to Mustang Island as an annual trip. We have had a lot of fun together!
9. Weddings. Amanda, Andrea and I have enjoyed traveling to/from and having you be an essential part of each of our weddings. Thanks for the memories!
10. Helpers of all Helpers. I could NOT raise 2 boys with a traveling husband without their help! It takes a Village!

We love you both with all our hearts! xoxo