Modern Fall Design - Happy Thanksgiving!

Every year I have the same problem. I always feel like Thanksgiving and "fall" decorations in general are too traditional for my taste. I have been able to find some things that fit it in with the modern decor of my house, but mostly I think I'm going to end up making some things. I attached some pictures that I find inspiring for the modern Thanksgiving home! I will definitely be working on a fun wreath for next year. :)

As for my Thanksgiving, my husband and I are headed to my in-laws house for a traditional dinner. I just hope there is green bean casserole! One of my faves. Have a great holiday all!

I got my Car BACK! :)

Nearly a month ago I was rear-ended pretty badly by a young woman just not paying attention. The impact she caused when she hit me also caused a chain reaction with the TWO cars in front of me. I was OK, but pretty shaken up by the whole thing because I just knew she was going to hit me when we had to stop abruptly. That is why I HATE it when people tailgate me!

Anyways, for the last month I have been driving a 2011 Mercury Grand Marquis. It is true what they say about your car having the same personality as you. I drove slower, felt older, just not sexy at ALL. Thank goodness I got my Camry back all in one piece! :)

Design | Baby Name Letters

I just wanted to share the pictures of the letters that I made to go over my niece's bed. She is adorable to begin with but these pics of her are just too much!

The letters were ordered online, the wood plaques are from Michael's, and the paint is just acrylic paint using some stencils, straight edges, and free hand. Once they were all put together I coated them with a satin clearcoat and finished them with a polka dot ribbon.

The Stars Aligned

So for anyone who knows me, you will know that I have a very hard time finding shoes that fit me correctly. I wear a 9.5 double width shoe and it is very hard to find anything remotely stylish in this beastly size. It gets so frustrating that at times I have thought about going into the wide width shoe business... anyone out there share my pain?

Well, there I was minding my own business yesterday at Shoe Carnival, having JUST gone to three other shoe places looking for walking shoes for my trip to Hawaii, and I find these adorable little shoes by Guppy Love.

I do not care what the brand is if I find shoes that A. fit me and B. look semi-cute. Seriously, I will wear anything from Payless to Dolce & Gabbana, just please let them fit! and these particular cuties were even on Clearance! That's right, $9.00.

I get home and decide to google the brand to see what other shoes they might have out there and when I looked at the size on the right shoe, it was a 10. Thinking that to be strange because I thought they were a 9, I checked the other shoe, and it was a 9.5! OOPS! I bought two different size shoes and not even the size listed on the box... but the funny thing is, my right foot IS bigger than my left so that may be the reason why I have been oh so comfortable all day!

It was the trifecta of shoe shopping, perfect shoe, perfect price, and perfect size (even though I didn't know it). I am in my little red shoe happy place :)

Turning 29, the Last Good Year?!?

I have had different emotions about my upcoming birthday of 29 and part of me was wondering if this is the last good year? There are many things I wanted to accomplish by the time I turned 30, and it is amazing to me that my deadline is down to just 12 months! Where has the time gone? I keep a pretty solid journal and thought that this would be a good entry to share and even get some thoughts from others. Bottom line for me is that even though Life isn’t Fair, it is still Good.

The great mystery to young people is that they think older people are SO much different when in fact we are so much the same, just with different problems. Instead of being afraid you won’t be accepted in the Red Rover line at recess, our apprehension comes from unfairness in the job, the dating scene and a grim reality that we might never find the “one,” paying bills, dealing with insurance, adult friendship, and [gulp] having children and placing this difficult thing we call “life” upon another.


When I was younger I would look at someone who was older, let’s face it they were probably 25, and think they had it all figured out. Then when I turned 25 I thought I was the one who had it all figured out. Now, I don’t claim to know a damn thing and think I have been all the wiser for doing so!
We are making these great changes in our lives; getting married, having babies, buying houses, and I think that we just all don’t know what we are doing until we do it! Life is a work in progress. We will learn from our mistakes (like buying a condo right before the housing bubble burst?), let’s just hope no one else gets hurt in the process.

I know a lot of people in their old age write about the things they’ve learned… well here is what a 29 year old knows:

• Only marry someone who you truly, with 110% of your heart, know is the “one.” Some days Steven is the only thing I feel is great in my life and I couldn’t be happier that I am in his.
• However long you think it will take you to pay off your student loans, multiply that by 5.
• True friends are hard to come by. When you find a good one, hold onto him/ her.
• Staying positive is the most important (and sometimes the hardest) thing to do - in any situation. If that doesn’t work, lower your expectations. ;)

Growing older is a part of life, whether we want to do it or not, it is going to happen. It is what we do during that time that truly counts. I recently read this quote:

"The past is finished. Learn from it and let it go. The future is not even here yet. Plan for it, but do not waste your time worrying about it. Worrying is worthless. When you stop ruminating about what has already happened, when you stop worrying about what might never happen, then you will be in the present moment. Then you will begin to experience joy in life."

I find that I often live in the past and worry about the future and that is what my 30s will be for – learning to live in the present. Right now, at 29, I have GOT to get these architectural registration exams over with! See? Life isn’t fair, but it is good.

Kitchen is Finished!

Took twice as long and twice the cost of what it should, but we are enjoying it very much! :)

Kitchen Renovation Time!

I have hated my tile countertops literally since the day I moved into my condo. Not only are they a bacteria's haven, but they are also not installed very nicely - half inch wide BLUE grout lines - yeah.

Steven and I decided to use part of our savings on home improvement since, because of the economy, we aren't moving anywhere anytime soon. I made the plan of attack and Steven put it into action. He doesn't like it when I call myself the project manager, but that is just the nature of my field :)

Here are some shots of before and during, and trust me when I say, I can wait for the after shots!