Contest time!!!

I have been such a blog slacker these past two weeks so for that I apologize.  I am returning with some exciting news, a contest!  Pop on over to OrganizedMom for your chance to win....what else? Fridge Coasters!!!  We love sharing and introducing our product to new people so if you haven't had a chance to try them out, make sure you enter for your chance to win a Fridge Pack.  Look at Natalie's great fridge makeover.

a random weekend recap

We had a very productive and fun weekend.  The weather was beautiful so we spent most of it outside working/playing in the yard.  We mulched 4 flower beds and picked out 3 HUGE trees that will be planted this week.  We also buzzed our first born.  We let Beckett's hair grow out all winter. He literally had not had a haircut since October and it was getting out of control and hot!!  It took two of us to hold him and 5 girl scout cookies but he looks so cute!!  I couldn't get a picture of him actually looking at the camera but such is life with a 2 year old.  I'm sure I will be able to snap one soon and post it.

Before

After

This cutie pie started rolling himself over two weeks ago.  He is trying so hard to keep up with his brother.  I realized I haven't posted a picture of him so I thought I should slip one in here.

 

In other news, I found the BEST blueberry muffin recipe here.  I've made them the last two Sundays and it couldn't be easier.  Try them out if you like; you won't be disappointed!

Have a green weekend

Happy weekend!!  Enjoy!!

Weekend project: shed update

Inspired by the images below, I thought it was time to give our backyard shed some new life.

This is our backyard shed.............

  Ben built it from scratch.  It's crooked, quirky and I love it. Yes, that is our dried up christmas tree hanging out next to it. We're saving it for the perfect cool night to burn in our fire pit or at least thats what we keep telling ourselves.

 We've had these terracotta pot hangers for a while, waiting for the perfect place to put them.  Our shed needed some love so it was the perfect place.  Ben spray painted them black and screwed them in.

How cute!  I planted Dianthus in all four pots, which is a mounding annual that LOVES the sun.  As soon as they start to grow in a little, it will look a lot better.

 I also planted Dianthus in the planter box on the side and am looking for an old window frame to hang above it.

I have 6 more of these pot hangers and I can't decide if I should add more to the shed or hang some on our pergola.  Has anyone used them anywhere in their yard?  If so, where did you put them?

t.g.i.f.........and thank you!

It has been a crazy week.  I am SO happy the weekend is finally here.  Thank you so much to all our new Facebook fans and Pinterest followers.  All your comments are so great and we can't thank you enough for all the positive feedback and support.  Happy Weekend!

kitchen diaries - project 1

We built our house 6 years ago (yikes, I can't believe its been that long) with minimal upgrades.  The kitchen was where we did spend a little by adding granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.  The cabinets and flooring however, were builder grade basic.  We did this with every intention of "finishing" it ourselves to make it exactly what we wanted.  Ben and I make a great team because I'm the "designer" and he's the "doer".  We speak the same DIY language; thats what you get after 14 years together.  I can sketch out a picture that a normal person wouldn't have a clue what to do with, and he makes it a reality.

Ultimately we new we wanted a bright and fresh kitchen. The first project we tackled was the backsplash.  The hardest part of this was deciding on a material that was functional for us, looked nice and was affordable.  When you see the finished product you are going to think, "what was so hard about picking that out?"  It's really simple and neutral but it took me a long time to come to that decision.  We played around with colored glass mosaic tile, we contemplated matching our granite slab with granite tiles.  We even toyed around with doing a faux stainless look with aluminum tile.  None of those really fit our style.  We finally landed on a travertine subway tile and a creamy beige. It couldn't be more perfect.  It goes with everything, it's timeless and it's really easy to clean.

 As you can see, builder grade blah cabinets and bare walls

 I thought Ben was going to lose his mind cutting around all those light switches an outlets but he got it perfect!

Just a simple update and the kitchen already looks so much better.  

It's fun for me to look back at these pictures and see how far we've come.  We started redoing our kitchen 3 years ago.......... it's still not done ;)

Next week - cabinet refacing.  Stay tuned!

Exciting Fridge Coaster contest

We are so happy to announce that we've partnered with Iheart organizing this month for a Fridge Coaster contest.  Jen writes a fantastic blog with great organizing tips (hence the name) and fun DIY projects. Check out her blog and more info on the contest here.  Good luck!!

What's blooming?

Peonies are my absolute favorite springtime bloom.  Over the weekend we added two new varieties to our garden.  I can't wait for them to pop up.  They are by far the best fresh cut flower to add some "instant happy" to your home.  Here are some of last years blooms.

Mason jars are definitely my vase of choice when it comes to arranging peonies, or any flower for that matter.  These aqua jars look especially nice with bright pink blooms inside.