Goodbye Summer

113 degree temps in SoCal???? It sure doesn't feel like Fall around here. So rather than spend the first weekend of Fall in AC, our family escaped the heat and headed up to Bucks Lake in NorCal for some boating, s'mores and much needed R&R.





007 Themed Birthday Party

Happy 30th my love!

Weekend Wrap-up

We've finally moved our projects to the outside. Friday evening we planted flowers in our front yard. Don't mind the brown lawn - we'll be laying sod soon :)

On Saturday, I gave Ronnie his birthday present.  I surprised him with a family photo shoot. My photographer friend took photos of us and the kids in front of our house and at the state park. The weather was perfect and the photos turned out amazing. More photos to come, but for now here is a sneak peek of the kids:

And on Sunday we started our first DIY project.  Instead of shelling out $2K on Moooi's Random Light, we decided to try to make our own. We used cotton yarn and fabric stiffener.  

Housewarming

We've done a lot of work to the house, but there is still a ton left to do.  Even though we're not finished (don't know if we'll ever be), here is a tour of our progress thus far.....

STAIRS

We painted and stained this beauty ourselves. It took 1 week everyday after work. And while I almost had a heart attack, Ronnie perched himself above the stairs and installed the lantern pendant. Love him, love the pendant, and glad they are both intact.

LIVING ROOM

We painted the entire house (walls, ceilings, moldings, trim, and doors) in Benjamin Moore's China White. The one color approach does a great job of making our low-ceiling rooms appear much larger. Or maybe its the lack of furniture. Installing the mantel is the next item on the to-do list. 

FAMILY ROOM/KITCHEN/OFFICE

We love this house because of its open floor plan.  The kitchen, living room and office are open to one another. It is especially nice when we have large parties. Yes, we've already hosted a few.

OFFICE

We think this once was a billiard room. But it works better for us as an office.

MASTER BATH

A fresh coat of paint, light fixtures, mirrors and hardware were all this bathroom needed.  Even though we still have a few light fixtures to install and curtains to hang, its my favorite room in the house. 

MASTER CLOSET

We love our IKEA his and hers closets so very much that they almost make us forget the torture we went through to install them. Count them...10 miserably long and exhausting hours. I'm happy to report that we survived and we're still married. 

 

The BIG 3-0

We're busy preparing for the BIG 3-0. That means the majority of the house projects need to be completed before the big shindig at the casino royale. Let the count down begin.....

My Brazilian Blowout

There are no words. Well maybe just a few. Love. Life-changing. Addicted. That pretty much sums up my experience with the Brazilian Blowout. I have curly, frizzy, and (at times) un-manageable hair. All I’ve ever wanted was to have bangs and wake up looking like Jennifer Aniston. Is that too much to ask? Enter the Brazilian Blowout. It took 3 ½ hours in the salon chair and cost me $252 (including the acai aftercare shampoo and conditioner). The only thing I regret is that I didn't do it sooner. The results are incredible. My hair is shiny, smooth, and can be styled within minutes instead of hours. LIFE-CHANGING.

Before: au naturel curly

Before: a typical frizzy blow dry

After: Out of the shower air dry

After: 15 minute blow dry

By the numbers

 

Its been two weeks since we moved into our Dream Home and its been one project after another. Even though I cried myself to sleep the first night (due to exhaustion compounded by a busted water pipe), we’re enjoying our new adventure and having a blast every step of the way. Here is a breakdown of the last two weeks by the numbers:

1 = number of busted water pipes in the upstairs bathroom, the leak from which created a swimming pool downstairs
1 = number of nights that I cried myself to sleep (see reason above)
1 = number of emergency calls to the plumber (see reasons above)
1 = number of BBQs held in honor of the FIFA Word Cup finale (woohoo Spain!)
2 = number of visits from the HVAC repairman
2 = number of dumpsters we rented to hall away our trash
3 = number of faucets installed by our hand dandy family members
3 = number of attempts it took my dad and Ronnie to install the downstairs toilet
4 = number of men it took to install our new super duper amazing Viking rangetop
5 = number of days that reached above 95 degree temperatures
6 = number in feet of baseboard molding that Ronnie installed all by himself
7 = number of days we survived without a clothes dryer
8 = number of light fixtures installed by our handy dandy family members
9 = number of handy dandy family members that helped us move, unpack, install, fix, clean, and rewire
10 = number of hours it took us to install our Ikea closet
11 = number of trips to the Home Depot
13 = number of guests that have slept over (thankfully, not all at the same time)
16 = number of days in our Dream Home