Pinterest: For All Things Beautiful

Taking cues from my mom, I've always been a fan of magazines like Country Living, Country Home, and Southern Living.  Not only would I read them, but I would love pointing out pictures I found particularly pleasing.  When Jason and I were dating, I liked to test him, "So how do you like this?"  He obviously did okay since we are still together.  A few years ago Jason bought be a photo album so I could cut pictures out of my magazines and store them there so when we bought a house together, I could pull decorating ideas from my cutouts.  I thought it was an incredibly thoughtful gift. 

A few weeks ago, I found out about the website Pinterest.  It's still a relatively new website, and you have to request membership and wait a few weeks until you get an invitation to join.  I have a feeling they are limiting members because of the bandwidth required to keep the website up and running.  Anyhoo, the website is basically a virtual version of the photo album idea Jason came up with a few years ago.  The concept is that you "pin" things that interest you.  For me, it's mostly beautiful pictures of houses.  You can create different boards (or albums) for different things (art, clothes, foods, basically anything you can think of.)  You can follow other people's boards and repin things they have posted and vice versa.  This blog does a good job giving a quick run through of what the website is all about.

So, I thought I would share a few of my boards (even if you aren't a member, I think you can still click on the links and see my pages):

For the Home  Ideas for how I wish our home, or future home, looked.

I Swear I'm Not Pregnant, Just a Forward Thinker  Don't get any wrong ideas, I'm just a planner.

Stuff I want for Mi Casa  I do have a birthday coming up after all.

Evolution of a Bedroom

Jason & I tackled a project this morning.  Before I unveil the big surprise, I thought it would be fun to walk through the evolution of our bedroom from the day we moved in until now.



When we first moved in.  All existing furniture from our lives as renters.  Don't you love the unproportional glass & metal coffee tables we were using as bedside tables?

 

First change - furniture upgrade.  New side tables, bookcase, & lamps.  I'm not sure why I thought Radar needed two beds in the bedroom at this point in time.   I guess that's why we call him Spoiled Wompkins.



Addition of a rug (formerly in the living room.)



New curtains.  After we bought and put these up, we were still unsure of how they looked, so one Saturday I drove all around town and found about 8 more possible options.  After trying each one out, we stuck with our first choice.

 

New bedding.  Finally getting rid of all the brown.



Our room today.  What's new?  Hint: Look up.



Lights off.


That's right.  Jason & I took down the ceiling fan and installed a new light fixture.  All by ourselves.  We're practically master electricians now.  Actually, we are just hoping we hard wired it correctly and safely.

Too bad our bed making skills haven't improved over the past year.  They are all half-hearted attempts at making the bed look half-way presentable before I took pictures.  But, it does look like the pictures have gotten better.  The new camera makes a big difference. 

Anyhow, doesn't the new light look nice?  Much better than the brass & laminate fan at least.  We never used the fan because of my allergies, so I thought a more modern fixture would look nice.  I'm pleased with the result.  It's starting to really look like a grown up bedroom vs. just leftovers from college.



Patio Weather

Sunday evening when we got back from Austin, we invited Ferryn & Steve over and grilled out on the patio.  We had steak, rosemary potatoes with onions, and vegetable kabobs.  I didn't get pictures of the cooked steak or kabobs because it was after 8 pm when they were finished and I was too hungry to take pictures. 

We had some strawberries ripe for pickin' as well.  It's a bit hard to keep Radar out of them.  He nibbled on one when I wasn't looking.

Oh, and incase you were wondering, Radar hates Ferryn.

Yup, that's right... just hates her.

Fail x 58,346

Oh goodness gracious!  I don't even know how to start this one. 

Well, I was looking forward to introducing you to our new, beautiful chair we waited 8 weeks for to replace the carpet beetle infested chair we threw out in March.  Instead, I'm going to tell you the story of the shortest lived chair in the history of mankind.  Well, at least in the history of Jason & I.

We got a call last week informing us that the chair we ordered in March was ready to pick up.  Now, this wasn't just any chair.  It was the perfect chair.  I first sat in it nearly a year ago.  I obsessed about it.  I've been wanting a rocking chair for years, and have never managed to find "The One."  After the beetle carpet incident, we decided to go check out The One again.  Its prototype was housed in Chic Warehouse in The Heights.  I sat.  I rocked.  I loved.  The One.

Normally, I wouldn't spend this much money on a chair.  But it was soooo comfortable.  And we got to pick out the fabric (despite the guy making fun of our "conservative" style.)  After taxes, it cost 58,346 pennies.  Or 11,669.2 nickles.  Or 5,834.6 dimes.  Or 2,333.84 quarters.  You get the idea.  I had just received a pretty decent bonus at work, so we justified the expense at the time.  Plus, can you really put a price on The One?

Well, today, instead of spending $90 on a delivery fee, Jason opted to borrower Ferryn & Steve's truck to go pick up The One.  The box fit "snuggly" in the cab of the Ford Ranger, so Jason decided it didn't need to be tied down.  The highway felt differently.  Not even a mile into the trip, Jason hit a bump and The One flew out of the trunk.  The box immediately exploded and The One skipped across the highway.  Luckily, The One didn't hit a car.  (Believe me, we know we are so lucky in this respect.)  Jason immediately called the cops on himself, and by the time he had circled the next exit to pick up The One, a cleaning crew was already there to help. 

At this time, I was still at work and I see that I had about five missed calls on my cell phone and a text that says, "answer your phone."  When I finally managed to answer, Jason was clearly upset.  I thought that maybe he had blown out his knee unloading the chair, so when he told me what happened, I figured it was better than a big injury.  It's hard to be mad at someone who feels so bad.  I once heard a news story that tears are humans' natural defense system.  I can attest that that is probably true.

This is what our old chair looked like right before we took it to the dump.  We taped garbage bags on the bottom so we didn't spread any carpet beetles on our way out. 

And this is The One after his trip across the highway. 

Poor, poor chair.  Really, it kinda just looks like we got an exact replacement for our old chair.  It doesn't look that much worse.  Except our old chair was 10+ years old, and The One is celebrating his 1 day birthday.  Oh, and the rocking mechanism didn't make it home - that's why it is so close to the ground.  Actually, Radar just kinda sees it as a really nice dog bed.  It's only slightly higher than his dog bed in the bedroom, so he is quite happy about the new addition.  Obviously, The One isn't a permanent fixture in our living room. 

We figure this whole incident must be some type of karma, so Jason and I have decided to donate $583.46 to assist the victims of the Joplin, MO tornado.  Wait, make that $583.47.  That's right Universe.  You were just one (cent) upped.

Our Austin Digs

When Jason and I travel together, we usually try to abstain from the normal, run of the mill hotel scene.  We usually opt for bed and breakfasts, inns, cottages and houses you can rent.  Not only do they offer more of a "home away from home" feel, but they usually mean we can bring the pup along.  (I usually specifically search for pooch friendly lodging if we want to bring him along for the trip.) 

Our trip to Austin was no different.  We found a house situated halfway between the wedding venue and Laura & Joel's place for under $100 a night. 

The house was adorable.  I would say its style was eclectic, girly, with a hint of vintage.  It was a perfect home base to return to after each wedding event (the rehearsal dinner, wedding, etc.)  And plus, I think Radar appreciated being able to tag along.

Laura & Joel's Wedding

Yesterday we celebrated the marriage of two of our best friends, Laura & Joel.  The wedding was held at Austin's Mayfield Park and Preserve.  The park is owned by the city and has an adorable cottage with beautiful, lush grounds and roaming peacocks.  

Seriously, roaming peacocks.  And not just a few.  These buddies were everywhere.  Laura took her inspiration from the peacocks when designing her wedding.  The effect was perfect!

The bridesmaids arrived early in the day to decorate.  The tables and chairs were set up, but we tied all the chair bows, set out the linens, and decorated the tables.  I think Laura did an amazing time picking out the look and it all came together so wonderfully.

Laura and Joel went with almost a vintage flair (if you can tell from Laura's bridal portraits.)

The groomsmen wore suspenders and throwback hats and the bridesmaids wore high waisted knee length pleated skirts.  Very cute. 

The ceremony concluded without of hitch (if you don't count the occasion flair up of peacock squawking.)

The couple was stunning!  And beaming throughout the whole night!  After the first dances, we ate dinner catered by TacoDeli. 

I had to sneak in a picture with the bride.  The rest of the night was pretty standard - toasts, cake cutting, bouquet and garter toss, dancing - all of which went very smoothly (well maybe not all of the dancing but that is to be expected.)

Tomorrow, the couple leaves for a week in Vancouver.  We wish them fun on their honeymoon and joy and happiness throughout their marriage.  And a huge thanks for including us in their beautiful night.  :)

Funny Search Terms

So Google has recently stepped up the amount of traffic they send to my site.  Today I got the two funniest search terms I've gotten in my blog's mere existance:

"germans claim kate stole wedding dress"

"Do you have a Record player art of manliness"

Both were sourced from England.  Silly English folks.  Hehe.  Hoho.

I Heart World Market

When I was out running errands yesterday, I went by World Market.  I absolutely love World Market.  I can always find neat nicknacks at decent prices.  Yesterday, I stopped by hoping to find two items: unique jewelery for Laura's wedding and a new bathmat.  I scored on both accounts.  First, I found gold and blue hoop earrings for $4.99 - to top it off, jewelry was 25% off.  Hecks yes. 

Then, I found a new bathmat.  Radar had recently decided  to use my bathmat as a digging ground.  I kept finding blue little bathmat tuffs around the house.  I would pick them up, and a few hours later there would be more.  I needed a non-loopy bathmat to keep him from digging.  I found this little honey:

Jason made fun of it.  He said it looks like it belongs at a grandma's house.  I think it's adorable.  It was $12.99. 

Another perk of World Market, is they now have member's rewards.  I had $10 off a $30 purchase coupon, so I looked for an item to hit my $30 minimum.  I found this cutie:

I think the new doormat is perfect for the summer.  Plus it was only $14.99, so with my coupon, I basically got it for $5.  A steal if you ask me.

Here are some more of my other favorite World Market items right now:

White Compost Bucket
Amber Dinnerware Set
Nantucket Dinnerware Set
Old Fashion Glass Set
Accent Table

Of course I don't really need any of that. 

This really has nothing to do with this post, but just because I haven't posted any lazy Radar pictures lately, here is what he looked like just moments ago:

Right now, he pretty much looks like this, but with his tongue hanging out:

Trader Joe's in Houston

I hate to do it, but I have to reference Swamplot again.  Swamplot, if you keep informing me of all the good stuff, I feel like I should just work for ya.  Want to hire me?  Part time maybe?

Anyways,  Swamplot reported yesterday that Trader Joe's is looking to open stores in Texas.  For those of you aren't familiar with Trader Joe's, it's a grocery market of rather cheap affordable specialty items.  Think wines, cheeses, crackers... great picnic basket finds. 

I first experienced Trader Joe's when I lived in San Francisco last year.  I couldn't be more excited about the possibility of it coming to Houston.  Maybe it's because of the great memories I've attached to it.  At the time, I was rather burnt out with the training program I was in while in San Francisco.  My cousin graciously offered to entertain me for the day and get me out of my 12 hour work day routine.  We spent a Saturday at the Farmer's Market at the Ferry Building, made a trip to Trader Joe's, and picnicked on the beach.  It was exactly the break I needed.  Enough of reminiscing, but I really was impressed with Trader Joe's.  Whoa... I know I've expressed our views about the Walmart moving in next door, but I think I would be rather pleased if a Trader Joe's was within walking distance.

Picnic featuring Trader Joe's items.

View to the left.

View to the right.

Can you see how I've attached good memories to it?

Kate Middleton is a Copycat

So yesterday, my mom posts the following on my facebook: "I don't know if you noticed, but your wedding dress and Kate Middleton's had some major similarities in the bodice and neckline. Just think...you had that wonderful similar style several years before she did. I actually liked your dress better!"  You can ignore her last comment; she's just doing her duty as a mom.  But, she does make a good point. 

White.  Check

Sweetheart neckline.  Check

Lace overlay.  Check

Sleeves.  Check

Welp, that's about all I know about dress designs.  So by those standards, they are basically the same dress.

Add insult to injury, we had similar hairstyles as well.  And my picture up there - taken in front of a windmill.  Kate couldn't have a country wedding, so she brought trees into Westminster Abbey. 

I think I basically inspired the whole royal wedding.