Fab Find Friday

Sometimes I think that I might just have the best job in the world.  As the Marketing Director for an Architectural Firm, there are certainly days when I want to pull my hair out - usually when we are trying to meet crazy deadlines on proposals or explaining fact-based info. to the creative minded (herding cats I tell ya).  But, then there are days that I get paid to play!  Some of the research that I have to do, I would gladly do for free!  My Fab Find today is one of those things.

Have you heard of Houzz.com?  If not, jump over now:

HOUZZ

Serious!  Don't wait.  You need to see what you've been missing.

They describe their site as "Home Design, Decorating and Remodeling Ideas and Inspiration (Kitchen and Bathroom Design)". The best way for me to describe this site is to say that it's a combination of all things good on Pinterest, Google Images and HGTV's site. 

You can search over 800,000 designer photos and save them to your own design ideas books.  The site is super user friendly letting you search by styles, spaces, products and key words.  There's lots of great professional articles and comments by other users.  And, the collection of photos is truly astounding!

Here's a peek at some of the photos in my idea books that I am using as inspiration on our new home remodel project (oh, yeah, that's STILL very much happening):

 

Traditional Dining Room design by Chicago Photographer Cynthia Lynn Photography
 

Contemporary Kitchen design by Chicago Design-build Airoom Architects-Builders-Remodelers
 

Contemporary Kids design by San Francisco Media And Blogs Lucy McLintic
 

Contemporary Living Room design by Austin Architect Cornerstone Architects
 

Contemporary Living Room design by Vancouver Interior Designer Claudia Leccacorvi
 

Eclectic Bedroom design

 

Can I just say that I am absolutely in LOVE with that first photo?!  I'm moving into that house....in my dreams!

 

Check out Houzz.  It's a fun fab find!

 

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Fall Window Boxes Revisited

I finished decorating my window boxes.
I decided to forgo spooky on the window boxes this year and just embraced FALL
I still might throw a bat or spider on in the next few days, but I decided that with everything else on our plates, I'd decorate in a way that I didn't have to change things for awhile.

Do you remember my post on Dollar Store Decorating last year (You can find it HERE)?
M and I decorated pumpkins with items from the Dollar Store.
They turned out really cute.

I thought it would be fun to see if I could do it again this year. 
Most of the items I used for the window boxes are from the Dollar Store, too!

You know those really fake (no fooling anyone) flowers they always have at the store entrance?  The ones you walk past without a second thought?  Yep, I grabbed these leaves and flowers from that display!

The garland was from the Dollar Store's fall section.
The gourdes came from our garden and the pumpkins from our local grocery store.

Not too bad, if I don't say so myself.
Who says that holiday decorating needs to break the bank? 

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Right Now

Right now I'm pondering what to do with my window boxes.
I know that I want to decorate them for fall.  But, wondering if I should steer them more spooky for Halloween. 

Should I add mums, some more pumpkins and leaves and call it good.  Or, do I add more leaves, black cats & spiders?  Maybe both?

I'm also wondering why people don't decorate their window boxes year round.  I'm going to spruce these babies up for Christmas right after Thanksgiving.  Already thinking how nice some pine will look in them.

Right now I am completely, totally, entirely 100% EXHAUSTED.  Not only have I not had a full night's sleep for at least 9 months now (I'm counting the 6 months of nursing the little guy, but those last 3 months being pregnant I was up every night, too); we have all been sick for weeks now.  My little bear caught a nasty bug the second he stepped into his new daycare.  Of course!

Right now I'm thinking how funny it is that my little guy can be so serious!
And, BIG..
And, that he will never be this small again. 

Right now I'm wondering how Romney and Obama can be in a statistical dead heat. 

I just looked at news headlines....

Seriously, how can anyone that is not a millionaire consider voting for Romney?

Speaking of baffling news...WHO are all of the people watching Honey Boo Boo??!  Have you seen that trash? 

The real question, is WHY?  Why are so many people watching it?  It makes me cringe thinking about it....mud rolling, pet pigs, stinky Santa suits....

Right now I am thinking that the people watching Honey Boo Boo, must be the same people that will be voting for Romney.  That's the only thing that makes sense.

 

Right now I'm wondering if M is hot.  She wore a heavy long sleeved dress over her leotard today.  I couldn't talk her out of it.

Right now I am thinking how blessed we are to be able to send her to a preschool that has dance lessons.  She LOVES dancing.

 

Right now I am thinking how grateful I am to have moved to such a nice neighborhood with great schools for my kiddos, nice neighbors and the most spectacular views.

 

This is what I get to see every day now:

 

 

 

 

Isn't it AMAZING?

Fall in Utah is simply breathtaking!

God is so good.

 

Right now I am listening to this:

 

 

I LOVE this song!

 

Something else that is nice about our recent move is the 15 minutes I get to myself each day - driving to the office.  I can actually turn the radio up as loud as I want.....and, I don't have to listen to the Disney Channel, either!

 

Right now I'm off to work.  Hopefully, Ho Hey comes on the radio while I'm headed in.  I can think about how much I love my man and that he really is my sweetheart...we're meant to be.

 

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Velvet Pumpkins

Darn it!

I just peeked at The Pioneer Woman's Website and I didn't win her current Home and Garden Contest.  Not that I thought I really had a chance (have you seen how many people enter her contests?!).  But, I was really hoping on this one.

She was giving away these velvet pumpkins by Love Feast Table

 

Aren't these pretty?  Just the right mix of festive, fancy, unique and cute.

This Harvet Trio Set would be a perfect adornment to a Thanksgiving feast.

 

 

I love the jewel tones!

 

 

I'd love a set of these for Fall! 

The fabric is reminding me of the pumpkins M and I decorated last Halloween.

Do you remember these?

 

 

They were part of my "Dollar Store Decorating" Ideas.  I bought the creepy black spider web fabric and ribbon at the Dollar Store.  I just wrapped the pumpkins with the spider web, tied the bows and viola! fancy pumpkins.

 

I've got the creative juices flowing now.  October is only 6 days away.  Time to start the fall decorating.  I'll let you know what I come up with.  I've got an itch to do something with some fancy fabric.

 

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Life Lately

We are finally officially into our new house.
Well,what I should say is that we are sleeping at our new house.  Practically living there full time.
Half of our furniture is at the old house for showings and open houses.  You know, "staged", but without beds.

M has started her new preschool. 
It was more of an adjustment than I thought it would be.  Poor little....she was so sad to leave her friends at her old preschool.

 

Ballet lessons are back in session.

Remind me next quarter that I really don't like going on Saturday mornings!  I thought it would be the easiest day to go with my full time work schedule.  But, boy I miss having that one day that I can hang out in my pajamas sipping coffee before I have to get going.

 



After M's first week at her new school, we celebrated with dinner at her very favorite spot:  "Alex Garden"  :)  She really does call it that most of the time. 

She LOVES pasta!  Just like her Oma.
Thanks for the gift card Oma and Opa!  It's always a hit.

Check out these two cuties.  This is C with my niece's baby boy.  He is 3 months older than C!  Our little guy is in no way little.  Literally off the charts!  Everyone keeps talking football.  Poor kid.  I would never let that happen.  Maybe sumo wrestling?  That's safer isn't it?  You never hear of sumo wrestlers with concussions.

He's such a little adult.  He'll only sleep on his side.

The basement kitchen in our new house finally has paint!  I took this photo about a week ago with my phone.  Not great quality, but I thought I would throw it up.  You will be seeing some real progress photos here soon.  Hubby actually finished the floor in her yesterday.  It's looking really good.  Living in the construction is going to be seriously crazy.  Especially with a 4 year old and a 5 month old.  But, it had to be done.  It was just too hard to work, go home and do dinner, play with kiddos and do the night routine and come to the new house to work.  We decided to just jump into the middle of it and knock this puppy out.

 

I scrubbed floors tonight.  If the little bear doesn't have an ear infection, we are going on a date tomorrow night!  Fingers are crossed.  Then, it's back to house renovation 2012 this weekend.  Trim and paint here we come.

Summer!

We are officially in the thick of summer!  HOORAY! 
I love, love, love summer!

Love LIBERTY PARK.....

Love watching my girl get to play soccer with her grandpa....

Love that it stays warm and light 'til late....

Love that she doesn't have a care in the world....

Loving first time swim lessons...

Really love the swim cap and goggles!

Loved taking the littles to their first Utah Arts Festival....

I've always loved the Arts Fest....it is a definer of summer in Salt Lake City....

I LOVED that my daughter was the only child the entire weekend that wanted to put an elephant nose (including glitter and bright paint) on the giant paper mache frog instead of their provided "warts"!

LOVE, love love these three!

Poor man...it was sweltering hot...

While I'm on a "love" kick.  I am loving this paint color...

Does this make your cringe?

I'm not usually one to throw paint over unpainted wood myself.  But, it was essential in this case.  We are not fans of the '80's oak trend.  And, we really weren't fans of how blah our downstairs kitchen looked.  Blah brown tile floors, "nothing to me" white backsplash, even more boring cream colored counter tops.  This kitchen was screaming, "Please, oh please give me some color!"  So, I jumped right in and said, "No problem."  :)

Unfortunately, our buyer backed out at the last minute on our "old" house, so we are back to days of showings and open houses.  It's pretty rough trying to keep the house spotless, work and take care of the baby.  So, we have decided that we are going to continue to push to get the basement finished at the new house, so that we can move over there.  We figure we should be able to refinish the new house faster if we are there and much easier to keep the old house in "show condition".  Fingers are crossed that we can be over there in August. 

Jody, I'm so glad that you were able to get your family up to the mountains!  They are always the best for providing calm and tranquility when your world is full of chaos.  We are going to try to get up there this weekend. 

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