When I say summer, you say patio!

Summer!

Patio!

Summer!

Patio!

What we've been looking forward to more than ever is having people over and utilizing our courtyard/patio area out back to entertain. When we bought the joint, it had a lovely paver patio (weeds included), a pond (or potential hot tub) and a beautiful flowering tree. Once again, inspired by Andy and April, we decided we should rip out the pavers (which were uneven anywho) and lay a nice smooth block of concrete. In the spirit of entertaining, the concrete would be easier to maintain and more level for furniture.

Here are some before pics.... isn't it kind of an "I Spy" type experience? I spy the boarded up window. I also spy the decrepit old AC unit (with a sweet new one installed).

We decided to save on some labor costs and pull up the pavers ourselves (thank you Nick and Abbey starting that party!). Little did we know that there were 2 patios underneath! Top Layer - Layer 1 - pavers. Layer 2 - more pavers. Layer 3 (we assume the original layer) - concrete slab & bricks. What a workout! And a pain.

After digging 14 inches down, we poured gravel. And by pouring, I mean Adam wheeled the gravel from the driveway into the back yard.

Then Adam built a wall with some of the existing stone to make sure we do include some greenery in the back.

Impressed with him yet? I am.

Then some concrete was poured.... and yes, it has a red tint. It may look different, strange, what have you... but we love it. I spy a wooden road runner (see YouTube post, it's an Earl Frederick original). I also spy a fire pit. Give a man some fire and his Friday night is complete. (Thank you Mark and Kaye).

Word to the wise - wait until the end of the season to buy patio furniture. Half off at Lowes!!!

Check the grill, it's beautiful and a wonderful house warming present from Debbie and Randy! With a grill set from Grandma and Grandpa. Thank you, thank you!

Adam, the lighting guru, also put lights into the ground. Who does that? It's pretty genius and looks sweet in the evening.

Old light fixture. It's not so bad... but it's kind of old and moldy.

Had to do something new!

Come party on our patio anytime! We're ready for ya!

Tour of Homes - Here we Come!

Happy Weekend everyone! Many of you know and many do not know, but we have decided to sign up for the Victorian Village Tour of Homes with the stipulation that we can close off the basement. I have big dreams for the basement, but those big dreams require some fat cash and we are going to save a bit before we jump in head first.... again. We're slowly finishing up the little things to get ready for the tour, but also taking some time to relax!

Last evening was an evening we have been waiting for.... I met Tong at the best happy hour spot ever - Bodega and then leisurely strolled back home to find a cozy couch, a lazy dog and a fabu boyfriend, armed with popcorn, Skittles and recorded movies on the HD DVR!

Although I've blocked out most of the bad times we had with this house renovation, I did go through some "before" pictures and found these lovely pictures of the evening the ceiling came down.

Brother and boyfriend with crow bars in hand (which I just noticed they are dressed alike... apparently khaki and white is not only the cheesy family picture attire, but also acceptable demolition attire).

I came home from a business trip and found this awaiting me.... I was a little, um, distraught (hence arms crossed with scowl that you can't see so well).

But it was all worth it. Check it out now.... Beautiful white wood work (thank you Kaye). The mantel was custom built by Dan our Door man, the couch (see previous post), our diggity dawg and tiled fireplace (thank you Nick).
The hunt for a coffee table and chair to complete the living area is on!

Sweden is coming!

Okay, not the entire Country.....

We're preparing for our favorite Swede to come back to the US and I started to search through some old pictures of when I was there 5 years ago. I can't help but laugh.... we were goofy gals.

I have no idea what we were doing here!

Dressed up in authentic Royal Swedish Gear. Do I see some magnum in there? Ferrari? La Tigre?

One of the highlights was playing water polo while I was there on Martina's team. Here we're in Hungary, preparing for our National Title game (which we won later on).

Invasion of the Swede starts in a week from tomorrow!

The Jakester

Jake has been a fabulous addition to our lives. We've come to the conclusion that he's definitely Lab and Mastif because he follows us around wherever we go and he's completely laid back at the same time.
Jake likes to run and play with other dogs - especially Stitch, his best friend and favorite French Bulldog. Here they are frolicking through Aunt Abbey's back yard and stirring up mischief as they run into the field behind her house. When Jake is with Stitch, he likes to ignore his mama.

Doesn't it look like they're saying "c'mon, let's go into the field and run and run so no one can see us!" I think Stitch has a French accent as well and says things like "we we" when he means yes and "sacrebleu!" when he's been caught running too far into the field.

Jake's a good puppy though and knows when to say when. Daddy here trying to give him some of his "Daddy Pop" but Jake abstains because he knows he's not old enough yet.


Most of the time though, he likes to sit on his bed and play with his toys. He can look scary and menacing; but he's a complete softie - he'd rather lick you and nibble on your toes!
Don't my boys look B.A. here? We are very lucky to have such a great doggie!

Curtains! It's curtains for ya...

Now... those that know me know that I don't have a domestic bone in my body. I couldn't sew a button to save my life. But thank goodness Kaye is Mrs. Domestic and has offered to make our window coverings! Not only will we get to pick our own fabric, but we will get to choose the exact style and size (and save a little moolah too). Who knew that I could get excited about fabric?

Here are some ideas for our bedrooms and main floor. We want to go with modern patterns, something not too flashy, but that brings a little somethin' somethin' to the room.



We also have to go with something that is neutral enough so when we decorate the rest of the room, there isn't too much going on.



I have found that I am drawn to Robert Allen at home fabrics. Bob and I met yesterday and I'm a huge fan. Even though I had to comb through millions of competitors, Bob kept coming out on top.

We are going with Flat Roman Shades for our window treatments. We want to make sure that we can let the light in whenever we want. I do like Hobbled Roman Shades.... but you've got to go super neutral since they're very layered (doesn't the word hobbled make you think of hobbits or at least make you giggle?)

Who's pumped about fabric?! The anti-domestic girl!

Where have we been?!

One of the highlights was Virginia Beach! Yes, we dressed up. Yes we took some super cheesy everyone-dress-alike family glamour shots. Yes, Kaye was the mastermind behind it and we couldn't say no to Kaye.


We have been busy bees! Thus my blog neglect. I apologize, but promise to start it up again. We've been vacationing, hosting parties, welcoming babies and engagements and of course.... finishing more of the house!


This shot was not one of the glamour shots, but after the Pro left and after a few frosty bevies.

I promise to get better with updates!

First big swing of the season....

After year of being hermits and slaves to our home, we treated ourselves. Spent the weekend in beautiful Callie celebrating Sara and Sean's special day and catching up with some of my favorite peeps! We were also able to get in some fantastic golf. (Haven't swung a club in over a year and it was the hardest course in CALIFORNIA).





It was hot.. like sweaty thigh hot, but tootally worth it! More to come from the trip after I steal some pics from the ladies!