House Updates: A Sneak Peek

I owe you an overall house update but life has been too busy lately. And so therefore, I haven't taken any updated photos yet. Hopefully I can get my act together soon, but for now let's focus on some new details around here.

I have been doing my very best to only buy good deals. But not to buy something just because it's a good deal. It has to be something I love for one hell of a steal. With so many rooms to fill, I need to stretch our dollars as far as possible. Otherwise, we'll only have one finished room and a whole bunch of empty spaces for the next year or two while I save up.

After searching high and low for a shade option for our master bedroom, I went with these. We have 4 windows in our bedroom and they are 3 different sizes. So I had to find something that came in all 3 sizes because I didn't want to pay the higher prices for the cut to size ones. Like I said, deals only. So bamboo shades it was for us. (Plus, this post really swung my decision towards the look of bamboo).

Thank you Autumn for your amazing affordable finds series. I bought this steal of a mirror and also found great prices on curtains for our bedroom. I haven't decided where to hang the mirror yet but either way, Kirklands for the win!

I've given myself a [small] budget to finalize our family room. It's the room that's has been closest to "finished" so I've decided to get 'er done. I will definitely post a before & after and source list but let's just say that Target's Threshold and Nate Berkus lines are a godsend. Here are a few close-ups of the layers I've added to our family room.

I painted our dining room this weekend. And it feels so good to have another room cleanly painted. After many failed samples painted all over the walls I decided to just wing it. I knew the color I was going to go for, now just to find it and get it in the right hue. We have low ceilings here, so I realized when testing out paints that I needed to go lighter than I imagined, and to trust that it would look slightly darker in our space. Have you ever actually sat at the table you find within the paint section? That was me Saturday. I took my time, looked at many colors, reviewed them with a piece of white paper behind them, and eventually made a decision on the spot. Benjamin Moore Soft Fern for the win. Bye bye yellow!

Now I cannot wait to get the kitchen painted.

How was your weekend?

Even though we had no actual plans, we were insanely busy this weekend. And it felt really good. We got our long training run in, the dining room got painted, the lawn is raked clean of moss and seeded, the pool's closed, and some of the front beds are weeded. Our backs are now aching and we're exhausted but it feels great to have gotten so much done.

Happy Monday!

If you like this post please let me know by leaving a comment or liking my Facebook page. You can also follow along on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Let's stay in touch!

Fun Fact Friday 09.13.13

Happy Friday!

It's a rainy Friday here in Boston and honestly, I don't hate it. I've been craving a sweatpants and couch kind of night for a while now and I think Im finally going to get it this weekend. You don't know how happy this makes me. Our weekend currently contains zero plans. Zero. And we're pretty pumped about it. 

Here's 5 things I'm currently loving:

1. Happy Anniversary to my parents! They've been married for 32 years now. 32! And I couldn't be happier for them. 

2. I've been on an app downloading binge recently. I am loving the Cartwheel app for Target! Every store needs something like this. It allows you to save coupons to your phone to redeem by barcode at checkout. 25% off Threshold, 25% off Nate Berkus just to name a few...thanks for the tip Lauren!

3. After borrowing some from a friend at one of the recent weddings (same Lauren mentioned in #2, she's a lifesaver!), I've finally purchased a pressed powder. I've been using it all week and just love the soft, smooth finished look it gives my skin. I went with Revlon Nearly Naked. No real reason why other than looking for something lightweight (and I liked the packaging) but it has worked out great.

4. I ordered prints for our dining room from this Etsy dealer last week - Belle Botanica - and just love them! The quality is even better than I expected and the current buy 3 get 1 free deal totally worked in my favor. We're making progress over here. House updates to come next week.

5. Do you think Tucker's new dog beds a little too big? Whoops! We'll be exchanging it. But I do love the material and quality of this bed. (Don't mind the ugly power cords, we're working on it...)

How about you, any weekend plans? Any good apps I should download? 

Have fantastic weekend!

If you like this post please let me know by leaving a comment or liking my Facebook page. You can also follow along on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Let's stay in touch!

Linking up with H54F, Friday Favorites, That Friday Blog Hop

K&L Tie the Knot!

After a great night with family (wedding recap here and here), we woke up to brunch in the hotel before packing up and heading out. Heading out to another wedding that is! One of J's long-time (high school) friends was getting married and we couldn't have been more excited. We've come to love this couple and just gotten closer over the years. I recapped Krysten's shower here, but the main event was incredible.

It was my first time visiting the Endicott Estate and I loved the charm of it. What a fun venue! While the weather was a little iffy during the day, by the time the wedding started, somebody upstairs was on our side! And even if it had rained, Krysten's glow would have kept us all warm. She was just stunning, with the biggest smile on all night. 

The Ceremony

And I may have caught Lee sniffling. ;)

Krysten's nephew was the ring bearer and was so cute. J and I died when we saw him standing up there so quiet with the bride and groom. Hey, he took his job very seriously!

Husband & wife!

Details

Krysten & Lee used The Candy Jar for their flowers (I have mentioned them many times before, she's amazingly talented!). The purple roses she's able to get are by far my favorite. They are just the perfect shade.

The Reception

I don't even know where to begin with this one. Everyone danced the entire night away. Everyone. From the very first dance, where Krysten and Lee asked other couples to join them, the dance floor remained packed. The band was out of this world. Not just any band, a 10+ piece band with a trombone, saxophone, keyboard, even sound manager! And to top it off, Krysten's dad plays in this band! Although he got to enjoy the evening off, they certainly pulled him onto stage a handful of times to perform. This band was fantastic. Top notch.

Krysten's dad!

The R photo is Krysten's uncle, who is an incredibly talented, well-known saxophonist. He flew in from LA for the wedding, and has his own CD! He was unbelievably good.

Brides performance. Seriously talented family!

Oh we had so much fun celebrating this wedding. The guys with the handsome groom, some of the gals with the gorgeous bride. 

Congratulations Lee & Krysten! What an amazing wedding. We are sooo happy and excited for you two!

xoxo, T

G&N: Party Pics!

Yesterday's post got a little too long so I decided it needed two. If you missed the initial recap, you can find it here. But let's move on to the reception pictures from Greg & Nat's wedding day.

They hired the same band J&A used last year and they were so great (again).

Listening to the MOH and Best Man speeches. Both were spot on, had me laughing and tearing up!

And before I knew it, the dancing begun! Oh man did their guests know how to dance. There were dance circles, a soul train, and even (below) spin the bottle - dance! It was hilarious, and everyone had so much fun.

 Soul train!

Lovebirds!

 After the wedding, we headed back to the hotel bar to continue the celebration. Have you ever seen a more amazing after party dress?! Gorgeous.

Congratulations Greg & Natalie. We couldn't be happier for you two! You were meant for each other. And I look forward to the years of memories and fun times to come!

xoxo, T

Another Brother off the Market

I had all intentions of getting this post together for Monday and start off this week of wedding recaps right. But then we had a wedding Saturday night and friends over for the Sunday football games. In all seriousness I could have gone to bed at 8:30 Sunday night. I kept myself busy until 9 before calling it a night. 3 weddings in 8 days....I was exhausted.

Our week of weddings started out with a family affair. Another brother is married! And it was such a beautiful day. Dating since high school, Greg and Nat wasted no time planning their big day once Greg popped the question last fall. They took an approach similar to J & I - why wait? And we couldn't be happier for them.

So let's see, G&N held both their ceremony and reception at the Squantum Association in East Providence, RI. This place is a hidden gem! I couldn't get over how awesome this venue was. Old school social club meets yacht club feel. Lots of elegant millwork, leather chairs, oriental rugs and a great water view.

Here are a few pictures I snapped during the rehearsal the night before. Dinner (and some great speeches) followed at McCormik & Schmiks.

The rehearsal dinner hosts (love these two!)

For those of that don't know, or maybe you do and you need a link to their site (ha!) Greg has started his own shoe company with a partner, New England Outerwear. We're talking amazing, leather, 100% made in the USA top notch shoes. He surprised all of the groomsmen with newly designed loafers as gifts. Seriously?!

 

 oops, groom moving a little too fast...

The day of the wedding, my sister-in-law Meg and I decided to get our hair done at a nearby salon before meeting up with the bridal party and heading over to the venue. When it was time to go, I met all the ladies in the bridal suite before catching our shuttle. I don't even know how to describe the feeling and emotion that came over me upon seeing Natalie in her wedding dress. I couldn't help but tear up, she looked so beautiful! Instead of being there while she got her makeup done, and her hair done, and put her dress on, seeing it all together was really exciting. I think my jaw hit the floor. I guess it's probably what it's like for the groom when he first sees his beautiful bride (times a million for the groom!).

It was so sweet of Nat to include Meg and I in her few final moments before the wedding. For me, it was really nice to be as helpful as needed - running between the bridal parties with missing boutonnieres, wrong boutonnieres, late shuttle messages, etc. Running in heels on a seashell path...not so fun ha. But it was so nice to be involved.

The Ceremony

I love catching these moments, brides mom looking her way and the grooms mom watching his reaction.

Husband & wife! 

The Formals

Pretty good looking family if I do say so myself

Where we all got our good looks from, our mommas.

But, this post is getting too long! Reception pictures to follow tomorrow. 

If you like this post please let me know by leaving a comment or liking my Facebook page. You can also follow along on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Let's stay in touch!