A Floral Baby Shower Brunch!

In October we hosted our first party at our new home.  It was so much fun getting to do this for my sweet sis-in-law, Charis, who was due in November.  Charis' sister spearheaded the whole party and did the beautiful decorations and J helped me with the food.  And of course, he had a blast helping me figure out the menu and cooking. (I seriously have the best husband ever!)

Kelsy had suggested a floral brunch, so we immediately had all kinds of ideas for the menu.  I'm fairly certain we cut like 10 or 12 items 3 or 4 items we had wanted to serve, just so that we weren't swimming in food.

Our menu was:
-Pancake Bar
-Sausage Quiche
-Donut Kebabs
-Yogurt Parfaits
-Southwestern Potato Burritos
-Biscuits & Gravy
-Banana, Pumpkin and Poppy Seed Bread
-Mini Yellow Chocolate Chip & Andes Mint Cupcakes
-Mimosas

For party favors we did mini red velvet bundt cakes.

Yes, it was so much fun entertaining and getting to put out some yummy food.  And it was even more fun getting to spoil Charis and celebrate with her and her little family on their impending arrival.  We definitely hope we can have more fun events at our home.

  

My Office Reveal!!

We've been in the house for almost a year now.  And one of the few rooms that actually is essentially done is my office.  J has allowed me to prioritize it decorating-wise since I spend a majority of my time in there.  It has definitely been such an upgrade from my previous "offices".  I've previously had to turn bedrooms into my office.  Having a dedicated space that is just mine, and that I can leave and ignore when I'm not working is so nice.

 

When we chose our floor plan, I knew that I was going to want built-in cabinetry and a floating desk, so we pushed out the wall by a foot.  Which was a plus all-around since it enlarged our master bedroom, bathroom, shower room and closet! :)  Umm, yes please! 

I still am slowly adding knick-knacks to my bookshelves and desk space, and I definitely want to add a linen upholstered desk chair.  But other than that, I've pretty much completed the decorating in the office.

Since there is not a room above my office, we decided to give the office a bigger feeling by removing the ten-foot ceiling and making it a cathedral ceiling with a cedar beam. 

And one huge plus of having the custom built-in cabinets was being able to be very picky on the desk set up.  I hate having ugly, necessary things in view.  So, I requested rollout shelves that fit my laptop and dock and the printer.  We made sure to have outlets built inside the cabinets and a large drawer that could accommodate hanging file folders, should I ever need them.  Then, I had them make the cutout for cords go straight into the cabinet so that they're as invisible as possible!

AP's Room Reveal!

AP's room has been in the works for a really long time now.  Normally, it's something you start putting together before the baby arrives, but since we were in a rent home during the entire pregnancy, we did absolutely nothing.  Not to mention, I couldn't find anything that went with the color scheme I initially wanted for his room.  So I procrastinated on trying to pull his room together, even after we moved into our home. (Trust me, this will be an underlying theme in every home post I make going forward.  I have a problem!!)

However, I finally settled on bedding.  Then we found a weekend to go furniture shopping and I was fully prepared to not find anything I liked. But to my surprise, we actually found a dresser that I liked that was very reminiscent of a RH Baby piece I had my eye on, and it was about $1,000 cheaper.  Sold!

So, everything started coming together after that.  Jason and I did a legit DIY project for his wall.  I mean, it was nothing crazy, but for this chick who is a perfectionist, it was a big risk step.  But it turned out beautifully and adds a lot to the room.  Then, on top of it, AP's Uncle Ty bought him an awesome teepee that fills the room and really makes it seem like a little boy's room!  We stained the tops of the teepee poles to match the arrows and I just love how everything turned out.

I still want to add some pieces to the walls and upgrade the chair, but I think we've made a great room that Austin will be able to grow up in! 

DIY Wooden Arrow Tutorial
Dresser: Mathis Brothers Furniture
Nursery Bedding & Mobile: Restoration Hardware Baby & Child
Teepee: Amazon
Club Chair: Target
Sheepskin Rugs: IKEA
Wood Clock: Amazon.com
Crib: StorkLand and Kids Too!

This House We Built is now a Home!!

Nearly 5 months have gone by since we finally were able to move into our home.  And it's been amazing so far!  We are so proud of the home that we built.  And so much has transpired since we closed.  I've clearly been AWOL for a while now.

Our little man is now 7 months old, J took part 2 of the CFA exam, we found out we will be welcoming another niece into the world this year, we hired a nanny for AP, left him with grandparents overnight for the first time, started planning our annual Cam Family trip, lost my grandfather unexpectedly (R.I.P. Opa), and welcomed extended family to Norman. 

In spite of all the changes, we've finally settled into a routine over here.  AP is a bouncy, smiley, happy baby!  We're seriously obsessed with him and half convinced we should stop having kids while we're ahead.  I don't think we could have asked for a perfect child.  He's trying to crawl but is terrible at it.  I mean, why use your hands when you can use your head and legs?  He has the most precious smile and the best laugh ever and can handle just about anything like a champ.  It has been such a wonderful blessing having the honor to parent this little bundle of joy and we are so thankful for him.  You should hear J and I when we're at the dinner table with him.  You'd think we were smitten, the way we gush over him...oh wait, we are!! Ok, I'll stop oohing and ahhing over him, because I could go all day!

We are loving our home.  I'm slowly, ever so slowly, trying to decorate it.  I'm a commitment-phobe right now.  I feel like every piece of decor or furniture I buy will be around for 10 years, so I've been taking my sweet time so I can make sure I really like how the house is evolving.  Not to mention, I'm struggling with nailing down the style of what I'm wanting.  Do I want transitional? Contemporary? Casual elegance?  I haven't the foggiest idea. 

But, we are incredibly proud of the thought we put into building the house.  There are two or three things that we overlooked and wished we would have thought to consider when building the house, but nothing drastic by any means.  One of the things we wished we had put more thought into was making the kitchen trash can drawer bigger.  So, I think we covered our bases if that's the kind of thing we feel like we overlooked.  Thank goodness!

So, I'm hoping to slowly introduce our home to you all.  Maybe one day I'll be a legit blogger. ;-)  Until next time!

Nursery Inspiration

I'm struggling with how to decorate baby boy's nursery.  Especially with the fact that I don't have a room to work with and decide by trial and error!!  I'm going for a preppy, modern rustic feel.  I promise, it all makes sense in my head. 

I want a room that can grow with him, but I'm having problems committing to a lot of elements of the room.  I'm not convinced on color schemes, furniture or even which room in the house we're going to make his room!!  Not to mention that it all needs to be very budget-friendly since we will be moving to the new home shortly before or after baby Kobza comes!

Here's what I've kind of dreamed up.  It's all still very much a work in progress.

1.    PB Kids Larkin Fixed Gate 4-in-1 Crib
2.    Nursery Works Empire Rocker
3.    Canvas World Map
4.    Baby Star Nursery Crib Mobile
5.    West Elm Jute Chenille Herringbone Rug
6.    Stuffed Moroccan Pouf
7.    IKEA RENS Sheepskin
8.    West Elm Perch Table Lamp
9.    Target Iron and Wood Accent Table
10.  Ethan Home Myra Vintage Industrial Bookcase
11.  Contemporary Bronze Two-Light Ceiling Fan

Upstyling the House

I finally tried to make a better effort to give our home some more warmth. I struggle with investing too much in this house, because I am itching terribly to graduate to a larger house. And with that, I don't want to buy decorations and furniture for this house that won't work well in our next home, wherever and whenever that may be. I'm a firm believer that you should spend the money to get things that you will keep and enjoy long-term. And if I'm going to keep things long-term, that means it has to work for this house, the next and as many more after that. Everything has to be classic and stylish at the same time. I don't want to be stuck with stuff that could be dated in five years.


So, with all that in mind, I set out to make our home a little more lived in and cozy. 

My main focus was the office. It's cold and bare, and I spend a lot of time in there. So, with some wall decorations, my mom and I were able to liven it up. The curtains will be replaced eventually...with...Chevron Curtains! I'm so excited. I just have to relearn how to sew. Or sweet talk my mom into doing it. So, look out for an update sometime on that. I've also played around with the idea of putting a rug in there...or a light fixture. But, not sure if I'll get around to that. 

Then, we added some pillows and new pillow covers to the couches. And new accessories on the mantel, piano, and coffee tables.  While we were shopping in Pier 1, I randomly mentioned to my mom that I needed an owl...and now...I'm slightly obsessed. And I think they'll be around or a long time. 

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

I patiently waited till after Thanksgiving to anything Christmas related. But the minute, I had free time this weekend, I was all over Christmas anything! Jason sweetly retrieved everything from the attic and left me to my decorating ways. Sadly, when it's all said and done, I don't really have that many decorations. Although, I love seasonal decorations, I have a hard time spending money on things that will only be on display for a month. So, maybe my house will look much more festive in 15 years.

But, I still love enjoying a lit Christmas tree and playing Christmas music on blast. So, here are some shots of our Christmas decorations. Hopefully, I will get around to adding presents under the tree and filling the stockings over the next several weeks!! But, regardless of what's been done or what needs to be done, I hope you truly enjoy this holiday season and all that it has to offer. And remember to never forget the true meaning of Christmas and all that we celebrate!

Thrifty Cleaning Ideas

I'm a clean freak. And nearly anyone who knows me knows that. And I'm fully aware that I overdo it. I like to use more laundry detergent than necessary just to guarantee that my laundry has that fresh, clean smell. When I decide it's a day to vacuum, I will vacuum all areas multiple times that day.

So, I came across some thrifty household cleaning ideas that I decided to try. Because, I'm all about saving money and I'm all about finding more ways to keep on cleaning. Some were hits and some were total busts.

1.  Mattress Cleaner - Combine a fragrant essential oil with baking soda and sprinkle on your mattress and let sit, then vacuum it all up.

I was really happy that I found this handy house-cleaning tip. I tried this one when I was cleaning the guest room after having some guests stay overnight. I stripped the bed and while the sheets, duvet cover, mattress cover and comforter all got washed, I sprinkled the baking soda mix and let it sit. Then, I vacuumed it all up right before making the bed and it smelled delightful.

2.  Microwave Cleaner - Microwave a bowl of water and vanilla on high for 5 minutes, then wipe down your microwave.

This one was actually a surprise that it did work. After microwaving the mixture, I was already prepared to just resort to my Clorox wipes. But, I gritted my teeth and attempted a wipe with a paper towel. And everything just came off so easily.

3.  Iron Cleaner - While your iron is on low, wipe down the soleplate of the iron with a dryer sheet.

This one didn't really seem to work for me. None of my gunk came off.

4.  Dishwasher Cleaner - Put a packet of lemonade Kool-Aid in an empty dishwasher and run a cycle to remove stains and lime deposits.

I think this one worked? Since, I love to overclean, I did this one despite the fact that my dishwasher isn't that dirty. So, I can't totally confirm its effectiveness.

5.  Bathroom Cleaner - Use halves of grapefruit and salt as a bathroom surface cleaner.

This was a total bust for me. They say it's supposed to be better than Scrubbing Bubbles, which is my best friend, so I had to try it. And it didn't seem to cut through any of the grime on the shower floor. I also was nervous that the pulp was going to mess up the pipes.

So, those were my attempts at being thrifty. Do you have any go-to thrifty techniques for cleaning your house?

Sprucing up the Scenery

I've been getting dying to spruce the house up. Ever since we finished filling up the house with furniture, I'm pretty sure nothing has changed in that year and a half...and it's getting a little boring to look at, not gonna to lie. But, before you judge me, I do work from home, so I have to keep things visually stimulating. Or I die. My scene's not the most exciting. So, Jason sweetly allowed me to redo our bedding. Which can add up super fast, since I'm a duvet girl. So, once you purchase the duvet and all the numerous individual shams, it turns into hundreds of dollars, not to mention we have a king-size bed. However, those 20% off your entire purchase coupons from Bed Bath & Beyond come in handy! I love my Pottery Barn, but now with a man in the house, I figured we should pick something less floral. And when he was in his bachelor phase he had always wanted black bedding. So, we picked something gray, with a touch of feminine. I love it and it definitely gives the room a different feel, a more modern feel. I added in the yellow throw pillows for a splash of color and hopefully I'll find something to put on the wall over the bed to give it a bit more color.

My next project was to do a version of this project from Pinterest. They're maps of special places in a couple's life.  So, my mom with her scrapbooking skills helped me one day while I was in Edmond and we came up with this! I didn't really have any idea of where to put them, but once I got home, they found a spot in my office by the doorway. And it's helped liven up the office. So, it was a fun project. We did, where Jason was born, where I was born, and where we met/live.

Source: everythingfab.com via Jaclyn on Pinterest

                   

Now, I'm chomping at the bit to get all the Christmas decorations out and decorate the living room, because that should hold me over till next year for doing anything crazy to the living room, dining or kitchen. But not till after Thanksgiving!