Friends, Family & Surprises

What a weekend! On Saturday morning Nick and I flew back to Cincinnati, our old stomping ground, for the wedding of our dear friends Amy Brockman & Drew Everhart.  Amy is a sorority sister of mine and Drew is Nick's fraternity brother and former roommate.

Mr. & Mrs. Everhart

The weather couldn't have been any better for this time of year in Ohio - 65 degrees and sunny! We were so happy to share in Amy & Drew's big day and see all of our Miami friends from near & far.

After the ceremony I hopped in my lovely Ford Focus rental car and drove over to Indianapolis to surprise my sister Al-Pom at the Grand Opening of her store, Bella Bridesmaid.

Isn't her store lovely?!

The only person who knew I was coming to the Opening was my mom (Sneaky Suki) so it was fun to surprise Allison and the rest of my family. This was one party I wasn't going to miss!

The Owner next to her ice sculpture which was stunning

The Opening was a huge success filled with friends, family, co-workers all there to celebrate Allison and turning her dream of being a store owner into a reality. We are all sooo proud! 

My Favorites

After the party we kept the celebration going with apps & drinks across the street at Ambrosia. This  gave us a chance to catch up with Allison's college girlfriends "Team Fun." They are a blast! 

Here are few pics from Saturday:

Holding my beautiful niece, Anna Violet

Out & about in Broadripple with Al & Ryan

Sunday was brunch with the family then back to Cincy!  I got to swing by and visit with Allison, a former co-worker, and her baby Blair before flying back to Denver.  Wowsers - we know how to cram it in, don't we?!  :)

Hope your weekend was just as fun! 

Birds the Word

A few weeks ago my best friend Emily came to visit and I talked about it here!  As promised here is the second part of our projects.

After we completed the bookcase we were ready to stretch our creativity a little more and create two bird paintings to complement the bookcase in the brown room.  I'm clearly going through a "bird phase" at the moment and just completed another bird themed project that I'll be blogging about very soon so consider yourself warned.

So back to the birdies... Emily sketched the branches and the swirls for each painting. The actual birds were an adhesive sticker that we applied / painted over to create a negative and then removed.

Here's a play by play...

Painting in progress

Ta-Da

Close Up

So cute, right?!  Emily deserves all the credit for the concept and execution. It really was a quick, easy and most importantly fun project that is a great addition to my walls.  THANKS Em-Pom! 

Now these birdies are perched in this room (sorry I don't have a picture of them hung but they are next to my desk on the opposite wall) 

The Brown Room 

More projects are coming, stay tuned my handful of blog followers. :) 

Happy x 2!

Yesterday was the first day of Spring! The day started off with several inches of snow on the ground but it quickly melted. It was a beautiful sunny day so a snapped a pic of the snow & Mini House with it's new Spring wreath.

Happy Start of Spring & Happy Birthday Daddy!

Me & My Handsome Dad

Pom and Dad traveled down to Atlanta for a Birthday Getaway and to see a new car "Allure of the Automobile" exhibition at the High Museum of Art. Perfect present for a our car-loving birthday boy!

Home Alone

Nick & Dorsey Dog headed out to the mountains for the weekend which leaves me Home Alone!

Cheesy maybe - but I couldn't resist and trust me I don't look like him. I enjoy having Mini House to myself and tackling a list of important to-do's like catching up on Gossip Girl, painting my nails, to name a few. Also, Denver is in midst of a March Thunder-Snow at the moment so I am content just staying in for the evening.

In the mean time - check out this video of Nick & D skijoring. And in case skijoring isn't a familiar term (it wasn't for me before we got Dorsey!) then here is a quick synopsis from Wikipedia:

"Skijoring with a dog is a sport in which a dog (or dogs), assist a cross-country skier. From one to three dogs are commonly used. The cross-country skier provides power with skis and poles, and the dog adds additional power by running and pulling. The skier wears a skijoring harness, the dog wears a sled dog harness, and the two are connected by a length of rope. There are no reins or other signaling devices to control the dog: The dog must be motivated by its own desire to run, and respond to the owner's voice for direction."

Get By with a Little Help from My Friends

Two weeks ago was exciting for two reasons.  Reason Numero Uno - my best friend Emily came to visit from Louisville, KY.  Reason Numero Dos - a brand new Michaels opened.

Ok, of course Emily visiting was the highlight but the new Michaels did play a role in her visit.

This new Michaels is basically the Mecca of all Michaels and rumor has it - the largest, nicest one in the country.  Hey, everyone has to have something to brag about...

After playing around Wash Park, we decided to visit this new Michaels with a mission for some Friday night crafting.

Only a few days earlier, I purchased a white bookshelf for $10 off of Craigslist and it needed a touch of something.

Our blank canvas (shelves removed)

Emily hard at work and me "supervising"

Paisley Paper + Spray Adhesive + One Talented Em-Pom  = New Bookcase

This wasn't our only project, stay tuned for Part 2!

Dose of Dorsey

Dorsey is our Alaskan Husky. We were lucky enough to travel to Alaska in August to get her & visit Nick's brother & sister. Nick's brother, Brent, is a professional dog musher and owner of Wild & Free Mushing! Dorsey comes from two great racing dogs - Silver & Peak.

She keeps us entertained every day with her wookie sounds and silly behavior. If you don't know what a "wookie sound" is you'll find out here. Here is your first dose of Dorsey - many more to come! 

She is the one with her tongue out, this should have been a sign :) 

Enjoy your weekend! 

Back on Two Feet

Growing up in Kentucky skiing wasn't something that I did very often. Our annual FUMC ski trip to fine resorts like Paoli Peaks and West Virginia were basically it and if you've ever been to Paoli Peaks you know it shouldn't be considered a ski resort. It is an icy hill that people (mostly rednecks) ski down while wearing camouflage jackets and jeans. Needless to say when we moved to Colorado I knew I had / have my work cut out for me. 

This year I welcomed the Colorado ski season with a determination to transform into a Ski Bunny. My definition of Ski Bunny - "one who skis down blue runs with grace and ease while wearing fashionable ski attire."  

For Christmas I got all new gear - new jacket, helmet, even my own skis! I was ready to go. 

On a beautiful Saturday afternoon at Beaver Creek (not pictured above) while skiing with Nick & our family friends the Gezons I fell. I'll be the first to admit that it wasn't a "star-worthy"or Olympian-type fall. I literally fell over going -3 mph. I was super embarrassed so I popped up and skied down but once we got to the bottom I knew something wasn't right... Maybe it was the sight of my knee growing into the size of a cantaloupe under my ski pants or the fact that I couldn't walk but our next stop was Avon Urgent Care. The result was a fractured knee cap, leg brace and SEVEN, count em' 7 weeks on crutches.  

During those SEVEN weeks life didn't really slow down at Mini House - I flew quite a bit (10 flights to be exact), had several wonderful out-town guests and decided to make a career change.  Phew. 

So here I am, back on two feet and ready to start this blogging adventure between visits to Physical Therapy of course.  

Hi There!

I feel like I'm a late to a great party and should start by apologizing for being fashionably late.  Hopefully I can make up for some lost time!

So if you know me, you know I love blogs. It started many years ago as an addiction to celebrity gossip blogs (we're talking back when Perez Hilton was a nobody) but has evolved (maybe matured a little) into a love for all types of blogs - home design / decor, weddings, family / baby blogs, you name it!

I'm not a celebrity guru nor a interior designer so I'm not exactly what you'll find here but I promise to give a little bit of everything from what I stumble upon, craft / purchase or what's cooking at Mini House.

Enjoy!