Year of the Baby! (not mine)

For the past few years it has been all about weddings. This year there was a change in the tide. Our refrigerator once covered in save-the-date cards and wedding invitations is now being out-numbered by baby shower invites and birth announcements.

It kicked off in the Fall when I co-hosted three baby showers in three months in three different out-of-state places. From best friends to my very own sister, it has been so fun to share in this exciting time with each of them.

Mama Meagan in the middle surrounded by Hoptown girlfriends

Shower in Hopksinville in September 

Shownie & Baby Stella 

Shower in October in Cincinnati

Rechter Girls - Rebekkah & Amy both due in January 2010

Shower in Louisville in November

I have to admit that I was definitely out of my element when it came time to host my first baby shower. For starters I had never attended a baby shower nonetheless hosted one! Luckily I had some veteran co-hosts in my corner which made the planning and hosting a BLAST.

Here are some staples to a cute baby shower:

 

 Cute little foods. 

 

Cute gifts

   

Cute mommies

I'll create a Part 2 post so I can show off all these new babies.

For Sale.

It's official. Today at midnight Mini House will go on the MLS.  This morning we met with Andrew, our rock star realtor, decided on a price, took some pictures and the sign went up.

We closed on this house less than a year ago and now we are selling our first home.  It's a strange and sad feeling.  This is our Mini House. We've put a lot of love, sweat and trips to Home Depot to make it ours. And soon (hopefully) it will be someone else's home... Bittersweet, I guess.

I'm heading home to Kentucky tonight for weekend of celebrations - a wedding and a baptism.  It will be a weekend of seeing best friends, good food and great southern hospitality.  Nick will be holding down the fort and handling any showings.

Enjoy your weekend! xo little followers.

All The Places We Go...

We came, we drove a lot and after five action-packed days we are heading back to Colorado with lots of new knowledge about California, our soon to be new home.

Of course, no trip is complete without a round of beers at an airport bar so I'm posting from the classy Chili's at the San Diego Airport. :)

On Friday night, we arrived in San Diego - no problems. We fly quite a bit so we love an un-eventful departure / arrival. Saturday morning we hit the ground running. We made our way up the I-5 to San Clemente to meet with a realtor that I somehow stumbled upon online.  Deborah.  Not Deb or Debbie, Deborah. She is one-of-a-kind and I'll leave it at that.

During our time in California, we saw a little bit of everything - beach cottages, bungalows, townhomes, new, old... all the usual suspects when it comes to house-hunting.  But I am must admit that every time I house hunt I am reminded and somewhat surprised by how much BAD decor / carpet / etc is out there... yikes! Having a drink should be a mandatory activity mid-way through a day of house-hunting - just sayin'

We looked at properties from Huntington Beach all the way down to San Diego. Every night we got to our hotel completely exhausted. But it wasn't all work and no play. We saw several of Nick's fraternity brothers, ate some great meals and soaked in some breathtaking sights.  Great trip but no Mini House #2 in the books - yet.

Here are a few pics before I board...

Pretty. pretty. 

San Clemente - yep, I'm a dork and very pale. 

Here we are.

Alright time to board and head home! I'll be posting more soon. xxoo  

California Dreamin'

Cats out of the bag.  We are moving to California. Nick accepted a promotion and we'll be packing our bags sometime in May and leaving our Mini House behind in sunny, happy Colorado.

Time to add this guy to my Catstudio  collection. 

I've always been a fan of warm weather, big sunglasses and maxi dresses so Nick didn't have to twist my arm much to be on board for this adventure.

We've had some practice for this new life! 

Honestly what I know about California I've learned from watching trashy yet quite entertaining shows such as Laguna Beach, the Hills and Real Housewives of Orange County.

My Future Neighbors? 

Nick claims there is nothing real about these reality shows, me on the other hand... verdict is still out.  So with that being said, we are heading to California to gather some intel of our own.

We'll be cruising between San Diego & LA for four days - getting the lay of the land, seeing a few friends in the area and hopefully looking at a few potential contenders to be Mini House #2.  I am picturing something like this on a beach...

I'd hang my hat here. 

We are still open to recommendations for where to live in SoCal. This is your chance to weigh in on where you'll be visiting us so speak up! 

100 E. Collins

Party Foul. To most it means spilling a drink during a party but for me it was my home for two years at Miami University.  Located in the heart of Oxford, Ohio this humble abode wasn't just an old, chaotic house with 10 girls under one roof; it was much much more than that... Ok, I'll stop there and spare you the trip down memory lane.

Home Sweet Home.

On Wednesday I got a call that several of the P.Foul girls were getting together in Chicago over the weekend. Tempting, very tempting.  And if you know me at all, I hate to miss out.


With lots of free time and disposable sky miles on my side, I booked a flight for Thursday - Monday.  

Outside one my favorite places, Trader Joe's. 

In honor of Nick's promotion! 

Scooting with B$ to Lincoln Square

Amazing view from our fondue party

"Reunited and it feels so good."

It was weekend of good laughs, great food and a few legendary dance parties.

Yep, perfect. Or as we like to say - amazeballs.

Dose of Dorsey

This week Dorsey had her final puppy check-up.  After getting D into the garage I went back into Mini House to grab something.  When I got back this is what I found.

 Dorsey decided to drive.

Dorsey now weighs 36 lbs and is 10 months old. We survived the check-up with a few wookies and lots of treats.  

Legs & Ears - we doubt she'll ever grown into them

Please let me in.

It was snowing yesterday and this Alaskan pooch had no desire to play in the snow - that's normal, right? 

Our Latest Addition

Since we moved into Mini House I have been looking for artwork, a print, a mirror - basically anything to go above our couch.  I kept thinking I would stumble upon something a-mazing at HomeGoods and although I have had my fair share of HG gems... I never found "it" there.

Our Naked Wall (excuse my blue tape)

Then one of my favorite blogs Little Green Notebook posted about all the great printable archived images that are available through the New York Public Library Digital Gallery.  I decided to peruse their selection and see if anything caught my eye.  WARNING: if you decide to go to the NYPL Gallery be prepared to lose several hours of your day. The selection is endless and if you don't know what you are looking for (like me) you can spend A LOT of time just clicking and searching.

During my "hunt" I landed on two series of images that I thought might work in the living room - botanicals & birds. But when it came time for printing at home the birds worked best. Yes, more birds.  Maybe it's a phase, looking like more of an obsession.

 

Anywho, I popped over to Michael's for frames and mats.  Luckily Michael's frames were 40% off (but I am convinced they are always having a 40% promotion) so I snagged 6 frames and 6 ivory mats.

*Be sure to check the frames for knicks & scratches if you go the Michaels route

The images I found on NYPL I pulled into iPhoto so I could crop, color enhance and touch-up. This one below is one that I edited.

This images is one from the John James Audubon Collection (circa 1880's)

Then it was time to get down to business (aka bring in Nick for help).

Lots of measuring and re-measuring

The final product

There you have it folks!  I am very pleased with the end result and love the fact that I can switch out the images if / when this bird phase passes.

So go take a look at NYPL Gallery and let me know what images you like!  And yes Amy if you reading this I'll create your artwork series.  :) 

Goodwill Hunting

Weekends especially Saturdays used to be about sleeping in...that was before we got Dorsey, she is our very own furry alarm clock. She starts by putting her paws up on Nick's side of the bed and wookie-ing directly into his ear. He pleads with her to go back to bed and I usually put my face in the pillow to muffle my giggles so she doesn't come to my side of the bed. Ahhh the previews of parenthood.

Anyways, this morning it was just us girls since Nick is out enjoying the final ski weekend so we were up and at em' at 6:05 a.m.  Just so you know,  it is still dark at 6:05 a.m.

There are benefits to starting one's day this early.  Today it was the Goodwill Sale. Yes, as if Goodwill isn't already super inexpensive, imagine it at 50% off.  To my defense, I dropped off three large bags of clothes earlier this week and that's how I found out about this special one-day sale.

I had scoped a few items so there I was standing in line at 7:55 a.m. this morning on a mission when those doors flew open at 8 on the dot. One item was a glass lamp that reminded me of a lamp in the recent Pottery Barn catalog.

The ones above are gorgeous but at $199 that's a little "pricey."  And although mine isn't as big or fancy she was only $1.49 and I had a vision to take her up a notch.

Coral wasn't going to fit...

Oh hello corks, you'll work! 

  

  Filled with memories of great wine & special occasions.

Luckily I had a shade not being used.

    

New addition to Mini House

Start to finish this project took 10 minutes. I spent the most time getting the sticker price tag off the glass. 

That's it for today's DIY installment.  Off to Wash Park with Dorsey Dog.