Let the Games Begin

Today our move to California became a reality when Eddie and Big Rob arrived to pack up all the Sass knick knacks. Eddie and Rob are your good ol' movers straight out of Atlanta. I'll try to snap a pic tomorrow!

They wrapped, taped and boxed for hours and hours. I surprisingly didn't panic, boss or have a meltdown. I wanted to share the fruits of their labor.

Boxes to the ceiling! Who knew Mini House was filled with so much stuff?! Tomorrow it is more packing and then loading. When Mini House is empty (so sad) I'll snap a few more pictures.

Dose of Dorsey

For those you who don't know Dorsey is a digger. There is no hiding it. She is an aggressive digger.  On any given day our backyard looks like a land mine. She digs and most of the time buries her bones and toys. I honestly thought dogs only did that in Disney cartoons or commercials.

For a while I was very concerned about this everyday occurrence ( and still am to some degree) but after researching it online this is a common behavior for Huskies. Swell.

I looked out back a few days ago and saw Dorsey hard at work so I decided to capture her in action. It's sort of long but after 20 seconds you'll get the picture.

Note: we are have a terrible dirt backyard - it's a long story.  Maybe if we had grass this wouldn't be the case.

Before & After Friday: Part 2

Wow time flies and I'm  running really behind! Mini House has been a buzz with an out of town guest, a house showing, a going away party, to name a few.

As promised I am highlighting one room each week until we move.  Today's feature is what we call "The Brown Room" and is our Guest Bedroom.  I have to say that this room is a favorite of mine because of all the additions and projects. The previous owner used this room as his living room since the other room was the Pool Hall.

BEFORE

It seemed really crammed 

View from someone taller than me 

AFTER

We (I mean Nick) installed this new door

Come on in! 

Eye spy. Recognize those bird prints? 

Isn't it quite a transformation? I know the dark brown isn't everyone's cup of tea but, I wanted to do something a little different. Every other room in Mini House is a neutral and most are color matched from the Restoration Hardware collection. 

My favorite features in this room are all the white pieces, the shell chandelier and little art projects that add a pop of color! 

I don't think I'll have a Brown Room in Mini Cottage so I'll enjoy this room until the movers arrive. 

Happy Monday!

Sneak Preview

We found our new Mini House and I wanted to post a few pics as a sneak preview! Technically it is a Mini Cottage but I'm not changing the name of this blog so we'll call it Mini House #2.

It is located in San Clemente  just a three minute walk from the beach.

I didn't snap a pic so here is the one from the MLS

There is a long story about how we snagged this little gem but I'll spare you all the details here and tell you the next time I see or chat with you. 

We are super excited especially because we can see the Pacific Ocean from our deck on top of the garage.

What are you waiting for?! Go jump over to SideStep.com and book your flight for your beach vacation at the Sass Beach Bed & Breakfast.

Before & After Friday

With only four Fridays left in Mini House I decided I'd highlight four rooms in four weeks to show off some transformations during our short time here!  Note: when you live in a Mini House - four rooms pretty much covers it.

I'll kick off this series with the living room.  Yes ladies and gentleman when we came for our showing the Pool Hall / Living Room was quite a surprise.  This is the first thing we saw when we walked through the front door.

BEFORE

In addition to the pool table, please note the following:

• Elaborate overhead, Brunswick pool lighting
• The Orange / Peach accent wall on the left
• Shiny denim drapes

View from the Dining Room

During our closing I said to the seller "Oh, you must like pool." His response, "Not really. I just don't know what else you would have done with that room."  Umm... let's just say the conversation ended there.

DURING

First Step: Painting the ceilings & walls 

AFTER

Pool Hall turned Sass Living Room

This is an older photo from a few months back

Dorsey Dog = my little home decor accessory

Basically a fresh coat a paint, a new overhead fan/light, curtains, a cute little Dorsey Dog and well some FURNITURE can really do wonders for a spot in my opinion. 

Enjoy your weekend!  

And For My Next Trick...

I've got a little big side project in the works.  I found quite a beauty on Craigslist over Easter Weekend and I asked my two Easter Bunnies (Nick and our friend Pat) to go fetch her for me after church. She is large and in charge. The boys swear she weighs 500 lbs and put me on Craigslist probation for a few weeks after they delivered it.  But don't feel sorry for them... I rewarded their efforts with a delicious Easter brunch - quiche, bacon biscuits and more!

This was the picture that caught my eye on Craigslist

With recent travel and finding out that we were moving I had to put to her to the side.  Eye on the prize, right?!  I'm working with Nick to get this completed before the movers come in a few weeks. I have a vision so we've been busy sanding, priming, and taking lots of picture along the way.  I can't wait to share the progress and final product.

Have you taken on a new Spring project? I'd love to hear about it!

Talk Derby to Me

I think the saying goes a little something like this, "You can take the girl out of the South but you can't take the South out of a girl."  For me there is one particular day out of the year that really makes me nostalgic for living in the South - the Kentucky Derby.  

This year we wouldn't be attending the Kentucky Derby so opted for the Denver Derby. According to the Web site:  It is "one of the area's biggest fund raising events, and what has become known as the second largest Derby Party in the USA."  We scored some last minute tickets through our friend Andy.  Yessss! 

I was in Cincinnati for a quick trip so jumped on the road at 3:30 a.m. for  my 6:00 a.m. flight out of Dayton through Atlanta in order to get back to Denver in time for the Derby festivities.  Needless to say it was an aggressive travel morning but worth the effort. :)

The Fellas Ready to Bet on Ponies

When we arrived along with the 3,000 other folks, we were very impressed with Denver's take on Derby. Everyone showed up dressed to impress with mint juleps in hand. 

In the main tent - enjoying the scene

I'll save you the play-by-play and share some more party pics!  

Packed House

Nick's New Friends Tying His Bow Tie

The Bow Tie Boys

Post-party on Gaylord Street with Walter

Denver did the Derby proud. I am bummed we won't be here for it next year. Maybe we'll have to come back? Perhaps or maybe we'll be back in Kentucky for the actual Derby.  We'll have to wait and see!