DIY
On Painting (and paying attention to) Ceilings
DIY
February 19, 2014
On Painting (and paying attention to) Ceilings
Two days ago, I had the realization that now would be the ideal time to paint the ceilings on the main floor of our home. It was one of those circumstances where I almost chose to ignore the aha moment because painting 1700 square ft of ceiling sounds about as fun as...what is the least […]
February 19, 2014
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DIY
The Beginning: Demo Day 1!
DIY
February 17, 2014
The Beginning: Demo Day 1!
Our day started early on Saturday, waking up in our bedroom to our normal house that we've lived in for the past six months. But the difference was, Saturday was the beginning of demo to prep for our new floors. As I mentioned in this post, we are replacing all the flooring on our main […]
February 17, 2014
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Art
Painting of the Week | 05 Sprung
Art
February 14, 2014
Painting of the Week | 05 Sprung
Up to this point, I've always shot the weekly paintings in our green reading room, but this week's looked so perfect against the backdrop of the Hale Navy walls in the hall bath. The addition of gold this week helped this whole painting come together. I bought four or five different metallic gold paints to […]
February 14, 2014
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Chris Cooks
4 Courses to Love - Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Raspberry + Mint
Chris Cooks
February 13, 2014
4 Courses to Love - Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Raspberry + Mint
So today we're wrapping up our 4 Courses to Love meal with a tasty ice cream dessert with fruit sauce, and hopefully you've found something useful along the way. And there's one thing I just want to make clear - you don't have to make all four courses! I posted each recipe separately so you could make […]
February 13, 2014
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DIY
A Heated Flooring Update
DIY
February 12, 2014
A Heated Flooring Update
It has been an intense 3 weeks since we pulled the trigger on going for faux wood tile for our first floor instead of hardwood (as well as a few other options we looked at). A few of you asked how the process was going, so while we are technically still in the same place--womp […]
February 12, 2014
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Chris Cooks
4 Courses to Love - Pork Tenderloin and Asparagus Over Dijon Potato Puree w/Pomegranate + Balsamic Reduction
Chris Cooks
February 11, 2014
4 Courses to Love - Pork Tenderloin and Asparagus Over Dijon Potato Puree w/Pomegranate + Balsamic Reduction
I'm not sure if it's the same for you, but whenever I think "special occasion," filet mignon jumps out at me. And of course, there's good reason for that. Filet mignon comes from a part of the back that cows don't strain too much. Muscles that a cow uses a lot will be tougher, as […]
February 11, 2014
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Decor
A Nursery Glider / Rocker at Every Budget
Decor
February 10, 2014
A Nursery Glider / Rocker at Every Budget
This weekend I went into a bit of a panic when I realized that the rocker I have been eyeing could take 10 weeks to arrive and this baby (Greta decided to call her "Lemon" this weekend) is due to arrive before then. Oy. And then I started looking around more and I was overwhelmed […]
February 10, 2014
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Art
Painting of the Week | 04 Cleansing Cry
Art
February 7, 2014
Painting of the Week | 04 Cleansing Cry
One night this week, I cried and cried and cried. I cried myself to sleep. I think it was definitely a mix of hormones and still being so sick with this pregnancy and having some more complications recently, too. I woke up the next morning with that puffy feeling in my eyes and felt so […]
February 7, 2014
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Recipes
4 Courses to Love - Arugula with Pears + Prosciutto
Recipes
February 6, 2014
4 Courses to Love - Arugula with Pears + Prosciutto
This is the 2nd course in a 4 course meal, designed to be a springboard for your special occasion. See the first course here. Arugula and Prosciutto are not new ingredients on this blog. I use them often because they have good flavor, and aren't really that expensive. Sure, if you look at the "per […]
February 6, 2014
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Lifestyle
5 Years of Blogging + Reader Survey
Lifestyle
February 5, 2014
5 Years of Blogging + Reader Survey
We don't celebrate a "blogiversary" around here usually because it's always been a little hard to tell when this blog started. Or maybe it is just hard to explain when it became the blog it is today? I started this blog five years ago this week. Five years! And while I had no intention of […]
February 5, 2014
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Recipes
4 Courses to Love - Broth Seasoned with Pork + Vegetables
Recipes
February 4, 2014
4 Courses to Love - Broth Seasoned with Pork + Vegetables
I've heard some people say they (and their significant other) don't celebrate Valentine's Day because they "prefer to show affection all year 'round!" ...didn't realize you had to choose between the two... To each their own, but Jules and I are always looking for an excuse to pamper each other, and what better time than […]
February 4, 2014
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DIY
Ikea Tarva Dresser Makeover
DIY
February 3, 2014
Ikea Tarva Dresser Makeover
Since the nursery doesn't have a closet, we really needed a dresser--which is actually completely fine because I, personally, prefer itty bitty clothes in drawers anyway. Our friends bought the 6-drawer Tarva dresser from Ikea and it didn't fit in their space so we offered to buy it from them after our local Craigslist was […]
February 3, 2014
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Art
Painting of the Week | 03 Larkspur
Art
January 31, 2014
Painting of the Week | 03 Larkspur
Before I get into this week's painting, I wanted to let you all know that after a lot of encouragement (thank you!), I have started selling fine art giclee prints of my weekly paintings, starting with last week's Night Fishing. The prints will be available for purchase in my Etsy shop within a week after the painting […]
January 31, 2014
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Inspiration
Celebrating at Home
Inspiration
January 30, 2014
Celebrating at Home
We're reaching the end of our party-every-week season. The holidays for us start in mid-October with Chris's birthday, then our Halloween party, then our anniversary at the beginning of November, Thanksgiving and my birthday at the end. And then Christmas, Christmas, Christmas. Then it is the New Year (I rarely see midnight by the time […]
January 30, 2014
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Recipes
Braised Beef Short Rib with Mushrooms and Polenta
Recipes
January 29, 2014
Braised Beef Short Rib with Mushrooms and Polenta
I love beef. Seriously, I'd eat it every day if I didn't care about being around for my daughters' weddings. And when I do have it, any cut that weighs less than 12 ounces just isn't worth my time. Horrible? Possibly. Wonderful? Most definitely. But as much as I love a viking's portion of beef, […]
January 29, 2014
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Art
DIY Huge Letter Art on the Cheap
Art
January 28, 2014
DIY Huge Letter Art on the Cheap
Even though the nursery has a long way to go and will be under construction while we install new floors in the coming weeks, continually collecting and adding pieces is still a priority. Furniture and fixtures are on their way! I recently added a huge DIYed typographic piece to the otherwise bare room that was […]
January 28, 2014
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DIY
Pre-Prepping
DIY
January 27, 2014
Pre-Prepping
Now that we've decided on flooring for our upstairs (you can read about our choice here), this weekend we officially started the prep. Or maybe pre-prep? Our home is a ranch-style home meaning it is two levels of the same size basically stacked on top of each other. You walk in on the first floor […]
January 27, 2014
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Art
Painting of the Week | 02 Night Fishing
Art
January 24, 2014
Painting of the Week | 02 Night Fishing
This week's painting was such a positive experience. It was an emotional and difficult week with this pregnancy and with every brush stroke, I felt myself escaping more and more. It was therapeutic to continue to add layers of pigment and watch the painting transform half a dozen times until this composition showed itself and […]
January 24, 2014
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DIY
Our Flooring: Solid Wood vs. Faux Wood Tile
DIY
January 23, 2014
Our Flooring: Solid Wood vs. Faux Wood Tile
We have, literally, been researching and planning to replace all the flooring on the first floor in this home since last August. We were initially going to go with a bamboo, but the one we were looking at wasn't very thick and we didn't feel confident it would outlast the daily wear and tear of […]
January 23, 2014
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Mood Boards
The Nursery Mood Board: Sweet + Sophisticated
Mood Boards
January 22, 2014
The Nursery Mood Board: Sweet + Sophisticated
If you follow us on Instagram (@chrislovesjulia), you know that we had a little pre-term labor scare on Sunday that sent us to the hospital. I'm home and doing much better now resting in bed, but when the nurse asked us if we had a carseat for the baby with us--I fa-reaked. Because this baby […]
January 22, 2014
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