Did you know I have 4 sisters? I'm the second youngest of five girls. Although, now that we're all in our mid to upper (ahem Vic and Kris) twenties, sometimes it is hard to tell the age order because we are all so close together. Krissy was born in 81, Vicky in 83, Patty in […]
or Avert your eyes. Whichever you feel more comfortable doing, because this place is in shambles! Organized shambles (bet you'd disagree), but a mess nonetheless. You may have noticed from our left sidebar that our crazy minds decided to throw a moving party sale this upcoming Saturday. We have a bunch of stuff that we […]
She hardly ate a thing all day. She was cranky. We thought she needed a longer nap--it didn't work. Once Brandon, Stephanie, and Matt came over for dinner she perked up. Running around. Showing off all of her clothes--bringing them into the living room one at a time. She danced around as Matt and Chris […]
Thanks to everyone who entered the contest for the Ikea as-is pepper mill. We loved reading all of the awesome memories of horrible meals, and we definitely learned a few things NOT to try in the future- including and especially: Congratulations, Natasha! You are the winner of a brand-new (sort of) pepper mill from the […]
What's more fun than buying a house? Buying a house on TV. Or at least we think so. Last year, when this whole house-hunting process was getting started, we applied to be on House Hunters. Appropriate, no? We got an email back a couple days later saying, YES! We would love to have you on […]
The inspection for the house got done of Saturday and Chris and I (and little "Gweta", too) went over for the walk-through. The inspector said that overall the house was in great shape. He pointed out a few minor things to keep up on and watch out for. The biggest thing on the ol' inspection […]
As a home cook, there are several little things you can do that will make a big impact on your food. If I had to pick my top 3 small things that make a big difference, they would be (in no particular order): 1- Use a meat thermometer to not only safeguard against serving someone […]
We are moving in just a few short weeks and soon our apartment will be filled with boxes and stripped of our personality. As exciting as it is to move into a new place--our very first house--this apartment will always be special to us. We brought Greta home here. I'm sure years and years down […]
We got ourselves a fixer. We are under contract with the home of our dreams and the closing date is set for March 31st. We know that some people dream about building their own home with every upgrade you can get, we dreamt of a home we could get our hands a little dirty in. […]
If you are selling your home yourself and someone wants to come see it, set the appointment quickly and then confirm it with their realtor. Then double confirm it the day of. Have your car running, but never leave without shaking the potential buyers' hands. Put on a nice friendly smile and tell them how […]
I know you are dying to know what I am wearing today. You probably wonder everyday, don't you? Today, I am sporting extremely fashion-forward black leggings. Maternity ones (I'm not even pregnant). Hot-t. A plain black t-shirt that I cut the neck line to make it a scoop neck back when I didn't care who […]
Once you have kids, everything changes. How many times have you heard that? Yeesh. It is true. But, I feel like it is also a given. I guess everyone wants to sound smart. Except when I forgot this and surely sounded foolish: When we put an offer in on the short sale in Eagle […]
1. I gave into my summer fever and my hair caught some light last night at Salon 21 with Stacie. I almost canceled 4 times because I was so nervous but, turns out, I love it. (And I loved talking about The Bachelor, The Kardashians and how Jon Gosselin is now a Pennsylvania construction worker […]
(Name that movie) There have been some inquiries about this blog and where we are headed. I don't know what initiated it all, but I have made up my mind about some things blog related that I gotta share. This blog is about us. This blog is about our life and all the things we […]
I am hooked on 'em lately. We have always been rip-off-a-paper-towel-and-fold-it people. Even if we are having company over (tacky tacky tacky). Chris loves to cook (no surprise there) and he LOVES to cook for lots of people, so we have friends over for dinner at least once a week. Suddenly, I am completely embarrassed […]
Err, on a shelf. It's one of those things that I have talked about for several posts. Oversized letters. A long shelf above our bed. A canvas or two propped on top. I assure you, as many times as you heard about it, Chris has heard about it MORE and I thought about it even […]
Today, I finally found the strength to make the clock in the bathroom read the correct time. Once I saw this new clock (on the right) at Ikea for just $9.99, I knew it was just the motivation I needed. It is frosted glass tinted a sort of Seafoam. It's square and it mimics the […]
A lot. It's only 7 years old, but needs some love. Good thing love IS our middle name. We have been through this twice before, and this one is a short sale so we are trying not to get too excited until we have the keys. But we are getting a little excited. Right. Now. […]
Two days ago, it was warm and sunny. I opened the windows in our house. I cleaned until things squeaked. Greta and I went outside. We met Chris for lunch. When the weather is warm, I get the urge to exercise and highlight my hair a la Penelope Cruz or my awkward self circa 2006. […]
It's my latest painting that I thought I finished this morning, and even blogged about it. And posted it (you quick readers may have got a glimpse at the first "finished" product). And then I saw the post and it didn't feel right. So I deleted it. Put more time into the painting and it […]
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Welcome to our online community where we've posted home, DIY, style, renovations, and family since '09. Renovating our #cljmoderncottage in Idaho and headed for new adventures in Raleigh, NC. #cljfam #cljtransformations