The lovely Joslyn of Simple Lovely tapped me for the first post of her new weekly feature on bloggers’ favorites. What an honor and so fun to make a new Wish List. Check it and the rest of Simple Lovely out for yourself. I promise you won’t be disappointed!
A pub-like atmosphere is the best bar scene as far as I’m concerned. You just can’t go wrong with it. Sufficed to say, Oklahoma City is sorely lacking in these venues. I’d driven past James E. McNellie’s Public House a hundred times on my way home from work, but it wasn’t until Saturday that I really had a chance to experience its awesomeness for myself. And wow. I loved it. I think it just may become my very own personal Cheers! The Public House has the best location for a pub possible – the corner of an iron-shaped building – and over 350 beers on tap and in bottles to choose from. And of course the requisite pub fare (I highly recommend the sweet potato fries). If you live in or are visiting the OKC area it’s a must.
I’m lucky enough to have a spigot in the back of my house and a second one right in the front. My problem? No hose! I think I need either the yellow or purple one. (Thanks, Jeni!)
I also thought I’d take a quick minute to update you all on the house progress. Thanks for being interesting and keeping after me about it! Everything is moving along slow, but sure.
Here’s my to do list at the moment:
• organize books on shelves in living room
• find goldenrod colored sheers for the master bedroom
• clear empty boxes out of dining area
• put table and chairs in dining area
• organize office
• hang frames, mirrors, etc.
• clean trash out of garage and hose out (see why I need one?!)
Two BIG thank you’s I want to hand out before anything else this week.
1. To Wrappables. For extending an invitation to me a few weeks back to post on their product design blog That’s a Wrap. You can check out my article on eco-chic items I love right here.
2. To Stationary Trends magazine. For including Design Crush in their To Blog or Not to Blog? article and to Kati (of The Finer Things) for giving me the heads up! Other blogs included were Creature Comforts, The Finer Things, One Good Bumblebee, Design*Sponge, Decor8, Print + Pattern, Poppytalk, Design for Mankind, Hostess with the Mostess, Tastefully Entertaining, Style Me Pretty and Design is Mine. The author of the article, Christienne de Tournay Birkhahn, put together some of my favorite blogs and bloggers. Thanks, Christienne!
I had crazy Saturday filled with over twelve hours of unpacking only to wake up Sunday feeling like the bottom of someone’s shoe. My sinuses were incredibly unhappy with me, so much so that I even missed work yesterday. And I hate missing work – I always feel like my boss is going to think I’m playing hooky or something! Anyway, I’m back today and slowly crawling out of my sinus headache-induced black hole.
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I’m in list-making mode today, so when I saw this on In(side) the Loop I had to accept Courtney’s challenge of Three Tag. Join me for TMI, won’t you?
1. What are the last 3 things you purchased?
• an electricians services to install two ceiling fans and a light fixture
• a fat-free carmel Macchiato from Starbuck’s
• gasoline
2. What are the last 3 songs you downloaded?
• Wearing Thin – minipop
• Dandelion Halo – First of June
• Dreams – Behind the Scenes
3. Where were the last 3 places you visited?
• Chicago, IL
• Dallas, TX
• Pittsburgh, PA
4. What are your 3 favorite movies?
• Say Anything
• National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
• Jurassic Park
5. What are your 3 favorite possessions?
• my house!!!
• my two kitties – Roxy and Peanut (if you can consider them “possessions”…)
• the engagement rings of both of my grandmothers
6. What 3 things can you not live without?
• my MacBook
• my mom
• good music
7. What would be your 3 wishes?
• for my friends and family to all live in the same state as me!
• happily ever after
• to keep growing and become a better person
8. What are 3 things you have not done yet?
• been married
• owned a dog
• raised a child
9. What are your 3 favorite dishes?
• my grandmother’s potato salad
• my mom’s salisbury steak
• cheesecake of any sort
10. What 3 celebrities would you want to hang out with the most?
• Audrey Hepburn – no one said they have to be alive!
• Charlize Theron
• John Cusack – I’ll have to if we’re going to get married one day!
11. Name 3 things that freak you out.
• snakes – ew.
• the thought of someone breaking into my house
• anything and everything pickled!!
12. If you could describe yourself in 3 words, what would they be?
• compassionate
• organized
• creative
13. Name 3 unusual things you are good at.
• packing for trips – I can fit a lot into a carry-on!
• I make a mean meatball
• speed reading
14. What are 3 things you are currently coveting?
• boxes to be unpacked and everything in its place in my house
• a wooden fence around my backyard
• baseboards that aren’t all dinged up!
15. What 3 bloggers would you like tag?
I’m curious about everyone I come across, so if you want to share leave a comment and we’ll all follow you to your place to read up about you!
:: photo via ffffound
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10 Things I’ve Learned in the Past 4 Days:
1. Painting is hard work.
Especially six rooms of painting in two days time. My arms literally felt like they could be in slings, so I’m clearly not cut out for daily manual labor. Needless to say, I harbor a newfound respect for people who paint for a living.
2. People leave one thing when they move out of a house: DIRT.
Really gross dirt. Cabinet dirt. Floor dirt. And the worst of all: toilet dirt. *gag*
3. I have a lot of stuff.
A. Lot. Of. Stuff. That I can’t wait to go through and purge. Some will end up in the trash, but most will go to Goodwill. I’m happy to say that everyone who helped me paint my little heart out this weekend did not leave empty handed!!
4. I hate tearing down cardboard boxes even more than making them.
Seriously – what a pain! Can’t they just magically disappear now that they’ve served their purpose?
5. Cats do not enjoy moving
Upon arrival at the new house they spent copious amounts of time under my bed. And in the bathroom and kitchen cabinets. Of course the first night they decided to become curious and roam around making all sorts of noise. Damn nocturnal critters!
6. I can only stand to eat fast food about once every two months.
No time, of course, to prep actual meals – you need a kitchen full of pots, pans and utensils to do that – so fast food it is. And even when I opt for the salad I still felt like crap. Can’t wait to hit up the grocery store tonight to stock up!
7. The kitchen is my favorite room.
I have more cabinet space than I could have ever hoped for. A refrigerator with an ice maker – which seems small, but is a huge deal to me. And a great triangle set-up between the fridge, stove and sink. Love it!
8. The garbage men are going to work for their paycheck this week.
Between the last owner’s trash and my ‘Moving In Trash’ it’s going to be quite the haul of crap. (And that’s not even counting all those boxes I haven’t cut down yet!)
9. I really, really like my new home.
And I hope that feeling lasts for at least a few years, because I never want to pack again!!!
10. You guys are freakin’ awesome!
Seriously. Thank you so much for and the congratulatory words and wishes. You are my favorite part of this blog.
:: photo via Veer
Posted In listed, my house
I’m heading out a bit early today because the big day is FINALLY here – Closing Day! As of 3:00pm CST today I’ll be an official homeowner. It sounds so ridiculously adult and I couldn’t be more excited if I tried. (And believe me, I have!) It’s been 47 long days since I put in my offer. Now I can’t wait to start making the place really mine and I plan on sharing the entire process with you all. Wish me luck!
:: image via Veer
Posted In my house
So I did it.
I bit the bullet and crossed off the final item off my To Set Up list by buying a refrigerator last night. It’s a Frigidaire. Nothing too fancy, although it is a side by side which I’ve never had before. And it does have an ice and water dispenser on the front which is the true sign of refrigerator success, not to mention a water filtration system.
I never thought a fridge could make me so happy. Pathetic!
Posted In my house
Decorating is as much underway as it can possibly be without actually living in the new house. My closing date is all set for Wednesday, July 9th and I plan on painting the heck out of the place Saturday and Sunday before the movers bring all of my things Monday morning.
Being a designer I would have thought choosing paint colors to be one of the easiest things on my To Do List. WRONG. I’m being incredibly indecisive to the point of driving myself insane. So I thought I’d put it out there for you and get some opinions. Below are swatches that are still in the contest for the rooms I’m painting. Please keep in mind that the colors seem to be running a little dark and a little on the yellow side (at least on my monitor) as opposed to the actual swatches lying on my desk at the moment.
Which colors do you like? Hate?
Have an idea for a color not in contention? Please share.
Ever since seeing Julianne Moore’s knack for decorating a few months back in Domino I’ve been obsessed with the color scheme in this bedroom. I’m stealing the wall color for my bedroom and am on a mad hunt for fabric to sew the curtains out of. (The only thing I’m shying away from is the navy bedspread – I’m way attached to my white down comforter.) I love the bright yellow and am not opposed to some sort of pattern (preferably white – circles perhaps?), but want to keep it low-key since the yellow does a lot of talking on its own. I’ve found some nice Kona Cotton in canary yellow at Repro Depot, but am not 100% sold quite yet.
Any suggestions for affordable curtain fabric?
Posted In my house