New Family Member

I'd like to introduce you to a new family member.

A new member of my fake plant family! 

Which one is new, you ask? 

I know. There are four in this photo. (I have a problem.)

That tall, white potted beauty up there. That's her. 

She came to live with us thanks to the nice folks over at Silk Plants Direct. 

When they offered to send me another plant to add to my ever-growing (and never dying!) collection, and I saw their awesome selection, I couldn't turn down their offer.

I'm even thinking about buying a plant stand. For my fake plants. Is that weird?

I really don't care. Because my available surfaces are getting full. And these puppies aren't going anywhere because, well, you know.  

Just call me the crazy fake plant lady. 

And if you want to join me in this fake plant craziness, you can get 10% off everything but custom orders by using code BLOGGER10! 

Brown thumbs unite!

XO,

kitchen reno update!

We are a month into our kitchen reno and I thought it was time to share an update with photos! 

I wish I could say it is finished...but it is well on it's way and for that I'm going to say thank you and keep practicing patience! (Although eating off of paper plates is getting OLD.) 

Here is my last post with the before photo (ack!) and lots of inspiration images and the plan. 

But in case you want to see that before again...

And here are the progress photos!

We had a new window installed which provided a much bigger before and after than we imagined! Worth every penny.

I'm really proud of Dan for getting the pieces for our island ready for the contractors. He painted the cabinets and has painted countless coats of sealer on the butcher block counter. Here it is temporarily put together so we could get an idea of how it will fit in the space...

The island will house our cooktop and have an extra piece of counter added to the back to accommodate stools. It will also have a surround added to cover the base cabinets that we'll be painting turquoise. The awesome cabinet with the pull out drawers was a super lucky Goodwill find, and we grabbed the slim cabinet from the clearance section at IKEA (we'll be adding shelves inside). They were mismatched colors so Dan painted them both white which really pulls it together. The butcher block top is also from IKEA. 

And umm how perfect is that Raskog cart nestled in the middle? I'm dying. Can't wait to see it finished! 

Next week is supposed to be counter install, which will then lead to the sink and hopefully back to a functioning kitchen very soon after that! Eek! 

SO ready to stop using those red solo cups. It looks like a 24/7 frat party at our house!

XO,

{hello fall + a new printable}

There is something about fall that makes me insanely happy.

It is the mix of cool breezes, soft scarves, the scents of pumpkin and cider, vibrant sunrises and crisp blue skies, trips to the orchard, bringing my boots and sweaters out of the closet, and sprinkling autumn touches around the house.

The start of September means fall to me and I'm not wasting one second of it this year. I've already purchased yummy fall-scented candles made a new wreath for our front door.

I decorated the entryway table, mantel and a few other little spots around the house.

I'm noticing the changes in nature and feeling thankful for the vibrant colors.

I'm most looking forward to making memories with the boys.

Fall activities are my absolute favorite...the festivals, orchard trips, Halloween and Thanksgiving. So many opportunities to hold them close and see the wonder of the season through their eyes.

I doodled these leaves the other day on my lunch break...

And now they are in the shop as a $5 printable you can purchase here.

So happy fall, y'all!

What's your favorite part of this season?

XO,

{Mohawk Home Rug Giveaway}

This is a super exciting post friends...maybe my favorite so far when it comes to giveaways...

A free rug!? Pretty sweet, huh?

When my friends at Mohawk Home gave me the thumbs up to pick out a new rug for our family room I was just a tad excited. You see, we've been living with this boring brown number for a few years...

The room was looking really blah. Except for those two cuties on the couch of course. :)

Our space needed some pattern and color! I knew right away when I saw this rug, sold over at Walmart.com, that it was the perfect choice...

Isn't it beautiful? *sigh*

The colors match so well with the decor pieces we already had and the pattern is perfectly midcentury modern. I took the rug arriving on our doorstep as my cue to do a little budget-friendly shopping spree at TJ Maxx and Goodwill to fill the space with some more decorative touches.

First I added some more wall decor with an iron birdcage photo frame from TJ Maxx and a round, flat basket from Goodwill. 

Next I added a great blue lamp and amber glass candle holder, both from Goodwill, and a blue lotus flower candle holder on the other side table from TJ Maxx. Both of our side tables are also thrifting finds. 

Our coffee table is a new Goodwill piece {$6!} and the faux succulents are also from TJ Maxx.

And can I just say again how freaking much I love this rug?!

The colors are even more beautiful in person, and it is super soft on bare feet. Can't say more about the quality of this rug. And all Mohawk Home rugs are made in the USA!

So now, its your turn to enter to win one of your very own! Mohawk Rugs is generously offering one of you a rug valued up to $150! Enter below via the Rafflecopter widget to win!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

{around the house}

It has been a really good week for my little blog. Lots of new followers and lots of views thanks to some really great press. I'm beyond thankful. It is really humbling, and can I admit, kind of scary{?!}, to see that almost 2,000 people looked at my blog in one day. 

It creates a bit of panic for me to be honest. 

Like..."O my goodness...what can I come up with next that will be JUST as popular as the last thing?" 

As I was having one of those mini panic attacks last night, trying to think about what I should post next, a little voice told me to chill out. 

"Just share something that makes you happy," it told me.

So here you go...lots and lots of things in our home that are making me happy today...

The last three photos are from some much-needed decorating I did in our bedroom yesterday. Why is it that the room that is supposed to be your sanctuary always gets helped last? It put a huge smile on my face to go to bed last night and have a prettier view. 

What are your favorite things to look at in your home today?