home sweet home

making a house a home.
sometimes i catch myself feeling so proud of my home. don't get me wrong, most of my minds thoughts revolve around what else we "need" to do to our house, but every once in a while when the house is fresh and clean i stop and realize how much of a home it is. i had one of these moments a few weeks ago as zach built our first fire of the year and we cuddled up on the couch. i just felt so at ease and comfortable in our home.
my parents have what i consider the best 'home-y' feeling home, if that makes any sense (and yes i realize i may be a bit partial). people have always felt welcomed and relaxed in their house. growing up most of my friends spent as much, if not more, time at my parents house than at their own. i hope to one day have a home as comfortable and inviting as theirs.
here are a few pictures of living spaces that seem to me to exude a wonderfully 'home-y' feel
this living room, with its tall arched windows is awfully inviting

paintwork by barry a. martin painting, design by cathy kincaid interiors

i would love to host dinner parties in a kitchen like this one

paintwork by barry a. martin painting, design by cathy kincaid interiors

this soothing bathroom invites a good book, bubbles and a glass of wine

paintwork by barry a. martin painting, design by cathy kincaid interiors

what do you think makes a house a home?

highs and lows

when i was young my family would sit around the dinner table to eat each night. most of the time we randomly talked about the various events that happened that day, but on some nights my mom would start a 'conversation game' called highs and lows. she adopted this game from our church youth group and it simply entailed taking turns telling each other the high points of your day along with the low points.

so i decided to share, with you, my highs and lows of the week. enjoy.

HIGHS

-dressing up like this for the annual mandell halloween party:

(kat von d & jesse james)

seeing my friends dressed up like this:


attending a friend's beautiful wedding

"i love going to weddings, it reminds me to love my husband" - molly

seeing this little elephant (my nephew) on halloween:


-eating a yummy dinner at my mom & dads with my great aunt who just moved back from colorado.

-catching up at work and having my grandma come in and help organize

-the start of true wedding festivity planning for one of my besties

-having the sun return to help me handle the cold weather a bit better

LOWS (by the way, 'lows' don't deserve pictures):)

-getting sick, coughing, sneezing, running fever, etc

-leaving my ugg boots in the bathroom floor where bella (our dog) found them and removed part of their amazing lining.

-the cold rainy weather. this week was the first true 'fall weather' week we have had around here and the beginning of it was accompanied by nearly 48 hours of solid rain. yuck.

-missing my normal workout routine b/c of the sickness.

under the weather

picture via
i am stuck at home today, sick. my time has been spent curled up on my couch with a dog at my feet and a roll of toilet paper by my side. i have been sneezing, and coughing and simply feeling like poop. being 'locked in' is not something i am good at. my mind reels with all the things i could/should be doing. i do not like missing work and when i spend time at home i want to be doing something productive around here. but, the two successful loads of laundry i did this morning wiped me out....so here i sit, miserable.
in attempt to be positive;
+i've caught up on my blog reading,
+the weather outside is rainy and cold, making my 'lock in' a bit easier,
+and it was kinda nice eating waffles for lunch.