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.

taken for granted

the husband and i spend a lot of time together. we live together (obviously), we work together, and we spend most of our free time together. it has only been about a year since we have added the 'work together' part, but it never seemed to affect us one way or the other. spending all our time together feels natural, as if we shouldn't have it any other way. however, i am currently realizing that because we spend all our time together when we are apart i miss him lots. he is away for a night and two days for work and it just seems weird without him. i have realized that i may take some of the little things for granted.

today i missed:
finding sticky notes on my keyboard
his welcome kiss when i arrived at work
walking in the back of the shop and checking him out in his painter's overalls
coming home to him lounged on the love seat
his "hey momma" greeting
him playing with the dogs
him throwing dirk's (our dog's) stick - a chore i hate doing
tonight i will miss:
eating dinner with him
him wanting to go get tcby
taking the dogs outside together and enjoying the cool evening
him playing with my hair
his arm around me as we sleep

he may only be gone two days, but it sure does make me realize how much i love all the things we share together.
hurry home babe.

obviously i am not the only one who misses him.

eat, drink, and be merry

so this weekend the girls came over to my house for the first of what i hope becomes a monthly potluck dinner. it was so very nice to eat, drink, talk and laugh with the girls. (no offense z.). we all have such busy schedules these days. the teachers are hard at work molding young minds, others are pulling off two jobs, some are busy being newly weds while others are planning weddings. i guess that is why it is so very nice (and necessary, if you ask me) to make the time to get together and enjoy each others company.
*i absolutely could not ask for a better group of girls to call my own.*

-i love you ladies!

wood ceilings

i often dream of owning a home with grand ceilings stretched by beautifully finished wooden beams.

picture: barry a. martin painting contractors

i've never really thought of completely covering the ceiling with wood, but after seeing these it seems like a wonderful idea...

eclectic home design

picture via

time flies when you're having fun

two years ago today we said i do. we promised to share this life together as husband and wife. i can't believe it has been two years since that day. i love him more now than i did then, and look forward to celebrating this day for the rest of my life.
he makes me one happy woman!