Pinspiration for the Home

So here's the deal...I may not have had Pinterest when I was planning my wedding but (excuse my French) I'll be damned if I don't have it when I'm building my house. Holy hay...my "home" board has gotten out of flippin' control.

(Sidenote: Brides married circa April 2011 and earlier...is it just me or does it downright piss you off that Pinterest wasn't around when we were planning our weddings??! Good. Glad I'm not the only one.)

First things first...you should all know that mine & Beau's taste is SO different. We're from Texas, y'all. Give us anything rusted or wooden or old and it's as good as gold. (If Beau were writing this post he would probably mention something about his knack for decorating with dead animals. His most favorite animal of all is the next one he wants hanging on our wall...)

Modern decor...well...is something neither of us has ever preferred. Like..at all. Not that modern style isn't pretty...it's just not our style. We're more earth-tone kinda folks. To each his own, right?

Anywho-I've been dreaming up some some of the structural things we'd like to incorporate into our new home. Don't worry-you'll be hearing ALL about the decor and paint and comforters and pillows and fun stuff soon enough but first things first...the actual design/structure of the house.

(Sidenote #2: I promise this blog is not going to turn into a 100% home decor/DIY blog. Maybe 99%...but not 100% so bare with me here...) ;)

****

Two words here: cedar. beams.

Holy beautiful. We LURRRVE us some cedar beams on the ceilings so if any of you (ahem...Katie, Erica, Shalyn) come to visit, don't be shocked to see this kinda thing in our house.

Stone fireplace=happening. There was no argument with this one...we'll have a stone fireplace from floor to ceiling if our lives depend on it. You can't tell me that isn't gorgeous?? I can already picture our little stockings hanging from the mantle at Christmas time. Ahhhhh...

So much fantasticness going on here. High ceilings. Cedar beams. Stone hood. Dark cabinets. Light countertops. Rod iron chandelier. Inset stove. Incredible island. Oversized sink.
Oh dear God. I could go on for days...

Hellllllllllo fluffy white bed!! I've always been a busy, colorful comforter kinda girl but I'm really loving solids these days. Like....l-o-v-i-n-g. Don't EVEN get me started on those chandeliers and the wood ceilings...

Obviously the backsplash is incredible but I'm mainly loving the sink. The oil rubbed bronze faucet with the deep sink. Am I in heaven??  Lighting under the cabinets....gah. So perfect! 

(The color cabinets & granite...not so much...)

One word: tables.

Coffee table, end table, wine barrels/boxes. Amazing, right?!

Granted our bathroom will look absolutely nothing like this but I am swooning over A) the slate tile B) the multiple shower heads and C) the invisible shower frame. The only thing this bathroom is possibly missing is the fact that it won't be in my home. Darn. 

Our bathroom will (obviously) look nothing like this one either but can we dream for a minute? Round bathtub, stone fireplace, wine chiller, cedar baseboards...le sigh.... Ok-I really pinned this pic because of the framed mirror above the counter. I am ALL about this right now.

Yes-I realize this is nothing like the other pics but I wanted to show off the vanity space. Beau and I had an understanding from the beginning that we would not buy a house that didn't have knee space for me to sit in and put on my makeup. Was. Not. Happening. (You should all know that I have this thing. I must be sitting to apply makeup. If I'm not sitting on top of the bathroom coutner, you can typically find me in our closet...yes I said CLOSET...applying my makeup. Poor Beau-I always find dashes of glitter ((AKA: eyeshadow or bronzer)) on his clothes these days...Whooooops.) Our bathroom will look DAYS different than this one but I wanted to point out A) the vanity B) the cabinets with the drawer underneath (talk about a good use of space!) C) the oil rubbed bronze faucets/fixtures and  D) the framed mirrors. Gorgeous.

We've got a long way to go before this puppy is built so sorry...no wait...I'm not sorry if you follow me on Pinterest and all you see is home decor. I promise to do the same things with babies when the time comes! ;)

I'd like you to meet my new best friend...

Ahhhh. There she is...

And yes-she's a machine.

(No-not that kind of machina ya sicko.)

Anywho-you all know by now I'm a health nut. I love fruit and {most} veggies and although I usually eat at least 3 fruits and 3 vegetables a day, I really do find it hard to get the "required" amount in every single day.

I've always had a small interest in juicing but never persued anything because

A) I don't know jack about this so-called "juicing" thing and

B) I always heard that the best juicers were expensive

I knew I should have registered for one when we got married because yo estoy el-cheapo but alas, I needed more important things like pool floats, beach towels, a fancy blender and a soap dispenser. Priorities, people.

[ENTER THE BREVILLE JUICE FOUNTAIN]

Amazing.

How on earth it gets every last drop out of a spinach leaf is beyond me.

My favorite concoction so far consisted of strawberries, spinach, carrots, peaches & some leftover cucumber and watermelon that was about to go bad. YUM-MO.

You can honestly throw anything into this baby and I'm convinced you can't go wrong. This one was so fresh and made for the perfect breakfast that morning. Anything with strawberries is a win in my book...

I don't know what I was more intrigued by: the fact that you couldn't even taste the spinach & carrots or the amazing bubbly rainbow I had just created in my glass.

I had a few girls wanting to know how I liked the Breville and, clearly, I love it. Before I used it, I read all the reviews on their website and the worst thing anyone had to say was that it was kind of hard to clean. Um duh. When your beating the heck outta some fruit it's pretty obvious that you're going to have some kind of a mess to clean up. It wasn't that bad though and it's a "contained" mess that requires minimal scrubbing of the net thing inside the juicer. I've definitely made bigger messes in my kitchen...like the 4 times my Soda Stream exploded or the time I attempted to hand-mix a bowl of sugar and cocoa powder. (Don't try either of these...)

And because you just spent 5 minutes of your life reading about my new infatuation with a machine,  I figured I should reward you with a few iPhone pics from this week so far:

1. Welcoming a brand new baby boy into this world, Lil Eli!

2. Our new washer/dryer  set that we'll be storing in our garage until the house is built.

3. Cheering for that handsome boy Sean on our new TV #thebachelorette

4. Helping the in-laws find a new house. I think this one will do. ;)

I'm outty 5,000. Peace.

A retirement dream

Wow. So much love on this here blog after yesterday's big/exciting news!!

Thank y'all so much!! We are STOKED and can't wait to share every little step of the way with y'all!

So now that I'm obviously 10 kinds of grown up (you know...because buying a house = mature), I decided it's time I should think about retirement. Ok-so not seriously but I mean, I have really given it some honest thought. (Maybe it was for good blogging material, maybe I'm serious. I'll be the judge of that.)

One of these days my brain isn't going to function to the capacity it does right now. I'll probably have 3 different kinds of cataracts and my arthritis will be so bad I won't be able to hold the mouse and therefore, a professional 80 year old blogger is out of the question. (Oh dear God. What would we do without blogging??) 

Yes-I realize I'm only 26 years ripe and by no means do I want my life to speed up at all but it makes me feel a tiny bit better knowing that I have somewhat of a plan for when everything, including my boobs, head south.

Let me preface this by saying my idea of the perfect retirement job requires elastic pants, orthopedic shoes, nap time(s), ice cream and down right making people happy and there's only a small handful of "retiree" jobs that I foresee fulfilling my needs. I'll also need an extended lunch break on Tuesday's to get my senior discounts at iHop and Ross. 

I should also say that the worst retiree job I could ever imagine would require the company name "Wal-Mart", cats, volunteering at a local school or babysitting multiple children all at one time. All of the above sound like terrible ideas to me. Terrible.

The ultimate retiree job, in my humble opinion, is a flower delivery girl (err-senior citizen). C'mon. Who can be mad at someone bringing you roses and candy and balloons straight to your doorstep? That's right! NO ONE! You drive around all day in an oversized white van full of stargazer lillies and chocolate turtles. Talk about a damn good day at the office! We have a flower delivery "senior citizen" who frequents our office and even though I know I'm only getting flowers 2, maybe 3 times per year, he brings a smile to my face every darn time. I could be really good at this. Just saying...

A close second on my list is a barista @ Starbucks. First of all, who doesn't want to leave work every day smelling like a coffee bean? I know I wouldn't be hating it! Second-I can't even function on weekdays without my morning cup(s) of joe so what better place to be than the one behind the industrial latte machine? I would, however, prefer the mid-morning shift. I hear they open before the sun comes up and by using context clues, you can tell I am not a morning person.

Would you like whipped cream with that?
 

Finally, a tour guide at the zoo would suit me pretty well. Of course, I'd need to save every bit of my paid time off for the entire months of May, June & July seeing that I don't tolerate heat very well, but I could totally do something like this September through April. I don't know a lick about animals, or feeding times, or really anything that has to do with a zoo but it seems like a decent idea, doesn't it?

What I do know is that I look terrible with orangish/yellow bangs.

Well, folks. That about sums up my dream retirement jobs and my obvious inability to photoshop my face onto other people's bodies. I challenge you to go out and think about what you would do as a retiree. Who knows? I could be delivering you flowers one day! ;)

Home.

This weekend was one of the first weekends in a really long time
where we were actually home for a change. 

No plane flights. 

No road trips. 

No hotels.

Just me, Beau and our little town home.

Sometimes I forget how good it feels to be home.

We partook in a little bit of relaxing, a lot a bit of eating, a tiny bit of reading
and even a little bit of vino. Toss in a lil shopping and that just about sums it all up.

Oh! And by "shopping" I mean...

WE BOUGHT A FRIGGIN' HOUSE! 

Well-we bought a bunch of grass and dirt which will eventually have a house on it... ;)

Surely you didn't think our weekend was that low-key, did you?!

After a sh*t ton of research and hours of negotiating, the little Howard house on the prairie will be complete around December-ish and we couldn't be more excited!!

There's still floor plan reviewing, blueprint editing, design center choosing and  contract signing to be done before they even break ground so as someone who holds the middle name "Impatience" this should be a verrrrry interesting journey, to say the least. 

Our house will have a little different design in the front but this is the closest I can find to give you all an idea. Our bricks and stone will also be a little different, too, but you get the point...

Perhaps I'm bias but isn't she beautiful!? 

Excited is an understatement. I absolutely cannot wait!

Can't wait to call her "ours".

Can't wait to pick out the cabinets, the fixtures and the floors.

Can't wait to deck it out in all new decor.

Can't wait for itty bitty Howard babies to grow up here.

Can't wait to have all our friends and family over for dinners & parties.

Can't wait to share many wonderful memories in our very first home.

Prepare for this blog, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter to consist of nothing but house stuff for the next 6 months. And don't say I didn't warn you...  ;)

Blogger Vacay: The Outtakes

So yesterday's recap on my blogger vacay in Ohio was sweet, sentimental and full of all the best pics I could have possibly gotten.

Today-I bring you the real stuff.

The outtakes.

The things you didn't see in yesterday's post.

You didn't actually think that out of 700+ photos I took,
I didn't get some really God-awful ones, did you?

First of all-let me just say I had my airplane outfit picked out for days. Beau and I both wanted those Ohioans to know that the Texands had arrived so we both strapped on our cowboy boots and headed north. Lez just say we were definitely the only ones in the entire state with a pair of legit cowboy boots. It's just how we roll...  ;)

Nothin' like a airport bar nail salon...I mean, you're sitting there just waiting around, you might as well paint your fingee nails and give them sufficient time to dry. I'm all about efficiency people...I'll take the hot pink polish with a tall vodka/sodie on the side. Thanks.

And then came the epic Facetime sesh w/ Kristen. I don't even know if Kristen even realized we were on the phone. As you can see, she was more interested in watching herself make ridiculous faces in the screen rather than chatting with us. Last FT we'll ever do with her...  ;)

I'm pretty sure breakfast in bed was supposed to be a Krysh family moment but I totally intruded. Poor Billy got stuck eating on the floor while Katie, Rocky and I lounged in their big fluffy bed whilst sipping warm Mickey D's coffee and stuffing our faces with eggs and bacon. Whooooops!

 

Sidenote: Rocky is like a raccoon. He always wants whatever you have. Yes...even coffee.

Then there was the time Erica wore my ring and sent the pic to her boyfriend.

Pretty sure there was no response to that text.

Oh Kurt, get with the program. Errcuhh needs a rock already!! ;)

What? You don't take us seriously in our bath towels and redneck wine glasses? We were having a serious convo, ok? We needed to know if the girls thought camping the next day was a good idea. (Pretty sure I vetoed that idea real quick when I mentioned the idea of sleeping in 90 degree weather. VOM.COM. I do not do well with heat.)

Standard.

Never fails...neither one of us are EVER ready for a pic. Ever.

Again...

This one doesn't even need an explanation...

...aaaand then there were shots.

Birthday cake shots to be exact. (What? It was her birthday!) 

And Katie is really bad at taking them...

Exhibit A: I have never officially seen anyone hold their nose and take a shot. Ever.

B:

 

...aaaaand C:

Ya. He's gonna keeeeel me for this one but this is the absolute epitome of my husband.

I don't know how many times we had to tell him to get his fingers out of his nose.

Do y'all SEEEEEE what I deal with on a daily basis?? ;)

Billy goin' in for the kiss. Please look at the face...hahaha. So seductive.
(NOT!)

Rocky licking the air vent.

Apparently when you're hotter than AIDS, this is the solution.
Not gonna lie, I like Rocky's thinking...

This could not describe Katie and I more perfectly. She's most likely bossing people around (because she's sassy like that) and I'm clearly giving Beau the biggest stank eye ever for taking a pic when not a single person is ready.

Aaaaand again. Erica...always ready for the cam...me...not so much.

There's no telling how many other ridiculous pics we captured on everyone else's cameras.

On second thought, I don't think I even want to see those...

If you want to see an even more obnoxious amount of pics, feel free to visit the other girls!

Katie's recaps can be found here & here.

Erica's recaps can be found here and here.

A Very Blogger Vacay

Most of the time when I take off work for 5 days, it's to plant my happy but on a Mexican beach.

This time, it was spent in the town of Columbus, Ohio.

Yes. I said O-H-I-O.
(You must be wondering, "What the hay is in Ohio?"

As you all know (if you follow me on Instagram or Twitter or read my blog at all), our weekend was spent with 3 others bloggers, Katie, Jess & Erica.

The first time I met Katie was when we vacayed in Naples together (read here) but I had never met Jess or Erica so to say I was pee-my-pants-excited would be the biggest understatement of my life. Not to mention, I was so so anxious to meet Katie's furchild, Rocky, and lemme tell ya...that little man stole my heart.


Tell me that's not the sweetest face you've ever seen?! (His...not mine...)

Since I know 700+ photos of the weekend would downright annoy the crap out of ya, I went ahead and made a photo montage for your viewing pleasure.But before we get started, I must tell you...the pictures don't explain the full story. You see...there are a few things not pictured...

Like the time Billy decided to "water" Rocky with Katie's watering can.

Or the time we bar-hopped in downtown Columbus with a steamer in Jess' Louie.
(Stanley Steamer had some hot dance moves, if I must say so mahself...)

Or the time Erica rapped Lil Wayne in a drunken $40 cab ride to our cabbee "Reggie" who we soon found out was not "single & ready to mingle".

Or the time I fell halfway down Katie's stairs in the middle of the night and had a rugburn to prove it.

Let's not talk about the 50 bazillion times I complained about being "hotter than a whore in church".

How about the time Billy made breakfast in bed for him and
Katie and I ended up eating the breakfast in bed and he ended up eating on the floor?

Damn it where was the camera when I needed it??!!

Katie & Billy were the best little tour guides EVER. We covered just about everything: from hitting up the Goat (aka: the pool) 3 times, to downtown Dublin, to many-a-bars in downtown Columbus, to THE Ohio State campus and even taking us ON the field. We went to the Columbus zoo, Katie's parent's house, Taco Bell, McDonald's and even Kohl's. (You know...typical places you go on vacay...) Anywho-without further adieu...let's get the show on the road!


Leaving Columbus was one of the hardest things I've had to do lately. Not to get all sentimental but there's just something so special about the relationship I have with all 3 of these girls and to not know when I'm going to see them again downright breaks my heart. It was a sad, sad moment when we were dropped off at the Columbus airport. Tears were a-flowin' and I'm pretty sure Beau and Billy thought Katie and I had absolutely lost it at this point. (Nothing new here...)

Jess was exactly what I pictured: beautiful blonde Kentucky girl with a Southern drawl as big as Texas. She rolled up in her adorable convertible and prissed her happy butt right on into Katie's house and made herself right at home. She talked a lot about bourbon and cows and was the Southern Belle I always knew she was.

Erica is an absolute doll. She drove all the way from Boston to Ohio (12+ hours) BY HERSELF just to see us. She's the sweetest little rapper you ever did see and she totally stole my heart and now has me wanting to make a trip to Massachusetts (who woulda thought I'd ever want to go there?!) She's the epitome of a sweetheart.

Katie, well, y'all already know about her and I's friendship. It really is so weird that I feel like I've known her forever when I've only been around her twice in my entire life. Not to mention, she lives 1,200 mile away (I mapped it.) But foreal, Katie, you need to go ahead and just move to Houston already. I mean, besides your family, friends and job, what do you have in Ohio? ;)

Katie, Jess & Erica: Thank you for such a wonderful trip and for putting up with Beau and I all weekend long. I just love y'all to itty bitty pieces and so look forward to the next time we get to see each other!! Thank you for all the wonderful memories! A trip to Houston best be in your near future, k? K!

a BEAUtiful hijacking.

Katie from KC&CO here.

This blog has officially been hijacked for the day.

As most of you know, tonight the husband and I will be picking up Steph and BBFT Beau from the Columbus airport. Yes, the Columbus (as in Ohio) airport.

2 Texans here in the OH...

I'm not so sure the Midwest knows what's coming.

Steph actually asked us while we were in Naples, "do you have cacti in Ohio?"

....

silence.

Cactus in the midwest?

That'd be a giant NO, dahling.

{the closest thing to a cactus that I have is my aloe vera plant in my kitchen.}

Atleast this time at the airport, we won't be complete strangers.

We've got that going for us.

...if you aren't sure what I mean, read back about "Blacation" in Naples.

Anyhow, I'm SO beyond excited to have both of them here in my city for my birthday and get to hang out with them for the next 5 days. I'm also counting down the hours until Erica and Jess arrive, and join in on the fun!! We've got a full house, friends.

You know you're preparing for a good time

when.......

a) You've been excessively counting down the days with pictures/texts/mass group emails.

b) The refrigerator/wine cooler/and basement is stocked with booze

...of all types.

c) the pantry is full of foods you never typically buy on a week to week basis.

(ie: really fatty but "good" party foods)

d) you stalk the weather...

and are completely ecstatic when this is what it's telling me....

e) most of us have been detoxing our bodies for the past week to prepare.

(ie: Erica, Jess, Steph, and myself)

Well, don't worry, Steph will be back next week with (hopefully) some amazing posts to recap our time together! But, if you just need your Stephanie *fix* and you need it now, then pop on over to my blog, where she's dishing about overpacking one too many zebra print items, and her thoughts on coming to Ohio.

ps: Steph and Beau-I can't say thank you enough for flying to see my Ohio ass over my birthday weekend! I love you both so much!

pps: Momma J (if you're reading)-we will take good care of her! xoxo!

overANDout.



One small favor...

Let's get serious today, friends. It's for a good cause and I think you should hear me out.

All jokes and sarcasm aside...I need your help.

My company partners with a Guatemalan school called New Life School. One of our patients, originally from Texas, is the founder of this wonderful organization and after hearing her speak this morning, I must say I was truly touched by the compassion she has and huge heart she has opened up in a way most peole could never fathom.

New Life School is for children who can't gain an education in the overcrowded Guatemalan school system. This inability is either due to the teacher's inability to teach them or the ridicule of the other students. Most of the children have severe hearing or vision deficits, learning disabilities, spina bifida, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, or attention disorders. Their families have shunned them for their disabilites and even consider killing the children once they find out the baby has physicial and/or mental defects. Most of the children in Guatemala are malnurished, uneducated and have absolutely no hope.

New Life School was founded in 2000 with only 8 students. They now have over 100 enrolled.

The yearly budget for this entire school is...are you ready for this...$150,000. They have over 100 mouths to feed daily (breakfast AND lunch) and 15 staff members & their families to support, not including all the equipment, medical care, buidling/facility fees and other needs the children have.

The budget is so restricting, their staff occupational therapist pays for her students

seizure medication with her very own money.

Could you imagine?

Ok-so what's my point?

From now until June 30, my company is donating $1 for every "Like" we get on our Facebook page. Our goal is to be able to sign a check for $25,000 at the end of day, June 30.

Though it's only $1 per "like", imagine the possibilities with the amount of people on Facebook these days. Imagine the number of children who may see life in an entirely new perspective. Imagine the smile you'll bring to their face the day they walk across that tiny stage in a cap and gown.

... all because you clicked your little mouse.

That's all!

Just "Like" this page on Facebook and we'll even foot the bill! ;)

Thanks, friends. I'll love ya forever!

You know you're old when...

...rather than hitting up 6th Street (THE biggest party street in Texas),

you opt to spend your afternoon on a dive bar patio with your mom. ;)

...and the rest of your family.

...the highlight of your evening is giving yourself handmade lemon peel teeth.

But you wanna know what really makes you feel old??

Watching your baby brother graduate from COLLEGE.

 

It was a wonderful weekend in honor of such a wonderful person!



Chris: we are SO very proud of you! I just can't believe you're all grown up! I promise to not post any embarrassing pics of me dressing you in bras and high heels so long as you promise to go out and become a doctor (a plastic surgeon, to be exact) so that when I'm old and wrinkley and everything but my fingernails sag to the ground, you'll be there to fix me! ;) Love ya!! xoxo