my weekend in pictures.

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{cutting fabric is not my forte, but it needed to be done for an upcoming sewing project for baby lower.}

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{aaron & I spent most of the day saturday sourcing finishes for the house – wood floors, tile, paint, light fixtures.}

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{a bubble tea was much-needed after making a million decisions!}

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{rainer cherries are in season & we have been enjoying. this was a double one – crazy!}

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{baby’s first set of wheels! one of the only things for baby lower that we have put together.}

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{oh trader joe’s. I went in for one thing & ended up with ingredients for strawberry shortcake!}

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{dim sum lunch with friends on sunday. so delish!}

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{choosing paint at benjamin moore.}

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{I usually don’t like the I love mommy/daddy/etc. kids’ stuff, but I couldn’t resist this to give to aaron for his first father’s day!}

we had a really busy weekend, but super productive. things are moving right along with the house & it is exciting to be finally picking finishes for everything, plus a lot of things got checked of the big to-do list which is always a great feeling!

we were really low-key about celebrating father’s day today since it really doesn’t seem like we are parents. it is crazy to think about one year from now though & how we will be parents to an almost one year old!

happy father’s day to aaron, my dad, aaron’s dad, aaron’s grandfather, & all of the other dads out there. thanks for everything that you have done for us!

how was your weekend?

M

wedding weekend in hood river {the wedding}

this last weekend we were in hood river, oregon to celebrate my cousin jesse’s wedding to his bride elise. the venue was at Bella Vista Orchards, a few miles inland of the columbia river. the ceremony took place amongst the pear trees {with views of mount hood} & the reception in a tent on the property. it was a fun venue & a perfect setting for the bride & groom to celebrate their new union!

there were two suggestions made by the bride & groom via their invitation: one – no stilettos and two – head adornments were greatly encouraged. well, i decided to take my chances with heels {they were thick heels that are easy for me to walk in, plus with the length of my dress heels were a must!} & did pretty well, though the i understand the warning against heels given the uneven dirt paths & roads all around the venue. when it came to head adornments, aaron & i were totally in. aaron decided on his fez {that his brother brought back from egypt a few years back}. i originally thought i would make or buy a fascinator {a la duchess kate} but then came across this diy floral crown on my pinterest board & decided that would be perfect. i even talked my mom & sister into wearing them as well. my dad was a little more conventional in a classic polo baseball hat.

needless to say, we had a wonderful time celebrating!

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congratulations jesse & elise!

M

my weekend in pictures.

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{my parents rolled into town on friday with their new camper. they were here for the weekend & heading out to camp for the week.}

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{aaron & sadie.}

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{we were sunning on my grandmother’s back patio on friday catching up with my mom & dad.}

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{happy father’s day!}

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{we have been ignoring our yard for most of the spring but finally started some much-needed cleanup in the back. we filled up that entire yard waste bin & still have so much more to go!}

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{it is always double-whammy this time of year with my dad’s birthday & father’s day always falling within days of each other.}

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{do you think my parents are boise state fans? #bronconation}

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{we had dinner at McCormick for my dad’s birthday – happy birthday dad!}

we had a fun & very sunny weekend, though it went entirely too quickly. obviously my parents were in town & we enjoyed spending some quality time with them & my grandmother. it is finally starting to feel like summer around here & we are loving every minute of it. the house is even getting a bit warm {no A/C here} & we aren’t even complaining yet. how was your weekend?

M

updates to the bathroom {mirror & drawers}.

i wanted to share a few more updates to the bathroom. sorry if this feels like i am beating a dead horse, a bathroom is a bathroom, right? this is probably the last post until we do the toilet & tub.

this weekend we aaron worked on the mirror situation that we had going on. we had a medicine cabinet that was recessed into the wall. after aaron was able to remove a few screws from the inside of the cabinet, he pulled it out from the wall.

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you can see the lath in the picture below that is up against the wall studs. it appears that some of our walls have dry wall right over the old lath & plaster, & some of the walls are just the old lath & plaster. in the gap beneath where the cabinet was we found a crumpled up newspaper. it was dated 1938. it is sort of hard to believe that the medicine cabinet is that old.

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i was originally wanting to put a big antique mirror in the space above our new vanity, but price & convenience led me to target instead. i was able to find a mirror that was big enough to fit the wall space {see target silver beaded wall mirror} & could even have gone a few inches bigger {this mirror is 34” by 28”}. it isn’t perfect, but it works for what we need now. perhaps we can upgrade to something nicer in a few years.

the big white rectangle that you see below is drywall patching that we haven’t had time to prime & paint. because the original medicine cabinet hung portrait {& the new mirror is landscape} aaron had to do a bit of patching. hopefully we will be able to prime & paint it in the next few weeks.

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i had mentioned in the original vanity reveal that aaron & my dad had rebuilt the drawers to accommodate the undermount sink. here are some pics of that. they kept the drawer fronts, but then turned the rectangle drawers into squares. aaron also had to reconfigure the drawer supports underneath to accommodate the smaller sized drawers {shown in the last picture}. we are lucky that the drawers are deep enough to hold toiletries, make-up, etc. that we don’t want to get lost under the sink.

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have you been shopping for mirrors lately? where is your go-to place?

M

old turned new {an update to our bathroom vanity}.

to start out, i want to give a HUGE shout-out to aaron, my dad, & our friend rhett for making this project work. it wouldn’t have come together so well without all of them, so thank you, thank you, thank you!

as most of you know, we have been itching to get a vanity of some kind into our bathroom since day one. the sink hanging from the wall was just not cutting it as it gave us approximately 2 inches of “counter space” on either side of the sink. given the age of our house, it felt wrong to just buy a brand-new vanity so we i decided we should find an antique piece to convert.

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{my favorite bathroom pin via pinterest}

it took a few weeks to scour craigslist in search of the perfect antique piece. at first i searched for dressers, but then switched to sideboards when i decided i would rather have doors than drawers for storage. we were obviously limited in the space we had which was a bit of a challenge when searching for a sideboard, but i also wanted a good wood color as i planned on leaving the wood {& not painting}.

this isn’t really a diy post {even though it was diy’d} as the project was done based specifically on this antique piece & there wasn’t step-by-step photography taken. however, i can give you the general idea of what was done.

supplies:

  • antique hutch/sideboard/dresser – we found ours on craigslist
  • countertop with undermount sink {or sink to mount on top} – we found ours at lowe’s* {i can’t find it online, but the brand was allen+roth}
  • faucet – we found ours on overstock.com {it looks identical to this one from pottery barn}
  • wood glue, drill, scrap wood pieces, plumbing {p-trap, etc.}

*when we went shopping for countertops to fit over our 19 w x 47 l x 36 h sideboard we immediately assumed that in order to get a top that would have a one inch overhang on all three sides, we would have to custom order something. so we spent a lot of time with the good folks at both home depot & lowe’s pricing out different options for a countertop in everything from marble to granite to hi-mac {which is LG’s new composite product}. we were ready to pull the trigger & spend $700 on a custom white quartz countertop from lowe’s. we went over to price out/buy an undermount sink when we discovered a pre-made quartz countertop with an undermount sink that was one inch bigger than what we were looking for. it wasn’t pure white, but it was only $230! one guess on which one we chose…

before i get into pictures of the process, let’s take a look at the bathroom when we first bought the house.

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a few months later, we added a few updates as seen here. the light fixture update here. and then we did the paint update on the bead board & walls.

we also did a fixture update, so here are the original fixtures in the bathroom. none of them were really awful but we didn’t really like any of them & took the opportunity to give them an update as well.

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{double towel bar & tp holder // hand towel hooks & glass holder}

aaron started by un-attaching the plumbing & taking the sink off the wall {it was mounted by two all brackets}. then aaron & my dad moved the sideboard up into the space. originally we all thought there would need to be a hole cut to accommodate the undermount sink, but they found out that the top piece was easily removed.

next they placed the countertop onto to sideboard to determine how best to anchor the countertop to the sideboard & the sideboard to the wall, as well as how to stabilize the sideboard in the back.

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once the sideboard & countertop were completed {which took an entire weekend!} it was time to re-work the front drawers to accommodate the undermount sink. aaron & my dad took apart one-half of the drawer & rebuilt the inside edge to basically go around the sink. we ended up losing only one-third of the drawer space! {sidenote: we don’t have pictures of the drawers & will update soon!}

& the reveal of our new bathroom vanity! the other bathroom fixtures {tp holder, towel hooks, hand towel ring} are all from the pottery barn mercer collection.

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isn’t it lovely? i am still amazed that they were able to take the basic idea of converting an antique piece & coming up with this!

it is big, well huge considering what we started with, & for some may seem too big. it is also tall standing at 37 inches. {we could have done shorter by chopping off the legs, but we wanted to be able to clean under the piece, & perhaps add storage baskets. also, my mom & dad’s house has tall counters in all of the bathrooms so that is what i grew up with.} despite the large contrast in size from before to after, we are really happy with the piece, the counterspace, & the storage. it is exactly what we wanted.

we are loving the color of the piece & are so glad we didn’t/don’t have to paint it. the richness of the wood is great in contrast to the bright white of the counter & bead board as well as the dark wall color – don’t you think? it just needs a little oil, some storage organizers underneath & we are good to go. {sidenote: we plan on also updating the toilet & bath to be white, but are still saving up! also we plan on taking out the old medicine cabinet & replacing it with a big mirror. we are undecided on the glass shelves.}

what do you think about converting antiques into bathroom vanities {or kitchen islands or entertainment centers}?

M

my weekend in pictures.

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{on the second day of spring we got snow after not getting snow the entire winter. #crazyseattlespringweather}

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{aaron, my dad, & our friend rhett were working on a house project. it may or may not have been something in the bathroom.}

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{my mom helped with some tending to the yard including planting these beauts around our front tree!}

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{happy birthday mom!}

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{there is nothing like fresh eggs. even for $7 a dozen. chicken ownership, here we come!}

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{my mom & i went to the best of the northwest art show at pier 91. she bought the cutest mouse sculpture that i failed to get a picture of. #badblogger}

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{i finally pulled the trigger on some fabric for an upcoming diy project.}

{obviously} my mom & dad were in town this weekend. they were gracious enough to help us out with some work & projects around the house. we started with snow on friday, but saturday, sunday, & even today are beautiful sunny days {though not to be confused with warm!}. how was your weekend?

M

highlights of 2012.

2013 lets do this{via}

happy 2013!

i love reading yearly highlights on other blogs & even though i try to keep up on the updates via this blog, there are hopefully a few fun things to share that you haven’t heard before. here’s the rundown of 2012:

january: i donated blood for the first {& last} time. we dined at emmer & rye in queen anne with my friend beth ann who was in town visiting. we survived snopocolypse 2012. the repairs on the jetta were finally completed from my rear-ending in november. sadie had surgery to get a small lump removed & have her teeth cleaned.

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february: we took a trip to new england & managed to visit all six new england states. we spent a long weekend in boston. i celebrated my 27 {yikes!} birthday & valentine’s day with my love in manchester, new hampshire. we celebrated thanksgiving in february with my law school friends {this is a reoccurring event in which my friend miriam cooks up a big thanksgiving dinner at various times of the year}. we celebrated leap year!

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march: my mom visited for a long weekend. i oversaw work to the townhouse {new venting for the dryer}. we house-hunted on the weekends with our realtor padraic. i started & completed all three books in the hunger games series. we saw the hunger games at the IMAX. we saw {& were disappointed by} king tut at the pacific science center {no tut, just his stuff}. aaron took a work trip to vegas. we made our first {& only} offer on a house. our offer was accepted!

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april: we took a post-offer tour of our new house. we celebrated easter dinner with my grandmother. we showed the townhouse to potential new tenants. i co-hosted a baby shower for amanda. we packed up all of our belongings for the big move. we closed on our house after signing lots of paperwork & handing over a very large check. we moved.

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may: we were rear-ended {this better not become an annual event}. my mom & dad visited for a long weekend & helped with some house projects. we celebrated my grandmother’s 90th birthday! we celebrated aaron’s 29th birthday! i took on my first pro bono case with VAIJ. we hosted a small dinner party with old idaho friends kami, travis, & their adorable daughter olive. we spent a night on the town in bellevue at aaron’s organization’s ship party with lots of aaron’s co-workers.

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june: we saw dia frampton in concert at chop suey. we hosted a small dinner party with my law school friend marcus, his then-fiancée katy, & their beagle maggie. padraic & his partner justin threw us an awesome housewarming party! we ventured down to alabama for andy & hailey’s wedding. i had lots of phone interviews.

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july: we attended herschel’s first birthday party {the son of one of my law school friends}. we celebrated the fourth of july! i started going to fitness classes with my neighbor leanne at community fitness. we hosted a small dinner party with andy & hailey, just back from their honeymoon! we attended thanksgiving in july at miriam’s. sadie & i drove down to idaho. i got my haircut & had drinks with my CBC {high school} girlfriends. we loaded up the car & took a roadtrip {sadie included} to stevenson, wa for marcus & katy’s wedding. we saw the dark knight rises at the IMAX.

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august: we celebrated our second wedding anniversary with a picnic dinner at greenlake! we attended our first neighborhood potluck & met lots of our neighbors. we joined a summer bocce ball league with ben & sarah. i did yoga in the park with our neighbors – the friends – & tens of other people. i shopped & noshed with my friend ashley who was in town on a work trip. we attended the pratt’s housewarming party {a couple i met & befriend while i was in americorps}. we attended padraic’s wig birthday party. i met my pro bono client. i was offered a position doing media license management & started working. my bff carlie came into town – our first house guest! we attended a moroccan dinner feast at ben & sarah’s house. aaron’s parents visited seattle for a week.

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september: we attended a final farewell summer bbq. we visited indiana to see family & surprise meg at her baby shower. we attended a colts game with our friends colt & erin. we celebrated sadie’s eighth birthday!

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october: we visited peru & got to hike around one of the new seven wonders of the world machu picchu. my mom & sister anya visited for a long weekend. my friend meg was in town to visit! aaron made an unexpected trip back to indiana to attend his late grandmother’s service. we attended ghouls near greenlake, ben & sarah’s annual halloween bash, as a somecard. we celebrated halloween with our very first trick-or-treaters!

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november: aaron attended a week-long conference for work & stayed downtown. i watched the election results while painting the bathroom trim & texting aaron updates. we hosted our first {vegetarian} thanksgiving. we spent the long holiday weekend working on the house.

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december: we attended a housewarming party for amanda, george, & madeleine. we brunched with our neighbors – the friends – at the 5 spot in queen anne. my mom visited for a long weekend. i brought back a pinterest christmas & recruited some friends to join in on the fun. we celebrated the holiday season with six holiday parties with friends & co-workers. i won rookie of the year at work. we enjoyed a double-date night in bellevue with some newly engaged friends. we loaded up the car with presents & made the trek to idaho for the week of christmas. we celebrated christmas! we made it safely back to seattle only one day delayed. we plan to ring in the new year with friends & watch the space needle firework show.

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reflecting back on this year, i am reminded how blessed we are & also how different this year has been than the year previous. it has been such a wonderful year & ringing in a new one is a bit bittersweet.

how was your 2012 – was it a year to remember or are you itching to start 2013 already?

M

see highlights of 2011 here.

my long weekend in pictures: idaho edition.

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{driving thru snoqualmie pass to start our roadtrip from seattle to boise. luckily we had dry roads!}

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{crossed over the 45th parallel. even though we were driving farther away from the north pole, it seemed fitting that this sign said north pole. very festive!}

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{my two teams went head-to-head in the las vegas maaco bowl game on saturday. #gobroncohuskies the broncos pulled out a win but it was an awfully close & nerve-racking game.}

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{i caught up on magazines during half-time. thanks for saving all your mags for me mom!}

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{my mom & i made caramel this weekend. twice. it keeps coming out too hard. any suggestions on how to make soft, chewy caramel?}

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{watched the seahawks destroy the 49ers. happy for the victory & happy we weren’t in seattle for all of that rain!}

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{merry christmas eve from my parents’ house!}

we have had such a wonderful weekend in boise. my being so relaxed has directly resulted in the very few pictures for this weekend post – my apologies! i hope you have had a wonderful pre-christmas weekend too! how was your weekend?

M

pinspiration: wine box garden.

this is a bit of a belated post, especially since it was completed back in may!, but better late than never, right?

as soon as we moved into our house i knew i wanted some kind of a garden. since i didn’t want to take on too much (like building raised garden beds), a small herb garden seemed fitting for our first garden. especially since i am not exactly known for having a green thumb.

almost as soon as i pinned this idea on pinterest, my friend amanda commented that she had two wine boxes that would be perfect for the project. i knew it was meant to be!

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{the original tutorial link: diy wine box vegetable garden.}

supplies:

  • wine box(es)
  • dirt
  • seeds or plants
  • drill for making draining holes
  • 1×2 & screws if you want legs
  • cork, sharpie, & bamboo skewer if you want to make signs

the wine boxes that amanda gave me were gorgeous. they were high quality & already had the dividers inside. my dad added the wooden legs by screwing on pieces of a 1×2 (i think) & then snapping off the end of the top screw so that i wouldn’t cut myself when i was planting. my mom drilled a couple of drainage holes in each section as well.

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my mom & i decided the best place to put the garden boxes was over on the side yard (east of the house). here, it would get sun & rain, but not be in the way (like they would have been on the porch, which was the original spot for them).

we filled the boxes up with dirt, & then planted seeds for basil & baby greens, & plants for thyme & chives. we also added a rosemary plant in a separate planter as it was too big for the wine box.

i had some corks lying around from our wedding (we used them in our centerpieces & in the bulletin board my mom made for our seating chart) & we used those for marking the different herbs. i used a (purple) sharpie marker to write what the name of the herb was, & then we stuck the cork onto a bamboo skewer, & then stuck the skewer into the dirt near the plant.

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{left box from l to r: thyme plant, basil seeds, chive plants. right box: baby greens seeds.}

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it has been really fun to have our own herb garden & be able to use the herbs in our cooking. it is so much cheaper to grow an herb plant than to buy the cut herbs at the store. i think next year i will also add parsley to the mix.

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{those tiny little green leaves are my basil plants! once they start growing more, i will have to thin them out.}

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{the chives are flowering!}

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{the baby greens!}

do you have a garden – herb, veggie, fruit, or otherwise? what is your choice of planter?

M