White Jeans: The Fall Transition

I've seen quite a few posts on Fall style lately but I have to admit, I'm just not ready yet. I'd be happy with a few more weeks of flip flops, summer dresses, tank tops and shorts. I love white jeans and I'm not ready to put them away just yet. Do you wear white jeans through the Fall? It's certainly becoming more popular. I tend to chicken out but how great are these looks?

(clockwise from top left)

1 - Switch out those sandals for a pair of oxfords and you are ready for fall. (source)
2 - Skinny white jeans and boots - definitely a possibility (source)
3 - Not exactly Fall attire but I just love a completely neutral look from time to time. Possibly pull this off through September? (source unknown)
4 - Add a loose, comfortable sweater (source unknown)

Will you be incorporating white into your Fall and Winter attire?

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Bathroom Reno: Lighting

Thanks to a weekend jam packed with getting things done and enjoying the last few days of summer, I took yesterday off from blogging. I hope you got to enjoy the close to perfect weather we had this weekend. I may have spent an hour or so floating around our pool yesterday afternoon, completely and utterly relaxed. It was just so nice out!

What allowed me to feel so relaxed yesterday and not guilty for taking a bit of me time? We fit our training run in Saturday morning, got a bunch of errands done, and even finally finished unpacking the office. Ahh, it felt good. It always feels good to get something accomplished, doesn't it?

Lets get back on track, shall we? With the tile ordered (and in!), the vanity on its way, and the electrical work done this weekend, it's time to choose lighting. Vanity lighting specifically. We've decided to go with two separate vanity mirrors so that we can install side lighting. (These pictures here and here were very helpful).

I failed to mention above but Saturday we also ordered all of the bathroom fixtures. First of all, I am in love with everything that we ordered which I guess is most important. But what a racket! I understand that every fixture is its own expense but seriously, I need to order 5 separate pieces for the shower head/hose?! And another 4 for the temperature gage and to be able to turn the water on/off. They seriously get you.

While all of our fixtures were ordered in polished chrome, our taste is fairly transitional. The shower design may be somewhat modern, but I was really drawn to the more classic faucets and rustic vanities. So the question is, what do I do for lighting? I'm considering straying away from a polished chrome light fixture. There is going to be a whole lot of shiny metal in the bathroom between the double sinks and double shower heads. Potentially even from the mirror hardware (also getting ordered asap).

Here are a few lighting options I'm considering between:

Vanity Lighting by talkative-tlc

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

Decision to be made soon! 

Would you mix and match metals? Or go with all the same?

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Fun Fact Friday 8.23.13

How in the world is it the end of August already?! Oh it makes me so sad. I do love fall, but could use a few more weekends out by the pool. This is our last plan-free weekend before we head back into wedding season so I fully intend to make the most of it, getting my tan on. There will be no weeding, no painting, no furniture hunting. Just chillaxing. 

Here's what we've been up to lately:

1. I haven't been the best blogger this summer, slacking on my documentation of events. A month ago, J and I, along with Dan & Meg, attended a MA wine festival. It was ok. Lets be honest, MA wines just aren't the same as west coast wines (which I prefer). But the BEST thing ever happened that day. I met a reader! This seriously made my day, my year! Hi L!

2. Have I told you that J and I signed up for a half-marathon? We started training 2 weeks ago and it's going pretty well. But we are starting at the bottom pretty much, so we needed some motivation to get our butts back into shape. Running has been a great way to tour the neighborhoods around us! Crossing #3 off in November! I'll share more of our training plans soon.

3. Vanity ordered! Phew. More details to come once it arrives. But I will say that the customer service at Wayfair was quite impressive. Hoping for a smooth delivery so that I can give them more of my business. 

4. What are your thoughts on blow-dry bars? J's brothers getting married next Friday!!! I think I've talked my sister-in-law and sister into it. I was originally planning to do my own hair (maybe something like this) but then decided I want to be lazy and let someone else do it. Can I book appts two days in a row? J and I have a wedding next Saturday too. It's going to be one hell of a great weekend. You know how I feel about weddings. :) 

5. I broke into my new paints the other night! J was out of town for the night and I just had no desire to put the TV on. It was so relaxing.

6. A week or two ago J and I attended BostonFest after work. I fully intend to do a write-up of it, but here's a sneak peak. I loved this chalkboard wall. Life is good because of....Tom Brady! Ha. What would you add to this wall?

6. A week or two ago J and I attended BostonFest after work. I fully intend to do a write-up of it, but here's a sneak peak. I loved this chalkboard wall. Life is good because of....Tom Brady! Ha. What would you add to this wall?

Have a fantastic weekend!

Linking up with H54F, Friday Favorites, That Friday Blog Hop

If you like this post please let me know by leaving a comment or liking my Facebook page. You can also follow along on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Let's stay in touch!

Banana Bread

I don't know about you, but we don't tend to have many extra ripe bananas left over at the end of the week over here. So although we absolutely love banana bread, we don't make it that often. Just say the word banana and Tucker comes running. It's hilarious. He loves them! And we love using banana in our morning smoothies.

Anyway, I'm getting off topic. I found myself with two bananas on their way out this week. One really on its way out from the week before....but I told myself this would be the week I finally baked something in our new home. The smell of freshly baked banana is like no other. It makes the whole house feel warm and cozy.

My mother-in-law gave me a great recipe for banana bread back when J and I got married. Not only is it delicious, it's the most realistic banana bread recipe I've found. The only ingredient we rarely have on hand in our home is orange juice. But that's easy enough to pick up. What I love about this recipe is that it only calls for 2 bananas. I actually googled around a little bit Sunday morning looking for a recipe I could throw together without a trip to the store (for OJ) but they all called for 3-4 ripe bananas. We never have 3-4 extra bananas. We only buy 4, 5 at most each week! So no, these recipes are not realistic for us. So instead I made J go to the store for me. :)

Ingredients (makes 2 loaves)

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp boiling water
• 3 tbsp boiling water
• 2 bananas, mashed
• 3 cups flour (I used 1 1/2 cups whole wheat, 1 1/2 cups all purpose)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup orange juice

Recipe to follow after you drool over the pictures

Disregard the milk in this picture....not needed

Cream together the sugar, butter & eggs

Add baking soda to boiling water, stir

Mix into creamed mixture

Mix dry ingredients together, add alternatively to creamed mixture with the orange juice

Add mashed bananas (and nuts if you prefer)

Pour into 2 loaf pans (or 1 loaf pan, 1 muffin tin if you're like me)

Bake at 375 for 35-45 minutes. (take muffins out after 15-20 minutes)

Enjoy!

Bathroom Reno: Hunting Down the Perfect Vanity

Hi friends! How was your weekend? We had a pretty great weekend over here getting things done around the house. There were many things crossed off the to-do list which always feels good, even got a few unexpected things done. But there's one thing that's haunting us. One major to-do item that is causing a whole bunch of gray hairs at the moment. Finding a bathroom vanity.

This bathroom renovation is definitely teaching us a lot. And we are going to be so much better prepared next time we have any major construction planned. Who knew that 60" wasn't the norm for double sink vanities (it's 72"), or that stores don't stock them very often (it's 4 weeks+ production)? Well maybe you did know all that, but we sure didn't. This could basically be a travel post considering the number of miles we put on my car this weekend searching for the perfect bathroom vanity.

Our requirements/wants:

• Two sinks
• Counter height (34")
• Cabinets and drawers (preferably a cabinet under each sink with a drawer under the cabinet, or a shelf within the cabinet for extra storage)
• Not too detailed/intricate wood patterns on the drawer fronts
• Stained (or possibly painted in milk paint so its a matte finish)

Not too much to ask for right? Oh, and one more important thing, we need it asap. We are learning that we could have made a few more decisions (like where we'd order a vanity from) earlier on. And that there are times when things come up and decisions are needed immediately. Ack! Doing my best to roll with it!

So yes, we drove all over Routes 3, 24, 93, 95, and 495 between Saturday and Sunday (if  you're not from the area, just disregard those numbers and note that it was an insane amount of driving!).

And what we learned in our travels:

• There are less than 3 stocked 60" double sink vanities at any one store, and none were our style
• They love placing the gorgeous, custom ordered vanity (12 weeks production, $$$) next to the half the price, 4 week production vanity so that you can REALLY see the difference in quality and REALLY want the custom one out of the price range and time frame.
• The Restoration Hardware outlet is the most amazing place on earth and you should totally check it out. (They had a 72" double sink vanity that I'd been eyeing online for 30% off. Ugh it was gorgeous)
• Don't even bother with IKEA bathroom vanities, unless you want an ultra modern look in which case definitely check them out.
• Take pictures of what you really like - you may be able to find someone local to build it for you (which we almost did - our contractor offered)

Needless to say, we were feeling pretty defeated by Sunday night. I'm sure many of you can relate to the whole champagne taste on a beer budget analogy? It can kinda suck sometimes. I didn't want to choose a vanity just for the hell of it because we needed one, and I really didn't want to spend a fortune on one either. We can't! So while I got dinner together Sunday night, J took to the web for some browsing. And thank goodness for his patience because we may have lucked out! I won't tell you what we ended up with yet (because we still need to order it). But here's a taste of what you can find with some searching....and how they line up to a few Restoration Hardware options that I love. Really, who doesn't love RH?! If they weren't side by side with the differences so obvious, would you be able to tell? I've included 72" options here for comparison (And yes, they all come carrera marble as an option! Just didn't have a picture of it always).

1 /  2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

We've decided that between the gray floors and gray/white walls, we'd like to warm up the space a little with a rustic vanity. Well, at least that's what we're currently envisioning! And while we were originally leaning towards a darker finish, these more natural stains have really caught out eye. Wish us luck, ordering a vanity in the next day or two.

What's your favorite stain or color option for a vanity? Would you ever choose a paint color other than black/white? 

We debated a gray painted vanity at one point but then found ourselves so drawn to something warm and rustic, keeping the space from getting too modern. I also think a colored vanity, like deep blue could look amazing in the right space. 

If you like this post please let me know by leaving a comment or liking my Facebook page. You can also follow along on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Let's stay in touch!

101 in 1001

Ever since I first saw this idea, I knew it was something I wanted to participate in. While I love the 30 before 30 lists, I still have a ways to go before then. My goal was to coincide writing this list with 1001 days to go before I turned 30....but apparently my math is off. And once I realized I had less than 1001 days until I turned 30, I procrastinated making this list even more. Not all that surprised with myself there.

My 30th birthday is 954 days from today (today = August, 16, 2013 / 30th = March 28, 2016). Just over 2.5 years away. And while I'd like to do many of the following 101 items by my 30th birthday, the real end date is: May 13, 2016.

So here goes, here is my

101 in 1001

Health & Fitness

1. Run a 5k
2. Run a 10k
3. Run another half-marathon
4. Try cross-fit
5. Take power yoga monthly for at least 6 months
6. Try pilates
7. Enjoy green smoothies daily for an entire month
8. Join a gym

Food/Drink

9. Make pasta from scratch
10. Make [french] macaroons
11. Make mom’s tiramisu recipe
12. Maka J’s nana’s apple pie from scratch
13. Help make homemade raviolis for the holidays
14. Try 5 new foods
15. Try pho (this gets its own because I can't believe I still haven't had it)
16. Cook dinner every night for an entire month
17. Make homemade ice cream
18. Make a carrot cake
19. [Try to] enjoy a glass of bourbon on the rocks
20. Start up a Sunday dinner tradition with family

Entertaining

21. Host a holiday
22. Host a lobster boil
23. Host a wine tasting event
24. Brew beer
25. Throw a surprise party for someone
26. Host a housewarming/open house party
27. Host an annual cookout (4th of July perhaps?)

House & Home

28. Stencil a room or piece of furniture
29. Wallpaper a room
30. Build a new desk for our office (help J do it...)
31. Sew curtains & pillow covers
32. Paint all of the rooms in our house (they all need to be...)
33. Install hardwood floors in the family room (help J do it...)
34. Build a master bathroom (or hire someone else to do it)
35. Build a master closet space
36. Renovate the guest bathroom
37. Upgrade the back deck
38. Fix the pool area - jets, concrete, pavers
39. Paint the kitchen cabinets
40. Plant a vegetable garden
41. Plant flowers
42. And keep said flowers alive for more than one season
43. Print photos and actually get some frames on the walls/shelves
44. Refinish an old piece of furniture
45. Reupholster a piece of furniture
46. IKEA hack something (if you don’t know, now you know)
47. Clean out my closet, pare down to the staple pieces
48. Clean up the laundry area of the basement, make it pretty

Investments

49. Buy a car
50. Pay off (some) student loans
51. Increase my 401k payments
52. Purchase a DSLR camera
53. Invest in a tablet - IPad, Samsung...
54. Invest in a great, classic handbag
55. And maybe a great pair of shoes...

Travel

56. Travel to a state I haven’t visited yet
57. Travel to Washington DC
58. Plan a girls trip
59. Plan a trip with my mom and sister
60. Travel to Europe
61. Visit a National Park with J
62. Take a road trip with J and Tuck
63. Travel to Hawaii

Read/Watch/Do

64. Re-read the entire Harry Potter series
65. Read something nonfiction
66. Re-watch Titanic
67. Read/watch something that’s never really interested me - Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones
68. Get a library card, and use it
69. Go to the ballet
70. Go to the theatre
71. Go sailing/boating
72. Go camping
73. Go hiking
74. Get our Morocco trip photos into an album
75. Get our honeymoon photos into an album
76. Go to a jazz bar
77. Attend a music festival
78. Go to a Patriots game (can’t believe I still haven’t been)
79. Plan a staycation
80. Clean out my makeup bag
81. Find, and wear, the perfect red lipstick
82. Monogram something
83. Get a great pair of pajamas
84. Learn to make the perfect flower arrangements by vase shape/size
85. Find the perfect gift for someone
86. Send out greeting cards, just because

Personal [Improvement]

87. Go to a blogging conference
88. Learn more html coding
89. Organize my computer folders/pictures/documents
90. Take a photography class
91. Take a cooking class
92. Attend a speaking event
93. Get involved in the community
94. Renew my CPA license when needed
95. Get a promotion at work
96. Find a new church, and go more often than holidays
97. Find a hobby that helps decrease stress (and gray hairs)
98. Book a spa day
99. Learn something new
100. Be more patient
101. Have a baby

102....And one extra just because....inspire someone else to write their own 101 in 1001.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Linking up with H54F, Friday Favorites

If you like this post please let me know by leaving a comment or liking my Facebook page. You can also follow along on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Let's stay in touch!