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!