From Colfax To Xela

Say cheese, Baby!

2011-11-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

Obviously if you've been around this blog for a while you have probably noticed that I'm a bit of an amateur photographer - more like a hobbyist. I really love it, but never really dedicate the time to enhancing my abilities. I feel like setting up and framing the photos is natural to me, but my technical shooting and editing skills need some intervention. When you have a really interesting subject (um, hello Guatemala) though, it's pretty hard to take a bad photo.

This past year however, I've found myself less than inspired photographically speaking. Most of our home photos are more for documentation purposes rather than "art" and quite honestly we don't really go anywhere worth toting along the old Nikon. Recently though, I've found myself newly inspired by some seriously cute baby girls in my life!

Back in August my good friend Julie gave birth to a sweet baby girl Finley Grace. Coincidentally Julie and I share a serious passion for all things creative & decor (especially when it comes to the color gray) so back in October of course we found a way to translate our passions (and pinnings) into the most adorable Halloween project that could ever exist. This project required 4 easy things.
1.) an adorable baby (that was easy)
2.) a pumpkin
3.) a pretty back drop
4). a camera

Put those 4 ingredients together and this is what you get.

Little Pumpkin Finley.....and her beautiful mama.

Isn't that photo just about the most precious/hilarious/freakin' cute thing you've ever seen?

I seriously don't know if I will ever think of anything that could top a baby in a pumpkin. I won't go into the funny details as to how Little Pumpkin Finley came to be because you can read it on Julie's blog, but this is the day that resparked my love for photography.

Here's another cute one from that day too. Can you think of a better job than taking photos of babies? or kids? or families? I don't know if I can. Except for maybe starting up a interior design business with Julie. (PS. Keep me in mind as your personal assistant when you decide to go off on your own, Julie.)

Then again just last week, we joined forces again for Finley Photo Shoot #2. This time the objective was to capture ~~our~~ her baby girl amongst some beautiful Autumn foliage.

Objective Achieved.

My oh my, how Finley has grown! Look at that personality!

That baby girl really loves her mama & so do I!

Hamming it up, Finley G!

There's now where she'd rather be than propped in her Bumbo in a bunch of tall grass.

She was really taken by Mia & smiled really big each time she barked.

Doesn't she look like an opera singer here? So funny!

On a side note, my mom knitted those baby legs for Finny. Aren't they the cutest? Julie should be a stylist. She really knows how to put together a great look!

The day we shot the photos, the weather was perfect. We had lunch, we shopped & then we ended up in Freedom Park, which is pretty much Charlotte's equivalent to Washington Park in Denver. I don't know if I've ever seen the park look so stunning. We joked that I should set up a card table with some signage and cute props in the park and sell inpromptu photo sessions at $25 a pop. It was sort of a joke, but it kind of got me thinking.

It was a day amongst many that I will hold very near and dear since it was one of the last outings that Julie and I had together before she moved back to Texas. Sadly (for me) but happily for her, today Julie and her little family of three will board a plane to Dallas where their families live, and settle into a new life there. I suppose this is what life is all about, meeting amazing people, opening up your life to them and creating wonderful memories together - whether it be over decades or just a couple of months. By this point in my life, I've made many friends and unfortunately also said goodbye to many of them too. I can't say that it ever gets easier, but each time it happens it does remind me that I've been very blessed. Every so often one of those friendships slips itself into a special little place in heart and mind, a place where I know that no matter where life takes us, we'll always share a connection. While they are few and far between I've been fortunate enough to fill my heart with a handful of these special friends and Julie, you are one of them. I wish you much luck in Dallas, but always know how much you & your little Finnikins will be missed here in Charlotte. Safe Travels friend!

Missing

2011-11-17T21:12:00.005-05:00

It's gone. We lost it. Not lost as in it can't be found, but rather lost like we know exactly where it is. Our insurance company took it away. We're getting reimbursed, but we'd rather just have it back....in working condition.

Are you confused? Let me explain what I'm talking about. Our Vespa.

This Vespa.

Back in 2007, 3 years after living as a 1 car family we made the decision to purchase a new set of wheels. Since we didn't really have a need for a new car, but we did sometimes need a secondary mode of transportation, a scooter was the logical choice. We shopped around and fell in love with the ever classic Vespa. Sure, it was the most expensive option, but it was also the best investment. Yes, I was scared at first. Scared to be on the road with big scary cars. Scared to ride it by myself, but soon became comfortable with it and was zipping all over town, loving life. Even when we went to live in Guatemala, the scooter still was loved, this time by our friend Brian who took very good care of her (I used to call her Midnight Rider).

Fast forward a couple of years to Charlotte. Like I mentioned a couple of posts ago, this city has race car fever. That in combination with not knowing my way around with my GPS glued to my nose meant that our beloved scooter wasn't getting much use. So last spring, determined to put her to good use, we devised a plan to take at least 1 night a week around the uptown area - exploring the city and spending time together having fun (not working on the house), just like old times. Our first night out we hit the First Friday Art Walk in NoDa. It was fun....you know, fun for here. Since our house doesn't have a garage and our outside basement entrance has some seriously steep stairs we agreed to triple lock it to a tree at the end of our driveway.

Exhibit A.

Things were going fine and our little neighbor Layne was loving sitting on it and taking it for a "ride" each afternoon. But then one day I came home from work and found our scooter facing the opposite direction. I just figured that Ben had taken it out for a spin, but that notion turned out to be negative. Scratched up from top to bottom, it was obvious that our poor scooter had been dropped and dragged through the gravel.

Exhibit B

Further inspection proved to us that it has been tampered with, so Ben moved it to the back yard and we took a closer look. It wasn't good. Whoever messed with it damaged it bad enough that it would start.

Exhibit C
(a jacked up ignition)

Some investigation led us to the Charlotte Vespa shop, but after several frustrating phone calls with the morons that work there and we decided that their lax attitude toward helping us proved to us that we didn't really want those kind of people working on our scooter anyway. So we turned to the only other place we knew, The Charlotte Scooter Shop, just up the street from our house. They don't sell Vespas, but they were kind enough to help diagnose our issues over a period of time (like a month). Unfortunately the outcome was grim.

Exhibit D

The frame was cracked....in multiple places. They told us they would be able to weld it back together but we weren't big fans of that idea. One of the reasons we purchased a Vespa to begin with was as an investment, but if even if we had this cracked frame fixed it's value had already been compromised, no longer making it a good investment. Replacing the frame was our next option, but that turned out to be more costly that purchasing a new scooter. The truth was really sad - it was time to talk to the insurance company about totaling our faithful friend. And now here we sit today, no scooter in our driveway, waiting for our check to arrive.

And now for even sadder news. We will not be replacing Midnight Rider. We really wish the circumstances were different, but the truth is that here in Charlotte we just can't justify spending the money on something that is just going to sit (unsafely) in our driveway. So instead we'll just talk the money and run.....straight to the bank.......to help pay off some of the debt we've accrued with the renovation of our home. There's nothing fun about that.

And for the record, we parked that Vespa on Colfax Avenue (one of the diciest streets in Denver) for a couple of years and never had one single incident. Reason #6, Charlotte won't be our forever home.

Exhibit E
(happier times)

Not quite yet

2011-11-10T21:15:00.005-05:00

Last week we finally finished up the big work in the upstairs reno and got our house keys back from the carpenter (who has been letting himself in our home for 8 months now). We thought today would be the big day, as in close out the permit big day. But alas, it looks like this accessory is going to stay put in our window for a just a bit longer.

The inspector came by this morning. He didn't like a couple of things, namely the position of the light in the linen closet, the lack of a carbon monoxide detector (we have one on the 1st level) & the fact that our ugly duct work has not been boxed in. Ben also made a mistake and didn't call in the electrical & plumbing trades for the inspection. To his defense he was only doing what the carpenter/pseudo contractor (Ben is the real contractor) told him to do. So it looks like we've got a bit more work to do before we can get this monkey off our backs.

This is an older photo - now it's at least framed in, but we have to add the drywall. The worst part of it all though is that empty looking space in front of the windows is now chock full of stuff. Looks like we'll be spending our weekend having tons of fun. ~~Sometimes~~ Lots of times renovating your home while living in it really sucks.

A few words

2011-11-10T20:39:00.000-05:00

Despite current circumstances, the truth of which will most likely emerge in weeks to come, I am still proud to be a Nittany Lion. While I don't condone the acts of the involved parties or the rioting that has ensued, I feel for JoePa, Graham Spanier, and all the students & alumni as much as I do for the victims of this terrible situation. Maybe you see my side. Maybe you share my Nittany Lion pride, but I'm sure many of you don't understand. Generally, we don't try to explain. Unless you are a Buckeye, Fighting Irish, or Wolverine you probably don't get how an institution embeds itself in a student's life and remains for a lifetime. And that is fine, you don't have to understand, but some of us do. I do.

Here it is.

2011-11-09T18:24:00.009-05:00

Things have been falling into place on the house front around here lately. We've been quite busy - working from early morning until the sun goes down all weekend long, so sorry for the lack of recent posts. I'll try to follow up soon with photos of the finished & nearly finished projects. Our upstairs permit reno is finally coming to a close. Hopefully we'll be getting our final inspection this Friday. After that we just need to clean, hang the wallpaper (we'll be hiring out) & mount some shelving in the linen closet and our bathroom will be open for business. YAY!! After that permit is closed out we can officially begin the rest of the work up there. Maybe we'll even be moving in upstairs by late next spring.....maybe!

My real reason for writing this post however is because today is the day I am finally going to say what's been on my mind (& Ben's too - we're in agreement about all of what's to come) for the past 1 year, 2 months & 6 days. In other words, exactly how long we've been living in Charlotte.

First let me start with a couple of warnings. What you are about to read (#1) will not contain any photos so if you tune if to look at the pretty pictures you should probably just close out this window and move on to some other blog. (#2) You may be offended by what you are about to read. It's not all bad, but there is quite a bit of negativity about to be written so if you'd rather not be bogged down, Goodbye. I hope you come back for future posts. To my our defense though, this is a written diary of our lives, projects & experiences, not a fairy tale with a happy ending - real life. If you don't like it, go write your own.

This post has not been premeditated, nor has it been carefully written, reread or revised. It does not reflect all aspects of our lives here nor is it final. It's just the way I'm feeling right at this moment. That's my disclaimer. I'm human. Things are always subject to change.

Honestly, it's not that we don't like Charlotte, because we do - or at least we are ~~learning~~ trying to. It's just that the culture here is so different from the laid back, friendly, peaceful ways of Colorado that we are simply noticing, experiencing & reflecting on the differences. There are a lot of great things about North Carolina in general that we've come to love. To prove it, here's a quick list off the top of my head.

What we ♥ about NC: BBQ, trees, the diversity (definitely more than CO has), having mountains, beaches & other cities nearby, the physical beauty of the city of Charlotte, the quaint bungalow homes & many of the people we've met, including various co-workers & neighbors (except for the crazy one in the pink house across the street).

There are a couple of major issues that we however also have with Charlotte. Bear in mind that I am speaking in generalizations.

#1. People are overly focused on money & things
Everybody around here seems to want you to know that they have money. From their shiny, flashy luxury or want-to-be luxury vehicles to their beach or mountain houses, the old money speaks loudly here in Charlotte & the new money is equally as vocal. It is my observation that the longer the drawl the more dough they want you to believe is stored away in their bank account! Seriously though, it seems like every young person here drives some sort of luxury vehicle - almost like a rite of passage. You're nothing unless you've spent a lot of money on your wheels. It just annoying to us because we're used to a sea of Subaru's that haven't been washed in months & after living in Guatemala, who really cares what kind of car you drive? Like Ben often says, a car is the worst kind of investment. The minute you drive it off the lot it loses value! And if it isn't the car, it's the house(s) & stuff for in them. Maybe I have a biased viewpoint on this one since I do work at the "it" mall in the area & interact daily with Charlotte's most elite. Regardless, we understand that money is necessary to live, but money isn't our reason for living.

#2. The gossip mill is fierce down here y'all.
In general this place just feels like it breeds gossip. Whether it be one neighbor talking about another or a co-worker whispering behind your back, the overall atmosphere just feels more gossipy than we are used to. Granted I do think there is something about retail that breeds gossip but Ben has also found himself in all wrapped up in it too. Really, there are times when we both feel like we've been thrown back into Jr. High. We both believe in the philosophy of saying it to your face if/when the situation calls for it, but jumping on board the gossip train seems to be the preferred method here. Maybe what I'm not so eloquently saying is that we miss our non-gossipy friends. Enough said.

#3. We stand firm in believing that Nascar is not a sport.
Unfortunately our beliefs are the minority and the rest of the greater Charlotte area is the majority. Together we have been nearly run off the road more times in the year that we've lived here than we ever have since being awarded our driver's licenses 15 & 18 years ago. (OMG, I just realized that I have been driving nearly half of my life. Now I really feel old.) Charlotte has race car fever. A simple drive to work often feels like you're taking laps around the track. Forget ever trying to merge lanes or have a friendly driver allow you the right of way. Not going to happen. Additionally, it's like taking your life in your own hands to ride a bicycle (although nothing will ever stop Ben from riding his bike & it makes me sick with worry).

#4. Our mindset doesn't really seem to gel with the majority.
You know how many people ask us about living in Guatemala? Nobody really. We're not looking to gush over how amazing our experience was there, it's just that when you hear something that unique about a person it's a natural thing to talk about. And it was a really huge part of our lives that we now would claim really defines us - a changing point, if you may. Here though, we think it's just so foreign that no one really knows what to think about it. The general population here doesn't seem to be as well traveled as we were used to in Colorado, and especially not to developing countries. Plus the whole renovating the house ourselves thing seems to make us a bit odd too. Literally we have people just stare at us while we work in our yard. And when they do talk it's always about how much work we are doing ourselves - ie. rather than hiring it out. It wouldn't have been weird in Colorado, but I suppose it makes us strange ducks here.

#5. Living in the city gets you nowhere here.
One of the most frustrating things about where we live in Charlotte is how inconvenient it is to do the everyday things that life requires. We love our city neighborhood and if there ever was going to be a place where we felt "at home" here in Charlotte, it's in this neighborhood. Unfortunately the city of Charlotte doesn't put much priority on the up and coming neighborhoods like ours - rather they prioritize the higher end ones. It's sad especially considering how much work we (and many of our neighbors) put into renovating our historic homes. But back to the point at hand. I spend so much time driving across town just to run errands that used to be so quick and easy. Fortunately we live close to a Target & Trader Joes but really that's it. I have to drive literally 15 miles to the nearest Bed Bath & Beyond. That's pure crazy. Charlotte is a suburban city & caters to those that live there. We took for granted how many conveniences were located within the city of Denver and since we don't ever think we'll live in the 'burbs (where things would be more convenient) it just doesn't feel like this city will be home forever.

Well, there you have it - a quick stream of consciousness about our lives here. I really hope that you haven't been offended by what you read. A lot of you have been asking when I would post something on how we are liking things here, and for some reason today just felt right. I didn't mean for it to sound like whining either; rather just a frank conversation about how we see it. While there are some negatives, we are making the best of our situation and don't believe in feeling sorry for ourselves. We try to have a positive outlook and are optimistic that Charlotte will continue to feel more and more like home as time goes on. Of course we'd jump at the chance to be back with our friends, but hopefully that will come in good time!

Baby Steps

2011-10-24T08:25:00.000-04:00

With the permit phase of the upstairs reno almost coming to an end, there are just a few little projects that need to be finished up. A few of them were checked off the list last week.

Install cedar beam

Check.

Mount fixtures and connect electricity

Check.

Trim out linen closet & begin priming everything.

Check.

Things still left to do:
- install linen closet doors
- install 2nd faucet (when it finally arrives)
- prime walls
- paint all trim
- track down crystal dummy knobs
- connect bathroom fan
- wallpaper
- make & install shelving

Little by little, we'll check off the list. I'm praying my patience holds out.

Mmmmmm!

2011-10-21T10:01:00.000-04:00

I go through phases of feeling domestic. This week was one of them. After a visit to our local farmer's market I got an itch to make apple butter. Since Ben was off on a fishing adventure with his dad, I turned our kitchen into my lab.

A couple of years ago while in Guatemala, I developed a serious craving for apple butter. Sadly, it could not be found anywhere. After a bit of research, I set out to make my own. So this time of course I turned back to Darby's amazingly easy crockpot recipe. Once again, it did the job!

half bushel of mixed apples

add spicy goodness

mix thoroughly

slow cook for 8 hours

And since was feeling especially domestic, I decided to try my hand at canning. After a quick run to Walmart I returned home with this.

I had initially set out to find a larger canning pot & metal rack, but since I don't think I'll be canning all that much, I decided on a less costly option. It actually works great & stores away easily.

The only sad part is that after all that slow cooking, the recipe only yields 4 pints!

So I repeated the whole process again! No big deal.

There was one small catastrophe.

Apparently it's not a good idea to sit your crockpot on top of the seam where your laminate countertops connect. Oops.

And as if 8 pints of apple butter wasn't enough. I also whipped up some pumpkin butter.

Watch out Martha!

On the road again

2011-10-20T09:19:00.000-04:00

Amidst all the yard work we've been trying to squeeze in before the cold settles in, we were able to squeeze in a short vacation to the land of where trees turn pretty colors - Pennsylvania. Although our original intention was to partake in Clarion's big Autumn Leaf Festival, we ended up spending most of our time away from the crowd, enjoying some amazing Indian summer weather instead.

Fall in PA

My M&D

Enjoying the warm weather

Beer on the bank of a river

Cutest animal ever (wearing some granny knitted baby legs)

2nd cutest animal ever. Alpaca.

Here in Charlotte the leaves have been falling, but the whole changing color thing isn't quite as spectacular as it is up north. With 3 pecan trees & 1 walnut tree in our postage stamp yard, we're not loving the work that comes along with the change of the season!

backyard mud wrestling

2011-10-18T09:42:00.004-04:00

Now that the rain has finally ceased I'm ok with talking about it, but a week ago I was beside myself stressed out. Here's why.

This is what happens when you till up your whole yard in preparation of installing a sprinkler system and sod....and then it rains for a week straight.

Let me explain a my stress with this simple equation.

4 legged friend (who recently was groomed so pretty)

+
a doggie door
+
mud pit backyard
+
Type A never ending need for a clean home
__________________________
STRESS!!

You can only imagine how happy I was that week.

So when the rain finally ceased & it became somewhat possible for us to install our sprinkler system & already cut sod (that was waiting in the bed of Ben's truck), we donned our finest & got to work.

Good thing he brought those muck boots back from Guatemala!

Do you even know how hard it is to till & rake & level mud?

Let me tell you.

Nothing about it was fun.

Nothing.

It was especially not fun for the Princess of our porch who was dying to romp around in the mud.

Finally when the day was done the yard looked like this.

(The mud in the corner is where we plan to build some raised garden boxes).

We didn't have enough sod to finish completely, but that was ok since we have plans for this side of the yard in the spring. For now we'll make due with a temporary walkway and some grass seed.

My doppelgänger

2011-10-10T07:41:00.001-04:00

Don't they say that all of us have a look-alike out there somewhere? Well someone that I work with recently found mine - the French President Nicolas Sarkozy's wife, Carla Bruni.

Typically when people say that you look like some celebrity we don't usually see it....at least I don't. It's probably because I get a lot of Lindsay Lohan (gag) & Claire Danes (My So Called Life era). Once I even was told that I look liked Kelly Preston, John Travolta's wife. That one I didn't see at all. They are all good looking women, but just because we share the same hair color doesn't mean we look alike. I must admit though, having never seen this Carla woman before in my life, I was actually taken back a bit when I first saw this photo. I think I actually do look like her - at least in this photo. After a quick Google search for some other images, I'm chalking it up to this particular photo, but I'll take it - she's a model, singer, actress, songwriter. It could be way worse, right?

Who is your doppelgänger?

Evolution of a Bathroom

2011-10-06T09:58:00.000-04:00

Since this project has been going on FOREVER, here's a little reminder of where our little 'build master bathroom project' began.

When we purchased the house the attic had been "semi-finished". By "semi" it meant a bad drywall job, falling down popcorn ceilings & some nasty carpeting. So we had to take a few steps backward to just plain "unfinished," so that we could start from scratch.

Here's what the master bath space looked like right when we moved in.

The most organized it has been this whole year!

After months of planning & interviewing contractors, demo finally began on April 6th - Ben's birthday.

The framing took awhile. It was the shower that held things up. The carpenter wanted it to be 4 feet. I wanted it to be 5 feet. In the end, I won. That decision & the little niche seat that I pushed to add pretty much took this bathroom from standard to custom.

Still though, it wasn't a real bathroom. We needed plumbing.

That will do it.

Then came insulation. We got the spray foam kind - Icenyene. This 90 year old house is going to have an air tight 2nd floor for sure.

Then came drywall & backer board & floor tile. There were set backs with the tile too but we worked it out fairly easily.

During the tile wait period, the new windows went in, the vanity was ordered & the linen closet was framed out too.

The linen closet will has a 36" opening to accommodate 2 18" shutters that will act as doors. The inside is big but odd because of the slanted wall & sloping ceiling.

We ended up going with a charcoal gray (almost black) 18" porcelain tile on the majority of the floor. Originally we had planned to offset it with 4" square tiles of the same color, but when they came in the color was off, so we opted to omit them. I'm actually glad we did. I think a more simple look will be better once we add the wallpaper. In the shower we did a unglazed 1x1 hexagon for a bit of texture. I also have a "thing" for the hexagon. Plus since the wallpaper is all hex, I felt compelled to get it in there somewhere. Everything was grouted in black.

The white dot must have been on my camera lens.

This is the completed tile job on the shower before the glass door installation. The walls are a simple white 3x6" subway in gloss white. The niche is accented with a herringbone pattern in the same tile. The seat in the niche was made from a remnant of black soapstone & the corner shelves are a white quartz (I think).

I'll take some close up pics as soon as the carpenter finishes some grout touch-ups this week.

Finally last week the glass door that was backordered was installed & the plumbing fixtures too. We splurged for a european sliding style door rather than the traditional hinged open style. It really was the only thing that made sense for the space.

For the fixtures we stuck to Delta since our plumber really wouldn't consider much else. The carpenter who works with him a lot swears he is a great guy, but I can't work with someone who can't/doesn't communicate. I don't think he'll be coming back in the future. It turned out fine though - with Delta I mean. I found a traditional chrome style that works well in the space and then branched out to another brand for the hand shower slide bar. I really really wanted something that had the old school cross handles and found it with Alson's (I think). It ties in nicely with the cross handle faucet we got for the double vanity from Pottery Barn.....one of which is still backordered from May! Don't even get me started. If it weren't for my discount we would have abandoned ship on those PB faucets months ago.

The list of projects left to complete is getting smaller by the day, but still includes finishing up the electrical, trim paint, ceiling & closet paint, wallpaper primer, wallpaper, installing shelving....& that last blasted sink faucet! When it's all done, I can't wait to put on the finishing touches.

So there you have it friends. It's far from finished, but at least now it resembles a bathroom. I almost can't believe that it was just an empty dormer before this all began. It's been 6 months of construction men letting themselves in and out of our home. We'll probably get a few weeks of peace before the next set of guys starts doing the same thing when we move onto the bedroom/den/laundry space. What will we ever do when we don't have these daily visitors? Ha!

More Mia....

2011-09-29T22:21:00.000-04:00

When we first got Mia while living in Guatemala, one of our friends told us we should have named her Mi Amor....Mia More.......it means "my love" in Spanish. Isn't that so cute? We loved it, so it stuck but only as a nickname since her full name had special meaning to us as well - Semilla Maya, "Mayan seed" in Spanish. She was such a tiny little thing and we were lucky to have a chance to see her ~~sprout~~ grow.

Growing is what our little seed has done & just a few weeks ago she turned 2! We can hardly believe it. Our baby is 2! Since I was on my blog-cation over her birthday, I missed posting photos. I hope it isn't too late, because here they are now! Mia had the best birthday - or at least I hope she did. Luckily I had the day off, so I got to spend it with her. We went on two long walks, played ball several times, had an outing to PetSmart, a swim in the lake, dinner out & dessert at home. We love our girl!

We sang Happy Birthday to her.

She sat very still and listened. It was too cute!

Getting a special birthday kiss from her mama.

Her first lick of birthday cake deliciousness.

Our best attempt at a birthday family photo.
Sleepy girl didn't want to get up from the cool tile floor!

Yes, I realize that the majority of you think we are crazy. The rest of you probably just think we need a baby. We know - all of you are right. But for now (& for always) we will love our little Goldie Girl just like we would any other baby!

Worth the wait

2011-09-22T07:35:00.000-04:00

All forms of indoor decorating ceased over the summer while we slaved away on our fence but now that we are wrapping up and Fall is setting in, I'm beginning to think about the inside of the house again. Really there has been zero point in putting nice things inside thus far because they either get covered in drywall dust from upstairs or mud from our backyard. It's been a year of living with ugly things & I'm so over it so I'm working on a plan of action that will be ready to go when it's finally time to pull the trigger.

Since our dining room is the center point of our somewhat open first floor, I'm starting in there. French doors connect it to the living room and it can also be seen from the kitchen. In general I feel like dining rooms are a difficult place to incorporate pattern. There are typically 3 options in which it can come into play - the walls, the rug or the windows. At our house it's going to be the windows.

Back when we moved in we had a 5 foot high white wainscoting installed to enhance the bungalow look of our home and a few months later we painted the upper portion of the wall a deep greige. It's Benjamin Moore Eagle Rock at 200% so it ended up being just a tad shy of Bear Creek. It flows nicely from our kitchen which is one shade lighter - Willow Creek. The contrast between the white wainscoting and dark walls is great - I love contrast.

Since we are using the Heywood-Wakefield dining set I inherited from my grandparents which is very different from our typical style, I wanted to use a color that complimented the wheat wood tone of the furniture while staying true to what we naturally gravitate toward.

Then to offset the furniture's wheat wood tone with the warm grain our of floors we brought the wall color back into the floor in the form of Pottery Barn's Heather Chenille Jute Rug in Espresso. Normally I wouldn't recommend a jute rug for areas where there may be spills, but the dark color of this one will camouflage any accident we may have! And quite honestly, my discount is what really talked me into it.

So far we're looking pretty neutral Nelly, right?

Well, knowing that we would never find a buffet to match Heywood-Wakefield's wheat, we sought out in search of something with a mid-century feel that needed a little TLC in the form of paint. Luck have it we stumbled on this guy for about $100 at the Salvation Army down the street.

It's really dresser that someone used as a media unit (there's a giant hole cut out of the back), but it fit the style we wanted. Ben said repairing the hole was an easy fix, so home it came with us. Honestly, price aside, I really like it. It's solid wood with great lines and is going to look amazing painted a bright bold color. I'm thinking something like this......I'll explain why in a minute.

So then I was left with the real hunt - fabric for drapery panels. Who would have guess it would ever be so hard? There have been dozens of samples brought home and taped to the wall. Let me show you just a few of the early contenders.....keeping in mind that the turquoise for the dresser was not yet finalized during the hunt.

{Iman Home from Calico Corners}
Ben hated it...and so did I.
You can't tell in this photo, but the turquoise is actually furry.

{An ikat found at Mary Jo's}
Not enough color.

{Another ikat}
Too blah.

{Thomas Paul by Duralee}
Getting closer - a good match, but still not enough color.

Finally I came across these premade panels at World Market that were just what I was looking for and looked great with the walls & furniture, so I bought them.

As time went on though, I couldn't get over the "cheap" quality of the fabric. They weren't lined, but I felt certain that was an easy fix. The real problem though was the quality of the pattern. It was screen printed on and just looked sloppy up close. While browsing in the store one day I realized that the same print was available in a table cloth and for some strange reason the quality of the fabric & pattern seemed to much better. It took forever but I was able to track down the largest size with hopes of making my own lined drapes. So I brought them home and let them marinate in the space for a while, but still something just didn't feel right.

You see, I had a secret. In the mean time had secretly fallen in love with a designer fabric that I was comparing all the rest to.

{Schumacher's Chiang Mai Dragon in Alabaster}

The only problem was the price per yard - too high for me to even mention! Why is it that I have a knack for falling for the most expensive thing in a store without even looking at the tags? I'm cursed with fabulous taste, I guess!

I wouldn't even let myself consider something so pricey, so I kept going back to the World Market near miss. Still though, I couldn't live with them! But then I got some advice from a designer friend of mine. Yes, she agreed, it would be a splurge, but it could also be the stepping stone that we've been searching for to set the tone for our whole home. Plus it's a quality fabric in a timeless print that could always be sold or repurposed in another home. Not to mention, she added, we only had 1 window - luckily not more! While I heard what she said and knew she was right, the budget still lingered on my mind. Feeling overwhelmed and stressed out I mentioned my dilemma to Ben one evening and much to my dismay, he agreed with my friend. Yes, it will be a ridiculously expensive splurge but we loved it and needed an inspiration piece for the rest of the house.

So here I am today, slowly but surely saving up my pennies to splurge on the fabric of my dreams. Since we've got so many other projects going, it's going to take a while, but when I finally save up enough, I know it will make our dining room the design center piece that we will use as inspiration for our entire first floor.

Now on to accessorizing.......... ;)

Prepare yourself

2011-09-20T10:41:00.000-04:00

You are about to look at some of the cutest photos you've ever seen.

Of course they all involve the love of my life. My goldie girl Mia.

Prepare yourself. You may die and go to cute puppy heaven.

Exhibit #1. Look at those puppy teefers!

If you look real close you can see her adorable little bottom teeth. The front two aren't lined up with the rest - they are pushed forward just a bit which allow her to be the perfect nibbler. They remind me of a super cute jack-o-lantern!

Exhibit #2. She let's us play dress up with her.

Seriously. This little girl has played every role from baby Jesus all wrapped up in a swaddling clothes at bath time to Mother Teresa in a kitchen hand towel!

Exhibit #3. She is always a good sport.

Ever since she was a little puppy girl, she has loved watching sports with her papi.

Exhibit #4. How can we ever get mad at her?

Even when she is naughty, she's so stinkin' cute! (This is an old pic, but nothing has changed!)

And finally....
Exhibit #5. She loves to be the center of attention.

From falling down at random stranger's feet & rolling over onto her back to demand a belly rub to riding in the cart at her most favorite place in Charlotte (Lowe's), girlfriend doesn't have to seek out attention - she just gets it!

Porch appeal

2011-09-17T18:04:00.000-04:00

I know I said I'd return with a looky looky at our nearly completed fence, but the priorities have changed for now. Rather than working on the fence the past couple of weeks, Ben has been assisting our carpenter with the trim work in the upstairs renovation. Together they've been able to get a good deal of it done which means we can start thinking about soon (like in a few months) closing out those open permits and beginning the Phase 2 demolition - master bedroom, family room & laundry room.

In his spare time, which hasn't been much, Ben put the finishing trim on the fence but not yet the stone. I've been hitting up the paint desks at Lowe's & Home Depot trying to make sense of the exterior stain selection. It's daunting - let me tell you. Those little chips they display look nothing like what the stain actually is. On top of that there are so many choices - solid, semi-transparent or toner. We were convinced we'd do a semi-transparent for a saturated color but still wood grain look, but now after sampling a nearly a dozen or so & not really diggin' any of them, we're reconsidering toner. We did upgrade to a better quality wood, so why not show it off a bit! Not to mention that we need to make sure this color we works with all of our other finishes - the stone for the columns, the flagstone we are considering for our future patio, our existing brick, possible future house paint colors & our new sod. It's overwhelming when there are still so many unknowns.

Now let me get to the topic I had intended to post about. Our new found curb appeal. Did you realize that Labor Day weekend marked our 1 year anniversary in this house? That's right - we've officially been living in the South for 1 whole year, y'all! While I do hope to one day write a reflection on what we've experienced & learned this past year, I need to give that one some thought first. Obviously these days I'm finding fewer and fewer moments to devote to this poor little blog, but that's an important one that I want to give my whole attention to. In the mean time, let me share with you the curb appeal that it only took us one whole year to create! (Seriously - attention had to be given to the inside before the outside.)

Along with our newly green yard, we've gotten our landscaping under control. Gone are the nasty overgrown azaleas from the front and our pair of camellia trees have been trimmed back a bit. Obviously our pecan trees have still not been touched...nor have the stickers been taken out of our new upstairs windows!

I know it doesn't look like anything special, but you have to admit it has come a long way from what it once was. I no longer feel like we are living in the cob-web covered haunted house on the corner!

Really from a distance the changes to the green part of the year don't look very different, but if you could have seen it all up close, you'd know it wasn't good.

Now how about a closer look? Without spending much over $50, I worked some porch magic.

It's still not where I want it to eventually be, but it's a good start - at least I think. Let me walk you through some of the details.

If you've been around here for a while, you may recall this $5 Craigslist purchase once looking like this.

Isn't it amazing what a little creativity & paint can do?

Then there is this trio.

The retro metal chairs belonged to my Ma & Pa. I remember bouncing on them in their sun porch way back when I was a little girl. They were rusty white when we inherited them, but after some sanding and spray paint, they look brand spankin' new! The little black and white table in the middle was also Ma's. It's a ballot box. Would you have ever guessed? See that slot on the top? That's where you cast your vote. Ma was a jury commissioner extraordinaire for many years so she must have acquired it during that time. When I inherited it, the top was covered in wood grain contact paper. Talk about retro! The pillows are a little something I whipped up with some Sunbrella fabric I found for cheap online. I will never get enough of classic black and white stripes.

Then there was this project. I loved me some paint chips back in college, but long gone are those days. The Ikea table though is a keeper.

Can you spot it now?

The wood/white combo is another current fave of mine. In fact we we are hoping to tie it into the other side of the porch with a variation on this as a coffee table sometime in the near future. Ben has his eye on the perfect pallet for me at work. Now we're just waiting until it becomes available.

{via}

And let's not forget about my 'late night jazz up your boring door mat' project.

Spray paint - I can't live without it people. With all my spraying, you probably think I must be high on fumes by now! ;)

The old porch swing also got a new coat of paint - but not the spray kind.

Top the whole thing off with a couple of Pottery Barn outdoor faux fiber pillows, some Homegoods blue ceramic planters & my mildly artistic green thumb & that's how our house got some long awaited curb appeal!

*Since the writing of this post there have been some additions - I'll try to remember to photograph & share them soon.

Lots of Labor

2011-09-08T21:39:00.004-04:00

Forget Labor Day. We had a Labor Weekend! Actually most of the work done over the weekend was more like the icing on the cake. There was a bit of heavy laboring, but most of the prep work was done during weekends prior, but now it's done....well, at least in the front yard!

I didn't get a chance to take before photos before the work got underway, but just imagine our front yard looking like two big dirt patches.....the ones that we prepared over our anniversary weekend two weekends ago. Did I mention that we gave up giving each other gifts this (7th) anniversary in turn for a giant pallet of sod? Romantic, huh? Being on a budget really sucks sometimes!

Remember how I mentioned that my parents were coming to town? Well they did & we certainly put them to work for 2 days before we all sneaked away to the beach for a couple of days. While mom and I did a bit of shopping (yay for Charlotte's new Container Store), dad and Ben got started on the work in the front yard. Sprinklers & sod.

My dad did the heavy lifting & left Ben to tend to his baby.

Can you even guess how happy he was to revive his old machete?

Our finished puzzle patch grass.

We ended up having a bit extra so rather than let it go to waste, we prepped a small section of the back side yard. The rest of the back yard is still a total mud pit, but remember - poco a poco.

Never mind the flagstone - just playing around with some ideas for a walkway.

Oh yea, and don't forgot to go back and oogle the fence. It's not quite done yet. We still need to stain & install the stone on the columns, but HALLELUJAH it's almost done. I'll be back with a better look at it later this week. Later!

I know, I know

2011-09-01T09:10:00.004-04:00

The other day I said I was back but it just may have to wait until after this holiday weekend....sorry! We've been working hard all summer on some projects that we're in the midst of finishing up and it feels like my attention should be directed toward them! I'll give you a hint - our backyard no longer looks like this.

the really sad & hideous fence is gone!

Literally all summer (since Memorial Day weekend) Ben has been slaving away on a new fence - he insisted on doing it all himself. It is in the final stages we just need to finish up some trim, install the stone on the columns and then stain, stain, stain. But soon friends you will get to see it. If I do say so myself, it's awesome. Thank goodness our yard is the size of a postage stamp because otherwise we'd probably be working until next Memorial Day weekend! And the best part of it all is that this little girl is no longer sequestered to the deck. She's got her yard back - albeit nothing but dirt!

poor little girl was without freedom all summer!

Speaking of dirt, our front yard is about to undergo a bit of a makeover as well. If the backyard is postage stamp sized, the front is .....well so tiny there isn't really a fair comparison!

overgrown & dead

In the fall/next spring we plan to do some real landscaping but for now we're at least going to trim things back and turn that lawn green. To save face for summer we threw some seed down and got a bit of grass - fescue . We watered a lot, but it still ended up looking dead. So after some research Ben decided to kill it off, so from about July 4th on it looked like a haystack! Last weekend we traded in what was supposed to be a little anniversary trip to the mountains for the chance at giving our house some very much needed curb appeal - in the form of sod. So instead of hiking and hanging out in Brevard, we chopped & tilled the front yard (and side yard) & ordered our sod....to be installed this weekend. Yay! Good thing my parents are coming to town to help us! (Do you like how we tack on a bit of work to all family visits to NC? It's bonding time, right?)

So prepare yourselves (well not too much - I don't want to let you down). The next time you see photos of our yard it WILL be green. The yucky old paint job on the front porch will still be there and so will those giant bushes (at least some of them), but there will be changes. Effort has been made. Poco a poco, right? We're not miracle workers - just DIYers!

Happy Holiday weekend!

Excuse Me!

2011-08-26T09:00:00.002-04:00

Please forgive me. I gave myself permission to take a blog-cation to enjoy the rest of the summer with my peeps.

I should have announced my decision, but I didn't really realize until a few days in & by then it felt like an after thought. Anyway, I'm back now. And I'm going to try to stay on top of this blog thing. Realistically that may only mean a couple of posts a week. A couple is better than none though, right?

Thanks for your patience!

Hello Goodbye

2011-07-15T06:39:00.002-04:00

Do you remember when we first said goodbye to Colorado in March of 2009?

Then a year and half later in August of 2010 when we said hello again old friend?

And then quickly said another sad goodbye only a month later?

Well we're about to reunite with our old friend, Colorful Colorado once again.

We leave for a visit today! With the temps in North Carolina in the 98 degree range with the heat index soaring around 105, we cannot wait to breathe in that fresh mountain air. Now let's just hope we can easily readjust to the altitude!

Roadtrippin' in style

2011-07-11T12:10:00.000-04:00

You'd have to be blind to not know that we are mad about road trips around here, especially with tricked out campers. We love our Dewey to death even despite some of his pesky flaws (like a zipper that has jumped the track and refuses to close), but if we ever had a chance to hit the road again I'd love to do it in one of these.

Meet Caravanolic

With the help of Viceversa Interiorismo they have made my camping dreams come true. Born just 1 year ago, this duo is redefining the world of camping. No longer do girls like me have to eat Ramen over a camp stove under a blue tarp canopy. Instead I could cook up a real meal in style - all while allowing the sweet husband to have the camping experience he "needs" to have!

Isn't it amazing? If we took one of these babies on our next road trip to Guatemala we wouldn't even have to find a house to live in when we got there! And it really isn't even that far fetched since Ben has always said that he would love to own an Airstream one day...... Even if I can't win him over on a Caravanolic, this wouldn't be so bad either.

Oh boy. I think I hear the open road calling us again!

The many faces of Mia

2011-07-08T10:54:00.000-04:00

A couple of weekends ago we took a last minute trip to the beach outside of Charleston. Ben was working in the area and Mia and I drove down to meet him. We never take time to relax here at home, so a weekend away was just what we needed. We only wish it could have been longer!

While hanging out on Sullivan's Island beach one evening during our trip I decided an impromptu photo session was in order for our beach loving girl. Honestly I think it's the happiest I we have seen her since......well, since we were last at the beach nearly a year ago in Mexico. What can I say? She's a girl after her own mother's heart! You may not think that dogs are very human like, but I disagree. These expressions say it all. She is certainly not "just a dog!"

"Ah, thanks guys! You've made me so happy."

"Wait, what was that? We have to leave already?"

"You can't make me go!"

"What? We can stay a a little longer?"

"Yipee!!"

"Ok mama, I'll let you take these silly pictures of me."

"Hey, make sure you get my serious side."

"I love you guys!"

"Hee hee! You can't see me now!"

"Stop messing with me Papi and just throw the darn toy!"

"I'm getting tired, but please don't stop. I'm having too much fun!"

"This is the life!"

"Please guys? Let's stay. I don't want to leave!"

"Seriously. I'm not leaving."

Call me crazy....

2011-07-07T10:02:00.000-04:00

You know those people that love their dogs so much it makes them kind of crazy, like coo-coo Leona Helmsley?

{via}

Well, ~~I think~~ I'm pretty sure I'm one of them.

I may not have 12 million dollars to leave my Goldie girl when I die, but I do plan to love her like crazy while I'm alive. So you can call me crazy, you can call me whatever you want, but remember this is my blog (and my life) and I'll do/say/write whatever I want. I prefer to think of it as being a good dog mom. After all, she is our 1st baby. So she may be a little bit furry and have 4 legs instead of 2, but we love her just as much as..... (get ready for it).....you love your kids. She's the first thing I think of in the morning when I get up.....she likes to get her belly rubbed to her and I may or may not sing her cute songs while doing so. She's the entertainment in our home at night. She's the star of all our vacation photos and she gets spoiled with uber healthy dog food and delicious doggie snacks on a daily basis.

Last weekend we took a trip to the beach. There may not be a ton that we love about living in Charlotte, but it's somewhat close proximity to the beach is top of the list (and by somewhat close I mean in comparison to Denver). Ben was working in the South Carolina/Georgia area, so Miss Mia and I drove down to Charleston to meet up with him for a weekend away. It was very last minute, so finding a place to stay with a dog during the height of vacation season was a bit of a challenge, but we made out ok (not great - just ok). It didn't really matter anyway where we stayed because we were only there to sleep. The rest of the time was spent frolicking on the beach with our water-loving beach baby. It had been nearly 1 whole year since she had ridden the waves and rolled in the white sand on the Mexican beaches, but she sure didn't lose her love for all things beach during her time away. Unfortunately the rules at American beaches for dogs are much stricter and they generally can't even be on the beach during the day at most places, but we made it work and then lucked out finding 2 great beaches in the area that allowed her the freedom she was desperately needing.

a little roll in the sand always feels good!

Fast forward to this week when I did something else a little crazy. I bought a couple of these.

{via}

Most popularly known to work in conjunction with the Beaba Babycook Baby Food Maker, these silicon freezer trays are used for storing home prepared baby food for future use. Now don't jump to any conclusions. I'm not expecting - not yet. But I do have an immediate plan for these things. I'm using to store my homemade doggie ice cream treats! Since I do have an awesome discount at William Sonoma and one day plan to have a baby and probably make my own baby food, why not take advantage now? You see I'm tired of spending $5 for 4 measly Frosty Paw treats just so that my girl can enjoy a snack on a hot summer day.

{via}

Our sweet little dog is an ice cream monster. It's our fault. We created the monster, but we can't really blame her. We both love ice cream too much too. It all started somewhere in the middle of Mexico with a frosty from Wendys and now we only so much have to open the freezer door and she comes a running! I've been known to make her baked dog treats in the past, so her own ice cream isn't that much of a stretch. And it makes me feel good knowing that (1) we're not getting ripped off and (2) it's much healthier for her. And it makes her so happy! Does this still sound like crazy to you?

If you're a little crazy too, try this recipe for easy doggie ice cream. And here's a link for some other good sounding dog recipes too.

Mia's Ice Cream Minis
32 oz. plain yogurt (I actually only used half)
1 mashed banana
2 T peanut butter
3 T honey

Mix all the ingredients together, portion and freeze.

If you aren't wild about buying the Beaba silicon freezer tray, just use ice cube trays or old yogurt containers for a bigger snack. *I've also tried churning the mixture it in our electric ice cream maker before freezing it. It does tend to freeze a bit quicker, but other than that it doesn't appear to make much of a difference to the end result.

One year ago today....

2011-07-05T22:23:00.000-04:00

July 5th, 2010 was our last official day as expats living in Guatemala. It was a really sad day for us. Sometimes it's really hard to believe that we have been gone for one whole year. While we remember every detail just like we were just there yesterday the year itself feels like it has gone by really slowly.....at least in comparison to the year that we spent in Antigua. I suppose we've struggled with adjusting to our old American lives a bit more than we realize. Honestly, I think we still struggle with it, but I'm glad that we do because that means that our experience left a lasting impression on us. Coming back to the States, a big fear that we had was that we'd fall right back into place a little too easily - in essence forgetting the hardships we saw & endured. While the past year hasn't exactly been our favorite one, we certainly have both learned and reflected a lot.

It was more like a year and half that we lived Antigua, but we didn't really form our good friendships until after we had been there for a couple of months. My expat bestie Abby reminded me this weekend that the first official time we hung out outside of work was at a 4th of July party 2 years ago. It was the beginning of some great friendships for both Ben & I and although we aren't there anymore, we know that the special bond we formed with everyone in Guatemala is something that will always hold close to us.

I love you Abs!

For our last hooray in Guatemala, we spent a weekend (4th of July weekend) at one of our favorite destinations - Lake Atitlan. To make it even more special, we went with our other besties, Carlos & Britt. We met them while living in our first apartment in Antigua. They were our neighbors - the ones that were always parking us in (we had to park single file down a long driveway)! After a few weeks of tiptoeing around, we finally knocked on their door one evening to chat (car talk) and it wasn't long until we were spending all of our free time hanging out with them at Carlos' favorite place, The MonoLoco bar. Ironically, Britt held my job at Common Hope before I arrived......it's a small world after all!

We love you Uncle Carlos & Aunt Britt

It was a difficult decision for us to leave Guatemala - much more difficult than it was to decide to relocate there. We really didn't want to go, but after a lot of thought we realized that while we had an amazing experience our life there felt very temporary. Under the right circumstances we would have settled down for the long run in Antigua, but our situation didn't feel permanent. It was heartbreaking to come to the realization that we had to say goodbye to the country that had grown to feel like our second home, but we are confident that one day we will return and make Guatemala a more permanent part of our lives. Hopefully it will be waiting for us with open arms when we finally return, because we will always love it and it's amazing people!

We love you Guatemala!

I scream, you scream....

2011-07-01T10:27:00.000-04:00

We all scream for ice cream!

If we have one downfall as a family, it's that we love ice cream - all 3 of us - a little too much. Luckily it isn't something we keep on hand at all times. We sort of go in spells. Now is one of those times. Maybe it's the heat? Maybe it's my new found interest in cooking? Maybe it's just that time of year? What ever it is, I've revived the electric ice cream machine that we received as a wedding gift from Ann & Jim almost 7 years ago and we've been indulging in all sorts of frozen delights! (BTW, I do believe that out of all the gifts we received this Cuisinart Automatic Ice Cream Maker ~~was~~ is without a doubt our very favorite gift!)

A year or so after receiving it and exhausting nearly all of the recipes that came along with it, I invested in The Perfect Scoop. It's chock-full of ice creams, sorbets, granitas, and sweet accompaniments - more than one person could ever dream of. I should pull a Julia Fairchild, and ~~mix~~, ~~whip~~, churn? my way through the book. Wouldn't that be fun? My butt would probably become enormous, but my tummy would be happy!

Here's a favorite revival that I first discovered a few years ago & then re-discovered this week.

Strawberry Sour Cream Ice Cream

{via}

Source: The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

Makes about 1 1/4 quarts

1 pound fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled

3/4 c. sugar

1 tbsp. vodka or kirsch

1 c. sour cream

1 c. heavy cream

1/2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1) Slice the strawberries and toss them in a bowl with the sugar and vodka or kirsch. Stir until the sugar begins to dissolve. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour, stirring every so often.

2) Pulse the strawberries and their liquid with the sour cream, heavy cream and lemon juice in a blender or food processor until almost smooth, but still slightly chunky.

3) Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

To top it off, this time I added some frozen dark chocolate chunks with about 5 minutes left in the mixing. It's absolutely, perfectly, delicious!

Now we're cooking!

2011-06-16T19:57:00.000-04:00

Recently I was flipping through a copy of.......(I'm almost embarrassed to admit this).......Better Homes & Gardens (it's actually got some great decor stuff in it), when I came across a recipe that sounded delicious. So I added the ingredients to my shopping list and the next time I came home from the store I was prepared to fix us some Stacked Sweet Corn, Bean & Beef Casserole.

{via}

Now we're not a beef family. Really we're not even much of a meat family, but every once and a while we do indulge and considering our love of all things Mexicano, this recipe sounded like the the right way to take the plunge. It was fairly easy to make and definitely a crowd (Ben & Mia) favorite.

I won't get into details about the recipe, but here's the link (Stacked Sweet Corn, Bean, and Beef Casserole Recipe) - I strongly suggest you try it for yourself.

I will however make a few comments/suggestions based on my experience.

* I left out the chorizo (Mexican sausage) - not a fan.
* In leaving out the sausage, I think we lost a bit of the spice, so next time I think I'll add some taco seasoning to the beef.
* Actually, next time I think I'll use ground turkey. I firmly believe that there's a time and a place for making the turkey instead of beef substitution. Definitely not in burgers (when you've really been craving the real deal) - we made that mistake recently, but I think with all the other flavors going on in this casserole, it would be fine.
* Most definitely use a springform pan if you have one. It really helped hold the whole thing together nicely, but during the prep & after the baking.
* You must must must top it with sour cream. It makes all the difference. (I'm a sour cream fanatic!)

If you know me well, you probably know that I'm not much of a cook. I can cook, but I just don't really like to do so on a regular basis. Now if we're entertaining that's a different story - I tend to break out all the pots & pans, but I find complicated cooking for just the 2 of us too boring to do daily. Lucky for me, I have a husband that (1) is ok with that & (2) likes to cook, so we get by just fine. But something has come over me this summer and I'm all about holing up in the kitchen. Maybe it's the fact that summer is my favorite season but here in the south it's just too unbearable to play outside so I'm channeling my energy into cooking. I wonder how long this will last? Well until it's gone, I'll be sharing my favorite recipes right here.

And if you're wondering about that little old renovation project we've got going on upstairs, it's still there. There was a slow spell due to some tile setbacks, but this week things are back in action. Hopefully I'll have some photos to share by the weekend. Until then, happy cooking!

What's in your walls?

2011-06-13T21:31:00.000-04:00

I'll tell you what's in our walls. Our new Icynene spray foam insulation!

(master bathroom shower nook)

Not only is this stuff top of the line insulation, it also was a no brainer for us in the fact that it allowed us maximum ceiling height in our already lowish ceilings. With our soon to be installed new windows & our new heat pump, this renovation is going to be super energy efficient which felt pretty impossible for our 82-year-old this past winter. We can't wait!

Just like that

2011-06-08T18:28:00.000-04:00

Have you ever come across something that you absolutely love, something that is so YOU, that there isn't one single thing that you'd change about it? It's rare for me, but it does happen. Most recently, I "discovered" some amazing ikat plates that were exactly my style. It was love at first sight, but I didn't take the plunge. Instead I hemmed and hawed for a few weeks - I've really been trying hard to make smart purchases & return less. Then one day last week while browsing after work, I stumbled across them again only to find that they were nearly sold out. Well that did it- they HAD to be mine.

found here

I was so psyched. They were just the inspiration I had been longing for. But when I got up to the cash register the store associate made a comment about these exact plates being featured in Elle Decor and how popular they had become and my heart sank. Did I really want the same thing that everyone else has? How unfair! I had fallen in love with them knowing nothing about their popularity. And now just like that I was falling out of love because too many other people were also in love? Do I really think that I am so unique that no one else shares my style? Silly, I realize, but I guess I sort of do did.

Have you ever tried to convince yourself to change your mind just because you wanted to be different? Now that I think about it, it's happened to me more than once. But should I even care? Deep in my heart of hearts, I knew those plates were so me, so why should I fight it? Who cares if someone else like them too? They can make me happy just the same. And surely I'll use them in a way that is unique to me. So after almost returning them, I've decided to hold onto the plates and even find myself revisiting some old loves that I almost gave away.

I'm convinced that no matter how popular they become, there are just somethings that I'll never let go of. Here are a few.

Otomi textiles

Cowhides

Hicks Hexagon

Cane chairs

Ombre paint finishes

Grasscloth

Leather Captain's mirrors

Anything & Everything striped

Aqua

What about you? What will you always love?

Proof of Life

2011-06-03T08:47:00.000-04:00

Hey y'all. Long time no blog, huh? We're in over our heads with this house. What else can I say? There's been so much going on the past couple of weeks and I promise I'm going to get it all posted - hopefully sooner rather than later.

How about this to hold you over?

Ok, so it may just look like a crappy iphone photo taken in a parking lot to you, but to us it was the unbelievable! If you look a little closer you can see that the red Honda Element parked next to our silver one is also an Ecamper. (If you're new around here and not familiar with ECamper you can click here to see what it is).

We finished up our shopping one Saturday afternoon at Lowe's and returned to the car to find this one strategically parked right next to us. The parking lot was rather empty so they obviously did it on purpose to make sure we saw them. Since we had to go the whole way out to San Diego to have ours put on, we figured that we were probably the only people in North Carolina with one - guess not! We left the driver a note (how could we not?) but we never heard a thing. I guess they don't want to go camping with us! Or maybe they are intimidated by our hard core epic journey in Latin America.........who knows? Looks like we're not as alone as we thought we were!

Thursday pretties

2011-05-19T07:59:00.001-04:00

I'm working on putting together a post from our weekend trip to New Orleans, but in the mean time I wanted to share some of the spaces that have been on my mind lately & explanations why.

The classic boho feel of this living space is perfectly causal and not too over decorated.

Aside from the amazing floors, I can't get enough of the black and gold.

Banquettes have been on my mind since we need one - I love this simplicity & the tulip table and stokke highchair only add to the greatness.

This is Amy Butler's kitchen. I love with the sliding glass storage unit. It's got the look of open shelving but much more practical.

The contrast of the white sofas and dark walls and rug is so fresh.

More white sofa love - the green/gold combo is becoming a new fav.

I saw this painted floor thanks to Julie. Wouldn't it be great in a nursery? The combination of colors is that makes the design.

Julie also reminded me of this great bedroom from the movie The Holiday. I dig the monochromatic look.

How about this before & after? What a change. Although I'm big on white walls in living spaces, I think dark in the bedroom is very soothing.

It sort of kills me that I won't be able to make our current home reflect all these great rooms, but then I remind myself that this one is just for practice - not forever! In the meantime I'll continue to gather inspiration and refine my style.

(I apologize for not sourcing the photos. I import my inspiration photos to iphoto, so I'm not the best with notating where they are from. Please feel free to share if you know.)

At long last

2011-05-17T13:09:00.000-04:00

Finally our fireplace remodel is done! Okay well only Phase 1 is 90% done, but it's done enough for a proper reveal.

Remember what it looked like when we acquired the home? It may be better if you don't remember, but here's a peek just so you can appreciate the changes.

Painted brick with a nasty cracked yellow tile hearth.

First there was the installation of the new flue and the building of the new firebox a few months back when Ben's dad came to visit.

There was a brief mini trial with some Quality Stone Veneer and while it is quality, we decided it wasn't right for our house. So, we moved on to the original plan of boxing out the brick.

And finally the tiling began!
We used used a subway style slate on the face and a mixture of larger slate slabs and the subways on the hearth. The grout (the same London Fog from our mudroom tile job) varied between 1/4" (for the large pieces) and the 1/8" for the subways. The layout got tricky & had to be changed midway but after staring at it for weeks, we finally came up with a solution. A Keystone. It's perfect for the period of our house and it's perfect for us!

It meant a lot more cuts to get it right, but after literally months of entertaining various ideas and a long execution period here's what we ended up with.

Okay. I lied. Just a little white lie. Here's what it really looks like.

The mantle isn't quite finished yet. We hated the old pieced together white painted one, so we plan to stain the new version to match our floors, a lovely Minwax Provincial. Since finding an old beam appears to not only difficult to track down and also rather expensive, we plan to simply envelope the old mantle in an oak veneer. And that will be the official end to Phase 1 of our fireplace makeover. Phase 2 includes flanking it with built-ins.

And now a bit more eye candy.

It may only be 90% done, but we feel like it's 100% better. Do you agree?

Want to know my favorite part? Now only half of our living room floor is covered in cardboard. Baby steps folks, baby steps!

Photo Roundup

2011-05-15T12:37:00.001-04:00

Let's just say that I know I'm a little more than behind on the blog front lately. So to catch things up quickly, I think a photo round up is called for. Here we go!

After we got back from our weekend in Charleston, the fun continued with a better late than never Royal Wedding celebration, complete with a "make your own fascinator" activity.
And just a couple of days later Ben & I hit up Loco Lime for some Cinco de Mayo festivities with a couple of girls from work and their husbands. How cool is it that my pregnant friends (on the right) are still up for some late night partying? Love them & their little babies too!

Then last weekend we attended a neighborhood pet parade hoping to meet some friendly neighbors.
Mia loved it and so did we, but unfortunately we didn't make any new friends - not one soul. We're pretty convinced that "southern hospitality" doesn't exist.
The rest of the day one of us was lazy....

....while the other two of us worked really hard in the side yard digging up stumps .....

(Note: This photo is from the previous week. I caught Ben trying to bounce some stubborn stumps out of the ground. The photo was taken through the glass - sorry for the poor quality!)

....shoveling dirt & planting a garden!
The make shift garden is a temporary fix. We hope to do some real landscaping in the Fall, but for now it's sooooo much better than it was!

I've also been trying to apply for a $15,000 backyard makeover from Ace Hardware and The Weather Channel, but the stupid site won't let me upload my photo. How the heck can we remedy this situation if we can't even apply? Any advice?

That should just about do it for now. I'll try to be back later this week with the finished garden photos and some other project updates that seem to have been forgotten.

Cha Cha Cha Charleston

2011-05-04T21:17:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we enjoyed a lovely weekend in historic Charleston, South Carolina. It was the first time we've been away anywhere together, just the two of us, since we moved here to Charlotte. Although we wouldn't change a thing about our Latin driving adventure, we are certainly used to "working travel" where we have to plan ahead, map it out, set up camp, entertain the dog, cook our own dinner, etc. We rarely have pure vacation relaxation. We seriously almost didn't know what to do with ourselves! Ben found us a great deal on a ritzy hotel downtown so we lived it up. Well - we're pretty boring, so living it up may be an overstatement. We actually even stayed in on Saturday night, enjoying having nothing to do but lay in a big bed and watch movies, something we haven't done since Guatemala. It felt good. Sooooo good!

It was a really nice chance for me to get to take some fun photos, something else I haven't done much of since our travels ended. Wanna see?

(Ben's still learning how to focus the camera!)

Blues clues

2011-04-28T00:38:00.000-04:00

Something new has popped up in the midst of our renovation, just in time for my birthday. Little blue boxes. No, I'm not talking about this kind of little blue box, although I'd much prefer the contents inside! I'm talking about this kind of little blue box. The kind that brings us power. Yes friends that's right. We're all wired up and ready for inspection. Wish us luck!!

our best girl

2011-04-27T23:21:00.000-04:00

I know I promised to be back next week with a weekend round up of our mini vacation, but tonight I find myself surprisingly awake with a full heart while my 2 best friends snore in tandem - one the couch next to me & one under my feet.

Since it's been a long long while since my girl wrote any of her own posts for her blog, I thought I'd take a minute to catch you up.

In case you're new around here, my girl is this adorable little goldie.

Semilla Maya is her name (Mia for short) and she's my best friend. Well, my best girl friend that is.

This sweet little ball of fluff came home with her 2 adoptive gringo parents when she was only 6 weeks old.

Obviously it didn't take long for us to fall madly in love with each other....

...even when sometimes one of us wasn't so lovable.

But the good times always outweighed the bad...

....and this little sweetheart filled a place in our hearts that we didn't even realize was empty.

She became our partner in life, loving adventure as much as us......

....and adapting well to a crazy lifestyle of living out of our car for months at a time!

When it was time to leave the only home she had ever known......

......and her Guatemalan friends & family (her brother Michael).......

...this little girl put her trust in us and in turn we committed to give her the best possible life we knew how to give.

Jumping forward to present time, our latest adventure hasn't been exactly so much fun for all of us.

Our new home is hot & dirty & doesn't often allow much time for fun, but nonetheless our girl continues to love us even though sometimes we aren't so lovable.

And that is why she is our very very best friend. No one could ever take her place.

I guess I'm feeling a bit sentimental because this coming weekend we are going to leave Miss Mia away from our friends and family for only the second time ever. In her 18 months of life we've barley spent more than a day apart from her with the exception of our month long Central America vacation that ended in disaster. During that time our good friends stepped in to be psuedo mami & papi, but the whole experience was traumatic for our little family of three and we vowed to never ever be apart from each other like that ever again.

Life in the US though isn't often as carefree as the life we were used to in Latin America and rules are enforced rather than made from breaking. So in order for us to find some happiness ourselves (which we are really needing), we'll have to venture out without our faithful companion and with any luck we'll come home refreshed and rejuvenated, ready to make lemonade our of our lemons.

We know she'll be in good hands, staying with her friends at Club K-9, but there's still a little piece of our hearts that breaks thinking of her sleeping all alone instead of curled up at our feet. It's only 2 nights and she'll play all day, but we sure hope our girl knows that we'll always come back for her because without her our house just doesn't feel like a home. Without her, we don't know how to be a family. She is our heart.

little projects

2011-04-26T22:27:00.000-04:00

Sorry about my lack of posts recently. Things haven't been super exciting around here. We're making progress on a bunch of little projects, but still no rooms have been finished. I'm sure you're not shocked to hear that!

Here's a look at what we've been up to.

We gave the dining room wainscoting and picture ledge a final coat of paint.

The mudroom got some new coat hooks. (And I've been working on painting our Amish built monster bench).

A while back we installed this cute school house light fixture in there too.

We've turned every last square inch of space into a hothouse where we're cultivating little seedlings until our garden plot is ready. These are our new blackberry & blueberry plants. One day when we finally put in a fence we hope to put a small pergola over the gate and grow both blackberries and roses on it.

I spruced up some simple white romans with gray trim in my girl cave.

I'm working on a Rast hack for our guest room night stands.

I made a faux roman out of mini-blinds for the bathroom. Now I just need to frost the window so we can lift the shade permanently!

And this old college paint chip craft project is getting a makeover for it's new home on the front porch.

So there you have it - a bunch of little unfinished projects.

Hopefully things will pick back up again next week. This weekend we're finally leaving town for some time away to celebrate our April birthday. I'll report back on Monday with the where & wows.

One hot mess!

2011-04-21T22:59:00.000-04:00

Finally I'm back with a renovation progress report. Sorry about my long absence! I've been working a ton and taking advantage of this awesome extended daylight to tend to a few little projects on the back porch. By the time we settle down at night, I'm just too exhausted to blog something cute and witty!

But it's official now - our second floor renovation has begun! Along with all this mess, came the hot & humid temps that we've been fearing. Luckily it isn't too unbearable yet....and with all the windows open there's a nice cross breeze for the workers! So let's back up a bit to when this all began. Right before we purchased the home in September 2011, the previous owner added some expansion dormers to the second floor, as part of the sale. Also while providing us with a brand new roof, he turned the house's flat roof into a peaked one. It really changed the appearance of the house for the better, but we only had him do the exterior work which meant that the inside project was going to be our baby. So we gave ourselves some time to adjust and tackle a bunch of projects on the first floor, but now we're moving up!

Before

After
(much better, right?)

For now the reno work only involves the front three rooms that involved the new dormers (and already have a permit pulled for them) - a master bathroom, walk-in closet & study (that we plan to use as a nursery one day). We're hoping once these first three rooms are mostly done, the other three will follow smoothly (bedroom, den & laundry).

I believe the official start date was April, 6th - Ben's birthday. I don't recall exactly, but sometime that week this is what our second floor was looking like.

Down came the popcorn ceilings....well only part of them!

Looking into the space that will soon be our master bathroom

Looking from the bathroom straight into the study

View of the study from the bedroom

Our poor future bedroom packed full of our stuff!

Like every major project we take on, things have been moving a bit slower than planned. Our carpenter's assistant quit on him, the plumber got a shard of metal in his eye, etc. etc. etc. I'm sure you can image. Finally we got back on track with the framing and it began to resemble actual rooms rather than a dilapidated barn!

The study all framed up & waiting for it's french doors

The shower has a cute little alcoved bench that I designed to give us more space

Finally this week both the HVAC and plumbing work has been completed.

Plumbing is ready for a double sink console

And the shower is set too!

Prepare yourselves. This next photo is scary.

Let me explain. Since we're basically putting our ceiling right up against the roof (i.e. no more attic), there is very little space for the heating and cooling lines. We were given 2 choices. Down under the window (bench seat style) or up and over. While the bench seat sounded nice, it meant we would lose a lot of floor space which in turn would really limit the furniture arrangement in the den, so instead we chose up and over. Since the ceiling is peaked under that nasty popcorn ceiling, we'll be able to push that big guy higher up. It will still hang lower than the rest of the room, but we'll box it out and make it work. Plus, I think I may get a new bay window out of the deal!

The electrician will be coming early next week to work his magic and then we'll have our rough-in inspection. After that it's insulation & drywall. It certainly is stressful living like this, but I do love watching it all come together!

Another one

2011-04-13T21:51:00.000-04:00

I'm sure you're all waiting on pins and needles to see that bathroom renovation progress, but I'm just too wiped to upload the photos tonight. How about tomorrow.....or more likely this weekend?

To hold you over though, here's some more abstract art love that I discovered today.

Lindsay Cowles

Awesome, right? I've already added this one to my list of amazing art that can be mine as soon as I rob a bank.

If I had only taken more art classes in high school instead of showchoir, I could possibly try my hand at some of my own abstract art. What the heck can you do with showchoir in your 30's anyway?

Opinions please!

2011-04-07T10:22:00.000-04:00

Hey there. We need your help. We're a week or two out from pulling the trigger on the beginnings of our 2nd floor renovation and it's time to make some final decisions.

We're starting with the master bathroom (from scratch), walk-in closet & a small front study off the master bedroom. There will not be any work done yet in the master bedroom itself (just these 3 rooms off of it) or the new mini-den due to permits. Basically we have an open permit for the 3 rooms I mentioned so we need to do that work before moving on......that and because our money tree in the backyard hasn't begun to sprout dollars yet. Over the weekend we made a special trip to Lowe's (and Home Depot....shhhh!) to scout out doors and windows.

The 82 year old doors in the rest of our home look like this.

We're sort of hoping to "update" the look on the 2nd floor; still keeping with the traditional bungalow style of our home but maybe making it kind of a "new traditional." As you can tell by the work we've done thus far, we prefer clean lines, lots of bright white and traditional materials.

New board and batten in the dining room
Traditional tile in the mudroom

And a sneak peek at our fireplace remodel

The 2nd floor has lower ceilings except for the front study which has a nice vault. This is the space of our future master bedroom.

Although we do plan to eventually put a skylight in the bedroom (over on the right side), there aren't any actual windows in it.......just the 3 that are in the front study which will be connected to the master by glass paneled french doors. Because of the lack of windows in addition to the low ceiling, we plan to keep that space white in hopes of down playing the low ceilings by making the wall/ceiling one and brightening things up by doing so. To make it a bit more architecturally interesting we'd like to do some type of board and batten on the wall behind the bed. Maybe something like this.

We've also tossed around the idea of adding some wall sconce reading lights like these...

or maybe these.

And I'd love to have the Colette Bed from Crate and Barrel........ and this Dwell Studio duvet duvet paired with a white coverlet and shams.

The master bathroom will have this look, as I'm sure you recall.

And we're thinking about highlighting the height of the ceiling in the study with a natural wood, like this.

Do you get a feeling for the look we're going for? Bright, clean, crisp with contrast - color, but nothing too bright? More serene than the 1st floor, where we are using some strong pops of color. Now, here's where we need your help. Do you think we'd be making a big mistake if we shook things up a bit upstairs with natural clean pine doors (no paint) and black window frames? Like these......

Black windows (and lighting) on white walls

Natural wood doors with white door trim (but not brass hardware).

You see we're worried that there is already going to be so much white up there, so if we do white windows and doors (like downstairs) that it will be a white overkill. Of course we'll do a glass french door for the study, but we even like the idea of frosted glass doors for the bathroom and closet too. I think it will feel so much lighter than a heavy solid (non-glass) door. We don't have our minds 100% made up though since we're concerned about the cohesion between upstairs and downstairs. We've mentioned some of our ideas to the contractor but while he's done great previous work, it seems it's all been pretty "safe" traditional Charlotte style -white trim, white windows, white doors - so he doesn't really "get" it.

We know that typically our choices are a bit more unique than the norm, and we like it that way, but we also know this house isn't forever....... So what do you think? Take the safe route that won't offend anyone, but also won't make us stand out in the crowd of mid-sized bunglows? Or go with our gut and pray that our efforts for being "unique" will be applauded?

Your opinions are greatly accepted and appreciated!

Not your average wednesday

2011-04-06T10:52:00.001-04:00

Today's a special wednesday at our house. Finally the work on our 2nd floor master bathroom/closet/study is beginning. Bill our carpenter arrived this morning bright and early. I thought this day would NEVER come!

But more importantly, today is Ben's 34th birthday!!!

More often than not, these days he spends all of his free time doing projects like this.

This afternoon though, he's taking a little time for himself and loving on his very much missed bicycle. He deserves some me time.

Then tonight I'm cooking up a special birthday dinner complete with his favorite dessert - carrot cake.

I know he'd rather be spending his birthday hanging out drinking some beer with his besties in Colorado or taking in a soccer match at the Monoloco in Guatemala (like last year), but Mia and I are going to do our best to make it special nonetheless.

You are our very best friend, Ben. And although we don't say it enough we appreciate everything that you do for us and our home. We hope you have a great birthday! We love you!

Dreaming of art

2011-04-04T11:33:00.000-04:00

I'm dreaming of art. Real art, that is. It's going to remain a dream for a long while (like until we win the lottery), but even so, come dream with me!

I'll take one of each....but let's start with my absolute favorite. I love the drippy quality of her swirls.....

Amanda Stone Talley

And the bright splotches of color in these abstracts.....

Michelle Armas

Cy Twombly

Another abstracty painting (on Etsy)......

Tracey Nicholas

Slightly more affordable from Etsy, I also love these photographs......

ElementalImages

Julie Magers Soulen

These prints may come to live in our office one day......

January Jones Prints

Ground Work

And finally the custom Jennifer Hill designs that we have been planning to one day put in our dining room to represent all the places we have lived......

JHill Design

The girl cave

2011-03-31T10:32:00.000-04:00

Some homes have a man cave. Ours has a girl cave. Ok, really it's a tiny back bedroom that we're not sure what to do with for the time being. One day it could be a kid's bedroom or a play room, but for now it's going to function as our 2nd guest bedroom/girl cave.

It was the very first room we tackled in this home renovation and it still isn't completely finished ( that's beside the point), but we've got all the elements in place for completion one day (or month) very soon. We had hoped to incorporate a couple of key elements into making it a guest room/ girl cave, namely a work/craft area and a sleeper sofa and now they are in place. Since it's a small room with 2 large windows, deciding on the furniture arrangement was a bit tricky. In the end we deiced to take the door off the small closet, install some shelving and a desk top and make it my very own sewing station! If we ever decide to change things back it's a easy fix, but for now it's perfect. I found a cute little stool (that needs to be painted) at the ReStore and it slides out of the way, under the desk in a pinch.

The sleeper sofa was the more difficult part. I knew in my mind what I wanted - something that sleeps 2, slipcovered (white if possible) & comfy - you know, Pottery Barn style.

Isn't this space inviting?

Geez, those babies are expensive though (even with my discount!). So I shopped around for a while, in cheap furniture stores and Craigslist, but couldn't find anything nice at a good price. We thought about the Ikea Ektorp, but I don't love the rounded arms and the price is still fairly high for questionable quality. We also have a bit of a space issue with traditional pull-out style sleepers. We had hoped to put a narrow console across from the sofa, limiting the space even more. In walks Karl. The Ikea Karlstad sleeper. The perfect solution! It requires a lot less pull out space and I like the square style. So off to Ikea we went......and went.....and went, each trip not finding it anywhere on the showroom floor. Finally we tracked down an associate and got the the bottom of things. It seems that the Karlstad Sleeper has been temporarily pulled from the showroom inventory due to quality control issues. One associate explained to us, that it's not that there are issues with Karl itself, it's that they are having issues with the manufacturer's quality when constructing Karl and no one knows when it is expected to return to stores. Just our luck!

I had just about given up until we stumbled upon exactly what I had hoped for in the Pottery Barn Outlet - a PB Basic square arm sleeper. Various times before, I had looked but this was the first time I saw a sleeper sofa there. Not only was it exactly what we wanted, but it was also a great price! Yipee! Ok so it didn't come with a slipcover, but that just means that we get to order whatever color we want! So in the end we're giving up that console space (or moving it when we pull out the bed), but we know it will last us a long time. Now we just have to save up for the slipcover (which are a bit more pricey than one would think!).

So now onto the decor.

I've been looking to work some of our gorgeous Guatemalan textiles into our home without feeling overly themey, and I think this room is a good place to start. I picked up a pretty kilim rug & some matching pillow covers at a sweet price with my discount and I'm thinking it will work well with one of the fabulous faldas (woven skirt) fabrics I brought back from Guatemala.
I also scored some very real looking Bugambilia flowers that are just like the ones that grow all over Antigua.

I would love the do a white twill (or linen) slipcover but we're also going to entertain some gray swatches since white......well, you know........dog, red clay dirt.......white.......not so white. But in white's defense, it won't be the most used sofa in the house........

Back to the decor. We're also planning to put up some overhead shelving for display, similar to this. Back to Ikea I went....and went....and went. Gosh this store has a problem with keeping things in stock! Finally last night I found what I had been searching for. Now all that's left to do is paint & install. And find a spot to work in this guy......

(The antique door that we used as a headboard in Guatemala).

What do you think? Are you packing your bags for a stay yet? I better hurry up and get things done if you are!

I've said it before...

2011-03-29T10:05:00.000-04:00

...and I'll say it again. It's a small world after all!

I've had some crazy encounters in my life, but lately I seem to be magnet for "running" into people. Let me share with you a couple of little stories that explain what I'm talking about.

Way back when we were in Xela, Guatemala we decided to join a coffee co-op for a weekend field trip to a real coffee farm. After an hour of searching for the office where we were to purchase the tickets, we finally found the place. As I rounded the corner to enter the room, I heard a voice that I knew I recognized, but how could I? We were strangers in an rarely heard of Guatemalan town. Turns out the girl leading the tour had a friend (who was visiting her at work) that was from Denver and she used to work at a camp that I spent a couple of weeks at while interning at Children's Hospital. Random meeting half a world away.

Then a couple of months ago while running some errands at a Charlotte shopping center, I pass by a woman that looks oddly familiar to me. Before I could even filter myself, I blurted out "Are you Kay's sister?" as we were passing. Guess what? She was! (Kay was a member of one of my vision teams.) And that's how I ran into former Common Hope long term volunteer, Sally (who didn't work there when I did, but did visit us on a vision team - hence I recognized her face). In a city where I really honestly knew no one, how did that happen?

But the strangest "meeting" yet has just happened last weekend. While taking a break from the house work, I sat down to check my email and was floored to come across a message in my inbox from a blog reader in Oxford. Even more mind blowing than the thought of having a reader from way far away was reading that he is going to be living in our house in Guatemala! RANDOM! And guess how he found this blog? By googling our Guatemalan address! (Hi Deekpak!) So of course I replied to his email completely excited to share with him as many tips about the house and Antigua as I could, and with all the reminiscing both Ben and I got a little sappy for our "old" life back in Antigua.

Now I know a lot of you have around here for a while and know all about that part of our lives, but just for fun (and because it's my blog) I'm going to do a photo walk down memory lane. What can I say? I'm a sap......and I'll take any chance I get to show the world my photos of the most beautiful country with the most amazing people in all of this world. (A grand exaggeration maybe, but we really do love that country!)

(And if you're not feeling sentimental like me, just move along and we'll see you back for more renovation news later this week.)

First there was the house that started it all.
We put a lot of TLC into that place and we still love and miss it everyday! ...and of course the volcano view from the balcony. ...and all the great memories we have of relaxing up there. ....lazy weekend afternoons, napping with our girl. ...and that dreaded kitchen that came alive with the curtains I sewed (& then created the perfect hiding place for a little one!)

But not all our best memories were at the house.
We were over the moon about the town we lived in too.

We spent so many great mornings & late afternoons, sitting around the fountain in the park.
....and evenings gazing at the Cathedral while enjoying a tres leches. Yum!
.....and walks through Pila Park.
.....and our friends! All of our amazing and wonderful friends!

(Sorry if you're not pictured here).

And certainly we miss some of the perks.....
like the market...... .....the genuinely kind people .....and all the gorgeous textiles! .....and the best & freshest coffee we've ever had!

(PS. That's freshly picked coffee berries)

Ahhhhhh! We lived the life.

We've said it before and we'll say it again.......
We'll be back Guatemala! We're yours forever!

My night job

2011-03-25T11:45:00.000-04:00

In the evenings I moonlight as a stripper. A paint stripper that is! Gotcha!

You see, in purchasing an 82 year old house we acquired 82 years worth of history with. We also got some awesome solid wood doors. Solid as in at least 70 lbs. a piece. And we got 15 of them to be exact. 15 doors with at least 15 coats of paint on them....and their original solid hardware. Way back when we started this renovation (when we were really green....as in novices), we thought we'd strip the paint from each door, sand it and repaint them white. Well after working on that very first door for 2 weeks and still not getting it all off, we gave up on that idea and hired painters to sand and repaint our doors. Our painters however did not make our door hardware pretty - in fact, we're pretty sure they gave it another coat of white even though we specifically asked them to not do so!

So with our doors freshly painted and our hardware uglier than ever, we found ourselves in a bind. It would be impossible to strip the paint from the hardware with the doors still in place, so they'd have to come off, one at at time. And just that they have been doing over the past 6 months. We cheat a bit and take down 2 or 3 at a time to speed the process along.

It's not easy since they're so heavy, so it's a good thing my handyman is in really good shape! So he removes all the hinges, doorknobs, and what have you and drops them in the bucket of XXXX (some toxic goo) for a few days. That's where I come in. Me and my rubber gloves.

After bathing in the stripper for a few days, the paint is good and loose. SoI don my rubber gloves, grab my wire brush and head to the kitchen sink (we don't have a utility sink yet). Luckily we have a t.v. in the kitchen so I can pass the time catching up on some shows while I strip. It takes hours. Did you hear me? HOURS. By the time I'm through my hands are wrinkly little prunes and my neck aches like crazy.

But the fun does not stop there. We would have loved to leave them in their original antique brass state, but not all of it is a pretty brass. A lot is stained dark and some parts have been replaced over the years and don't look original, so we opt to paint them an oil-rubbed bronze instead. I've prepared an area in our 2nd floor specifically for painting. Since we don't care about anything up there we don't worry about getting a little spray paint on the rug! So I lay out the goods and get to work priming. Because of the nature of spray paint, it takes a couple of coats which takes a day or so.

The spread

Cool locks, huh?
We even got some of the original skeleton keys too!

Soldier screws - a recent tip I figured out.

After a few coats of primer.

Then I move onto the bronzing. We chose Krylon's Oil Rubbed Metallic Bronze. It's a blacker look than some of it's competitors. This process takes several coats and several days. The hinges and bolts are all curved so I have to get them from several angles on both their sides. That paired with the fact that we don't "live" upstairs so they can easily be forgotten, makes for about a week of painting. (Sorry, I forgot to take pictures of this process.)

Once everything has been painted, it then has to be lacquered. It helps the paint be a bit more durable. It'll still scrape away as any paint does on metal, but the lacquer does help. Plus it gives a nice shiny coat which makes the hardware stand out more.

After all the lacquering is through, I pass the torch back to my handsome handyman and he gets to work re-installing the doors. This process usually takes at least 2 evenings....and a lot of grunting. Once he's done his thing, I touch up any chips that have occurred in the re-installation process with our handy dandy paint pen. The color isn't a perfect match, but it's good enough.

And that my friends is the lengthy process of making our 82 year old solid doors "new" again.

PS: If you ever stop by to visit, please comment on how nice they look. (It kills us to think that these little details that we slave over, would go unnoticed by visitors and/or future home buyers!)

Special delivery

2011-03-24T10:14:00.000-04:00

My girl Frida has finally arrived, all the way from Spain. Now there's the quest of finding a frame for her. She's a strange size. 8.5 x 11". I suppose it's not that strage, the size of a piece of paper, but most frames are 8 x 10". I know I could just trim her down, but she is made with a nice white border all the way around her so I'd like to leave her as is. Any suggestions that won't cost me an arm & a leg.....or a foot? (There's a great quote at the bottom of the print - "Feet, why do I need them if I have wings to fly?")

Moving on.

I've been pulling together some fun little pieces of art for the gallery display in the bathroom. You know, little things we've got laying around mixed with some new, fun, inexpensive art. I've been a big fan of Amanda Stone Talley's work for a while now, so when I saw that she has created some fabrics I thought it may be an affordable way for me to have a piece of her work. I sent a note over to her asking for some samples of the fabrics, hoping that one would work for our kitchen cafe curtains. When they arrived though, the color for the kitchen wasn't quite what I had hoped. What did catch my eye though was one of the other samples that pulls together all the colors I hope to incorporate into the bathroom.

(the 1st and 2nd from the top)

So I'm thinking that I'll just frame up my little sample and add it to the collection. And finally, what would a great gallery wall be without a simple sketch? Strolling thorough Slate Interiors a while back, I noticed a simple line painting of a dog's head. I loved it, but the price tag was over my budget.

It seems simple enough to recreate though. I'm going to channel my inner artist and try my hand at this puppy dog profile, tweaked just a bit to resemble my girl.

The gallery wall is coming together slowly but surely. (We're in no hurry - the bathroom is way down on the list, but I like to plan ahead). What's not coming together is the paint color. Despite bringing home samples, my Sherwin Williams color match to Benjamin Moore's Calypso Blue is looking a bit too green. I took it back and had them add a few drops of blue, but it's still not matching up. I guess I'll be paying my friends at the neighborhood SW another visit.

The current scary state of our bathroom

Nothing is ever easy at this house, is it?

Over Inspired

2011-03-23T10:54:00.000-04:00

Lately I've been feeling overwhelmed by all the design ideas and choices we are facing for our home. I definitely know what I like and don't like but as a self-proclaimed unconfident decision maker, I have the worst time narrowing down my ideas. I hate that I only 10 rooms to work with! I know it sounds like a lot but I have about 1,000 inspiration ideas, so 10 isn't many! I hate even more that those 10 rooms all need to flow, so some of my most favorites will have to let go in exchange for what works with not only our dominant style, but this house too.

My latest challenges have been with the kitchen cafe curtains and the guest room decor.

Since like forever I've been in love with Erika's cafe curtains so when I came across a remnant of a similar Oscar De La Renta ivory/turquoise ikat print for a mere $3.50/yard, I planned to use it. I only was able to get 3 and half yards, but it was like winning the lottery. What a deal!

These are Erika's in a different fabric, but you get the idea.

Well when you're that high there's no where to go but down, which is exactly what happened to me. Turns out there wasn't quite enough fabric to do the curtains the way I wanted - pleated, so my seamstress suggested putting a wide band across the bottom in coordinating fabric. I went off to Mary Jo's and found one, but wasn't convinced that I was going to like it all together. In my mind, wide band = very country look. So we halted the project. I also started to doubt the color in the kitchen a bit. Although right now it's closed off from the dining room (except for the doorway), but one day we may plan to open it up. I know I could just change the curtains, but I don't really operate like that. Once I find something I like, I stick with it. Not only that, I'm hoping to jazz up the dining room with an ikat print also, so it would be too much to have both.

Bad photo, but the dining room is on the other side of the left wall
(behind where the fridge sticks out)

So now you can imagine the pickle I'm in.

I've hunted down some challengers, but nothing with that same feeling.

(too much light - sorry)

Our walls are Benjamin Moore Eagle Creek (a greige) and there just isn't much fabric out there in the greige (beigey gray) family. The best I have found is this one at Calico Corners by Iman.

I've loved it for a while now and was hoping to use it for a huge cushion on mudroom bench, but it may become our cafe curtains instead.

My reason for choosing it is it's neutralness. It goes well with the paint color and can be accessorized with some fun bright colors. It's neutralness is also my reason for hating it (for the cafe curtains at least). I think I'm going to pull the trigger though before the 20% off sale ends this month. I can worry about the details later!

And just for fun, here's the ikat I'm tossing around for the dining room. The walls in there are Bear Creek - a deeper greige.

I really want something in the indigo family, but again there just doesn't seem to be any good indigo printed fabrics out there. UGH! Why am I ALWAYS so difficult?

I was planning on showing you my bedroom ideas too in this post but it's already a long one, so that will have to wait! Hold tight!

Backing out

2011-03-22T11:28:00.000-04:00

Remember the great deal I scored a great deal on Dwell Studio's Draper Stripe runner rug through the online shopping site, The Foundary? Well, I was all excited to use it in our first floor hallway but it never arrived. I waited and waited, but still no rug.

Then last week I got an email from The Foundary. Turns out for some reason Dwell Studio doesn't have the rug, so they won't be shipping it. Boo! At least The Foundary was nice enough to refund my money and give me $100 virtual bucks in my account to put toward another purchase. For once it's not burning a hole in my pocket! I'm just going to save it away for a rainy day. There's nothing like shopping with someone else's money, right?!!

It's warming up!

2011-03-21T10:32:00.000-04:00

Spring has sprung here in Charlotte! Flowers are popping up all over the neighborhood and the blossoming trees smell delightful! Things are still looking rather grim at our house (inside & out) but the sunny skies have sparked a new found motivation in us to get a few of these ongoing projects finished.

For the past few weekends Ben has been working a surround for our ugly painted brick fireplace.

Here's how it looked when we acquired it.

not so pretty

Then back in January Ben's dad came down to help him install a new firebox.

That's when we stole some cardboard moving boxes from a new neighbor down the street and covered our floors . We weren't about to have any more "incidents" with the newly refinished hardwoods.

A month or so passed where we toyed with the idea of maybe using some Quality Stone Veneer (the family business), on the face of it, but we just couldn't get it to jive right with the slate tile we had already purchased and were set on using. In the end, we returned back to our original idea of a wood surround that will eventually be flanked by built-in, glass bookcases.

So here's what my handyman has been up to while I tend to other projects (like shining up the floors).

And the hearth tile work has also been set (but not grouted). Here's a sneak peek.

What do you think of the keystone? We ran into a layout dilemma, but after much thought I came up with it and we both really love it. We're planning to put another on the face.

Next up will be priming and then painting it all Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace, just like the rest of our trimwork. We want to also box out the mantle in a thin oak and stain it to match the floors.

At the rate we work, things should be finished in a month or so! Ha! (but it's really not that funny.......and keep in mind that we've been living with dirty cardboard floors since January. Eek!!)

We like 'em shiny!

2011-03-19T01:31:00.000-04:00

Do you remember way back in the fall when we had the ceiling fixed in our living room and the rest of the first floor painted? Well I'm pretty sure I mentioned it because it has been a source of stress ever since, but all the dust and debris did a number on our newly restored hardwood floors. They covered everything in plastic, but still the dust settled into the fine cracks in the wood and it didn't seem to matter how many times I cleaned them, they never looked like they once had. I tried everything from apple cider vinegar to the Bona floor cleaning system. Nothing worked.

Now that spring has come and sun actually shines in our windows, we've decided it's time to tighten up and get some of our ongoing unfinished projects finished up. Things like stripping and repainting the door hardware, touching up paint, finally finishing up the fireplace surround and tile and tackling the floors. We had discussed resanding and repolyurathaning them, but since we do live here there was the big question of what will we do with all of our furniture? So instead we opted to give this product a try.
I've been itching to finally get the guest room (which is currently our room) put together, so we started there. After emptying out all the furniture, I got down on my hands and knees with one of my mother's hand knit wash cloths and worked those floors - twice. After it drying I was honestly surprised to see that they really did look clean (finally!) but still there wasn't that new floor shine. (Since we have a satin finish on the floors they were never super shiny, but still...) So I did a quick test patch of the Minwax Hardwood Floor Reviver in the closet and then took it to the floors. It's a bit of a sticky liquid that comes out in a crazy florescent purple color that you rub in and then wait 2 hours. The waiting was the hardest part - I'm impatient - but I was super glad to see that YES! IT WORKED! Since the product recommends waiting a full 24 hours before replacing the furniture we had to do a late night ~~moving~~ shoving of the mattress up the staircase so we had somewhere to sleep, but it was so worth it. At least our floor if finally clean!

Look at the results:

BEFORE
dirty, dusty & dull

AFTER
yip-yip-yipee!
(the bedroom)

(the dining room)

So far I've tackled the bedroom, dining room & my girl cave/2nd guest room. What a way to spend your day off, huh? It's not hard, just time consuming. The hard part is going to be the rooms that we pass through everyday, like the hallway and kitchen. Maybe we should go away from the weekend to make it easier!

Rub a dub dub

2011-03-12T16:41:00.000-05:00

Hello! I'm back in action after a quick weekend away. Now that we're back living on the east coast, it's nice to be closer to family. What isn't so nice though is the forever loooooong car ride it takes to get there. I suppose we could fly, but we're pinching our pennies these days. And a certain little 4-legged someone also loves to visit the countryside of PA, so driving allows her to come along.

Silly me! I forgot to take along my trusty Nikon D90 for optimal shots of the nieces and nephews, but I did at least have the point and shoot in my purse. Here are some shots from one of the highlights of the visit. Bathtime!

It started with just this one. Lewis and his dad, Mo. (Luckily only Lewis was in the tub!)

But when oldest cousin Isaiah got word that the tub was warmed up, he wanted in too!

Pretty soon, his sister Chloe got in on the action.

And then cousin Addie joined in on the fun too. (These 3 are inseparable.)

By this time Lewis had gotten out and was well on his way to bed. Then bath time turned into a body wash & shampoo assembly line with Annie and I performing the dirty work!

The only one who didn't take a dip in the water was Joel. Poor little guy. This bath would have probably been a bit too much for his not even 3 months of life! Maybe next visit!

Zip it!

2011-02-25T10:19:00.000-05:00

Recently my husband discovered a new tool. It's one that does a really dirty job. A job that I cannot bear to bring myself to do. Cleaning the hair out of the drain. Barf!

Meet the Zip-it.

There a only really a couple of things that give me the heebie jeebies. Wet, random hairs are one of them. Wet, clumpy, random hairs are worse. I'm fully aware that most of them in the drain are mine, but it still freaks me out that they could be from someone else.....like the people that lived here before us (whom I know and were clean, nice people). It's not rational, I know, but it's not something that I will ever be able to overcome. This I know.

So now the job is easier....for him. No breaking out the screwdriver. No snaking the drain. Just shove this little guy down your tubes and voila. Out comes the hair. Barf. again.

Check out this video I found on how it works.

(I'm really sorry I made you see that. BARF!)

Go Big Blue!

2011-02-23T19:46:00.000-05:00

That's right, you heard me. Go Big Blue! And no, I'm not cheering on our beloved Nittany Lions. I'm talking about the other Big Blue, as in the one that has the rivalry with Big Orange. Still don't catch my drift? Let me help you out.

VS.

I don't care how much you say you shop at both of these big box stores, deep down in your heart you're either Blue or Orange when it comes to home improvement stores. We here at the Pecan Street Lengacher house are most definitely Team Blue. We truly believe they have more quality products and much better customer service. We're not judging if you don't agree - it's just our personal preference. To each their own.

The other day I did make a stop in at the other place and after the experience I had, it only made our loyalty to Big Blue grow stronger. I don't normally do so, but it was on my route and I just needed to pick up a few generic items like screws and wood filler. Of course my favorite 4-legged companion was with me - she always gets to come along on our home improvement field trips. We had been to this particular store several times before, right after we moved to Charlotte (and hadn't located our local Lowe's yet). We even purchased our new front-loading washer and dryer from this very store. With each and every shopping trip, our little helper has been with us all the while. Now apparently the pet policy it up to each individual store so I always ask before we take her in, which I also did again this time. Several greeters told me it was no problemo, and off we went to pick up our necessary items and do a little price comparison in the appliance department (not for our house, but for the rental unit in PA).

During the 15 or so minutes we had wandered around the store, several dog loving employees had stopped us to give the girl a bit of attention (which she so lovingly accepted). It wasn't until I got to the paint aisle that things started to go downhill. I was eyed up by a crabby looking female employee and asked the "Can I help you with something?" question in a rather rude way. I responded with "No thanks. I think I know what I need." She went on her way, but about 10 seconds later she approached me again and scolded me for bringing Mia into the store. I responded that I had asked if it was okay at the front door and had done some before, but she kept at me saying that they would allow me to stay, but next time my 4 -legged friend was not welcome. Biting my tongue big time, I replied that I understood and moved along my way.

In the next aisle over, another female employee (who must have been listening) approached me to "apologize" for her co-workers behavior. I simply tried to clarify with her exactly what the store policy was, but she wouldn't directly answer my question, instead she just kept going on and on about how she (and certain other employees) didn't personally care, but others did. Again I tried to clarify exactly what the store policy is, as it became apparent to me that she didn't even know. I explained to her that I was happy to oblige whatever the store policy was, but that I was confused because several other employees had permitted me to enter with the dog. And furthermore, she was very well behaved. The part that I didn't appreciate was the way I was approached and scolded. Very unprofessional. (Remember that poor customer service I referred to?) After that I had intended to continue with my shopping but I was so hot and bothered that I handed my shopping basket to "the apologizer" and promptly left the store, but not without informing her that this one the very reason we preferred Lowe's to Home Depot and that we would never, ever return to this particular Home Depot again. (Take that!)

I mean seriously, who wouldn't love this face?

And it's not like she acts up or anything. Geesh!

Still worked up out in my car, I decided that I didn't care if our favorite Lowe's was 7 miles away, I was going to go there now! Of course I called Ben on my way to fill him in on what had just happened. He encouraged me to share my experience with the manager on duty at Lowe's (they all know and recognize us) because they are in direct competition with HD and anything they can do better will only help them in the long run.

Upon entering the store, we were of course greeted with smiles and doggie love. Word must have gotten around that Mia was in the house, because a few minutes later the manager on duty found us. ( A little background. One of the managers, Charley, absolutely loves Mia. Mia knows this and seeks her out each time we are in the store. We can't leave until we get a belly rub from her, completely with moaning from Mia, which she only does for a very elite few!) I spilled my guts to Charley about the experience I had just had at the competitor, apologized for going there in the first place, and pledged our loyalty to Lowe's from then on out. Our blood truly does bleed blue.

So long story short - Whatever, Home Depot. We live in a forever long project house and purchase supplies at least once a week. You're the ones who are losing out. Go ahead and keep your crap - and your bad attitudes too. We'll go spend our money where we're appreciated.....all three of us!

Go Big Blue!

Girl crush

2011-02-21T10:20:00.000-05:00

Ever since my very first trip to Mexico, I'd had a thing for Frida Kahlo. Do you know her? The artist with the uni-brow that was married to the famous Mexican painter Diego Rivera? The one that was in a traumatic bus accident as a teenager and became bedridden for much of her life? If you don't know her, you can read more here.

Back in 2002, Salma Hayek portrayed her in a movie about her life. It's really good. You should see it. It's probably the way I came to first love her.

She's a classic Mexican icon. Aside from Guadelupe herself, Frida is probably the most well know female in Mexico. Her face is everywhere. I couldn't get enough of it.

The icing on my cake though had to be when we visited Frida & Diego's homes. That's right, homes - plural. But it's not what you are thinking. The each lived in their own home, side by side in Mexico City's elite San Angel neighborhood.

The big red & white one is Diego's and the smaller blue is Frida's

So where am I going with all this Frida madness? Well after sharing our first floor bathroom inspiration the other day, I became inspired to search for some new affordable art. When I stumbled onto this piece on Etsy, I knew it had to be mine.

{via}

Not only does it have the perfect accent colors for our teal walls, it conjures some great memories. And the quote is great too. "Feet, why do I need them if I have wings to fly?". Love it.

And just for fun, here are a few of my other favorite Frida quotes from the movie.

Frida Kahlo: At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can.

Frida Kahlo: They say never trust a limping dog or the tears of a woman.

Frida Kahlo: What do you think matters most for a good marriage?
Guillermo Kahlo: A short memory.
Frida Kahlo: Why did you get married?
Guillermo Kahlo: I can't remember.

And I saved the best for last.....

Frida Kahlo: I love a man with melones that are bigger than mine.
Diego Rivera: And I love a woman with cojones.

Eat your heart out

2011-02-15T19:16:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago Ben randomly asked me if I knew what season it was. Um, Duh. Winter. No, he said. It's mango season!

We absolutely love mangos. You can slice, dice or squeeze 'em up any way you want and we'll go bananas for them! There are like a hundred different types of mangos, but we both have an especially sweet spot in our hearts for the little green ones that are so commonly found in Guatemala. They're not the kind you can peel and slice very easily. Instead you squish them up with the peel still on being careful not to spring a leak, bite a tiny hole in the top and squeeze the juice right out into your mouth. So delicious!

We even had our mango lady (who set up shop right next to our pineapple guy) in the Antigua open market. In high season, we could come home with a bagful for about a dollar. Oh, those were the days......... Unfortunately although we do live in the south now, we are no where near the tropics and therefore there are no mangos here. Honestly, I can't even remember seeing mangos in the grocery store even when it was warm. I guess I'll have to do some investigating come summer.

So the other day during a regular shopping trip to Trader Joe's, something caught my eye though. I know what you're thinking, but wasn't in the produce department - rather it was hiding in the back of the store near the granola.

Holy cannoli! Who knew there even was such a thing? Of course I had to get them, regardless of their pricey little tag.

So fast forward a week or so, to Valentine's Day. We don't really celebrate the silly holiday, but I still like to do a little something special for Ben. This year it was a fun gourmet food bag, and you guessed it! The mangos are what started it all off. I also added in some of his favorite sweets, like a huge bar of Toblerone, gummy fruit slices, dark chocolate peanut butter cups and a mint chocolate truffle bar. Of course it was a hit! And of course, I was super anxious for him to rip open that green mango bag so we could try them. Score! They are delicious and quite possibly the best thing that has happened since we came to Charlotte. Seriously.

If you have even the slightest love for mangos in your heart, you need to try them. Run - don't walk to your nearest Trader Joe's!

Change is good

2011-02-09T09:02:00.000-05:00

Oops I did it again. I changed my mind. Big surprise!

Remember that lovely white/metallic wallpaper that we had settled on for the bathroom?

Well, I hate to tell you this, but it's been flushed.

We actually decided quite awhile ago that it just wasn't the look we were going for and down it went. Neither of us could figure out exactly what we didn't like about it, but we just knew it didn't feel right. If I had to say why, I'd probably say it is too contemporary for us. I hate that word - contemporary. It makes me think of hotel decor. Or the art they sell at TJMaxx and Homegoods that's usually oversized, too often 3D and always a great price. To me it looks like it belongs on the wall of a chain hotel. That was harsh. Sorry - especially if you own this type of contemporary art. I have seen it worked nicely into decor, but not often. Usually it goes all too well with contemporary pillows and a graphic contemporary rug just like in a hotel lobby, a doctor's office or a model home. Ewe! Model home decor is scary. Like in a plastic people live here kind of way. Anyway, from the very beginning I had a gut feeling. So not only did I order the white/metallic sample, I also ordered this one.

The runner -up. Hicks Hexagon.

As soon as I taped it to the wall next to the metallic sample, it was a shoo in. I researched prices, measured and remeasured the room and got ready to order, but there it was again. The gut feeling. Why? We both loved this wallpaper. And we had already decided this was one instance in which we weren't going to worry about what the next homeowners would think. We ~~knew~~ know that they'll love it, in that "I'd never choose it for myself, but I really like it." kind of way. For me I kept coming back to the floor. Was it just going to be too busy with tile like this?
Ben was convinced no and eventually I came around, but really just felt in my heart of hearts that this colorway of Hicks Hexagon was made to go with gray carrara marble. And there was no way to work it in. For a brief second I considered returning the black and white mini hex tile and hunting down some good priced carrara, but that black and white just works so well with the rest of the house. It was an internal battle that haunted me for weeks. How could I make both us and the house happy? So back to the drawing board I went and that meant another search for inspiration photos. Here's what I was drawn to.

Subway tile, carrara, deep color, great contrast....

but we already had the wainscoting & were going for a more traditional base.

Moving on......

Classic, bead board, neutral with a punch.......

Loved it, but maybe not in a bathroom.

And then it appeared.......

Bright white, deep color, fun accents......

Traditional with a punch (& surely will look great with the tile)!

Thank you Lonny Magazine, you always give just the right amount of Bohemian that I'm striving for! Even better, that shade of dark teal/turquoise is one of my favorites. The exact color in the photo is Benjamin Moore Calypso Blue, but we're also sampling Naples Blue which is just a bit bolder.

Now on the the accessories. We'll keep it simple with a white shower curtain and towels and stay true to the era with chrome fixtures. We're planning to refinish the clawfoot tub with a black exterior and I'm mulling over the idea of silver leafing the feet. The gallery art in the inspiration image could be a great way for us to work in some random art that we already own and don't really have any other place to display. And maybe I'll throw in that punch of red with the frames.......

Flashback

Ahhhh, yes. Finally I can rest.....for a moment.

But just you wait one minute. I'm not done yet. We're you wondering how we could ever abandon ship on that amazing wallpaper? It took weeks, but now we've also settled on a design idea for our master bath. It looks a little something like this.......

Hip hip horray!
Hicks Hexagon is here to stay!

It won't be exactly like the photo, but we are thinking a mix a carrara marble, white subways, the same Hicks Hexagon from our 1st floor bathroom that almost was, and maybe a deep navy/charcoal paint. I'm so excited I could almost pee.........and one day I will in not one but two pretty bathrooms! Now, here's to hoping all goes as planned!

Get your shop on

2011-02-04T11:07:00.000-05:00

It's no lie. I ~~live~~ love to shop. Of course I get a kick out of outfitting my home (& myself) with unique styles, but it's the thrill of the hunt & scoring a great deal that gets me even more excited. Now that we live with a major budget, shopping hasn't felt quite so fun to me until I started playing the online "club" shopping game. Ok, so mostly I just look, but I have taken a few plunges recently!

Do you belong to any of these sites? I definitely recommend checking them out. It does require providing an email address and they do email daily (you can also opt out), but I don't find it that bothersome. I just look at the name teasers and if there isn't anything that interests me, I delete the email. I'm not so into the clothing and accessories only sites, but I'm loving the home goodies!

My newest discovery is The Foundary. I lucked out when I saw that Dwell Studio had a sale going on and I just so happened to be eyeing up a couple of items over there lately, like this gorg duvet and this popular stripe rug. Unfortunately the duvet wasn't part of the sale and the rug was sold out, but after further thought, I decided a different colorway will work better in our first floor anyway. A couple of clicks later and this brown & cream striped baby is coming home to live in our hallway.

Wanna hear the most exciting part? It was 40% off! And if it ends up not working out, we've got 30 days to return it. You can join The Foundary here.

Another site I'm diggin' is Eziba.

They offer everything from gourmet food to furniture. Today's sale even includes Guatemalan loop laptop cases. Random, but they had me at "Guatemalan." I'm not planning to purchase one, but you should! You can join Eziba here.

And quite possibly saving the best for last, check out One Kings Lane.

From what I've seen, they seem to offer some of the best in higher end furniture and decor items. Today when I looked, they had cashmere throws, wallpaper and one of a kind furniture. You just never know what it's going to be, but if you are diligent and pass by everyday you'll surely find something you like! It won't take long. Join One Kings Lane here.

van-i-TEASE

2011-02-04T00:15:00.000-05:00

Recently we've begun to touch base with the various subcontractors that we'll be needing in order to get our second floor in a livable condition. There is so much behind the scenes work to be done before we even get to the "wow, things look different in here" part. We've talked to countless electricians, HVAC guys, plumbers, carpenters, etc.....You name it & we've got a guy who recommends a guy, who knows another guy. Basically, business is slow and we're like the meat dangling on a stick to these fellas. Ok, that's a bit of a stretch, but we've made contact with plenty of subcontractors, so now all we have to do is make our final selections. In meeting with these guys, we've realized that we also have some work to do. Namely, making some major design decisions for the master bathroom which currently looks like this.

Not so bathroom like.

It's kind of fun when it's not stressful (remember we suck at making decisions). We get to start completely from scratch, so theoretically everything can be exactly what we want......within reason. We know it's not going to be our "dream" bathroom, but it is going to be a great starter dream bathroom. We obviously have a budget to keep in mind, but we also want to make it a place that reflects our style. We're thinking very classic in style and materials, but more contemporary in color & texture. We love the classic simplicity of white subway tiles & carrara marble, so most likely we'll work out something along those lines.

Anyway, we had to do a bit of homework when it came to the type of fixtures we'd like in the walk in shower & the style of vanity we're envisioning. The fixture part was fairly easy. No major style decisions were made, but we did decide on a thermostatic shower & hand shower combo. Then we went off to a recommended custom cabinet store for some basic education on custom vanities (the big box stores don't appear to offer what we want). Well it turns out that a simple 60" custom vanity with open bottom (similar to the one from Pottery Barn) is going to cost us upwards of $2500. Shocker. Well, let me rephrase that. Shocker to Ben. I was suspecting it, but hoping for the best. Either way, it's not really in the budget, so we're back to the drawing board.

{via}

So the other day I decided to do a bit more shopping around. Before I went to work I stopped by Restoration Hardware. I know full well that their vanities are totally out of our price range, but I wanted some ideas. As I rounded the final corner before slipping out the door, this shiny little number caught my eye.

{via}

I have always loved this look, but feared it's lack of storage. I did check into the style for fun a while back and learned that these simplistic babies are big buckeroos, so I had already eliminated it from our options. But then I nearly choked when I saw that their floor model was for sale.....at nearly 1/3 of the original price. Immediately my mind was flooded with ideas. I got the dimensions and chatted with an associate about the details and ran off to work, my mind designing the entire time. During a slow moment behind the cash wrap I was browsing through the PB catalog and realized, "Hey, we make one of these too!".......and I get a discount (well, soon I will).

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I'm not as in love with the skinnier legs of the PB model, but it is a bit shorter, measuring in at 61.5" verses RH's 67". With my discount the PB version is about the same price as RH's too. So what do you think? Do we sacrifice storage for the amazing look of one of these babies? The bathroom is planned to have a decent sized, barely walk in linen closet and a vertical recessed cubby area, not to mention space for some smallish shelving. And I could put some cute baskets under those skinny metal legs............

The other option would be to go with something similar to the first photo of PB's wooden vanity. I'd like to customize it with paint and hardware to make it feel a little more special. I'd been thinking about a dark green/gray to go with the carrara so of course when Bryn posted this image the other day, I was very encouraged. It's Benjamin Moore's Millstone Gray. If you look at the photo closely too, you can see that the backsplash is a carrara hexagon mosaic. And if you've been around this blog for a bit, you know I love me some hexagon mosaics!

{via}

I think we better go back to Lowe's and check things out again so we know if they even have anything worthwhile before we make a decision, but that floor model is going to go fast! My heart tells me to do it, but my head thinks I need to rule out all possibly cheaper options first. I hate making these stressful decisions! What should we do???

A Thrify Plea

2011-02-03T10:36:00.000-05:00

I love the thrill of a hunt for classic furniture especially when it's a good deal, so of course when I can, I turn to thrifting as the answer to my prayers. These days I've been holding vigil for a very much coveted piece of Campaign furniture - a dresser more specifically. I want to use it in our back extra bedroom that we are converting into sort of an extra guest bedroom/sitting room/creative space for sewing and such. I'm having difficulty with everything we want for the space and I could really use something as my jumping off point. When I began my search, I was not in a hurry and had much patience, waiting for just the right piece, but lately I'm feeling beaten up and broken down, as it seems that I am never going to find it!

I shouldn't say never, since I did score this piece at the ReStore....
I have intentions to paint it a crisp clean white. But I fear the laminate surface won't turn out the way I'd like. Really it's my back up plan, just in case I never find what I really want.

I'm not picky as to the condition of the piece that I'm look for and am ready and able to give it some elbow grease, as long as it is of the dresser type.

Long and lean like this one would be perfect.....

... but short and squat would also do.

I do prefer natural wood to painted, but am open to considering all options as long as the hardware is brass (but not necessarily in pristine condition...remember the elbow grease!).

I'm a slave to Craigslist. Everyday I loyally sift through other people's junk, hoping that someone's old bedroom furniture will answer my thrifting prayers, but I'm beginning to become disheartened, having only one possibility in the past three months....and someone beat me to it!

My patience is growing thin I fear, so I've decided on another approach. Obviously I'm getting desperate, but please be with me loyal blog readers while I pray to the almighty Thrift Gods above! Keep your fingers crossed for me please!

A Thrifty Prayer

So here I am dear Thrift Gods,
succumbing to your ways;
Please make my hopeless Campaign search,
be limited in days.

I have given you kind Thrift Gods,
every little piece of my heart;
For you are mine in used furniture,
till death us do part.

Pretty please my loving Thrift Gods,
show me the light;
Present to me my dream dresser,
and end my long, hard fight!

Peaceful

2011-02-01T09:33:00.001-05:00

The best word to describe our long weekend back in PA is peaceful. Along with us, a light snow storm rolled in and blanketed everything in a sparkly powdery white dust. We didn't mind one bit since we had absolutely no agenda for our visit except to relax and celebrate Pa's life, which we did as a family on Thursday evening and again on Friday afternoon. It was a simple and quiet celebration, but many beautiful words were shared. I think it was just how he would have wanted things.

When we weren't sharing our favorite Pa memories, we did a lot of relaxing and eating well! I think both Ben and I both napped - twice - something we never do these days at our "work house." It was great! We did venture out into the snow a couple of times too. It was so pretty, and not too cold and our four legged girl was beside herself with excitement. If it weren't for those darn ice balls that form on her legs and belly after a long romp in the white stuff, I'd almost say that she may love snow play even more than swimming!

I took more photos in the snow, but they all turned out blurry from my lack of a flash.

Going Home

2011-01-28T09:12:00.000-05:00

Today we're back in Pennsylvania, but it's a sad trip. We're saying one last goodbye to a man that has been a constant and steady part of my life for the past thirty years, my Pa. Last friday Pa peacefully passed away, going Home to be with our Ma and so many other beloved family members that have since passed away.

Of course I have so many memories of him that are meaningful to me; experiences that we shared over the past 30 years. A Pa that was my babysitter while his girls went out for the day and a Pa that came to school for lunch, when my mom and dad couldn't leave work. A Pa that sat through every single piano and dance recital, choir concert and musical, always with a smile. A Pa that planted us our very own apple tree in his orchard and gathered Chinese chestnuts for the kids to sell. A Pa that shot hoops out on the magic square and played in the jungle underneath the weeping willow. A Pa that enjoyed making jam and always had a sweet treat to share.

While all of those moments are sacred and special, mostly when I think about Pa I find myself lingering on the stories that I wasn't a part of; stories of a young man that was so foreign to the Pa that I knew, but still so very similar. I dream about Gene the student who walked the same streets while in college at Penn State that I walked so many years later. I dream about the day Gene Master came to town, the day a young Marian canceled her plans to meet up with him. I draw up visions of a handsome young soldier aboard a Navy ship and then a spirited coach, on the sidelines of the track. I wonder about him as brother playing in the fields so close to his home I know. And I so badly wish I knew more about him as the dad who drove his daughter and her college friends home for a Sunday family dinner. There are so many things I will never know about my Pa's life, so many questions I never asked. But there is one thing I do know for sure - I never met a person who didn't think my Pa was a good guy. I don't think that person exists.

Having been diagnosed with his illness while we were traveling back from Guatemala, I was very happy to arrive at home to spend some time with him after a long time away. My Pa has always been a conservative man, not thrilled about trying new things or traveling to far away places, so our going to Guatemala was always a bit unsettling to him. A phone call every now and again helped to keep his worries at bay. I really would have loved to have him come and visit us there because then maybe he could have seen why we loved it so much instead of just hearing stories. In our conversations he was always very interested in the differences between life in Guatemala and life in the US. I just know that after he got over his apprehensions, he would have really appreciated the culture and understood it better.

Sadly, I don't have many photos of Pa on my computer, but I did do have my very favorite of the two of us together. It's a four part series taken at our wedding. I like how together all four photos capture the moment perfectly. I often wish I could go back to that day for many reasons, but today it's mostly so I can see my Pa smile again as we danced under the moonlight.

For thirty years you were the best Pa a girl could ask for.
I've loved you always, and always will.

In loving memory
M. Gene Master
7.17.1927 - 1.21.2011

5 under 3

2011-01-24T08:56:00.000-05:00

Make that 3 and under

Confused?

I'm referring to the second half of our holiday QFT (remember?, Quality Family Time). I know, geez Krista, it's officially 1 month after Christmas. Get with the program. I'm trying. Really trying. I promise.

I suppose I could have just skipped the holiday wrap up, but then you wouldn't get to see these great photos of the 5 days we spent with the other half of our family....in the same house as 5 little ones 3 years old & under! Well, technically in 2 houses.....but most of the time, just 1.

There was lots of playing going on......inside and out. Throw that in with a Harnish family gathering/pool tournament and a bunch of baby holding and that pretty much sums up how we spent our time.....doing it all beside a roasty toasty warm wood stove.

I'll let the photos speak for themselves - with a little help.

Chloe with her wild & beautiful hair!

Grampy snuggling baby Joel
(he was less than a week old!)

Most delicious punch ever.
(White grape juice, Sprite & cranberries)

Isaiah & Addie glued to the tube....Elmo must be on!

Cousins catching up on life

A favorite male pastime - chopping & stacking wood

Hello Mo!

Aunt Meghan & Joel

Sisco & Joel
(we couldn't get enough of Baby Joel)

This little girl loves the big girls!

Guess who loves the freedom of the farm?

Leaf wrestling pit

Addie going out on a limb

Now everyone want to go out on a limb

Check out this 7-month-old almost walker.....little Lewis

Mia & Taffy sliding on the ice

Mia loving life

Grampy & his girls

Angels making snow angels

Uncle Kush & Isaiah

Present time!

Read me a story Uncle Eloy

Lewis & his mom tearing into another present

Proud big sister....and cousin

Auntie love

Grammy & Grampy with their crew of 5

We Are....

2011-01-21T08:42:00.000-05:00

Penn State!

In case you didn't know, both Ben & I graduated from under grad at Penn State. And like most Nittany Lions, we have (and always will) a special place in our hearts for Happy Valley (what they call the town of State College, where the university is located). Nestled down in a valley, life is always grand in Joe Pa's town! Actually, most people probably don't know this, but we laid eyes on each other for the very first time at a PSU football game. Can you even image meeting the love of your life amidst 120,000 people? Well ok, the "love of your life" part was unknown at that very moment, but things did blossom a bit later that evening when we reunited at a party, thanks for our little matchmaker (and maid of honor ) Sara Beth!

So lucky for us, Happy Valley is almost exactly halfway between where my parents live in northwestern PA & where Ben's parents live in southeastern PA. Whenever possible we like to make it a stopping point as we travel between our two families. Our holiday trip home in December was no exception. Only this time was extra special because it was Mia's first time!

Check out the highlights.

Meeting the Allen St. piglets

Checking out the old stomping grounds
(aka the cool kids sidewalk that led to my old apartment)

For sure a McLanahan's sub

Meeting old Joe Pa himself....sort of

And of course, a visit to the Nittany Lion Shrine

Our visit was short (and cold) but we had so much fun, we've even chatted about going back for Fall a weekend trip......but probably not on a football weekend. It would be super fun to tailgate with friends and hit another game, but we'd also like to just hang out and chill in town which is pretty hard to do when the entire world is there too!

Snow Day Part II

2011-01-11T19:12:00.000-05:00

Yay! Wishes really do come true! Today we had another snow day. Well technically it was more like an ice day, but it's all the same when you're stuck in the house!

At first I was a little bummed as I had planned a big trip to Mary Jo's to purchase some fabric for our guest room curtains (it would have been a perfect day to sew) but then I realized how lucky I really am. A 4 day weekend with my favorite 2 companions? How often does this happen? Almost never!

So I readjusted my priorities and got to work making the most of my day. Since I'm really trying to get on top of things in 2011, I began by paying bills, making phone calls and organizing photos on the computer. I bit the bullet and paid to upgrade my Flickr account so that now I can upload as many photos as I'd like, making it a whole lot easier to share the good ones with friends and family. Since the arrival of my new camera, I've been snapping away just like I used to (before it was stolen). I think I took about 500 photos while back in PA. They certainly aren't all great, but how can I delete photos of our family?

Take a look at Part I of our holiday in Pennsylvania, where we celebrated Christmas with the Finotti/Master family. It was great! We spent Christmas day with everyone together, just like old times. Mia got to meet her cousins and experience snow for the first time and absolutely loved it all. And of course we had lots of quality family time....and lots of good eats!

The whole Master/Finotti Crew!

Pa loves his Quickbread!

Who knew Christopher had a soft spot for kitties?

Our first white Christmas in a while.

QFT. (Quality Family Time)

Uncle Mark sharing some funny "Dadisms"

Our little family of 3.

Mia showing off her tricks!

Sadie Boo in her Christmas collar.

Could it be more socks?

I thought they weren't allowed on the furniture?

Sister & Brother

Our little snow bunny!

That's quite the cooler you got there mom!

Christmas in Pennsylvania Part II, coming soon...........

Snow Day!

2011-01-10T17:15:00.001-05:00

I know, I know. I'm in trouble. With you. I've been a bad, lazy blogging girl. I'm sorry. I really am. I seem to have lost all forms of motivation over the holiday break. Sometimes I look at blogging like going to the gym. It's great when you have a schedule, but if you miss one day, it's sooooo hard to get back to it. This is what has happened to me....with both the blog & the gym!

Honestly, I've been thinking a lot lately about taking a break from this whole blog thing. Don't panic - not yet. I love the way this blog has become like a personal digital scrapbook. I dream of printing out all of my Travel/Guatemala blogs and making it a coffee table book for us. If you know of a resource to make a book from a blog without having to copy and paste every single post into a word document, please please please let me know. My original idea was to end this blog upon our return from Guatemala and begin a new one. And actually that still is my plan. It's that whole motivation thing that's getting in the way. Mostly the it's the physical layout of the blog that is holding me back. What should it look like? How should I structure it? And the worst.....what will I name it? Such big decisions. And I'm a terrible decision maker. Not like I make bad decisions - more like I just can't ever seem to pull the trigger. Ugh. I'd love to hear your opinions on the matter. Maybe they'll give me some motivation.

More for my sake than yours, I'm posing a list of "to-do" items for myself in 2011. Mostly things that have crossed my mind and I have aspired to do, but then never pulled the trigger. These days I seem to be overwhelmed by projects with the move & now fixing up the house. It's killing me. I really want to accomplish these things and hope to try me hardest to do so. I really really hope I can do it.

Krista's 2011 To Do List
1. Finalize & print out our Guatemala photo books
2. Create a new blog
3. Find someone to make our wedding album......after 6.5 years! Oh my!
4. Send in our extra wedding photos to make a Together Book
5. Dedicate myself to learning Photoshop
6. Organize design ideas into binders
7. Create an Etsy shop with my mom
8. Remake & print a few photo books (like our honeymoon & big vacations) that I lost when our hard drive crashed.....if there is any time left over!

What do you think? Doable? I really hope so.

Anyway, on to something more interesting for you. Our snow day! I realize I skipped right over the holidays and still owe you some "after" photos of the house progress. How about I dedicate myself to catching up over the next week or two? And you have my word that I will actually do it and not disappear again!

So all weekend we've been hearing about is the impending storm. Well as of 11:30 pm last night when we went to bed, there was not a flake in the sky, but schools were already being canceled. I know, I know.....we are so not in Colorado (or Pennsylvania) anymore! This morning though when we woke up it was like a winter wonderland with fresh powder covering everything! Of course Mia was thrilled (oops you haven't heard about her first encounter with snow yet - she loves it), so we hit the streets to play for a while, all three of us! Ben had to work from home due to the snow. I on the other hand did go into work but only stayed for an hour and then we closed up the store. In that hour we had 3 customers and negative sales! On the way home I stopped to pick up the supplies for our afternoon project. How could we let some extra free time pass without checking another project off our list.

Take a look at how we did our snow day right!

Um, a giant hole in the mudroom wall on the snowiest day of the year?

Nope! A doggie door!

A paint fight on our freshly painted living room walls?
Yep....sort of. I hate it, so I'm repainting it a cool white/gray instead of the too yellow white.
(And that's our new desk turned faux built-in that was delivered Sunday)

A personal chef in our very own kitchen?
I wish! Instead I made the most delicious tomato bisque soup ever.

(Thanks to ~~The Brasserie~~ ~~Fireside Restaurant~~ Jean!)

Here's to hoping there will be a Snow Day Part II!

Our alter egos

2010-12-23T10:18:00.000-05:00

Ok, I know, I'm like waaaaay late on showing the "after" photos of the house. My excuse is that I've been too busy to pick up some memory cards for my new camera. But today I will. Sadly though (for you) we leave for Pennsylvania early tomorrow morning which probably won't allow for any photo taking until after we return in January. I know, I'm a terrible blogger these days. I'll try to be better in 2011.

So we're pretty excited for this trip. Not the actual 9 hour road trip, but the being home part.

Here are a handful of things we are looking forward to in random order.

holding our newest nephew Joel Andrew (born yesterday!)
playing with our other 4 nieces and nephews
Mia's first snow!
time with the cousins
a Master family Christmas, just like we used to have way back when
catching up with BJ & Mike
spending some time with Pa
a white Christmas (after a few years without!)
warming up by the wood stove
tomato bisque soup from the Brasserie
baking cookies
designing a bench for our mudroom
getting the heck out of NC for a while
play time with Sadie Boo
Wendy Jo's cookies
building a snowman
the annual Lengacher family gift exchange!

There's probably a ton of things I forgot to mention, but as you can see we're going to be pretty busy!

And I know this is a terrible segway, but bring the topic back around to this post's title (Our alter egos), I feel compelled to share a little secret with you all. Back in PA (well, only in Lancaster) we aren't known as Ben & Krista. Sometimes we are Uncle Ben & Aunt Krista, but more commonly we are know as Farmer Ben & Mrs. Ben. Huh? Yep. The Farmer & his wife.

From the Berenstain Bears!

Some how one day one of the little guys got a bit confused about Uncle Ben sharing the same name as a character he watches on TV and the 2 personalities merged. Uncle Farmer Ben. Naturally the Mrs. Ben came along with it. If you don't recall these 2 from the books you read as a child, here's a great character description we found on Wikipedia.

Farmer Ben, local farmer, neighbor, and family friend. Though good-hearted, he is not afraid to lose his temper when he feels things are unfair or not to his standards. He once hired Brother and Sister, along with their friends, to help with chores when he and his wife were about to lose their farm.
Mrs. Ben, Farmer Ben's wife. It is hinted that she often tells Farmer Ben what to do.

I'm not so sure Farmer Ben's description fits the build since I can't even recall the last time I saw the real Ben lose his temper (although he is good-hearted), but that Mrs. Ben is spot on. Every good man needs a Mrs. Ben behind him, right?

Merry Christmas!! Hope your holiday is filled with love, laughter and lots of joy!