Visitors & visiting

Over the weekend Ben's parents came to town for their first visit at our new house. They were good sports, even though the accommodations are severely lacking in the "hominess" area. We celebrated his dad's birthday with a dinner out at a neighborhood restaurant that dishes up your southern grandma's comfort food and enjoyed some of Ben's homemade pecan pie (albeit slightly runny) and ice cream. Since we're new to this hosting guests in Charlotte thing, we weren't really sure what to do with them, especially since we haven't "done" much ourselves. Luckily they were content to take long walks in our neighborhood and through another local park.

On Saturday morning we headed out to spend some time in Asheville, a mountain town about 2 hours away. Along the way we stopped to do some hiking of which Mia was a big fan! For the better part of Saturday afternoon we walked around downtown Asheville, milling and browsing through the plethora of cute artsy shops that Charlotte so severely lacks. It was a bit like being back in Colorado. People actually said hello to us on the street, their dogs visited with Mia, and street performers kept us entertained. Basically it was Boulder with a lot less overt hippie and a bit more yuppie. We both really liked it though. I suppose it's the closest we'll be getting to that rocky mountain feeling. Ben thinks we should spend all of our weekends there. I think it would just make more sense to flip this house and get the heck on back to Colorado.

Saturday night, late, we drove over to the Biltmore Estate, the largest home in America. It was all decked out for the holidays and so very beautiful. Since we had decided pretty late to purchase our tickets we got the last entry time available - 9.30, which was well past at least 2 of our bedtimes!


The story is that back in the late 1800's George W. Vanderbilt constructed this huge estate in a partnership with architect Richard Morris Hunt and landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted (best known for his work at Central Park). The Biltmore House officially opened to the public in 1895 and quickly became a family home when Vanderbilt married Edith Stuyvesant Dresser. Their only child Cornelia was born in 1900. After Vanderbilt's death in 1914, Edith and Cornelia continued to call Biltmore home, with Edith assuming management of the estate. When Cornelia and her husband the Honorable John Francis Amherst Cecil married during the Depression, they chose to open the house to the public in order to increase area tourism and help maintain the estate. Today the Biltmore remains a family business, with Vanderbilt's grandson William A.V. Cecil owning the estate and great grandson, William A.V. Cecil Jr. serving as chief executive officer. Along with 1,800 employees, they continue the preservation of this national treasure.


To say that they place we huge is an understatement. I'm certain that we only saw a few wings of this monstrosity, but what we did see was highly impressive with hand carved moldings and ornate furnishings, fabrics & wallpapers. The home is said to have 250 rooms, including a bowling alley, indoor swimming pool, gymnasium, music room, a library that houses only half of Vanderbilt's 23,000-volume collection, and a multitude of guest rooms and servant bedrooms. They say that although it is now open to the public, it still remains a "family home." I'm not sure I believe it. It's hard to see a modern family getting comfy in dining room with a 7 story high ceiling. I'm so curious to know if there is a wing or 2 that the Cecil family hangs out in that has normal Pottery Barn-like furnishings. I hope there is - that is the only way this family would seem "normal" to me!

Not only is the house pretty darn amazing, the grounds are a work of art in themselves. After his parent's hit the road back to Pennsylvania on Sunday, the 3 of us headed back over to enjoy a bit of outdoor Biltmore. Antler Village turned out to be a smaller version of Vail Village, so we didn't spend much time there, but we did enjoy some of the walkways that cut through the 8,000 acres.


It was really quite a nice visit even though the whole place is much too grand for us simple folk. I can't say that I'm even envious of Vanderbilt family - I think I'd find myself much more comfortable and inspired in Martha's house!

Progress at long last!

Oops. Sorry friends. It seems that this blog got put on the back burner this week. Things got busy and I let it slide....that's my excuse. Hope you can forgive me long enough to check out our progress at Casa Lengacher. Things are moving at the speed of light around here (don't I wish!). Slow or not, we've finally got some visible progress to show. Either the home reno fairies have been coming while we sleep or this guy has been putting in a lot of over time hours. I'd like to believe in the fairies, but unfortunately I saw how it all went down.

Remember our first (and only ) project room? The back little bedroom that is being turned into Krista's "girl cave/2nd guest room" is just about finished.

It started out as a dusty blue, sloppily painted, chair rail loving, almost forgettable baby's room....

....and emerged as this (for now).

Krista's project space / extra guest room

Please excuse the chair line-up. We are constantly shuffling things around and it seems that all the ugly chairs have come to rest here for now!

My most favorite part of my project room is this.

The closet turned work station.

I plan on setting up my decor/inspiration/sewing station in there. I'm going to bring it to life with some color and fabrics and love me some serious "crafting" in that space! And for those of you worried about losing a closet, don't sweat it. The shelves can come out and the rod and door can be reinstalled easily for if/when we need to use the room as a bedroom again. You may recall my inspiration for the room.

I love the uniqueness of that gray, green & teal combo. But that unique little combo is painful when trying to find a fabric to use as the starting piece. I have scoured this city and exhausted the internet trying to find something that feel reminiscent of that bedspread or that even has the green/teal colors together with a white - not cream - background. And while I'm sure someone awesome like Schumacher has just what I'm looking for in one of their lines, spending $150+/yard for fabric alone (not labor) is not in our budget. As of now here are the front runners.

Design Legacy's Blue Heron

P. Kaufmann's Brissac in Jewel

I've also toyed a bit with this one. P. Kaufmann's Clarice/Cir in Dove.

This image isn't good for color. It's a green/gray background with brown/aqua/yellow and green design. I'm not a huge fan of the brown/aqua thing that is overdone in my opinion, so it gets axed. Plus it doesn't have that "pop" that I want. Since it will be the only real colorful fabric in the room (used in the form of roman shades) we want something that brings life to our Benjamin Moore Gray Owl walls. I'm leaning toward the Blue Heron. It's so different and I love the large scale of the print. And while it isn't overly green/teal it does have hues of both that I think I can bring out with accessories. Plus I'm loving the indigo with the green and teal. It is also a bit pricier than I would like (but no where near 3 digits) but Ben has given me the go-ahead to pull the trigger.......still I'm a bit gun shy!

We're envisioning a comfy pull-out sofa (probably of the white slip covered sort) a small entertainment-like center and a nice sea grass rug to finish off the space. I'd also love to throw in some storage like this cute Ikea hutch too.


In time, folks. All in time. For now we're focusing on the basics - window molding, trim & door paint. I like to think of it as setting the ground work for fabulous design. It's also a giant practice in patience for me!

Take a seat

Sit down. Let's talk chairs. As in my ongoing obsession with cute side chairs.

Looking back on it, I think it all started with a caned seat dining chair that I purchased at a thrift store in Denver over one of my Spring Break trips out west. During my week long visit, I managed to paint that baby shabby chic into a mosaic of about 25 different colors. It had to live in Ben's bedroom until I moved out a couple of years later - I'm sure he was so proud of it - and then before packing up for Guatemala, it came to rest on Craigslist. I know I've got a photo of it somewhere, but I can't find it for the life of me right now.

When I finally found myself with a space of my very own and a bit larger budget, we splurged on this upholstered number.

Crappy photo of the chair, but can you sort of get the feeling of the space?

I loved the life out of that cute yellow chair. It made the empty corner of the bedroom my happy little place for reading and such, at least until winter came and it was too freakin' cold next to that brick wall to think about lounging in that meat locker. Unfortunately, my happy little chair isn't so cheerful here in Charlotte. Somewhere between a year in storage and being manhandled into the moving van where it was squished between various bicycles, it has seen come to see better days. Nothing some new reupholstery can't fix one day, but for now it's sad, sitting in the corner of our dining room.

So now that we have this whole big house to fill, I've been stalking Craigslist for some hidden chair gems and last week, I scored. Not only is it classy in form, but it came with a matching footstool. Plus, Mia and I got to explore the neighborhood of another lake here in Charlotte when we went to pick it up. Now don't judge too quickly. I'm sure it was a real winner in the early 90's!

I love it, don't you? Hmm.......somehow I'm not feeling your love.

What about if it looked like this?
or maybe this?
Are you feeling it a bit more now?

That's the plan. White or black with nail heads. Love the black, but with a furry blond dog, black does not love us. But the white is breathtaking, isn't it. I think I'd go for the more modern feeling of the black but with a nice white fabric (stain proof, of course). The foot stool may be where I have some fun and mix things up a bit with a burlap-like, but softer fabric. Do you think it's ok to upholster them differently? The plan is for the combo to hang out in the corner of the office, so I think I'll wait until our custom desk system arrives before I make any final decisions on fabric.

Speaking of nail heads though, they are my latest lust. I want to nail head everything I own. Check out these beauties for inspiration.

This army green is almost as fab as the chic lines of that chair!

And this lovely has been on my must have list for years now.
Too bad Pottery Barn no longer makes it.
I really like the larger nail head.

And these cuties are custom made from a design upholstery shop right down the street.
I'm thinking 2 might make a mobile "coffee table" in my cute little back room.

Just like everything else around here it may take a while, but stick with us and you'll be sure to see nail heads in your future too!

A new lake

It doesn't have the majestic volcano views of Lake Atitlan, but Lake Norman has become our new lake getaway. A couple of weekends ago, we took the Meezer for her first dip and she was hooked. Maybe we need to check into a boat........after the house renos are finished.

Let's hope winter doesn't come too soon!

It feels like yesterday

Yesterday in Guatemala, the holiday Dia de Los Difuntos was celebrated. I'm sure you've heard all about the elaborate Day of the Dead celebrations that take place in Mexico, well this is Guatemala's version only a bit tamer with less skeletons! I blogged about our trip to see the amazing kites in Santiago Sacatépquez right here last year. Last night I found myself browsing back through the photos wishing I could have been there again, when I came across this one.

Look at how tiny she was!

Can you even believe that one year ago our Mia Chapina was such a little puppy girl? I remember prepping her for her first big adventure with her mami & papi. We were so anxious to see how she would do; if she was going to be an adventure dog or not. She ended up doing great, making lots of friends and then sleeping the rest of the day away! I'm also pretty sure this is where her love of ice cream began......


And since the day is really a whole lot bigger than just my cute puppy, here are some repeat photos of last years festivities for your enjoyment. It was so beautiful. I had a heyday with the old camera, which still hasn't been replaced since this incident.

I didn't give you all the history of Dia de Los Difuntos in this post today, but I really do highly recommend that you go check it out here. It's a beautiful way to honor loved ones passed.

Monday's Randomness

Things have been quite here on the blog front lately, but not so quiet on Pecan Ave. Take a look why.

First, these 2 came to visit.

Are you wondering what those red things are? They're latex doggie booties! Take a closer look here - Mia got them too!

After several near meltdowns on Ben's part from the fear of our newly finished floors getting scratched, I tracked down a solution.....at least for when our friends come to play and we get a little wild! I wish I could show you the high stepper dance she does when we first put them on!

So while the girls were playing their little puppy hearts out all week, my mom and I were tackling the attic of doom. It was hard work, but well worth it. Look at it now!

Organized chaos.

A Rubbermaid dream in our unfinished master bath.

The majority of my clothes are still boxed up because there is no where to put them downstairs. It makes picking out a cute outfit almost impossible.

And here is where my work supplies live - at least until I have an SLP job.

And the future walk in closet, is now home to yard sale central.
See something you want? Make me an offer!

Here's the current state of the 1st floor.

We were almost ready to paint when Ben decided to add some finishing molding to all the windows, but soon....

As you can see were still deciding on white vs. black windows.

I'm torn, but I think white is going to win - at least downstairs. It's because of the white shutters were planning to use in the front of the house. What do you think? Is it faux pois to do the black upstairs even though it is completely different upstairs? I'm pretty ok with it, but then again I'm a bit of a rule breaker as long as the feel of the house stays fluid.

This is the current state of our mudroom.
Work supply headquarters.

It too will soon be looking more presentable, with the help of our new drywalling/painting friends from Honduras.

While my mom was here, we ventured down to Gaffney, SC to the Pottery Barn outlet. It wasn't anywhere near as good as the one in Lancaster (I don't think any of them are), but we did score this monster to be used as either a recessed media console or possibly a built in window seat in the front room upstairs. A $700 item for $99. Cha-ching!


Yesterday after our visitors left we were feeling nostalgic for all things latin, so on a whim we tried out a local "real" Mexican restaurant. I ordered the enchiladas centroamericanas and was delighted to find that they looked like almost exact replicas of those dished up by Doña Elvia & Doña Olinda at Familias de Esperanza, complete with hard boiled eggs and crumbly cheese. Man I miss those almuerzos!


And to totally change subjects yet again. We stumbled across these beauties at The Sleepy Poet antique shop while we were out and about too. What do you think about all 5 feet of them spanning above our fireplace? I'm loving the idea. Ben is on the fence, so for the rest of today they are on hold.

Of course the worn out tapestry would go, probably replaced by burlap.
Hip and interesting or too Texas?

Thanks for sticking with my randomness. I'd love your hear your feedback. Feliz Dia de Los Muertos!

'Tis the season

Good morning blogosphere!

The three of us are up bright and early this morning, excited that Ben is working a half day from home today. This afternoon we'll be making some decisions on paint and closet shelving for our little back room and hopefully by next week, paint will be on the walls. This weekend is going to be a busy one. Saturday while Ben finds some house project to keep him busy, I'm taking on online Photoshop class and then Sunday I fly to Pittsburgh way too early to then turn around and drive the 8+ hours back to Charlotte with my mom. It will be worth all those miles though to get some help and motivation to tackle the attic of doom!

As I type this my handsome husband is out at the Harris Teeter picking up the last of the ingredients necessary for a morning coffee treat. Yesterday I found myself going a little nutso over all the autumn goodie selection at Trader Joes. I came home with a bagful of canned pumpkin, pumpkin cream cheese, pumpkin pie mix, spiced cider, cinnamon rolls, cranberry apple butter, pumpkin creamer, cranberry sauce, orange iced sugar cookies & I even ate a mini pumpkin pie blizzard on the way! Pretty much everything one could find that screams of fall.......except real pumpkins of course (which we're skipping this year due to the fact that we are living in an undecorated construction zone)!

Ok, are you ready? I guarantee you're going to want some of this.

It the revival of last year's Pumpkin Spice Latte!


Pumpkin Spice Latte

makes 2 servings

Ingredients:
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons canned pumpkin OR 1 teaspoon of Torani Pumpkin Spice Syrup (your choice)
2 tablespoons sugar or sugar substitute - you can halve this amount
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1-2 shots espresso (about 1/4 cup of espresso or 1/2 cup of strong brewed coffee if you don't have an espresso machine.)

Directions:
In a saucepan combine milk, pumpkin and sugar and cook on medium heat, stirring, until steaming. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and spice, transfer to a blender and process for 15 seconds until foamy. If you don't have a blender, don't worry about it - just whisk the mixture really well with a wire whisk.

Pour into a large mug or two mugs. Add the espresso on top.

Optional: Top with whipped cream and sprinkle pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, or cinnamon on top.

I poured ours into this nifty tupperware shake thing that I almost never use, and I'm going to refrigerate the rest for tomorrow, since I don't have have a cute red-headed officemate to share the rest with anymore. (Miss you Abby!)


And since I'm going all out - the whipped cream is not optional. Not today!


It's so easy and so so good. You should give it a try and Just Say NO to Starbucks today!