Our weekend in pictures

You've probably seen it all over the news, but here in the midwest we've been getting slammed by storms the entire month. It rained most of the day Saturday, and Sam was out of town for a bachelor party so I was getting maaaaajor cabin fever.  We hit up Old Navy for their dollar flip flop sale. I know they are totally cheap-o and will probably break in a week, but for a buck I felt like I needed a pair. While we were there I spotted an adorable vest on sale for Isla. It screamed Yellowstone to me, and, turns out, we will be there in a few short weeks. I snagged that puppy up as fast as I could since there were just a few left.  It's so adorable on, and got me even more excited about our trip. Not a clue what I'm going to pack for myself, but this is a little taste of what I'm envisioning for Isla. How perfect are army green and hot pink together? Oh, and her pink chucks are on clearance for $14 at Target (in store only) right now. I picked up 2 pairs when they were an extra 40% off with Cartwheel. I can't argue with $8 shoes, especially when they're as adorable as pink Converse. Is it completely ridiculous that the outfit planning is one of my favorite parts of vacation?! 

cargo vest | pink Converse

Speaking of Target, the x benches I love so much are clearanced to $17.98. I got my cashier to take an additional 20% off for Cartwheel, and saved an extra 5% by using my Red Card. That brings them down to less than $14 a pop, folks. Go get some! There was only one left in my store, so they're going fast. 

We also made a trip to the Mall of America on Saturday (what else is there to do when it's rainy?!) and I fell in love with this flamingo sweater at Jcrew. It's on sale for $22 in the store, and I practiced a lot of self control by not purchasing it. Also, the toucan halter I adore from Gap is on sale for $12. It's getting late for this summer, but if it goes any lower I might have to get one for next summer...or winter swim lessons. I adore the entire Rainforest Collection, but keep reminding myself that it will be cold here in a few short months. Gap is really killing it this season, so if you haven't been in a while, go check it out. 

| sweater  |

After tons of emails, I finally solidified plans to pick up this 5 piece set of furniture I found on Craiglist. Can you believe all of that faux bamboo goodness for $180?! There are 2 dressers, a side table, octagonal coffee table and mirror. To be honest, Sam wasn't thrilled with it, but after a lot of begging and pleading he caved. Furniture hoarders unite! 

Finally, Isla and I had a little photo session in front of our coral door before our trip to the park Sunday. She is looking so grown up lately and constantly blows me away with her verbal skills. I pointed out a leaf the other day, and she corrected me and said, "Actually, it's a flower." I stand corrected, little lady. 

my maxi  |  Isla's star top  |  gladiators

Hope your weekends were great, your basements are dry, and you're ready for the 4th of July (unintentional rhyme- swear)! It's red, white, and blue all week for us! 

Isla's navy and pink party

I'll be the first to admit that, with over 1,600 pins, I'm a bit of a Pinterest junkie. That being said, it's probably not surprising that I started a board for Isla's 2nd birthday party way back in February. I was immediately drawn to pink peonies in blue and white vases, and when I saw blue Mara Mi napkins and pink plates on clearance at Target, took that as a sign. I really love Pinning inspiration images and I'm in love with the idea of a really elaborate party, but honestly I kind of suck at the execution. It's just too stressful for me, and by wanting everything to look perfect, I miss out on actually enjoying the moment. As long as I get a few good pictures and everyone has a good time, I can chalk that up to a successful party.

Originally, I wanted to have an actual meal and set things up outside, but Mother Nature didn't cooperate and it was overcast, cold and rainy. We scrapped that plan and decided that a smaller set up on the porch would be the only option. We went with cake, animal crackers, cookie butter, and strawberries. The cake was the Tres Leche from Cafe Latte, the most amazing restaurant/bakery just down the street (recipe here). It was so delicious, and I definitely want to make that a birthday tradition. To drink, I again put my trust in Trader Joe's and got their French Market Sparkling Lemonade. It did not disappoint.

The decor was also super simple- $10 in Trader Joe's flowers (I swear this is not a sponsored post, but I wish it were!!) arranged by my mother-in-law, some of my blue and white vases, a runner made out of Target wrapping paper, various accessories we pulled from my house (including my Z Gallerie parrot that also made an appearance at her 1st birthday--might need to make that a tradition too!), and a tissue tassel garland my sister in law helped me make. Oh, and all the balloons are from the Martha Stewart line at JC Penney. The gold 2's were pulled from two "2013" packs I snagged for 97 cents after the new year. I am kind of excited I'll have the 3's for next year too (you've been warned!!). The huge pink ones were $5 for a 2 pack. The balloons were so cheap, but made a big impact. I am officially in love with oversized balloons.

While it wasn't elaborate, I thought the colors looked so pretty together. Peonies weren't in season yet, but the backup TJ's blooms were a great (and cheap) replacement and I loved that the snapdragons had almost an ombre look. Kind of a nod to Isla's Janie and Jack (fav kid store ever) top and the striped candles I stumbled on in the final hour at Target. And the rain was the perfect excuse to get more mileage out of her pink Hunter's. I really can't get enough of her in those boots. They look adorable with everything.

Most importantly, her little party didn't break the bank and Isla had a blast. My hat's off to the moms and dads who are able to pull off really involved children's parties without turning into complete psychopaths; I look forward to enjoying your months of preparation and planning :) But for us, we'll stick to the basics...and buy big balloons!

|  my dress  |  Isla's top  |  boots  |

Our weekend in pictures

Happy Monday! Hope everyone's week is off to a great start. So far, ours isn't too amazing. Because it's so nice out, I decided to take the boys and Isla for a long walk this morning; out of nowhere Porter had a seizure. I laid with him for a while, gave him some water, and he seemed better. Then he got up suddenly, tried to run off and ended up having a second that was a lot worse than the first. It was pretty terrifying for both Isla and I, and I ended up having to call Sam to pick us up since we were so far from home and I wasn't sure he'd be able to make it back. He seems to be better now, but we're going to get him to the vet to try to figure out what's going on.

On to happier things...we had a great weekend! It started out with a bang when Sam gave me the go ahead to pick up these gorgeous blue and white gourd lamps from TJ Maxx. If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw them. They were kind of a splurge, but I've wanted a pair for a really long time, and I can literally move them from room to room in my house. The colors work with all my furniture and decor. Sam hates the phrase "investment piece" but that's what I consider them. 

Saturday was gorgeous, so we hung up a new flag (ours was getting torn and dingy) and some buntings. Bring on the 4th of July! 

|  pleated fan  |

You may have seen my Instagram pictures of us rolling out new sod two weekends ago. Well, it has taken pretty well thanks to diligent watering and tons of rain. We love it SO much now and can't wait to break it in with an al fresco dinner party :) Our dogs killed most of the grass last fall/winter, so we decided it'd be easier and faster just to start over. Sam found a really cheap sod farm nearby and he and my dad tilled the yard and laid it. I think our total cost was $250, which isn't bad considering it makes our yard 1000 times nicer and more usable. And don't worry- we've now trained our dogs to go on the side of the house, where we just have mulch and some hostas. So there's never that fear of stepping in a pile of poo. Always a good thing! 

We have two giant trees in our backyard that are flowering. The yard is covered in flowers, and I find it really beautiful.

We drove by this by this amazing house on Saturday, and were so inspired by the exterior that we decided we now want to leave our house white and paint the trim black (you can read about all our other exterior plans here). I totally dig how classic a white house with black trim is, and it'd save us a ton of money that we probably won't recoup when we sell. That's always always always something we consider. I am super excited to bring this vision to life, especially since it won't be too expensive or time-consuming (I hope!).

We also stumbled upon this gorgeous restaurant near downtown St. Paul (apparently we do a lot of driving around gawking at houses), and were inspired by the wrought iron fence. We want to get something similar for our front yard, to put at the top of the hill by the arbor. We have to get a permit first, and then have it approved by the historical society, but I think it'd really up our home's curb appeal. I love that it's another area to decorate- can you even imagine how charming some live garland would look swagged from it during the winter?!- and Home Depot has a no-dig version that's really affordable and easy to install. Win win! Can't wait to get started!

When we weren't driving around, we were assembling Isla's birthday present...only 3 weeks late. Oops! We still need to put together the microwave hutch, but I've got more birch pieces to paint before it's ready (I'm using this hack as inspiration). I also need to figure out a solution for the counter. Originally I wanted to stain it dark, but then I thought a faux carrera contact paper would be really cute. I'm just not sure how the corners will turn out. Anyone have any ideas/experience with that? Though it's not done, Isla is obsessed with it, and has given her babies quite a few baths in the sink already. :) 

|  play kitchen  |

 Finally, we finally got the powder room floor grouted! Next up is another coat of sealer, and then it's ready for the vanity. You know, the one that's been sitting in our dining room for the past 5 months.

|  marble subway tile  |

We really wanted to get our new dishwasher installed, but ran out of time. Hopefully this week. Our current dishwasher does a pretty bad job of getting everything clean, and I have to rewash frequently. Plus, there is something so magical about using a brand new appliance for the first time. I can't explain it. But it is amazing.

How was your weekend? Tackle any projects? Or did you get to relax? I won't lie- as much as I love working on our house, grilling out and having a few cold ones in the backyard sounds pretty amazing too. 

Isla is 2!!

I don't consider myself one of those super emotional "HOW IS MY BABY GROWING UP SO FAST?!" kind of moms. I was so excited for her to walk, and then talk, and the wean (reaaaaaaally excited about that one, after 18 long months). But seriously "HOW IS MY BABY GROWING UP SO FAST?" I have a two year old now. I honestly can't believe how quickly the time has gone. From that tiny jaundice baby:

To my smart little sidekick:

|  Isla's maxi  |

She is embarrassed by me already! Just you wait, little lady. :) 

Ok, enough sap. 

We had such a great day celebrating! I'm sorry to bore you with a play by play of our day, but I really enjoy those, so here goes...We started with some toast and a party hat for Sailor (since someone refused to put it on). I'm sorry for not cutting it into the shape of a birthday candle like other fun moms, Isla, but I don't think you know that those moms exist anyway ;) Then we painted our toes, put on some pineapple shorts and jellies (because don't pineapple shorts and jellies just scream "It's my birthday!"?) and ran to Target to get stuff for dinner. 

|  shorts  |  jellies   |

I was so excited to go to the pool in the afternoon, but when we got there we learned they're only open on the weekends for the first few weeks. Bummer. A quick trip to Wal-Mart, $20 later, and we had a kiddie pool, purple golf caddy, bubbles and sparklers. I don't think Isla minded one bit. I'm convinced bubbles make everything better. 

By that point, it was 3, and someone hadn't napped yet. A little swinging with baby (using her coverup as a blanket, of course) and she was out. Til 7:30!! I've made the mistake of waking her up before, and never again, you guys. Never again. So we just let her sleep.

When she finally woke up, we had a super fancy dinner of hot dogs, corn on the cob, baked beans and chips. Call me unsophisticated, but hot dogs from the grill are one of my favorite things. So delicious! I know, I know, they're made out of toenails and stuff. I got the Hebrew National ones, so maybe they weren't quite as bad? Either way, Isla kept calling them meatballs and jamming them into her mouth as fast as possible. That's what I call a successful dinner. :) 

|  mint dinnerware  |  table runner  |

We ended the night with a little cake and fireworks! It certainly wasn't a trip to Disney, but it was perfect for us. I love you Isla Penelope. You bring so much joy to our lives and we couldn't imagine life without you! 

the ugliest bathroom you ever did see

It's time. Time to show you all. This is the bathroom we've been living with for the last year:

There is literally not one thing I like. I even hate the toilet, and I didn't even know it was possible to hate a toilet. Probably the worst thing is that the previous homeowners completed this renovation 10 years ago. I would've guessed 20. We gut our bathroom in Iowa City in 2009 (before and after photos below), and besides the vessel sinks I still stand by our choices. There is just no excuse for the mirrors and country blue. Why?! Why?! 

The bathroom is a decent size- 8.5'x10'- but the layout is making inefficient use of the space. I've got a long list of wants for this room, including double vanities and a built in washer and dryer, so we're still trying to figure out where everything will go. Even though a walk in shower is nice, it, combined with the big whirlpool tub, eat up so much room. Sam and I are more than ok with replacing them with a standard bathtub, which will hopefully allow for more room for all those must-haves. I mean, second floor laundry will literally change my life. I am so tired of walking all the way down to the basement with a huge basket, fighting all the baby gates. It's not ideal, but totally do-able until we figure out the best possible layout for this room. Of course, I've started a Pinterest board for keeping track of colors and fixtures. It includes lots of yummy carrera and calcutta marble, clean and crisp subway tile, and shiny chrome. Here are some of my favorites:

all images via decor pad

via Alice Lane Home Blog

I'm pretty predictable, but the heart wants what the heart wants. And we live in an old house, so these keep with the character and style of the home (although no matter the age, this is the style I gravitate towards every.single.time). 

I am so giddy to get started, but we're taking our time, saving our money, and constantly scouting out good deals on fixtures and vanities. I want this bathroom to be beautiful AND functional, so I'm ok with taking some time to make sure we get it all right. Can't wait to keep you guys updated on the progress!