I love to complain about this house! That's no secret. But I want to share one of the main reasons we bought it, and it's a small one:
The waterfall. Now, this is something that we NEVER would have done ourselves...and I mean never! But it was one of the first things I noticed when I walked in: the kitchen windows were open, and the sound of the water made me feel like I wasn't in a busy DC suburb anymore. It just gives the house a great, relaxed vibe (the household chaos aside, ha! As long as the boys are awake, we don't quite do "relaxed!") :-) I'm going to take pictures of the screened in porch and deck area, just as soon as the construction is finished...or maybe sooner, because the reason I started this blog was to document our renovation, ugly reality and all. But for now, here's another little moment of Zen for your Tuesday:
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You would not believe our backyard right now.
Seriously. Planting, ripping up the deck, debris and pollen everywhere. Luckily, I have my own little oasis known as "The Mommy Chair." I bought it for myself as a present 2 years ago, and I LOVE IT. It has handy little drink-iPad-laptop-etc. holding shelves that pull out on either side. You can even recline it all the way back, so it's like a full-size bed! Usually, it's littered with Crocs and soccer balls, but for now, let's enjoy this moment of Zen, shall we? :-) In Virginia lately, the weather seems to go from this: Source: cotedetexas.blogspot.com via sixteen fourteen on Pinterest ...to this... Source: capecodcollegiate.tumblr.com via sixteen fourteen on Pinterest ...aaaaand back to this again. Source: aintwaitin.tumblr.com via sixteen fourteen on Pinterest And in case you're wondering: Why yes! All of those photos were taken at my house. We only have 1/3 of an acre, but we try to make the most of it. ;-) Regardless of the unstable weather patterns, I've decided it's time to start focusing on our outdoor space. We have a nice screened-in porch, a deck, and even a waterfall. I'll be sharing pictures soon, but for now, some inspiration... Source: eddieross.com via sixteen fourteen on Pinterest Source: google.com via sixteen fourteen on Pinterest Source: mykotori.com via sixteen fourteen on Pinterest Thank you so much to Kayley at A Blissful Abode for honoring my baby blog with its very first award: The Liebster Blog Award! Apparently "liebster" means "darling," which is such high praise. :-) A Blissful Abode is so fresh & pretty, with lovely photography and finds like this: Source: horchow.com via Kayley on Pinterest Thanks again, Kayley! xoxo And in the interest of us newbies sticking together, I'd like to pass the next Liebster Blog Award to an awesome new blog... Talk of the House.! Kelly has great taste and fab decorating ideas! Definitely check her out. I just received the new Ballard Designs "Casa Florentina" special edition catalog in the mail. Now normally, I'm not a huge fan of Ballard's, mostly because I get visually overstimulated by all the stuff they pack into their catalogs. Also, their shipping charges and delivery wait times for furniture are outrageous! In fact, although I'm a devout "big box" store fan (yeah I said it!), the only thing I've ever purchased from Ballard are these chandelier shades: Source: sixteenfourteen.weebly.com via sixteen fourteen on Pinterest But I'm loving the look of these "Casa Florentina" pieces, beautifully photographed and mercifully shown without all that Ballard clutter. So fresh, simple, and Restoration Hardware-esque (before RH lost their minds and started selling upholstered furniture without the upholstery!) Of course, I have no clue about quality, but check these out! Pretty, right? :-) Source: ballarddesigns.com via sixteen fourteen on Pinterest Source: ballarddesigns.com via sixteen fourteen on Pinterest Source: ballarddesigns.com via sixteen fourteen on Pinterest These days, the front entrance of our house is on my mind. If you've been following this blog faithfully for its epic 4-month run, you know that we have big plans for this space: A new handrail & newel post; finishing the painting; artwork of some kind; and a new front door. Note: It adjoins to my husband's office, which includes our beloved (but busy!) family photo gallery: Neutral is key. I love this idea for an entry; it looks so clean and balanced. Source: crushculdesac.tumblr.com via sixteen fourteen on Pinterest This is very pretty, too. Problem is, we are neither dramatic nor fancy. ;-) Source: cotedetexas.blogspot.com via sixteen fourteen on Pinterest I love the mirror, and I'm dying over these gorgeous lamp bases. I'm not a huge fan of the lamp shades or rusted metal, however. Source: toneontoneantiques.blogspot.com via sixteen fourteen on Pinterest I wish I had room for this! So beautiful. Traditional meets glam. Source: sixteenfourteen.weebly.com via sixteen fourteen on Pinterest Again, I have no room for this, but it's very "styled" and beautiful. Source: theletteredcottage.net via sixteen fourteen on Pinterest I'd place a mirror and some sconces above this, but I LOVE the moss balls in the white containers, the white gallery frames, and the bench beneath: Source: sixteenfourteen.weebly.com via sixteen fourteen on Pinterest This is a nice combination of wood and greenery. Normally I love blue, but I'm not loving these lamp shades. Source: habituallychic.blogspot.com via sixteen fourteen on Pinterest Any other ideas?
:-) My VERY hardworking husband is often a slave to this house. Which would probably be OK (with me at least) if WE drove the bus: first the kitchen, then the bathrooms, then the bedrooms, etc. But more often than not, the HOUSE tells us what to do next! Can you believe that s%&$? Mice invade...the deck rots...a mailbox inexplicably commits suicide. And before we know it, we're dealing with the outside of the house, which I honestly couldn't care less about. To cheer myself up, I started looking at some ideas for the master bathroom. Right now, it's an homage to red gingham wallpaper and partially-ripped-apart drywall. But that's all about to change! At least I'm pretty sure it might! If we had about 1,000 square feet to work with, I'd have some awesome ideas, no? ;-) Source: homedesign.marthastewart.com via sixteen fourteen on Pinterest Source: sixteenfourteen.weebly.com via sixteen fourteen on Pinterest Click to set custom HTML Source: srgambrel.com via sixteen fourteen on Pinterest One of the many reasons I love Home Goods and want to marry it: Another great deal! I bought this Momeni Vintage rug for $99, and the cheapest price I can find online is $205. It's the perfect little size for my mom cave, and I love the graphic, ikat-y pattern.
:-) I've never been a fan of curtains, drapes, whatever you want to call them. But lately, every gorgeous room photo I see seems to be finished off with some lovely window treatments...and my own house is looking kind of bare without them.
Damn you, internet! Case in point: we have a big window in the family room that looks out onto the screened-in porch. I hate to cover it up, but I guess I think it needs a "frame" of some kind. Here are my criteria: Tailored (a must. obviously.) Brushed stainless rod (I know, brass is back, but I am not stylish so whatever.) Ring-top (is that even a term?) Soft yellow, khaki, white, blue... Below are some images I've been collecting. And yes, I know that last one is a shower curtain, but I love the fabric. :-) Every Mom needs a little place to pile up crap and charge her Blackberries, am I right? (Yes, I have two, plus an iPad and a laptop. Don't judge me!) Anyway, our house isn't very big, so a full-size office was out of the question. Soooo, I claimed the former mudroom which is right off the kitchen and family room. I need to keep tabs on the action while I do my important work on Pinterest. The mudroom had a small, red-laminate counter, red-print wallpaper, and red-crackle painted cabinets. Like so: So CLEARLY, we had no other choice besides THIS: And now this. I'm on the hunt for a desk chair and a flat-weave rug, plus I need to hang photos and all that good stuff...more to come! :)
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