Today is the day...

When I begin my 26 year. I've been a little freaked at the idea of officially being closer to 30 than 20 but I have a feeling this is going to be a very very good year.

I've already treated myself to a massage & a pedicure but I've decided to treat myself to a little more relaxation today so I'm off and I'll see you tomorrow, when I'm officially old.

Me, Banan & our cousin on my 6th birthday. 

Obviously, Banan was wicked jealous that I got a Magic Nursery doll.

PS Edie just said 26 was old and when Jus said it wasn't Edie responded with "26 isn't old if you live to 1000"

26 Things I Love

Today is Day 1 of my birthday week. Tomorrow I officially turn 26 and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a good year.

To kick off the birthday celebrations I thought I'd start with 26 things I love.

Jus.

Our little life in our big Behemoth with our girls.

The rest of my family.

And my friends (and bloggy friends!)

Taking long drives to nowhere with Jus & then discovering a yummy dinner spot.

A good book.

Caffeine, coffee in the morning & diet coke in the afternoon. (I've been trying to cut back but it isn't easy)

Changing seasons. Isn't it funny that the seasons always change when you're tired of the old one?

Puppy snuggles (and husband snuggles)

The first time you get to wear a new outfit.

Listening to a song over and over and over.

That people are basically good & kind.

Dancing, anywhere, any time.

Fresh flowers.

Being good to my body (it had been a while since I've been good but I'm back on the wagon).

Creativity, even if it comes in spurts, at least it comes.

Champagne.

Long summer nights.

Laughing until my tummy hurts.

Good food.

Being excited.

Knowing that fall is coming and that soon I'll be able to eat my favorite apples & wear tights.

Clean sheets.

Ice cream, I couldn't forget ice cream.

Lazy Sundays.

Love. I love love & I really love loving things.

Holy Moly

Hiya loves.

We're still here, still alive. No alien abduction or gnome invasion.

Rather, just busy nights, a little family stuff and one ornery Basset Hound that won't stop Pinteresting Basset Hounds.

Roundup: My Birthday's Next Week!

One week from today I will turn 26. This will be my first year closer to 30 than 20 and my birthday list shows my advancing age. My list includes a new window for the guest room, the stained glass door fixed and a dishwasher.

But for today's sake lets just say that I'm not an (almost) adult & it's totally ok to wish for cute things instead of practical necessities.

I've been dying for a mustard cardigan for a couple of years.

Eden Cardigan in Warm Mustard from JCrew $89.50

My cheap boots are no longer cutting it. Time to invest in a good pair.

Frye Shirley Riding Boots from Zappos $388.00

This is essentially my slogan so it only fits that it should hang in our bedroom.

Always Kiss Me Goodnight Print from Type Posters $9.50

I wish I had a fun birthday party to wear this dress to.

Baking for Breakfast Dress from Modcloth $57.99

Speaking of things I'd love to have hanging in our bedroom.

Wedding Banner from Spread the Love $50.00

I'm in desperate need of a cute camera bag.

Millie in Marigold from Jo Totes $87.00

I've been dying to add a pouf or two to our house.

Knitted Grey Pouf from CB2 $89.95

This skirt is the perfect thing for an almost grown up.

The Flynn Skirt from Anne M. Cramer $160.00

I think it's high time that I get personalized stationary with my new name.

Chevron Stripe Stationary from Rowhouse 14 $20.00

Last year I asked for the black hunters, but this year I think I'd take teal.

Hunter Original Gloss in Teal from Zappos $112.50

I'm not even sure I could tell you how much I'd love portraits of Edie & Layla.

Custom Dog Portrait from Berin Made $84.46
Erin is kindly offering Adventures in Love & Happiness readers 10% off their pet portrait with the code "CUSTOMPET10"

So there you have it, my almost grown up birthday list. If any of you need my address just let me know.

Kitchen Inspiration: Cabinets

Last week I shared our inspiration for the kitchen floor so I thought the best way to start this week would be to share our cabinet inspirataion.

Since the Behemoth's kitchens were very dated we didn't save our old cabinets. Jus & I have decided to bite the bullet and get the cabinets we want even if they're more expensive. We're planning on finding someone to build them for us and we'll buy them bit by bit.

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Obviously we love glass front cabinets, and lots of them. We're currently planning on white cabinets despite the fact that I LOVE pink & green cabinets.

Summer Nights

Lately it's been feeling like summer has been winding down.

Local schools are back in session and temperatures aren't flirting with triple digits.

One thing that helps make it feel like summer is sitting in the car on a warm summer night, listening to music, laughing with Jus & eating ice cream.

Kitchen Inspiration: Floor

We've been waiting to hear back from some contractors with bids for the kitchen so Jus & I have been taking time to finalize the design & aesthetic we're look for.

I thought I'd share some more specific ideas that we've been leaning towards, and what better place to start than at the very bottom.

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Since very early on in the renovation process I knew that I wanted herringbone floors in the kitchen. I love the pattern and thought it would be a fun change. It would be great to use hardwoods but hardwood floors are pricey so right now we're planning on using beige & ivory vinyl tile to create a soft neutral floor.

What's your favorite floor choice?

Phew

This weekend was my fifth wedding of the 2011 season. The bride started planning six weeks (WEEKS!) ago and brought me in soon after. We worked to create a wedding that was simple & elegant. 

With 60 guests the wedding was set to be an intimate outdoor affair, I spent the morning setting up a drink station and other outdoor decorations only to have to pull them inside when rain threatened and take them back out when the skies brightened. With 20 minutes until the ceremony the sky began to look like all hell would break loose. We started the ceremony early, got the happy couple married & all of the guests inside before the storm came in and the rest of the night went off without a hitch.

I'm still exhausted from the day so instead of blabbering on anymore I'll share some photos I caught with my phone throughout the day.

Little List

Hello my dears. I've decided I simply must share a little list because it's been too long & my brain is about to burst (plus, I'm pretty sure we're all a little tired of kitchen talk).

1. Banan & I went on a sister date to see The Help. I absolutely loved the book & was a little worried that the movie would let me down, but the movie was such a beautiful representation of the story.

2. I've decided that I don't listen to enough Van Morrison. I'm trying to fix this.


3. This weekend is my 5th (and what I think will be my last) wedding of the summer. I'm not sure if I can tell you how much I love helping couples make their days special.

4. My birthday is 18 days away. It's not particularly a big one but it's the first one where I'll be closer to 30 than 20 and that scares the shit out of me.

5. I may have forgotten one or two of my kitchen inspiration pictures the other day.

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6. Jus & I are planning a make up honeymoon trip this winter. We're going to head to the Florida Keys and I would gladly take any recommendations you have.

7. We've been meeting with contractors about finishing the kitchen. It's so flipping excited to be able to have a timeline and know that we are getting close to having a real kitchen. I'm already day dreaming of all the fresh food I can cook, it's been 8 months since I've cooked anything cooked anything outside of a microwave, and it's been 4 months since I've microwaved anything.

8. Jus & I have decided that we won't be getting another Basset Hound puppy. It's a little sad but definitely the best option.

9. I really hope you have been enjoying my posts about the kitchen, I love sharing more of what's really going on in our little life.

The Never Ending Saga

To say dealing with the Behemoth's kitchen situation has been a hassle is an understatement.

Before we bought the Behemoth I loved watching HGTV, loved seeing the the home makeovers and the quick turn arounds. Since we've had the Behemoth I've realized that life doesn't always work like that.

Three days to redo a kitchen? Ha, we're going on ten months without a kitchen and six months with a demolished room.

Another thing they never show on those quick & easy shows is the fact that demolishing several walls can change the structure of the house. Because the Behemoth is a behemoth that was built in the 19th century there is a lot of plaster, hard wood and other heavy materials held up by the first floor.

When we ripped out the walls we left one small wall to hold up the ceiling but now that we're getting serious about the kitchen we're ready to remove the wall & open up the space. All along we've thought we'd have to keep a column in the center of the island but lately our engineer has been giving us hope that we could go beamless.

So it was really no surprise when I walked in the door after work to find this.

Jus had to rip down the drywall to see where the joists landed. Now normally this is where my brain starts to get fuzzy I can design what I want the kitchen to look like but when it comes to the bones of the house  I've discovered that joists are important in keeping the house up, and the last thing we want is for the second story of the Behemoth to crumble to the ground.

So by taking the drywall down Jus has allowed us to see that some 10 inch beams run from the back of the house to the middle and some from the front of the house to the middle. Additional 10 inch beams rest on the wall we're planning to take out and some are just hanging out.

Which means we'll definitely need some sort of a beam to make up for the wall but most likely the beam will run horizontally across the ceiling rather than impaling the island.

The Kitchen Situation: Inspiration

As all of you mentioned yesterday we have a ton of potential with out future kitchen. Over the last couple of months Jus & I have been trying to figure out what we'd like to see.

When dealing with a 100+ house it's hard to find a style that will seem current while being historically accurate. Jus & I have run the gamete. Lots of people have asked if we'll be going the cheap & easy way with Ikea cabinets but despite the fact that one of my all time favorite kitchens is from Ikea we know in our deepest of hearts that a modern Ikea kitchen won't fit in our turn of the 20th century home.

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If you follow me on Pinterest you've seen some of my kitchen inspirations.

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I'll fill you in on some more specifics later, but for now, which kitchens are striking your fancy lately?