Life as we know it

I'm back! Well, kinda...

I'm not ready to share all of last week's events with you just yet, as I have misplaced my camera cords in the move, but I'll give you a peek into life as we know it right now.

All of our belongings are in hundreds of boxes stashed all around the new house waiting, like gifts under a Christmas tree, to be opened and placed in just the right spot.

And the old house...Well, the old house looks lost and naked and abandoned. Poor thing.

You know...I'd like to think I'm a clean person. I mean, I clean regularly and I include baseboards and other un-fun household duties. However....

I'm gross!!! Look at this... eeeeewwwww-ah! (Alison, that was for you!) Seriously! That is DUST that is stuck to the WALL from behind the ridiculously heavy armoire that held the TV that hasn't been moved in 100 years!!!!

What I have learned while moving:
Everyone should move and rearrange ALL of their furniture at least once a year just to dust!

Amen.

This is it...

Photos from last weekend's cleaning frenzy!

Fence to the side yard

Clean pool and finished fence! Bring on the water...and summer temps!

Diva's clean room

Carpet in the hall

Mirror frame sample

The shower is ready!

laundry room

"Mud Room"

close up of fabric

I told you it was dusty in there!

We cleaned the floors 3 times on Saturday and they're still dusty!

Any suggestions on how to clean them from those of you with hard wood?

The fridge is in his rightful home now!

I'm so ready for cabinet doors!!!

Diva's vanity area

Door knobs are all on

The globes were so dusty that I put them in the dishwasher on Saturday. When our friends came over after dinner to check things out, I jumped on the chance for help putting them back on! 

sneak peek at the front doors!

Gas lanterns

Please be patient with me over the next few days (or more) as we pack, unpack, and try to settle into our new home. And, if you're looking for something fun to do this weekend, I have a box with your name on it!

Happy Move in Week

And Happy Valentine's Day! As you well may know, Valentine's Day is quite the to-do around our house. Sweet Husband started a tradition several years ago where he prepares a delicious meal while his favorite ladies get all dolled up for a big date. Now this isn't just any meal. There is a formal invitation for each of us.

2007

Our evenings have even been known to have a scrumptious menu printed for us to drool over!

The ladies love their Shirley Temples with festive ice and a tiny umbrellas!

Oh, and check out the appetizers that are brought to us as we are preparing for dinner...tomato and cucumber canapes and fresh berries.

Let's take a stroll down Memory Lane... Here we are in 2007 at the Inaugural Valentine's Dinner.

In 2008, apparently dinner was sooo delicious that we forgot to take a picture together...but we have a few individual shots from dessert!

The dessert is also homemade. Look at that!!!Strawberry-Caramel-Heaven-in-a-Dish by the fire with my favorite man! I am a lucky girl!

(...and apparently G decided to have her own photo shoot when we weren't looking :)

2009-- Our first Valentine's Date as an official family!

Finally, we all had the same last name!

2010--Oh, my...have you noticed how much the girls have grown up over the last few years! I just realized that this year G is the same age that Diva was in the first picture!!!

Needless to say, we have quite a bit going on in our lives, but Husband still wanted us to have our traditional Valentine's Day Dinner. What could we do.....? Something special... Then it hit us.Valentine's Dinner should be our first meal at the new house!!! Who cares if we don't have furniture? It doesn't matter if we don't have pots and pans to cook with...or fully stocked bathrooms in which to curl our hair. This would be our first ever meal in our house and it could be casual.

Diva and I were in charge of picking up dinner while Husband and G headed over to set things up. When we arrived, we found a trail of candles leading from the back door to the living room.

They had created an intimate table for four in front of the fire place and even brought real dishes for us to dine on. Not that I don't enjoy Chinese take out boxes, but this was a fabulous unexpected delight!

Speaking of unexpected delights...looks like this house comes with one!

This sweet little stray followed Husband around while he worked in the yard all weekend long. He wasn't wearing a collar and we heard from the neighbors that they've been unsuccessful in finding his family.

He now goes by Louie.

Hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day! I'm working really hard to get pictures ready to share from our work this past weekend...but it is moving week, so be kind to me :)
 

Furniture with a Soul

The new house is almost finished and we finally have a move in date in site!!! My daydreams have begun to venture into how we are going to decorate our new home. I can't wait!!! We have had a few unexpected expenses, so for the time being new furniture is not in the plans...but a girl can dream right?

I mean, I need to be prepared for when we do decide to get something new, right? It doesn't even have to be new...I prefer something with character. That has a story behind it. Unique. Affordable. Something with a soul....

To feed my day dreams, my friend Ali teased me with one of her favorite furniture stores, Nadeau.

Houston, we have a problem! I'm drooling...

Growing up, my parents had a hat rack like this in our hall. His name was Bojangles and I think he originally belonged to my Grandad. Actually, for the longest time I thought that all hat racks were called 'bojangles' I didn't realize it was just ours that had a name. HA!

I REALLY need these shelves. They can go in the office and I can fill them with our books and photo albums!

Hey, fun chair. You're fabulous and I would like several of you...around my imaginary dining room table...

What could be more exciting than colorful cubes!?!?! Uh, nothing! I would luuuurve to put this in the girls' loft area to help organize all their extra stuff.

Lovely!

If I could have a new desk, I would pick this one...and call it Turk-wah like Frankc from Father of the Bride!

I can see myself in one of these chairs...sitting out by the pool this summer...sipping on a BBC!

I don't know where I would put this, but I sure do love it!

These mirrors are large and in charge...but what else is it that we can see in their reflections? I need to know more!!!! Field trip!

I am in love.