Thursday Things

Here is my Thursday brain dump:

• Since we have a contract on a new house, my Pinterest boards have been filling up with new decorating ideas.  I can't wait to get started but Brandon keeps reminding me that we have to pace ourselves (and by "ourselves" he means me...).
• I've been wearing my hair curly lately because I'm trying to grow it out and it looks akward when it is straight.  But today, my curly hair is totally out of control.  Totally!  I need to figure out how to tame it down on days like this.
• Koby has been staying with my parents this week while we got our house on the market and we miss him so much.  But, we also know he is having a great time at their house and won't want to come home.
• I'm loving this fall weather, but I'm not loving trying to figure out what to wear each morning.  It is still too warm in the afternoons to wear my fall clothes, but I feel like my summer clothes are too "summery".  Uggh!
• Speaking of fall weather, I can't believe September is all but over.  It seems like time is just flying by these days.  I was looking ahead at our October calendar and realized that my mom and I will be leaving for our trip two weeks from today!  Crazy!
• We bought our first batch of Honeycrisp apples last night and I have one sitting on me desk this morning just waiting to be consumed.  YUM!
• I got my new boots yesterday!  And I love them!  I decided to go with these:

Have a lovely Thursday!  It's almost Friday :)

It's So Hard To Say Goodbye...

A dramatic title?  Yes.  But it is totally deserved.

You see, the time has come for us to say goodbye to our little humble abode.  Our first house.  Our never ending project.  The first place we called "home".  It's for sale...

{photo courtesy of our real estate agent's photographer}

While we are moving on to another house (still in Wichita) and are very excited about all the new projects that await us and the extra space it provides, we are definitely going to be sad to leave this one behind.  It will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Someday soon, I will do a "Before and After" post to show the transformations that we did to make this house our house.  It is pretty amazing to compare the pictures from when we bought the house to the pictures now.  And, once our new house is officially ours, I will share all about it, post pictures, and all of that fun stuff.  But, I don't want to jinx the process so I'm going to withhold the details for now :)

From Rags to Riches

Remember this post from August 5?  Well, we did not exactly get that pallet table finished within the week.  We didn't even get it finished within the month, but have no fear...it is finished now!

Brandon did a very thorough job in disassembling and reassembling the pallets to make sure the best boards ended up on top and that each board, corner, and crevice go primed and painted.  I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out!

I mentioned in my previous post that we were going to put our own twist on the project and that twist was the color.  We did not think that the wood would take stain very well, so we knew we were going to have to paint the table, but what we didn't know was what color.  I toyed around with a bright color like purple or green or something fun, but after I realized how much effort it would take to repaint it once I got tired of the bright color, I figured I better choose something neutral.  I knew I didn't really want black, so I decided to match the slats in the chairs which are a dark charcoal/taupe color.  And I LOVE the outcome!

This pot is too big for the table, but I wanted to show the scale and show it from a different angle.  I plan to find a fun pot to put a fun fall plant in of I have some cute lanterns in the storage room that I could pull out.  We'll just have to see what I come up with!

And have I mentioned my favorite feature?  The casters!  I can roll this baby all around the patio and it rolls with ease.

Who would have thought two rugged old pallets could become such an awesome (and useful) table!

Pinnable Me Friday - Pumpkins

The cooler weather and the definite change in the season has me thinking about all things fall, especially pumpkins.  So, today is all about pumpkins as decorations, treats, and the color in apparel.

DECORATIONS:

I love the texture of this wreath and the addition of pumpkins is just too cute.

Source: thehighheeledhostess.com via Tessa on Pinterest

A beautiful use of pumpkins in a front porch planter.

Source: blog.chron.com via Tessa on Pinterest

If I had any "art" skills, I'd be making these!  So cute!

Source: lollyjaneboutique.blogspot.com via Tessa on Pinterest

A sparkly fall or Thanksgiving table.

Source: wildinkpress.com via Tessa on Pinterest

TREATS:

My love for pumpkin chocolate chip muffins in brownie form!

Source: penniesonaplatter.com via Tessa on Pinterest

 My favorite morning drink is the Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks.  If this recipe is really good, it could save me a lot of money.

Source: loveveggiesandyoga.com via Tessa on Pinterest

Yum!

Source: sugarcooking.blogspot.com via Tessa on Pinterest

Pumpkin Whoopies

Source: ourbestbites.com via Tessa on Pinterest

APPAREL:

Source: asos.com via Tessa on Pinterest

Source: polyvore.com via Tessa on Pinterest

Source: polyvore.com via Tessa on Pinterest

Source: ebay.com via Tessa on Pinterest

Happy Friday!

Thursday Things

It's Thursday!  I like Thursdays because Thursdays mean Fridays are just around the corner.  I'm also usually rather productive on Thursdays so my Fridays can be relaxed and filled with tasks that don't require much brain power :)  Anyways, here is what is on my mind today:

•  The high for today is 59.  The 80's will be back next week, but for now I'm going to enjoy this little break in the temps and pretend it is really fall.
  
• Since I'm pretending it is fall, I might as well go all out.  On my way to work today, I stopped by S*Bucks and got a Pumpkin Spice Latte and a piece of Pumpkin Bread...oops!
  
• I tried out a new color of nail polish last night and I think I'm in love!  I've noticed a lot of fashionistas are wearing a dark purple/navy color and I wanted to try it out.  I found a cheap bottle of the perfect color at Target last night and I love the way it looks.  It doesn't hurt that the color collection is called New York In a Minute and the color I chose happens to be Chinatown (not my favorite spot, but it works). 
  
• I made Jambalaya in the crockpot last night and it was delicious.  The perfect meal for a cool fall evening.  And yes, the recipe came from Pinterest.
  
• Koby has been especially crazy with the cooler temps.  He wants to be outside All. The. Time. 
  
• I've been shopping for jeans and while I knew it was frustrating task, I guess I forgot just how frustrating.  I've found a couple of styles that I like but none of them come in the length I need.  Ugh!  The styles that do come in the length I need don't fit around the waist.  Annoying!  However, I did find another pair of jeggings that I just love!
  
• I have a little extra money saved up and have decided I want to buy some boots for the fall and winter.  I'm trying to decide between the two pairs below.  I think I know which pair I want, but I just want to make sure.  The pair on the left is a Steve Madden boot and the pair on the right is a Coconut boot.  Has anyone tried either of these brands?  Do you have any positives or negatives about either brand?  All of the online reviews were great for both, so I am torn. 

 

 

 



I hope you had the time of your life

{A handful of classmates at our 10 year reunion...the boys weren't so much into taking pictures!}

I spent this past weekend catching up with my high school classmates at our ten year reunion!  I honestly can't believe it has been ten years since we graduated, but at the same time it really does seem like it was just yesterday we were walking the halls of Pratt High School. 

I had to really talk myself into going to our reunion.  With the invention of Facebook, most of us keep up with each other on a pretty consistent basis anyway and I also keep in personal touch with a handful of people who I was closest to.  However, it was great to get together in person and catch up.  So much has changed for everyone (jobs, becoming parents, etc.), but so much is the same.  

My mom is currently on a mini-vacation with some of her high school friends and she was telling me how they can go years without seeing each other and still get together and have a good time as if no time has passed.  She attributes this to the deepness of her friendship with her high school friends.  And she's right.  Friends from home know your family, have known you since you were a little child, have seen you through many years of changes, and you all share a place called "home". 

All in all, I'm so glad I attended the reunion.  We had a great time playing a high school trivia game, reminiscing over old pictures, telling stories to our spouses, and laughing just like old times!  And yes, Brandon did hear a few stories and saw a few pictues that gave him a chuckle!
 

 

Pinnable Me Friday - Chairs!

As I was browsing Pinterest with my sister over the weekend (she hadn't been introduced), I realized I had pinned a lot of chairs.  So, today's post is all about the amazing chairs I've found and would love to own someday :)
Usually I save the best for last, but in this case I couldn't wait to share these beauties.  I love everything about these chairs - the fabric, the shape, the pillows.  I'm sure I couldn't afford the real things but I would love to find a pair of old chairs at a thrift shop or antique store and recover them to look like these!

Source: flickr.com via Tessa on Pinterest

I'm not sure if I mentioned how much I'm loving the Chevron patterns right now, but just in case I haven't, I'm kind of obsessed.  And this chair falls into that obsession category.

Source: urbanoutfitters.com via Tessa on Pinterest

These chairs are so sleek and cool.  If only I had a cool enough house to put them in.

Source: referenceforww2.tumblr.com via Tessa on Pinterest

If we had a bar, these would totally be ours.

Source: elementsofstyleblog.com via Tessa on Pinterest

Another cool kitchen chair option.  Probably not the most comfortable, but they would look good!

Source: cb2.com via Tessa on Pinterest

Labor Day

Our Labor Day wasn't so labor-less...

It all started Friday afternoon when we ventured up to Kansas City in order for Brandon to redeem his anniversary gift.  If you know Brandon, you know he is the most loyal Kansas City Royals fan.  Ever.  He has loved the Royals since he was a little guy, he bats left-handed because George Brett batted left-handed and he will defend George Brett against the haters (ahem...my brother) until the day he dies, he remembers where he was when the Royals won the World Series, and he can rattle off Royals stats from any era.  I could go on, but you get the point.  So, for our fifth anniversary, I decided to get him a Royals experience that he wouldn't forget  - a personal, behind the scenes tour of Kauffman Stadium!  Needless to say, he was very excited and I think he had a great time.  But, I will let the pictures do the talking...

{In the media room}

{Frank White}

{Getting to know Jeff Franceour}

{Bill Butler a.k.a. "Country Breakfast", a nickname he gave himself}

{Hosmer!}

{Royals Hall of Fame}

{Broadcast booth}

{First base camera bay during the National Anthem}

We sat in the Diamond Club seats with my sister and her husband and enjoyed a lovely evening, but unfortunately the Royals didn't win.  However, we did get to experience the Friday night fireworks after the game.  

After a long night, we were definitely ready for bed since we had a big day on Saturday.  We started out at the City Market with my sister and her family.  The city market is located in downtown Kansas City and was so fun!  Before we got going, the girls took a little train ride...

After the train ride, we browsed the market and walked away with plenty of goodies:

• heirloom tomatoes (oh how I wish I could find these in Wichita)
• peaches
• corn on the cob
• dog treats
• bread
• spices and dressing mixes
• flower pots (to be revealed later...)

We left the market in time to meet my brother and his family for lunch before some of us headed to God's country for the Wildcat football game!  If you follow me on Twitter, you know that the game was pretty ugly, but we did pull out a win and we had a great time, as usual!

{the only pic I got was of the band...oops!}

We got back to KC pretty late and pretty much fell right to sleep after our long day.  But we had to get rested up for yet another fun day!  After church on Sunday, the boys took the little girls home for naps while us big girls squeezed in a little shopping.  The highlight of the shopping trip?  Trader Joe's!  Trader Joe's just opened up near my brother and sister's house and I've heard so many great things about their products on food blogs and from my sister and sister-in-law so I knew I needed to make a stop.  And, I was not disappointed!  Not only did they have great products, their prices were also amazing!  For around $50 I got the following:

• 2 chocolate bars
• 1 tub of mini peanut butter cups
• 1 tub of pistachio toffee
• 1 bag of frozen potstickers
• 1 bag of sweet potato fries
• 2 jars of pasta sauce
• 2 packages of refrigerated pasta
• 1 bag of sweet potato chips
• 1 bag of peanut butter filled pretzels
• 1 bag of honey sesame almonds (or crack!)
• 1 box of chocolate covered frozen banana slices
• 1 box of mini ice cream sandwiches
• 2 bags of fresh pizza dough
• 1 bottle of pomegranate limeade (I hear it is great with a little bit of vodka)

Can you believe I got all of that for roughly $50??  I was shocked!  So far, we have used the pizza dough, the tortellini and one jar of pasta sauce (not all together!) and have been extremely pleased with the taste and the quality of the items.  Brandon did not quite understand why we drove all the way to KC to buy groceries, but I hate to inform him that this probably won't be the last time we do this :)

After our shopping trip, we met up with everyone for a little family bowling!  Surprisingly, the little girls did a pretty good job of bowling granny style.

We worked up quite an appetite bowling so we headed over to Todd and Natalie's for dinner and consumed some of our market finds from the day before.  Oh yeah -- we also had some amazing peach cobbler, Paula Deen style!  We definitely went home full and happy.

Monday, we got up and had a yummy breakfast and then packed up the car to head home.  Since we stayed with Tara and Matt, we decided to stop by Todd and Natalie's before we left town to spend a little time with our niece.  We ended up taking the dogs to the park for a little walk because she LOVES dogs and guess who she chose to walk...

Yep, Koby is very loved by this little girl!  

We finally made our way home and hit the ground running.  We unloaded our stuff, washed the car, cleaned out the interior, started (and finished) laundry, Brandon mowed and I made dinner.  Even though it was a crazy busy weekend, we had a great time!