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too much, or not enough?

It's been a while since I've stopped by the blog! We are back to school and things have been a blur, but these new leggings felt like they needed to be shared. They are textured and so comfortable and have a bit of compression to them so, win-win. I've always said leopard is a neutral, but maybe this is taking it too far. Ha! 

Find them here! Shoes are here

House Progress: Entry & Living Room

Happy New Year! I'm back sharing a few more photos of our house progress. This past weekend my cousin hosted a baby shower for baby girl at our house. She lives a bit further away, so we decided this would be closer for the guests. It was a nice push to put a few more things together around the house...especially since baby is coming in around 8 weeks!

Also, the nesting is definitely kicking in here and there these days, so it was nice to put the energy to good use. We are not doing a nursery for now since we know baby will sleep by us for a long time, so I'm organizing and decorating other areas of the house.

First up was the entry. The entry still needs a rug and lighting, but it's nice to have a mirror up and a little console. This desk was my great grandmothers that she passed to me years ago and was sitting at my dads house. I decide to strip, sand, and paint it for this space.

The little bench was an antique Japanese chair that had an extremely high back. I found it at a thrift store for about $5. We removed the back and covered it in a stripe fabric.

Oh, and if you need lemons, come on by! We have about two buckets worth :)



Here is the before: 




In the living room (which was clean for the shower!), I finally put something up on the walls and got a mirror for over the fireplace. I've collected prints over the years from different antique shops, the Alameda Flea Market, and most recently I shopped Chloe Warner of Redmond Aldrich Design sale where I was able to grab a few more. I also picked up the mirror from her sale. 




I mentioned this in the last post, but we are still working with all our previous homes furniture other than the coffee table. This window area drives me nuts right now, but it'll get done eventually! And I just noticed our coffee table is too far over, we probably moved it for the shower :) 


I'll continue to share more photos as we make progress. I might take photos of where we are at in the bathrooms, kitchen, and living spaces as well. Although not all shots will be pretty, the blog is a nice place for our family to have a little journal of progress!

House Progress: Living Room


Sources: RugStockings

I'm trying to hold myself accountable to sharing more pics of the house since moving in! Here is a shot of the living room. I wish I would have taken these the day after Thanksgiving when our tree and wreath were still alive...that's the downfall of rushing out to get your Christmas tree, but I love to extend this time of year as long as possible ;)

We haven't done much other than: 
  • Paint the walls and fireplace
  • Remove the drapery rod
  • Change the flooring
  • Replace the baseboards
  • Replace the outlets (this makes a HUGE difference in a house and I highly recommend)
All the furniture is from our previous place (including throw pillows which we really need to upgrade) in Tiburon other than the coffee table that we found at an antique store in Sebastopol. Chris actually saw it first and I kinda passed it by but I quickly came back around! I love it. 

Sources: Rug, Stockings


Long term would be drapery, new seating, fix the fireplace, and a few other things (the biggest of them being behind this photo is a wall that we will take down opening up to the kitchen). What we have will work for now, we definitely need some art on the walls. And if you're wondering how we keep it white (most people do), we have slipcovered seating, and as far as this rug goes, it definitely gets dirty. Santa is bringing a spot cleaner machine which I'm excited about :)

Here's a quick reminder of where we started: 


It's always amazing what paint can do to a space. I think the fireplace being white opens up this space a ton. Our TV is where the lamp is in this photo if you're wondering where it's hiding.



Here is looking towards the Dining Room which is just to the right of the windows. 


Before shots of that wall and the dining area, shared in this post


I'll try and share more again soon. I love having this diary of what we've gotten done over the months. Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 




EXTRA SPECIAL HOLIDAY CARD!

cards by minted

This year we sent out extra special Christmas cards! We can't wait to meet baby GIRL this Spring! Our family is feeling very grateful this season. We hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

PEPPERMINT BARK BROWNIE COOKIES



One of my favorites, Liz Adams, made these cookies last week and I couldn't resist! I love trying new Christmas cookie recipes, so knowing we had a Christmas party coming up, I decided it was the perfect excuse to make a batch (not that you need one!).

They did not disappoint! Even Chris, who does not like peppermint...was into them. They truly are the perfect Christmas cookie.

The recipe is here. I didn't top with any extra peppermint which would have made them look much more festive, but I really like how the peppermint flavor turned out, not too overwhelming!

Here is a link to the peppermint bark I used, I did not use an actual bar.

Hope you like them as much as we do...I just had one for breakfast ;)


House Progress: Dining Room


Sunshine! We haven’t seen you in a while. Love how this room gets the morning light. Also, I know I shared lots of before pics of the house but never any since we’ve moved in. Honestly, we haven’t done too much so there isn’t a ton to share, but I’m going to start posting a few pics of before and after thus far! See this room before below. Nothing new here but paint, floors, and we removed the doors separating this room from the living. All of the furniture, etc. is from our old place. Someday we’ll install lighting so our guests don’t have to eat in the dark ;)


Nordstrom Anniversary Sale


Have you heard? There is a Nordstrom Anniversary Sale going on. Kidding! I know most of you are probably sick of hearing about it...but here I am! 

Also, more importantly, do you watch Schitt's Creek? It has to be one of my favorite shows that's come around in a really long time. Home Edit posted a few clips a while back in their insta stories and I was hooked in that moment. It's hilarious. Eugene Levy and son Daniel Levy nailed it. 

I watched all seasons within a week and let me tell you it was dark days when it was over. I can't wait for the next season and I definitely revisit the past seasons regularly. 

Why am I talking about it during the Anniversary sale? Daniel Levy (above) was a part of some of the advertising you've seen around - so it was necessary.  Last thing, if you don't follow Daniel Levy and costar Annie Murphy on social media, you are missing out!

Put on your Sonoma Lavender Neck Wrap and let's get started! If you don't have one of these I highly recommend. I have several items from the Sonoma Lavender line from Nordstrom and they are amazing. They smell delicious. Some lavenders don't smell good to me, but this lavender is unique...it's more organic smelling. Is that a thing? Organic smelling? It smells like an actual lavender field. It soothes your tired neck and shoulders. Perfect for a fall or winter night in. 


Now that you're relaxed, let's throw on a mask. This is not part of the Anniversary Sale, but, they do have a gift with purchase right now and I'm hearing the Beauty sample bags coming through with Beauty purchases are unreal. I am a die hard Fresh Cosmetics gal. Have been since I lived in Boston and we had a shop on Newbury Street. My go-to mask is their Rose. It's like a mini trip to the Spa. The sugar face polish has the same spa effect on me. It smells unreal and leaves your face silky smooth. I also use their moisturizer and serum



Lighting a candle while you're sitting there with your neck wrap and face mask really sets the mood. Every year I like to pick up this candle set from Voluspa. You can break up the package and use it as a stocking stuffer, too. 



After all that relaxing, it's time to hit the gym. Who I am kidding, it's time to put on my leggings with no intention to work out for the day. Zella is a brand that I picked up 2 Nordstrom Anniversary sales ago that was a very smart move. Normally $54, right now $35. The crop are also my go-to's. 


If you are over the basic black but like black leggings (so slimming) I recommend these



While on the topic of Leggings, last year I got two pairs of Spanx leggings while they were on sale (here and here) and it was a huge score. I noticed this year they didn't add the velvet back but they still have a few sizes in the leather. Both pairs are slimming, but comfortable which is very very very important to me. 


Speaking of leather, this time not faux :(, this is a great time to grab the leather jacket you've been eyeing. Such a staple in my wardrobe, I picked mine up a few years back during the sale. I think this is almost a replica of the one I grabbed. Normally $299, on sale for $199. This one is similar and also very cute ($249 sale, $450 after the sale)!




Last but not least, I love grabbing a sweater, flats, or boots to wear all winter long. These booties have had my name on them since the start of the early access sale and I might have to pull the trigger. The problem is I have like 2 other pairs that are very similar. Also can't decide on a color! They're all so different!




I don't wear high boots that often anymore, but if I were picking up a pair I might grab these over the knees. Feeling these with a flowy dress or flowy top. 


Almost done! But I can't forget the babies and kiddos. I saw a few deals that I have to share. 

First up is the Nuna stroller. We love our Nuna. We beat our stroller/carseat up over and over (lots of travel) and it still performed well for us. The Nuna Mixx is currently on sale and it comes with the carseat and stroller. 


The Dockatot is also on sale. I never had one of these but I know everyone always raves about them. 



We bought so many of these Halo sleepsacks for Sloan. They are currently on sale for $25 instead of $39. 


We invested in a Patagonia Down Sweater last year for Sloan and I think he wore it every single day of the winter/cold spring days. Best investment ever. 


I've always loved these Vans for Sloan. He has a few pairs and they always last us long enough to pass down to my nephew!