What I've Been Up To Tuesday

Things have been quietly here lately, so I thought I'd randomly appear to tell ya what's been going on. 

 I'm prepping for another conference in Michigan, so I've been a little swamped with all those details. I'm also hosting a bridal shower for my soon-to-be sister-in-law the day before I leave for Livonia.  There's nothing like hosting a party at your house to get you in gear to decorate...and/or REdecorate. 

 So....we finally decided to redecorate the "sitting" room and turn it into a little game room.  Let me just tell you that when we first moved in, we had NO idea what we were going to do with that little space.  We threw pictures up on the wall and decorated it the night before my sisters bridal shower {at 3 a.m. in the morning!!!} two years ago and it's stayed the same ever since.  We've been taking our sweet time and we've finally come up with something we're THRILLED about!!!  So...here's what she looks like now....

SO dark!!!  And SCARY!!!!!!

 That table cracks me up because it's 12 sizes too small for the room.  The pictures on the wall are slightly askew....that couchish looking thing reminds me of something from the 60's...and that rug.  Oh, that rug.  #firstworldproblems.  I'm not complaining because it's served it's purpose the last few years as an absolutely nothing room, but it's time for a change. 

The pictures are coming off the wall.  The couch is going bye-bye.  We just got new rugs and my brother is building me a square/low to the ground game table.  I'm getting some poufs...a couple of new chairs...and a new loveseat...and some fun pillows to tie everything together.  Here's a peek....

I'm adding some baskets to the top of the bookshelves...putting a rustic'ish' mirror above the new loveseat...and adding light sconces on either side of that.  We're taking out the claw foot table and putting in a decorated bar cart.  The game table will be low to the ground and those tufted chairs will flank either side of it.  I'm just hoping my vision turns out to be as cute as I think it will :)  We'll see!

Have I told you about our kitchen yet?  The day before we moved into this house the homeowners asked to meet with us.  We went through the house with them...room by room...and you could tell how much they LOVED their little place.   They told us all the stories about what went into building the house...how much they pored over every single decision...and at the heart of it all was their baby...the kitchen.

This is my range.  In case you think your eyes are deceiving you, those are, in fact, roosters.  Roosters.  Painted onto the backsplash.  This was my least favorite part of the house when we purchased and I had EVERY intention of ripping those tiles out as soon as we moved in.  But I didn't.  And they've grown on me.  The previous homeowner painted them himself.  He and his sweet little wife LOVED them.  And if I'm being honest, I kinda feel bad taking them out.  And like I said, they really have grown on me.   I love that this little house has a story to tell and I love that these roosters pay homage to the family who built it.

All that to be said, we're slated to have our cabinets painted starting next week!!!!  YAY!!!  While I really do love the color of these cabinets, it's just not my style.  We really want to brighten the space up a bit, so we're painting them white...well, cream.  And we're adding a pop of color on the pantry door.  And all the decor is finding a new home.  Except the roosters, of course ;)

I found these amazing ladderback chairs at a recent trade days and I'm in the process of stripping them.  The paint was chipping something awful and while I loved the look, I knew it would only be a matter of time before my boys started peeling the layers off one at a time.  These are going around the table in my breakfast nook.  I only bought two because I want a fun, eclectic look in that space.

These are two different chairs I bought at an antique fair a month ago.  I just finished painting them and now I need to find fabric for the seats.  These will go in my breakfast nook, too!

As you can see, I'm a big fan of white.  Plain and simple.  But I love it.  

Now let me take a second to brag on my brother.  He has been gifted so much talent!  I was at an antique auction not too long ago and found this balustrade table I wanted, but I didn't love the price tag.  SO, I commissioned my brother to make me something similar and I couldn't be more excited about it!!!!  It's just BEAUTIFUL!!!  It needs another coat, then I'll sand & stain over it to give it a weathered look.  

If you live in the Houston area and you're in need of new furniture, my brother can hook you up.  Did I ever tell y'all that he helped design and build our outdoor kitchen and deck, too?!

I started decorating for Christmas. Yes, already.  And I don't feel the least bit bad about it.  I love this time of the year and I want to enjoy the decorations as long as I can.  We spend a lot of our holiday time out of town, so the earlier we can put things up,the better.  My boys are SO excited to decorate our trees tonight!!!  43 more days, but who's counting?!  

And I'm not sure if you knew this, but coffee is thismuch better when it's served by Santa ;)

Speaking of coffee, I just discovered that Sonic has the BEST coffee ever!!!  Forget paying $5 for a grande from Starbucks.  There's just something about this particular roast that I LOVE.  Plus, the nearest Starbucks is 20 miles away ;)

When I'm not redecorating and painting everything white, I'm spending time with the fam.  Here's just a few fun pics from the last week courtesy of my little iCamera.  The worst quality ever, but they'll do just fine :)  

Now I'm off to finish painting!!!    Happy Tuesday!