A lovely weekend

This weekend felt perfect.  I got a lot of my "to do" items done, but also had a lot of family time.  It didn't feel like I was necessarily doing chores, but just having fun.

Saturday was filled with family.  Bill and I met up with my parents, as well as Deanna and Brent for breakfast.  I love going out for breakfast.  Then Bill and I had a blast running all over town finishing errands and doing a little bit of grocery shopping. 

When we got home, we did a bit of cleaning and a bit of relaxing.  We followed that with hosting a Chinese dinner for my mom's side of the family.  It turned out to only be eight of us, but it was so inviting, and intimate, that I thought it turned out perfectly.  We laughed a lot and just had a really great time.

After dinner I got to reconnect with some friends that I hadn't seen in awhile.  It always feels good to see old friends.

Sunday was another great day.  I slept in and then Bill and I went and worked out at the gym.  Lunch at the Pita Pit and a trip to my happy place, aka Target, completed what felt like a great afternoon.  We even went to Lowes to buy a ladder and summer gutter stuff to fix our gutter that the ice had pulled down.  Somehow, this boring task of fixing our gutters didn't even seem like a pain.  Something about fixing the place that you call home can bring about a great feeling of accomplishment.  It was also a good thing we did this as we woke up at 3am to a serious thunderstorm/tornado warning, and a torrential downpour.  So glad the gutters were fixed to help with the drainage!

So while the weekend went extremely fast, I wouldn't have wanted to do anything differently.  It was perfect.  Even the part where I had to scrub the shower...

Friday Favorites

I thought it might be fun to look at a few of my favorite things right now...

  

1.  I'd love to have this laundry basket from Pier 1.  Something about it makes me want to be very domestic.  It is much prettier than the standard plastic laundry baskets.

Photo courtesy of Pier 1

2.  I'd also love this three tiered basket for our half bath downstairs.  I first saw it on the Home and Harmony blog and fell in love!  A cute, yet functional addition it would be. 

Photo courtesy of Pier 1

3.  Anthropologie has me swooning over most of their things.  I currently have their volcano candle in our living room and burn it about everyday. 

Photo courtesy of Anthropologie

4.  I wouldn't mind having this for the kitchen either!

Photo courtesy of Anthropologie

5.  One last thing that is currently listed as one of my favorites are these jeans by GAP.  I actually already have these, and they are so cute and comfortable. 

Photo courtesy of the GAP

It is hard to find jeans that I really like so I bought two pairs while I was there.  They are a pit pricey, but definitely worth it.  The only negative is that they are a little bit more of a high waist jean than what I am used to, and the waist seems to stretch out throughout the day.   A belt cures all of this though! 

So those are just a few of the things I'm currently obsessing over.  I think I might have to run to Pier 1 this weekend for that laundry basket...we shall see.

Here's to a fun, relaxing weekend.

Cheers!

Busy Day

Today has been one of those days that started out with good intentions, but seemed to slowly slip away.  I woke up this morning ready to be productive (I even made the bed for once!).  I am implementing a new cleaning system that I am hoping will really stick (more on that later) and at work I was prepared to knock off a huge chunk of my to-do list. 

photo courtesy via

Unfortunately, things don't always go as planned.  For one, I didn't necessarily jump eagerly out of bed...it was more like dragging/forcing myself after I hit snooze for a half hour.  Nonetheless, I did make the bed, put my clothes in the hamper, and played with Brooklyn a little bit before I left for work.  I'd call that a success!

At work, I was ready to get all the things I'd been procrastinating done...unfortunately, I decided to read a few blogs and got sidetracked.  I did finally get to work though, but my afternoon was shot with meetings, so I didn't even get one full item off my list.  So depressing. 

I'm eager to get home, because I actually want to knock my nightly chores out (again, I hope this new cleaning system works).  Here's to hoping I don't get sidetracked by the television or my book for book club. 

Anybody else ever get as sidetracked as I do?  There always seems to be something more entertaining to do!  I just can't help myself.

Downton Abbey

photo courtesy of PBS

Has anyone else watched Downton Abbey on PBS?  I learned about it through Hooked on Houses, and have been watching via the PBS website.  I can't get over the costumes, the dramatic story lines, and that huge house that is Downton Abbey.  I definitely recommend it to anyone that thinks it might be up their alley.  I think it will be on the PBS website through 2/22/11 for anyone that wants to watch.  I promise you will fall in love!  And the website says more episodes will becoming in 2012! 

Happy Love Day!

Happy Valentine's Day to the one I love!  Thanks for loving me!

I also wanted to send out a happy valentine's wish to everyone else!  I hope today is filled with lots of love and joy!  So go hug/love on someone that means a lot to you...even if it is just your dog!  I know Brooklyn will be getting lots of love from us today!

Weekend Fun

Here's to hoping this weekend is a success!  Tonight I am taking Bill out for his Birthday (it was Tuesday) and then out for drinks with some friends.  I haven't told him where I am taking him, so I hope he likes it.

Other things on my to-do list this weekend...

• Organize the office
• Start my dream home binder
• Clean the kitchen floor
• Go to good will to try and find the materials to make one of these:

photo courtesy Ready Made

Wishing you a lovely relaxing weekend!

xoxo

Linds

A True Life

2011 is destined to be a great year.  There are so many exciting things that are happening in our household.  After all, Bill and are getting married October 1, 2011, and I can't wait!  Also, our one year anniversary of purchasing our first home is March 31.  Two very big milestones if you ask me. 

I've decided that I want a place to share our story, our "true" life if you will (I say "true" because that will be my new last name come October!).  I want to be able to look back and have pictures and words to help remind me of these moments in our lives.  I want to reflect more and learn to appreciate the everyday happenings, rather than just the huge milestones.

I've also recently become obsessed with all things home related.  I can't stop reading decorating magazines, blogs and I continually find myself browsing through home stores.  It's an obsession.  I want to learn new ways to organize and simplify our life and house, all while learning to live with what we have, but still dream about what the future holds.

So welcome to "a 'true' life...love and home."