New Pillows

I got new pillows!  Taking a few more steps here to add accessories to my house! 

These Blue Damask pillows are going to go on the couch in our Master Bedroom.  I ordered them from Etsy, and I can't wait to see how they work out.  It will be great to have some pattern added to the room.

I also ordered this pillow from Etsy as well, but this one will be an accent pillow in the living room.  Or that's the plan!

I also bought a couple of these pillows from World Market not too long ago (they look very similar to ones that Pottery Barn has too).  I got the natural to go in the living room, and the aqua to go on the bed in our Master Bedroom.

Tara

Fun with PUMPKINS! ...Inspired by Martha Stewart

I'm getting excited that September is almost here, mainly because I'm hoping that sooner rather than later we get cooler weather.  It is soo hot!  I love it when the leaves start to fall off the trees and the cool crisp air arrives.  I love putting out my fall wreath and buying pumpkins to decorate the entryway with.  It's always fun when the seasons change!  I especially love the holiday season and getting together with family.  However, I don't know if my sister always looks foward to the weekends I visit them or when they come visit us, as I will admit I tend to get a little too excited and go overboard with planning activities to do with the kids and places to take them to.  Okay, I know she does look forward to our time together, but I probably do drive my sister a little batty! :)  At least I can admit it, right?

Last year when my sister and her family came to visit my husband and I during October, we visited the Houston Zoo for "Boo at the Zoo" and then we came back to the house to decorate pumpkins and make cupcakes.  It was such a fun time, and I wanted to share this idea with you as a new way of decorating pumpkins other than the traditional way of carving them. 

I saw this idea on Martha Stewart's website and thought it was a great way for the kids to be more hands on and get creative (since they need a little more supervision to carve the pumpkins).  I bought all different types of candy for them to use for hair, eyes, nose and mouth.  We also used construction paper to make hats.  We used toothpicks to secure the candy and paper to the pumpkins.  My sister and I The kids really got into it!!  :) I think their pumpkins turned out awesome. 

Since the little one was only a year and a half at the time, we let her join in the fun by using Halloween stickers to decorate her little pumpkin.  It turned out really cute.

**These pics were taken on my iphone, so they weren't the best, but at least you get the idea. 

What's your favorite way to decorate pumpkins??  Do you have any special traditions you've started with your kids for fall or Halloween?

I'm linking up to Domestically Speaking's Countdown to Autumn Linky Party.  Click here to get fall decorating ideas, recipes and lots of other fun stuff!

Tara

Picker Sisters

I just recently saw Picker Sisters, and I'm already hooked!!!  If you haven't seen the show yet, it's on Lifetime.  Go catch an episode as soon as you can, and then come back so we can chat more about it!! 

To summarize, Tracy and Tanya are best friends who are interior decorators and opened their own store in LA....BUT to fill their store, they drive across I-10 through states such as Texas, Louisiana and Alabama to find random places that have lots of scraps and junk.  (I just want to add they are from Texas!)  They dig through people's junk and come up with amazing ideas of how to turn it into furniture, light fixtures, etc...  Their style is really eclectic and is a mix of rustic with industrial and modern twists!  To top it off they are gorgeous, dress really cute and are so funny together.  Feels like you are going on a roadtrip yourself with two great friends.  So fun!!  It's also hilarious to watch the people's reactions when they talk about what they are going to make from the random piece of scrap metal or chain.  The men look at them like they are out of their minds...and some even tell them that!  But when they do reveal their final pieces, they are amazing and so cool!  I would LOVE to visit their store.

HERE ARE TRACY & TANYA

Here they are in their fabulous store, "I-10".  Notice the awesome light fixture on the wall behind them.  I love! And  look at the gorgeous chandelier they made in the pic below.

Oh and let's not forgot to mention Alan the man behind the scenes that helps all of their ideas come together.  He's quite the character as well. 

***All pictures taken from myLifetime.com

Now go watch!!  I can't wait to see what they do next...I'm getting Obsessed!!! hah

Tara

School Days

It's been a little while now since I've been in school and had my first day of the school year, but today I'm thinking about my beautiful nieces and nephew as they started back to school today.  Well the little one still only goes to day care just a couple of times a week.  I know they were really excited and even a little nervous about the first day of school, and I'm wishing that the day went very well for them!! I know it was always such an exciting time to get ready in your new clothes and have your new school supplies, and then go to school to see what friends are in your class.  Oh so exciting! 

What I'm happy about today is that I am able to look back on this past summer and know that I was able to spend a few wonderful weekends with my sister and her family and enjoy precious time with my nieces and nephew.  On one of their visits, we went to the Houston Children's Museum, which I think they really loved!  It was a fun-filled day for sure.  Upon another visit back home, we went to the pool and beach.  I loved getting to see them swim, especially the little one that's only 2!  She picked up swimming so fast and turned into a little fish in the water.  Just precious!!  We also spent the 4th of July with them, which included fishing and fireworks.  I love them so much, and I'm so lucky that we created so many wonderful memories this summer! 

This was at the Children's Museum, in the Kidtropolis City, where they "had to get jobs", then they learned how to fill out deposit slips to deposit their paychecks, and then learned how to use a bank card to withdraw money.  Good lessons while playing!

His job was a security guard at the bank.

Her job was a forensic detective.

Climbing the Power Tower.

Then there was the little one, who was having a ball!  She was busy busy all day so enchanted by all of the activity that she wouldn't even hardly look up to take a picture. haha

She finally looked up for a second in this one, so I could get a shot of that sweet face!

POOL and BEACH TIME:

4th of JULY

Love them so much!!  Happy 1st Day of School!

Tara

New Rugs

Okay, you know I've talked about how I would like to start adding more accents and layers in our home.  Well, I'm starting to do that, but very slowly.  Baby steps here!  I've recently gotten these new accent rugs to add around our home in spots such as in front of the kitchen sink and the front entryway.  

(Got this one in a 3x5)

(again, this one is a 3x5)

(We got this one in the green and as a runner)

Like I said, I'll get there slowly!  Maybe even work my way up to a big area rug!!!

Hope all of you have a fantastic weekend.

Tara

The Help

I finally got to see The Help last night!  I read this book last year in a Book Club, and it instantly was added to my all time favorite books list.  I was so attached to the characters and was so sad when the book ended.  I know a lot of you have probably read it by now, but if not, you MUST read it!  It is also a great book for book club as it definitely leads to great in depth discussions.

As for the movie, it didn't disappoint!!  They did a terrific job of staying true to the storyline in the book, which is greatly appreciated!  You never know what you are going to get when books are made into movies, but in this case, it was wonderful to see how they portrayed the characters.  LOVED it! 

I went with a group of girls to see the movie at Studio Movie Grill, which is a theater that also serves food and drinks.  It was a great time.  Nothing better than enjoying a night out with the girls for a good movie and wine!  of course there was plenty of tears and laughter!  Don't forget to have tissues handy.....well that is if you are a cryer like me. 

Tara

What a wonderful husband...

I'm back from Colorado!  I drove back with my mom after her visit here in Texas.  Of course the drive was long, but we did it over two days.  We enjoyed getting to just talk and take in the beautiful scenery! (well that is when we got into New Mexico and Colorado - I do love living in Texas, but I must admit the scenery just doesn't compare!)  As I mentioned a couple of times already, I celebrated my birthday last week, and my husband surprised me with this:

I was so excited and shocked!!!  We knew we wanted a nice new camera, but we had decided to wait until Christmas.  However, my wonderful husband knows how much I love taking pictures (not that I'm good at it), but he didn't want me to have to wait any longer.  Isn't he great?!  We have some other small trips planned, and we'll get to use our new camera now!! I'm just thrilled. 

That also means I'll get to take better pictures to post on my blog, so you'll get to benefit from this too!  ;)

Tara



My Birthday

Today was my Birthday!! Or well, now I guess I should say yesterday was my birthday.  It's been a wonderful birthday week already.  Yes, I said week, not day as I like to celebrate my birthday for an extended period. haha I actually like to celebrate the entire month if possible!  I love receiving phone calls from friends and family that I might not get to talk to as often as I would like.  I love reading the sweet notes written on birthday cards.  And of course the presents and cake aren't too shabby either! But above all, it's wonderful to spend TIME with loved ones to celebrate!  I've been lucky to have my mom with me all of this week, and I'm actually leaving to go back to Colorado with her for a few days as she lives there now.  We've had such a great time just hanging out and chatting, and I'm already going to miss her like crazy when I come back home and she's no longer here, but I'll be grateful for the time we've spent together! I miss her so much!!  Unfortunately, I've been sick the last couple of days, so I feel like we didn't get to do as much out and about, but maybe it's a blessing that we've just been able to lounge around together - I feel like we rarely give ourselves the opportunity to do that. 

This past year was amazing! I'm married to a wonderful man, and my life is blessed in so many ways.  Hope the next year is even better!  Here's to the last year of my twenties...

 

Tara

Belize

We went to BELIZE at the begginging of June this summer, and I talked a bit about it (see the post for Summer Love), but I never did a full post detailing the trip, so I wanted to share a little more with you. 

Where we stayed:   Las Terrazas on Ambergris Caye, Belize.  We flew into Belize City, and then took a small hopper plane over to the island we were staying on (which I loved and got a front row seat as I got to sit next to the pilot!).  We then took a small boat ride to our resort.  Upon our arrival at the pier, we were greeted with small damp handtowels to wipe our hands/faces and also Rum Punch!  Perfect greeting in my book!  We were traveling with two other couples, so we stayed in a 3 bedroom/3 bath condo right on the beach.  The resort was small and calm, so I wouldn't say it was a place to take kids or go to if you are interested in lots of night life.  It was perfect for relaxation and serene days of lounging at the pool or beachside and soaking up sun!

View from the plane

 View of our resort from the boat

Our room

What we ate:  Conch Fritters, Ceviche, Goat Cheese and Shrimp Quesadillas, and Pupusas and with that, we drank a lot of fruity tropical drinks and of course ate a lot of other things!

Conch Fritters

Pupusas

At the bar drinking fruity drinks

This was our favorite bar that we went to almost daily as it was halfway to town and well, a good stopping point to break up the drive.  It was wonderful to sit out on the water just taking in the views with a cold drink. I think we could have spent hours just doing that....oh wait, I think we did!

What we did:  When we weren't eating, but still drinking of course, we did the following:

We spent many hours lounging at the pool.

Or laying on the beach taking in views like these.

Fed the tarpon!  And yes, it did jump up and try to swallow my whole hand!! YIKES!!  Four other people had fed them and they didn't do anything but take the sardine and go about their business.  So when I finally got the nerve to do it, of course it would decide it wanted more to eat than the little fish I gave it. haha  It did scare me, but I only had lots of scratches on my hand.  Luckily they don't have big teeth!  (this is my husband's favorite picture by the way!)

We had kayaks right at our resort that we could use to kayak out to the reef about 300 yards off of the beach and go snorkeling.  It's one of the biggest reefs only second to Australia and the sights were unbelievable.  So fun!

Jeff and some others in the group went fishing.  One of the girls and I went to the spa instead to get a massage and facial!  Didn't get pics but it was pretty fantastic.  Followed with lunch at the pool and more lounging in the sun!

We went into town most days to eat lunch or dinner and see other resorts and restaurants.  I love that the buildings are so bright and colorful.

And yes, this is what we drove around in to get into town on the dirt roads.  :)  We loved it! 

Jeff driving the golf cart...but I just really LOVE how the building is painted in the background, so had to include this picture.

Some nights we did just walk to dinner.  Strolling along the beach is always so peaceful to me - the sound of the waves and the soft sand on your toes! Complete bliss to me.  Wish we were there again! 

Till next time....

Tara