Finishing Touches

Accessorizing a room takes time despite the insta-rooms we see on tv. I'm trying my best to finish up two rooms right now, my living room and the kids' game room. This is why my cart at Homegoods was piled embarrassingly high with home decor a couple of days ago. I had no idea if many of the things I bought would work once they were in the room, but the good thing is that I can always take back whatever I don't use. I'm not finished yet and still have even more things to buy, but I can already see the fireplace wall taking shape.






I had planned on buying two white vases for the mantel and I found the perfect one, but the problem is there was only one in the store. Isn't that the way it always works out? I bought it anyway and will stalk Homegoods until they bring another one in.






I absolutely adore the new platter, but I'm not sure it goes here so I'm keeping the tag on for now.



I didn't even realize the picture frames needed to be replaced until I started putting it all together. And, I'm fully aware the basket of books is a hot mess. I'll just keep shopping and rearranging until I find the right combination.



Mario also got a doggie accessory. I'm hoping he'll stay off the white sofa and chairs now that he has a new bed. I think he might like it. He laid on it for a while the first night and then promptly "marked" it. Thank goodness it's washable and that he hasn't felt the need for a repeat performance. Don't you just love the way he blends into the fabric? Oh, and that's one of the kids dirty socks he's chewing on. Nice.

I also bought new pillows and hung pictures of the boys up in the game room. At least this wall is finished.






I really love the way this room is turning out. The boys don't have much to say about it, but they do like watching tv and playing video games in here a lot more lately. That's good enough for me because it keeps them off the white sofa and chairs in the living room!

Because It's Hot, Really Hot

What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear someone say Houston? I bet you're thinking hot or humid. Beyonce is probably the second. I promise we have other things going on here-a booming economy, one of the most multi-cultural cities in the country, and inexpensive housing (debatable depending on where you choose to live). But, the heat takes center stage. Most of the people in my area are not originally from Texas. Actually, I'm struggling to think of one person in my neighborhood that grew up here besides me. It's always funny when they first move here. They just rave about how great it is...and then summer hits. As we're approaching summer, I'm mentally preparing myself for the many months of heat and dreaming of a pool. Here are some of my favorites.








I'll take any one of these, please.

Trip Planning: Napa Valley

I have always wanted to visit Napa Valley my entire adult life, and in a few short weeks I'll finally be there! No kids, wine, beautiful scenery, great food, more wine...it's going to be good. I'm having so much fun planning and looking at the amazing pictures. Of course, I have to share it all with you!

Doesn't this remind you of the movie "A Walk in the Clouds" with Keanu Reeves? It was a good movie, but the scenery is why I have watched it several times.





I'm still trying to decide on the hot air balloons. I don't have a fear of heights, but I do have a fear of falling. I don't know if there's a difference, but I'm okay being up high as long as it doesn't feel like I'm going to tumble to my death. I may have to just take pictures from the ground.


The wine train might be a better option.


I'm still trying to decide on which wineries to visit. Any suggestions?



Cappola Winery






Castello di Amorosa

Vittorio Sattui


It wasn't easy finding a place to stay because there are just too many great options. My husband swears Yountville is the place to be and since he's been there a few times recently for work (I know, right?), I'm going to take his advice.









Auberge du Soleil








Bardessono




Hotel Yountville


And the food...





Osso Bucco

I will be at Bouchon every single day.

Michael Chiarello's Cafe





I will probably pick my restaurants based on how cute they are. Is that strange? Don't answer that. I can't wait to leave, but I think planning is half the fun!

DIY Chevron Pinboard

This is one project I can finally cross off my list!



Several years ago, I bought a corkboard at Wal-Mart for about $7 to put in my son's room to display his artwork. He never used it, so I decided to put it in our home office. I've been meaning to revamp it for a while, but I'm not really a crafty person. I was secretly hoping I'd come across the perfect pinboard I could just buy and make my life easier. After almost a year of looking and refusing to pay $300 for a damn corkboard (sorry, but that's just criminal), I finally decided to DIY it. I found a gray and white chevron fabric that was only $13 a yard so there were no more excuses.

After my husband took off the frame, it took me about ten minutes to cut and staple gun the fabric on the corkboard. It's not so pretty from the back, but no one will see that.




Then, I used decorative nailhead trim around the edges. My husband picked these up at the fabric/craft store for me. Now, that's love!




I started off measuring the left side with perfect 2.5 inch spacing. That was really annoying so I just eyeballed the rest and it turned out fine with a little adjusting.




Here it is in the office.



I'm not sure if that is really where I want it to go since I'm still tweaking the furniture and artwork. I was worried about making holes in the wall and then having to touch-up the paint if I decide to move it later on. Luckily, I had some Command picture hanging strips around that I never used.



I was not convinced these would hold the pinboard even though it isn't particularly heavy. I held it in place for thirty seconds per the instructions half expecting it to come crashing down when I let go, but it's still on the wall. Amazing!



This is hanging right above the kids' backpacks so it's a perfect spot to pin up papers and birthday invitations that I need to address right away. I have a tray for each of the kids in the office, but once it gets filed away I have a tendency to forget about it. I really need to have something visible to jog my scrambled/stressed out mom brain. It goes perfectly with the office and it took less than half an hour. Now, I'm kind of mad at myself for putting it off for so long!

Why I Didn't Choose a Loveseat

My second armchair is finally here!



I didn't realize not getting a loveseat was going to be such a topic of conversation with friends and family. Buying new sofas does seem to be an ingrained process. You go to the furniture store and buy a matching sofa and loveseat, maybe a side chair or recliner too. I rocked the boat and opted not to buy a loveseat for several reasons.

The first, is that I didn't like looking at the back of my loveseat from the kitchen and breakfast room. Most people can put a sofa table behind the loveseat to solve this problem, but it didn't look right since I have that weird half wall thing going on. A sofa table next to the half wall just looked weird. The side benefit of having chairs is that I have a better view into the living room. Before, it felt completely blocked off by the loveseat. In this small space, that wasn't a good thing.




A second reason, is that I can eventually move these chairs around. I'm still considering moving them to face the sofa, which is my favorite combination. Moving the tv over the fireplace would be necessary with this layout, but installing the tv turned there turned out to be a lot more complicated than I first thought. We're going to stick to this arrangement for now.

I mentioned it before, but I really don't like sharing a loveseat with someone. I prefer to have my own chair and I'm sure my guests feel the same way. Don't you always feel like you're going to accidentally kick or elbow the person next to you?

Since you last saw this room. I moved my sea green Windsor Riad pillow back in and rearranged the mantel a bit. I finally found a spot between the chairs for my little side table I bought on sale at Target. I thought it was so cute and picked it up months ago even though I had no place to put it.




Is the ceiling fan driving you crazy? I curse it every single day. My husband and I have a disagreement about it. He thinks we will die this summer without a fan in here. I think we'll be fine without it. I'm going to wait a few months and see how necessary it really is before making a change. I'm sure I'll be right!