My Biggest Project Ever!

Sorry, for the one post last week. I needed a vacation from my vacation, lol. It was also the last week of school for my boys. You moms know how crazy that can be with all of the end of year activities going on.

But, that's not all that happened last week. We also signed a contract to put in a swimming pool! The entire family is so excited. I'm hoping that it will be completed by July 4th, but that will only happen if it doesn't rain the entire month. Realistically, it will probably be mid-July, but that's just in time for my son's 11th birthday. I'll take a pool party over a paintball party any day!

There are some major decisions to make this week about the design. My husband and I have some very different ideas so it's been...challenging. We have agreed on a free form pool instead of a rectangular one due to the size constraints of our backyard. The decking is going to be a stamped concrete, but we have no idea what pattern or color. Thankfully, we get to see samples soon. The coping around the pool will be flagstone. What we're trying to decide on right now is whether to go with rock waterfalls or a stacked stone wall behind the pool. The stone wall also has waterfalls, but just not as dramatically as the rocks. Here are a few pools in our town to give you an idea of what it will look like.

Rock Waterfalls

 

Stacked Stone Walls











Or, maybe a little wall with a rock waterfall.




Which do you prefer?

I'm back from California!

My husband and I had such a great time, and I still can't believe we experienced so much in six days as I look over our photos. We spent most of our time in Napa Valley since I have wanted to go there for years after reading a magazine article about a family who owned a winery there. They were pictured celebrating harvest with a picnic in their vineyard and the scenery took my breath away. I saved that article for years, but it disappeared somewhere when I moved into this house. Since I rarely take trips without the kids, I was starting to wonder if I'd ever visit Napa and put it on the back burner until some friends of ours mentioned they were going to get married near wine country and my husband just happened to have business out there at the same time. I had no reason to wait any longer!

My husband has been to Napa Valley before and suggested we stay in Yountville instead of the town of Napa. I wasn't too sure about it, but I trusted him on this one and I'm so glad I did. Yountville is the most picturesque town with the best restaurants and everything is in walking distance. I wish I could describe how wonderful this town smells too because of the honeysuckle planted everywhere. I'm going to be planting it at my house as soon as possible!




Our B&B, Maison Fleurie



I've never stayed at a bed and breakfast before, but I just loved the French country appeal of this place. Our room was not in the main hotel like most B&Bs, but in a cottage on the property. It was nice to have the privacy without sacrificing the charm. And, that it just happened to back up to Bouchon Bakery was nice, too.

Street View of the Town




Cute, cute homes...










Dining



We had dinner here our first night because I fell in love with the exterior. Thankfully, the food was great, too. It was just like being in a Paris cafe.





There were some seriously swanky people chowing down on pizza here. I have always wondered what kind of place women wear their Louboutins to and I finally found out. Here! I'd be afraid to wear them out of the house if I ever owned a pair.



Casual dining...because sometimes a girl just needs a hamburger.

Now, on to the entire reason we came to Napa. The wine, of course! There are so many wineries and I had no idea where to start so we decided to take a wine tour our first full day. I wanted to be careful and have a designated driver even though I had no plans to get snockered. We were picked up in a limo along with three other couples for a full day of wine tastings. I only requested one place in the hopes it would be on the list. I shouldn't have worried because the other couples never requested any particular wineries, so our first stop was the one I chose, Castello di Amorosa.



That's a real stone castle. I thought it might be a faux castle with concrete etched out to look like stone when I saw pictures of it since we're in California. But, our driver said it was a real castle in Europe that was taken apart and put back together here.





Can you believe they don't do weddings here?! Talk about missing a great opportunity for income.



Going down to the dungeon for wine tasting. The man pouring the wine was hysterical. He asked where everyone was from with the same response in an Italian accent,"Oh, we ship there, very cheap." It really was the best wine we had on the trip and we will be buying more from their website since you can't find it in stores. If you go to Napa Valley, definitely put this one on your list.

Remember my dream of a picnic in a vineyard? Well, I can now check that one off my list. I knew lunch was included on our tour, but I didn't think it would be just like I imagined it.



I had so much fun with my wine tour cohorts. The couple on the left is also from Texas and were so funny. The Australians on the right are our new friends and we went out the next night to dinner and a food and wine festival downtown with them. The couple across from us are from NYC. They were quiet, but really nice. I'm sure they were thinking what the heck did we get ourselves into with loud Texans and Australians, lol.

More wineries













We toured eight wineries all together. Five of those were on the wine tour. Yes, five wineries in one day! My husband and I learned to share a tasting after the first one. I also skipped out of a couple because I didn't want to be laid out on the floor of the limo since that wasn't the look I was going for. ;)

Scenery









I have so many photos of the landscape and vineyards. I just couldn't stop taking pictures! I have a ton of the hot air balloons, too. We chased these down in the car one morning so I could take pictures. You know how some kids won't leave Disney without seeing their favorite character? I wouldn't leave Napa without seeing hot air balloons. My husband was meh about it, but indulged me at 7am to follow them.

We decided to stay an extra day instead of going to San Francisco so we booked a hotel in the town of Napa. Check out this amazing view from our balcony.



It was so nice to lay out by the pool after two days of wine tasting. I think that's the perfect number of days to spend in Napa Valley or you'll be broke with a hurt liver if you stay longer.

We also headed down to San Francisco, Monterey/Carmel, and finally to our friends' wedding near San Luis Obispo.







Big Basin Redwood Park





Monterey



Carmel-I took this picture with a point and shoot camera so you can only imagine what it looked like in person.

I fell in love with the storybook homes in Carmel-by-the-Sea. I didn't get a chance to take pictures, but I found some photos of the homes there.









Aren't they cute? Most are perched on a hill overlooking the ocean, too.

Sorry, for the long post. Everything was so picturesque that I just kept taking photos. It was a great trip, but I'm so happy to be home and see my kids, puppy, and enjoy my own house. Now, if I just had a view of a vineyard or ocean...

My Favorite Cleaning Secrets

I don't love to clean, but it's a necessary evil every single day with three boys. When I started working part-time I decided to clean just one day a week. I realized that was not going to work when I wasn't finished seven hours later. Now, I try to keep the house clean instead of waiting until it's a complete wreck. There are a few things I've learned along the way to make it so much easier.

Lysol Wipes

I have these in every single bathroom under the sink. I can clean the countertops, vanities, and toilets in 2-3 minutes. It has to be done every day in my boys' bathroom because between the toothpaste on the counter and um...misfires, it gets gross fast. The other two bathrooms can be done every other day, but even if I did all three one day it still takes less than 10 minutes.

Waiting Until After Breakfast to Start the Dishwasher

Why? This prevents breakfast dishes from being stacked up in the sink. No one wants to come home to that! I turn on the dishwasher right before I leave the house. That gives me until dinner time to empty it. Well, my 10 year old is responsible for emptying it, but he doesn't always do it, lol.


Lint Brush

This may sound a bit odd, but this is one of my favorite cleaning products. I have always used them on my lampshades to remove dust, but I also use them on my sofas, throw pillows, and upholstered headboard. It could also be used on curtains or just about anywhere you have dust. My new white sofa gets a rub down from the lint brush about once a week. This is probably the reason why I've only had to wash the seat cushions once since I got them over a month ago.


Swiffer Vac

If you have tile or hardwood floors this is a must! It's not for big cleaning jobs, but it's perfect for cleaning up little every day messes. There's no cord since you charge it and it's lightweight, so it's much easier to pull out and spot clean than a big vacuum. I don't have to clean the floors quite so often with the regular vacuum because of this. It's cheap, too. I think mine was about $35.


Laundry

I don't mind doing laundry. I hate putting it away. Some people were raised to fold clothes and others use hangers. I was a hanger person. Now, that I have five people in my family, I fold every single thing I can. I can't even tell you how much of a difference this has made. I can fold it downstairs in front of the tv and then sort it. During a commercial, I can run upstairs and put it all away. I can't believe how much faster it is!

I know this isn't the prettiest or most interesting post, but I probably think about cleaning and laundry more than anything else. Yes, even more than decorating, painting, and blogging. It's a constant battle to keep this house clean. I've been asked why I don't hire a maid many times. That is something I tried once and the woman I hired did a great job. The problem was that my kids made it look like the house hadn't been cleaned in a month by the next day. Fortunately, they aren't quite as messy since they have gotten older and the toys are starting to be replaced by electronics. Now, I can delegate some of the cleaning to the kids and that will really make it easier!

My Favorite Way to Add Color

I love color, but it's hard for me to commit since I'm so fickle when it comes to my house. What I love today will become my nemesis in a year. I prefer neutral rooms with pops of color so it's easy to change. I think the phrase "pops of color" make people nervous because they think of a stark white room with bright red accessories, lol. Here are a few examples of well placed color.

This living area appears neutral, but if you look around carefully there are a few different ways blue and green have been incorporated into this room.



Your eye does not settle on one colorful object in this room. Instead, it travels from the pillows to the drapes and to the bookcases.




All of these rooms are cheerful, but the color is in the details. It would be so easy to change out the accessories for a completely different look. The key is to have enough color so your eye is not drawn to one item in the room. Distributing the color around the room reduces the "pop" effect. It's also an easy way to decorate. Find a print pillow or rug you love and pull from there. The rest will fall into place!