Doggy Divas

Since moving to Washington, Jonathan and I completely lost our mind and decided to let our dog sleep on the bed with us at night. This was initially supposed to be a one night event because we felt bad for being gone too long that day. Well that ONE night has turned to every night since and now Walter thinks he owns our bed. We can't get into bed at anytime of the day without him going crazy and wanting up as well. Interesting enough, he was first completely content with sleeping at the foot of the bed but last night I woke up with him sleeping just as people do...his head on the pillow and his body parallel with ours. I'm considering taking away his new throne but I don't know if I will win that battle. Of course I still want my pup to have the best sleeping conditions so I have found a couple of alternatives to look into... My sister will need the bunk beds for her two... And this one is for the ultimate diva. I want this in my size for me!

Loving...

Since I am constantly job searching online during the day, I frequently take breaks to look through way too many blogs. I think I have officially realized I have a relationship with my Google reader. As I have posted before, I absolutely love this room, the piece that pops for me is the zebra hide rug! I have been on the look out for one ever since and found Saddleman's of Sante Fe which have an awesome remix of rugs in metallic! Lovin' these options! Now all I need is a job to support the purchase!

Sleepless in Seattle...

...OK, I'm definitely not sleepless in Seattle. I've actually slept very well up here in the northwest. After 2 1/2 days and 36 hours of driving, we arrived at our destination. The past 2 weeks have gone by so fast. We have met some pretty awesome people and we really like the church we will be plugged in at. We were blessed beyond belief with all the support we had in KC before we left. Jonathan and I feel very loved and will never be able to express how thankful we are of the love and relationships we have back at home. (Why do the tears start streaming every time I think/talk about that?) I will frequently be telling you all what all God is doing in our lives here. We are excited and expectant of what God has done and what He will do in the next two years. So let me first just fill you in on our travel to Washington... We left Monday, August 9th at about 7:45am. Jonathan was a stud and woke up early so we could have our Starbucks as we pulled out of the gravel drive of the O'Reilly home. We were so blessed to have Phillip and Susan/Dad and Mom/Filly and Dilly (whatever you want to call them) offer to make the trip across the country with us. I don't know if they fully understood what they offered until the second day of the trip. Jonathan, Phillip and Walter pulled the trailer in the Xterra while Susan and I followed in the Prius. We drove 17 hours on Monday, 15 hours on Tuesday and 4 hours on Wednesday. I think we are completely burnt out on road trips for a while. The first day of driving flew by surprisingly but the second day was a little different story. In case you didn't know already, Montana NEVER ends. It is the longest state ever! We are in a wonderful apartment (total favor of God) and have room for visitors if you feel like coming up to hang out! We would love to have you! We were lucky enough to have our Mom stay about a week with us and help us get settled, unpacked and pick up some of the odds and ends that didn't make the move! The weather has been absolutely amazing! The average temperatures have been in the 70's and low 80's without one drop of rain so far. We are loving it and Walter is enjoying it too! And in case you were wondering how Walter did on the drive out... (about 5 minutes into the drive) (about 5 hours into the drive) He slept the ENTIRE 36 hours! Love and miss you all!

I'm loving...

By now I'm sure you have picked up on the fact that I'm a fan of white. I like color as well but a crisp, pure white room just does something for me. Although I'm sure I will change my mind by the time we buy a house of our own, but if we were to buy one today I would demand white marble counter tops in the kitchen. I know, I know...they are a pain to keep clean but beauty comes at a price!

Hollywood Regency

Woodson and Rummerfield definitely have the Hollywood Regency style perfected. I love everything they do. Their showrooms are full of glamour. The wall molding with the various lighting and pops of color give every room so much personality. Not only do they know how to design but they offer some of the most amazing furniture, accessories, wallpaper and fabrics I have ever seen. Browse through their website and be amazed. Woodson & Rummerfield Design

My Birthday Charity

Although I don't have many followers right now I am hoping that this post will be able to encourage one of you to use your birthday in a powerful way this year! And if you jump on board then others will too!

There is a new website called My Birthday Charities. You can go to their website at mybirthdaycharity.com. The purpose of this site is to allow you to use your birthday to raise money and/or bring awareness to a charity of your choice. Instead of receiving gifts on your birthday, ask your family, friends, co-workers, acquaintances, etc. to donate money to whatever cause you want! When you really think about it we have all that we could ask for and there are so many other people in this world whose lives could be transformed by YOUR birthday. Such and easy task with such a significant outcome!

My husband used his birthday this month to raise money for a charity called For the Silent. Their purpose is to save people that have become prisoners in the world of sex trafficking. His goal was to raise $260 and we were amazed to that nearly double was raised! You can have this impact too! Sign up! Invite others to do the same! And have a Happy Birthday!

So Pure

I love this room. The shades of white, cream, grey and pink. The amazing grand piano.

So feminine. So relaxing. So peaceful. So perfect.

Finally Finished!

At the very beginning of the summer I posted my summer project. I was determined to upholster an ugly, plaid, wood-trimmed, wing back chair. After many late nights, screams of frustration and a couple finger staplings...I AM FINISHED! I now understand why it is expensive to get anything upholstered. For my next project, I will invest in spending some money on some better tools to make it a little easier. So here are the before and after pictures. Please excuse my elementary camera skills. I'm not the greatest photographer...at all!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Shabby Chic Dreaming

Ok, I'm sure you have already seen this before but I have to post it just for the possibility that one of you may have not seen it yet. I came across this a while ago and was in complete "awe". This little heavenly chic cottage was featured in the New York Times and has been raved about in so many blogs. I'm pretty sure everyone has been amazed of what Sandy Foster has done. She created this joyous retreat with a budget of only $3000. That really explains that home is really only where the heart is. This was her heart. Her dream retreat. And she made that dream come true. And I don't know how it could be better. This lovely cottage is a tasteful 125 square feet of pure bliss. There is no bathroom or kitchen which makes it a complete escape. Her and her husband share a mobile home on the property that gives them their other needs. To read the whole story go to the New York Times article. You will be truly amazed of her story and how this cottage began as a dream when her family lost their home when she was only 15. I would say she has conquered every odd. She is an inspiration.

Dream. Dream Big. Dreams Come True.

Images from myshabbystreamsidestudio

things i NEED right NOW!

I don't know why I torture myself by looking for amazing finds on craigslook. I know I will not be allowed to take a last minute furniture road trip across the country to truck some more furniture to Seattle. I'm just so in love with these pieces! I wish I could just drive around the country finding amazing pieces to display in our home. If I could have any of these it would have to be the blue crushed velvet sofa. LOVE!