Welcome, Autumn

You're my favorite of all.  

(photos from New York, 2009)

PARTY Time

Ryan had a great birthday celebration with his friends here in Denver and I only have 4 photos to show for it!  The moment friends arrived and our food and drinks came out, my camera went up, and we just laughed the night away.  After the Cheeky Monk (love this) we walked down the street to a little dive bar to play pool.  Since it was Thursday, and almost everyone had to work on Friday, the boys called it an early night around 11.  It was no Iguana Lounge, but I think Ry had a great first birthday celebration here in Colorado! 

Progress

(empty area for the guest bed when we have company)

This morning I tackled the messy messy guest room and with great success I found the floor.  And organized all my supplies.  Hooray!  I'm quite proud of my accomplishment; it was the last room with boxes running amock and causing a dreadful scene. 

With that done, I now can start crafting things again!  (during breaks from job searching of course)  My Pinterest boards are exploding with ideas.

Happy Birthday!

Dear Ryan,
I'm so very happy you were born.

Happy birthday love - I can't wait to celebrate with you tonight!

New digs: one month later

We've lived in our place now for one whole month.  I should have snapped a few photos the moment we walked in the door, to show a bit of a before and after (or before and now), but I did not.  We had a bit much going on and didn't really think about it.  Alas I do have photos of our new place after unpacking and getting things situated one month later. 

Living room:

      Goals:

• Curtains
• Larger lamp for the side table
• Perfect my Expedit (bookshelf) decorating
• More throw pillows
• Wall art

   
Dining area:

      Goals:

• New table?  Though we've sat at this table for 3 years and have grown quite fond of the Japanese style dining.  We'll see.
• Artwork

     
Kitchen:

     Goals:

•  Add something above the cabinets? 
• Love the kitchen. (not a goal, just a statement)

Tiny desk area (in hallway):

     Goals:

• Organize cabinets above
• Repaint the chalkboard
• Bigger lamp?
• Desk chair

Bedroom:

     Goals:

• Add a few photos to the top of our dresser
• Curtains
• Something simple above the bed (still searching for ideas)
• Necklace organizer

   
Creative room/Guest room:

    Goals:

• ORGANIZE (yikes)
• Wall art & inspiration photos
• Print and hang large b/w photos
• Area rug

   
Bathroom:

      Goals:

• NONE!  First room completely finished. 

    
Well there you have it.  A virtual tour of our little Colorado apartment. 

On the bookshelf: summer reading

The Host - At first, this book was a struggle.  I didn't understand where the plot was going or connect with the characters at all.  The urge to quit halfway through was strong, but it's a pretty hefty sized book, and I hated to read all about this building plot for nothing.  So, I kept on and actually really enjoyed it!  Finally about 2/3 in, things made sense and the story "got good".  I would recommend this book if you are up for a little snooze fest at the beginning and an exciting roller coaster at the end.  Personal preference here, of course, I had 2 friends hate it and 1 friend love it.  Anyone else read it??

Sloppy Firsts - A recommendation from my friend Val ...and who doesn't love a good young adult selection?!  Let's be real.  Loved the book -- I can't wait to finish out the series (there are 5) and cross off one more item from my summer list of must do's. I'm running out of time with fall right around the corner.

Sarah's Key - A compelling story about the connection between a young Jewish girl during the time of the Holocaust and a middle-aged journalist living in Paris during present day.  The story jumps back and forth between each woman's story and in the end you see their worlds collide in their own time.  Grab a tissue box and block off a good amount of time because you are going to want to read this straight through!  I lost many night's sleep staying up reading.  I'm pretty sure they are making this book into a movie too.

L.A. Candy - Oh, Lauren Conrad. I've followed her life since Laguna Beach days and still really like this girl.  The book is about a reality show called L.A. Candy, which sounded pretty familiar to The Hills.  I'm sending it along to my book club girls and looking forward to her next one!

Past book reviews:
A Catchup
2 Goods = A Great
Prep
Fly Away Home