Old to New(ish)

A before & after tale:

My mom found these old windows in my Gran's barn a few years ago and hauled them, skeptically, back home for me to pick up.  She thought I was crazy, and maybe I am, but I really love the windows, worn with stories and fond memories, I'm sure.  And I love they are my Gran's.

  

Monday, I finally found time to clean them up a bit and hang them on the wall.  So I went out and bought the finest grain sandpaper I could find and a can of shelack to give the windows a bit of shine after they were cleaned.

I hung them both proudly above the "dinning table", a little high in hopes we get a pub table and chairs very soon.

All clean and fresh!  Can't beat a frame with old windows, an antique chair, and a mason jar of fresh flowers!  So happy.

Currently...

(via)

attempting to // drink a smoothie for breakfast instead of a cup of coffee.  Let's be real, the cup of coffee comes right after the smoothie, but it's not the very first thing I have in the morning anymore. 

excited about // upcoming adventures this year!  We have a couple friends coming to visit next month and our annual girls' trip coming up soon after. 

listening to // the Head and the Heart -- still. 

loving // life.  I made a few challenges for myself this year; to tackle my worrying (aka stop it!), to live in the moment, and to be more accepting of others for who they are, not who I want them to be.  I feel a lot more relaxed these days.  And happier.

hating // how tired I am after work.  Where do you find the extra energy to work out, prepare dinner, or go out with friends?  Where?!

looking forward to // camping in the springtime. Doesn't the photo above look magical? 

reading // a graphic novel called Habibi.  I've never read a graphic novel before, but I'm pretty sure it's just a fancy comic book.  I'll report back as soon as I'm finished. 

stumbled upon // this video.  Now I want to record my every move in hopes that I could put together something half as cool as he did.  It's so simple, and incredibly beautiful at the same time.

watching // The Wonder Years (!) on Netflix, with Portlandia next in queue. I've heard great things about this show!

spending time // in the kitchen lately.  We whipped up a few recipes this week that turned out really good!

*Currently... in June

*Currently... in August

*Currently... in November

  

Home again

Sometimes you just need to ditch the itinerary and fly by the seat of your pants.

And that's just what we did a few weeks ago when our friend Carol spontaneously bought a plane ticket out to see us right after the holidays; it was pretty much the best ever.

We took a hike together, went skiing in freezing temperatures, baked, watched movies, ate and ate and ate, met up with 2 other ladies for a spectacular girl's night, chatted about life, shopped, relaxed, then shopped some more.

She left a little piece of home with us before heading back to Oklahoma. And Ryan and I can't wait for the next visitor to show up on our doorstep (er, apartment welcome mat)!

New digs: 5 months later

We haven't made a whole lot of progress on the apartment since October , so I really wanted to use a few days from my holiday break to work on the main living spaces.  And with a couple of after-Christmas shopping deals, we managed to cross everything off the list!

Focusing on the living room, we made 5 goals when we moved in:

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

So, here's the before...

And after!

oooooh, aaahhhhhh!

For months, I looked online for prints and had pretty great success, though there are two standout pieces on the shelves that mean so very much to us.  First, my favorite is the wedding dress sketch my bridesmaids had made for me.  It's a reminder of my unique dress, and the special day I wore it, and all the love that the girls continuously poured out to me.  The second would be a map of Yosemite where Ryan and I enjoyed part of our honeymoon; a reminder of our first trip as husband and wife, where we had so. much. fun.

So, the shelves are filled, curtains are up, lamp purchased (thanks to an after-Christmas sale), & fluffy pillows adorned the sofa.  It's really feeling like home around here.

Kindle Kozy: part 2

I made a Kindle case for my sister-in-law for Christmas and I think I like it better than my own! 

A few changes from the first:

• Used a pretty patterned fabric instead of a hand-made patchwork top layer
• Didn't top stitch around the whole exterior, just the sides 
• Sewed 2 - the 1st I made was too small (not an intentional update)!

I can't get over this fabric, I just love it.  I even bought an extra 1/2 yard for myself to make.. something.  It caught my eye in the store and I really like those hot pink accents.  

So, here's to the only thing I made this holiday season!  Cheers.

Tutorial:  Patchwork Kindle Case

Christmas in Oklahoma

Holy hiatus!  I pretty much unplugged for 2 weeks and it was nothing less than amazing.  Though I missed "documenting" (as I tell my friends while I'm snapping a thousand photos) on the blog and reading all about your holidays too, it was a nice break.

And now I have a whole lot of catching up to do... get ready.

A few photos from our time in Oklahoma:

You just can't beat an Oklahoma sunset, they are beautiful.  Always.

Zia's favorite part about Christmas?  Ripping up all the wrapping and tissue paper. 

McNellie's is a long-running tradition with my friends; we always get together for a drink on Christmas night.

Fluffy sky's on our way to my Gran's

And homeward bound.

I was in true relax-mode, because these are the only photos I took from the trip!  Our time in Oklahoma was filled with family and friends and road trip adventures.  (Adventures = watching Crazy, Stupid, Love multiple times in the car).