Showing posts with label house. Show all posts
Showing posts with label house. Show all posts

November 19, 2012

Long Weekend in Cape Cod and Boston

I know that I haven't posted in a week, my apologies.  As I mentioned in my last post, I've been in and out of town all month.  Yesterday I got back from my trip to Cape Cod/Boston, and today I have a LOT to share with you from my weekend away from home (apologies ahead of time for the HUGE PHOTO BOMB that you are about to experience).  Originally I was going to break these pictures up into two (or maybe even three) posts; but since we are leaving again on Wednesday morning to head up to Alabama for Thanksgiving, I just don't think that I am going to have the time to get more than one post done.

Here goes nothin':

I went up to the Boston area to visit my friend Colbi.  She and I met while Bo and I were stationed in Corpus Christi.  Colbi went to grad school in Texas, and was working in Port Aransas (just outside of Corpus) at the time.

Since then, she has gotten married and moved up to Cape Cod to live with her husband.  Long story short, Colbi and I both love the Twilight franchise.  In fact, if you have been a reader here for a while, you might remember that we went to the midnight showing of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 1 this time last year.  Outside of Twilight, we also have a ton of other similar interests, including:

In fact, she has one that I gave her framed and hung in her yoga room. :)


I also sort of (OK, totally) fell in love with Colbi's house.  It's an old one, and it needs quite a bit of work; but if you had the time and money to put into it, you could really turn it into something special.  Colbi and her husband, Brad, are just renting, so they won't be putting any blood, sweat, and tears into the house.  Regardless, it has a TON of potential that I couldn't help sharing with you all.

For instance, I just loved the little built-in shelves in the upstairs bathroom.  The woodwork is amazing, and adds something unique and special about an otherwise common feature.


The staircase was beautiful.  I especially loved the railing (original to the house) and the hardwood floors - which you can't really see in this pic, but were also gorgeous and seemingly original to the house


The kitchen needs some work, but the bones were really good.  The room itself has P-L-E-N-T-Y of room for an island or small breakfast nook set, and lots of natural light makes its way in through the kitchen's four large windows.  

The floor and countertops would probably need to be replaced; but the cabinets were in good shape, and the windows are brand new.  
I LOVE the wood details around the windows and cabinets.  
In the end, I think that a coat of paint and new fixtures would do wonders for making this kitchen look brand, spankin' new!



Also in the kitchen (directly across from the sink and windows) is this large, GORGEOUS, built-in shelving unit.  I would love to display some of my china or great-grandmother's silver on these shelves; and once again, the wood detailing is stunning!


Continuing with the theme of built-in character, the formal dining room includes two of these corner cabinets.  These would be the perfect place to display old family heirlooms or family pictures.  


You could always buy a piece of furniture like this to put in your home, but - in my opinion - it just wouldn't be the same.  Something about it being a part of the house really makes it special.  It's like, before you even put anything of yourself in the home, the home itself has a personality.  

The living room has a large portrait window that opens into this unobstructed view of New England's fall colors. 


Here's a view of the house from the front yard (I was standing right in front of the trees from the previous picture.  You can see the portrait window right in the front of the house).
Isn't it adorable?!
Granted, if you owned the house and wanted to refurbish it, you would need to redo the outside quite substantially.  Regardless, I think that the house itself is so cute!  It has a personality all its own!


Old tree, outside.


Colbi and Brad's chickens!


Beautiful fall foliage.


View from one of the stained glass windows in their home.



By some strange stroke of luck, when we arrived at 7:40PM on Thursday night we were the only ones there!  
I couldn't  believe it.  
Last year we had to stand in line - outside - for 30 minutes, before we were even allowed to enter the theater and wait.  


Whatever the reason, we were stoked!  
By being the first in line we were certain of having the best seats in the house for the grande finale!
WHO-HOO!
The theater ended up being packed, so we were really glad that we got to the theater as early as we did.  Our earliness really paid off!



YES, we are that big of fans!
YES, we loved the movie that much!
AND YES, we were first in line AGAIN!


Again, the theater ended up being completely packed, but our pre-planning paid off.  We sat in the best seats in the house for the second time in a row; and the movie was just as good, if not better, the second time around.  
I won't spill any spoilers for any of you who have yet to see the film; but let me just say, if you are a fan you WILL NOT be disappointed.  The franchise's finale film is awesome, action-packed, full of surprises that you won't see coming, and concludes with an ending that will leave each and every fan satisfied.

On Saturday we took the T into Boston for a day of exploring!


We started off by walking parts of The Freedom Trail.


And, of course, stopped along the way to take pictures. :)


I loved the cobble-stone streets.  
As we were walking around downtown Boston, I could imagine horses trotting along these roads, people protesting before the Boston Tea Party, and some of our countries greatest leaders walking to meetings that would change our countries' history forever.  







And then we walked by the Christmas tree that was going to be lit later that evening.  
As you can see, it was HUGE!
I'm not even sure that the tree in Central Park, NY is that big!

Originally, we were planning to stay for the tree lighting later that evening; but truth be told, after 5+ hours walking around in the city, we decided to head home.  Downtown Boston was getting CRAZY busy, and the cold factor was getting chillier by the minute. After all, we did get to see the tree, it just wasn't lit yet.


I had never eaten there - or even heard of it - but Colbi promised me that it would be a good time.  
For those of you that don't know the premise behind Dick's, it's this: the waitstaff are rude, a little mean, and a lot condescending...but the whole thing's in fun.  The restaurant is an attempt to loosen people up, make people laugh, and give everyone a chance to enjoy their delicious food (especially dessert)!




Colbi and I split one of their infamous Mile High Peanut Butta Pie's and it was TO. DIE. FOR. delicious.  Seriously, this is the best peanut butter dessert I have E.V.E.R. eaten, and it was HUGE!  
Colbi and I couldn't even finish our piece.
(Well, we could have; but we would have been miserably full afterwards, so we didn't.)


Beautiful downtown Boston.






Mike's Pastry is a local legend, a national treasure, and is known for its cannoli.  
We ended up buying four cannoli (Don't worry, two were for Colbi to bring home to Brad.  We weren't THAT greedy...especially after our Mile High Peanut Butta Pie for lunch!): strawberry, chocolate chip, pumpkin spice, and pistachio.  
Of the two I tried, the pistachio was the best.  I would be in serious trouble if I lived too close to this place!





Before we left to head back to the hotel, Colbi snapped one more picture in front of the Christmas tree.  


I had an absolutely amazing time with Colbi in Cape Cod and Boston.  I feel so blessed to have several amazing friends in my life, of which, Colbi is one.  We share so many interests, and have so much fun when we are together.
I can't wait to do it again!

Until then, I do have a new book series to keep me company.  


I finished reading the second book in The Mortal Instruments series on the plane to Boston, and am starting the third book today (there will be six books total, only five have been published so far).  The movie version of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones comes out in August 2013.  Colbi is going to start reading the series soon, so who knows, maybe BOTH The Hunger Games trilogy and The Mortal Instruments will be our new series to enjoy together!

Question of the Day:

Have you ever been to the Boston area?  If so, what did you think?  Did you like the city?  Did you have a fun time exploring?!

Blessings,
Ally and Bo

July 1, 2012

Our New Bed!

Ever since we got married, Bo and I have been sleeping on a Queen-size, pillow top mattress that was purchased from Craigslist for under $100 (that was for the set - mattress, box-springs, and bed frame - mind you).  When we originally purchased the bed from Craigslist, we had no way of knowing how long the previous owners had been sleeping on it.  So, when it starting creaking, squeaking, and swaying every time one of us moved, we had an inkling that it had been quite a while.  A few months later, when the bed started to sag in the middle - and we found ourselves sleeping as if we were the fillings of a soft taco - our dubious suspicions were confirmed...this bed was old.

Fast-forward fourteen months and you have a cranky wife who wakes up with a back-ache every morning, and a sleep-deprived pilot husband who can't sleep because his wife wakes him up every time she rolls from side-to-side in the middle of the night in an effort to dissipate her back pain.

NOT. FUN.

So, on Thursday, Bo and I officially took the plunge on our first BIG adult purchase: 
a King-size, memory foam, mattress!  


After testing-driving over a dozen different mattresses at several different stores, it was clear that we preferred King-size over Queen-size and memory-foam over pillow-top.  We were also lucky enough to get the:
  • bed-frame;
  • mattress pad,;
  • two memory-foam pillows;
  • two hypo-allergenic pillow covers; and
  • next-day delivery and set-up for FREE!

What can I say?!  

My husband is a wheeler and a dealer!

Since we upgraded to the King-size bed, we also had to get all new bedding.  First, we tried Ross.  We found a King-size quilt with two shams and decided to go for it.  It wasn't the best bedding in the world; but for the price, we were willing to go with it.

Total. fail.

Once the mattress was delivered - and we started to make the bed - we quickly realized that what Ross considered to be a King-size quilt was more like a very small Queen-size quilt.  We maybe had two inches of left-over material hanging off of each side of the bed.

Back to square one.

This time we headed to the mall...and to Dillard's specifically.

Hello July 4th sale!


We ended up finding a beautiful blue-green comforter set that included two standard shams, and a matching bedskirt.  Even better, the comforter set was on sale for 65% off PLUS an additional 30% off!  In the end, we ended up purchasing the set AND two standard size pillows (for the shams) for under $100.00.

What a steal!


Of course Lola had to try and help us make the bed...silly girl! :)


As we had hoped, last night Bo got a full night's rest, and this morning I woke up without a backache!  It's a miracle (oh wait, no it's not, actually it's just a good quality mattress).  Needless to say, we are pretty pleased with our first BIG adult purchase.  So far, it has been worth every. single. penny.

Question of the Day:


What was your first "big adult purchase"?  Was it a car?  A house? A washer and a dryer?  A refrigerator?  Tell me all about your experience in the "Comment" section below!

Blessings,
Ally and Bo

April 3, 2012

Coloring 3.0: Mod Podge

As you all know from previous posts, I LOVE to color!  I color almost every week, at at times, almost every day.  Like most artists (a word that I use very loosely when it comes to me and my coloring), I go through phases.  There are times when I feel the need to color almost constantly, completing three or more pieces in a single day.  Then there are other times when I don't feel the desire to color at all.  I will go weeks, sometimes months, without coloring a single piece.  But, inevitably, the desire to color always returns; and I am grateful for that.

Recently, I have started to notice slight changes in my coloring style.  I still:

  • use both crayons and markers;
  • outline the perimeters of every space with a marker; and
  • fill in the space with a crayon.

However, I have also:
  • started using oil pastels in addition to my crayons and markers; 
  • colored in every section of a piece (as opposed to leaving some white space, as I have in the past); and
  • incorporated a much harder and intense coloring "stroke" which results in pigmentation that is both deeper and richer.

Although certainly not earth-shattering, these slight modifications to my coloring style have made a large impact on my recent work (again, a word I use loosely when it comes to my coloring).

For the past several months I have wanted to do something with the stack of pieces that are lying in a folder at the bottom of my dresser drawer.  While coloring them is therapeutic and rejuvenating, I found it disappointing that my work was just sitting in a cold, dark drawer hidden from view.  One of my close girlfriends, who is a craft-maven in her own right, suggested Mod Podge (and even went on to give me a bottle that she had on-hand!):


Since 1967, crafters have entrusted their most treasured decoupage creations to Mod Podge, the number one all-in-one glue, sealer, and finish!  The ultimate in convenience, Mod Podge is loved by crafters young and old for its flexibility, versatility, and supreme ease of use.  Best of all, it's waterbased for easy clean-up, and non-toxic, too - perfect for young crafters.  In addition to the original matte and gloss formulas, the Mod Podge family includes an assortment of specialty finishes for visual effects. (source)

So, with my mom in tow, we headed home with a bottle of decoupage and a head full of ideas, ready to get to work!

In our first Mod Podge experiment, my mother and I bought an old stool from a local antique store and decoupaged one of my mandalas on the surface.


Isn't the stool cute?!  We found it for $8.00(!); and although we weren't exactly sure what the handle was for, it gave it some character and was certainly a piece that I could actually use in the house.  Surprisingly, using Mod Podge was a cinch!  The end result had little to no bumps or wrinkles, a sealed surface, and a matte finish.



There was a small bit of color-bleeding, but not to the point that it was too terrible.  I was a little sad to lose some of the careful color definition that I work so hard to achieve, but when I look at the end result objectively, I think it looks pretty darn good for an amateur piece!


I decided to use the stool as a pedestal for some decorative bottles that I had in a corner.  The bottles have lights inside and are beautiful when lit (Thanks for the idea, Mom!).  I think the mandala pedestal adds a nice touch and completes that little decorative corner of the house.

As for experiment number two, my mom and I got a little more ambitious!


Currently, Bo and I are using some cheap, wooden, DIY tables from Wal-Mart - that were given to us for free - as our bedside tables.  Since we didn't pay a penny for them, my mom and I figured we didn't have too much to lose with decoupaging these pieces.  So off to work we went!

We selected four mandalas for each table, choosing more of a pink/blue color scheme for mine and more of a red/green for Bo's.


On each table, there was one mandala that seemed to bleed more than the others.  What I realized was that the pieces with "white space" were the ones that tended to bleed...DUH!  My newer pieces, the ones without any white space, held up considerably better to the Mod Podge treatment.

Note to self:  When Mod Podging in the future, use only those pieces with NO white space!


In the end, I was more than happy with the result!  These tables cost us nothing, and although we plan on replacing them down the line, at least they now lend some color and excitement to the room.  Even when we do buy new bedside tables for our master bedroom, these might be the perfect fit for our guest bedroom!


Tomorrow - Lola vs. the crate.  Who do YOU think is winning?!

Question of the Day:

Have you ever used Mod Podge before?  If so, on what (and how did it turn out)?!

Blessings,
Ally and Bo