welcome july + weekend recap.

it is finally starting to feel like summertime, and i am in shock it is already july! which makes me super excited to think that next month we will be moving in our new home! we are trying to keep ourselves pretty busy, in hopes that this month will fly by as fast as the last few have been.

we spent this past weekend, checking in on the townhouse, trying out a new restaurant in our new neighborhood and visiting friends at their new home on saturday and sunday. all of which resulted in drinking way to much sangria and enjoying myself a little too much, which equals a rough monday morning, but it was all worth it.

i made this green apple sangria recipe which was amazing! i used peaches and green apples since that is what i had handy, but honestly i think any fruit would work.

{image source}

i should have doubled the recipe, since even the boys decided to have some, it was tasty and perfect for a hot day.

by the time we headed home on sunday evening even the boys were exhausted from playing with their puppy friends. they melt my heart.

we are having a low key fourth of july since i just started a new job, i have to work on the 5th but as soon as friday after work hits we are off to a friends lake house for the weekend. any big plans for the holiday?

 

{weekend highlights} proud army sister.

over the past weekend matt and i were so honored and excited to head to ny state to welcome home my brother from a year long deployment. it was amazing to watch the ceremony honoring the soldiers that took place on saturday and be in room surrounded by other families and friends that shared in the same experience as my family did this past year.

it was a very long year but all that seemed to melt away and disappear as we welcomed him and his unit home.

{airport welcome home party- from left to right: my sister in-law, the hubby, my dad and mom}

 

{he's back!!}

{group shot- thank you to the lady who took this photo}

{justin being honored with a bronze star}

and after the ceremony was done we celebrated the rest of the weekend like my family always does...drinking and eating way too much!

welcome home justin! we missed you and are so happy to have you back in the states with us safe and sound!

have a weekend filled with love.

happy valentines day! i am the first to admit this isn't my favorite holiday, but this year will by far go down as the most special valentines day in my life...

my brother will be coming home this weekend for the first time since he deployed back on february 24, 2012. i am looking forward to spending a fabulous weekend laughing, drinking and enjoying a very special weekend with my husband, parents, sister in-law and my brother. we are just so blessed to be have him home safely.

workout fashion.

happy monday! i am happy to report i now have new lighter locks, and am loving the result.

i normally am not the girl who puts a lot of thought and/or effort into what i am wearing when i am working out, but since getting my first taste of gaps fitness line i am loving their stuff. seriously it is very reasonably priced, the quality and fabric is great.

here are a few pieces i am currently loving!

Gap Fit by belforcm featuring slim pants

Gap
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Gap
gap.com

GAP slim pants
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GAP cotton capri pants
gap.com

Gap
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and even better news all gapfit items are 25% off right now, so stock up while you can!

fall at the couture house.

i mentioned last week that i needed to finally get around to decorating for fall and shared some fabulous inspiration here. well i came through big this weekend, and stocked up on pumpkins, gourds and mums.   i like to keep things classy, and decided to keep it simple. no halloween decor, spider webs, ghosts or tombstones here...  just simple traditional fall/thanksgiving decor.

i am very tempted to gild some of my pumpkins... i mean who doesn't love a gold pumpkin? but for now they are au natural.

sunday i really rolled my sleeves up and decided the front door needed to be painted. i went back and forth on the door color... i love a statement door with a bold pop of a modern color, but i just couldn't do it. i am known for getting sick of statement color choices, so i kept it simple and clean...

here is what i started with... an unfinished door. (don't mind my mid-prep pictures)

and now, say hello to our new glossy black front door.

someone was not happy he was inside while i was outside taking pictures.

now maybe some new brushed nickle hardware?

{a weekend in review} fall bliss.

happy monday! i am excited to report i had a super productive weekend and have lots of projects to share with you from the weekend this week. I love starting the week knowing I took full advantage of the weekend and accomplished a lot.

When I was cleaning and painting rooms and doors i was looking after these three babes.

and watching a lot of this.

we just started watching homeland so we are playing catch up. which i love because it means watching episode after episode whenever we want. we are hooked!

and i made lots of trips to here

lots of projects call for supplies, and since i am never one to go to the store and get everything i need at once, projects require multiple trips to our local home depot.

it was a fabulous weekend, though i am actually disappointed to wake up this morning and have it be so warm. what happened to the fall weather?



 



welcome to paradise.

happy monday! we have been enjoying the past weekend and actually not doing one thing around the house, barely cleaning and doing only ocassional laundry. it is awesome...

 

there is nothing better than enjoying a nice little saturday in the "country" drinking wine with friends. and when i say drinking wine, i mean, consuming a ridiculous amount of wine and stopping on the way home to wash all the wine down with more cocktails. i was a happy girl.

 

{author edit: the hubby would like me to note, that he was my designated drive and that i was not driving around the country to virginia drinking. be safe have a responsible designated driver.}

 

 

i think this sums it up perfectly.

 

and in my happy state, i proceeded to purchase two photos from my fav winery one of which will be going above our bar and the second will be making a trip to alabama for my parents bar. at least i was shopping for others too : )

 

weekend highlights.

happy monday! this weekend we stayed inside and got stuff done around the house, it was a nice break from the exciting weekends we have had lately.

and since i am a sucker for projects, i was happy to tackle a bunch and fell asleep feeling very accomplished.

the best start to our weekend, our new bar arrived! it was a gift from my FIL and we could not be happier with it. any excuse to drink right? it is from pottery barn (here).

we are also planning on purchasing these wine shelves for above for wine glass storage.

{sorry for the crappy iphone picture}

now we just need to make a trip to total wine to stock her up!
oh and i finally convinced matt to hang my chandelier in our master bedroom. i actually purchased it before we even moved in, but it sat in the box since matt had insisted on keeping the ceiling fan. but guess who won that battle : ) . i am in love, i could stare at it all day. it is beautiful.

{again, another crappy iphone picture}

on saturday attacked the guest bath (my plan here). but first cuddling with these two cuties.

after removing all the old fixtures and patching, i painted the wall my favorite color, benjamin moore edgecomb grey, we hung a new mirror, light fixture and accessories. i need to do a little more accessorizing but this project is almost done! full details this later this week!

  

 

 

it was a productive weekend and i am thrilled with our progress.

 

weekend glimpse.

we spent the weekend moving and slept at the new house on saturday! and after moving all day long we slept very well : ) i am actually shocked at how quickly things have gotten organized and found their place. though there is still tons to do and it will take months to get everything just right, we are thrilled to finally be settling down.

since our nights have been so busy lately, i have been trying to run during lunch. in this heat it has been a challenge, but a nice break from sitting at my desk all day. luckily, i work in one of my favorite places and also where we got married back in june...old town alexandria.

nothing beats running on the potomac, it makes running actually enjoyable.

and for those of you wondering... my office has showers, so i am not grossly sweaty for my afternoon meetings.

{weekend warriors} amazing what a little paint can do.

i hope everyone had a great weekend and monday! do anything exciting?

we spent the weekend laying flooring in the basement and putting a second coat of paint on our new master bedroom walls. things are looking AMAZING! and i can't wait to share more details. this weekend we will finally start the process of moving all the furniture, which i am excited about/dreading at the same time.

but luckily despite all the work over the weekend we got to wake up to this face.

enough said. don't you just want to squeeze him?!?!?

but sadly, we didn't get to spend our mornings sleeping in with our little man. instead we started laying new flooring in the basement.

there used to be carpeting down, which was disgusting and we were happy to rip up a few weeks ago. after painting the walls and ceiling 2 weeks ago the room already looks a million times better. and with the new vinyl wood flooring down it is awesome. (once it is done, i will share more pictures)

here is a sneak peak of the work in progress, thankfully the hubby and his brother volunteered to do the work...

so i could do more important things like take pictures : )

it is amazing how paint and flooring can transform a room. i think we walked around all day saying over and over again "it looks amazing", "it is like a different room"!!

i promise more pictures coming soon!

{weekend recap} living it up in miami.

happy monday! i am back from miami, and have a nice tan and amazing memories to show for it! it was one of the best trips i have ever been on, and it was decided the third weekend in may for now on is reserved for a girls weekend.

the trip kicked off with a surprise guest meeting us at the airport, to join us on our trip. i was completely shocked and speechless!

surprise two of the trip was my bestie arranged for car service to and from the airport! again amazing.

upon arriving to our hotel, we stayed at the surfcormber hotel which was in a great location, right on the beach and very fitting, since we will be getting married at a kimpton hotel in less than 3 weeks!

even better we were greeted by this! chocolate and champagne. they sure know the way to my heart.

{sorry for the blurry iphone pic}

we obviously headed right to the beach and soaked in as much sun as possible before the free kimpton happy hour. love.

friday night was a blur.... literally.

moving right along..

saturday morning kicked off with the BEST BREAKFAST i have ever eaten. yum.... i would go back just for another one of these.

and then after stocking up at walgreens with a cooler and our own supply of beer, we headed to the beach.

saturday night we had a fabulous dinner and headed to the delano which was conveniently next door to our hotel. super posh.

and because i wasn't spoiled enough all weekend, our ride back to the airport.

it was without a doubt a once in a lifetime kind of week, and the perfect end to a chapter in my life. i am so lucky to have the most amazing friends and family. and can't wait for the next chapter to begin!