A Place to Relax

As I've mentioned before, I spend quite a bit of time considering ideas for our new home.  My nights are mostly spent perusing home magazines and Pinterest (my recent obsession) to look for creative options.  Lately, I've focused on the master bedroom and bathroom.  Here are some of my favorite pictures of bedrooms and bathrooms.

The bedding in this picture is my favorite.



I love waking up to natural light.



This bedroom is so relaxing and beautiful. 



I dream about built-in bookshelves and a window seat in our bedroom!

These pillows would look great on a window seat!

I love the natural cabinets and tile floor. 

Built-in shelves like these are very practical and pretty.

The gray cabinets are so crisp and clean.

 

I would love a hamper in the bathroom like this one.  Maybe it would inspire me to do laundry more often!



This would avoid my usually messy counters!



I like everything about this picture.



I love the sink in this picture.

My dear friend, Jessica, always has good advice on decorating, entertaining, and life in general!  Her blog is  http://www.whitandjess.blogspot.com/.  When we were engaged and considering wedding ideas, Jessica suggested I pick three words to describe what I wanted our wedding to be.  I thought that was such a helpful tip, and I think it's a good thing to do when decorating also.  Because each room has a very different purpose, I think I will work on choosing three words for each room.

More than anything, I want our home to reflect who we are - the things we are passionate about, the places we've travelled, and the people we love.

A New Home

David and I are under contract on a lot in Longleaf Subdivision in Madison, Mississippi!  We will probably close in December and begin building in early spring of 2012.  Lately, I've become obsessed with home magazines and websites.  There are just so many options!  Even though building a house for the first time is a bit intimidating, we couldn't be more excited to take on this new adventure! 

At this point, we are considering what's most important to us.  Because we both love to cook, our kitchen is a top priority.  Here are some ideas I love:

I love the combination of covered cabinets and glass cabinets. 
We could be messy in some and put pretty things in others! 

I like a contrasting center bar. 
I wish this one had a place for bar stools, but I love the color.

This may be my favorite.  I love the brick behind the stove, the natural light, and the huge bar.  David loves a place to hang pots and pans like this one.

The shelves at the end of a bar provide great storage space and an opportunity to display favorite cookbooks and serving pieces.

This copper sink is beautiful!

How convenient for spices and cooking oils!

I love this corner pantry.  In fact, I love everything I can see in this picture.



This would make cleaning up so much easier.



We have papers all over the place, so a desk in the kitchen would be great.

What a fun kitchen!  I love the hardwood floors.

A girl can only dream!  I can't wait to begin making decisions about our new home, and I'm thankful for plenty of time to explore all our options.  I'll definitely share our ideas along the way :)

Happy Fall!

I'm more excited about fall than ever before!  It really is one of the most beautiful times of year.  Mississippi is still pretty hot, but I'm already getting in the spirit of fall and planning ways to enjoy the season.  I love all fall has to offer - beautiful leaves, pumpkins, mums, sweaters, boots, hayrides, and so much more!

First, I plan on exchanging my summer wreath for a fall wreath.  I think simple wreaths like this one make a house look loved:

Second, my sweet friend, Julia, gave me two of these Classic Glass Hurricanes from Williams-Sonoma:

I'm so excited about all I can do with these for holidays and other occasions, and I'll always think of Julia when I use them!  Here are some fun fall possibilities:

Third, I plan on perfecting pumpkin pie!  Last year, I volunteered to make pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving dinner at my parents' house.  It was my first time to ever make a pie of any kind!  It ended up having a  pretty good flavor, liquid center, and burned crust!  I plan on perfecting pumpkin pie this year, so any tips/recipes are welcomed.

And even though I don't know as much as I should about football, seeing this for the first time every year and hearing Rocky Top brings back the best memories:

For David, fall is all about Mississippi State football and hunting!

Most of all, I think fall is about winding down from a busy summer and spending time thinking about the countless blessings in our lives.  I couldn't be more grateful for today.  Have a happy fall weekend :)

Affordable Updates

Decorating our house has been a lot of fun, but sometimes the cost of new furniture and accessories is overwhelming.  I've been pondering practical ways to update the look of our home, and I just wanted to share a few ideas.

1.  Add bright pillows to chairs, couches, and beds.  While some pillows are very expensive, it's easy to find affordable options, and pillows really do make a world of difference.  Check out the sale at Pottery Barn for some reasonably priced pillows:  http://www.potterybarn.com/shop/sale/sale-accessories-decor/sale-pillows-throws/
 

Look how the pillows made this room come alive!

2.  Decorate with books - both old and new.  Books add an element of sophistication and warmth to any room.





I love books arranged by color, and it looks great on a smaller scale too.


3.  Buy new kitchen towels!  It really brightens a kitchen to have pretty towels here and there.  Some of my favorite kitchen towels come from Anthropologie:

4.  Create a picture wall!  You can buy inexpensive frames from Target in a solid color and then add your favorite pictures.  I love using only black and white pictures.

5.  Paint an old piece of furniture.  Most of us have an old piece of furniture that isn't exciting or even pretty.  Buying a small container of paint from Lowe's definitely won't break the bank.  I'm looking forward to painting a chest of drawers I have, and I'm hoping the finished product will look similar to this one:

I'm excited about trying these affordable options, and I'll let you know how they turn out.  Happy Decorating!

Pork Chops and New Lamps

Last night, David and I tried something new for dinner - Pork Chops with Dijon Herb Sauce and Sauteed Mushrooms.  Even though my Mom says I've had pork chops, I can't remember ever having them!  The recipe came from Gina's Skinny Recipes:  http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/06/pork-chops-with-dijon-herb-sauce-525-ww.html  It's definitely one we'll have again.




Chopped Parsley and Onions



Be sure to salt and pepper the pork chops.

For the side, we sauteed mushrooms, using a recipe from http://www.allrecipes.com/.  All you need is butter, a package of Ranch dressing mix, and 1 pound of fresh, chopped mushrooms.  First, you melt the butter on low heat:

Then you add the ranch dressing mix:

Then the chopped mushrooms:

Saute for about 25 minutes, tossing often.  The dinner was fabulous!

The Finished Product

The mushrooms would make an excellent topping for chicken or steak and would be great served with rice.  My first pork chop experience was a good one!

Also, I just received in the mail today two new lamps from one of my favorite stores, Ballard Designs.  I'm so excited about these I had to share them:

Ballard Designs had all lighting 15% off, and I think they were a great deal for the quality!  Most things don't stay in the same place for long at my house.  Right now, they're in our living room, but I'm sure they would look great on bedside tables.



Hope you've had a happy Monday!