The Library and Summer Reads

Growing up, one of the best parts of the summer was the summer reading program that our library did. My mom raised us to be good little library patrons, and we were allowed to check out as many books as our age. Seven years old meant seven books to take home. 

Last night, I was a little sad about the lack of reading I've done lately. Don't get me wrong, I know that I've had a leeeeeeetle bit of a full plate recently between wrangling a toddler, birthing a baby, selling a home and buying a home. But I've missed books.

I've stayed midway through Secret Girl: A Memoir for quite a while now, but I'm enjoying it. I love reading memoirs (another favorite of mine is The Glass Castle).

And last night, I reserved two books on hold from the library: Luckiest Girl Alive (here on Amazon) and The Good Girl (here on Amazon). 

I'd love to hear what has made your summer reading list!

Oh, and fun fact? I have my 14-digit library card number memorized :) 

Next Up: Repainting Kitchen Cabinets

In this looooong journey that is getting the new house updated, our next step that we are taking on Thursday is repainting the kitchen cabinets and island.

I got quotes from three different companies and went with one that happened to be the least expensive but also the most confident-sounding about the job. He's a third generation cabinet painter in his family and he came highly recommended from a girlfriend.

We are starting off with dark wood cabinets and round pulls. The pulls used to be shiny brass and the previous owner spray painted them all oil-rubbed bronze (where's that emoji with the monkey with hands over eyes ... or the gritted teeth smiley face?!). 

I heard from a few cabinet painters that Benjamin Moore is king when it comes to cabinet painting, so we've chosen our colors: White Dove for the upper and lower cabinets, and Galveston Gray for the kitchen island base.

Benjamin Moore Galveston Gray

I was really leaning towards satin brass hardware, but it's been difficult to find the perfect one that isn't too shiny, too antiqued, or too small. We may go with satin nickel for ease -- it's simpler to locate for sure. I even saw some good options at Target:

A set of six of these is currently $19.99. We need 11 of these as well as 27 round pulls. 

Something pretty traditional like these below, also from Target, would work. A 10-pack is currently on sale here for $15.19. It seems to be a little unusual to buy hardware from Target, but I've seen these in person and the quality is great.

So, even though we'll have nickel hardware and different colored countertops, I am hoping for the overall look to be something like this (on a MUCH smaller and less "grand" scale):

So, fingers crossed for this next update to be done soon and beautifully!

New Rugs I've Purchased

Last week I was at Homegoods when I spotted this awesome and soft runner. It's by Safavieh and it was still $60 (more than I'd traditionally want to spend) but I just knew it'd look great in our home and that it was a quality runner. It is so plush and I love the neutral design. It fits perfectly in between our kitchen cabinets and island.

Overstock was running a nice sale last week so I ordered a few more rugs, all of which I can't wait to get down on the floors! We have a big, open space here and it's still sounding a little echo-y to me. Rugs will certainly help, and they will also help protect the floors that we had refinished. 

This is the 8x10 that I ordered, also by Safavieh. The price was TOO good to pass up and the reviews were all pretty stellar. I was a little hesitant to order a rug online without seeing it, but since I'm so pleased with the runner from Homegoods, I hope the quality on this will be just as great. 

Safavieh 8x10 Rug

It is actually en route to us already and set to arrive by end of day tomorrow! Hooray!

I ordered two more rugs at the same time, but they will arrive a little later. I ordered this amazing rug that I originally pinned on Pinterest. I love the colors and it will look so fun in our entryway. 

NuLOOM round rug

(also comes in an awesome runner HERE that's $66 on sale!)

And lastly, another runner that I plan to put in the hallway leading to our master bedroom.

Turquoise overdyed runner

Those last two purchases are still processing and I can't wait to receive them.

In other home news over the weekend, we switched out a light fixture, a ceiling fan (both of which required us to rent scaffolding ... eehhhh), unpacked more boxes, hung up artwork, and I started the process of chalk painting the dark wood cabinets in the guestroom bath. I'm on coat two now and it definitely needs one or two coats more. It's a process, but it's fun! I'll share more on that project later.

I hope you had a great weekend as well!

Saturday Sip And Shop

Sip:

Ginger Peach Moscow Mule
Recipe HERE from Always Order Dessert

Shop:



Lilly Pulitzer Sticky Note Set
Just $10 HERE
What a cute hostess gift.
I want this for our kitchen command center!

And I totally just ordered this list notepad. Love anything lemon-related.

Five On Friday: Glimpses Of Our Move

It's time for another edition of Five on Friday and I do hope you'll join along!

Remember, all you have to do is post about five things on your mind, add our logo (found at the bottom of this post), and join the party using the linky tools below. Easy, and a great way to find new blogs and be found. :)

O N E
Whew, moving with two little ones is HARD. I was thinking about it this morning ... it is probably good fodder for a blog post. Because I know I'm not the only one to do a move with a toddler and a baby (maybe you even have one coming up) and there are some things I've learned along the way.

Mainly, to keep patient with all of the craziness because there WILL be craziness ... but there WILL be a time that things slow back down.

T W O
Camille and Charlotte's bathroom has one of those tubs with a glassed-in top (brass, of course) and pebbled glass. I know it's not updated, but I also don't hate it from the practical side. When Camille wants to shower, it really helps keep all of the water in! And for baths, the back half of the tub is sealed off from splashes to the floor (#glasshalffull). I did do an easy fix: I hung a shower curtain over it! I just used a tension rod and a cute curtain.

I used this tension rod and this shower curtain if you're interested! It completely blocks the brass frame when it's closed.

T H R E E
Lesson learned by me: flat paint near a bathroom sink shows ALL of the water splashes. Don't do it.

F O U R
Lesson learned by Ian: sheetrock in an attic is very thin and will not support the weight of an athletic-build man. Don't do it.

F I V E

Most importantly ... having a handyman you know, love, and trust is worth a million dollars.

TGIF y'all, and hope you will join in on Five on Friday this week! Cheers to the weekend!

Healthy Cooking And Eating As A Family

Cooking together in our family is important to me. I want for my girls to have fun in the kitchen but also learn about preparing meals that are healthy and nutritious. These healthy habits will hopefully last a lifetime!

Growing up, we also ate very healthily: a protein, a vegetable, a whole grain, and a glass of milk. Maybe even some sliced fruit on the table! We weren't big dessert eaters unless it was a special occasion. (But I still have a wildly crazy sweet tooth and I love dessert!) My mom did an awesome job of instilling healthy eating habits in us as children and definitely let us help her out in the kitchen.

On these warm summer nights, one way that our family has been reconnecting before another busy week begins is to enjoy a "picnic dinner" on Sunday evenings on our screened porch. We pull Camille's high chair out of its normal place in the kitchen so that we can all sit together at our red picnic table. On a typical night, we would have a menu that may look like this:

+ Grilled chicken drizzled with balsamic glaze
+ Roasted okra with cumin and olive oil
+ UNCLE BEN’S® wild rice with oranges and walnuts, served cold (recipe HERE)
+ Fresh fruit salad with pineapple, sliced pear, shredded coconut, and mint leaves

My husband handles the grilling, I handle the roasting indoors, and Camille "helps" (looks on!) as I put together the wild rice and fruit salad. Sometimes I get her to help -- I'll gather the ingredients and then let her add them into the main bowl.

This wild rice salad recipe goes together so easily. Another fun idea is to portion it out in mini mason jars for picnics!

The UNCLE BEN’S® Brand is passionate about encouraging parents and kids to cook together, because families that eat and cook together have children who make healthier meal choices. Because of this, the UNCLE BEN’S®Brand is hosting the fifth annual Ben’s Beginners™ Cooking Contest to encourage children to get interested in cooking. Ben’s Beginners™ provides a platform for parents to connect with their children one meal at a time, and makes cooking an enjoyable activity for every member of the family. To help families get meals to the dinner table quickly, the UNCLE BEN’S® READY RICE® offers a wide variety of white, whole grain brown, specialty and flavored rice products that cook in just 90 seconds.

To enter the Ben’s Beginners™ Cooking Contest, parents with children in Kindergarten through eighth grade can submit photos of their families preparing a rice-based together. More information about Ben’s Beginners™ is located at unclebens.com. People interested in UNCLE BEN’S® READY RICE® can find it widely available at most grocery stores nationwide.

You can connect with UNCLE BEN’S® on social media!

Facebook // Twitter // Pinterest // YouTube 

This post is sponsored by The UNCLE BEN’S® Brand. Although I received compensation in exchange for this post, all opinions are my own.

What do you enjoy cooking with your kids?

The Lilly Sale & 6PM

So the big Lilly sale started this morning, and a girlfriend alerted several of us via group text about another great sale on Lilly on 6pm.com. In addition to free shipping and returns (!!!), you can score an additional 10% off the really low sale prices using code BESTPICKS.

Just a sampling of some of the awesome finds on 6pm.com

Most everything is under $100 with a ton of it being $30-50ish range! So, go forth and Lillify yourself!

Five On Friday

It's time for another edition of Five on Friday and I do hope you'll join along!

Remember, all you have to do is post about five things on your mind, add our logo (found at the bottom of this post), and join the party using the linky tools below. Easy, and a great way to find new blogs and be found. :)

O N E
Okay, so unintentional radio silence this week, but we moved into our new house on Tuesday! The whole process of moving is so taxing, right?! But one of those things you just have to do. Our house front entry has been a revolving door of movers, handymen, repairmen, cable guys, you get the picture. Things and finally slowing down and I am so happy to be making our way through boxes and boxes!

T W O
Fellow Lilly fans, I know you have your calendar reminders set like me for 8am sharp on Monday! The sale FAQs can be found here which is a great way to make sure you are ready to shop and score some great finds. Last year I ordered an Elsa top for me and two little toddler shifts for Camille to wear (and pass down to Charlotte!). The one thing I learned from last year is that if you plan at all to do any shopping next week for the sale, go here now to create an account. It is going to greatly expedite your check-out process and help ensure that the pretty top you add to your cart doesn't sell out before checkout is complete.

T H R E E
I ordered these return address labels this week from Etsy (here) and can't wait until they come in! I looked at so many options but these were so cute and the price was great. Pineapples ... the symbol of hospitality!

F O U R
I am having a lot of fun planning out the decor of our new home. I am gravitating toward bright spaces with punches of color. Look at this gorg living room photo. You can see more of her room here on Style Me Pretty.

F I V E

Lastly, a quick poll ... Instagram stories or Snapchat?

TGIF y'all, and hope you will join in on Five on Friday this week! Cheers to the weekend!

Roll Call Time!

It's Monday which means ... time for another Roll Call!

Here's today's question.

How many piercings do you have, where are they, how old were you when you got them?

I have my ears pierced, got them done by a jeweler when I was 11.

No other piercings although I wanted SO badly to have my belly button pierced in high school.

Saturday Sip And Shop ::: Summer Sips, Summer Prints

Sip:

Limoncello Gin Cocktail with Grilled Thyme
Recipe HERE from A Playful Day
Four ingredients -- yes, just four -- digging that!

Shop:



Multicolor Floral Outdoor Pillow (Found here on Etsy)
From Wheaton Whaley Designs 
(my sister is her former coworker and she is SO sweet!)

Five On Friday

It's time for another edition of Five on Friday and I do hope you'll join along!

Remember, all you have to do is post about five things on your mind, add our logo (found at the bottom of this post), and join the party using the linky tools below. Easy, and a great way to find new blogs and be found. :)

O N E
I think I've decided on our cabinet and kitchen island colors! We went to the local Benjamin Moore store here in Boone to grab some swatches. I'm leaning towards the cabinets being White Dove and the island being Galveston Gray.

T W O
We move in to the new house next week so I've been trying to use up fridge and pantry ingredients here in the mountains. Yesterday's lunch was an easy version of huevos rancheros -- two corn tortillas (warmed in a pan), black beans (also warmed up), a fried egg over hard because I don't love runny yolks, half of an avocado, and lots and lots of lime juice. It was delicious!

T H R E E
I may stray from this mascara (like I did recently), but I will ALWAYS come back. :) I was looking back at old photos from Christmas time yesterday and was like dangggg ... my lashes looked better then than they do now (#FWP for sure). So, to Walmart we went.

F O U R
Walmart had this little Mickey Mouse snack pack that I picked up for Camille earlier this week (she loves Mickey and Minnie). After the cheese, pretzels and apple slices were gone, I rinsed out the plastic part and used it for her dinner "plate" the other night. She loved it!

F I V E

Lastly, a tip I saw on Pinterest. You know those empty bottles of coffee creamer you just toss? They make great snack traps for car trips! Just peel off the label and wash thoroughly. This is the snack trap I have packed for Camille today as we drive into Charlotte to check progress on the new home!

TGIF y'all, and hope you will join in on Five on Friday this week! Cheers to the weekend!

Fun Things We've Done In Boone This Week

This is our second full week in the mountains of Boone, NC, while our home in Charlotte gets some work done on it. I posted some sneak peeks that I was sent from Hudson Hardwoods last night ... I can't wait to see the floors in person because they look PERFECT. 

Boone is a lot smaller than Charlotte, so finding activities for the kids is just slightly more of a challenge, but we haven't run out of things to do yet! It's been a rainy week, especially in the afternoons, so we have tried to schedule an activity for each morning to dodge the sprinkles and showers.

Here's a peek at what we've done this week.

Monday morning we attended family storytime at the Boone library (free) and the theme was bears. Several books about bears were read by the sweet librarian, and we got to piece together the arms and legs on a bear body and then color it at the end. They also brought in a therapy dog at the end of storytime ... a beautiful Bernese Mountain dog!

Don't hate me for the photo above. You just have to laugh! I was literally the only mom there wearing makeup. All good though! I've met some really nice folks up this way. 

Tuesday morning we headed to The Children's Playhouse which I've blogged about before. It's $6/person (Charlotte gets in free, and yes, you pay for adults) and we had an awesome time there. They switch up the activities so every time we've been there, there have been different things to do.

My friend Katie suggested lunch at Boone Drug, so we went there on Tuesday afternoon upon leaving the Playhouse. Their grilled cheeses were on POINT!

Wednesday morning we went into Banner Elk and picked blueberries at the winery. It operates on the honor system ... just fill up a gallon jug as high as you'd like and slip a $10 bill in the metal box. Organic, delicious blueberries. Charlotte was happy as a clam in my stretchy knit carrier. 

This morning we need to make a Walmart run and I'm also on the hunt for a local thrift store that my mother-in-law said is a great one. I'll post any great finds on Instagram stories!