Phase 1

We're back to "civilian" life for a bit, but I thought I would show you a few pictures I found of Lee on the website I stalked while he was gone. I thought it was really nice that the pictures continued to be updated for families on the home front throughout Phase 1 of Officer Candidate School (OCS).

Don't Be a Brat, Eat One

My sweet, ornery hubby came home this past weekend after being gone 2 + weeks for more Army training. After missing his birthday for the second year in a row, I threw him a Welcome Home/Happy Birthday surprise party with our dearest friends. It was a HUGE success. I titled the party, "Don't Be a Brat, Eat One." We grilled brats, hot dogs, had 2 kinds of dip and chips, pasta salad and all the dog toppings you could possibly imagine.

I had balloons on the mailbox too. They deflated really fast due to the Summer sun!

I made homemade banana ice cream and my bestie, Taylor, made the "Flag" strawberry cake. It was yummers!

Fresh flowers and patriotic utensils!

Over achiever. I made him a big yummy breakfast the following morning.

Blog Star, Cooper

Cooper can be found at Desire to Inspire today! He's a blog star. Check my baby out, here.

Design Star Recap

Goodness. This season just doesn't do anything for me. If I weren't such a fan of the show, I would've stopped watching it completely after the first 10-15 minutes of last night's broadcast. Creating a patio design using an instrument as inspiration? Ugh. Snoozefest. I REALLY wish they would start doing individual designs. I don't like the team challenges. I'm glad the ladies scored Dan on their team. He seems to neutralize a bit of the drama. The men's team lost last night and Trent was sent home.

I did like Tom's day bed and Michael's wall art.

I did not like Nina's scribble along the wall. I completely agreed with Emily when she tried to get Nina to paint over it. However, the judges liked it and I guess that's all that matters??? I liked Casey's contribution to the space with the light, airy furniture and bling accessories. She seems to be in the background a lot and I'm looking forward to seeing her design aesthetic more.

In

Fedora's are everywhere! I grab mine when I head to the grocery store or the lake on the weekends. I'm all about an excuse to forgo fixing my hair for the day. TGIF!

Celebs like them too.

Placemat Curtain

My mother redecorated my bedroom and bathroom when I left for college. Her goal was to turn the young girl vibe that I had adorn to my parent's more rustic feel to finally flow with the rest of the house. She started with the bathroom and could not find the perfect curtain to replicate her vision so she made one! With two placemats and a bit of fringe; she created her own. Easy peasy.

Our Dining Room

I was beginning to think that this day would never arrive. It was March when we first started my ideal-dream-home-at-the-moment tour with this first post. Now, I will begin to show you rooms throughout our "castle". I still have a lot of finishing touches to add, but hopefully these images will give you an idea of the direction we're taking. HOPEFULLY, you can help me shop too!

Before

"Before" images were given to us by our realtor prior to purchasing our home.

After

The green storage bins house our cloth napkins, placmats, napkin rings, etc for more "formal" affairs. When I move into a bigger castle, I want a mirrored buffet like this. I made the mossy green balls to add a punch of green for our centerpiece. I also added fabric and trim to our curtains for an inexpensive curtain makeover.

Hubby's Day

Happy Birthday, handsome. Hurry home!

XOXO

Coolest Flower Ever

As I was wandering through Lowes, shopping for tiki torches, I found myself in the Garden Center adding many other things to my shopping cart. I couldn't resist these flowers. Aren't they fabulous? They're mounding perennials too!

Design Star Recap

It was girls vs guys this week and the guys won. I really feel like the judges got it right this week by sending Tera home. She was given a fashion statement and her only take away was the color pallet. She even argued that color theory was crap. Eek! Her colors weren't bad, but they did seem like an incomplete thought. Nina was selected to be in the bottom two with Tera. I would have loved to see Nina go home because she has a sorry attitude that I don't like, but in her defense; she did add a lot more substance than Stacey! Stacey's chair was fabulous, but she didn't contribute anything else to the design. Back to Nina, I can't wait to see someone stand up to her. I really feel like I would be able to tell her, "No." How hard is that?

Courtland won the challenge on the men's team. His striped wall and contribution to the overall design was obvious. I laughed at Michael going around behind Trent restyling everything Trent touched. It was ridiculous.

I'm looking forward to seeing more design and less debate. "Wow" me, designers!

This is Stacey's chair.

In

What do you get a 3 year old little girl that has everything? With a birthday party quickly approaching, I have been thinking long and hard to find the perfect gift for my rambunctious, adorable cousin. I have found the one; age appropriate thing that I know she doesn't have. It is an Ugly Doll. Quirky and fun, I know she'll love it. I purchased mine at a boutique downtown. I also bought her the cutest barrettes for her to wear on the Fourth of July.

I'm headed to the lake this weekend to celebrate a birthday and Father's Day. I hope you and yours have a blessed one.

Trend Lover

I don't know if it's the fact that I adore this design trend or married to a solider. Either way, I am loving the military inspired fashion this season. I've noticed it everywhere. It's wearable in house or on person. Only recently have I noticed the similarity of the items surrounding our home. I own several of the pieces below:

House

Person

Lights Out

Today ends our tour of my ideal-dream-home-at-the-moment tour. The last stop is the bedroom! I really had a hard time narrowing my images to a select few...so I'm showing you several. There are too many variables for designing a bedroom. I like a clean-line hotel vibe, but also a bit of glamour, shabby chic and vintage.

I love a bit of sparkle and drool over monograms. Mixing textures is another favorite of mine.

The crisp, clean feel of this room would be ideal for nap time. I need a nap right now...

OMG. I love the funny, pillow fight art and really need a huge furry throw.

Put on your serious face. Now. I have always wanted vintage Louie suitcases. Not to use for travel, but to decorate my home! They look good paired with this bedding.

Huge. No. Massive crush on this headboard.

I'm a girl's girl. Girly girl. Pink and canopy lover. Need I say more?

Yum. I love exposed beams. Fluffy bedding and luxurious details would suit me just fine. I'd love this more if it had a punch of color and tuft chic furniture. This room seems a tad too old as is.

All Images: House Beautiful

Cry Baby

Onions make me cry rivers. Onions make mascara run down my face. It also gives me red, squinty eyes. I have tried many old school remedies and none of them work. I once saw "onion goggles" in a store. I really wish I had bought them then. Dorky, I know. However, I would wear them proud! Until I see them again, this was gifted to me recently. My Wizard gets the torture done fast. I clean it immediately after each use so it's always handy.

Image: Taken at Bed, Bath & Beyond

Cats & Dogs (Update)

All is well in the land of Lee and Erin. No boat was necessary for the trip home. I left work a bit early to make the trek and avoid rush hour traffic. The idea of getting stuck in the water after dark wasn't appealing. For the most part, the water has cleared the roads and normalcy is returning.

Cats & Dogs

It took me 2 hours to get to work this morning. This picture is the accumalation that was done as I was driving, but a bit North of me. It wasn't raining at my house! One interstate is flooded and the other is in a grid lock due to the large amount of traffic. With water standing like this, I most certainly don't want to take a side road home. I need a boat. What to do? What to do?

To be cont'd...

HGTV Design Star

The new season of Design Star premiered last night. I was a bit disappointed with the first challenge, but I am definitely intrigued by the competition. The White Box Challenge is usually one of my favorites too! A large portion of the contestants seemed to play it safe. No one had any "WOW" moments with their design. I have no idea why Nina won the first design challenge. Personally, I thought her design was a bit cliché given the fact that their only resource was to shop at a Korean market. Also, she obviously plays dirty. I don't want anyone to win that isn't a good sport. Design is fun. Why throw your partner under the bus? I am not an official judge, but I do judge from the couch in my living room. I would've chosen Michael to win the first challenge. His unmade bed made his room look lived in and believable given his inspiration.

Where was Clive last night?

Julie was the first to go home this season.

Printables

Needing some wall art? Not wanting to spend a lot of cash? Checkout Vintage Printable! Head to Hobby Lobby, get your frames 50% off and then add your freshly printed art. The site has many categories and themes to scour, but there were a few images that caught my eye. These images are completely random, but I did tell you they caught my eye. No explanation needed when scouring!

(All Images: Vintage Printable)

Lake House

Our family lake house has seen a fabulous upgrade this week. My parents decided to have an outside shower built. Growing up, we would always rent a place on a sandy beach for Summer vacations. One of our favorite accessories were the homes with outside showers. I've studied quite a few outside shower designs via Google and I can confirm that mom's design ranks high for me. What do you think of the end product? Personally, I love it!

Design Drool

Suze over at Dweller Without Decorators has me drooling. She's posting a room a day of her current home that she has flipped. I love her color story, her design aesthetic, and her shopping haunts. She captures a fun vibe and still keeps her home cozy. Fun and cozy is what I like, but it'll take a bit longer to get my house looking like this with my budget.

(Images: Dweller Without Decorators)

Hammock Room (Update)

Taylor sent me a few pictures of her backyard cozy-town! Not pictured are more flower pots, another cute sitting area, and a matching buffet to layout your yummies during a cookout. I think what I love most about this space is all the seating that is available. We don't have to indulge in our hubby's engineer-minded conversations! 5 points if you locate one of their goldens. Get excited. You win nothing.

Hammock Room

Soon, I will be showing you the inside of my current home, but right now it looks like my dreamy tour is continuing as the party is taken outside:

Loving the pops of color and different patterns throughout this patio. The shaded area creates a cozy spot for a lazy afternoon. I would also eat dinner out here every chance possible.

Image: House Beautiful

Recently, we attended a yummy BBQ at our friend's house; aka Jacob and Taylor. I hadn't been in their backyard since last Summer. I was immediately taken back by their backyard Hollywood Sprinkles. They're landscaping was beautiful. I envied her gorgeous lemon trees in huge masculine pots. She accented the trees with the perfect "something" too. Everything from her new outdoor rug to the splash of color in her seat cushions added coziness. We could have spent all night out there drinking lemonadas if work wasn't calling the next day...

Last night I spent the evening pulling weeds and sweeping the back patio in the backyard. I wiped down the patio furniture and sweat bullets. It's amazing how a broom and some sweat can totally transform a place.

Note: I say, "Hollywood Sprinkles" when something needs to be or has been added to make a space spectacular. (Ex. This is just the rough draft, I still need to add my Hollywood Sprinkles.)

Framer

When planning our Study decor design, only one thing was certain from the beginning; to finally frame and display our accomplishments. Lee was particularly excited about his Airborne Diploma. As a another sneak peak to how the Study is coming along...I'll show you what I surprised him with last week:

Sorry for the glare:)