it's HOT people.

{ giant stock tank, hot puppies }

{ desert stock tank }

{ desert stock tank, spotted puppy }

I don't know about you, but it's freakin' hot here people! Like...please don't make me sit in the sun without some sort of body of water near by that I can dip myself in hot.

Solution, stock tank pool! Now, to be clear, we do have a pool we can use, but what if we had a little (so adorable) stock tank pool right by the cute little flagstone patio my pops is building?

I've suggested the idea, he seemed mildly amused, but refuted that there wasn't enough space with out disrupting the California Oak's roots. Valid point.

Still, I think it would be so cute, perfect in the summer & just down right a good idea. Oh, and another thing.....is it just me, or is this whole stock tank pool idea far more whimsical than a regular old swimming pool? YES. I think so too ;-)

Happy Monday kittens.

:: peace & love ::

* first pic from google. 2nd & 3rd pics from Big Bang Studio.

bedroom switch-er-oo

{ West Elm, bubble quilt-color, iron }

{ Martha Stewart paint collection at Home Depot, color, Sharkey Gray }

You remember this?
Well......we've been sitting around not doing anything productive in the bedding switch-er-oo dept. I was debating what colors I wanted, and what curtains/rug/decor would go along with all of that. I found that beautiful West Elm summer leaf duvet set on Ebay, and contemplated it for days; ultimately deciding that pink(ish) colors were not the way to go (you're welcome babe).
I am absolutely loving Nicole's bedroom makeover, her eye for color & composition is just lovely. I usually don't even go for greens but I found myself wanting her exact set-up!
Well, the paisley bedding she got was out of stock (good for me, because I really don't need to have Nicole's exact bedroom, however lovely it is ;-). So I found this AH-mazing turquoise-y blue ikat island duvet set, and striped bedding (I did copy this...couldn't help myself!), and grey bubble quilt. There is also this quilt from Crate & Barrel, this one being more chocolate-y. I think I prefer the grey, but it's hard to tell the exact shade.
Lastly I can't decide if painting the bedroom is necessary. Currently it is a really beautiful apple blossom peachy pink (very light), but I don't know how well that will really work with the blues? I've been loving light and deep gray wall colors, and think that this Martha Stewart color would be perfection with everything else. Question is do I really want to paint a whole room right now, between working, baby classes, general laziness and having a hubby who would rather do anything but paint (seriously, he hates it) he cringes every time I say the word paint.
So that's my musing on the bedroom. The bedding is happening (this time I'm sure), ordering next week :-) Thinking we might wait on a quilt, because we really don't need one for summer, and why buy it now only to put it in the closet until it cools down again!?
What do you think.......paint, no paint. Any suggestions for grays?!

:: peace & love ::

**Happy almost mother's day mommies out there!!!

Sunset...I didn't know I loved you.

{ local alert!! this I-N-S-A-N-E-L-Y beautiful backyard is located in Paso Robles!! Now if only it were mine! }

SUNSET, how was I so blissfully unaware that I might just LOVE you?!

Don't hate me....but my parents always got and read Sunset when I was a bit younger (and soo cool, right?! ha, not), so I kinda figured it wasn't really my age range.

Well people.....I have something to admit. Sunset mag is super duper cool. Either I've been missing the bus for the past years....or (gasp) I'm in the "Sunset age range now".

Either way, I don't think I care any more, because I got totally inspired reading this month's issue.

1. That house up-top---GAHH....those colors!??! whaaaa? I'm dying I tell you, to paint a beautiful wood house that exact shade of purple. Dying. Plus for the 50 thousand'th time, I love me a colored door.

2. Bar--Hendrick's Gin, nough' said. In late August/early September (baby's due Aug 28th!!) I'll be sippin' something special to celebrate :-)

3. Insanely cool backyards...I was drooling over #5 down only to realize that it's a local backyard...why does that make me happy!? Haha, I don't know, but I just wish it were my own. The multitude of cacti, the sprawling hills covered in grape vines, and the pool....just a dream.

Okay....I'm done. Subscription to Sunset asap?! Yes, please!

:: peace & love ::

pink tree love

{ Making it Lovely's pink tree }

Just in love with this 'lovely' (get it...) pink tree!!!
Part of me loves our family tradition of going to the tree farm and picking a tree (kinda sad to cut down a tree though...which eventually dies after all the Christmas glory is gone).
The other part of me is seriously in love with these colored trees. I'm not much of a pink girl myself....but I still LOVE this tree. It's the most perfect pink color...shimmery and shiny and full of whimsy.
I think a light blue or lavender tree would be really fun too. However, what works so nicely with Nicole's tree is that it perfectly matches the rest of her decor. It's definitly something to be considered. A simple silver tree would be so perfect with all its retro glamour as well.
This year we have a beautiful and real tree...but next year I am hoping to expiriment with something like this!

:: peace & love ::

*happy Christmas Eve!

new digs

Just a few snap i've taken over the past week we've been in our new digs...
Pepper seems to like it..and is currently sleeping with her little paw over her eyes (we torture her with the lights on apparently)....oh man....cuteness.
We leave for the DR in less than ONE week............ummmmmm..........just sayin'.
Happy Monday loves, i sure do love winter!

:: peace & love ::

mini project day

new address #'s for the front
re-planting the front planter (desperately needed....some things are wayyy over grown, some are dead) what great combo.
hoping i can find the #'s I've been wanting. really just hoping that they have all my digits. 1237 to be exact. wish me luck!
more to come. before and after pictures of course!

*ps. this nice weather has me wishing for this or this. either would do. just dreamy wouldn't you say?

:: peace & love ::

* on call today from work, that=less $ later (con), productive Monday full of fun projects (pro).
hmm

Monday morning doings

{ skinny laminx tea towel from Heath }

{ a beautiful recipe card box (filled with the giftor's fav's!) } { Italian ceramic pitcher & wooden utensils } { place mats to match our curtains! }{ Egyptian cotton, sea foam green sheets, messy bed } { leafy vases }{ and just because, my daily vitamins }

I promised you some shots of the gifts I received at my shower! Here are just a few things that were easily accessed and photographed this morning (bad light...poor photography skills...sorry!). My momma gave me (us really), the most beautiful ceramic pitcher filled with a Skinny Laminx towel and wooden utensils (and a CROQUET set!!!! SOOO excited to bust it out next bbq!). My MOH/shower thrower extraordinaire gifted me a beautiful wooden recipe card box filled with perfect little cards both blank and filled with her favorites! A friend gifted us place mats to match our curtains (because she knows how much I love my curtains!). Some beautiful leafy vases from a bridesmaid that couldn't make it, now in their happy home on our entertainment center. A messy bed freshly made with our new and lovely colored sheets gifted by my grandma and just for fun a silly shot of my daily vitamins....because they looked kinda cute in a weird way in that little bowl!

Happy Monday lovelies :-)

:: peace and love ::

weekend doings...

{ sleeping in on Sunday }
{ tried this cauliflower recipe.... }

{ and it was really, really tasty! }

{ relaxing on the deck...and getting a tan--err..sunburn }

so that was our weekend...mix in a little wedding makeup by moi on Saturday....and a lovely surprise 30th bday in Santa Barbara for a dear friend later that day...which lead us on a beautiful drive through los olivos and santa ynez !!! why do weekends always leave you wishing for the next one to be upon you!?! Happy Monday lovlies !

:: peace and love ::

pesto portobello panini....yup, im obsessed.

{empty plate....it's not particularly visually appealing...but my stomach says its amazing!}

really stuck on this whole pesto...portobello thing...hence the consumption of pesto stuffed portobello's two nights in a row.....this time....we made it into a panini with goat cheese..orange tomatoes..butter lettuce and a little balsamic sprinkled in..

same preparation as the grilled pesto ports, but this time i broiled them in the oven for about 15 mins. toasted san luis sourdough (which...i might add is the most amazing bread in the world), goat cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, balsamic....other piece of bread....and hello, amazing!

it was with out a doubt the best little sando we've had in a while...and i have to say i did actually give myself a little pat on the back (not that anything in this panini is hard to create or difficult to put together)...but the sheer amazingness* of it is what gets me.

go ahead...give this a try for dinner tonight....i would prob eat this every single day if i didn't think that were a bit weird.

:: peace and love ::

plover pretty !

just a little bedroom inspiration....such pretty prints over at plover oraganics : ) Happy Thursday!!

:: peace and love ::

fully obsessed

and wishing i could do this (not only to my own table at home....) but to all the tables at our wedding...no need for table cloths...right? ha.
found--here. originally seen at Green Wedding Shoes blog.

:: peace and love ::

potato-pear-gorgonzola pizza

little pizza all put together.
pretty yellow world market mat

chimay-blue label and amber.

sunday--after doing numerous loads of laundry and generally having a lovely-relaxing and productive day...wes decided he wanted a home made pizza. we were seriously obsessed with my pesto pear creation a couple weeks ago....but we didn't have any basil and had reached a point of laziness where we were no longer willing to run out to the store (i did admit laziness...).

i decided to mix that pizza up just a bit--

here's what you need--

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves of garlic-chopped

parmesan (about 1/2 cup)

salt and pepper to taste

trader joes whole wheat pizza dough

1 bag mozzarella (i use about 1/2 the bag on a large pizza)

gorgonzola (handful sprinkled on top)

pear

1 russet (we had russet--you could use any potato you would like)

walnuts (chopped and bagged from TJ's)

directions--

super super easy--one of the reasons we love home made pizza. Roll out the dough (wes' job...he's just so much better at it than me ;-), i used a food processor to combine olive oil, garlic and parmo...blend until well combined. i spread this mixture all over my dough (instead of pesto)...sprinkled mozzarella over the top followed by v. thin slices of potato (one right next to the other) so you will always get a bite of potato; layer thin slices of pear over that and sprinkle gorgonzola and your walnuts over the top.

i cook it for about 20 minutes on 450. yum yum.... we never end up snapping a pic once it's done...probably because it's so delightful that it gets cut into and devoured before one can even reach a camera...

i will say i love the thin slices of potato on the pizza...i love the crunch of the walnuts and the flavor of gorgonzola is amazing. I have an idea for our next one....but really, you can't beat that pesto (i would choose pesto over anything else)...this was delightfully delicious though!!! enjoy.

:: peace and love ::

rug maddness (again)..i'm sorry, i know.

{ steps wool hooked rug }

alright...so, for the record....i really do like our rug.

however....i just popped over to making it lovely (LOVE love her house...while i think our styles vary slightly (v. slightly) she has such amazing taste...such a wonderful blog...and over all inspirational home decor : )

back to the point....she recently purchased this beautiful wool rug.....it took me a second...then i thought...that reminds me of missoni...i like missoni...i like this rug

ugh...

but seriously..the green in the rug matches perfectly to our couch...but not even that, it seems like it would add a lovely pattern...and mix of color to a room. be versatile while totally interesting and full of personality.

by no means are we getting it...but a girl can dream right?

right.

:: peace and love ::

a rug!!!

our living room before our new rug...i love the urban--navy and cream rug...so pretty to look at and so easy to take care of. But it was a bit small for the space and the blue in the rug with the sage of the couch wasn't the most perfect of combinations.

after with the world market find (such a fab deal) we really couldn't resist! I was trying to debate if i really liked the pattern on the rug (sort of swirly)...but i think over all it really brightens up the space!!

what do you think?

Hope your weekend is going wonderfully : )

:: peace and love ::

pretty little protea

Happy Friday!!! We will be enjoying a relaxing and not so sunny weekend here on the central coast. I picked these pretty protea stems up from Open Air this week and am really enjoying them on the dining room table....I love how sort of pre historic they look, with all their shades of red and green : )

also-can you believe it's already been a year since Wes and I got engaged???? well, neither can I, but we will be celebrating 8 years together and 1 year engaged tomorrow, and I just can't believe how fast time is flying by! this wedding will be here in no time at all!!!

*coming up in the next few posts are-our love day festivities!!! And a RUG found for the living room!!

:: peace and love ::

what about a rug?

{Ikea-Stockholm rug}

{crate and barrel}

{West Elm-Pebble rug}

{World Market-Disco rug}

{West Elm-Bello rug}

These are my rug ponderings for the living room....if everything goes as planned with the office and we move our lovely little navy and cream U.O. rug in there!!!

What do you think.....neutral, or a little snazzy (the disco rug or the stockholm rug being the snazzy options--of course : ) I think I am liking the Stockholm rug if we go the snazzy route, and the bello rug if we go the neutral route....but my that pebble rug from west elm is lovely.

:: peace and love ::

office dreamin'

Here is our office space decor plan!!! We already have the navy and cream Urban Outfitter rug (originally in the living room), the Jonas desk, Jules swivel chair from Ikea and the circus poster from Ebay. Needed are the clean and functional Effektiv storage system from Ikea, the beautiful little daybed from CB2, the Amy Butler Lotus Full Moon fabric in tangerine for the curtains, and some snazzy little white vases on the cabinets from West Elm.
I really like the fun color combo of the navy and orange (I think the circus poster pulls the colors together nicely)...we will need at least one more poster or some other prints (but those are easy to find....there are so many cool prints and pieces of art that I'm loving right now!!!). The one thing we are contemplating is the Effektiv Ikea system can be custom coordinated (instead of the black/brown frame with white doors....we could do a birch frame with white doors) and that would match the desk exactly..... then the only brown in the room would be the cb2 daybed.
I think either would look nice though....I like how soft and clean the birch looks....but I like how graphic and precise the black/brown with white looks...
Ohhh decisions.. This decor transition may not happen until after the wedding...but we shall see. There isn't too much to do : )
Happy LOVE LOVE LOVE day everyone!!!

:: peace and love ::

dying....to do this.

{domino--hooked on houses}
{apartment therapy}

{domino--hooked on houses}

{apartment therapy}

First of all....I apologize for the lack of blog activity last week. Wes was in San Diego (with our computer..yes we only have one) for a national Construction Management competition, and I was left with a ipod touch....needless to say, that little screen is just too small for me to partake in anything productive!! ha.

So here I am...blogging away again (on a Sunday no less!!). I am SERIOUSLY dying to paint one of our rooms black...............it's consuming my every thought... Our condo at the moment is entirely covered in a sunshiney* yellow...and while I do like yellow....I feel as though I'm living in a butter stick. I asked my landlord if we could paint...to which he responded "is there something wrong with the current paint? or is this just a color preference?" to which I honestly responded, "color preference of course"....to which I got no reply...... This leads me to believe that my landlord would prefer I not paint...hmm I may have to bug him again depending on our length of stay here... I can live in a butter stick for a bit, but not for over a year...my my.

There is something just so whimsical and mysterious about a black room....romantic even...I'm in love. maybe just the office???

Happy weekend...and of course, Happy Superbowl--we will be on our way to the Loughran's shortly! I think we are pulling for the Colts...as Wes puts it, "it's hard to bet against Manning.." it sure is honey...it sure is.

:: peace and love ::