We are family.... :)

This guy right here.

He's been in my life longer than he hasn't.

And I wouldn't have it any other way:)

This last week we celebrated our 29th! can you believe it??

I can:)

We went to our favorite date place for dinner,

Plow & Angel at San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito.

We sat at our favorite table right there in front of that roaring fire,

and it was... perfect:)

The best thing though???

He surprised me with something that was going to 

complete a certain little family...

You guys know what I'm talkin' bout!!

PUFF MAMA!!!

You can imagine me squealing like a little school girl.

I gots the whole fam damily now people!!!

I do need to figure out a better to display these prickly cuties, but

for now- me so so very happy!!

Project Beautify Hilltop.... :)

These two.

Honestly I couldn't be prouder.

Rio and Chase just finished up this home in Ventura last week,

and you guys....

IT'S UNBELIEVABLE!!

This home was built in 1957 and was in serious need

of some lovin' from someone.

Enter Rio and Chase:)

 Let's step inside and take a look shall we?

Originally this was the dining and living room with big picture windows.

Rio and Chase took it to the next level by adding these amazing 

accordion doors and a huge (like 12ft x 60ft) wraparound deck that looks out to

the most beautiful unobstructed ocean view.

 This kitchen....

Serious heart eyes people.

 This master bedroom. You wake up, you sit up, and straight ahead...

ocean view:)

The master bath:)

This deck with that view is pretty much where I would happily spend

the rest of my days:)

No surprise this amazing house is already pending:)

These two are already on to their next project in Santa Barbara!!

For more pics and info on this property,

click here:)

Project Beautify Coronado... :)

Look at her. Ain't she a beaut?

Say hello to our latest completed project.

This Señorita was built in 1928 and we purchased her from

Margaret, the sweetest lady who had lived there since the early 70's.

I knew the second I saw this little house that I wanted to strip the 

paint off that wood on the front porch and stain it to add some warmth.

We painted the exterior Swiss Coffee (duh) and stained the wood trim

around the windows. We added the black fabric awning to soften the front a bit.

We left all the original succulents because... they're just cool!

The front door is painted Lagoon by Sherwin Williams.

This house is 1 mile from the beach, so I'm thinkin that blue works!

A little paint and some updated tile was all that fireplace needed:)

This entire house was covered in carpet. We gave the old floors underneath a shot, but

sadly (VERY SADLY) we weren't able to salvage them :( :( :(

Honestly my heart still hurts over it.

This Schoolhouse Electric chandelier (although it looks a little wonky in the pic above) 

is just the most awesome thing! I bought it to use a few houses ago, but it

never worked out in any of them.

 It finally found it's home:)

The original little tiny breakfast nook to the right of the stove

is now the laundry room with a door to the back yard.

The black metal hood-

 Ryne made the hood shell out of wood, then we had a sheet metal guy

cut the parts and Ryne installed them and added the metal rivets

and painted it wrought iron black.

Then there's that tile....

Oh my I love it.

I just spent an insane amount of time looking for the link for it,

but canny findy. I blame this hellish cold I got after playing nurse

to Rog and Ryne last week...

I know the brand is Merola and I ordered it from Home Depot.

If you wanna go and check out some more pics of this adorable abode

click here.

This Señorita lasted about 2.5 seconds before someone snatched her up.

She's pending already! 

                                ¡Ay, caramba!

Monday's are for.... :)

This never happens ever.

Rog stayed home sick with a cold.

He never gets sick, so for him to actually stay home

on the couch in a blanket, well- this cold has been a doozy:(

Normally Mondays are my "house day". Meaning, I stay home and

clean, do laundry and grocery shop.

Well not today.

Today I played nurse.

In between chicken soup and Theraflu deliveries 

I decided to play handyman too.

It was that or sit and watch Escape from Alcatraz....

I tackled that blank wall on the left there behind the chair.

I opened up my trusty pink tool kit that my father in law bought me

years ago. Over the years some of the tools have gone missing, (RIO!!)

but for the most part it still does the job:)

You see this? It's a guitar hanging thingy. For my birthday like forever ago,

Rog took me to an Alison Krauss concert. They were auctioning off an 

autographed guitar and that sweet man o' mine won it for me:)

We got to go back stage and meet her (she's TINY and so adorable!) and the whole

band from Union Station and take pics and all:)

Super cool.

                        Not cool? My hair back then. It was super short. It really accentuated 

my super round face. I don't even know what I was thinking.

Alison rocked that 'do. 

Me? Not so much.

I really can't talk about it. Or look at those pictures

without cringing. A bad haircut won't ruin your life,

but it will ruin every pic you took while you had it!!

Ugh.

let's move on shall we??

Well ever since that night I'm thinking 20 years ago? that

guitar has been in a case in storage.

Until now:)

NO I didn't actually measure anything! That's just silliness!

You see, I have a level in my eye. Yep! I was born that way.

My hubby is totally jealous of it. 

And my pink tool box.

I took this pic for giggles:)

The entire time I was hanging this stuff, Rog was giving

me pointers from the couch. 

Good thing because this girl with the pink tools 

was kinda freaking out when I realized this 

wall was plaster.

But I did it!!

Yessss:)

I'm thinking I should find that old pic of me and Alison and my

hideous haircut and frame it. And hang it up there by that

guitar just for giggles.

LOTS of giggles.

Freshen up.... :)

Oh man this weather. It's been absolutely beautiful and sunny 

here. I'm loving the windows open and the

fresh air. This time of year always

 makes me want to freshen up the

house:)

I'll tell you what, the ole Ikea Backabro slipcover has seen 

better days and sure could use some freshening up:( 

This couch gets a whole lotta use. It doesn't help that

 SOMEONE I know likes to lounge

on it too, instead of his bed sitting there all lonely

on the floor....

Well Ikea decided not to make the backabro anymore, and that really

stinks because that means no more slipcovers either:(

Lame right?

I found a slipcover on eBay a while back, and I've

 been waiting as long as I could to use it

since it's going to be harder and harder to find them.

Look at Little Bully he's like huh?? seriously??

This is really happening??

I'm so excited to have a fresh slipcover to wipe

all my frenchie boogers on!!

He's so gross.

But so stinkin adorable too:)

I got all kinds of visitors coming in March so I figured

now's the time to finally open the box I've been hanging

on to for so long, and put that new slipcover on already!!

Oh! check out my new favorite thing...

I found this tea towel in Ojai a few weeks back.

I put it in a frame from Target.

I love it:)

Looking forward to hanging with my peeps.

All crammed together.

On my new slipcovered couch:)

Brain fry.... :(

The day after the Super Bowl feast got me feeling all like...

Let's just say I didn't chow down on salad, or anything remotely

green for that matter.

Chase and I cooked and went to town on all things worthy

of sitting on the couch and watching football.

Ugh...

How do I segue...

How do I segue...

Gaaaa!! shakes fists in air!!

I can't think of a way to transition to the following pics,

so you know what?? I'm not going to!! 

Cause I'm a rule breaker like that!!

(and my brain is as fried as the chips I ate on Sunday...)

So I went to check out the progress of our Coronado property

yesterday because Rog said the back splash tile was in.

You guyzzzzuh! I'm in love:)

This is the 1920's little Spanish cutie in Ventura.

This old gal was screaming for a 

a black metal hood in the kitchen:)

  How bout that front door color eh?!

The entire house is white with stained window

trim so I thought it needed a pop of color:)

More original hardware:)

Not too sure how to end this post...

Ugh! I need to eat a salad!!

The little green book... :)

One day last week, Rog and I decided to play hookie and head to

Summerland and check out some antique stores that I've been

wanting to wander in since I moved here.

I came across this GORGEOUS green secretary.

It stopped me dead in my tracks.

Mama wants.

Bad. 

But with a price tag of I can't even remember because it was somewhere in

the ballpark of what? for reals??

 this green piece of ridiculous beauty had to be left behind....

I did however come home with this adorable little green book.

You all know my love of old green books:)

This little gem is called 

The Golden Book of Modern English Poetry.

It was published in 1922. I'm pretty sure I whispered something

like "oh hello little adorable green poetry book,

you're coming home with mama."

 I started reading aloud the minute we got in the car.

I totally channeled my inner Colonel Brandon (RIP) whilst

reading to Rog. He was totally into it!

I'm totally lying.

He was NOT into it.

Maybe because these poems went all Edgar Allen Poe 

on me. I wish you could have seen Rog's face.

I was dying laughing because he was hating it so much.

But did I stop reading??

Of course not!

You can't hear him here, but he was pretty much

begging me to stop.

I couldn't. Because there's one thing that I find 

the most fun ever.

Bugging him.

It's awesome because he so annoyed but he

still smiles and laughs at me:)

and that just cheers me on.

hee hee hee

He just doesn't appreciate such eloquent words...

He writes this kind of poetry:)

So I turned to the one man in my life that was sure to 

listen and LOVE it.

Yeah that went well....