tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73390663493242336042024-03-13T08:44:53.877-04:00the Woodward PlaceAdventures in Building a House and Creating a HomeKatiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07972097611995549563noreply@blogger.comBlogger159125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7339066349324233604.post-21494292193691768322016-05-04T19:07:00.000-04:002016-05-04T19:07:20.721-04:00So long, Woodward.Well, it's nearly impossible not to notice, but I've been AWOL from this blog for over a year now. Life got in the way and things got busy. I missed you, but I'm not sorry.<br />
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The biggest thing that's changed is we have listed the house, accepted an offer, and are moving out shortly. No joke, this gem had 2 showings and got 2 offers. Batting 1,000. Closing is just one week away, so time to pack my boxes and get out. <br />
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That's right, the old gal is moving on to her new owners next week and I hope she makes them as happy as she made us. We've loved living in Brightwalk, with it's great location, great neighbors, and our great little house. <br />
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PS, I feel like you all should know, I <em>totally </em>stole the pictures from our MLS listing and updated the house tour. You. Are. Welcome. <br />
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It's been a blast being a part of the gentrification of this area, what is now officially known as North End. Big things are coming to this area including the light rail, a brewery, a new pool, plus a grocery store, shops, and restaurants not too far in the future. I'm excited to see where this neighborhood goes and I guarantee I'll be stopping in to check it out.<br />
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Everyone has been asking - and honestly I don't know - "what is next for you?" I'm hoping to settle into a small house in the suburbs, maybe a cute little fixer. With any luck, it will be a place I curse late into the night, simply because it wasn't as perfect and easy as this home. When that happens, I'm sure I'll pick up my blog pen again.<br />
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Until then, thanks for reading.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07972097611995549563noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7339066349324233604.post-47497013811565513122015-03-10T18:37:00.000-04:002015-03-10T18:37:40.344-04:00Closet, Closet, Closet!!!Our closet is finally in and installed. I guess technically it's been installed for a few months now, but I took too much time to organize it and then even more time to photograph it and then I needed to relax a bit. But she's here and she's beautiful!<br />
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This has quickly become one of my favorite spaces in our house and easily ranks near the top of <i>Best Things We Spent Lots of Money On</i>, right there with the window trim and the fenced backyard.<br />
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I love how functional everything is. I have labeled drawers for all my delicates and jeans, pull out shoe storage, boot storage, space for care items, like my steamer and Febreze, and too much overhead storage space. We even added a valet hook so there's a convenient place to steam or lay out tomorrow's outfit.<br />
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I also finally got around to boxing up the less used items into bins on that top shelf. They are still accessible but out of the way. I sorted into "Out of Season" (right now it's summer items), "Swim", and "Bags." I'm sure some women couldn't live with all their bags out of sight, out of mind, but since I seldom carry a bag other than my everyday purse, having the extras in a bin works perfectly. I hope to add another out of season bin, one for items that I want to keep but currently don't fit (think fat jeans and too tight sweaters, which would clear out half of the clothes you see).<br />
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Of course, I've already shared my accessories storage which I'm head over heels for:<br />
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Pat's side is also pretty neat. In addition to the same pull-out shelves and glass front drawers, he got a pull-out pants rack, which I love and he hates. Go figure.<br />
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Plus, there's one happy coincidence that worked out more perfect than I could have planned: the end of Pat's side backs up right to the closet entrance, which I worried make the whole closet feel cramped and blocked off. In the end, it provides the perfect spot for an unobstructed full length mirror, something we previously had to walk to the guest bath for. It might be a solution to a first world problem, but it's a solution, no less.<br />
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And with all this amazing awesomeness, something had to give. As always, Leo spends a lot of his time hiding in our closet and this set up has a perch for him to chill that allows him to rub up against all the clothes.<br />
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Everything has little ginger hairs all over. #FML<br />
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<br />Uh. So worth it.<br />
<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07972097611995549563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7339066349324233604.post-3575587584659157022015-01-22T19:13:00.001-05:002015-01-22T19:13:07.436-05:00Accessories Storage and Laundry in the New Closet!If you follow me on <a href="http://instagram.com/klrached/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, this isn't even close to a surprise, but I'm so head over heels I gotta mention it: I <i>lurrrve</i> my new jewelry storage. It's all gold and sparkly and looks more beautiful on the wall then any of my pieces do on me.<br />
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Previously, my necklaces just hung on 3M hooks and all my earrings were stored in a jewelry box on our dresser that also houses our wedding rings...and my Princess Kate knock-off from back in 2011 when I was "Katie Middleton" for Halloween. #TBT<br />
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hahaha, never gets old.<br />
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Back to the issue at hand, both the earring holder and the necklace corkboard were really easy semi-DIY pieces. One afternoon, some craft paint, and a little bit of fabric gave me both of them.<br />
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The earring holder was actually a boring ring holder I picked up from <a href="http://www.containerstore.com/shop?productId=10036638&N=&Ntt=jewelry+tray" target="_blank">The Container Store</a>. I kept trying to come up with a better way to store earrings than the little foam semi-circles, but since I wear studs almost exclusively, I couldn't think of any better way to securely hold them on a wall.<br />
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Since this piece and everything similar are just solid colors that are too neutral, even for me, I decided to take a little bit of fabric and just tuck it in. It only took about one quarter of a fat quarter, so roughly 1/16 of a yard. Once everything was tucked nice and tight, I spritzed some spray adhesive heavily enough that it soaked through the fabric and made my tuck-job extra secure. Done!<br />
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The necklace organizer is just an old corkboard that I stenciled with gold paint and then some hook tacks (also from <a href="http://www.containerstore.com/shop/office/messageBoardsAccessories/accessories?productId=10034878" target="_blank">The Container Store</a>). To take it up a notch, I modge-podged/stapled some black ribbon around the perimeter. Gives it a little extra texture I wouldn't have gotten from painting it.<br />
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To finish it off, I hung a belt rack diagonally and spray painted a basic wire hamper gold.<br />
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Considering this was the corner of the closet I previously used to hang seldomly worn coats and dresses (including the rest of Katie Middleton's get-up), this is a <i>HUUUUGE </i>upgrade in terms of both style and functionality.<br />
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We should be getting the last piece of the closet next week so there will be a lot to share in the very near future! Tootaloo for now.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07972097611995549563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7339066349324233604.post-53287798582550788302015-01-15T03:13:00.000-05:002015-01-15T03:13:28.288-05:00Closet UpdateWoot woot! The closet is here, it is in, and it is ready to be loaded up!<br />
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It took three long days, a few late nights, and 4 hands blistered from all the screwing, cam-locking, dowel-hammering fun! And, out of 43 pieces, we only broke one part (albeit a big one and we're still debating whose fault it was; we'll say it was Ikea's fault for the sake of our marriage.)<br />
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What you see is only my side. Pat has half a side, but the other half is the piece we broke. It'll take about 2 weeks before that piece's replacement arrives, so until then he has to live in three and a half very small-yet-well-organized feet.<br />
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Here's a quick look at the journey we took to get to this point:<br />
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<br />This is definitely, positively, absitutely (who got the <i>HIMYM</i> reference?) <i>not </i>a reveal. There's still a lot to be done in here and many more pictures and updates to come.<br />
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Until then, friends...Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07972097611995549563noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7339066349324233604.post-29782851152226253082015-01-05T18:33:00.000-05:002015-01-05T18:33:02.719-05:00In the Meantime...Yes, yes, yes, all the excited and commotion around our house is about the arrival of our new closet <i>next</i> week. We have a lot to do to prep, mainly taking out the old set-up so we have a blank canvas for the next unit.<br />
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On the to-do list:<br />
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<li>Purge contents</li>
<li>Pull down wire shelves</li>
<li>Patch holes</li>
<li>Paint</li>
<li>Build units and install</li>
<li>Fill 'er up again</li>
<li>Add molding (eventually)</li>
<li>New light fixture (eventually) </li>
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<i>Buuuuuut...</i> we still have to live and function around our current closet for 6 more days, so there's really no sense in starting those projects until just few days prior to our closet's delivery. While we wait, I shifted my attention downstairs where (instead of putting away Christmas decorations) I decided to move the dining room set into the breakfast area.<br />
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I've really, really been avoiding this as a possibility since we moved in. I'm a hardcore, ride-or-die formal dining room fan. <i>You can't have Thanksgiving dinner in a breakfast nook. </i>I guess since we're currently about 11.5 months away from our next formal dining room meal, I broke down and said, "it's now or never." Might as well be now.<br />
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It was a simple shift really, just Pat and I lifting a table with 4 minutes to spare before the Bagel Bites came outta the oven. But the change is ah-mazing. I don't know why we didn't do it sooner (I mean, I do, but I didn't wanna...). The whole area looks much more done, even though it's totally not. <br />
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<i>Ba-da-da-da-da! I'm lovin' it!</i><br />
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The only downside I can find is this leaves our dining room empty. I'm swimming in ideas to get the office downstairs and re-purpose the other bedroom. I guess we'll file this one under To Be Continued...<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Note: I took all these pics around sunset, to serve as a flawless example of bad lighting</i><i>. That's why they all look really yellow and grainy. I'll redo them sometime soon, when I'm not in the middle of a </i>Love It Or List It <i>marathon. </i></span>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07972097611995549563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7339066349324233604.post-82080262264643605832014-12-30T20:21:00.000-05:002014-12-30T20:27:35.083-05:00Our Closet's Coming Out PartyOur closet has a dirty little secret that it's been trying to keep locked up inside. It can't keep this to itself anymore, it needs to come clean and everyone will be better for it.<br />
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Our closet is <i>ugly</i>, y'all.<br />
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Not like Cameron-Diaz-as-Ms.-Hannigan ugly (and, who are they kidding?!). We're talking, first-page-of-Google-search-results-for-the-word-ugly ugly.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OWRxTqAfalo/VKNEQW11EcI/AAAAAAAACas/yanI6tkaWBE/s1600/Ugly.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OWRxTqAfalo/VKNEQW11EcI/AAAAAAAACas/yanI6tkaWBE/s1600/Ugly.JPG" height="286" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=ugly&biw=1600&bih=738&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=JkOjVLneKYG1ggSF7ILQDA&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ" target="_blank">source</a></div>
I bet Skinny Hitler snapped that selfie cause he felt cute that day.<br />
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Take a look for yourself:<br />
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Our closet is a good size, slightly above the American average for a walk-in closet. The down side is it just has wire shelving that runs the perimeter, with tons of wasted space above and below. "Ugh, we can't use our 7'x10' closet efficiently..." #firstworldproblems<br />
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For me, the worst part is that the part you hang the clothes on is divided every foot or so. <span style="color: #660000;"><b>You can't shift anything left or right at all!</b></span> Something so small makes me so angry every single day. #morefirstworldproblems<br />
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I've been nagging Pato for a while now, but explaining how much closets cost has been a bit of an obstacle. Not just for Pat; I'm not even sure why I custom closet costs as much as a small kitchen reno. I wanted something that felt nice (not cheap), organized efficiently, and didn't require our firstborn child as a down payment. <br />
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I looked at The Container Store, Closet Maid, and any other out-of-box solution I could think of. I had purposefully been avoiding IKEA, because I did not want a closet full of Billy bookcases. Plus the thought of piecing all the components together then assembling it sounds like a nightmare.<br />
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But then I broke down and decided to give them a shot.<br />
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Much to my surprise, they had some really nice solutions. IKEA's Pax System (what<i> all</i> those beautiful wardrobes are) look more solid and custom than Container Store's Elfa system, but for literally less than half the price. Sure, the nice bits (glass shelves, pull out trays) are all at the higher end, but IKEA's higher end was surprisingly affordable.<br />
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What really sold me, was the <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/rooms_ideas/planner_pax3d/index.html" target="_blank">Pax System Planner</a>, which allows you to build the closet (or wardrobe) of your dreams while it keeps tabs of all the parts. Then, I can either take the itemized list (with self-serve locations for my store) and pick it all up in store, or just purchase it online. It was like playing the Sims and coming out with a closet design. SOLD!<br />
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(Also, sorry if this is sounding like an IKEA endorsement, it's not. I'm just really stinking excited.)<br />
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I toiled and labored and finally worked out all the kinks. I double and triple checked my measurements. I printed out a pamphlet for Pat so he could make an informed decision.<br />
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The next morning, before I even had the chance to discuss it with him, I found this:<br />
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It's on like Donkey Kong! Our new closet arrives January 12th!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07972097611995549563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7339066349324233604.post-5686684058613702922014-12-25T14:18:00.000-05:002014-12-25T14:18:16.664-05:00Merry Christmas 2014Just wanted to pop in for a minute to tell everyone<b><span style="color: #cc0000;"> M<span style="color: #38761d;">E</span>R<span style="color: #38761d;">R</span>Y<span style="color: #38761d;"> C</span>H<span style="color: #38761d;">R</span>I<span style="color: #38761d;">S</span>T<span style="color: #38761d;">M</span>A<span style="color: #38761d;">S</span>!<span style="color: #38761d;">!</span>!</span></b><br />
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And because you've been good this year, I'm leaving a little gift in your stocking: our 2014 Christmas card!<br />
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May your day be merry and bright!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07972097611995549563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7339066349324233604.post-38057155306934273782014-12-24T21:55:00.000-05:002014-12-24T21:55:46.425-05:00Have Yourself A Rainy Little ChristmasWell friends, tonight is the night. Christmas Eve. So much prep has gone into this moment.<br />
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Nope, still not the Christmas card...<br />
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This year, my family celebrated Christmas a day early because my brother, the valiant fire fighter, has to work on Christmas Day. (Someone has to be there when you drink too much wine, scorch your ham, and almost burn the house down.) That means I'm living in the aftermath, while everyone else is still waiting.<br />
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<i>There's nothing like the mess you make on Christmas Day.</i><br />
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I figure since I have barely talked about The Most Wonderful Time of the Year this year, now is as good a time as any to show you around our festooned home.<br />
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Yes, we live here. This is what things look like after a night of five people eating and laughing into the wee hours. No time to clean up stockings or extra giftbags after that chill sesh.<br />
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One of my favorite Christmas decorations was the garland on top of the cabinets. Not too gimicky, but it fills the space and add some merriment to an otherwise normal area.<br />
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Looking at these messy, late-night, noisy photos, I'm reminded that life isn't about stopping everything to get the perfect picture. It doesn't matter if your IG isn't always beautiful because if you're present in the moment, your memories will be more magical than any picture could capture.<br />
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I hope everyone is loving the last bit of the Christmas season. <br />
<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07972097611995549563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7339066349324233604.post-54580753020757360892014-12-20T01:33:00.001-05:002014-12-20T01:33:50.165-05:00Tree Pickin'December is a busy time for any retail worker, so it's no wonder I've been playing blog-hooky lately. With any luck, I'll show some Christmas decor before the big day next week.<br />
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/413416440768369236/" target="_blank">source</a></div>
I've haven't been procrastinating in <i>every</i> way; our tree has been up since just after Thanksgiving. Continuing our little tradition, we packed up Boone and his scarf and took a day trip to...wait for it...Boone!<br />
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Choose and Cut is like the No.1 way to get in the Christmas spirit and is practically a religion in western North Carolina. We planned on taking Christmas card pics here, but the sun was really harsh and we ended up with a lot of weird shadows.<br />
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This is the best we got, and we're both pretty squinty, Pat looks bald, I look lopsided/chubby, and Boone looks startled. Look out next week for the (awesome) picture that made the Christmas-Card-cut.<br />
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And of course, we picked a tree farm with a Dood, since I'm trying to win the "what breed should the next puppy be?" debate. He latched on to Mr. Boone right away.<br />
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We also picked out what looked like the smallest tree on the lot. Then we got home where we discovered it is friggin' enormous. We even had to rearrange our living room furniture.<br />
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Any-(Cindy-Lou)-hoo, that's a recap of our weekend, three weekends too late. Hope everyone else is getting in the Christmas spirit. Save me a cookie.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07972097611995549563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7339066349324233604.post-70493942572099139652014-12-05T13:10:00.000-05:002014-12-05T13:10:10.890-05:00Foyer Art ProjectAhhh. I bet you thought I forgot. That's assuming you even remember.<br />
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I mentioned over a year ago that I was putting together a small gallery of our house's construction. Since it was basically <i>all</i> I thought about in 2013, it only seems right to commemorate not just the end result, but the process. The three shot set features a pic from just after our foundation was poured, a pic from when it was framed, and a look at the final thing.<br />
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It hangs in our foyer (hence the name...) kinda behind our coat rack. Construction pics are not Glamor Shots by any measure, so I wanted it somewhere that I would regularly see, but wouldn't be a huge focal point.<br />
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To me, it's such a cute little memento of a really big part of our lives. It's something that feels distinctly ours, not bought at HomeGoods or made off someone else's brilliant Pinterest idea.<br />
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Plus, I always love a good Boone photobomb.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07972097611995549563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7339066349324233604.post-62368004418832749542014-11-10T23:20:00.000-05:002014-11-10T23:20:44.231-05:00A Less-Than-Planned UpdateWe have a coffee bar! Kind of...<br />
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I don't want to call the progress in our pantry "unplanned" because I've been sorting this all out for the year that we've lived here. The most accurate way to describe it is "not what I thought we'd be tackling next."<br />
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It all started because I actually had a weekend off with no commitments(!). Pat and I decided on Friday night that we were going to be super productive this weekend. We wanted to do some heavy-duty cleaning, winterize the house, and knock a project off our never ending to-do list.<br />
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I'm deadset on replacing every inch of wire shelving in our home and was fully prepared to start in the laundry room sooner rather than later. When I mentioned my plans to the hubs (cabinets, solid shelves, and hanging space), he said it was unnecessary, expensive, and we don't have the know-how (two of those are true...). Being as I was feeling particularly motivated and I wanted to get <i>something</i> done, I blurted "what about the pantry?"<br />
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Once again, "unneccessary, expensive, no know-how."<br />
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"Can we at least do the coffee bar?"<br />
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"We can <i>look</i>."<br />
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Now I hate wire shelving everywhere, but the section holding our Keurig is especially frustrating. Every time I close the Keurig or refill the water, the whole thing shakes violently. And when I'm adding my sugar, I have to perfectly balance my mug on three wires so it doesn't fall to the side. I have it down to an irritating science.<br />
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Looking back, I'm not sure why I wanted to start with the laundry room.<br />
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Initially, I had little luck finding the perfect piece of furniture (I had decided long ago to use furniture over installed cabinets for both aesthetic and financial reasons). Very few things were tall enough, not too wide, and not ridonkulously priced. The few things I did come across were clearly geared at wine, and I couldn't think of an alternative use for the slots clearly intended for bottles and stemmed glasses.<br />
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Then, by sheer luck, I stumbled across an the webpage for an "island" from Target's <i>Threshold</i> line. <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u5bN2CKHUGU/VGAhZ62YZvI/AAAAAAAACWk/WMCtmVb_wf8/s1600/island.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u5bN2CKHUGU/VGAhZ62YZvI/AAAAAAAACWk/WMCtmVb_wf8/s1600/island.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.target.com/p/threshold-kitchen-island/-/A-13402938#prodSlot=_1_3">source</a></div>
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At first look, I wasn't sure it would fit our space or our needs. But if we left that back leaf folded down and took off the towel bar on the left side... yes I think that'll do.</div>
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So we took off to our local Target to do some grocery shopping with a side of furniture hunting...and she came home with us!</div>
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As I got to work assembling this behemoth, Pat got to ripping out the shelves in that section of our pantry. He was so fast, I couldn't even snap a before shot, but here's a halfway peak:</div>
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It's amazing: as many anchors as those shelves have, they're still remarkable weak, bowing under the slightest movement.</div>
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Then, she was in!</div>
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This is a really tight corner to photograph so please withhold judgement.</div>
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I can't believe how much I love this space already. The first cup of cider I made, I literally squealed with glee. It immediately feels more custom and spacious. Distinctly non-apartment.</div>
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Obviously, we still need to paint, especially after I patched what felt like 400 anchor holes. Since I wasn't quite planning on this addition this weekend, I really have no clue what color to paint in here, other than something light. And that top shelf still needs to go but Pat's help ended as <i>The Walking Dead</i> began.</div>
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I also want to add some shelves/hooks for our mugs so they're conveniently located where they're always used. In the end, we ended up not installing the leaf on the island, so we have a slab of leftover butcher block. If we can finagle it, we might have some matching butcher block shelves soon.</div>
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While I never look forward to waking up, this upgrade might make my morning routine a little more bearable.</div>
Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07972097611995549563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7339066349324233604.post-51500566650270366682014-11-05T17:19:00.000-05:002014-11-05T17:19:26.487-05:00Scat, 1995-2014Yesterday, my mom texted me some sad news: our family cat, Scat, has passed. That's the kind of news it was, the kind that can be texted. As she was nearly 19, this news was not unexpected, and more of a reason to reminisce than grieve. She's been with us nearly my whole life and I hardly remember life pre-Scat.<br />
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She was the second most crotchety cat in our family (she was dethroned 5 years ago by her nephew, Atticus, the Joffrey of our family) and often had a look of disdain that made Grumpy Cat look like a ray of sunshine. Everyone knew you didn't move her, for she was wherever she was because she wanted to be <i>there</i> and nowhere else. Despite her crabby temperament, in her younger years, she was also one of the snuggliest cats I've ever had the pleasure of cuddling.<br />
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There's so much I could say, all of which would sound strangely negative to an outsider, but I say it all with love and fondness. My father, the real writer in the family, wrote her a lovely obituary on his blog.<br />
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<a href="http://tomlayton.blogspot.com/2014/11/goodnight-skitty.html"><i>Goodnight, Skitty</i> on Come Walk With Me</a><br />
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There's one other noteworthy obit: the one my mom texted to all us kids.<br />
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That sums her up perfectly. Scat, you will be missed. Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07972097611995549563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7339066349324233604.post-6059477355606443442014-10-31T13:40:00.000-04:002014-10-31T14:15:58.970-04:00Happy Halloween!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Trick or Treat, y'all!<br />
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L'Halloween (favorite French word ever!) is my 3rd favorite holiday, preceded only by #2 Thanksgiving and #1 <b><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>C<span style="color: #38761d;">H</span>R<span style="color: #38761d;">I</span>S<span style="color: #38761d;">T</span>M<span style="color: #38761d;">A</span>S</i></span></b>! Today is the beginning of the countdown of the best two months of the year, every day getting better and better.<br />
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I don't have big plans; I'll just be chilling with Boone (he's going as Shadow from <i>Homeward Bound</i>), handing out candy, eating candy, and generally being cozy. Plus the potential for heavy drinking with friends. That's still up in the air.<br />
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Anyhoo, I promised y'all a month ago that I would have pumpkins on my stoop, and pumpkins are here...like a week and a half ago.<br />
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Boone was there too.<br />
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My mums are like two months in now, so it's not their most brilliant day, but I haven't killed them yet (Katie - 1, whomever would benefit from them dying - 0).<br />
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How far we've come.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">55</span> <span style="color: #38761d;">Days</span> <span style="color: #cc0000;">Until</span> <span style="color: #38761d;">Christmas</span><span style="color: #cc0000;">!!! <span style="color: #ffd966;"></span></span></b>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07972097611995549563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7339066349324233604.post-12884539411288424272014-10-29T20:02:00.000-04:002014-10-29T20:02:47.021-04:00Wedding SwagOn Sunday, I shared our joy at spending the weekend with our friends, Whitney and Corey, as they <i>GOT MARRIED!!!</i><br />
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How awesome is that blush dress?!<br />
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One of the most unexpected and most appreciated things we picked up from the wedding was the loads of flowers we brought home after the big day. It's not often I get to have several bouquets of professionally arranged flowers (let alone for free), so when the bride said "take whatever you want, because anything left will be thrown away," I took as many as I could carry.<br />
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Even though we didn't get home until 1am and I could barely walk after 10+ hours in 4 inch heels, I couldn't wait to arrange them.<br />
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The smaller arrangements are just in small drinking glasses.<br />
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The big one I scooped up is a lovely addition to my fall centerpiece in the dining room.<br />
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Also, I'm responsible for drying the bride's bouquet while they are on their honeymoon. Wish me luck!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07972097611995549563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7339066349324233604.post-81179251783639218132014-10-26T15:47:00.000-04:002014-10-26T15:47:50.366-04:00The Abbotts, est. 2014This weekend has been an absolute blur.<br />
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We had the privilege of helping our friends, Whitney and Corey, celebrate their marriage at the beautiful <a href="http://www.morninggloryfarmnc.com/">Morning Glory Farms</a>, located in Monroe, NC, just outside of Charlotte. Whitney, the most Type A personality I've ever met, outdid herself planning a celebration that felt timeless and trendy and undeniably them.<br />
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Needless to say, we had a great time.<br />
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I couldn't get over the setting, the details, the attire. I can't wait to see the photos and I'm sure it won't take long before this wedding is trending on Pinterest. Since it was so beautiful and meant so much to us, I wanted to share a few pics before the all the real photos come out. This is like the grainy, long-lens photos published by tabloids weeks before the respectable news outlets release perfect portraits.<br />
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Yeah, that one's really blurry, but it's the best I have of the tent and they get better from here.<br />
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Promise. <br />
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Of course, by later in the night, the party was jumpin', jumpin'.<br />
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As I was in the wedding, I didn't get any shots of the ceremony (the one above is borrowed from Whit's aunt) and not as many as I would have liked of anything. If you want more, be sure to check out their hashtag #happilyeverabbott.<br />
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<br />Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07972097611995549563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7339066349324233604.post-70658991093421667622014-10-07T19:49:00.000-04:002014-10-07T23:23:32.161-04:00The One Year Housiversary Tour As promised, we're back to look at the inside. The mission over the past year has been to create an environment where we truly feel at home. As long-time apartment dwellers, it was easy to adopt the mindset that our home was a temporary arrangement. All the painting, filling of empty spaces, and general decorating has gone a long way towards accomplishing that goal. It's unbelievable that just a year ago this was all <a href="http://thewoodwardplace.blogspot.com/2013/09/house-update-its-ours.html">a completely sterile space</a>.<br>
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By no means is this complete; I honestly feel like this is the bare minimum of decorating. Only one room has curtains. All the art and nick-knacks are spread thin. I feel like almost everything needs to be reworked. I recently visited a friend whose townhouse looks like it's out of a Pottery Barn catalog only one month after she moved in. <i>Oh well.</i> The second royal pregnancy won't keep up with itself.<br>
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No matter, this is where we live. <br>
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Can Boone be a dog-model already? I'm screening agents if anyone is interested...<br>
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The foyer looks almost the same as it did months ago. I've added a few more pictures and a coat rack (one of the steps to Boone getting his own room); those three empty frames will house the foyer art project I've been mulling over for a year and a half. Bet you thought I'd forgotten... :)<br>
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The dining room also hasn't changed much since the last time I shared it. I updated the centerpiece to be a more fall friendly but that's about it. I <i>am</i> rethinking the paint color; it might be time to go light, especially since my little iPhone can't. even.<br>
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Boone really likes watching the world go by out the dining room window.<br>
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We use the front and back doors pretty equally, so we've made the little space at the bottom of our stairs a make-shift mudroom since it's equidistant from both doors. I can't take off my boots by myself and this is the perfect place to rest while Pat takes them off for me. Just in time for boot weather.<br>
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For some reason, I don't share many pictures of our kitchen which is
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And here's the October kitchen chalkboard. I wasn't quite ready for Halloween, but I had to get rid of "a September to Remember." You know, since it's October.<br>
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The living room looks about the same as when I re-revealed it around the Super Bowl. I'm itching to get curtains up in here, but I'll need 8 panels...I'm currently waiting to win a multi-state powerball.<br>
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As much as we love our jute rugs, it's worth mentioning that they do not hold up well to giant Golden Retriever paws. Sure, we can tuck all the little picks back in, but I'm too busy watching Dance Moms to pay much attention to those little things. <br>
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Upstairs, in general, is hit or miss. The loft and office are particularly undone but liveable. The guestroom's concept is executed, but I still need art and a dresser. The master is in a constant state of progress. We seem to add something every few weeks, but it still only looks like a fraction of the room I envision.<br>
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I am <i>not</i> particularly proud to share that pic.</div>
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While Leo will occassionally visit us downstairs, the upstairs is totally his domain.</div>
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The master also picked up the most random accessories. If you remember, that's one of the Christmas pillows and that throw just migrated up here one day. Those mirrors haven't been hung yet, and one of them has a cracked pane (made them an absolute steal).<br>
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And the master bath is the hardest room to photograph ever. Basically, it is still blue.<br>
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So that's that. Our house is officially one year old. I would love to think up some pithy conclusion, but I just recently started watching Game of Thrones and it's time to start the next episode.<br>
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Deuces.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07972097611995549563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7339066349324233604.post-85957617726654775132014-10-03T18:57:00.000-04:002014-10-03T18:57:08.168-04:00Happy House-iversary!Yep, we've officially lived here for a whole year.<br />
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Crazy, crazy, crazy. Other things that happened a year ago: the government was shut down, Obamacare was fudup, Putin was nominated for a Nobel, and apparently Disney on Ice was in Charlotte. Those things seem like they were forever ago, but my little house still feels so new. Most years in apartments, that lease term seemed like a death sentence that never drew closer. Home-ownership is an intangibly beautiful thing. <br />
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To commemorate, let's take a look at where we are on day 366. (If you need a refresher on <a href="http://thewoodwardplace.blogspot.com/2013/09/house-update-its-ours.html">where we started</a> and <a href="http://thewoodwardplace.blogspot.com/2013/10/a-lot-and-nothing-all-at-same-time.html">where we've been</a>, there are the links).<br />
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There's a lot of pictures here, so I'm breaking it up into inside and outside.<br />
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Today we'll do the outside and we'll stroll through the inside next time.<br />
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Holler for fall, y'all. Sure, autumnal decor is not official part of our year-long improvements, but I just want to look at it every chance I get.</div>
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That sign, from <strike>Garden Ridge</strike> At Home, was made with a little wire hanger to hang on a wall. I snipped that right off and used some floral wire to string it to our wreath to add a not-so-creepy Halloween spin. <br />
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Our plants are growing quite well, although some are growing more crooked than others. The hope remains that with mature plants we'll be able to rid ourselves of that "new construction feel" sooner rather than later. <br />
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Just like last year, our tree has turned red. However, this year, there is a fence, a grill, and some patio furniture in this picture. And a lot less mulch. We need to buy some mulch.<br />
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While these changes are a far cry from last year, it's nothing compared to the progress we've made <i>inside</i> over the past year. I really enjoyed digging through my old archives (specifically last October and November) to see how different everything looks. Like those 10 lbs. I didn't plan to gain, I hardly noticed the changes day-to-day, but looking back it's sooo obvious. <br />
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<i><b>Addendum:</b> I was mistaken, our move-in date was actually October 2nd, not October 3rd. Damn archives for obliging me to information accuracy. Still, happy belated birthday to my house-baby.</i>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07972097611995549563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7339066349324233604.post-54827116934730785872014-09-25T20:43:00.000-04:002014-09-25T20:43:26.631-04:00I'm Falling for this Fall Front PorchCan you feel that chill in the air? Ahhh, that crisp, cool autumn air is here. Fall officially starts the countdown to my favorite seasons in ascending order: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas. All my friends and family know how seriously I take holidays. Sweater weather and pumpkin-spice everything are only perks.<br />
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Another of my favorite perks is all the Fall home decor goodies. My collection is still growing, so our home interior needs some (pumpkin) spicing up.<br />
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Despite that, the outside of our home is officially all Falled up.<br />
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Right now, we're relying on hay bales and mums to carry our front porch, but as we get later in the season, we'll add a lot of pumpkins. And yes, I had just watered the mums when I snapped this pic.<br />
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I also added some acorns and pinecones to our topiaries and some faux mums to the R wreath.<br />
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This is our first go-round with big Fall decorating outside. When we moved in last October, we were too exhausted to decorate, so we added some mums and called it a day. Of course, never having cared for mums (or any non-succulent plants for that matter) I killed them really, really quickly. Like cats-running-for-the-kitchen-when-you-open-the-can-opener's-drawer quickly.</div>
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This year, I'm feeling more confident in keeping my little mums alive. It's been a week and they're still kicking.</div>
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It's crazy that our house is the most decorated for Fall in our neighborhood. It's like I'm winning a contest I didn't even know existed. Part of me says calm down, and reminds me that some people went <i>all out </i>for Christmas last year. Then again, I'm kinda crazy (definitely crazy when it comes to holidays) so it's only fitting that I raise the psycho-bar for us all.<br />
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Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07972097611995549563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7339066349324233604.post-91200872805128035312014-09-08T15:16:00.000-04:002014-09-08T15:16:44.138-04:00Chalk It Up To...Have I told y'all about my chalkboards?<br />
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Like most girls, I have a serious thing for chalkboards and chalkboard art. Like, we're not-seeing-other-people serious.<br />
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We have two chalkboards in the house: one in the foyer and one in the kitchen.<br />
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You may have seen them floating about in some wide shots, but I don't think I've ever shared them. Seeing as I have a serious disability when it comes to staying up-to-date with holiday decor, I love that this little thing only takes a few minutes to change out. Count on this: when all my other knick-knacks are two months out-of-context, my chalkboards are up-to-the-minute accurate.<br />
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I've only recently started cataloging my drawings, but here's a brief history to bring you up to date:<br />
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<br />Pat has even tried his hand at designing chalkboards. I don't know what <i>A September to Remember </i>means (is it a sports or movie reference I don't get?), but I appreciate the input. He also gets writing cred for <i>July Not So Dry.</i><br />
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Now I'm not delusional: I know I'm not <a href="http://littlebabygarvin.blogspot.com/">Little Baby Garvin</a> awesome with my designs, and you won't see a Woodward Place Etsy shop popping up anytime soon. What I can say with complete confidence is they make me happy and I feel like a little (very amateur) artist.<br />
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So that's that.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07972097611995549563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7339066349324233604.post-5657481481421079382014-09-03T18:35:00.000-04:002014-09-03T18:35:48.125-04:00PB&J 2.0 RevisitedYou may have noticed I took a blog break. I spent August working a lot and chilling with friends. I managed to squeeze in a mini vacay and watched more Netflix than any human should be okay with. August was oodles of fun for me, but I missed my little blog. After a month and a half away, I felt like I needed to make a some grand re-entrance. Like, <i>we tore down a wall </i>or <i>we've gutted a bathroom</i>.<br />
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As it turns out, on my break I did absolutely zero home-related projects (does buying fake pumpkins at HomeGoods count?), so you won't get some surprise reveal. But this is as good as it gets in <i>Woodward</i> news:<br />
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<b>I'm in a magazine y'all!</b><br />
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I bet <a href="http://www.younghouselove.com/">John and Sherry</a> don't even notice little blurbs like this anymore, but this is huge stuff for me. I've been eagerly awaiting my copy in the mail to the point I had even convinced myself it was never coming. #musthavebeenadream #pinchme<br />
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The fine folks over at <i><a href="http://www.tasteofhome.com/">Taste of Home</a> </i>uncovered some value in my ramblings and decided to feature (take that with a grain of salt) my beautiful mug and some choice words in their August/September issue. That *might* even be a mention on the front page...errr, to the article, not me. <br />
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<a href="http://www.tasteofhome.com/">source</a></div>
What fine bit of journalism did they choose to feature? Bits and bobs about <a href="http://thewoodwardplace.blogspot.com/2013/06/diy-terrarium.html">terrariums</a> or <a href="http://thewoodwardplace.blogspot.com/2013/09/not-yo-mommas-moving-tips.html">moving tips</a>? Nope. The lucky winner is perhaps my most-ridiculed writing, <a href="http://thewoodwardplace.blogspot.com/2013/08/pb-j-20.html"><i>PB&J 2.0</i></a>. You thought I was crazy. You said the sugar had gone straight to my head. You secretly tried it and knew the genius. <br />
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Maybe the PB&J 2.0 isn't my most pinned post. But an awesome afternoon snack? <i>Yes</i>. In an article about moms sharing their favorite school-ready meals, I'm the childless adult naming a personal, first-grade-appropriate favorite. <i>I don't even pack my own lunches yet.</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.tasteofhome.com/">source</a></div>
Shot out to the hottie in No. 9. PS, I immediately regret the headshot I chose. Red
lipstick is a stretch for me in person. Why did I think I could pull it
off in a magazine. Next time, I'll use No. 2's approach.<br />
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This is such a fun, happy article<i> </i>and I'm giddy to be a part of it. It's the little things like this that makes blogging so rewarding and this really motivates me to tackle my next big project. If only I could decide what to do...<br />
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I'll be back soon. I promise!<br />
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<i>If you like what you see and are interested in subscribing to<b> </b></i><b>Taste of Home</b><i>, here's the <a href="https://order.tasteofhome.com/pubs/RM/TOH/TOH-INT-1408-7-limited-time-OP-RES.jsp?cds_page_id=160453&cds_mag_code=TOH&id=1409783008965&lsid=42461723289040779&vid=1&cds_response_key=IP0AK27T">link</a>.</i><br />
Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07972097611995549563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7339066349324233604.post-36596607729706700212014-07-29T23:53:00.000-04:002014-07-29T23:53:35.204-04:00We're Going Fencing!The Rached Dog Park is open for business!<br />
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<br />And those hydrangeas are looking much nicer. Our grass, not so much.<br />
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After months of HOA problems, erosion, and actually saving up some money, we finally got to install our fence! This fence is very-long nine months in the making, AKA the length of a Jessica Simpson pregnancy.<br />
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Boone hasn't quite figured out how he feels about it. He loves spending more time outside and we love not having to watch him so closely. He does not, however, love how it cuts down on his fetch space or when we go inside and he's left out there alone.<br />
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Boo's never done the whole fence thing. The only time we even tried when he was about 4 or 5 months old; he found the only gap under the fence, came around to the front door and just watched us. I have no idea how long he was there before we noticed. In the mean time we're placating him with his Chuck-It ball. <br />
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Our HOA only allows black, aluminum fences, so that made our choice an easy, albeit expensive, one. Since our yard is teeny-tiny, we decided to enclose every square inch allowed. And we picked a five foot height, because we like big dogs. One of our neighbors pointed out that it's added security which we hadn't even considered. Most houses in Brightwalk have four foot fences or nothing at all. <br />
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This is one of the very last items on our non-negotiable list from before we even moved in. What that means is we can finally start focusing on making this house a home (I always feel cheesy when I say that) versus check items off a to-do list.<br />
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We still plan to add a patio, dog house, and plenty of landscaping to our yard.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07972097611995549563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7339066349324233604.post-2886298005894597732014-07-25T17:59:00.001-04:002014-07-25T17:59:59.075-04:00Big, Big Laundry Room PlansWhile I'm sitting around waiting for our fence to be installed, I have nothing better to do than to update y'all on the next big thing around here: our laundry room!<br />
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I have a thing for laundry spaces. I love 'em. I love the big shiny machines, I love the ample, out-of-sight storage, I love that the litter box isn't in a bathroom. I have some serious home-decor lady-wood for laundry rooms. That's probably why my Pinterest <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/klrached/decorating-ideas-laundry/">laundry room board </a>has more pins than <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/klrached/decorating-ideas-office/">my office board</a>, <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/klrached/decorating-ideas-guest-bedrooms/">my guest rooms board</a>, <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/klrached/leo/">my Leonardo DiCaprio board</a>, and <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/klrached/dad-jokes/">my dad jokes board</a>, among others (fact).<br />
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Some of my favorites:<br />
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<a href="http://www.viewalongtheway.com/2013/01/laundry-room-reveal/">source</a></div>
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And let's not forget one of my all time favs, the <a href="http://www.younghouselove.com/">YHL</a> Homerama showhouse.</div>
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<a href="http://www.younghouselove.com/2014/05/the-end-of-the-show/">source</a></div>
There's a little something I like about every one of these, so ours will take elements from each and swirl them all together.<br />
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I've said it before and I'll say it again, our laundry
room is one of the things that sold me on our house. Not only is it
upstairs, but it's the only utility space we saw in all our house
searching that was wider than the combined width of the washer &
dryer. We have enough space to add a cabinet or sink or shelves. So far,
we've chosen to completely under-utilize the space and put the cat food
there.<br />
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My list:</div>
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<li>Accent wall: I normally hate accent walls (mainly because they are <i>everywhere</i>) but in laundry rooms, where everything seems to be on one wall anyway, they just work.</li>
<li>Open Shelves: And not wire shelves. This wall would be too heavy with a bank of cabinets running the full length. I love the airiness shelves provide, plus it won't cover up too much of my accent wall.</li>
<li>Cabinets: If money and DIY ability permits, I'd love to throw in an upper cabinet or two.</li>
<li>Hanging Space: In the days of do-not-tumble-dry clothes, we always have clothes laying on top of our washer, dryer, shelves, and occasionally actually hanging. It only makes sense to set aside a corner for designated, grown-up hanging space.</li>
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And to see where we are coming from:<br />
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It does not make me proud to show you these. <br />
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So that's where we're coming from and where we're going. Now I just have to find the time and money. We shall see how long this takes.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07972097611995549563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7339066349324233604.post-86883650924497633612014-07-22T19:30:00.000-04:002014-07-22T19:30:44.474-04:00Early Fall DecorWell that didn't last too long.<br />
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Yes, yes, I only got my patriotic Fourth of July decorations up days before the holiday itself, but I'm ready to move on. Once the Fourth passes, I'm pretty much ready to call it Fall. In an effort not to repeat the Easter Fiasco, I just cut my losses and moved on to a late summer/early fall appropriate wreath.<br />
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It's not too yellow & orange, but does harken forward to fall's arrival. And it's barely there, because we're not really decorating for any event right now. Even though we don't have kids, I like to think of this as back-to-school decor. I may perceive seasons differently than normal people. My calendar looks like: Winter, Spring, back-to-school, Fall 1, Halloween, Fall 2, Thanksgiving, Christmas.<br />
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To make the inside feel transitional as well, I switched out our foyer's console table for a more fall-friendly display. <br />
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Look closely and you'll see my husband's idea of chalkboard art. He revamped my outdated "June so soon" design. <br />
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The sitting area didn't necessarily get falled-up, but it did get de-springed. Toned down flowers change the mood of the in-progress, not-for-real staging of this room-to-be. Hypenating-hypenated-hyphens.<br />
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I'm really looking forward to clipping some hydrangeas from our yard and bringing them in here.<br />
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On a slightly related note, I've decided a seasonal decor calendar may be in order. What, you may ask, is a seasonal decor calendar? It's a way of keeping myself on top of switching out all the odds and ends that reference a specific holiday or season. In other words, no more Easter wreaths in June. But that's a post for another day.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07972097611995549563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7339066349324233604.post-6885396164831025492014-07-02T16:25:00.000-04:002014-07-02T16:25:52.559-04:00Fourth of July Wreath'Merica, am I right?<br />
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I cannot believe it is July already. When did that happen?<br />
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With only two days left until Independence Day, I'm running out of time to share the wreath that's been hanging on our front door for quite a while.<br />
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If I were a good blogger, this would have been up a month ago, leaving plenty of time to inspire knock-offs and get thoroughly circulated on Pinterest. Not only am I not timely, I'm not blown over by the way this one turned out. <br />
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I love the tiny pennant, made by cutting up a tiny cheapo flag, even though I'm pretty sure destroying the flag is a federal crime. I like the idea of all the bunches of red, white, and blue flowers, but it lacks the charm of <a href="http://thewoodwardplace.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-little-americana-just-in-time.html">the pantry wreath</a>.<br />
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Something just feels off. Maybe it's that it doesn't read as well from the street. Maybe it's that there's no other Americana outside our house. Maybe the whole thing could be perfect if I had decorated the topiaries.<br />
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Oh well. Too little, too late now.<br />
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Anyone have ideas as to what I did wrong?Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07972097611995549563noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7339066349324233604.post-37738859080819445812014-06-30T00:36:00.000-04:002014-06-30T00:36:38.030-04:00A Little Americana, Just in TimeAs I mentioned last week that I had an Easter wreath hanging on my pantry door. Normally I'm all over holidays like bells on bob-tails, but I just forgot. Maybe because my spring-summer decor is still pretty lacking. Despite my procrastinating, I figure what better time than the present (except maybe two months ago) to get around to the current holiday.<br />
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I kept switching between the idea of a generic, seasonless bit of swag to hold us over for whenever there's no holiday near (or I am just lacking the <strike>motivation</strike> decorations) and something perfect for the summer months, specifically Independence Day. Sure enough, I settled on something neutral, but with the ability to punch it up.<br />
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I give you, my Ame<i>R</i>icana wreath:<br />
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Pow, right in the kisser.<br />
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I honestly had no idea what I was after when I ventured into my local Michaels. All I knew is that I didn't want to spend too much time/money if it would be July-exclusive, but I didn't want it to be underwhelming if it turned out to be more permanent.<br />
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The balance I struck was a more labor intensive basic wreath that can be updated in a few minutes for whatever holiday comes my way (strangely, I believe Labor Day is next, then Halloween). And since it's me, "labor intensive" still loosely translates to about an hour.<br />
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It's basically a grapevine wreath, a little wooden scrolly doo-dah (technical term, I'm sure), and an R covered in moss. So, like $5 + a new pack of hot glue sticks and some old paint.<br />
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This was an example of my favorite type of DIY: super simple. I just painted the scrolly doo-dah a light champagney-silver, hot glued moss onto a wooden initial, and glued it all together. Or for you picture folks:<br />
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Gluing the moss onto the R was the trickiest, most time
consuming piece. I just kept piling moss on there until no wood was
visible. I applied it in teeny, tiny little patches and at the end it
looked kindy hairy and gross, with hot glue strings <i>everywhere.</i><br />
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Then I trimmed down all the extra moss and hot glue strings with a pair of scissors and the R looked like this:<br />
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Then I just glued the scroll onto the back of the wreath, painted side down. Once the glue dried, I flipped it over and glued the R onto the center of the scroll.<br />
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The final, holiday-free version looks like this:<br />
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The real pow comes from the 4th elements: simply some red, white, and blue fake flowers (about $10, but I got another wreath out of them) and a little red birdy. I just cut the flowers close tho there base (leaving about 1/2 - 1 inch of stem, and pushed it through the wreath.<br />
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Here's one more for good measure:<br />
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There you have it: our <strike>house</strike> pantry door is now Easter-free and summer ready!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07972097611995549563noreply@blogger.com0