see you in September!

Hello everyone! I hope you have enjoyed your week. We're leaving TONIGHT for vacation. (Ahh!) That partly explains my absence! We will be going to Savannah, Georgia for about 4 days, then off to Charleston, South Carolina with a stop in Tennessee on the way home. Burglars, beware, our house will be armed with two and four-legged friends. Don't even think about it. After Duncan's display with the appraiser yesterday, I don't doubt that he might seriously try to kill you. Have a great end of August. See you in September!

sweats and s'mores

Hello my little peanuts. Did you have a lovely weekend? (And week last week - ugh) I've been terribly inattentive. My weekend was great. I traveled about an hour to a friend's lake house for a little girls weekend. Sunshine, suits and skiing, sweats and s'mores. Simply wonderful! I am currently in a "sit, stay" "down, stay" battle with Duncan, as his class is tomorrow and I'd love to avoid any embarrassment (he's not so concerned.) Enjoy your evening, lovies!

image: Coastal Living

original inspiration

Did you enjoy your weekend? Mine was quite relaxing; it was just Duncan and I and we had lots of quality cuddle time. We have {nearly} selected the core design elements in our kitchen. Cabinets, countertops, flooring, backsplash and most appliances have been decided. We just have to give it a go! While we have those decided, I still have the original kitchens that have given me inspiration and that I LOVE.

Love the backsplashes, love the hoods, love the glass front cabinets, love the lighting! We will definitely be incorporating some of those elements into our design.

images: House Beautiful

Jeff Lewis Design love

Is anyone else so thrilled that season four of Flipping Out (on Bravo) just began? I am so impressed with Jeff Lewis's design expertise and talent AND so entertained by his neurotic and sarcastic personality. The perfect storm. If you don't watch already, you must!

All of his designs are so complete. Very clean and edited with definite style. So inspiring! (read: time for a garage sale!) Happy weekend!

images: Jeff Lewis Design

on what to sit?

I've had a lot of things swirling around in my head lately. (And more viciously after having to tackle Duncan to the ground yesterday at obedience school just to get him to LAY DOWN. Seriously. Did any of you spend your Tuesday evening sweating in a room full of dogs and humans with a 50-50 ratio, laying on top of your 55 pound lab mix? You win, only if you have a 55+ pound lab mix. Yes, meltdown immediately followed.) Anyway, among the more pleasant things, I have been thinking about furniture. Yes, maybe jumping the gun, as we are currently mulling over countertop options, but I'm 50% planner, 50% overthinker. Lately, I've been overthinking the idea of barstools. I've found a few that I really like, but I'm worried about their comfort level, particularly because these would be ordered online. I'm drawn to the kinzie barstools from CB2.

I love the smart and sleek stools from Wisteria because the oak would very nicely compliment our bar, which will be in the same room. It would definitely tie in the look.

What do you think? Do we need to go with a barstool that has a back? I don't want our view from the kitchen to dining room (and vice versa) to be blocked, which makes the acrylic option, the vapor barstool from CB2, very appealing. It would still allow for plenty of light to pass through.

The above photo features two of the three options, the far left one is the kinzie barstool and next to it is the vapor barstool.

images: CB2, Wisteria

the wolf

Woah. Just when you (and I) thought I was back to posting regularly. Anyway, I had a busy busy week, which included Duncan's first day of training school. I wanted to take a First Day of School photo, but, as usual, we were rushing out the door. He was a whiny little boy, but definitely improved throughout the 1 1/2 hour long class. We learned that Duncan is really just a wolf. He might have been listening to the trainer too, as he showed his true wolf-like colors this week.

Burying his bone, even if it means hiding it in the most civilized spot:

and on the hunt (for his boxer-friends across the street):

Have a GREAT weekend! It is so beautiful outside. Maybe Friday will be Duncan's blog post day...