Getting JD Ready for School

I'm not really sure how I feel about this post, but I will try to get through it with out tearing up. JD is starting school in a couple weeks! I don't think "I'm" ready for this but I am going to try my best to make sure he is. We started our back-to-school shopping (for the very first time) this week. Here are a few of the really cute items we purchased for him in preparation for school!

Skip Hop Elephant Backpack

$20.00

Amazon

Dinosaur Reusable Sandwich Bag

$5.00

Sea Cut Designs

Elmo "S is for School" Paperback Book

$3.50

Amazon

Converse Kids All Star V3 Ox

$30.00
Amazon

Fighting Dragons in his Underwear

JD has been using the potty on and off for about 2 months now. We didn’t want to pressure him into potty training, we just wanted to encourage him gently and it seems to be paying off. Yesterday hubby went out and bought JD his first pair of underwear and he spent the whole day running around in them fighting dragons! He actually surprised hubby when he went to his potty all by himself and ran out of the bathroom with his big announcement. JD continued to use his potty all day with only one minor accident. Since it seems that JD is willing to be potty trained, we are hoping that this three day weekend (4 day for me) will give us enough time to get him used to it. Wish us luck!

Nook Ideas

So if you haven't guessed by now the "Awkward Nook" is the second project on my list of home improvement projects that I hope to have done in the next couple of weeks! I've received some really great advice on what to do with our nook and I've actually narrowed it down. I've decided on using it as a pantry/storage area. I plan on storing all of the cake plates, cupcake stands, pitches and large decorative jars I have laying around the house. I also plan on storing our wine and sparkling waters in the nook. Below are some really amazing spaces that I'm drawing my inspiration from, I just hope our nook will turn out as beautiful as these have!

Note: The front door is still in progress and is sanded down and ready for paint (we are just waiting for the upcoming 3 day weekend)!

Image by: Better Homes and Gardens

Image by: Bliss

Image by: Better Homes and Gardens

Awkward Nook

We've lived in our home nearly 8 months now and we are still learning so much about it and about being homeowners. I think by the time we finish changing all the things around our home to fit our taste, it will be time to start all over again! Well this leads me to the one place in our home which completely baffles us; the "awkward nook". We have this really strange nook between our living room and our kitchen that serves absolutely no purpose. We've assumed that the previous owners might have used it as a place for their home theater system, but we on the other hand can't figure out what to do with it, except to store junk. It's not actually part of the kitchen so I'm not sure if it could be a small pantry and since it's a bit hidden, picture frames and trinkets seem pointless. We recently painted it to match the living room (I'll post pictures soon), so now I'm looking for ideas! If you have any, I'm totally up for suggestions but please keep in mind we have a crazy 2 year old living with us!

Wordless Wednesday

 

 

Urth Caffé Downtown Los Angeles

If you love coffee as much as I do and you happen to be in Downtown Los Angeles, you have to stop by Urth Caffé in the Arts District. Urth Caffé was established in 1989 and is America's first exclusively organic coffee company. Their coffee is not only delicious but incredibly artistic too!

Teal Door Love

My list of projects has recently grown and I've actually given myself a timeline, scary! I'm having a small get together at our home in mid September (I'll post a little more about this soon) and there are three home improvement projects I would love to have done before then. The first project is to paint our front door. I've wanted to do this since the day we moved in, but it has taken me this long to decide on the color (hubby leaves the color choices up to me). I originally wanted to paint our door red, but in recent months have completely fallen in love with teal and aqua doors. I'm hoping to get this project done this weekend, wish me luck. Here are a few of my favorites teal doors, aren't they gorgeous!

Image: LaLaLovely

Image: On The Run

Image: In Between Laundry

Image: Pink Wallpaper Design

Redondo Beach Pier

On Saturday hubby took us brunch and after that we headed down to the Redondo Beach Pier for a stroll. I actually grew up in Redondo Beach, California and the pier was one of my favorite places to visit as a child, especially since they have an arcade. Although the pier has changed significantly in the last 20 years the Fun Factory (arcade) hasn't changed a bit and JD seemed to enjoy it just as much as I did, so many years ago!

JD's Robot Room Feature

Yesterday I received another wonderful email from Carrie of Apartment Therapy letting me know that now JD's big boy robot room was being featured on Ohdeedoh! I was thrilled about the feature, but even more thrilled about the emails I've received requesting more information on our decor purchases and re-purposing projects. Thanks for the feature Apartment Therapy!

Our New Porch Railing

In January I posted about how excited I was that we were getting an estimate on some much needed porch railing for our new home. Well, lets just say that the estimate they gave us was beyond ridiculous (over $1000) and made hubby seriously consider the whole DIY approach to home remodeling. A couple weeks ago hubby finally did it, he went out and bought the porch railing kit (under $350 from Lowes) and his dad came over and helped him install it.

I really love our new porch railing and the fact that hubby is becoming my very own Bob Vila! Since one home improvement project always leads to another, now I think it's time to repaint the porch, buy a new door and add some decor!

To see our porch before the railing click here.