Birthday Wishes!

Happy Birthday to me! Well, not yet, my 25th birthday is on Saturday, June 12th. We aren't planning much for my birthday, at least I don't think we are. Birthdays are usually pretty casual around here at the Simon house. We might do dinner or something. Mom might do the traditional pound cake. If you haven't ever had sour cream pound cake, you must try and make it at least once, then you'll be hooked. I love pound cake, unfortunately it does exactly that, packs on the pounds...so Mom if you are reading this; let try to come up with a low-calorie/non-fat pound cake if there is such a thing! I do however want a few things for the birthday, not sure if I'll get them or not but here are a few things I've been spying!

Of course first on my wish list would be the new Droid Incredible. I refuse to change phone companies just for an iphone, plus its so fast. I've had a regular phone that does the simple stuff for ages and now I think I need to join the rest of the world and their trendy phones. Then I also want a plush down comforter for the master bedroom so that I can finally take my Audrey bedding from Pottery Barn out of its packaging. We currently are just using the quilt I bought to go with it, but it would be nice to been one step closer to finishing that room. Then maybe one of those cute low v-neck white Ts from Gap. And maybe some loafers, I know its summer but you can't pass up a cute pair of loafers which you can still wear into the fall season. I could wish for a lot more things but that would be very greedy and I'm greedy enough as it is! As for the house update, we are still working on the office. I'll have some photos to show you kids soon! 

Dancing Jamz!

Hello Peeps! Not much is going on on the home front. We are finally getting around to painting our office closest but thats about it. I've been on a music kick for a while now. Here is what I'm listening too. It makes me wanna dance all over the house! 

All Tuckered Out

I guess from all of our work in the kitchen, Tux is ready for some quality time on the sofa with the folks. He has worked pretty hard these past few weeks. I think he believes he's a good painter because he's always trying to help us out, but bumping into freshly painted walls, doors and cabinets. Maybe he's trying to smooth the paint out for us. Unfortunately, the only praise Tux gets is a bath. Poor guy. I also think that our little guy has been asking for a brother or a sister. There's no chance in extending our family in human numbers, absolutely not. Too young! But maybe in puppy numbers. Not right now, but maybe later. I didn't just cook this idea up all by myself. Tux has been hinting for a while. Here's how we know. Tux was born in October 2004 and we were able to take him home that December. Tux was my Christmas present to David that year and I wanted to remind him that the cute little thing sitting on his lap then was a gift from me. So I found a schnauzer stuffed animal and put a red bow around it to remind David of Tux. Silly, I know. Well that stuffed animal turned into one of Tux's toys a few years after that. He's ripped the nose off and it almost got shredded in a tug-of-war fight with his friends Georgia and Houston. (Atlanta schnauzers, what can I say!) Just kidding, they are the sweetest. But anyways, beginning of last year Tux has been doing odd things with his schnauzer. Nothing inappropriate! But he's been carrying it around to each room of the house checking out everything. Making sure its safe of course. Then he puts it in his bed. We've even seen him "tuck his schnauzer in", dog owners you know what I'm talking about (moving the bed cushion around to make it just right.) He carefully places his doggy in the area that he's fix. Odd. And thats why we think he might want a buddy. Here Tux with his schnauzer.

Well if we get a puppy later, I'm not sure if its gonna be a schnauzer. I've always loved the look of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniels but I don't like their hair and the fact that they shed. I've actually grown quite fond of the terrier group. Maybe an Irish Terrier? Who knows! We gotta get out of our "construction zone" before we get a puppy! Tux will just have to wait for now. Plus I don't think he's gonna like sharing the spotlight. We do love our little guy and wanted to give him the spotlight he deserves so we framed a photo of him in the hall. It was a good photo of him, as you can see he either loves or hates the camera, depends on his day!

Defining My Style

I think I'm still trying to find my particular style of design. I took a quiz once on My Home Ideas or Martha's website. No, it wasn't that. It was on Real Simple, take your own quiz here. Great magazine by the way, but here's what they said. I'm a completely equal split between Sophisticated Classic and Cozy Casual. *Weird side note: although I don't take much stock in astrology, I'm a Gemini (the twins) so I can kinda see it. So what does this all mean? 

Sophisticated Classic means: I'm drawn to timeless pieces and luxe materials. I love rooms that offer an elegant blend of refined traditional furniture, jewelry-like accessories, and pale hues, pairing patrician old-world elements with cleaner Art Deco shapes. The look evokes a more formal lifestyle. Think Grace Kelly, Tiffany & Co., and Charlotte from Sex and the City. Here are some rooms that show this style.

 

 

So what is Cozy Casual? Cozy Casual means that I'm all about comfort and warmth, favoring warm, traditional rooms made for relaxing with family and friends. My ideal decor draws on English and early-American furniture designs, as well as laid-back country, cottage, and farmhouse styles. Weathered, low-maintenance furnishings are easy, inviting, and built for daily life. Think golden retrievers, fuzzy slippers, and just about any movie by Nancy Meyers (Father of the Bride I/II, The Holiday, Something's Gonna Give, What Women Want, It's Complicated-pretty much any "feel good girl movie.") Here are some images of rooms showing this particular style.

So I'm a mix between sophisticated classic and cozy casual. For shopping purposes, I should stick to stores like Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, ZGallerie, West Elm, and Ballard Designs. What's your style personality? Find it here.

Luck of the Irish!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day to all! I wish everyone well and hope you take a minute to celebrate today! Here are some fun Irish sayings/blessings/proverbs for your enjoyment. 

There are many good reasons for drinking,

One has just entered my head.

If a man doesn't drink when he's living,

How in the hell can he drink when he's dead?

May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light,

May good luck pursue you each morning and night.

May those who love us, love us.

And for those who don't love us,

May God turn their hearts.

And if he can not turn their hearts,

May he turn their ankles,

So we may know them by their limping!

May you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live.

May luck be our companion
May friends stand by our side
May history remind us all
Of Ireland's faith and pride.
May God bless us with happiness
May love and faith abide.

Dave and I seem to have a bit of luck ourselves. We got our first time home buys credit with our tax return and our kitchen should be finish by the end of this month! We are busy painting and finishing up any prep-work that might need to be done prior to the carpenter installing cabinets and tile man placing our granite. We are very excited and can't wait to show pictures soon!

We're Back! Back to reality.

Hello to anyone reading this blog! I haven't had many posts lately because Dave and I went on vacation for New Years to see our friends, Carrie and Hoke in Key West. It was awesome. We had a great time, but we are back and want to get started back on the house unfortunately we haven't hit the lotto yet so things are going to take time. We have our kitchen cabinets lined up and ready to go and we've picked out the granite. We'll get to a showing point soon. In the meantime, I'm painting doors, replacing door knobs. Hope you enjoy some of the photos from the Keys; I've also included some of pictures of how the house is come, you aren't gonna get much. Sorry, its just a door knob for now.

Guess what! Its almost the weekend!!! Pray for snow everyone! Big game is tonight, not sure who I'm gonna root for yet, too bad there isn't a way for both teams to loose!

Ahh, a design pitch..

Good morning! I got to work today and received a funny email about a yahoo digital short from another designer on campus. If anyone is reading this blog and is also a designer, then you'll see this humor in this youtube video. I think its really funny and true in some aspects. Well, think about it, we are always trying to be trendy, we talk in circles explaining our concepts (some of us), work long hours which we aren't paid well, don't enjoy criticism, and usually have to work with a tiny-tinny budget. Enjoy! 

As for house updates, I feel like Dave and I haven't really been motivated to work much on the house. I know we have only been there for three months or so, but you get anxious and tired all at the same time especially when you have all these idea bubbles in your head. What a mess! We are currently working on the kitchen and its such a long, drawn-out project that I just tired of looking at it. There are so many decisions to make when you are working on a kitchen. What kind of countertops? cabinets? layout? flooring? etc. etc. The list could go on, not to mention that we want to get the best bang for our buck so we have to get a thousand different estimates from multiple companies. How do you decide who is the best? If there is anyone reading this blog at all, how do you get through the "lazy" periods and how do you know if you are making the best decisions all the while trying to be money-savvy plus getting what you want? If anyone wants to help prime the rest of kitchen this evening, just give me a ring!