Happy Things

I'm really trying to focus on all of the positives, not that I don't always, but even more so right now.

 I have my first in home social for KEEP on Friday, as long as things are staying the same... I'm excited to chat with some new ladies and spread some positivity.  I just love that new key fob in the stripes/coral--it may be on its way to me as we type. ;)

Saturday was so hot and sunny, I made sure to clean the deck off and enjoy it a bit. 

It honestly felt really good to do my makeup and try to feel normal around here.

I call this our little oasis and tough I didn't get much planted, a few pops of color are really nice to see. My sister brought my mom back and we all sat outside for awhile and the kids played in the water table and we had a nice time, for what we're going through and all.

Sunday I brought the kids up to see Daddy briefly at the tent sale--the clown was there and they enjoyed seeing her.  Brooke wanted to be a doggy, imagine that! She loved it.

My Club W/ Winc arrived this morning!! I'm super impressed with all of the wine I've tried.  I hear the rosé is really good so that may be one of the firsts I open!  If you'd like to try a free $13 bottle, use this link and if you order 4 bottles, shipping is free! I think the prices are perfect for the types of wine they send. You can skip a month, but I'm not really sure why you'd want to. Haha

The sun is shining and we're just taking things one day at a time.  I think I need to go read some more of my book that has been neglected these last few weeks.   Have a good day!

New Deck Reveal!!

First of all, thank you all so much for the love from yesterday's post!
Clearly life has been a bit busy and full of new and exciting things...and we are ready for them all!
Before we knew we were expecting, we started the daunting task of fixing up our deck.

We knew it'd be costly and would take some time, but we are so glad we did it!

We started it back in March {I pinned about my dream decks here}

and now in June, it is finally complete!!

I am somewhat embarrassed to show how awful it looked before,

but I am so proud of what we've turned it into!

Here are the 'before' shots.

Keep in mind, the hot tub had NEVER worked in the last 4 1/2 years I have been here!
Goodness knows, when this house was a bachelor pad it worked...

and I'll leave it at that.

I had no desire to get it working again!!

I have wanted this eye sore outta my sight since I have moved in!!

Some before pictures...

 

Do you see how the dog sat on this over-sized picnic table?

We gave that to my in-laws who have lots of land out in the country,

and it will be much more useful out there!!
It was awful.
We never sat out there...

Whoever designed this old deck is nuts.
So unsafe--no railing, different steps here and there, odd shapes...

The whole thing was just bad, bad, bad.

There's that disgusting hot tub!

And it's outtt!

Work in progress...

There were three guys and they worked so hard.

We even had custom gates built to keep the dogs in.

Little did we know, it'd be handy for baby bean who was already on his/her way!

Hubs picked out a paint color and I was supposed to paint the spindles...

However, by that point, we found out painting was one task I could no longer do!

Here are some side by sides shots...

 Just a little bit of a difference

And we finalized our deck on Friday with the purchases of a few patio sets...

This one is from Lowes

So comfy.

We decided to splurge on comfort, 

{and we have both already fallen asleep on them!!}

for the lounge furniture.

And for our dining set, we scored a deal at Kmart.

We got this set 7 pc set for $300--and saved over $300 on it!!

We had friends over Saturday night, so we grilled...

and I got to decorate!

 Martini Lights

Even Sadie seems pretty content...

We are so happy to have this brand new "room" for our house!

It's nice because our trees cover most of the deck, so we don't need an umbrella.

The bugs do attack at night, so we're still working on that issue...any tips?

We have a few citronella candles (need more)

and some tiki torches (more of those?)

I cannot wait until next summer when we have a six month old to play with out there!

For now, I will sip my sparkling water out of a wine glass, with a splash of cranberry,

and enjoy the peace and quiet...and relax.

Are you a Dirty Girl?

And by that I mean, ahem, gardening, ladies. 

My mother-in-law refers to a club in which her friends and her shared gardening tips,

and they call themselves Dirty Girls.

Love it.

I have faint memories of helping my mother and grandmothers in their gardens when I was little.

I also have many memories of me killing plants throughout my life.

I do not have a green thumb.

However, like most things I'm not great at, I try not to give up.

My ability to bake and cook did not develop on the first batch of cookies, or the first time I made pasta.

Practice makes perfect, and small victories build confidence.

It also helps to have really good gardeners in my life!
My friend Jill helped me pick out flowers that would work best in part sun/shade,

since we don't get a lot of sun on the back deck, which is where I wanted to put the pots.

I also had her come over and give me some tips on how to keep the front gardens looking better.

My mother-in-law is the greenest person I know {in more ways that one!}

She has huge gardens with all fresh veggies and lots of pretty flowers and plants.

She's very good at it.

So this was me yesterday...

I am still working on the front gardens and they are not ready for viewing;

once I pull all the creeping Myrtle out and finish weeding, we're mulching, and then I can share.

My six pots came out pretty darn nice if I may say so!
As I put them together, I think of it as styling an outfit.

Which colors look best together?

You don't want too much filler, but you need enough to look put together well.

Don't pair all big fluffy plants all together, but rather  mix and match.

It really is like clothing/jewelry, but they're flowers!

Here are the looks--errr--potted flowers, I came up with!

[Note: You're getting a sneak peak of our deck, since we don't have patio furniture yet,

I haven't unveiled what it looks like. Also, the spindles are in the process of being painted]

This one is my favorite!

 Joe said this is his favorite;

it reminds him of fireworks shooting out.?

So it probably took me two hours, to plant/figure out how I wanted it to look.

I am so, so happy with them!
So, if you're still not plant savvy, just get a pot, some dirt and pick out some flowers/fillers

and play around!
The worst that can happen?

They die.

The best?
Beautiful flowers to smile at over a cup of tea, and a sense of accomplishment.

If you use Miracle Grow potting soil, water them, give them sunlight, and love them, 

you'll make a fabulous dirty girl.

My neon mani may be a bit ruined, but that's OK.

My pretty new flowers are worth it!

My other new mini project:
Decorating the Mantle

I love changing up the looks of things around here.

So, with the help of photos, I put away/pull out from storage

and a quick trip to the Dollar Tree,

a fun & festive mantle to last up through early July!

Bird: Gift from my MIL

Star: $1 store

Garland: $1 store

 Sun: $1 store

Flip Flop photo frames: My sister's bridal shower favors I bought

 Frame: a gift from my step-mom

Photo: Vegas--summer 2008

So there's my Suzie Homemaker update for the week!
What are some fun things you're doing around your home?
I love inspiration.

Happy Digging!!

Dear Friday Letters

I haven't done one of these before, so I figured it was about time! 

Dear fruit & vegetables: 

I would greatly appreciate it if you washed, cut, and 

arranged yourself beautifully onto platters for my sister's shower on Sunday. 

Thanks!

Dear Deck:
I love you and am sorry you're still naked without any furniture!
We are working on that.
For now, I am enjoying a camping chair and a good book!

Dear "Don't Worry Be Happy" Station on Pandora:

Thank you for keeping me in a calm and cool mood while still prepping for this shower!

Dear Bridal Shower: 

I had so much fun planning, buying decor, and I cannot wait to see the place all 

beachified on Sunday.  

I will be happy when it's over though, as I am 

exhausted

ready to be done.

Dear People who don't RSVP:

You are SO rude. 

Dear sweet husband:

I can't wait to see where we are going on our date night!!!

Dear month of May:
You can fast forward to more important events after this Sunday. 

Like super fast. 

K? 

Thanks.

Dear Holly:
Thanks for hosting wedding week!!

I had so much fun and cried like a baby

as I wrote about my wedding.

{Note the banner under my header--check it out!}

Dear Sunshine:

Thank you for re-appearing these last few days. 

I love wearing a maxi dress and not worrying about drying my hair.

The sun feels so good on my skin!

Dear Universe:
Thank you.

That is all

:)

Friday Randoms & Sunless Tan Lotion Review

TGIF Lovies!!
Hubs and I have been uber busy today...

all good stuff!
We have pretty much finalized our decking plans,

we just need to place the order.

We're going with a composite deck, and apparently

you have to run it a certain way with enough support

otherwise it will sag. 

{FYI, I'm sure you're all dying to know that!}

We started to shop around so that we can recreate 

this first image here!

I saw a few sets at Target I like...

I'm all about the popping of a bright orange!

 So, if we can't find the cushions that color,

I'll accessorize with throw pillows!

 

We're looking at curtains for our living room too. 

I found these online through Bed Bath & Beyond

No, we don't have a cool veranda that

it would open up to, but there's a window seat 

thingy where the dogs sit, so I want something

pretty but durable!

Speaking of dogs, our pretty wood flooring

is getting a little beaten up...

So now I'm looking for a good looking 

{somewhat inexpensive}

throw rug, about 5x7

I found these on Overstock:

$82

Or this one for $150

I was thinking cream... {hide dog hair ugh!}

And totally random, but,

do any of you watch Bethenny Ever After?

I'm in love with her style;

and she tends to wear fun blazers and cardis

over this simple white tank.

Of course, she created it.
It doesn't ride up and I love that it's a tad longer and 

appears to be a bit sturdier?

Oh, and it's a "shaper"

It's $32 and I'm kinda thinking I need to buy it.

via

And I have finally picked up a book 

{or rather my Nook}

and am currently reading Prep.

I am not very far, but I am already hooked!

I heard it was a good one, so I hope to get

further into it soon.

 And my latest obsessions:

Faux Tan Lotions.

I went to the Dr and got a mole checked/removed

{It was not cancerous, thank goodness!}

and it just makes me a bit more aware of how 

I am treating my 30+ year old skin.

I believe a tan can be healthy,

but not all year long and all day, every day.

I will tan before we go away 

on our cruise, because I know that burning

is far worse than tanning your skin.
But for now, if I want a little color

I turn to these two new friends:
From Bare Escentuals

This one is $22 

-4.5 oz

-lasts 5-7 like it says

-has a slight smell "fake tan"

-turns your hands orange for a few hand washes

 (even when I washed them right after)

-will streak if you don't rub it in well enough

The other one I got from my nail salon

-You can find it on Amazon here

-a bit more money $31

-4.2 oz

-has a smell

-will stain hands if you don't wash right away

-doesn't seem to last as long, but does give instant color

-will streak if you don't rub it in well enough

I recommend both products;

I would most likely buy the BE lotion again.

I have been mixing them with my regular lotion 

and it seems to use less and then you can apply it 

without smelling too "stinky tan"

I haven't tried the St. Tropez like others have mentioned, but I just may!
I love having a tad of color on my pale pale skin!

I'm off to go read...and make diner.

And sip some vino.
Happy Weekend!!

*These are strictly my opinions and I have not received anything for these reviews.*