renovate.

in lieu of a tunes tuesday post this week i have decided to share with you some of the big changes that have been going on with us lately.

first of all, in case i haven't officially discussed it here i will just say that David and i recently bought a house. since almost everything in the house was original the kitchen and bathroom needed a big update. it was also necessary that the exterior be re-stuccoed and the back yard be given some major tlc. since purchasing our home we decided to get the interior all taken care of before moving in. i mean, live-in renovations are insane. i should know since i've lived through one, which is why we decided to get in done in one go. i'm happy to report that it's almost finished and we will begin the moving process within the next couple of weeks. we still need to finish the exterior, but that can be taken care of while we're living there. 

as for the interior- we had both the kitchen and bathroom completely gutted and started from scratch. since i knew exactly what i wanted to do with those spaces, it wasn't too difficult to witness various stages of the process, including completely gutted out spaces. i knew that what i envisioned would be so much better than how it was before, so it has been a pretty exciting process, even though i haven't always been the most patient (i can't help it! i have exciting plans).

at this point we are pretty much in the home stretch (no pun intended). all that is left to do are the touch ups and appliance installations. i'm excited to share with all of you this process and the evolution of these rooms from start to finish, as well as my inspirations. i recently wrote for Moorea Seal on her blog about this process, which was very exciting. i'm so happy i was able to share on Moorea's blog first. and i'm just so thankful that we are even able to do this and that we will be able to move into our new home just the way we hoped and envisioned it would be. we are definitely blessed.

here are some of my most influential inspirations, taken from my obsession with Pinterest:

this is where we began:

and this is where we are now:

i am very much looking forward to doing some sort of series in the near future devoted to each room in our new home and the inspirations behind the renovations and decor. i hope you tune in!

thanks for letting me share.

xo,

a

a guest post at moorea-seal

good morning!

i'm so very excited to share with you all that i am currently featured as a guest blogger for moorea-seal.com, one of my favorite blogs of all time.

when Moorea asked me if i would be interested in creating a guest post for her blog i was absolutely thrilled. i'm such a fan of her blog and her etsy shop (she makes amazing jewelry!) and of Moorea herself. she is the kind of woman that really knows who she is and isn't afraid to be just that. she is beautiful, inspiring, kind, generous, creative and talented. and seriously so much more.

i'm so pleased to be sharing about our new home at her blog and i'd love it if you could all stop by and check it out, even say hello. and if you are not already following M O O R E A S E A L, you should be!

have a happy friday!

xoxo,
a

my post // moorea seal blog & shop

on the cusp.

i'm just so ready for a clean slate. i'm yearning to purge excess material possessions. i want white walls and clean counters and organized closets, cupboards, and shelves. i want minimal. i want warm blankets and a garden. i want hanging pots and pans and jars of wooden spoons. i want light flooding in through curtain-less windows and a screaming tea kettle on the stove and a nook to read in.

i'm on my tiptoes in anticipation for reinvigoration and change.

(this topic of change is obviously becoming a theme with me)

around the house

Just a few photos I snapped around the house yesterday.

Hope you all have a lovely Friday <3

He asked for it...

What did I do today you ask?

Oh, you know, the usual. I baked a delicious apple pie from scratch.

...

Okay, that's not "the usual", but it is something that I really enjoy doing and I haven't baked a pie from scratch in months, so I decided it was time to do some baking.

{and what I mean by "pre-made" is that I made it yesterday, from scratch, 

with a pastry blender because I prefer it to the food processor when it comes to doughs}

{mix dry & wet ingredients with apples, toss to coat, pour into pie dish, dot with butter}

David went nuts. He actually asked me to bake a pie because he's watching Twin Peaks again and had a hankering. I should have video recorded his reaction when he took the first bite. The look on his face was priceless. He said it was probably the best apple pie he's ever tasted and coming from him that is a huge compliment. Eating apple pie should be his official hobby. He is apple pie spoiled, that boy.

I also made my mom's "chewies" with the pie dough scraps.

Weight Watchers friendly?

Why, yes! I'm glad you asked.

The pie serves 8-10

12 points per slice if serving 8

10 points per slice if serving 10

I know that sounds steep, but I'm telling you it is worth every point. There really isn't anything out there that beats homemade pie.

{Recipe from Martha Stewart}