Weekend with Gertie

I met my new "niece" last weekend and she is the cutest piglet I have ever laid eyes on.  I was also so happy to see my middle sister, Bailey, and her boyfriend -- I cannot believe it had been 6 whole months!  Move back to the South please.

Warning: If you aren't interested in dog pictures, you should go ahead and stop reading now. :)

Gertie in the ladies lounge with my new pillows (post to come).

My favorite bulldog mama, April, came over to meet her too.

Can a family get much cuter than this? (their cocker spaniel was back in Boston)

We tried Olivia's flower dog accessories on tiny Gertrude -- looks like someone is ready for her parents to get married!

She is only 14 weeks, but we are already talking about her having puppies.  Get on the list now -- it doesn't get cuter than this.

XO,

Whit

UK Trip Recap

I don't know what happened, but I somehow skipped the full month of May.  I guess because I didn't think there was anything too noteworthy to share.  We've been doing things around the house, but not to much we've done ourselves so didn't seem fair to share.  Cooking has been a lot of the same, etc.  Life is good for us though and we are very thankful for God's blessings.

Anywho, we went on a trip to the UK and spent time in London, Cotswolds, Turnberry, St. Andrews, Highlands & Edinburgh so I thought I'd share a few photos for friends & family.  I will try to get back to more regular posting if anyone is still reading along!

A great much needed trip and it was nice for it to be just the two of us (although we missed that little dog to death!).

I'll be back much sooner with another post!

XO,

Whit

Weekend Recap

Our weekend looked something like this:

Delicious dinner at Hayes Barton

Lunch at Merritt's after a trip to the Camellia Forest.  I think it's safe to say Josh got my mom as addicted as he is!

Oven "Fried" Pickle Chips

I made oven "fried" pickles and served with spicy ranch (ranch + cayenne pepper to taste).  We all unanimously agreed they were just as delicious as any fried ones we'd ever eaten.  Recipe here.

Of course Ethel and Eloise came along to visit too.

Speaking of pups...my new niece arrives in Boston next Tuesday.  Her name is Gertrude, Gertie for short.  Cuteness overload.

XO,

Whit

Screen porch revamp

Josh thinks this is his "men's lounge" now!  As mentioned, the only way I talked the mister into buying this house was telling him we could have a great Masters' Party on our screen porch.  We did it last weekend and I have to believe that was first annual.  We had a blast and thank all our friends for coming -- and bringing lots of great food & drinks!

The screen porch revamp turned out bright and cheerful...maybe not so manly, but Josh doesn't seem to care.

Before

After - much more tied together for my liking. (ignore all the pollen in these pics - real life!)

The coffee table is one of a pair of end tables that my parents had in their den when they were first married.  It was a medium wooden color, so I spray painted it cream.

The flower pillows were really reasonable ready-made from Atlantic Avenue.  All the fabric is $10 / yd. Sunbrella from Mill Outlet.  Mill Outlet has LOTS to chose from and they have the best prices.

I'm thrilled with how the contrasting piping turned out.

So excited that my parents will be arriving any minute.  Off to get dinner ready and enjoy a weekend with them.

XO,

Whit

A Blue Thursday

I finally completed my bedroom cornices and drapes last night after work.  

As Josh was helping me hang the last cornice in the corner he had me convinced it looked crazy with the two cornices, but then we stood back and I think it's ok -- we didn't have much choice since the windows are close together on that corner.  Too late now!

Now I need a rug, new table skirt or bedside table on my side of the bed and some great bed linens.  I'd love to add two applique monogrammed pillows to my bed.  I wish it wasn't so pricey!

Source

I ran over to Charlotte's and snagged this great ChesterNYC necklace from the trunk show.  Can't wait to wear it this summer and to lots of Heels games in the fall.

Ready for the rain and cold to go away and make way for beautiful spring days!

XO,

Whit

Contrasting Piping

Sometimes when it comes to decorating I feel like I have multiple personalities.  One second I want neutral elegance and the next vivid & funky.  I like TOO many styles.  The majority of my house is a pretty soft palette - not tons of bright colors, so I decided on my screen porch to add some fun splashes of color.

Remember how my bright pink hall bench ended up with some accidental contrasting piping on the back (which I happen to LOVE and wish you could actually see!)?


I decided the screen porch was the place to do some contrasting piping.  My sofa is in the process of being transformed a bit.  I should get my cushions back on Friday and will report back.

In the meantime, here are some of contrasting piping eye candy for you to enjoy.  Do you love it as much as I do?

Source: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 

XO,

Whit