Take Me Thursdays!

So I have been contemplating for some time on how to incorporate a little bit more of "me" into the blog. I am a North Carolina native and love my home state. So on Thursdays, I am going to show you places in NC that are some of my favorites and hopefully, bring a little inspiration to you to get out there and travel a bit. It is called Take Me Thursdays! Just in time for the weekend. I do hope you enjoy! Please comment on posts as I can use all the encouragement (or criticism) as I can get for the blog!

Todays Destination: NC State Fairgrounds Flea Market Raleigh, NC

Raleigh is where I grew up. It holds so many memories and activities and here is one of my faves!

For the shopping enthusiast Raleigh has incredible Malls. My personal favorite is Crabtree Valley Mall centrally located in Raleigh has great shopping. However, I tend to be more a thrifty shopper and on the weekends, especially if I am in the mood for a great project. So I will head to the N.C. State Fairgrounds for the weekly Flea Market sales!

I go mid-morning on a Saturday (but they open on weekends at 8am and close at 5pm) coffee in hand and browse. I can browse for HOURS. Always go with someone who is as enthusiastic about it as you are.

I can NOT go with John and have a satisfying trip. He is a complainer about all things decor related and doesnt tolerate my need to sift, sniff, and dig through anything that catches my attention. Drives him bonkers, which leads to whining, which leads to leaving.. way before I am ready. So.. I have learned. Take a girlfriend. Leave the man at home, he and I both are much happier.

Admission is free which in my book is always a no-brainer. I take Maggie, my dog, with me for a little exercise and good sniffs. There are TONS of antiques, food, knick-knacks, books, furniture, yard plants (nice ones, like in a nursery), aaaaand fresh produce from local farmers. I love this place.

If you are in the need for something a little different than your normal routine, check this place out. And if you arent from Raleigh, check out your local flea market. You may be in for a treat.

Kitchen Reveal!

Let Me start off by saying this: I NEVER thought the kitchen would be done. EVER. It took so much more time than either John or I thought. So here goes. Our splendid kitchen.

For those of you know dont know: This is what it looked like before. A bowl of nasty, brown oatmeal. Shades of brown. Now dont get me wrong, I love oatmeal, just not on my walls. Or my floor. Or my ENTIRE house. Which is what it looked like. All. Over. Can we say BORING?

So I brought in some color. A perfect silver-blue to accent the brown cabinets (which much to my dismay, John wont let me paint or replace). A little glass to reflect some light, and some new appliances to bring this kitchen back into the 21st century since it was stuck in circa 1988.

After:

This handsome light fixture was purchased from CSN Lighting. I HIGHLY recommend them. Not only did I find this outdoor light on sale for only 24 bucks, but with shipping only cost me $30.00. Can we say HELLO Love. And yes, I am IN LOVE with this lamp. It is my lovely, my sparkley, my shiny. It makes the kitchen glow at night. With its seeded glass, it just reflects the light off of every surface and is simply lovely.

Here is a view of the room from the Master doorway (the master is downstairs and just off the kitchen).

Yes, I am a francophone at heart, so I need to have my little piece of Paris every now and again. Which, yes, it scattered throughout the house.

Finally, a new stove. Our other one was N.A.S.T.Y. Yes, it is true that every home must be sold with a working kitchen. However, the one we inherited was Dis-cus-ting. I mean, wouldnt even touch it bad. So on our first true weekend of owning the house John and I picked out a new stove and refrigerator. I can now cook without the thought of contracting tetnus, hepatitus or e-coli.

Yes, I know the red towels dont match. They did match in the apartment, and I havent gotten any new ones. This is reality.

Our fridge. Love. At. First. Sight. aaaah. Sigh.

Yes, there are still some projects to go:

I want to replace our kitchen faucet. The only reason it hasnt been done before now is because John and I cant seem to agree on one. Why cant men just give in? Geeze! (sorry honey.. love you!)

We desperately want to put in hardwoods throughout the first floor. But that costs a pretty penny we just dont have at the moment. So we will have to wait on that.

We still need to paint the doors the same color as the trim. All with time. It will happen.

So there you have it. Our kitchen. A work in progress.

Tell me what you think. What do you like, hate, change etc. I would LOVE to hear from you! I need comments to know what everyone thinks. So get out there and help me!

Heat Wave Cool Down

With the impending heat wave we are having here in NC, I thought I would share with you one of my favorite summer treats. A Peach Bellini. This drink is bubbly, its girly, its refreshing and its ooooh so good. On a day like today its great poolside, oceanside or inside (with some friends of course!). A perfect compliment and treat for a scorcher like today!
What you'll need

• One bottle of cheap champagne
• One can of peach nectar (you can find this in the mexican isle of your grocery)
• One 12oz. bottle of Peach Schnapps

Thats it. Now, mix the trio together and put into a pitcher or bowl, whatever will fit in your freezer. Let it sit in there for at least 5 hours. I like to put mine in the night before. The mixture will not freeze because of the alcohol in it, but it will turn into our beloved slushy.

When you're ready, scoop or pour the mixture into decorative glasses or heck, Solo cups will do too! I like to have some munchies to go along with this drink. Its so good you can drink too much too fast and it can make you feel a little tipsy (just ask my sister!). Something I love is a block of cream cheese topped with a jar of red pepper jelly served with some yummy crackers! So delicioso!

Ladies, Summer is still calling! Get out there!

Sneak Peek

Hey All!

I know you all have been wondering where I disappeared to, but have no fear. I am still around. Just a little re-cap of things for the curious:

We didnt close on our house on June 30th as planned. We had a VERY long, frustrating, anxiety driven, heartburn causing delay on our closing. It didnt happen until July 16th. Oh my the stress. It was of no fault of our own, or our lender. It was simply USDA and their backlog of loans recently (buyers market + low economy+ goverment= SLOW approvals) and they simply couldnt get to ours for a couple extra weeks. So we waited, and waited and waited. The day we closed a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders. I cried. Tears of joy and frustration ran down my face (after a happy dance of course!).

Of course, not 30 minutes later while at Lowes another heavy load was put on my shoulders. This one was the load of projects that we now assumed with the house before move-in. Oh Geez! So John and I have been working like dogs trying to get the place fixed up a little before we move on Aug. 8 after losing 2 weeks of our precious working weeks with delays from the close. Everything has been on full speed since. And hence, no time to post.

But alas, I am back.

And more importantly, here to share with you some of our newest joys and projects of our humble abode (or soon to be).

If you all can even remember, this is what the kitchen looked like when we bought the house:

Oh, the nasty wallpaper, terrible light fixtures and awful, ugly, straight from the 80's brown trim. Our entire house looked like a bowl of oatmeal .. shades of brown. The previous owner hadnt done ANYTHING to try and show off any of this home's potential. This is simply a sneak peak of some things we've been working on... once we are moved, I'll post after pics!

So far we have stripped wallpaper (post on that soon to come). Patched drywall, replaced all switches, and outlets. Replaced all appliances. Sanded, primed and painted all the wood trim white, and painted the walls a cool, soothing blue. There is still plenty to do, but at least you have the update.

I cant wait to show you the reveal of each room as we get them accomplished! And dont think this is the only room we've been working on either.. much more to come.

Stay tuned...