Knock, Knock

More scouring, another inspiring entryway from Domino Magazine [another sigh -- a big one]...the door and side light were custom built, and the door is painted Studio Green by Farrow and Ball. And how much do you love that cow standing in the doorway like it's the most normal thing in the world??!

Here's the latest Knock Knock joke at our house:

"Knock, Knock"

"Who's there?"

"Ivan"

"Ivan who?"

"Ivan working on the railroad!"

I love their little jokes.

Warm Welcome

Remember Blueprint? sigh. I've been scouring my magazine tear-outs lately to look for inspiration for our new house, and I came across this front stoop -- that mustard yellow door makes me happy. So happy in fact that I may just have to give it a try...

Home Sweet Home

We have officially put a house under contract! It wasn't the first one that we loved, but we are very excited about it. It's a 1960's ranch, that hasn't been updated since the 60's -- a blank slate for us! It is covered in the inside from front to back with thick shag carpeting, but underneath is beautiful, untouched oak floors. Combine that with a few gallons of paint and we'll be off to a great start! Our first major decision will be windows -- who knew there were so many options. I am a big window person, so this was the thing I said we had to splurge on. Right now, the windows are metal, divided into 4's that open like levolor blinds -- it's going to make such a huge difference, both aesthetically and energy-wise, when we switch those puppies out.

In my quest for renovation ideas, I stumbled upon a website called Retro Renovation. It has lots of ideas for houses built in the 40s, 50s, and 60s. [The image above is from the site] So, if you are looking for some inspiration, check it out!

I'll keep you posted as things progress -- I can't wait to get in there and start tearing things out!

Birthday Boy

My oldest turns 5 today! It's so hard to believe -- this has definitely seemed like the biggest number birthday yet. I know, just wait until he's 15! Anyway, while I was searching for birthday cards, I came across these charming French reproduction cards, that are reproduced from an original collage made with pages of a vintage Paris pocket maps and vintage illustrations, hand-trimmed and mounted with care on luxurious, thick stationary with four deckle edges created in Italy by Cartiere Magnani.


[Cards are available on etsy, sold by StoriesDivinations for $14.25 per pack of 4]

We will be celebrating tonight with a big Lemon cake covered in Gummy Bears, Twix, and Twizzlers [all his choices:)], and I am planning a scavenger hunt for his birthday party in 2 weeks. Hope your Monday is off to a good start!

Jammin'

I just read about this apricot jam that is made from one of the last Blenheim orchards in California's Santa Clara Valley. The taste is supposed to be unbeatable, and the package design is pretty stellar itself. Visit welovejam.com to learn more and to order a jar!

Go Garden Green

In honor of Earth Day, I'd like to celebrate the fact that the Obamas have started planting a vegetable garden on the South Lawn of the White House. Obviously, I don't think that Michelle and Barrack are going to be out there everyday weeding, what with all the other responsibilities that accompany that office, but I like the symbolism of it. That they think it is a worthwhile endeavor may encourage others to do the same. [Find out more here]

We are putting an offer in on another house today -- it's a real fixer-upper, but it's got potential. I made sure there was a spot, though, just in case, for a patch of veggies -- nothing beats homegrown tomatoes and cucumbers in my opinion! And in Florida, the growing season is so long, too. I'll let you know what happens.

Here are some other veggie gardens that have been inspiring me lately...

There's a good little article over at Southern Living with some basics for growing your own veggies, complete with pictures...

[mmmmm....]

This next one is a garden by Marney Bean that was featured in Martha Stewart...

She does such an amazing job of mixing ground covers and flowering plants with her cabbage, kale, tomatoes and onions. And in this next one, she surrounds an artichoke plant with flowering herbs.

Happy Earth Day!

To Market, to Market

Imagine swinging by here on your way home to pick up some dinner...I swear, in America we've got to do a better job of designing our boring, lifeless, box supermarkets. Just imagine, windows [okay, and admittedly, the scenery around these bad boys is a little more appealing than say, a 4-lane road interchange] next to your linguine! Mpreis was founded in Innsbruck in the 1920's, and refreshingly, no two supermarkets are built the same.

[Image from Cool Hunting]

[Image from Land + Living]

Bon Appetit!

The Doghouse

I've got a thing for plaid, a thing for dogs, and a thing for houses, so what's not to love, right?! But, seriously, I do wish that someone would do this for real...it definitely gives new meaning to the word "doghouse".

We are back from our trip -- we stayed a little longer than we had originally planned because it was just so nice to get away for a bit. We did find a house that we loved, put an offer in, and someone got there right before us. We are pretty disappointed, but hoping that something else will come up soon. I'll keep you posted.

In other news, thanks to Droolicious for the shout out about our baby announcements! Check out the post here...

b.wise on Ideal Bite

b.wise papers got a shout out on Ideal Bite today -- check it out here! The mission of Ideal Bite is to offer bite-sized ideas for light green living - ideas for real people who lead busy lives and want to make small changes that add up to big results. b.wise baby announcements were mentioned because they are all printed on 100% recycled/50% PCW paper using vegetable and soy based inks in a 100% wind powered facility. Thanks Korey + Ideal Bite!

Road Trip

We are packing up, and about to hit the road. The boys have spring break, so we are dropping them off with family for a few nights, and then Ben and I will have a whirlwind 2 days of house hunting in Florida. Hopefully, hopefully, we will find a place. I'll be posting sporadically, if at all, but maybe when we get back, I'll have exciting news about our future digs!

Named

I think this camp bracelet [$28 + engraving from Colonel Littleton] would be a fun gift for a new mom...I just remember how much we thought about the name, and then when the babe was finally there it was amazing to actually call him a name that we had decided on. It was so exciting to see it written and engraved!