Oreo Brookies {a recipe}

Sidenote: Brookies in our family are brownies + cookies.

I wanted to make something yummy and fun for our Father’s Day celebration this weekend, and I’ve been wanting to make these from Pinterest for a while. And I couldn’t have made a better choice. They were so simple, inexpensive to make and delish… of course.

I did alter the recipe just a little bit because honestly, I didn’t feel like making the cookie batter from scratch.

Ingredients:

Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip cookie mix

Pillsbury Fudge Brownie mix

1 package of double stuffed Oreos

(plus eggs and butter and anything else that you may need to make the mixes)

8×8 pan

Vanilla bean ice cream-optional-but not really : )

 

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350*. Make the cookie batter as directed on the package, pour into the pan and spread around evenly (a fork works well for this).

Next, make a second layer with the Oreos, like this:

Next, make the brownie batter as directed on the package. Then, carefully pour the mix over the Oreos. It may not seem like you’ll have enough to over everything, but you will. Just pour the batter straight out of the bowl and move it around until you’ve entirely covered the Oreos.

After that, pop that bad boy in the oven and bake it for 45-55 minutes (or until a knife comes out clean… however you may hit a melty Oreo so poke it a few times to be sure).

The recipe on Pinterest calls for a 9 x 13 pan, but with the ingredients it called for I don’t think there would be enough batter. The 8 x 8 is perfect.

So after it’s all baked and your house smells awesome, cut a piece, add some ice cream and enjoy!!

Take a look at that layer-y goodness of deliciousness : )

Hope you love it as much as we did!

xoxo

Lauren : )

 

An Ode to my Dad

Tomorrow we are celebrating Father’s day with my family at the race track. I have to brag about my dad too, just like Emily did today.

I have to say I am a HUGE daddy’s girl, and always will be. I’m an only child, and my dad’s always been there for me.

T-ball coach, dance recitals, band and choir concerts, the good-and terrible- gymnastics and track meets. He’s been to everything of mine and I appreciate him more than anything.

He has taught me how to fix things within the house, he gave me my mechanical math and science mind, and when I have an issue figuring something out, I just go to him and we can figure it out together.

My dad loves trains-model and big. In his basement he has his model trains all set up and works on them all the time. I used to have one when I was little too, and I really enjoyed that time together. Every year in the winter, the two of us would go to Chicago to go look at trains, and he would ALWAYS take me to the American Girl Store to shop. I don’t know many dads that would do that, but it was awesome, and I always cherished that time with him. It would be so cute-he would  let me pick out a few things while secretly he was on the phone with my mom making sure I didn’t pick things out that she might have already bought for Christmas. So after we were done shopping, I would play with my new goodies from the store and we would hunt for trains together. It was the best time : )

I love being with him and spending time with him, and that’s why racing is so important to our family. Some people may think of it as always being gone every weekend, getting hot and sweaty and dirty watching loud cars. Our family doesn’t think of it like that… We see it as quality family time, spending the weekend together doing something we love. We take the motorhome out there and camp all weekend, while enjoying the time with not only our family, but race track family as well. We honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. And it’s a GREAT way to spend Father’s day, doing something my dad loves so much.

Love you Dad!!

Creating an Outdoor Dining Space

Let’s face it… who wants to sit inside to eat dinner when it’s 70+ degrees out and sunny? Not this girl! I’d much rather hang out and chow down on a deck, patio or in a sunroom. There are so many options on the market now a days, so let’s take a peek at a few!

The first thing you want to do again is to identify your space. You’re not going to put a huge outdoor dining set on a tiny patio. It just wouldn’t work (or fit). And, if you have a huge deck with great views, you’re certainly not going to put a bistro table there.

Next, you want to identify your style. You may love the look of a wood farm table, but does it work with the rest of the items in your house? Again, I have a tough time with this. I love so many things, but know they just won’t work with the look of our home, so I have to wait until we find another house or re-do our entire home… ya ok.

Let’s start off with small spaces shall we?

If you live in an apartment, you might be lucky enough to have a balcony or patio. Yay! Awesome! But what to put on this space? Depending on the size of your family, I would suggest a bistro table, like this one:

This set is from Pottery Barn

 

And this set is from Pier 1

There are many different bistro set options, including metal, wood and wicker. You can also add more chairs if you have a larger family or entertain a lot. If it’s only you and your significant other, I personally think a tiny table is great. If you’re eating at this table, it allows you to focus on each others’ company and enjoy the food that you’re eating together. These tiny tables are also great for morning coffee while the sun rises, or reading a book outside and enjoying some quiet time.

If your home has a sunroom or screened-in porch, you want to try to make your space as cozy as possible. Sometimes these rooms can be plain, but with the right outdoor decor they can be fabulous!

This would be great! It’s from Pottery Barn

You really want to concentrate on the size of your sunroom though. You wouldn’t want something too overbearing, or something that’s way to small. If you have a small to medium sized room, something with 4 chairs would be best. Anything with more chairs would work much better for a larger space.

This set from Walmart is actually the exact set that I have in my sunroom right now.

It’s really just your classic patio set, with metal chairs, colored cushions and a glass top. However, it really gives you the creative freedom to spruce it up the way you like. Adding a cute centerpiece and some great pillows would give this set the character it needs! It also has a space for an umbrella, but since it’s inside you don’t really need that. I mean unless you really want to…

And for your larger deck or patio…

Total swoon… Of course from Pottery Barn

You’ll need a large enough table to occupy the space that you have. If you have a huge deck or patio, just make sure your furniture is proportionate to the area. If your dining set is outside, I suggest you use an umbrella. Not only does it shade you from the sun, but it’s more outdoors-y and patio-y (yes, those are words). Typically, you’ll see most of the larger sets with 6 chairs. 2 on the side and 1 on each end. This gives you more than enough space for everyone to sit down and enjoy their food and company.

What you will notice, is that all of these sets have rugs underneath them. I think this is the cherry on top of any outdoor dining set. It truly pulls all of your elements together, and creates a defined “dining space.” If you have a patio or deck, you may have other spaces going on too, such as a hot tub, a spot for your grill, or even just a small sitting area. Using the rug will tie everything together and make things more cozy. The good thing, is that you can usually find outdoor rugs much much cheaper than indoor rugs! Plus, they’re super durable and can be cleaned up easily. Pier 1 and Pottery Barn obviously have great options, but don’t forget to check Target and Walmart too! You’d be surprised what they have there for much less!

You also want to think about what you’ll put on your table too, whether you want a great tablescape out all the time for decoration like this:

With colorful dishes, drink despensors and decor…

Or something just in the middle of the table like this:

With just a cluster of lanterns and candles. It’s a classic look that can be changed out with the seasons easily.

You also want to consider some fun, color-contrasting pillows too!

These ones from Pier 1 are cute and would match with anything!

So with just a few tweaks and some simple planning, your dining space can be awesome too! My goal is to make an outdoor space as cozy as the inside.

 

What do you have for an outdoor space?

 

xoxo

Lauren : )

 

 

 

 

Random Tidbits

So I had a pretty good weekend, we went to the racetrack on Friday with the whole gang…

That’s Justin, Hewitt, Katelyn, Cassie, me and Matt (Cadle was taking the picture)

We had a great time, just relaxing and watching racing. We sat on the other side which was weird but we still had a blast!

Saturday was just spent cleaning and relaxing, and I also went shopping at Kohl’s for some goodies. I finally bought some aviator sunglasses so I’ll have to try those out soon!

Sunday we went over to my parent’s house and Matt cleaned some parts with my dad and we had a BBQ.

Excuse the huge fat arm… weird camera angle : ) But that’s me, my mom and grandma

Sidenote: I am SO SO grateful that my dad and husband have the same interest. They both race (and have raced each other many times) and they both love cars. His dad races too, and it’s great that everyone has something in common. Racing is a very very big part of all of our lives and I couldn’t be more thankful that they share the same hobby. It always gives them something to talk about and we are friends with many of the same people.

That’s Matt’s car on the left and my dad’s on the right.

So last night I finally ordered some zippers!! Get this ‘yall… So for my pouches, I use 7″ zippers which are typically $1.99 at the store. However, on Etsy there is a great store called Zip It. Yesterday I got 25 zippers for only $10!! If I were to buy them in the store, it would have been over $50. I’m super excited and their color choices are awesome. I can’t wait to get them, I’ve had a ton of cute pouches all cut out for like a month! As soon as I get them expect to see some fun, summery prints in the shop!

I always forget about the awesome supplies they have on Etsy. If you’re into crafting, sewing, jewelry making, whatever… check it out!

xoxo

Lauren : )

 

My Degree And What I Would Do Instead

Let’s talk about my degree shall we?? Yes I know it’s totally off-topic from DIY or a house, but it’s on my mind so there.

I graduated in 2011 from Madonna University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration.

Ok? Great…

When I was little I wanted to be a dental hygienist. Then it was a bus driver because I like the way the doors opened (Sad, but true). Then for the longest time, I wanted to be a forensic scientist. I LOVED watching all the murder shows and using science to figure it out. Then, I wanted to be a mechanical engineer. And of course, teacher was thrown in there too, well because everyone wants to be a teacher in their lifetime.

I consider myself pretty smart, and I’m very mechanically-inclined. You give me something, I’ll figure out how it works. If it still doesn’t work, then I’ll make it work- have I mentioned I’m stubborn as well?

So when I entered college, it was for elementary education, for math and science. I was cool with this for the longest time. I still didn’t really know what I wanted to do (much like anyone else) and I can clearly remember looking through the course catalog at my parent’s kitchen table. All the sudden financial advisor popped out, I mentioned it and they said go for it. In my heart though, I just wasn’t into it. It sounded boring and something I just wasn’t interested in. However, that’s what everyone thought I should be doing (family & society) because I am good with numbers and I’m smart.

So I changed my major to Business Administration and finished up my degree.

However now, it’s kind of useless to me. You see, I have a very different perception of college. Society “says” that you must go, or else. Of course I believe in education, please don’t get me wrong. However, I don’t see anything wrong with trade or technical schools either.

Think about it-if you go to cosmetology school, you’re going to learn how to do hair properly. You lean techniques, theory and you practice. Then, when you graduate and you’re in a salon, you do pretty much the same thing you did while in school.

I’m currently working as a benefits rep now. I didn’t learn anything about benefits in college. I didn’t learn a thing about 401k’s or pension plans or how they worked. When I got this job, I was 21 and never had a job that even offered a 401k. They trained us, which happens on many many jobs in the business world. They will look to see if you have a degree, and then train you anyways for the specific job.

Yesterday I had a phone interview for an HR job (I’m not really looking for a job, but Matt will apply me for things here and there). They said the only thing that’s holding me back is that I didn’t have a Human Resources degree. Um… ok thanks. I have a business degree, and I’ve taken oodles of HR classes, but companies still don’t care.

So now, I have a piece of paper that is costing me an arm and a leg.

Which brings me to my next point. If I were to do it over again, I would go for something I truly loved and was passionate about. My parents agree with my theory, thank goodness. I think they really see how I feel about it and they do back me up, so much that they suggested that I go back to school. Ya right-that’s not happening. At least not now.

I have always loved everything in the design industry… interior, fashion, graphic, you name it, I love it. I would have gone to school for design.

Going back to Emily’s post, she quoted my grandma who said “it would be a shame to waste talent” (I’m paraphrasing of course, but you get the deal). I felt like I had to go to school for something business-related because I’m smart and good at math. I didn’t want to let people down or “waste my talent,” and I think that’s what my family thought as well.

However, it’s a shame to waste artistic talent too. I may not be able to paint like Rembrandt, or draw like my cousin, but I have a real passion for design. I think I would have been great as an interior designer, or even a graphic artist. I think Laura has a near-perfect job, working for clients but still doing what she loves. She is a very talented graphic artist who designs the cutest illustrations ever. She’s working, but it probably doesn’t seem like work because she loves it so much. Or Allisa, who designs beautiful pouches and bags on Esty right out of her home. She’s doing what she loves, gets to stay home with her children, and she’s paid for it. What could be better than that.

I commend these people who stayed on track, followed their hearts, and are doing what they love. I think that’s the most important thing in life. If you are going to spend more time at work than you do at home, and you’re going to do it for years and years and years, you might as well love it.

My job pays the bills and everything, but I feel like I just drive to work, stay for 8 hours and then go home. When I get to plan events for our work I absolutely love it… which tells me that I need to be in the design world one day, whether it would be a full-time job or just as a strong hobby.

If you followed your heart and you have a job that you love, picture me bowing down at you. You’re wicked awesome.

This isn’t a rant post, and I am grateful that I have a degree, again, please don’t get me wrong. But now that I’ve had it for a while, I just wish it was for something else that I truly enjoyed.

 

If you could have a do-over, what would you get a degree in?

 

xoxo

Lauren : )

My Favorite Hair Products

Since summer is literally right around the corner, I figured I’d share a few of my all-time favorite hair products/tools that I absolutely love.

Here’s what my hair usually looks like if I blow-dry it straight:

Just a simple, straight look with side bangs. Fingers crossed, by the time you read this it will be changed a bit : )

My mother-in-law and sister-in-law (Matt’s mom and sister) are both professional hairdressers. I love doing hair myself, and really wish I would have gotten my cosmetology license. I bought a textbook and mannequin but it’s not the same as being a professional. I don’t do any clients anymore, but I love learning about it and playing with my mannequin. Her name is Suzie-Kin (I didn’t name her-it’s on her neck). I’m not that weird.

This is her as you get her from the store. She needs some serious help…

Anywho…

I color my hair one color all over. It fades, especially in the summer and I’m more of a darker-color kind of gal anyways. When I color it, it’s pretty close to my original color, but just a 1/2 shade to a shade darker to account for any fading that might occur. It’s not really that damaged, other than a few split ends here and there. I haven’t cut it since right after my wedding in 2011, and it’s in really good shape for being that long between trims. I want my color to last as long as possible, so I use color-safe shampoo all the time. My go-to shampoo and conditioner is Herbal Essences Color Me Happy:

Or I also love Paul Mitchell Color Care too:

It smells awesome, seriously.

So as far as products go, it depends what I’m doing to my hair that day for what products I will use. If I’m going to blow-dry it, I will use Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum.

I received this as a gift and fell in love with it the first time I used it. It reduces frizz and makes your hair super soft. I can really tell a difference when I don’t use it (which is not often).

I do have naturally curly hair, so when I want to leave it natural I literally get out of the shower and let it air dry for a few minutes. I used to use TiGi Peace, Love & the Planet Totally Beachin’ Body & Waves Styling Mist, but they’ve since discontinued it. Boo : (

I’ll miss you…

So I’m going to try Aquage Sea Salt Texturizing Spray.

I’ve heard great things about this product line, so I’m excited to try it. I’ll let you all know how it works out!

Ok so… I’ll either blow dry it straight or leave it wavy if I don’t feel like doing anything. Either way, I need product otherwise I’ll be Lauren the Lion, and no one wants that : )

No matter what I do, it’s usually never flat. I always do some type of teasing to give me some lift. With that, I’ll use a hairspray, usually Herbal Essences Body Envy Hairspray. I love the way it smells, and it gives a firm, yet not crunchy hold. You know what I’m talking about.

So I’ll spray a little, tease the hair and then smooth the top layer. That’s usually my go-to-’do for 2nd day hair : ) Half up, pony, side messy bun, or whatever, I always need some kind of lift.  I’ve used other sprays as well, but this is usually what I’ll grab all the time.

My hairdryer is made by Rusk. They don’t make the one I have any longer, but here’s something comparable:

It’s a professional dryer, and works great. I love it.

My flat iron is also made by Rusk (the perks of being related to 2 hairdressers-professional products all the time!!)

It’s a 1 1/2″ ceramic flat iron which I could not live without. It’s the best I’ve ever used!

If I’m curling my hair, I use a Hot Tools 1″ iron. I’m going to buy a 1 1/4″ here soon because my hair is getting a bit longer and I’d like to switch it up some days.

I love this iron. It heats up super fast, it has many temperature options, and my curl holds all day. I used to have a love/hate relationship with curls (not natural, but with an iron). I would curl one side of my hair, get to the other, and the first side would be flat. Recently however, I guess my hair has decided to cooperate and now my curls are holding all day. I’m loving the wavy look so I’m glad!

I do have to say, you get what you pay for. Some of these products and tools may cost a bit more than what you pay at Target for other brands, but they are much better quality and last longer. I can’t tell you how many $25 flat irons I have gone through in my time, and if I would have just shelled out $100+ in the first place I probably would have saved money in the end. In my older and wiser age (HA!) I don’t mind saving up and spending more for a good, quality product. Just like with my makeup, I’d rather spend a little more for something that’s better quality, and is better for you as well.

What products/tools do you use?

Anything you just can’t live without?

xoxo

Lauren : )

My $23 Headboard

Hello! Was everyone’s weekend wonderful? Good! Great! Grand!

 

So in between last weekend and this weekend, I’ve done a few things to spruce up the ol’ house. First, I redecorated to get rid of the Easter décor (#dontjudge). So now we have a 4th of July/Summer theme going on, which I’m totally digging right now. You can actually see some of the décor in my living room post.

After a 2 second debate, I decided to change up my bedroom. I didn’t hate the bed frame we had in there, it just wasn’t my style but hey-it was free so I’m not complaining. It had a headboard and footboard, but it took up SO MUCH SPACE. Our bedroom is pretty tiny, 11′ x 11′ approximately. So having a huge bed, plus all of our dressers made there almost no room to move around in there.

When we got our TV a few weeks ago, we moved 1 dresser into the guest room, so that gave us a little bit more space. However, there was about a foot and a half (maaaaaybe) between the end of the bed and the dresser. Since I’m the worst at taking pictures, here’s a similar bed to what we had:

Source

Not exactly the same, but it was wood and metal and it was huge. And you can imagine what it would be like in a teeny room… massive. So, I wanted to do something that was smaller and would leave more room for us in the room. I knew what I wanted… A regular old plain metal bed frame, and some kind of wood headboard. I saw a few on Pinterest that I liked, but ultimately, I decided to wing it and go with my own design.

So after finding a bed frame at Ollie’s Bargain Outlet for $42, I headed over to Lowe’s to see what I could find. In the end, I used 1 x 4 furring strips. They’re SUPER cheap and really good quality. I can see myself using them for future projects! They’re only $2.06 where I live but they could be cheaper in other areas.

Anywho what I did was measure the size of the bed first. I have a queen, so It’s about 60″ x 80″.

Then, I figured out how many strips I needed by diving the width of the strip by the width of the bed. (60/4=15)

So 15 strips is what I needed, however they’re 8′ long. So, then I knew I would cut them in half so I would need about 8ish. I bought 12, because I was going to go with a different plan but I only ended up using 8. I spent $23 at the store, which included screws (that I didn’t use either).

So if I didn’t buy any extra, and no screws, it would have cost around $16 (before tax).

I had the nice man at Lowe’s cut the wood in half, which saved an enormous amount of time! When I got home, I measured the width bed on the wall with a pencil and found the middle.

Then, I simply just took a board, made sure it was level and nailed it into the wall! I didn’t want to use the screws in the end because I didn’t want them to show. So I used some finishing nails that I already had, that were long enough to go through the wood and through the wall. The whole process maybe took about 15 minutes! I went shopping, found the bed frame, did all the work and had the room back together in a few hours.

Excuse the lack of decorations on the wall, not everything was hung up yet : ) But I chose to stagger the boards, otherwise it would just look like boards on the wall. I didn’t go with any type of pattern, just random. And again, they’re literally just nailed straight to the wall, 1 nail at the top and another at the bottom. They don’t come out unless you really yank on them hard. We do have an outlet behind the wall, so I cut a few inches off 2 of the boards so they would fit above the outlet (the only reason I cut 2 is because of the way the patter worked out. Otherwise I would have only had to cut 1).

When you do this project, try and look for pieces of wood that are pretty straight and not too bowed or warped. I had to use a few that were bowed but I just used a longer nail. Even those aren’t wobbly! This is such a simple project that anyone will be able to do.

I really love it! I was going to whitewash them but Matt liked it plain and I’m glad I left it like that for now. It’s so simple and something that’s super easy if you wanted to change it later. You can paint it, stain it, or whatever you fancy! It’s also something that’s not too permanent, and you can take them off the wall, spackle the nail holes and paint right over them if you wanted to change it.

Oh and the room layout really only works like this, so I don’t have to worry about the boards if I were to move the bed because I won’t be doing that. (The cable’s on the other side, and unless we have a long cord-which we could get- it’s just going to stay where it’s at for now).

 

So that’s one of 2 projects I did this weekend, but you’ll have to wait for the other one later!

What did you do this weekend?

 

xoxo

Lauren : )

My Living Room Now

Since I shared the before pictures with everyone, I figured it’s probably time to do the after. So, let’s start right at where you would walk into the house, the living room!

First, let’s take a look at what it looked like before…

And now for the after…

Although brown is a super dark color, it works well with the room (Coffee Bean by Eddie Bauer-From Lowes). When we first moved in, we painted it a tan color (Milk Toast by Valspar- from Lowe’s) and with the lighting in the room it looked salmon-y kind of like makeup. One day I just said forget it! I’m going to Lowe’s and picking out a new color. We HATE these tables, so I’m in the process of finding or making some new ones. Oh and the rug, ya that was a cool $24 from Lowe’s. I couldn’t not buy it and it really helps make the room feel more cozy. You can also see the drive through window to the left that goes into the kitchen.

This is just another shot along the same wall. You can see the big bright bay window which we love, and some other details in the room.

Here’s the other side of the room before:

And after!

You can call this the worst picture ever, but if you stand in the corner of the room in the picture above this one, this is what you’ll see. The door to the right leads out onto the porch, and the doorway to the left will take you to the kitchen.

One of my favorite parts of the whole house, the faux-place!  The Christmas after we moved in, I freaked out because we didn’t have a place to put our stockings. So, I made the plans for this and my dad cut the wood! We keep it up all year round and decorate it for each season. I’m loving the new chalkboard I made yesterday! The mantel is a little bare now, I need to get something else for it but it’ll fill out soon! Obviously the doorway leads to the kitchen, which we will get to at a later date.

Looking at these pictures I really need to get myself a good camera. But anywho, here’s my living room and I love it! The rug made it so much more cozy, and we love to hang out in there because it has a nice view of the outside, and it’s bright. I can’t wait to make my new tables, which will make the room way better looking. Those dumb tables are awful, they don’t match anything and I hate glass tables. Have I mentioned I don’t like them? Well I don’t.

Obviously, the house is something that’s always evolving and being updated, so don’t be surprised if next week something changes! My favorite thing ever is to update my house, and my brain is constantly spinning with things that I could do.

Where’s your favorite part of your home?

xoxo

Lauren : )

My House… Before I Tackled it

Hello everyone! I hope you had a great long weekend! Mine was interesting… to say the least! But that’s a story for another day.

For today, I actually have pictures of my house!! (GASP-I know)

These are the pictures straight from the website and what it looked like when we first walked through the house. As you can probably tell, it was a total bachelor pad and screaming for some DIY lovin’. So for your viewing pleasure… here they are!!

Yup! We’re those people who bought a house in the winter. But it’s a 3 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath ranch, and it’s about 1300 square feet.

Here’s the living room, and there is so much wrong with this picture. Especially the mint-chocolate chip themed walls and chairs. Now I love the ice cream, just not as a theme in my house. As you can see, we have real hardwood floors throughout the entire house, except the kitchen, which you’ll see in a minute. I like hardwoods, but after living there I’d rather have carpet. It’s way more cushy.

This is the kitchen, and it makes me laugh every time I see this. It’s so strange to see the counters in that lovely mauve-ish color. So tasteful right?

Here’s another shot of the kitchen and our drive-through window out into the living room.

This is the dining room, complete with a wall-to-wall giant mirror. You know, in case you want to watch yourself eat. Or hold dance classes in the kitchen… Whatever, I won’t judge you.

Here is the world’s worst shot of the master bedroom with ridiculously over sized furniture.

This is the guest room.

And this is another bedroom, which now is the sewing room/office.

Here’s a lovely shot of the pistachio bathroom, complete with another wall-to-wall mirror, which is even more awkward than watching yourself eat. Nothing like a giant mirror across from the shower and toilet to remind you how your diet is working! There’s also a closet to the very left with… you guessed it! A mirrored door. Actually, every single door in this house has a mirror on it. Closet and interior. It’s mirror-tastic.

Here’s the living room part of the basement, including the really nice gas-leaking fireplace. It’s pretty to look at, but don’t try to turn it on, you might pass out : )

This is a shot from the other side, looking into the living side. It’s a pretty long basement which is awesome when we have people over. To the left where the wall is is the laundry/storage room.

Annnnnnd this is pretty much what sold the house. Yup, it’s a bar! The spot to the left where the bar is notched out is where the kegerator now lives. (If you go to a bar, it’s the machine with all the tap handles where the beer comes out). Matt brews his own beer so it’s pretty awesome to have it when we want to. Sidenote: We totally aren’t alcoholics, but a bar is great for entertaining. There’s also a small fridge behind it for other things as well. And to the right is the 1/2 bath, and the other door is the one that leads to the laundry room.

Walking back upstairs and through the doorwall in the kitchen, we have the sunroom. The door you see in the background is to the garage.

This is an outer shot of the sunroom, the window is to the now sewing room. The window to the left in the sunroom is the bathroom, and the other is the kitchen.

This is one of my favorite shots, it’s the front of the house without snow! So now you can see we actually do have some fairly nice landscaping going on, and I love the details on the porch. Totally great for decorating, and I love the big bay window too.

Here’s another shot from under the tree. The window to the right is the master bedroom, and the door to the left is to the garage. We are in the process of getting a new front door and screen door too, which will improve the look of the house.

There’s no pictures of the back of the house, but the lot is a little bigger than a half an acre (I think) and there’s a shed in the back too. Our lot backs up to woods, and the entire yard is fenced in for our little doggy. Now that I actually have showed you the before pictures, I can’t wait to show you what we’ve done!! Looking back at them, we’ve actually done a lot from where we first started from. I’m so grateful to own a home, where I can paint or put holes in the wall whenever I please. And trust me, I’m no stranger to a hammer and drill.

So I guess from here, I actually need to take the after pictures!! Hopefully this will motivate me to do that : )

 

What does your house look like?! What’s your favorite part of it?

 

xoxo

Lauren : )

 

 

 

 

Yay Friday!

Thank goodness right??

1. First off, it’s totally amazing to me that the country has come together to help out the people of Moore, OK. There are several radio stations up here that are getting supplies together to drive down there, which is awesome. This world really needs more “helpers,” especially after everything that has happened in the past few years. Keep up the good job everyone!

2. Tomorrow Matt and a few friends of ours are going to a racetrack in Ohio to watch our other friends race for a dragster. The top 16 drivers in points run off for a brand new dragster, and we’re hoping one of our friends win it!

3. I’m SO EXCITED that it’s Memorial Day weekend and it’s going to be nice out. I’m looking forward to a relaxing weekend spent with whoever decides to walk in our house (you never really know).

4. I promised you a house tour like, a year ago and I haven’t forgot! I plan to do one soon with a before and after since we’ve moved in…

5. I finally got back in my shop last night! I have some super cute summer fabrics that I can’t wait to show you!

6. I may or may not have went on a shopping spree at Target this morning. Sorry, I can’t help it. That’s ma fav store fo sho.

 

What are you doing this weekend?

 

xoxo

Lauren : )