IHWSH - Kendra Scott Earrings

Just a short "I'll Have What She's Having" for the long weekend - we want earrings!  All Kendra Scott jewelry is 20% off over the weekend (use code LDW20).  We each own a pair (or 3) already and wear them all the time!  Our favs are "Danielle":

And "Carly":

But now we also really want to order some "Morgans":

And some "Elles" (smaller version of the "Danielle"):

Which color??!  Happy Labor Day weekend, y'all!

PS:  We were not paid or perked to talk about these earrings...but we wish we were.

Rah Rah Sis Boom Bah

I'm really happy with how this pom situation turned out in Nora's room - pleasantly surprised, in fact.  It was something I had wanted ("needed" in my pregnant mind and vernacular), and had saved lots of inspiration pictures for, but didn't think I'd actually be able to make it happen.  Turned out to be easier than I expected!

Here are a couple of pics of what I like:

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So I just used this Martha Stewart pom pom kit and this Martha Stewart lantern kit and some floral wire to create this:

I love how it turned out!  If you want to make one too, I recommend making a big loop with floral wire and attach it to one big pom and then just start adding poms and lanterns on in an arrangement you like.  You have to kind of squish them together and be mindful of colors, but other than that it's pretty simple.  I looked for a good tutorial on how to make these for a long time...now I see why I couldn't find one.  You can't really explain how to make it - you just have to go for it and use pieces of wire to connect them all together.  It ended up taking Jayne and I only about 15 minutes to put them all together once I had made the poms and lanterns (we made it together the night before we went to the hospital to have Nora!) and Henry hung it from one hook in her room.  I was a little leery of having anything over her crib, but it's not going anywhere.  It's a little smaller than I had originally envisioned, but there's a lot of other stuff going on in this room, so I think it turned out just right.  We actually had some poms and lanterns left over from the kits but didn't want to add more in the end.

I will share pics of Nora's completed room soon, we love it!

Posy to Go-sy

Something else that comes with buying a house? Space to entertain! Wanted to share a couple awesome party ideas I've seen lately.

Spotted these personalized coasters in this month's Martha Stewart Living:

Get the details on Martha's site. Her satin craft paint comes in lots of fun colors. This would be great when you're invited to a party, as a hostess gift tied to a bottle of wine, or would be a super fun little station at a party where guests can make their own. ALSO would be a make place card, with each guest's initial.

Another clever idea that's right up my alley. A sweet little vase of flowers AND a pun? 

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Quick house update: We are officially through the inspection process/negotiations. Now it's just the loan approval to go - and probably a few other things I don't know about yet... but we're getting so close!! Plan is still to close early to mid October. Can't get here soon enough!

Whateverly, Beverly.

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And last week I posted about "Downton Laughs" and my friend Christine shared the link to "Downton Arby's" - HILARIOUS.  I can't imbed it on this page, so please click here to watch.  Thanks Christine!

IHWSH - Rooms Part Deux

To celebrate Jayne and Dac's new home (woo hoo!) we've each collected a few of our favorite rooms for this week's "I'll Have What She's Having."  Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Katie's Picks:

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Source - and a sad, heartwarming story

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Jayne's Picks:

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See some of our other favorite rooms here: IHWSH - Rooms.

Sparkle System

Tissue Tassel Garland, $32

Found here on Etsy...I want one!  Or twelve!  I think it would look so cool to have a bunch in rows up and down a narrow space.  I'm sure Henry would LOVE it (every once in a while, he complains that he's living in a girl's house).

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I love them all.

Downton Laughs

I've officially joined the Downton Abbey fan club - if you haven't watched the show yet, you should really jump on that bandwagon as soon as possible, it's awesome!  These videos are probably only funny to those who have seen the show...and maybe you all have already seen them?  I'm often the last to see good stuff on the internet.  But just in case you haven't seen them, I present to you, Jimmy Fallon's "Downton Sixbey":

He is a funny dude.

Weekend Finds at Old Navy

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Just "spotted" this pic on Pinterest, and knew right away that I had also "spotted" that sweater at Old Navy over the weekend. Yup! One and the same. I think something similar may have been at Madewell last season, but I'm not judging the ON. Selling something adorable for less? I'm all for it.

I actually bought one of their boat neck sweaters this past weekend, but it was this one instead (also an idea maybe borrowed from Madewell, or possibly J.Crew):

heart sweater

J.Crew has been selling these beautiful, classic ballet flats for quite some time, in a wide range of colors. This specific pair is $125. 

J.Crew

I've been eyeing them for a long time but always think, "Surely I can find these for like $20 somewhere else." My search proved more challenging than I thought - until Old Navy this past weekend. They have several different colors of basically the same shoe, for $19.94. I wanted all of them, but settled for just the gold. 

I mean, it's not an exact replica, but pretty darn close, right? They're not as pointy in person as they appear in this pic. They had lots of great patent options too:

Find them all here.

And I had to hold myself back from a lot of other stuff in store. We are buying a house that I will want to decorate, after all.

Some parting words that I'm trying hard to live by this week with many, many looming deadlines over my head:

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Where did the Zucchini Go to Have a Few Drinks?

THE SALAD BAR!

Last week I had a craving for zucchini bread.  I've never made it before and wanted to find the perfect recipe.  Not sure I found the PERFECT one, but this version turned out pretty great!  I used one less teaspoon of cinnamon and chose not to add any "optional" items like nuts or chocolate chips, but otherwise followed the recipe.  I found it on Smitten Kitchen, one of my favorite food/baking blogs.  (She has the #1 ultimate recipe for Pineapple Upside Down Cake too, if that's your thing...I won a bake-off using that recipe!)

Delicious!  I ended up with some flour chunks throughout - didn't affect the taste, but looked a little strange.  Anyone know how to remedy that?  Did I just not mix enough?

Zucchini Bread from Smitten Kitchen
Adapted from several sources

Yield: 2 loaves or approximately 24 muffins

3 eggs
1 cup olive or vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1 cup dried cranberries, raisins or chocolate chips or a combination thereof (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease and flour two 8×4 inch loaf pans, liberally. Alternately, line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Mix in oil and sugar, then zucchini and vanilla.

Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt, as well as nuts, chocolate chips and/or dried fruit, if using.

Stir this into the egg mixture. Divide the batter into prepared pans.

Bake loaves for 60 minutes, plus or minus ten, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Muffins will bake far more quickly, approximately 20 to 25 minutes.

Anyone else doing any baking these days?

Nora approves!

IHWSH - Back to School

Today's I'll Have What She's Having is in honor of our brother Sam's first day of college - classes start Monday!  We're a little jealous - college is the best!  So we are living vicariously through him and thinking about things we'd love to have for back to school:

Katie's Picks:
1. Pivet House journals - Target
2. Hedgehog iPad case - Kate Spade
3. Herschel Supply Company backpack - madewell
4. Cath Kidston stationery (to write letters to friends and family) - Amazon

Jayne's Picks:
5. Nerds Have More Fun - What. No Mints? Etsy
6. Urbanears Headphones - Urban
7. Baggu Standard Tote Bag - Madewell
8. Tomorrow Planner - Poketo

Good luck Sam, have so much fun.  We can't wait to visit you in Bloomington!

Day By Day

I have tried to write journals many times.  I usually last a week or two and then I am left with a very pretty, mostly empty notebook.  I think I have finally found a solution to my lack of journal motivation:

Mom's One Line A Day

One Line A Day Journal

I was even skeptical of these One-Line-A-Day journals, but I have successfully kept up with the Mom's journal since Nora was born (more than a month, I'm very proud of myself)!  I don't always write on the correct day, but I am able to keep up every few days.  I love that it's a limited amount of space so I just have to get to the point and I don't feel obligated to write extra stuff.  They have a "Mom's" version and a pretty blue one for moms or non-moms.  I think it will be really fun to read back through five year's worth of days, and I hope Nora will love to read back through her Mama's crazy notes in 20 or 30 years.  Here's hoping I stick with it!

Your Love Is Like a Rollercoaster

First of all, who can stand the cuteness that is Nora? Not me. That picture Katie posted yesterday?! Too much. Oh, and Katie... STOP saying she's so grown up! I won't accept it.

So Dac and I had quite the roller coaster of a weekend. On Friday morning, after a week full of negotiations, we got the news that our offer had finally been accepted by the owners of this cute house in Prairie Village (a trendy little neighborhood in Kansas, just south of downtown KC). I had Lake Day (a work "retreat") on Friday, so I celebrated all day with everyone. Then I got home that evening and heard from our realtor that somebody else made a better offer on the house, and they could entertain it because they hadn't officially signed yet. We got one final chance to move our offer, but we weren't willing to go up high enough. Total bummer. Then, through my tears, I got online and started clicking through houses. Dac was out in the living room and all of the sudden heard me make what probably sounded like a really upset noise - happiness through tears. I found what looked to be a much BETTER house... a too-good-to-be-true house actually, that came in way under the price of the house we lost and is probably twice the size. I frantically emailed our realtor to set up an appointment, and we went to see it the next day. It was even better than we expected. We fell totally in love. I hadn't seen Dac so excited about a house yet. It seemed totally M2B that we didn't get that other house.

I will break this story up with a picture because I realize it's quickly turning into a novel. I made Dac take my pic in front of the house before we even went in, because I had a really good feeling:

So to sidetrack for a second, I don't think I've mentioned that Dru and Leslee (my brother and sister in law) are MOVING HERE! Dru got a job in KC, and they will be here in September. We are so pumped to have them here! They were visiting to look at houses. So we were at dinner with them when I got a text from our realtor saying there were several showings on the house we love the next day, and that the agent was told an offer would be coming in. (It had only been on the market for a few days at this point.) So our realtor immediately sent us all the paperwork, we signed everything, scanned it in, and she sent it off first thing Sunday morning. We had to wait an excruciatingly long time on Sunday - until 5pm - to hear back. They did end up getting another offer, but they decided to go with ours!! I can say this with certainty because we actually have their signatures. Now we just have the inspection and we're in the clear! Let's hope I'm not jinxing it by telling y'all. :) Dru and Leslee also likely found their house, and it's only about 10 minutes from ours. Ours is in Kansas City, north of downtown, near an awesome suburb called Parkville.

I have to share some pictures, even though it's probably totally creepy to show the inside of the house of someone I don't know after snapping pictures like the paparazzi while walking through it. So I will hold back and only do a few for now.

Ok, so maybe more than a few. But I had to give you a good sneak peek. It's got 4 bedrooms, 2 full and 2 half baths, a full basement and a really cute back deck and yard. It's just too good to be true. Things happen for a reason. There's no doubt about that. We lost a house and officially gained another, all in one weekend. We couldn't be happier, and all of the searching and waiting was totally worth it. 

Now let the decoration obsessing begin... let's hope I can make it look half as cute as this girl did!