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it was a cooler evening.
the clouds were rolling in.
i looked over and noticed Big A glancing out the window….
…or maybe into the window…
then he leaned in….
and smooshed his button nose even closer…
and finally laid one on the glass.
he kept trying. i don’t think he realized it was him.
too. cute. for. words.
the view tonight was a gorgeous, blue, gray, pre-storm, cloud-filled sky.
how luxurious does this look?
Vista Verde ranch - Steamboat Colorado. photo by Jessica Eck
of course, the two seasons i was pregnant, there was EPIC snowfall. now that i’m ready to hit the slopes again…not so much.
Vista Verde Ranch - Steamboat Colorado. photo by Jessica Ekl
But Vista Verde still looks INCREDIBLE!!! An all-inclusive luxury dude ranch just north of Steamboat, Colorado.
Delicious!
And my buddy Deanna is getting married there in March.
Vista Verde Ranch horses. photo by Vista Verde.
Which means we get to experience this LUXURY!!! Back country skiing? Check. Spa treatments? Check. AMAZING organic foods? Check. All the outdoor activities you want to participate in? Check. Romance with the hubby? Check. Some time spent in God’s country. Check check and check!
did someone say hot toddy? photo by Vista Verde
who could ever be mad at this?
we just had the windows cleaned yesterday….
but look at this face? goober it up baby! 🙂
the morning room is almost done. i just need to seal the dining table…but i just can’t seem to find the right product. i wanted to use Dead Flat but am nervous about it for some reason…not sure that it’ll clean properly.
how about these luxurious host and hostess chairs? The nailheads are cool. our designer, Erica Bryen, helped us with all these selections. the table is a Restoration Hardware inspired farm piece. It’s deceptively long at 9′. The room is huge, so the table in this picture looks relatively small!
i specifically chose this table leg design so that the host and hostess chairs would fit under the table and those sitting in the chairs wouldn’t knock their knees. i hate knocking my knees when i’m trying to get my eat on!
love the nail heads. love. got these Microsealedso that we can recover from any red wine mishaps. a bit pricey but worth it. one of our early selections was a wicker chair…then i envisioned mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce
did someone say food?
all smushed into the woven reeds. PASS!
i like how the chairs look against the floors. nice contrast. Big A loves to crawl under the chairs and nosh on crumbs. He might even get lucky one day and find a macaroni…or better!
here’s my really lame attempt at decorating with cranberries to bring in some color. i wanted to keep it simple and rustic. upcycled mason jars from Prego spaghetti sauce work nicely. thank you Costco!
i don’t have time or patience to line the jars up perfectly. getting these pictures done at all while the boys are cruising around is a miracle as it is!
the iron globe chandelier pulls this room together! we weren’t sure if it would work, but it pretty much is the raddest thing we’ve got! i’d like to pick up some old school filament light bulbs instead of the pretty lame home depot faux candle deals we’ve got going on. but then my tree hugging friends will complain that they’re not energy efficient. so then i just won’t invite them over for dinner. 🙂
this frame was one of my first projects. It was your standard black glossy frame…and was before i took the Annie Sloan chalk paint plunge. so i sanded, layered grays and blues, and sanded, sprayed some metallic, etc. long process for a little frame! then attached a sea fan against upcycled brown paper on corrugated cardboard. not sure i love it, but it’s fine for now.
this was the first fabric i choose for the house. it’s so soft, luxurious, warm, and screams feminine, which i like bc the house has a very masculine vibe. we also used this fabric on the curtains in the great room. I LOVE it.
i love this shot…you can’t see the water rings, finger prints, or other dining ‘incidents’ that have transpired on this table.
but hey, that’s the look i’m going for right?
i’m pretty sure Ma and Pa Ingalls didn’t seal their table either.
i tried making my own baby food once.
once.
what a hassle. and i’m not knocking anyone who makes their own…but i just don’t have the patience or time! i’d rather be snuggling my babies.
BUT, i do buy organic. and if something has extra DHA, i buy that, too….who knows if it really matters…but something about being good for the brain tugs at my heart strings a bit…
Big A started eating solids about 2 months ago. we tried Ella’s Kitchen and he’s loved it. Here he is today trying a new flavor called Mangoes Mangoes Mangoes.
I’m not sure he likes it….
except for the fact that he chowed the ENTIRE thing in one sitting and…
began to demand more!
the kid knows what he wants. LOL!
as a busy mom, i try to give my kids nutritious stuff to eat. of course, we have our mac n cheese days, but i try not to let the guilt set in too much. sometimes you’ve just got to do it! hey, i ate plenty of it growing up and besides my twitch, i’m ok.
when i stumble on something my kids like, i’m thrilled when it’s actually healthy! Ella’s is all organic, nothing added, no sugar, no water, no preservatives.
time to run to Target and get more….although i’ve been a huge fan of diapers.com lately. FREE shipping? WHAT?!
The blogging world has been inundated with the color grey.
Dark grey. Light grey. Weathered grey.
Annie Sloan chalk paint is wonderful. I’ve used it on pretty much everything inside and outside the house. It holds up extremely well. In fact, the outdoor pieces have endured several heavy rain storms and the patina continues to weather without damage to the wood.
BUT have I got something even easier and GREENER for you.
Eco Wood Treatment package (ignore the writing. this box only has 1/2 the powder left, thus the 1/2 gal mixing instruction)
My painter friend works on very exclusive, high-end estates in Montecito, Utah, Santa Monica and Newport Beach. He introduced me to this product that hails from Canada.
You buy the powder, mix it with water and apply to raw wood. It’s that easy. It automatically begins to grey the wood, and over time, the wood continues to age and get a luxurious patina. Oh, I forgot to mention that this stuff protects the wood, too. And no need to ever re-stain. Once and done.
The best part is that Eco Wood Treatment is eco friendly, is non toxic, and doesn’t stain anything but wood. No need for drop cloths, masking, etc. Just apply. We used a sprayer for the arbors around the house and the stucco wasn’t affected at all. I’ve also used a brush and foam brush for applications.
Check this out…
Eco Wood Treatment on redwood planter boxes
luxurious grey weathered look in an instant!
Eco Wood Treatment on kiln-dried douglas fir arbors at the back of our house
Eco Wood Treatment on kiln-dried douglas fir (close-up)
Eco Wood Treatment on the ole Costco playhouse which once was stained in honey. Took a good sun beating this summer. I simply brushed some Eco Wood and now it looks like an old cabin.
Each package is about US$18 and generates a gallon of stain. We used 2.5 gallons to stain all three of our arbors, the playhouse, and 6 raised planters. One application. Ever.
Go get it!
p.s. I don’t know the owners of Eco Wood Treatment. Never met ’em. Not gettin’ paid for this. Just happy to share a HUGE find. 🙂
p.p.s. eco wood treatment and this picture have inspired my next project…the kids’ loft…stay tuned!
linking to:
so i walk to the mailbox today in this drizzly, so cal, very fall kind of day….
i reach in, and think….oh man, another phone book. what a waste of paper and money!
i bring it inside, set it on the table. THUNK! hmmmm…
boring mail pile...and another phone book? geez...
then i do a double take. WOOHOO! The Restoration Hardware Fall Source Book!!!
queue the angels singing now!
615 pages of RH LOVE!!!
well hello there...
we’re in the final stages of our landscaping. when the trees were delivered, i wasn’t as excited about the trees as i was about the containers in which they were delivered….
i'm sure i can find a great project for you somewhere...
so very excited to upcycle these…
stay tuned!
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i was somewhat apprehensive about having my second child. i’ve spent so much time nurturing my first, that i was starting to have anxiety that he and i would no longer have that special bond. i couldn’t imagine having enough love to go around for another child.
and here i am, amazed at what the Lord does to one’s heart when another family member is brought into the world.
jamie lee curtis once said ‘i love you from the top of my heart because it’s much larger at the top than the bottom’ and that comment has stuck with me.
i’m grateful for the moments when lil G asks to squeeze into the glider while i’m feeding A…imagine the three of us all squished in there…elbows, knees, cloth diapers, blankets, bras, and us….oh, and the ipad, of course. always the ipad.
all snuggling up.
just as God intended.
life is GREAT!
imeeshu 