A girl can dream, right?

Sorry for another blogging break. I have the best of intentions, but life just gets so hectic. We have been busy bees at work and especially at home (more to come on that).

My husband and many of our friends often tell me I missed my calling in real estate. But one of the things I have learned as I have gotten older is you can still have hobbies and enjoy the things you love, without making it your living. Real estate is just one of those things - it's a hobby, not my idea of a livelihood though.

With us in the thrust of the real estate market's busiest season, I often find myself wandering through MLS listings online.

This gorgeous Georgian beauty was Contingent for several weeks and then just became Active again. Naturally I immediately emailed it to Khaner and didn't get a ton of response.

I literally envision myself in this house (don't get me wrong, love my house), and all of the small changes that would make it ours.

Can you say curb appeal?

This foyer - I can stare at it all day. My plan would be to stain all the hardwoods and stairs to give more of a feel of the banister, and offset the beautiful white trim work

Looks like an ad in House Beautiful, right? I even don't mind the paint. The french doors and large windows just make me melt

I have always loved red in a dining room, but it has to be a certain shade, and I think they have nailed it. I would add drapes for additional drama.

When do you see homes these days with such gorgeous sliding doors?

The caveat - the kitchen. The bad news is it looks like the owners didn't know what to do with it. The good news is there is plenty of space to work with in a transformation.

I wonder if the middle wall is load bearing?

 I wouldn't mind having this painted white and using it as a butler's pantry-type area. Regular cabinets would have to be incorporated somewhere - you can't have everything exposed.

A little girl's dream bedroom.

Built in storage!

Adore the original tub and tile

Beautiful master

Wainscoating is gorgeous

Khaner, look, your very own study away from me 

That subway tile!! 

Can you envision nights out here?

It has my name written all over it!

Welcome friends!

This banister! 

You can't tell me it's not a gorgeous house - I better get back to work so we can one day afford a beautiful home like this one.

Khaner, hope you are reading!

Before and After - Ceramic Urns

Sorry for the blogging hiatus - it's been a crazy Spring with being out of town for both work and play.

I have been coveting cast iron urns but they are very much out of budget, so I was on the hunt to find ones that gave off the cast iron look with a more wallet-friendly approach.

Wandering around TJ Maxx during one of my lunch breaks I found these white ceramic urns that had great shape but just needed some spray paint.

before

after! voila!

A Labor of Love

Sorry for the blogging hiatus. It's been a busy past couple of months! Between travel for work, trips of our own, company in town, and nasty weather, there hasn't been much time to blog.

With Spring FINALLY here, we graciously welcomed the warm temperatures and sunshine we've been lucky enough to have the past couple of weeks. Inspired by the fresh season, Khaner and I rolled up our sleeves and got to work on our sad, very neglected front and back yard. Honest, we love our home and work hard to make it the best possible investment. But with ice, snow, rain and unfavorable temperatures, it took a massive change in seasons to get us out there.

After a trip to Lowes, our $200 bill and 2 day commitment of time was much more wallet-friendly than the $2100 quote we got from our landscaper for ONE project.

My first attempt to plant flowers - can you see how I dumped the remainder of flower fertilizer on the top -oops! The marigolds and petunias are cute pops of color near our front walk. I promised K I'd plant perennials next year.

K laid bags and bags and bags of mulch - definitely makes the yard look so much pulled together!

My parents love to complain that we don't have any pavers from our driveway to walk way. Khaner fixed that with some bricks laying around and a few pavers from Lowes.

Yes, those are all four of our "Yard" trash cans filled with wisteria, branches, leaves and debris from the backyard. The bags of leaves was basically quadrupled after I took this pic

Not too shabby!

 What are some spring projects you enjoy?

Snow Day!

Like little kids, Khaner and I were thrilled to leave work early on Tuesday in anticipation of Leon, the major winter storm system sweeping through the Southeast. All throughout the afternoon and into the evening we watched and waited until it finally arrived, blanketing the house and yard.

I have to admit, I haven't seen this much snow in Raleigh since my first winter here in 2010.

Backyard
 

Front yard

My sweet husband made pancakes and sausage - my favorite snow day breakfast :)

May your snow day be filled with as much fun (and I guess work) as ours!

Home Additions

After a long, awaited search, I finally came upon some perfect bedside tables for our master bedroom. The campaign chest from Pottery Barn was far too large for the room we learned. I have felt lately that some of the selection in Raleigh has been so limited, I decided to venture down to Wilmington, not only to look for tables but to visit one of my best friends, Katie.

We ran all over town, starting downtown and working our way back up to the Ivy Cottage. If you are ever in the market for furniture, you must absolutely try Cape Fear Antiques and the Ivy Cottage - beautiful selection, and Ivy Cottage has a 48 hour return policy!

My mom had encouraged me to be patient with these tables, (and with everything else in our house), to take my time and really LOVE what I buy - so glad I took her advice! They were a little more than I originally planned to spend, but in the end, I love them and will never tire of the classic drop-leaf.

I love the height and width for each side of our bed - plenty of room to get around but also enough surface for a book, glass of wine, or vase of flowers!

Khaner isn't wild on the lamp shade for my ginger-jar inspired lamps, but I can easily change those out. I am so pleased I bought these awhile ago at TJ Maxx for the steal of the century!

And my rug for the front hall finally arrived! More than I wanted to spend, but perfect for a small space and I will love the quality and pattern for years to come!

Home styling continues

As with all things, styling a home takes time and patience - you have to really love the things you buy in order to enjoy them for years to come. Our house is getting there, but still lacks some entryway and bedroom rugs - not cheap purchases, but I firmly believe they can be investments!

I fell in love with this Karastan English Manor rug near our front door - a bit more money than I was looking to spend, but know I can love this classic piece for a long time.

I am deciding whether or not to order this one for our master bedroom - I love the color and style, but first need to see if Ballard Designs can send a swatch - want to make sure it's soft enough for our bare feet!

This indoor/outdoor rug from Ballard Designs was described as ideal for high traffic areas like a mud room and kitchen - considering this for our kitchen and may decide to get a second one for the mudroom - stay tuned!


What are some rugs you've purchased lately?

                                                          

Lighting Love

Last weekend, among our many other holiday errands and chores, Khaner sweetly installed a new dimmer for our dining room. What a difference it makes for ambiance! I am now of course, addicted and want them put in every room. (We are compromising and are only doing the front living room chandelier).

The ceiling fans in our bedrooms are absolutely dated and extremely noisy - I am replacing them all shortly (more to come).

But of course, if I am going to replace the bedroom fixtures, why not also do the hallway? The existing one is a plastic, fake nickel flush mounted fixture that looks like it belongs in a bachelor pad. This, of course, is a grown up, adult home.

I am coveting this beautiful, and might I say, inexpensive piece from Lowes - how lovely is the antique brass and crystal? High enough to not have my 6 '7" husband bump his head, but special and stylish enough for our home.

What types of lighting updates have you done recently?