Before and After: Part II Master Bedroom

It was a close call- but master bedroom won the contest with 6 votes, followed by kitchen with 5. I'm sorry to say this, but the before and after will be less than life-changing. Since we just moved in last Monday, there's still some decorating that needs to be done. But you can definitely see the main idea!

Here's the before of our master bedroom. Lovely plantation blinds and tray ceilings. But beige, beige, beige. The ceilings and the walls were painted the same color, which made it all feel like a closed in beige box. Yucko!

{Please excuse the chair and dresser in its' box}

We decided to paint this room a calming shade of grey-blue (Rhino by Behr), which really made the white trim pop. Also- our painter suggested that we do something with the Rhino on our ceiling. He ended up painting the vertical part of the tray Rhino as well, with white on the other parts. Our brown-black furniture pairs perfectly with the light gray walls, and my mom bought me the West Elm bedding as a birthday present.

The TV will be hung on the wall, and we'll display photos in black gallery frames with white mats. Don't worry- I'll post pictures when it's 100% done. But I know you all were excited to see even a little bit of the new place!

This is the bed we wanted to buy, but couldn't fit it in our car with all the other Ikea goodies we picked up! Click "goodies" to see a source list for all the new things in our bedroom.

We love our master bedroom, and I've been sleeping so well since we moved in. What do you think of this "after"?

*see my previous post for specific paint codes*

Before and After: Part I

I'm a sucker for before and afters. We'll DVR tons of shows on HGTV, just so I can fast forward to the end and see the big reveal!

Seeing as our new home was a foreclosure, we were lucky that there weren't too many things that needed fixing. The hardwoods are beautiful and just needed a wipe from my Swiffer Wet Jet. We went back and forth on replacing the carpets that were in the rest of the home, but decided against that $4,000 price tag (for 1300 sq feet!) and went with Stanley Steemer instead. I can't sing their praises enough. They're locally franchised, so every location will be different- but the folks in the Nashville office were fantastic! They went back and forth with me about dates and times since we had so many issues getting to closing. The service was impeccable and our carpet looks brand new, and the price of $185 was music to my ears.

We hired a painter to do every single wall and ceiling in the home. Bobby was honest in saying that our trim wasn't in bad shape, and that we could save money by not having it done. What? Someone wanted to actually charge us less?!? We chose 4 colors to use on the walls (all from Behr): Ryegrass, Harvest Brown, Rhino, and Pensive Sky. All ceilings and closets were painted white.

Sorry for all the word vomit- but I thought you might want some explanation for my disgusting length of absence.

So which before and after do you want to see first?

A. Kitchen

B. Living Room

C. Master Bedroom

D. Guest Bedroom

E. Bonus Room

I've created a poll up on the right. Vote for your choice, and I'll post the first pictures tonight!

Happy Housewarming

{ooh it even has a panini press!}

This weekend we were lucky enough to have my parents come visit. Once again, they made the 10 hour drive in stride, and we were so happy to have them stay with us for 5 great nights! This whole registry thing hasn't really excited Mr. SE. I can't blame him (vegetable peeler anyone?), most of the things are more geared towards me. But there is one wedding/house gift that perked him up. Daddy SE took him to Lowe's and let him pick a grill. My man loves to grill, so it was no surprise that he picked one of the biggest they had in stock!

Mr. SE attempted to pick up the assembled grill in my SUV on Monday, but it wouldn't fit. We returned last night, un-assembled the grill, drove it home, and reassembled in our garage. My handsome fiance is more than thrilled with his new toy, and I'm looking forward to having hot dogs for dinner!

Does grilling signal summer to you? What's your favorite thing to cook/eat from the grill? I'd love to hear some new recipes for us to try!

Farmer's Almanac

This weekend's weather had me thinking about all the brides and grooms that planned perfect outdoor ceremonies and receptions. We originally wanted , but I couldn't handle leaving that up to chance.

Last week I discovered the high for Nashville in August was 107 degrees (1954). Yikes!!! Hopefully we won't have that type of heat for our wedding! The Farmer's Almanac is always kind of fun to look at for predictions, like a horoscope for weather. I don't really believe in them, but they're definitely fun to read. Here's their outlook for Summer 2010. What's your take- do you believe in the almanac? Were you a weather.com stalking bride, or did you just wait and see what the weather would bring?

The Big Move

I'll be away from blogging for this week, since we don't have internet in our house. But don't worry- when I do come back I'll be armed with lots of pictures from the new place!

The MIA SE's

Sorry I've been somewhat MIA lately. I had a super busy weekend, starting with both a bachelorette and shower for this lovely lady. Don't worry, I have lots of pictures to post later. But I will say it involved a little of this:

Mr. SE and I have been awfully busy with something outside of the wedding world. I've been hesitant to post because I didn't want to jinx anything. But on Monday morning we were here, buying this.

The SE's are now homeowners! I'll take my tax credit now, thanks. We're currently having the house painted, and we'll be moving over the next week. And for my Nashville ladies- I will be hosting a cookout sometime soon!

Look Mom, I'm a Winner!

Natosha of Big Spoon + Little Spoon hosted her first giveaway last week, and I'm happy to report that I won. How exciting! Here's what I'll be getting (along with some lovely note cards).

Little did she know, Sea Island Cotton is my OBSESSION right now. I seriously cannot get enough of it. Do you have a Bath and Body Works scent that you are always drawn to? Or maybe you like certain scents for different seasons (I do)!

Perfection

Reese is total perfection. I ran into her at Restoration Hardware in January, and she's every bit as beautiful in person. Fashion idol. Hair role model. Enough said.

{this picture is from here}

West Elm

The lovely Budget Savvy Bride, of whom I am lucky enough to call a real life friend, and I were recently sharing our love for West Elm. As fate may have it, we've ended up choosing very similar decorating styles in our homes. When Mr. SE and I signed up for mail-forwarding we started receiving lots of new catalogues offering discounts from various home decorating stores. West Elm has really caught my eye- it's calming colors, organic fibers, and at a price less than Pottery Barn make it hard to pass up.

This is the first room featured in their new catalogue. It's so relaxing and serene. I'd love to settle into this daybed with a great book! Doesn't this room make all your worries go away? *le sigh*

Hunky Mr. SE

{this isn't my tire}
This past Saturday, the most unexpected thing happened to my tire. It blew. On my way home from Einstein bagels (delicious), by myself. I drove (slowly) the remaining .5 mile back to FMIL's house, where Mr. SE came to my rescue. He was out golfing with a friend, but finished up quick and did the most hunky hunky thing. He changed my tire! Maybe it's not that big of a deal to you, but I think it's super cool to see that my man can do such a thing.


So with the spare intact, off we drove to Costco. (thank you Dad for getting my tires here so I didn't have to pay full price). There went a large chunk of my beautiful Saturday.

*In response to some less-than-favorable comments, I'd like to add that I read the manual and do know how to change a tire. But for the life of me, couldn't get the lug nuts loose on my blown wheel. I didn't assume that I was a sexy damsel in distress, and it was 2pm when I waited for Mr. SE, in the cul de sac of his neighborhood*

Ikea Fun

Mr. SE and I spent our Easter weekend with his family in Atlanta. So naturally we went to Ikea- my favorite! Our apartment is already filled with lots of goodies from this wonderland of cheap furniture, but with the move coming up we needed more! Here's what we picked up:

{two Hemnes nightstands} {two white lamps for our matching nightstands}{Hemnes 3 drawer dresser. We already have the matching 8 drawer}{Blad curtains for our master bedroom}

How was your Easter weekend?

To My Mom and Dad

There's another special day this weekend- April 3rd! Mom and Dad SE were married on that date 28 years ago. They've set such a great example for Mr. SE and myself, and I hope we will be still glowing like the two of them when we're married for 28 years.

Mr. SE and I initially planned to have April 3rd as our wedding date, so we would share the same anniversary as my parents. But with the way things worked out after graduation, we decided to push it back to August so we wouldn't be rushed. So now my parents can celebrate their anniversary as strictly their own. Here's to you Mom and Dad- 28 years and going strong!

Thoughtless Thursday

This is my very first Thoughtless Thursday post. It seems appropriate- you put all your energy into getting through Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Once Thursday comes around it's a total brain dump. Here are some random throwback pictures to share...

Mr. SE and I are quickly approaching our 4th anniversary. It's crazy to think how time has flown by, and I love looking back at pictures, notes, and cards from the past four years.

Doing an imaginary "bump, set, spike" drill on New Year's 2007The day I got Duffie. April 2007. She was so little!

After a baseball game spring 2007