Guest Room Essentials

Hope you are off to a good start for the week.  I came home from work early Friday and spent the weekend battling a cough and sore throat.  Yesterday I wasn't better so I stayed home and spent most of the day on the couch watching HGTV and court shows in between naps.  Hopefully I am back on track over the next couple days.

Last week I freshened up my guest room headboard and while I was in there, I did a little pre-planning for our next guests.  This article written by by friend Annie gave me a good starting point and I have a few new suggestions to add for guest room perfection.

1.  Some rolled towels and wash cloths really go the extra mile for guests.

2.  Gift your guests some data by sharing your wi-fi password on one of these adorable, printable cards you can snag from Pinterest.

3.  A small tray to hold watches and jewelry helps ensure guests can easily find their special possessions.  C Wonder has a really cute one here

4.  House keys so your guests can come and go as they please.

5.  Some sample-sized soaps and shampoos are always appreciated for guests that flew in and are limited on their toiletries.

6.  I am not the best packer so I always appreciate easy access to an iron or steamer.

7.  I have mirrored by-pass closet doors so guests can use them for dressing.  An inexpensive stand up mirror will do the trick just fine.

8.  Speaking of travel, if you have local tolls.  A transponder or a roll of quarters to pay their tolls would be really appreciated, especially since most people don't keep much cash on them.

What are your guest room favorites?  Be sure to check out more ideas here.

Fall Fashion: Mixing Prints

Genius!  My nieces have been wearing mis-matched socks for years and call them wacky socks.  From I was growing up, just looks like they didn't feel like matching socks but a quick label and wacky socks it is.

Fall fashion is better than ever.  Mixing patterns is almost expected this season and it's a great way to get max use out of your closet.  I found some easy examples to give me some inspiration and get the courage to get started.

What are your favorite looks of the season?  Have you started mixing prints yet?

Guest room update

Fall has me the in mood for decorating.  I have been working to declutter and organize as much as possible.  I moved my efforts to our guest bedroom this week.  I still have some work to do but I am chipping away at updates.

We have a new HomeGoods store nearby.  While I have only been there a few times, I have managed to find something fresh each time.  I got some new lamps a month or so ago.  They are a slate blue/gray color with linen colored shades.  I really wanted to go for the coordinated but not matched look but I am almost convinced you can't plan for it...it has to just happen.

My newest update was a new headboard.  Have you heard of Joss & Main?  It has some super deals and really fast shipping.  I had been to Pier One and found some nice headboards and I cruised thru Ikea but didn't really see much that I liked.

I looked at Joss & Main, actually looking for rugs and found a simple headboard that I decided would work for my guest room.  I have been b-e-g-g-i-n-g Simon to change the one in our room but he is a creature of habit and takes a little while to sell.

So, here goes.....my before and after.

Nothing too crazy, but a nice little freshen up.  There were lots of headboard styles but I decided on an oatmeal colored headboard with a little shape and nailheads to finish it off.  Finding ANYTHING less than $300 is a challenge (queen bed) and I scored this for $168.00!  

So exciting.  It has finished legs that only need three screws each to assemble (and the holes were pre-drilled).  Whatcha think?  

Check out the headboard on their website here.

Weekend Rewind: All dogs go to heaven

Worst start to the weekend ever.  I came home from work Friday and we had to make the tough decision to put our first family pet, Esea down.  Heartbreaking.  Trying to think on the bright side, we got him home after being in ICU for 6 days with kidney failure and we got to spend a week and a half with him after being released, we loved him around the clock and we were with him as he passed plus we have 14 years of memories with him.  I could have never imagined the helpless, heart ache we would feel.  We made it thru and weekend and are hoping for brighter days ahead.

On a brighter note, we hosted a BBQ for a niece and nephew yesterday.  It was scheduled for last weekend but we moved it back since we were in a soccer tournament.  With Esea passing on Friday, it was great to have family over and relax.  Simon originally wanted to do the cooking but with everything going on, we decided to have BBQ catered by a local restaurant.  It's still warm here so we let the kids swim and the adults chatted by the pool and watch the games on.

I got out the snow cone machine we have and of course we had the music playing so the kids could sing and dance.  They bring so much love and are the perfect way to get thru tough days.  I am ready to do a little fall decorating and certainly ready for some cooler temps so I can break out my new scarves.  Hope you all have a super week! 

End of summer luau

We have a birthday party this weekend at our house.  I am doing my best to be upbeat but I am still feeling sad because my little dog Esea's health has declined again and we are likely enjoying our last days with him.  He is laying beside me now and is comfortable so I thought I'd hop online and distract myself for a few.  

With everything we have going on, we have decided to cater food for the party, so that part is done. We are doing side dishes, drinks, desserts and decor so there is still some work to do over the coming days.  Here is what we have planned so far:

I found this recipe on Pinterest.  It's called Luau Punch.  It looks so refreshing and simple to make.

Do these look amazing or what?  I am thinking I may change this into a cake to cut down on the work of doing a lot of cupcakes.  

This would also make a good option instead of the cupcakes.  Looks so good.  I do like the look of cherries on top that the cupcakes have.

I found this a few weeks back and think it will be perfect.  It's pineapple coleslaw.  

Who doesn't love a themed drink?  This pink bikini is super simple and would be good for the ladies.

I can't wait to see all the cute kids come over and hangout and swim at the luau.  Their sweet little smiles take all my troubles away.  Hope you are off to a super week.  Cheers!

 

Weekend Rewind

Hope you enjoyed the last couple days off.  We had an action-packed 48 hours.

Friday night, we went to my sister Holly's house to celebrate a birthday.  Our little niece, Karmie turned five.  We had a dinner-time pool party, of course filled with music and dancing.  My nieces love to dance and it is so funny to watch them.

 

Payton and one of her friends/soccer teammates stayed the night and we all rode to soccer together on Saturday for Payton's first ever tournament.  Uncle Simon is a savior when the kids come over.  He prepared breakfast for the little athletes and helped me get everything together for the day.

 

And, we're off!  We headed to the fields at 9:00 am for the first of three games, over the next 24-hours.  We listened to the girls' favorite songs all the way down to get them fired up (and help forget about jitters).  It was soooo hot.  My forehead is burned and I now have arm and ankle tan lines.  The girls did great for their first showing and by Sunday afternoon, I was exhausted.  We went through six gallons of Gatorade (plus their own waters), two bags of apples, lots of bananas, star fruit and anything else we could to keep their energy up as much as we could.

 

In between our games Saturday and Sunday, Payton and I also raced.  I don't know how she does as much as she does, she is a tough little chic.  We had a great night of racing.  Payton and I both won and my dad was second.  My twin nieces, Logan and Taylor also ran.  They are so cute to watch their tiny little bodies in those karts.  

 

I finally made it back home Sunday afternoon and we had a quiet end to the weekend.  Simon had the games on and I relaxed with the pups.  We are so far, so good with the two boys that were sick last weekend.  

Hope you have a super week.  I heard we have a cold front coming, so hopefully we get some cooler temps in the days to come.    

Pet Scare: Dealing with an aging dog

Phew!!  Our little pup, Esea gave us a scare.  The last week has felt like time stood still as we had an emergency health scare.
Last Wednesday, my oldest pup Esea was laying on the love seat with me like he does every night and something wasn't right.  My poor boy was suffering from kidney failure and I didn't know it.
After a couple hours of trying to convince myself he was okay, I knew he wasn't.

My poor boy was so lethargic

I called for Simon and off we went to the emergency vet.  Unfortunately, he was mis-diagnosed with a respiratory infection versus kidney failure.  We were sent to a 24-hour pharmacy (we left home about 9:00pm and finally got home after midnight) and hoped he was cured.  The next morning he still showed no improvement so Simon took him to our regular vet.

Within 15-minutes, Simon called me with the terrible news that after blood work, they determined his kidneys were only functioning at about 25% and his outlook was grim.  We are so lucky we have a friend at the vet and she gave us extra updates and gave Esea TLC.

Fast forward the sad six days we went without him and he finally was released home.  We really have no idea what to expect. They had him in ICU with an IV trying to flush his system and did blood work every day to test his progress.  Tuesday night, the vet had the tough talk with me that his time was limited, at best.  We don't know what the days to come will bring but are hopeful for progress and happy to have more time with him.

  

It really is amazing how one little 8-pound pup can rock a household.  We were so sad to have our little guy missing and unsure what the next day would bring.  He is older than all my nieces and nephews and has been around for 14 years.  The other two dogs were so distraught while he was gone.  He is the leader of the three little amigos and the house wasn't the same without him.

I finally made it home! No IV for me. 

After six days of feeling helpless and like time stood still, the clock is ticking again at the Porter house and all is good for now.
If you have a pet, give them an extra little hug today.   Hope y'all are off to a great week!

Favorite pins for the month

A few of my favorite pins from the last month:

I love vests during the fall.  I am especially excited that this year there is so much mixing and matching of prints and patterns.  This look is neutral but has the perfect pretty touches to keep it from being boring.

We have a luau coming up and this looks like a perfect recipe to try.  Have you heard of it? 

Pineapple coleslaw.  Looks perfect for these warmer temps.

I am not much of a drinker but love to play hostess.  I have hoped to find the perfect bar cart but haven't decided on one yet.  When I do, this blog article gives some great tips for the perfect bar cart.

I am still craving a new crib and have a board dedicated to all the newest ideas I see online.  We have pull out drawers in our kitchen and l-o-v-e them.  I like the idea of having them in linen closets as well to avoid slouchy stacks of towels. 

My nieces stayed with us last night and they are in this phase of wanting to sleep on the couch or somewhere "cool" other than beds.  I stuck them both in our guest rooms since it's a school night but would love to get them some cute sleeping bags.  Are these the cutest or what?!

What are your favorite pins right now?  I am soooo ready for cooler temps to start layering cute fall looks.  So far, all we are getting is lots of rain.  Hopefully over the next month we get a few days of brisk weather to really get fall going.  Hope you are off to a great week!