Recap: Our Housewarming Party!

steadysticks

Boy, WHAT a weekend!! Entertaining is serious business. And so.much.freaking.work. But I think it was well worth it! (Even if we woke up Saturday morning to water in our finished basement — the basement that never floods according to the previous owner — but that is neither here nor there, and a very long story for another post.)

Friday night it rained like crazy. Torrential downpour. But since it was supposed to clear up by 10am Saturday and be sunny and bright when people came over, I decided I wanted to get some more things for our backyard. So after work Friday, Keith made a trip to Crate and Barrel for these guys:

Steady Sticks

  We got two beer ones and two wine ones, and I am obsessed with these! So of course, Saturday morning I made him go to Home Depot for some red adirondack chairs.

I am totally, 100% obsessed with these chairs. And they were a steal at only $18/piece! They are SO New England, especially with the anchor pillows I found at Homegoods. Score!

We got a new umbrella for our patio set that I am also obsessed with. I love our outdoor space!

Obviously I had to make a new chalkboard sign for the occasion!

This is our “entry way” and is the wall that I’m painting with brown stripes!

Seriously, what kind of a cookout doesn’t have s’mores of some kind? Mine just happened to be of the cupcake variety :)

The ones on the left are gluten-free, and the ones on the right were not :)
More food!

My cute little beverage cart, that I LOVE!

Meanwhile, outside……

 The boys played can-jam ….
And Gunner supervised all the activities and tried to eat as much people-food as humanly possible. 

We had such a great time with all our friends and families, and consumed far too many hamburgers and adult beverages! I’m already looking forward to throwing another backyard shindig this summer!


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Breaking in the new house!

beadlights
It’s been a crazy week (holy crap it’s already Thursday!!) and we are busy gearing up for our weekend! This Saturday is our housewarming party!! And in true this-is-our-luck-fashion, the forecast is calling for rain. Thanks Tropical Storm Andrea :(
 
I think our house will be big enough in the event it rains all freaking day, but I’m kind of worried about where people are going to sit. That part might be interesting.

We are super excited to have our friends and family over for the first time and I am loving having a space to entertain. I can’t wait to share photos of the event!
 
I have some more decorating and setting up to do, and since 4th of July is just around the corner, I’m thinking about tying the two events together.
 
First up …. sting lights for the deck and patio. I am loving these:

String Lights

Second, I really want a fire pit for the patio. SO freaking badly. Keith thinks he can build one, but guess how long that would take??

Fire Pit

Thirdly, I ordered this really cute beverage cart from Amazon about a week and a half ago. It wasn’t Prime eligible, so it still isn’t here, but I’m hoping it will get delivered in the next day or two. So that I can set up this cute little beverage station!
 
 
 
I’m keeping the food pretty simple. Standard cookout food – hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken with all the different side salads. But I did see a couple cute things on Pinterest I might attempt to make :) I say “attempt” because I’m quickly running out of time to get everything done!
 
 


 
 
And then lastly, I have to figure out what to wear! I’m really wanting a black and white striped maxi dress, so hopefully I have time (why do I keep adding things to my to-do list?!!?) to find one before Saturday!
 
Wish us luck …. pray for no rain … and check back Sunday for photos and a recap :) 


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Getting Ready for Summer!

summertime
These last few days of 90 degree temps have me convinced that summer is finally here!!

I live for the summer …. I am totally a warm-weather person, the hotter the better in my book!! Summer also means swimsuit weather … which is not always quite as exciting for me. But that freaking Victoria’s Secret summer catalog gets me everytime!! I am drooling over this one and this one. However, since I’m the girl that owns 12 bathing suits ….. I’m resisting. Not sure how much longer I can hold out :)

To get my body bikini ready and Jamaica ready (we leave in 37 days!!) I started doing quick daily workouts at home. I can barely even walk today. owieeeeeee.

This workout is my all-time favorite. It really works your entire body and you feel amazing after! Plus it only takes about 20 minutes! I try to do them as soon as Keith gets home from work. Doing them together motivates us to not miss a day.

I am also doing the 30 day squat challenge! I am up to Day 11, and thankfully today is a rest day before jumping up to 130 squats. I’m telling you, I can feel this working! Boy does my ass burn!

The other thing that I’m doing is watching what I eat. I already don’t eat alot of carbs since I’m gluten free. I eat very little bread or pasta. Last week I decided to cut out all added sugar. I usually relied on chocolate or candy mid-afternoon — it was my favorite snack! But I was always feeling so sluggish :/ So now, I eat fruit when I feel like I’m craving something sweet. Today I brought to work cut up watermelon, a baggie of grapes, a baggie of baby carrots and a baggie of sliced cucumber! I am always hungry and snack every couple of hours. I am also obsessed with the Laughing Cow cheese wedges. At 35 calories for one and paired with sliced cucumber, I have a healthy and filling snack.

It takes a little more work at night getting my snacks ready, and I go to the grocery store for fresh veggies ever 2-3 days, but once you get into the habit, it’s not so bad. Plus, I’m less likely to veer off my “diet” (I really hate that word) if I have snacks and things for me to munch on.

I feel so much better without sugar! I’m not bloated, and I don’t get that mid-afternoon crash. Learning to drink my coffee without sugar has been an adjustment, but so far, so good!

I’m not really looking to “lose” weight per say. I just want to feel more confident in a swimsuit, especially since I’ll be living in one for a week! So far, I’m really happy with the results and I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything.

So tell me — what are you doing to get ready for summer?? Anyone else doing the squat challenge?


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