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You're Invited To Sunday Funday!

by ‎08-28-2014 10:42 AM - edited ‎08-04-2015 10:35 AM

This week we had our friend Meg over for dinner. Not only did we have a delicious meal and a great time, but we also came up with a really fun idea for you! Because you're always inviting me into your home no matter what time of day I happen to be on-air, we thought it was time we finally returned the favor and invited you over to our house!!

 

Sunday Funday is one of our favorite traditions and this week you're invited! We put together a quick home tour so you can get an idea of where and how we like to spend our Sunday's and pretty much every day together. 

 

You'll notice most of the decorations we have all have some sort of back story. Some funny, some crazy, and some that mean a lot to us. 

 

So come on it and make yourself at home, lol! 

 

We keep our front door decorated depending on the season, but always keep our flameless candles and lanterns out all year around.

 

    

 

Since you came through the front door, it only makes sense to start with the foyer!

 

 

This is the hallway from the foyer into the family room/kitchen. We thought the clock would make for an interesting picture!

 

 

      There is a small powder room right off of the foyer and while I don't think you really need to see that, I did want to show you this! This little stool was a gift from Maria McCool. We know that Bree is too small to use it now, but we loved it too much to not have it on display!

 

    

 

Now onto the dining room... Before I really start giving you the full on home tour, I think I should give you some background. My Dad is a big time antique collector, so a lot of our decorations were given to us by him. 

 

Here is a look at our dining room. A common theme you'll see around the house and recognize from the Q is my love for flameless candles! They are so easy to decorate with and we usually set them on a timer. We have them decorated differently throughout the house with cloches, lanterns, and here these fun vases!

 

 

The story behind this piece in our dining room is actually a little funny. My Dad offered to give us this antique and I kept refusing it, but Steve had his heart set on placing it somewhere in the house. Finally I gave in and we brought it home. Now, I absolutely love it and it's a perfect "I told you so" moment for Steve!

 

 

 

Now we can head into the most frequently used room in the house, the kitchen! We love food here, so it's no surprise that we spend a lot of time hanging out around the island and cooking away at the oven! 

 

 

 

   

 

  Here is a wider look at the room. It wasn't until after we took this picture that I noticed the couch wasn't "freshened up," but I had to use the picture because it felt right. Earlier Bree was a little fussy so I had been rocking her in that exact spot. It's funny to think that before Bree I would have immediately fixed the sofa for a picture, but now there are so many other things to worry about!!!

 

 

This is our kitchen table, but typically when we have guests over we congregate around the island. When it was just me and Steve we ate dinner at the island every night! I'm sure you've seen our dinner for two photos on my Facebook page.

 

    

 

I love this corner in the kitchen! This is one of the antiques my parents gave us. It actually used to be an icebox back in the day. The bottom is where the ice was stored and the top opens up for a place to put eggs, milk, etc. We found a different purpose for the antique icebox.... it now functions as our wine cabinet! 

 

I love the glass bottles on the top, and yes that is a fresh squeezer parked next to the bottle decor. Here's a fun fact: Steve and I met working in a restaurant in NYC. I was a waitress and he was my bartender! His behind the bar knowledge comes in handy every once and a while and we use the fresh squeezer for cocktails... and for other drinks of course!

 

 

 You know I have a serious sweet tooth so I wanted to share this picture with you. Here were our options for dessert the night Meg came over for dinner. She brought over the salted caramel brownies and I pulled one of my favorite tricks in the book... Buy a pre-made dessert and throw it on your own dish, lol! Does anyone else do this??

 

Oh and PS: I helped myself to a slice of fruit tart AND a brownie because that's how I roll!! Both were delicious by the way. {#emotions_dlg.biggrin}

 

 

This is the bulletin board we have in our kitchen where we post pictures, notes, and reminders. During the holidays we hang all of the cards we receive and fill this guy up with our friends and family! 

 

 

 Oh and although fall is around the corner, I wanted to share with you my favorite summer candle. This guy has a couple more weeks of life until we move into the pumpkin and apple scents!

 

 

 

Let's take this party outside! This is our back deck where as you can see, me, Meg, Steve, and Bree (via her monitor lol) had dinner. You're looking at grilled chicken with tomatoes, potato and asparagus salad, with cornbread from our favorite bakery in Maryland. DELICIOUS!

 

We like to soak up the summer while we can, but I have to tell you the truth... We started our meal out here but ended up moving inside because it was just too hot. Shout out to Steve for grilling out there in the scorching weather!! 

 

   

 

We had to grab this picture after dinner, hence the clean up. The sun was starting to set and it was too pretty to pass up! 

 

Also notice when the table is clear of food we put up our Home Reflections lanterns

 

   

 

Now onto the family room! Our house has changed a bit since Bree came along, but in the best way possible. I love seeing her things around the house even if they cause a little clutter. 

 

 

What you're looking at here is something very special to me. As I mentioned my Dad is a big antique guy. He gave me and Steve the carriage clocks and the book to the right is an antique book on the history of theatre. I'm not sure if you know this about me, but I studied theatre in college, so this was my graduation present. Such a thoughtful and personal gift that reminds me of my passion for theatre and of course my parents! 

 

    

 

Continuing further into our antique corner is Steve's gift from my parents. Steve loves whales, so my Mom and Dad gave him this antique firewood box. 

 

I love this corner because it has a splash of both of our passions and interests with my parent's own personal touch.

 

   

 

   So that was my personal favorite corner of the family room, but here is Bree's spot! She lives in this thing. 

 

 

And of course there is a great story behind these shelves you see here. 

 

This shelf is is full of pictures, but the one next to it is completely empty, and here's why -- Steve attempted to hang one shelf so that we could put up the picture frames we already had and we decided as we create more memories and history if you will, we will put up the second shelf. My parents came to visit one weekend and my Dad could't believe Steve's hanging job. He said it was pretty much destined to fall at any second, lol. He fixed the shelf and we decided it would be best for him to put up the second one even if our memories weren't quite ready yet!

 

 

Another Bree hot spot is her little mat. She loves laying here and her latest favorite thing to do is roll over!! If you look close you'll see a little blue whale. Steve's Mom made that for Bree and she loves it! 

 

     

 

Now this is something I had to share. Steve and I are very particular about our coffee table books! We want to have a lot of books one day, but the only criteria is that they have to be meaningful to us. Right now we just have one book, but you can't rush these things!! Stone Harbor is our favorite beach so that is why this one is so special. 

 

     

 

I wanted to bring you down the basement but this is another one of our rooms that is "in the process." This is funny and worth sharing... Feast your eyes on our Mother's Day and Father's Day gifts, lol. 

 

    

 

I've been on this bad boy a full two times since May lol, but that's because we have been working out together at the gym and outside while the weather is still nice. We'll get a lot more use out of our Mother's and Father's day presents once Winter rolls around. That's usually when it gets extra tough to hop in the car and get to the gym!

 

     

 

Right off of the basement is a small patio. You might recognize this furniture because it used to be on our deck. We loved having somewhere to sit outside, but we realized shortly after buying the furniture that what we really wanted was a place to sit and eat our dinner. So we moved the outdoor furniture down here!

 

     

 

I know every home has a room like this, but brace yourself for the "junk room" aka the storage room! It may not be pretty, but I promised a full tour lol. 

 

 

 

Here is our bedroom!  

 

 

Another candle vase combination accompanied by some photos from our wedding day on the bureau.

 

 

    Moving on to Bree's bathroom. You may remember from one of my older blogs, this room is mermaid themed! 

 

 

A friend of mine gave this to us to hang for Bree. I love it for many reasons. One, because it is adorable and I love the message but also because I'm a huge theatre fan so I love that this is Shakespeare. 

 

 

 I'm going to end our home tour in a room I know you are familiar with because of my earlier blogs. I would show you a little more and even turn on the light for you, but there is an exhausted little girl snoozing in there!! 

 

     

 

 Well that was fun! Thanks for spending your Sunday Funday with us!