It's Finally Fall

I feel like it took forever, but we have finally gotten some cool weather here in Texas! Yesterday, it didn't get above 55 degrees. Brrr. So, I now feel like it's fall. Now, if it will just stay this way so we can light a fire in the fireplace!

I don't have a ton of decorations for this season. I have typically stayed away from Halloween decorations for a number of reasons, but mostly because they can only stay up through Oct. 31, whereas fall items can be enjoyed for an entire month more!

Last week, I finally was able to put out the few decoration I have ...

Happy fall!

A Perfect Weekend and Color Choices

Well, yesterday, I waved goodbye to my parents as they drove back to Nashville. We had such a good time while they were in town! To be honest, we didn't do anything huge. Dad had a conference to work on Thursday and Friday, which gave mom and I some great mother-daughter time, which we often don't get when I come to Nashville because there are so many people to see.

We had perfect weather the majority of the weekend with temps in the mid to high 80s. Mom and I explored around town a little and discovered great little shops in downtown Plano, including a bake shop called Bake Rejoice. The cakes were amazing and we enjoyed sitting with a cup of coffee and just chatting as the bakers made magnificent works of art around us.

The next day, we decided to visit McKinney Main Street. We were so surprised to see how cute the downtown square was. It was a perfect day for popping in and out of stores. In one of the stores, I saw a cute little crocheted hat, which prompted mom to teach me how to crochet the next day! So, expect to see some of my creations soon ... well, as soon as I get better at it.

Overall, it was a great visit, and I am so glad they could come. I can't wait for them to come back soon!

Tonight, Landon's parents are coming into town, so we are looking forward to another great visit. I'll let you know what we discover while they are in town!

Oh, and remember the three things I wanted to get done before our guests arrived? Well, one of them did not get done. Because the dining room chairs took so long, I did not get the master bedroom painted.

Still, I thought I would show you the colors we were considering. I know they are all very similar, but we've chosen the one we want. Can you guess?

I'm not going to reveal just yet. You'll have to wait and see!

Today is the Day

The guest bed is made. The towels are set out. The air fresheners are abound. The house is clean. Why?

Because my parents are coming into town today! I'm so very excited! They haven't been able to visit us in Texas in quite some time so I can't wait to show them around and just visit with them.

Safe travels, mom and dad!

While we're having fun over the next few days, check out my new "Before & Afters" tab at the top of my blog. 

Pinterest Mexican Fiesta

Over the weekend, Landon and I had some friends over for "taco night." We've started the tradition every Sunday evening thanks to Kroger's homemade tortillas. These are by far, the best tortillas around. I don't think we can ever buy regular store-bought tortillas again.

Anyway, in honor of "taco night" with friends, I decided to try out a few Pinterest recipes.

For an appetizer, I made white queso dip.

Source: annies-eats.net via Kristin on Pinterest

At first, I didn't think I had let it cook long enough because it wasn't quite "burn your mouth hot," but within less than 30 minutes, the entire bowl was gone, so I'm thinking it was a success.

And, of course, I had to try a new dessert, so naturally I went with sopapilla cheesecake bars.

Source: allrecipes.com via Kristin on Pinterest

I must say, these were so easy to make. I did have to make one substitution. I looked all over for Mexican vanilla -- well, all over Kroger -- with no luck, so I simply used regular vanilla. They were still absolutely wonderful. Really, one of the best desserts I've ever made, especially since we ate them hot out of the oven.

I will definitely be making these again, but I will say they were not as good the second night around. unless you warm them up in the microwave. I had read online to eat these not long after they came out of the oven, and that was a good tip that I would pass along to anyone else.

If you are looking for two great recipes for your next "Mexican night," I definitely recommend these!

I'm planning to try out several more Pinterest recipes this week, so stay tuned for reviews! Oh, and if you aren't on Pinterest, you have no idea what you are missing! Go try it out now!

Finally

Well, it only took nine months but I have finally completed the redo on my Craig's List table and chairs!

Just as a refresher, here is what I started with ...

I painted the table back in May. That was the easy part ...

But, it was those chairs chairs that I kept putting off. You'll remember we fixed them so they were no longer wobbly, and we creatively came up with a new "topper" for the one that was missing. 

Well, three weekends ago, I set out to finish these chairs. The funniest thing is I thought I could get it done in one weekend. Ha! Not so much ...

First, I had to sand each chair down. When I sanded the table, it was easy, because I could use the electric sander. But the chairs needed to be done by hand because of the intricate details. Plus, as I started sanding, I realized a few chairs that needed a little more reinforcement to ensure their stability.

So, three hours later, the sanding and fixing was done. Next, it was time to wipe everything clean and start priming. 

I was clearly disillusioned with this entire process. I had no idea how long the priming would take. But, four hours later, I was done with one coat.

That was about all I had time for in one day. But, Sunday, after church, I started again with the first coat of paint. 

Four hours later, I had six of the eight chairs complete and was running out of daylight. I was realizing that the excitement of finding a table with eight chairs was no longer a good thing because it only meant more painting! 

At this point, I was pretty frustrated. Plus, I was sore from painting all day. I was really wanting to give up and spray paint the rest, but having hand painted the table, I didn't want the chairs to look different. So, I persevered.

The rest of the week, I rushed home from work to paint a chair or two before it got dark. By the next weekend, I was able to get the second coat and the sealant on, but it took all day Saturday and all day Sunday. 

So, with the chairs drying, it was time to tackle the cushions.

Landon's mom gave me a lot of good tips for this task. She suggested I starch the fabric before covering the chairs, so that's what I did first.

Then, I turned these ...

Into these ...

If you have never covered chairs, the key is to pull the fabric tight.

With the help of Landon screwing the cushions on the chairs, I'm proud to reveal the final product!

After nine months, I am so glad to have this project complete. Plus, Landon will let me move onto another project! 

Match Made in Heaven

Remember how I said I have really bad luck with shower curtains? Well, I finally found one that I love. 

My guest bathroom has neutral tile, paint and countertops, so I really wanted a shower curtain that would offer a pop of color. 

I took a trip to Bed, Bath & Beyond and looked at every shower curtain they have to offer, which is a lot. Finally, I saw what I thought was the perfect one. In order to be sure, I didn't buy it the day I saw it but instead decided to wait, thinking if I still wanted it after a few days, I would go back and buy it. 

Well, after three days, I decided it was "the one." Of course, I went to the Bed, Bath & Beyond by my office and they didn't have it. So, a day later, I stopped at the store on the way to church and they were out of it. So, I finally made it last weekend to one last store and got lucky.

So, meet my new shower curtain!

I couldn't be happier. So, check one thing off my list of things to do before guests arrive!

Changing Things Up

First, I must say happy birthday to my little sister, Allison! I hope you have a fabulous day full of celebrations despite all the classes you have to go to today!

Allison with her daughter, McKinlee

Next, I must tell you some good news and some bad news. The good news is I was able to work all weekend on my dining room chairs. The bad news is I didn't get them finished. So, you'll have to wait a little longer to see the final product.

In the meantime, I thought I would tell you about a little change I made a few weeks ago ... I decided to switch the guest bedroom and office. 

I'm going to tell you this, but I don't want anyone getting any ideas. See, you might remember we put our desk in the closet of the office.

We decided that we really liked it and we wanted to keep it that way. Well, being a "planner," I decided that if we did ever have a baby, I didn't want to get rid of the closet office, so naturally, we would need to use the room that was currently being used as a guest bedroom as a future "baby's" room. 

Now, I told you, don't get any ideas. "Future" is the key word here. It's just I didn't want to decorate an entire room knowing it would one day change. Hence, why we decided to make the bedroom / office switch.

Landon was going to help me do this, but one night I got impatient (I know, hard to believe, right?), so I decided to do the move on my own. Thanks to our handy, dandy furniture movers, it wasn't too hard.

And, today, we have this ...

Excuse the mess ... we're still cleaning this room up!

The pictures above the bed will be going soon. Landon jokingly said our guests would enjoy the wall of "us." But, I have many other things to put on this wall. 

Really wish I had time to paint these rooms before our guests arrive, but considering how long the chairs are taking, I don't see that happening. So, "deep in the heart of Texas" will still be around to welcome them!