inspirations to get me through the day...

It's only been 6 short months since its happened, but boy did I fall hard ... fell hard in L-O-V-E that is ... I feel like it's grade school all over again ... my first crush & that anxious, sweaty all over feeling just doesn't seem to want to go away ... spending sleepless nights & lazy afternoons daydreaming and making plans ... is it just me or am i crazy in love with marble?

Hahaha yeah me & my insane marble talk again ... it's finally happening ... we went marble shopping today and officially put 3 GORGEOUS, beautifully veined, white Calcutta Oro marble slabs on hold!  Now that we're finally moving along in the process, I'm starting to get serious doubts and that scary, twisted, butterflies in your tummy feeling ... Why is it always like that, as soon as you get something that you want ... you're not sure if you want it anymore ... Don't get me wrong, I can't get enough of marble in my house but I think all those warnings and lectures that we've been getting from our manufacturer, sales clerks, friends & family, and online forums are finally getting to me ... But you know what, I gotta stay consistent with my last post and just go with it!

After months & months of research I think we're ready to handle anything these countertops throw at us lol ... so here's some pretties from our shopping trip.  Won't tell you which one we chose, but it's definintely one of these ... or maybe I'm just indecisive and waiting to actually pay for and pick them up before knowing that they're officially ours ... either way, we'll see on Saturday!

And as always ... what is a post about marble without gorgeous eye candy to get me through the day ...

Love the gray shelving and cabinets with the white marble ... but too late now ... already got my white cabinets installed ... either way white is more classic and never goes out of style so it's a win-win situation!

 Is it ok to admit that I have a huge crush on these barstools?

A little too modern for my taste but still ohh so gorgeous ... that view ... don't get me started!

The perfect inspiration for my open shelving ... not necessarily lovin' the color for my kitchen in particular ... but definintely the concept is amazing!  I would love to get my hands on some funky wall paper to put inside my cabinets ... and white dishware ... yes please!

Hopefully I'll have time this week to actually bring my camera during the day to take some real pictures of our progress ... we're soo close that I can taste it ... 2 more weeks and we'll hopefully be in!

02.21.11

This quote by Benjamin Franklin {currently hanging in my cube at work} is quickly turning into my new life motto ... in more ways than one!

Lets start with the most obvious ... On Monday I just randomly decided to dye all my hair back to brunette {turned out a little darker than expected ... looks almost black!}  Don't know what I was thinking .. but I guess just been itching for a change and it was time to try something new.  Can't really say that I hate it ... but definintely been missing the blond.  Still getting weird looks in the halls at work lol ... so hopefully this week everyone will finally get over it!

Both hubby & I have been sick on and off again all last week so not too much remodeling progress to speak of ... we pretty much took most of the week off, which gave me tons of time to reflect on everything we've done up until now!  I've realized just how much of an influence different people have been in our design choices throughout the house ... & I think it's time to quit my indecisiveness and stand by my decisions {even if sometimes they do end up being failures}

I know our friends and family only have our best interest at heart but they are not US and definintely won't be the ones living in OUR house ... So who cares if I want a glass staircase, or marble countertops in the kitchen, or the white leather couch that I'm still thinking about.  My point is ... all the compromises that I've made so far, left me with regrets ... so from now on, as long as the hubster is on board ... we're going all out and being as "different" as we want to be!

{sweet} surprises

Valentine's Day came a little early this year ... and what a sweet chocolate covered surprise it was!

My hubby and a bunch of our guy friends have been planning a Valentine's Day surprise for the wifeys since New Years ... they rented a restaurant ... decorated their hearts out ... & gave us the sweetest compliments ever.  It turned out great and we all had a ton of fun ... so glad we all have such amazing hubbys & so much to be thankful for!

Some pics from our night out ...

Just got this cute skirt from Forever 21 ... I am totally in LOVE with flowery prints right now ... makes me feel so summery ... although the forecast for tomorrow is rain & more rain for the rest of the week ... sooo tired of cold weather and can't wait to finally be able to wear shorts and minis every day!  Hopefully this will be the last storm for the season ... although winter went by way too quickly this year ... with all of this house work, we haven't even had a chance to go to the snow this year {secretly hoping I can talk my hubby into a quick getaway to Tahoe this week}

Visions in {white}

Visions of glamorous bathrooms have been dancing around in my head for far too long & I think its time to finally get some concrete ideas down in writing.  Our master bathroom remodel is well on its way & I hate to brag but so far its looking GORGEOUS!  I'm using tons and tons of marble ... everything from beautiful white Carrara marble in the shower, bath, and countertops to the lovely Bianco Luna on the floors.  So far we only have the bath and shower done, but it should be smooth sailing from here since that was the hardest & most time consuming part.

Don't want to give away too much until it's a little closer to completion, but heres a little sneak peek of the bathtub as of right now ...

and on to the inspirations ... this image is absolutely my favorite ... this bathroom looks so elegant with the clean white lines, silver accents, & vintage chandelier, but the beautiful teal pop of color is what really makes this space so unique and inviting.

This freestanding bathtub is absolute eye candy ... too bad we already have a perfectly working bathtub so no excuse to buy a new one ...

Love the BOLD black & white stripes ... but maybe a little too much drama for me in the bathroom...

I think these white & gray stripes a little more my style ... I Love stripes as accents so you will definintely be seeing more of these in my new home!

Now this is something a little more relaxing ... I think I could practically live in this bathroom!

Love the beautiful white sinks ... I want something similar in our master, but maybe not as high.

Now here's something that speaks a little more to my high fashion side ... I adore the framed Chanel ad & the feminine white, pink, & silver accents!

Still not 100% sure whether I want to go with a white or dark vanity, but as of right now I'm leaning a little more towards the chocolate vanities ...

Beautiful vanity, but not too sure about the wallpaper ... might be a little too busy for our master, since it's already going to full of beautiful patterns from all of the different marble ;)

& finally I want to finish off with a little sparkly, glittery, & ohh so glamorous icing on the cake!

Now off to the house to check on the progress ... the hubby was supposed to start laying down the hardwood floors today ... so hopefully everything is going to plans!

fly away home

These past 2 weeks have flown by faster than I ever imagined they would.  I've been busier than ever trying to manage whatever little remodeling we were able to finish while the hubby was gone in addition to exploring the new neighborhood, getting back to a somewhat normal workout routine, & spending time with my favorite sis!

The weather has finally been getting slightly warmer so had a chance to go bike riding in the neighborhood.  We even had some time to a do a quick weekend getaway to SF, but didn't do much there other than play some racquetball, go to the beach, and stop by for some yummy baked goods at our fav Russian Bakery.  It's been a roller coaster but definintely loved every moment.  Now that the hubs is back its all down to business in order to get the house complete enough to finally move in.

... and speaking of the hubby, he got back safe and sound looking cuter than I remember.  It was a challenge but he absolutely fell in love with the people and they are already planning to go back again next year.  Hopefully I can tag along on the next trip ... although I doubt I'll be much of a help with my lack of medical experience.  I guess that's it for now, will be back with remodeling updates and hopefully some pics from the Philippenes!

tears today to bring smiles tomorrow

It was an early morning, not uncommon for us ... but it felt a little different this time, knowing that I wouldn't be seeing my hubby for another 10 days after today.  This trip has been planned since roughly around January of last year, but never in my wildest dreams did I think it would come this soon.

I may have mentioned this before, but my hubby is a surgical tech and was given an amazing opportunity to be part of an even more amazing organization, Faces of Tomorrow (FOT).  They travel to 3rd world countries every year to give children with various facial deformities a second chance at happiness and a new beginning. 

This is Larry's second trip and this year they will be flying to the Philippines.  It's a 14 hour trip and I'm very nervous for him ... I know it hasn't even been a full day yet and I'm already going crazy missing him.  Just thinking about it brings me to tears ... luckily I wasn't a complete emotional wreck when I dropped him off today ... I tried to hold it in as much as possible and have stayed composed until now.  At night everything always sets in .... unfortunately that includes emotions too ... so I'm going to try to do my best holding down the fort while he's gone and praying for his safe return.