Sunday, January 27, 2013

Our Home + A Tour!



Welcome to our home!! What a journey it was getting this baby, too! Let's rewind to May 2012.. that's when Tyler and I started throwing around the idea of buying a new house. We were living in a 3-story townhouse, which was perfect for Tyler, me and the [fur] babies. Not so perfect for entertaining larger groups of friends/family or having house guests for longer than a weekend - can you say crowded!  We've always wanted to have holidays at our house, but that was impossible at the townhouse.

A co-worker recommended Matt Norton of The Norton Real Estate Team.. He. Is. Awesome. He is honest, hard working and puts in 150%! Once Tyler and I narrowed down our cities as to where we wanted to start searching, he took us to see over 20 houses in one weekend - literally! And not one had everything that we wanted - close, but no cigar! We are PICKY.. both of us! And we had a long list of wants/needs (pool, outdoor kitchen, 3-car garage, etc.). Fast forward to Memorial Day weekend.. we get a call from Matt on Friday evening saying that he found our dream house. He sent us the listing and Ohh Eemmm Geee, I fell in love! It literally had everything on our list!! Fate?? We get there bright and early for the showing, with our check book, and it was a full house. Just imagine me mean-mugging the competition... In my mind, the house was ours. So we put our offer down, called our mortgage guy and patiently waited. Did I mention it was a holiday?! By Sunday we had discovered that another bid had been put in, so the bidding war was on. We finalized our offer and again, more waiting. They put us off until Tuesday.. We got the call at work and they went with the other buyer. I'll admit - I was pissed and sad at the same time. I was not-so-secretly hoping that their offer would fall through too(I forgot to mention that this house was back on the market because the previous offer went through).. I know, I know - that's not the nicest thing to wish on someone, but I had already started decorating the house in my head! Matt said that they had 10-days for something to go wrong and if it did, the house would be back on the market. A week, or so, later I was doing homework and thinking.. "Wow, I have so much going on right now... Work, grad school and planning our wedding - the last thing I would need is to buy a new house and move! So us not getting the house was for a reason." I literally thought that thought and Tyler get's a call saying that something happened with the other buyer and our bid was accepted (I guess they didn't want to put the house on the market for a 3rd time (happy dance). EEEEKKKK!!! BOOOOYAAAAA!!! Ya, those were my choice words when I found out!! :) So - We leased out our Townhouse and moved into this beauty on July 22, 2012! Just a month before our wedding date!

Here's a tour! 
Warning.. there are some bright paint colors in the former kids rooms.

 Living Room

Entryway

Kitchen
 Breakfast Nook

Dining Room

Office
This is our junk room right now - and no, I didn't clean up for the picture. Tyler's probably definitely mortified.

Master Bedroom
We are doing a complete overhaul on this room! New furniture, bedding, paint, curtains and decorations! It's so bare and we hate the color of the room.

Master Bathroom

Laundry Room

Butler's Pantry

Guest Bedroom 1
Yes, both of these colors are in one room!!

 Guest Bathroom 1
Boring 'Builder's Beige'

Guest Bedroom 2
AKA: Murray's Room
The previous owner's loved to mix flat paint with eggshell...

 Guest Bedroom 3
Even the ceiling is painted.

Jack/Jill Bathroom

Game Room

 Media Room

3 Car Garage


We have lots and lots of room updates and DIY projects ahead for us! Stay tuned for the 'After' pictures - you won't want to miss the transformations!!

Photobucket

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

WIWW: Red, White and Black


Top // Francesca's; Vest // Nordstrom; Red Skinnies by Paige Denim // Nordstrom; Black Flats // Tory Burch
I am currently obsessed with the black, red and white color combo! Who's with me?! I have been dying for a classic black/white polka shirt/sweater.. anything! Francesca's finally got this shirt back in stock and I jumped on the chance to order it online. 

Budget Breakdown:
Polka Dot Top: $38
Vest: $34
Red Skinnies: $169
Black Flats: $195
KS Earrings: $75

This outfit is partially practical and partially sticker shock. My logic.. The jeans and the flats are staple pieces in my wardrobe and I, by far, have gotten my money's worth out of them! Plus, the jeans were a B-day gift last year and the shoe's were a Christmas gift this year, thanks to my amazing husband! A little FYI when  getting Paige jeans.. order a size down because they do stretch. By far my favorite jeans and up there with Citizens and 7! :)

Darby Earrings in Eagle // Kendra Scott

Do you have a favorite color combo? How do you pair black, red and white? Have a fantastic Wednesday!!


Photobucket

Friday, January 18, 2013

Insta Wrap-Up


 TGIF!! I don't know about y'all, but I thought this day would never come! Talk about a long, stressful, week...Anyways! Let's get this day going so we can get this weekend started!

Here are my Insta's for the week!

 1. I have been wanting something easy to grab and snack on during the day. These tortilla roll-ups are just the thing!




2. We received our wedding pictures in this adorable package! The thumb drive was laying on top of the feathers and wrapped with twine.. Our photographer is so creative and talented! If you are in need, I highly recommend Kelsey! She's in the Dallas area, but travels all over!

3. In keeping up with the 10 in 35 Challenge, I've been having this tasty cereal for dinner! It's perfect to have right after a work-out. And yes, it's dry - I don't drink milk..





4. Decisions, Decisions! I posted this pic for everyone to help me decide on what to do, cut wise, with my hair. Between this post and Instagram, it was a split vote! So, what did I decide?!

5. Ah, Anthropology! A few weeks back I got this ceramic egg crate, but not for its intended use. I've been needing a storage place for all of my stud-type earrings and this is the perfect solution.


What are your plans for the weekend? We've got huge plans for the weekend - well huge if you're domesticated. We're going to tackle a DIY project, or two, and paint the guest bathroom - finally! We're also going to throw in a date night of dinner and a movie (Sushi and Zero Dark Thirty)! Cannot wait!! :)


Is it a 3-day weekend for you? It's a regular 2-dayer for Tyler and I.. such a bummer! Have a great weekend!!


life rearranged
Linking up with Life Rearranged.
Photobucket
Linking up with From My Grey Desk.

Don't forget to follow my Instagram's! @jessicaselie


Photobucket

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Oh, How Pinteresting: Hair Edition!


Happy Wednesday! I decided to do a Hair Edition, since I'm getting my hair done this evening and I have absolutely no clue as to want I want done... So Pinterest inspiration is needed!! Highlights/Low-lights are a definite and I'm debating getting my hair cut back to collarbone length, or even a bit shorter. EEK!! I've been growing my hair out for over a year now (it had to be long for my wedding up-do, duh), but now it seems like all I do is wear it naturally curly, which I'm not fond of, or it's up in a pony tail.
Me with short and long hair - for comparison!


I am loving Selena Gomez's hair! It's not too short or too long. It's definitely a less dramatic choice...
Source: hairstyles123.com via Jessica on Pinterest.


Nicole Richie is rocking this longer bob with side bangs! This is the collarbone length that I'm debating.. I don't think I could rock the bangs, though. Too much maintenance.
Source: plamgirlshop.com via Jessica on Pinterest.


Jenny McCarthy looks stunning in this cut! She was my inspiration a few years back, when I decided to chop off my hair.
Source: autohairinspired.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest.

Short hair really suites Katie Holmes! I love the cut.. it's fun and flirty, yet put together.
Source: images.search.yahoo.com via Jessica on Pinterest.

LOVING this look!
Source: Bloom.com via Jessica on Pinterest.

So.. what should I do?! Stay longer, like Selena's look or rock Nicole's bob?? I would love to hear your thoughts & suggestions!! Have an amazing day!

Linking up with The Vintage Apple.
Linking up with I Am Pisces.

Photobucket