Another fun weekend, in the books!
This weekend was extra special because Saturday was Jay’s birthday, so we celebrated him turning old – err, I mean, 32 – all weekend long. In addition to his birthday celebrations, we also got time to spend with all grandparents, AND, we got to visit the new house to see the latest updates. Eeeeek!
I’ve got lots to share, and apparently took quite a few pictures, so I’m going go ahead, sentence (or two) per picture style.
Lots of pool time on Saturday, and Lucas is still loving the diving board.
Pool snacks and some sort of coconut rum blender drinks made by mom, which were quite delicious.
Joe, Kate, and Samantha came over to celebrate Jay’s birthday with him (can’t believe I didn’t get any pics of any of us?!) and we had a yummy cookout of grilled chicken, corn on the cob, potato salad, and mac salad (aka, a pretty standard summer meal around here!).
Lucas sitting at the table like a big boy, who is no longer interested in his high chair (which is making me kick myself for packing away his booster seat…ahh well).
I made Jay a funfetti cake, but had to pair it with my homemade Almond Buttercream Frosting (it’s one of all-time favorites).
Lucas still thinks we’re singing happy birthday to him when we sing, and it’s the funniest thing ever.
He was all about helping daddy blow out the candles!
Trying to pick out paint samples can be put right towards the top of my list of things I absolutely can’t stand doing; for one, why the heck do they make the samples so freakin’ small?!
Thankfully, I think we mayyyy have narrowed it down to a few, so once we’re in, we’ll get a few sample sized cans and see how things look.
Speaking of the house…I’ve got some updates to share with ya today!!
All of our flooring and lighting has been mostly installed, although things are still super messy in there until the cleaners come on Wednesday. We also ordered a couple sets of pendant lights for over the kitchen island and brought them over to decide which ones we’ll keep; I’m SO excited about them!
I am SO READY to fill this closet!!
Trying to figure out how in the world I’m going to decorate this foyer makes my head spin…please, send help!
And send positive vibes for things continuing to go smoothly through the rest of this week!
We met up with my in-laws at the new Huck Finn’s Playland (aka, the old Hoffman’s Playland that we brought Lucas to last year).
It was a hot one, but was so nice to get out and about.
We attempted to get Lucas to go on some rides…
Unfortunately, he wanted to do with any of them. Seriously, none of them…not even the merry go round?! He’d freak out and then just want to stare and watch.
Since the playland was a bit of a bust, we headed next door to Huck Finn’s to check out some of their dining tables and couches.
We’re both reeeeeally considering going the route of unfinished furniture so we can stain/paint it to make it exactly what we want (we want legs and chairs to be a color similar to our kitchen island, and the table top and chair/bench tops to be a similar color to our hardwood).
We originally went to check out the table above, but then found this one and now really considering that, too.
Soooo. Many. Decisions.
After Huck Finn’s, we all went to my in-laws for dinner; cheeseburgers, corn on the cob, and potato salad.
And that meant we also got to visit Cody!
Jay and I joke that both our kid and our cat are going to want nothing to do with us once we move into the new house because they’ll be like, ummm, where is everyone?! Lucas has been loving living with Nan Nan and Papa, and Cody is apparently starting to warm up to living with my in-laws’ cat, too. Poor things.
After dinner, we had cake to celebrate the birthday boy!
The cake was chocolate with a peanut butter frosting, and WOW, was it good.
Cake x2 this weekend = deliciousness. And a sugar detox I know I should take but won’t. Ahh well.
How was everyone else’s weekend? Do anything fun or exciting???
Danielle @ Little Mama Big Life says
Your house is looking good! What did you think of the new play land? We haven’t been yet and are afraid it will just not be the same!
Marie says
Young house love has used some grays in their houses; you may want to check their site for some ideas. We picked a gray (Moonshine) from it and love it. I agree…picking a color is a pain! They never look like they do on those cards anyhow. :) Thanks for always sharing. We made some hooks for our entranceway for purses, jackets, and backpacks based on a link you shared in the past and love it. It gets so many compliments. Houzz.com is a great site for paint and decor ideas as well.
Jenn@Mark My Miles! says
Your house is so pretty!
Peanut butter and chocolate cake??!!! I must get some myself. Can you share the recipe?
PAm says
I can’t wait to see which grays you have narrowed your search to, I am in the process of trying to pick one and having the hardest time!!
Brynn says
picking out paint is a headache. The best advice I received is put a sample on a poster board so you can move it to different areas to see how light reflects off each color.
Linz @ Itz Linz says
lucas is the coolest! THAT CLOSET LOOKS AMAZING!! glad you guys had a nice weekend! :) :)
Clara says
:D I was going to comment the same thing. Lucas is THE definition of cool :D
Shel@PeachyPalate says
Second cake wins it for me! :) Wish we had big closets like that in houses in Ireland though are houses are typically a lot smaller! Our closets are what you guys would consider presses!!!
Stacie @ SimplySouthernStacie says
Two birthday cakes?? Jay sure had a great birthday weekend! haha
Ashley @ My Food 'N' Fitness Diaries says
You had quite the fun-filled weekend! Looks like your house is coming along wonderfully! And no joke about the paint samples … it’s stressful! I’ve just learned that at least you can always paint over it worst case scenario which kinda sorta eases my anxieties. ;) Lucas is too cute in his backward hat and shades! What a big boy!
Jillie says
Cake is everything to me! It’s seriously the only dessert that someone could put in front of me and I would need them to tie back my hands and face to make sure I didn’t dive in head first. I am that evil person that wants to put their finger in someone’s wedding cake when it is on display. I’m so jealous you got to indulge in my favorite food so much this weekend! Happy birthday Jay :)
Stephanie A. says
I think you should go with the middle gray, on the sample sheet closest to the fireplace. The others have hues of blue while the first panel has underlays of yellow. The carpet and the stonework near the fireplace are both extremely yellow dominant as well. You also have a lot of natural light in the room, so it would be a shame to choose something darker. Even a ligh gray will make a huge impact, dexpecially juxtaposed with all of that beautiful trim work.
Courtney says
Oh my gosh, you sound like you seriously know your stuff! And all of it makes TOTAL sense! So you think that one will still look “grey” enough among everything else? That’s my fear that all will wind up looking more beige than grey…
On another note, I now want your help with ALL of the rooms in our house :)
Stephanie A. says
Yes, absolutely it will still look gray! It’s a lovely shade! The trouble with those samples is that they’re so tiny that you really get very little idea of what a wall will look like. Many of the ones you have there are super dark. Take a look at Healthy Tipping Point’s nursery (which I think has a cool vibe). That’s what most of your samples would look like. It would be very pretty but very dark and “moody”. If I were designing a NY loft of bachelor pad, I’d choose darker gray.
Anyway, I’m rambling here. Please feel free to shoot me an email! I’d be happy to help you! If you do shoot me an email, do you think you might be able to set up those paint samples in the kitchen, next to your STUNNING cabinetry, at morning time, and at night (with the lights on)? And if it’s not too much trouble, maybe set the samples on your living room couch too? I’ll explain why later. But if you’re unable to email me, I’m serious about the middle colour on the first panel….it’s PERFECT for that room. You’ll be surprised with how much darker and gray-ER it wil look. Laaaaast question- what’s your favourite colour to decorate with?
Nancy (@spiffykerms) says
Happy Birthday to Jay! Every time I cook a perfect omelet I now think of his eggs on your blog – hahaha is that weird? Now our husbands are both the same age… for a few more months.
Fiona @ Get Fit Fiona says
Happy birthday to your husband! It looks like you guys had a fun weekend. You must be so excited to get into your new house.
Michelle says
Beautiful house! Do you know the name of the counter top on your kitchen island?
Ashley | the Pike Place Kitchen says
um. chocolate cake with PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING?! sound DELISH. I’m definitely jealous. Happy Birthday Jay!
christy says
House looks great! We built 4 years ago and I still remember that awesome feeling of almost being done… we too lived with my parents for about 6 weeks. I had a ledge in the foyer in our old house and I got some great stuff at pier 1… big vases and flowers that I changed out for the season. I then got a wire decoration for over the door…. simple stuff but enough to add color. A small christmas tree at the holidays would look awesome since the window is right there… but not sure if there is an outlet?? I love grey, it’s become so popular lately… but I think if I said I wanted to repaint my husband would go nuts! Have fun decorating!! :)
Sara says
Where are those cuffed denim shorts from? Thanks!