High 5

It's been awhile, but I'm back. Yes, this week has been busy, but good things still were happening.

1. Our bedroom is painted.. and I love it. Can't wait to paint more rooms over the next couple months

2. Pool days with the kids I nanny and friends. Working on my tan and enjoying time to relax.. although it has been pretty rainy most of this week

3. Murphy, enough said

4. Greg worked 10 hour shifts this week and I didn't get to see him much. The good news? He has today off :)

5. This should have really covered numbers 1-5, but grad school is over for the summer! All final projects have officially been submitted!

We are headed to Michigan for a wedding this weekend. See you around next week-

xo, Erin

Busy, Busy

Another busy week is almost over. I babysat 4/5 days and did final projects for class in my free time at home. I have my last summer class this Saturday, then I'm done until September! After class Saturday, we have to drive up to Michigan for a wedding, then back here on Sunday.

So with a busy week and another weekend away... the bedroom walls remain empty. I can't wait to spend my free time organizing the house and doing projects. Things are still in piles everywhere upstairs from our move. I am looking forward to not thinking about class for a few months and just focusing on the house! And of course some fun with friends, the pool and shopping :)

xo, Erin

Palladian Blue

We had a successful weekend of painting! Saturday morning I painted the trim using Behr white in a satin finish. It was amazing to actually see the difference from the previously, dingy white trim. The tool you see in the picture was shoved under the trim so I didn't get any paint on the carpet. Painting all the baseboards, windows and door trim took less than two hours.

Sunday morning it was time to start taping in preparation to paint the walls. I am always the taper. Greg claims he's 'not good at it'. Also a good way of saying he doesn't want to do it. Once the room was taped, I used the paintbrush for the edges while Greg rolled. We went with Benjamin Moore's Palladian Blue, color matched to Behr. For the walls we went with a flat matte finish and love the results.

I swear by Frog Tape... it's the bomb. This time I decided to try the ScotchBlue Edge-Lock tape for trim. The blue tape went around the freshly painted baseboards and windows while I still used the Frog Tape on the ceiling.

Results? Super impressed! The blue tape peeled off like butter without a bump in the road. It was so smooth coming off the trim.. and just check out these crisp lines:

And now the room shots. Everything is still a blank slate with nothing hanging on the walls. I couldn't resist sharing the after. I love how the paint color compliments our furniture and makes the room feel so cozy and peaceful.

And check out our window treatments..

I have been looking EVERYWHERE for blackout curtains that fit with the color scheme and are my style. No luck. I buy a bunch, bring them home, only to discover they aren't really blackout. I want my room dark  when I sleep! We don't want to hang any curtain rods until we know the length of the new curtains. So the doors are serving a good purpose in the meantime.

xo, Erin

Master Bedroom Plans

Our master bedroom has started the remodel process. A new quilt I snagged at HomeGoods is the color inspiration for the room. We are painting this weekend and hopefully hanging some curtains and pictures as well!

This is still the mood board that I love and am taking details from:

I am doing a little less gray since our last bedroom had gray walls and I want to change it up. I plan on mixing silver and gold together to tie in both the tan and gray accents. Check back next week for the final product!

xo, Erin

Weekends Away

When we spend our weekends traveling, nothing gets done around the house. We got home late last night from Naperville. We were in town to see my friend Steph before she moved to Australia and for Father's Day.

Today was spent running errands, cleaning and grocery shopping.. things that normally get done on the weekend. Lately I feel like we are never home. It sucks. I just want to stay home, relax and not sit in the car for hours. Not worry about what the weather will be like or what I have to pack. Next weekend we have a wedding out of town, but besides that, I plan on staying put until the end of July. Maybe, just maybe, we will get some painting done.

xo, Erin

Painting in Our Future

Whoops! I have been a bad blogger. I seriously thought this summer was going to be relaxing and full of house projects, but unfortunately that hasn't happened yet. School work, nannying and traveling have consumed my life.

I promise I will be back with house projects sometime soon. Maybe next week? Lots of painting is in our future along with other small DIY projects and wood work along the way...

See what I mean by lots of painting? Now if I could only make some decisions...

xo, Erin

Pictured Rocks { Continued }

I told you this summer has been busy! I didn't have time to post yesterday because my parents stopped by overnight on their way to New Jersey. Back to the original plan of sharing more vacation pictures...

More hiking and exploring:

Walking along a shipwreck.. the water was only 40 degrees! 

Grand Sable Sand Dunes in the background

Au Sable Lighthouse

Greg being 'creative' again

Our hike back from the lighthouse.. there were a few more shipwrecks along the shore

Two things to note:  (1) the wood Greg is carrying he broke off a shipwreck from 1904 (shhh don't tell anyone)
(2) those layered rocks are what is underneath the sand along this shoreline.. so cool

Greg found a secret cave

I didn't go in it..

Really cool colors on the rocks towards the bottom

Closer to the sand dunes

Another waterfall...

Mackinac Island:

Cute little library

Wish it was warmer and sunny

The tandem we rented to bike 8 miles around the island

Arch Rock from the road

Adding to this rock cairn.. they were everywhere around the island

The ferry we took over to the island, has a fun rooster tail

The 'Grand' Hotel

Note the fancy horse and buggy for the Grand Hotel

.. and the rest of the horse taxis for the island

Main street with lots of cute shops and fudge!

Top of Fort Mackinac.. headed to the Arch Rock

So the island doesn't have vehicles and horses take you everywhere.. this road was stinky!

some of the best fudge

That pretty much sums up our trip. I would definitely recommend it if you are looking for some adventure, views and not necessarily warm beach weather. We had a great time, but spent lots of time driving! On a side note: I didn't fall asleep in the car once. I think that is a record ;)

xo, Erin