Twins!!!!

I have written before about my husband's grandparent's house . It was very similar to our house. We are only separated by about 80 miles!!!! We live in a different state but the styles are so similar and age of the homes are

about the same!!!! We always loved going to grandma and grandpa Owings house!!!! I especially loved their kitchen sink and pantry. When we were looking at houses to rent we were shocked at how similar the house we found was to Trent's grandparent's house!!!! It held a lot of good memories for my hubby and I was excited when we walked thru and found a kitchen sink similar to theirs!!! The universe is so good ,it knows what is in our heart!!!!! We were not looking to buy a house at that time but it turned out this house was for sale and we were able to buy it!!!! We have put in a lot of energy into this home and have created so many memories here. We are very grateful to have a home that we love.

Pink Love

My love of chandeliers is an understatement!!!! I must have been born in a previous era where life was more elegant(victorian maybe)? I showed the pink chandelier that I have on my front porch in the previous post and now I will reveal it's twin!!!! I have another hot pink chandelier on my side in the master bedroom!!!!! Originally I wanted it in my room but then I wanted it on the porch.Now I have my wish two pink chandies!!!! Now I am off to clean the room,LOl !!!

Favorite spot

Living in our 100+ year old home as we renovate brings many joys.There is always a new spot to discover !!!! Currently my new favorite is the front porch. This area has become a new haven,a place to relax and dream!!!! I love to sit out there in the early morning drinking my cup of tea and read a book or visit my favorite blogs on my laptop. The swing is so much more comfortable than I could of imagined(hard to believe)!!! Last week I purchased a new hot pink chandelier that I have envisioned for a while.The original website (that I found the pink chandelier)had been sold out for at least a year so I finally decided someone had to also sell it. I found the smaller version of the same chandelier and was so happy to finally buy it. I hung it up myself since this is a plug in one( no electrician needed). Now I can enjoy sitting out there in the evening.

Healthy Living

I have been making better choices for a healthy lifestyle this past year. Trent joined a health club and the lucky part is that I can go for free with him!!!!! I love going to be honest,especially since we no longer have cable tv and I mostly walk on the treadmill and get my HGTV fix!!!!!! LOL!!!! I still go to Jazzercise and had recently discovered Zumba.Unfortunately the dance studio closed so know I need to find a new class,it was so much fun. Dancing is good for the spirit. Another thing I have been working on is my low carb diet. I have been finding replacements for foods I love and have missed such as pancakes. I found a recipe that you can make but instead of flour you use protein powder!!!!! I have been making it for the whole family and they like it better than regular pancakes. Love it when that happens!!!!!! Here is a link to the recipe http://toneitup.com/blog.php?Protein-Pancakes-Low-carb-low-fat-and-delicious-1973

Porch Love!!!!!

So we finally did it!!!! We cleared off the front porch!!!!! My swing came out the box and Hubby and my friend Maureen helped put it together.It is awesome ,love at first sight!!!!! Now this swing was not with out problems,as usual.Once we put it together and hung it up the ropes they provided were too long.We had to try different options to get it to a height that worked. Also we couldn't find the studs in the ceiling so we have a million holes in the bead board. I still have to sand ,wood putty and paint this weekend.But the end result is fabulous!!!!! I repainted the floor and really I only have a few more items to take off the porch.I bought some pink pillows at Biglots and I am liking the look so far.I figure I can switch up the look with different pillows in the future

. I have been hanging out on my swing the past few days early morning and if it isn't too hot in the afternoon. It is such a difference . I have wanted a porch swing for this house for 8 years!!!! It definitely was worth the wait because I love it and I truly appreciate it!!!! Here are the after photos...

Anniversary weekend

Last Friday was our anniversary!!!! We have been married 13 years!!!!! We have been together much longer and it is hard to believe it has passed by so fast. We went on a little get away( to Chicago ).Our good friend Maureen came to stay with the kids(thanks Maureen!!!!) We planned to get away months ago but we didn't have a hotel booked until the day we left!!!! I know , really last minute booking. But it actually worked in our favor.We tried hot wire and found a really great hotel at a great price!!!!! We stayed at the Westin Hotel not far from Chicago. The hotel was gorgeous and we had the best view of a forest /river.We felt like we had gone on a vacation much farther from home. We had a blast!!!! We took a nature walk along the river and saw the most beautiful animals.We literally had deer walk towards us . I have never been so close to a deer in my life!!! Along this trail people also rode horses. It made me want to take horseback riding lessons. It is definitely on my list of things to do.

We had an amazing time!!! We discovered new restaurants for breakfast and dinner.We went to Kevin's Place an old school diner that was so cool!!!The food was very tasty. I actually broke my low carb diet this weekend .I had the crunchy french toast and it was so worth it!!!!We liked Kevin's place so much we went there again on our way home!!!! For our special dinner we went to The Wild Fire restaurant .I had salmon that was amazing!!!! Hubby had great food too!! I definitely had my carb fix so now I am working off all I ate,LOL!!!!!!