kitchen daydreaming

I'm craving a change in my kitchen.  When we moved into our house nearly 4 years ago, I knew the kitchen was going to have to undergo some "Amy-izing", but I didn't think it would take me so long to really truly start thinking about it constantly.  The kitchen is simply a typical "builder's kitchen".  There's nothing wrong with it...it's just not me.  And no, I'm not posting a picture because I don't want to have to clean the loads of crap nicely stacked piles of mail off the counters.  Here are some of the kitchens that are currently inspiring me:

Because I love the color pink when done right...

via

via

via

Because I love the beach...

via

via

via

Because I love this sink...

via

Because I love the cottage look...

via

And my very favorite because this pink refrigerator has been on my "I must-have-this-right-now-or-I'm-going-to-die list"  wish list for years now...

via

Stay tuned for the transformation!  Hopefully it will be in works soon!  

Wanderlust Home & Gifts

Save 10-20% on select items at Wanderlust Home & Gifts this weekend!  Sale includes luggage, BabyLegs, handbags, and more!

Introducing....

...the Estate Sale at Wanderlust Home & Gifts!  

Within the Estate Sale categories, you'll find goodies I've unearthed at estate sales and antique stores.  Categories included in the Estate Sale:

Unfortunately, it is extremely time consuming to get all the products listed within the Estate Sale...bear with me as I die from exhaustion of listing everything add everything as quickly as possible!  

AND one more thing, today only take 10% off your purchase at Wanderlust!  Simply enter discount code "10perc" at checkout!  

Happy Friday!

blog crush

I've recently found a new blog/website that I just absolutely LOVE!  Ashley over at The Handmade Home will have you laughing out loud and wanting to read more.  The mother of three keeps it real with her mommy tales AND gives excellent decorating ideas.  Check here out!  You can thank me later.

tornado outbreak

I've lived in the south all my life.  I'm used to severe weather.  In fact, I love it.  I'm one of those crazy people who love to be outside in the middle of the action.  Then my daughter was born four years ago.  Now, I take all precautions to make sure she's safe.  When severe weather is on the horizon, I clean out our centrally located coat closet, and when the sirens go off, that's where you will find us.

I don't remember a tornado season ever being as long as the one we're currently in.  We usually get about a month (April) of storms, and that's pretty much it.  We're almost in June, and we had another tornado outbreak last night!

Luckily all we got here in Fort Smith was high winds and hail.  At our local airport, winds reached 68 mph.  We have tree limbs all over the backyard.  But we're safe, and our house is without damage.  That's more than what can be said of our neighbors to the north.  My thought and prayers are with all the people who have recently survived or lost loved ones in the southern tornadoes.

travel inspiration: Chattanooga, TN

Okay, I confess:  Chattanooga has never been on my list of must-see places.  However, I just returned from there, and it exceeded my expectations!  My husband and I went there to tour the Volkswagen plant (my dad is the local VW dealer), and we didn't have a lot of time to see the city, but I liked what I saw.  If you're looking for a smaller town with lots to do, give Chattanooga a chance!  

Location

Nestled beside the Tennessee River, Chattanooga is about a 90 minute drive north from Atlanta, GA.  With the mountains and river, the city is great for those who love the outdoors.

The Chattanoogan Hotel

During our one night stay in Chattanooga, we rested at the Chattanoogan Hotel.  Located in the downtown area, the Chattanoogan is rated one of the top hotels in the area.  It also boasts three dining choices.  

guest room at the Chattanoogan Hotel

The Tennessee Aquarium

The top-rated aquarium in the country features two buildings - River Journey and Ocean Journey.  In the River Journey building, guests experience freshwater animals, while the Ocean Journey building houses penguins, sharks, butterflies, and more. There's also an IMAX theater and even a high-speed catamaran called the River Gorge Explorer.  

Rock City

Just six miles south of Chattanooga is Rock City Gardens.  Here, you will find a 4,100 foot walking trail featuring rocks, caves, and gardens.  Rumor has it that you can actually see seven states from the Lover's Leap lookout!  

Lover's Leap Lookout.  Photo via seerockcity.com

There's honestly so much more to do that I'm not even sure which things to write about!  There's the zoo, the river park (which was really neat), shopping, and so much more!  For more information, visit chattanoogafun.com.  

For the love of New Kids

Back in the awesome 80's, I was what you would call "obsessed" with New Kids on the Block.  I had the lunch box, the sleeping bag, the shirts, the dolls, the trading cards, the whole nine yards.  Plus my walls were completely covered with posters and pages torn from the sacred pages of Teen Beat, Bop, and 16.  Donnie took a prominent place in my heart (and my walls).  

I was beyond devastated when the guys split in 1994.  My whole world came crashing down (I was 12...besides my parents divorce, this was the worst news ever)!  

When the band reunited in 2008, I was ecstatic!  My guys were back!!!  My cousin Sissy (and fellow New Kids enthusiast) and I went to two concerts on the first reunion tour, and we're going back next month to see them (AND the  Backstreet Boys!) in Dallas.

Imagine my excitement when Sissy spotted this vintage NKOTB trunk at a local antique mall just the other day.

When I found out she wasn't taking it home for herself, she gladly picked it up and brought it to me at my request.  What a wonderful cousin.  :)

Now I have the perfect place to store all my memorabilia I've hung onto all these years... and next month, I get to add a new tour program to the pile.  That, my friends, is happiness.  ;)

Happy Mother's Day!

To all the moms out there - may you have a wonderfully blessed Mother's Day weekend!  

Adventures in Organizing: closet revamp

This past weekend, my hubby and I took on the huge task of cleaning out our closet.   I've recently become obsessed with Megan's blog over at Honey We're Home, and her closet was the kick-in-the-butt I needed.  If you haven't seen Megan's closet, check it out...  It's absolutely stunning!

While my closet isn't as grand as Megan's, I still wanted to try to get a little more organized.  I desperately needed to get rid of things I no longer wore.  We started by taking EVERYTHING out of the closet.  Next, we cleaned the closet from top to bottom.  Fun.

With a fresh start, we started on hubby's side first.  He went through all of his stuff and picked out what he actually wears.  We organized his pants, dress shirts, and tees.  Here's a picture of his dress shirts and ties after we were finished sorting his things.

Then came the daunting task of going through my clothes.  Seeing all of my clothes piled high on my bed and surrounding areas made me realize just how much I had.  And I certainly didn't wear them all!  I started with my shoes.  Oh my goodness, I had tons of shoes I never wear!  I think when I got done going through them, I had about 3 big boxes full of shoes to get rid of!  I put my shoes and accessories back in the closet, and moved on to shorts, shirts, dresses, and sweaters.  

I used felt hangers for my sweaters, and draped them so the notches on the hangers don't leave their little bumps.  Thank you to Megan for that tip!  

The hardest part for me was deciding which pants to get rid of.  I went through and tried on every pair and had my husband take pictures from the front and the back.  Amazing what you see in a picture that you don't in a mirror!  I hung my jeans and pants on children's felt hangers - again, thanks Megan!  :)

Now I was in the home stretch.  I went through lingerie, athletic clothes, etc.  They are stored in the baskets shown below.  I also have a shelf for hair products.

I'm so glad we did this closet revamp.  I feel so much better when I walk in and it's not cluttered!  Here's a few final pictures.  What do you think?