Wednesday, December 14, 2011

The big semi....reveal

The final days are here. 


You all know how long I've been waiting for this moment. And like a child at Christmas, I can hardly stand it. 
The finality of it is so close, yet just out of my reach. How poetically ironic. 

Screw that crap! Let's get er done!!


So this is my kitchen in its current state. 
Fridge in place. Microwave hood in place.
Dishwasher in place but not hooked up.
Range in place (kinda) but not hooked up.


If our range was electric then it would be no big deal. But it's not. It's gas. 
Supposedly the cooking capabilities of a gas range are far superior. I don't know if that's true. We've always had gas, so I'm not really experienced with cooking on electric ranges. 
So we find ourselves waiting for our plumber to hook us up.

I am really really really REALLY hoping Monday's post will show all of my lovelies in place, hooked up, working, and a fresh plate of hot brownies (straight out of the oven) to prove it. 
Okay, maybe not the brownies, since I have hardly any groceries. Lol. But you get the gist.


Can you see it?
Oh sweet dreams how I hope with all my heart that you come true. 
Then I can clean my counters, de-clutter, and do a "I'm a BHG feature wanna be" photo shoot. 

Really really hoping I'm gassy on Sunday,
XoXo

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Half naked tree and almost done kitchen peep show

Hi all. Before reading this I have to warn you. As the title suggests, there will be inappropriate shots of nudity. Turn away now if this makes you feel uncomfortable. 

Well, not really. But I think I've got your attention.



My sweet tree has all of its lights and ornaments. Thanks kiddos! 
I still have to go back and de-clutter their decorista efforts. Plus, add a lil bit of mama's flare. But, there is something so extraordinary about a family coming together and sharing moments like this. This is probably my favorite part of Christmas. Seeing the kids' excitement and eagerness. Seeing daddy gazing at them with unconditional love and adoration. 
-break for a mama moment-
**Sniff Sniff** 
Please excuse the ill-placed tree skirt. This pic was taken immediately after the indians finished their attack on the tree. 


Even Cutie appreciates the view. Either that or she's plotting which ornament to attack and demolish first. 

Oh, what's that you ask? Why yes, it is our nearly complete (I could pee myself) kitchen. Just waiting on the plumber to come and hook up the range and dishwasher. 
That's right ladies....I said....D-I-S-H-W-A-S-H-E-R. I am very much looking forward to not washing a gazillion dishes after every single meal!
Ps. Carpet gets installed next week Tuesday....just in time for Xmas!

Seriously trying not to pee myself,
XoXo

Friday, December 9, 2011

My naked tree and new ornaments

I know that it's Christmas, and I shouldn't be all "bah humbug", but my freaking phone is still not fixed, and mama is starting to get a little grrrrrr! I know I shouldn't rely on it as much as I do. But let's face it........who doesn't??!! I can deal with the no volume thing (barely), but the messed up pictures and the getting my text messages a whole freaking day later (if I get them at all), is really starting to get to me. Aaaaahhhhhhhhhh!

Okay, well, with that being screamed said, moving on to merrier things.


Yay, we finally got our tree up. I went to Target and got new lights this year. It was time.
This is me attempting to get the lights on by myself. Halfway there!! Since I was sweating like a little oinker at this point......... time for a wine break : )


I usually don't shop for ornaments or wrapping paper or anything "sesonal" until the "after" sales. Yes, I am one of those crazy fools hitting up the stores the day after Christmas trying to snatch up all the bargains.
But, since we were in dire need of some new lights, I ended up walking around the Christmas section of Target, and before I knew it, my wagon was full with new decorations too. But, I did have a couple of coupons I could apply to these bad boys, so I ended up saving a couple bucks. Literally.

So, we are now armed with new lights and new ornaments.

Let the decorating begin,
XoXo



Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Picture this (*close eyes now*)

It's been a pretty strange week. Maybe it's the holidays?
Unfortunately, this will be a picture-less post. Since my brand spanking new sparkly white Iphone 4S decided to be a piece of crap and start malfunctioning after only 2 weeks, I have no pictures for you. And in case you care, I also have no sound, messed up texts and can't email from it either. Blah. Hopefully, I can get it replaced by the end of the week.
Remember when we actually used to know everyone's phone numbers by memory?? Me either.

Anyway, there have been a lot of exciting things going on in our little house and I can't wait to share them all with you.

1)The tile is finally done..........YAY!!
2)The appliances will be put in place and hooked up this weekend.........YAY!!
3)Our new washer/dryer set was delivered yesterday.........YAY!!
4)The carpet guy is coming out to measure (so we might actually have it in by Christmas)......YAY!!
5)My sister and her brood are coming home (for a visit) on the 23rd.......YAY!!

**Here's to hoping the next post has pics**

Burying my Iphone,
XoXo

Monday, December 5, 2011

Weekend madness

Hey all.
We are back from our mad crazy weekend trip to Oahu.
I had the best time with the bf, long lost friends, and dear to my heart family.

But now it's Monday, I'm exhausted, and my desk is piled to the ceiling with crap that I have to do.

I don't know why, but this song seemed an appropriate summation of my weekend and of my current mood.



With bags under my eyes,
XoXo

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Book Review-The Help

I have a bad habit.
I love reading. Magazines, books, blogs, pretty much anything.
I started reading The Help about 2 weeks ago. And with my life being so hectic, I usually take months to actually finish anything I start reading.  

{book}

Well, work has been hectic, I've had a lot on my mind, blah, blah. Because of this, I was having a really  hard time sleeping this past Tuesday . Tossing, turning, and tossing some more. So I decided to grab my handy dandy lil book, and read some, in the hopes that it would make me sleepy. Well, it actually had the opposite effect. Seeing as I was only about 100 pages away from the end, I couldn't put it down. I needed to finish it. So I stayed up til 3am finishing my book. (And yes, I was a grouchy b*tch bear on Wednesday)

This book does an excellent job of reminding us how much we have matured as people and as a society. It is such a well written book that at times it's easy to forget the real issues being portrayed. The struggles people have had to endure to get us to where we are today can sometimes be forgotten when we don't have to experience it first hand. Consider this book a friendly reminder.
Congratulations to Kathryn Stockett on a job well done. I can see this as the start to a wonderful series.

Bookworm out,
XoXo

Monday, November 28, 2011

New Zaia Jewelry designs

Just in time for the holidays....brand new designs!
Look for them to be listed online soon!

Winter Ball- $42
(45mm gold-filled hoops with 8mm swarovski crystals and grey baroque crystallized swarovski pearls)


Crystal Chandelier- $62
(14k gold-filled ear hooks with 14k gold-filled cable chains, topaz czech teardrops & 4mm carnelian gemstone beads )


Love rocks- $21
(15mm resin skulls & sterling silver post/studs)


Hippy Chic- $38
(45mm gold-filled hoops with tahitian swarovski crystallized pearls and seed beads)

Buy online @ Zaia Jewelry.
Buy locally @ TheLook Boutique
Look for me on Instagram: @brosia

Happy Shopping,
XoXo

Sunday, November 27, 2011

My week in a nutshell

Blah. I've been a naughty, naughty girl.
I know the holidays are no excuse for me not to blog, but to be brutally honest, I was just too busy last week. And everytime I had a free minute and sat down to type my little heart out, a wave of exhaustion would sweep over me. So, I decided to fill up my wine glass and take a little break.
But I'm back with a recap, starting with the most recent goings ons.


Yesterday was the last day of our extended, semi-vacation weekend, and we were LAZY. But the lil munchkins and I put on our santa hats (to cover our horrible bed head) and got to decorating.
The boys were a major help once they decided to take a break from fighting with each other. What can I say........a 4 day weekend can sometimes result in a little irritation amongst the brothers, lol.


The best part was turning all the lights on as soon as it got dark. I love to see their little eyes light up with excitement.
*Side note: most of these decorations are new, and scored at major discounts at after christmas sales last year. So, I buy them, store them, forget about them, and bust them out a year later. Well, imagine my surprise when I plugged in those lil penguins and that cute lil one in the middle actually started to move. Woohooo!! Animated Xmas decorations are a major hit with the kiddos.


This is my tired, waiting in line, Black Friday face.
I keep telling myself I'm going to stop Black Friday shopping, but every year I end up back in the same place........on my rear, waiting in some kind of line, at the ass crack of dawn.
And every year it's worth it.


Ooooh, and we finally got our appliances delivered. Yay!
The tile is almost completely done- Yay!
And I'm hoping to be cooking by early next week- Yay!

Going Xmas tree hunting tonight,
XoXo

Friday, November 18, 2011

Old school *flashback* Friday


This is the kind of week it has turned out to be.
I am drained. I can't wait for this day to be over and to have a nice (full) glass of wine in my hand. Actually, tonite would definetely qualify as a double fister night, lol.
And, if I still did some of *those things I used to do when I was younger, I would be doing that too.

Bone Thugs & memories,
XoXo

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

A sunday spent in the mud

Holy mud and tiles!
We have actually gotten rid of our custom cardboard flooring and started laying down our tile (YAY)!!
This is what we the bf accomplished on Thursday.


Now that all of the kiddos sports are done and over (another YAY!), we finally had a free Sunday, which I attacked with a vengeance. By the time the bf got home from work, I was in full swing. Clothes were in the washer, ITunes was blasting, sinks were getting scrubbed......needless to say, I was cleaning.

So the bf ripped off his shirt (dbl YAY!), threw on some work pants, and started laying tile, measuring, and cutting. We the bf got about 1/4 of the tile layed out (while I took secret pics of his backside), which pretty much took the whole day.


By the time he started mudding (and I took more secret sexy pics), it was after 4 pm. And apparently there's a precise scientific method to mudding and the consistency and how much to put, blah blah. So, because you can't just slap it down and go hog wild, we the bf only got to mud about half of what he layed out.


This was the status as of 6 pm.


So, he piled up the rest of the tiles for another day.
I mean, the kids had to eat sometime, lol.


Here's a pic of the entire kitchen/dining area that needs to be tiled. Almost there right??
Deadline is 11/22- holy monkeys! That's only a week away!

Hoping to come home to more mud today,
XoXo

Monday, November 14, 2011

Veterans Day success story

Guess who got appliances???

Okay, so here's the scoops on the appliance situation:
We already have a (newish) black refrigerator that we purchased last year. And we were gifted a stainless/black dishwasher from our neighbors (thanks!). We have an (old) almond range and a white countertop microwave.
So, I've been on the hunt for new stainless/black appliances to match our fridge and our newly (in progress) remodeled kitchen.
After looking and searching and searching and looking for months, victory!!
Lowes, Home Depot and Sears were all having Veterans Day sales. Major sales.
But Lowes ended up having the best deals.
 It was 30% off Frigidaire appliances, plus an additional 10% off if you have a military ID. Hello! That's 40% off!!
So, I piled the kids in the car, coaxed the in-laws to meet me there (military ID), and 30 minutes later I was $800 poorer....... but happy!! 
Original price $1099
Final price $629
Original price $349
Final price $206

And we are getting delivery 2 days before Thanksgiving. Perfect!!

Prepping to cook up a storm,
XoXo

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Trinkets and tile

This weekend is going to be a busy one. And I am hoping that my post on Monday will be about our new tile flooring that has been completed. *Cross your fingers*

Until then........good buys:


Ross find!!
$5.99


I am so proud of my Ross. Not only have they been super helpful in the home decoration project, but they seem to be rather organized for the holiday season.


Target find!
$14.99 ( I think)
We are in the process of lining our shelves (see below), but we also wanted something to hold our toaster since we want to keep the counters clear, and try to put it away if we're not using it. *Side note: you know that a 4-slice toaster is the shizzle right?!
Anyway, we found this dazzling red serving tray @ Target in their Xmas decor aisle. Yay! Mama loves red!


Moving on to the infamous shelf liners. We bought the last 6 rolls they have (so I hope they're ordering more), at $5.99 each. Now these liners are super cute, but like everything else that's "not standard", you don't get much for your money. One roll basically did these two shelves, which are about 34" x 18".

And I know I was the one that didn't want plain, old, fugly white liners, but come on Target. Give us fashionistas a break!


Now.........Ladies & Gentlemen..........Drum roll please.............
May I present........The Tile!! (This is where the crowd roars loudly)


I know, I know, I'm a dork. It's just that you guys have no idea how long I've been waiting for this moment (*tear*). This moment marks the beginning of appliances being put in.
Well, I'm jumping ahead about 5 steps, but I can see the tiny light shining through the end of the tunnel.
As you can see, we are in the process of laying out the tile so we can make the least amount of cuts possible but still achieve the "staggered" pattern we are going for. And why do I keep saying we? I am not involved in this process at all, except when it comes to the final approval stamp. My job is to make sure the 3 kids and 1 cat do not f*ck it up, before daddy goes ballistic.
Oooh, oooh.....and there is some major appliance sales going on right now for Veterans' Day. And....there's more.....Lowe's and Home Depot are offering an additional 10% off sale prices to veterans!! Thanks papa for helping us out on that one!

Wish me luck on my shopping this weekend,
XoXo

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Holiday cheer

  I know we haven't even gotten through Thanksgiving yet, and trust me, I am not one of those people to put up Christmas decorations as soon as November hits, but I saw these fabulous decorations at Nordstrom and I just had to share. Enjoy!









{shoes}


Holiday wish lists and sparkling champagne,
XoXo

Thursday, November 3, 2011

New music Thursday


Absolute love. 

I have my (very) strong (not so good) opinions about Bruno Mars and his extracurricular activities. Especially since he is from Hawaii and I feel he should be representing.
With that said, and all my (not so good) feelings aside, I have to give him mad props for this song. To me it is a very deep, heartfelt song, that takes a very talented singer to pull off right. I hope this starts the path to redemption. I would hate to see such talent go to waste. 
The fame and fabulosity vortex is a powerful one. I just hope he can stand on his own two feet and give us more wonderful songs like this. 

Plus, I know that a bunch of the ladies are swooning over this next Twilight movie that cannot come out soon enough. 
My opinion: the movies were okay, but the books were over the moon. 

Vampires, werewolves & good songs,
XoXo

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving

Well, not really, but now that Halloween's over, I feel like the countdown is on for the next holiday.
So I figure I might as well start on my holiday checklist.

1.Exercise (more)- I might as well get a jump start on this one since we all know the holidays are full of yummy, fattening, just can't resist, foods.

2.Start my Xmas shopping- I can put a little check next to this one. I've managed to pick up a few items in preparation for the Christmas madness. But, honestly, I live for the thrill of Black Friday shopping, so hopefully I can score the mother load on that day.

3.Save $$- kind of contradictory to #2 right? I mean, how am I supposed to shop if I'm trying to save money?! Well, I have faith it can be done. For example, if I bring lunch to work everyday, rather than buying an $8 lunch, that saves me probably around $30/week.........which saves me over $100/month. Which buys at least 4 more presents.........In Theory. I'll keep you posted on this one, lol.

4.Concentrate more on Zaia Jewelry- this one is on the forever list. I am always trying to find the perfect balance between work, life, and Zaia. I'll let you know if I ever find it. I doubt I will, but as long as I find what works for me and my family, that's fine by me.





21 more days til Thanksgiving, 22 more days til Black Friday, & 52 more days til Xmas,
XoXo

Monday, October 31, 2011

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone!
Candies, cavities, and glow sticks galore.


Rain or shine, my little troopers were determined to get them some candies!


It poured for the first half of trick-or-treating, but the kiddos didn't seem to mind. The mamas on the other hand, were not too happy. We were well equipped with umbrellas on the wide, but this was the kind of rain that no matter what you did, or how much you tried to cover, you still ended up getting wet. 


But now we are all clean and dry at home. The two little ones are tucked under their soft, warm comforters, while mama sips her tea and blogs, and the oldest one finishes up his homework.

I will raid their candies tomorrow, 
XoXo

Friday, October 28, 2011

Trick or Treat

Here come the holidays.
Cue the chaos, food, shopping, wrapping, $$$, more food.......exhaustion.
Halloween is the holiday that gets me shooting out of the race gates and warmed up for my yearly 6 month marathon. It goes something like this: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas, start of new sport season, New Years, birthday, Valentines Day, birthday, birthday, Easter, birthday, start of another sport season, and then comes summer. Whew.
I love going to the "after Holiday" sales. That is my moment to shine. When I can get uber good sales and stock up on supplies for the next year. The hardest part of this process is remembering where I stashed it all, lol.


Goodie bags for days! I love this part. And the kids love to help too. We probably make around 100 little goodie bags for all the teammates and classmates, and around 8 good goodie bags for the nieces, nephews, and family friends.
Every year I put less and less candy in the goodie bags, substituting more healthy and useful things.
(Pencils, books, gift certificates, fruit cups, juice packs, etc)



What are your plans for Halloween? Are the mamas out there busy stuffing loads of goodie bags too?

Vampire teeth and stretchy frogs,
XoXo

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Re re re remodel

Back with a vengeance! Sorry for the lil intermission. But, I think it's good to take a breather every now and then. Clear the mind. Right?!

And what better way to jump right back into things then with a remodel status update:

Since we had no soccer this past weekend I got the opportunity to deep clean and purge parts of our house. I only had Saturday free so there was only so much I could do. 


While I was doing a gazillion loads of laundry, I decided to unpack all of our small kitchen appliances. I've managed to tackle a few boxes every week, slowly getting our silverware, dishes, cooking utensils, blah blah blah- unpacked, washed, and put away. But since we basically have our whole house still packed up, I was a little apprehensive about embarking on my appliance hunt.
The microwave was easy to find since it's so big. I was trying to hold out for the microwave hood that we are going to install over the range, but I couldn't do it. The no appliance thing is killing me.
And luckily,  the toaster and rice cooker were in a box in the front. Wooohoooo! My next mission is to see how many different meals I can make using just our Crockpot.


To celebrate my successful finds, we had bagel bites & grapes for lunch (using our handy dandy microwave) in our makeshift dining room, with our UH fold out football table gifted to us by grandma. The boys were overjoyed!! I think they were more excited about the table then the bagel bites, to be honest, but whatever. 


While I was doing my gazillion loads of laundry and hunting for hidden treasures, I was also working on getting our room organized. During our remodel process, our room has served as the catchall, drop everything in here, we can't find crap, overpacked/overstuffed room. And I finally had had enough!
I am secretly plotting our room as the next victim of our remodel makeover, so I try not to make things too permanent. These babies are perfect! Easy to move (when needed), organizational, and decorative : )


Speaking of decorative.......what the hell is up with curtain rods being so damn expensive?! Ugh, and don't even get me started on the price of curtains. That'll have to be a rant for another post.
Luckily, I was able to utilize my handy dandy Ross store for yet another super find! However, it did take a little more leg work and 2 store visits, but in the end it was a definite success.

My first visit resulted in 4 (short) matching curtain rods @ $14.99 each. I need 6 all together, and of those 6, I need 1 of the really long ones. So, I purchased the 4 (short) and was told to come back to the store in 3 days when the next shipment was arriving. Three days later I was back at Ross desperately searching for my matching 2 rods. No such luck : (
However, I was able to find a different style of rod, 6 in all, 5 short and 1 long, @ $13.99 each. YAY!! And instead of returning the other 4, I decided to keep them since I want to put new rods in all of our bedrooms too. So technically, I still need to find 1 more rod for 1 bedroom, but since it's the only lone window there, it doesn't need to match what I have already purchased.
Whew! Didn't I tell you there was going to be a math quiz today?! Lol.

Moving and grooving,
XoXo

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Change is good......I hope

Sorry guys, no pics for this one. This'll be just a quickie:

There have been some things going on in my life that might lead to some changes.........I'm hoping good changes. Or things might stay exactly the same. Confusing right?!
I really don't like not having control of a life-altering outcome. I mean hello, I have kiddos to think about. Anyway, I've just had some things on my mind that are majorly contributing to writers block....BOO!
But I took the day off tomorrow, so be ready for another dose of the remodel post : )

Craving a nice glass on Pinot,
XoXo

Friday, October 21, 2011

Home decor galore

Happy Friday loves!

Since I'm still trippin on the "decorate our home" mission, I thought I'd do a little e-window shopping. Too bad I don't have a mimosa. Oooh, and a lobster benedict from Longhi's- seriously to die for!
http://www.madebygirl.com/product.php?sku=PR-64

Anyhoo. The next best thing.....shopping!
This LOVE print is so simple yet I love it. The gold foil is awesome and the idea is timeless.
I can totally see this in my red bathroom.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/79599560/original-geometric-vintage-inspired-home

Ooh la la heavenly fabric. I would love to make some extremely awesome curtains with this. If you've ever been on the hunt for curtains then you know how much of a hassle it is. Selection, size, style.....all usually needing some type of at home alteration in order to make it exactly perfect anyway. Might as well suck it up and make your own.


Pillow fight! Ugh, I am such a sucker for a cute pillow. They are perfect accent pieces and so easily changeable that you can refresh your vibe in a snap. This would totally work with my grey walls while adding lots of extra pop and color.

 
http://www.etsy.com/listing/81975846/home-decor-tiffany-blue-starfish

I love love love this color. I would probably remove the starfish and rope and use them somewhere else. This would look awesome displayed on a vanity surrounded by perfume bottles. *Sigh*
Only in the movies. Guaranteed this would be broken by one of my lil monsters. Or by a flying toy launched by one of my lil monsters.


And what girl doesn't love a little bling? I know that I do.
I bet the light effect is awesome when you throw some lighted candles in these bad boys. Mood setter for sure! An overflowing bubble bath, a glass of wine.....again, only in the movies. Lol!

Off to do more drooling,
XoXo