Happy Birthday, Sister!

Today is my sister's birthday!  I'm lucky to say that we are very close. Of course, that hasn't always been the case. And as sisters do, we've had our ups and downs. But for the most part, especially as we've gotten older, we have been very close. To celebrate her birthday, I thought it would be fun to share 25 random facts about my sister and I. These random facts range from our childhood all the way up to now!

1. Her nickname for me is Pookie.
2. When we were little, my sister used to put me in a dirty clothes hamper, tie a belt to it, and pull me down the stairs. I thought this was a fun game at the time, looking back, I'm not so sure...
3. When we were little, we used to play a flashlight game in bed when we were supposed to be sleeping. We would take turns writing messages on the ceiling with the flashlight, and have to guess what the other person wrote.
4. Originally, we shared a room growing up. But, after an addition to our house, we got to have our own rooms. However, I would wake up in the morning to find that my sister had come down and gotten into bed with me in the middle of the night. This lasted until she went to high school. 
5. Then, when I wanted to go up and sleep in her room, she made me sleep on the floor.
6. We would listed to Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, "It's Your Love" on repeat as we fell asleep.
7. She doesn't like chocolate.
8. One of my favorite memories with my sister is one summer driving home from Tuolumne Meadows in her little white Toyota Corolla SR5 blasting the Bryan Adams Summer of '69 album on repeat! 
   
9. My sister threw my 15th birthday party at her apartment...let's just say my girlfriends and I still talk about it! So much fun! The next day she treated us all to the movies & breakfast. I still can't believe she did that, so generous! (She was only 19 at the time).
10. One time my Dad took my sister and I to Yosemite, just a father-daughter trip. He was most likely telling us about John Muir or something equally as boring to his two young daughters, and we coined the phrase "ditch the do-do." I still feel a little bad about that, thankfully our Dad has a sense of humor. 
11. My sister's high school boyfriend called me snowball.
12. "Everyone knows I hate Carls Jr.!" - a phrase we still tease my sister about to this day!
13. A few years ago, my sister, brother in law and I went to a Brad Paisley concert with our cousins and family friends. At the last minute, we decided to get a limo so no one had to be the designated driver.It ended up being one of the most fun & memorable concerts I've ever been to! 
    
14. My sister is the one who taught me how to ride a quad. 
15. After my college graduation party, my sister and cousins left to go home because my sister had to work the next day. A few minutes after they left we heard a knock at the door. They were back! She had convinced a friend to come pick them up at 6am the next day to get to work. We went out that night and had the best time ever! And now we can say we've ridden in the back of a cop car...
16. We graduated from different high schools.
17. We used to spend hours and hours scrapbooking together. 
18. My sister, brother in law and I went to Disneyland one weekend. We left at 4am on Friday and were in the park by 11am. It was such a fun weekend, I can't wait to take Phillip in a couple years! 
    
19. We trained for, and ran our first half marathon together in 2010. I couldn't have done it without her! 
20. Although I love my sister, she has really bad taste in professional sports teams. 
21. I threw my sister's bachelorette party in Reno, it was the perfect weekend. We had a blast! 
    
22. My sister got married on the beach in Maui on January 1, 2011. We spent the week leading up to the wedding in Maui with our closest family and friends. It was amazing! 
    
23. We lived together for about 3 years after I graduated from college. We rented a cute little house on a farm, and then I moved in with her and my brother in law again for a year before moving into my own apartment.
24. When we lived together, we'd lay on the floor and have NCIS marathons on weekends. 
25. We've gotten even closer in the past year since Phillip was born. She is an amazing Mom to my little nephew! 
    

A few more pictures, just for fun...

so many fun days spent out on the boat! 

Sisters' bridal shower!

Go Bears!

Happy Birthday, Sister! I love you! I hope you have the best birthday ever!

Our Home: Projects & Decor To Do List

Not our home, but I just love the combination of spring blossoms and San Francisco architecture!

I've given you a few glimpses into our home here, here and here, but there is still so much I'd like to update to make it reflect both Andrew and I. I've lived in our apartment for over two years now, and there is hardly anything hanging on the walls. It's starting to bother me that it doesn't feel as lived in, or decorated as I'd like. But we have a limited budget for decorating, so it just hasn't been a huge priority.

However, this July we have a few of Andrew's close friends coming to stay with us and I really want to make a few changes before then. Now that it's almost April, that only leaves three months before our guests arrive. So basically, it lit a fire under my butt to get started!

One of my favorite things to do is browse Pinterest and blogs for interior design inspiration. I love getting a glimpse into other peoples homes, to see how they live, and what projects they've done to personalize their space. So I figured, I should bring you all along with me as I revamp a few rooms in our house!

What better way to start than with a list of projects? I've broken it down by room and prioritized what I would most like to get done before our guests arrive. Hopefully this will provide some great DIY and decorating blog material over the next few months. I can't wait to get started! I'm sure Andrew is super moderately excited as well ;-)

- The Kitchen -

You've seen the mood board with my design inspiration for the space, now it's time to break out the paint! 

paint

new shelves

clock

rug

chalkboard DIY

new drawer pulls for console

- The Guest Room -

For obvious reasons, this room is my 2nd priority! I'd like it to feel more cozy and finished, and less like the dumping grounds for things Andrew and I don't know what to do with!

new sheets

throw pillows

bed side table DIY

mirror

hang vacation gallery wall

curtains
new rug

- The Bathroom -

new rugs

new towels

shelf DIY

plant DIY

storage DIY

hang art

- Dining Room -

move Gram's buffet from the Foothills

map art & DIY

large mirror

curtains

- Living Room -

new throw pillows

new TV stand

wall art/gallery wall

curtains

bookshelf DIY

lamps

new chair

mirror for above fireplace

new chair for Andrew

wall sconces

- Entry Way -

console table

baskets for storage

umbrella bucket

rug

- Front Porch -

plants

welcome mat

wreath DIY

plant stand DIY

- Master Bedroom -

new dresser

dresser DIY

curtains

headboard

bedding

side table

lamps

re-do frames & artwork
new rug

organize closets

As you can see, this is a LONG list. I know it's impossible to complete all of these tasks before our guests arrive in July. Not only do I not have that much free time, but it would be quite an expensive accomplishment. 

To help with cost, I plan to do a lot of DIY projects and shop Craigslist, sales, and places like TJMaxx and Marshalls. I absolutely think this is all doable on a budget, it will just take more time. I plan to share a mood board for each room, and then a tour as they're completed. And of course, I'll share tutorials for my DIY projects along the way! 

Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for a glimpse into my style and the spaces I'm drawing inspiration from. 

Silky: From Kenyon Kreations

If you're looking for the perfect, unique gift for a baby shower, your niece/nephew, or your own little one, I have the perfect online shop for you. 

My friend Kim has been making these adorable little "silky's" as we call them, for years now. When our mutual friend, Alex had her first son he absolutely adored these small, cozy blankets. They're a perfect size for snuggling in the car seat, or providing comfort at bedtime and while nursing. 

Each blanket is handmade with love. Kim is always so helpful, and will send samples of the various fabrics she has, and ideas of how to mix and match them. Typically, one side is a silky, satin material and the other side has soft, minky fabric and it's finished with a coordinating satin edge. For one of my sister's blankets, I used the soft minky on both sides with a satin edge, and Phillip loves it just as much. Kim will work with you and make whatever works best for your little one!

Since my friend Alex's kids loved their silky's so much, I knew it would be the perfect gift for my sister when she was expecting. Before Phillip was born, and we didn't know the sex, I ordered the cutest yellow and grey silky to match the nursery. Since he loved it so much right from the beginning, I knew I needed to order a few more so my sister didn't have to constantly be washing the same one.

This time, I had two made. One with "Phillip" embroidered on one side, and a fun pattern on the other. The other one, I can't believe I'm admitting this, was a Dodger theme silky because my sister and her husband are die hard fans. It has "#1 Dodger Fan" embroidered on it, with grey minky on one side, and a dodger blue chevron print minky on the other. Clearly, this was my brother in law's favorite!

Here are some examples of the silky's Kim has made (there are more online). The bottom left purple silky was for my friend Alex's daughter, she has a lot of cute fabrics for girls! The other three shown are the ones I had made for Phillip. 

Phillip loves his silky's...he always sleeps with one of them!

The quality of these silky's is really top notch! The silky pictured in this post is one I had made for my friend Laura. They're always a huge hit with both mommy's and kiddos! If you're looking for that perfect gift, this soft, comforting blanket is just that. And best of all, it can be customized for the little one in your life!

Silky, Lovey, Blankie...whatever your little one affectionately calls it, this will be a perfect addition to their collection. Be sure to check out Kim's Facebook Page, at Kenyon Kreations. In addition to these cute little silky's, Kim also makes customized shirts, onsies, and larger blankets! If you have any questions or want to place an order feel free to leave a comment or send her a message.

PS...I wasn't compensated for this post. I just really love the Silky's from Kenyon Kreations and I wanted to share it with you :)

Twosday: Spring Flowers

Threes-day? I couldn't narrow it down to only two photos...#rulebreaker

I couldn't help but think of my Grandma Norene when I arranged these beautiful ranunculus, she would always create the most beautiful flower arrangements for her garden club. I love the way spring flowers and unique arrangements always make me think of her.


Linking up with Stephanie at Twentieth Street...

Airplane Theme 1st Birthday Party

Phillip's first birthday was a huge success! My sister put in so much work planning and organizing the entire thing. She decided to do a vintage airplane theme for the party, and it turned out so great!

I went down to my sisters house early Saturday morning to help set up. We got the tables ready, put together the cardboard airplane photo booth, hung the "Time Flies" banner of pictures from Phillip's first year, iced cupcakes, and put the final touches on everything, all while entertaining Phillip before guests arrived at 11:30am! Poor Josh was in bed with a bad flu, so it was just the two of us. Thankfully, we got everything put together just in time :)

I love the little vintage airplane she used as a cake topper!

"Baggage Claim" with favors for the kids in a vintage suitcase

"Baggage Check" label for the gift table

"Time Flies" banner with pictures of Phillip's first year!

Cute little chalkboard with "Phillip Facts"

airplane shaped PB&J sandwiches for the kids...(and Grandpa)!

"Whoa, so many people!"

It's no secret that Grami is Phillip's favorite!

Telling Mommy about how excited he is for baseball season to start!

Activities for kiddos: finger painting!

Phillip loved his new Lightning McQueen truck from his friend Hudson! We played with it all day Sunday! 

Flying the airplane with my friend Graycee

The sweetest part of the entire day was when we gathered around Phillip's high chair to sing him happy birthday. When everyone started singing, his reaction was priceless. He had this shy, surprised look on his face. Like he couldn't believe it was all just for him! He had the sweetest, bashful expression as we sang, but when we were done he started smiling and clapping. It was so cute! Thankfully, his Auntie Amanda caught it on video! 

So happy I captured this picture as we sang to him!

The most special gift of the day, was the hand made quilt from Grami (my mom). She has been working so hard on this quilt for a while now, and got it finished just in time for Phillip's first birthday. This photo doesn't do it justice. It's so beautiful, with so much detail! The little elephant ears lift up, and their tails are hand-stitched. I especially love the skateboarding scene since Andrew has already starting to teach Phillip to skateboard!

Another reason this quilt is so special, is that my Grandma Norene used to make a quilt for each grandchild (I think there are like 25 of us?!) when we were born, then another one for high school graduation. I love that my mom is carrying on that tradition, and sewing beautiful quilts just like her mom did.

My sister is such an amazing mommy. On top of working full time, she managed to plan and do a million crafts to host the perfect 1st birthday party for Phillip! AND if that wasn't enough, she proved to be a true bad ass by running her second half marathon the next day! 366 days after Phillip was born, she ran her second half in the same time she ran her first! Good job, sister!

**Photography side note: I'm proud of myself for shooting the birthday party in manual mode. However, I learned it's really hard to adjust the settings, and quickly, as the light changes. There were a lot of shadows that made it difficult too. Also, next time I shoot something like this, I'll definitely use auto focus, there are some pictures that aren't quite in focus because I was trying to capture moments and didn't take enough time to focus each shot after changing the settings.