There's a cat in that bag!

...and I guess I should let it out =)

Yep - that's a picture of our current home...which is up for lease...because we are MOVING!

After living in Denver for almost 3 years, we decided to make it official by buying a home =)  We close this week and we are so so excited!

Unfortunately, I plan to keep this entire process very private and secret, so I will not be sharing any other details...

...uh, just kidding =)

Stay tuned for more updates and pictures (if you're interested), and I hope you have a great week!!!  I know I'll have a hard time focusing =)

Treehouse Update!

It's been about 3 months, so I figured it's time for an update on the Treehouse!  We have been busy busy bees this summer with travel and weddings and work and blah...but we have still managed to spend about 2 weekends a month up in our new little weekend getaway (or our "Chalet" as my mom likes to call it).

I think the last time I talked about the Treehouse, I had some quilts on the way...and I'm excited to say that we've made some great progress since then!  Get ready, this will shock and amazing you...

(okay...maybe not, but you can play along and pretend to be shocked and amazed):

First - progress on our living room.  Just to remind you, here's what we were working with...

Before:

The puppy is the cutest thing about this picture...

And after:

We hung some curtains and blinds (although you can't really see the blinds), got rid of the terrible light fixtures, added a few "mountain-theme" inspired pillows and, our pride and joy, hung some antique skis on the wall.  Overall, we are super excited about how cozy this room feels.

For the record - my design inspiration is "retro/vintage 1970's ski lodge".  I'm still working out what, exactly, that means, but that's the beauty of design - as long as we like it, it works  =)

And now, on to the loft!

We have probably made the most progress up here, and we still have quite a bit of work to do, but it's coming along...

Don't remember what the loft used to look like?  Thank goodness!  Here are a few reminders...

As you can see, there is ZERO privacy from the living room in the loft.  After our first few overnight guests, Marc and I knew this was something we wanted to fix, pronto!  Here's what we came up with... 

 We added some panels so you can keep the space open, but still have some privacy when you need it.  We're really excited with how this turned out!

Not fully impressed with the loft?  Check out some other things we did...here's what we started with...

Before:

 It is very clear a boy lived here before.  Not a single concern for guest comfort, just cram as many people up there as possible!  Our first task was rearranging some furniture, and then we turned this into a fun little nook for our overnight guests =)

Ah, yes.  Case in point - the mattress on the floor...

And after: 

Furniture rearranged and you can see that you gain a lot of privacy with those curtains.  We also added a mirror to make the upstairs a little more functional for the ladies =)

 And seriously - who wouldn't want to sleep in this beautiful bed?

Care to see what those privacy panels are covering up?

Here's the before...

And after:

 We hung a thermal panel over the skylight since we learned that it gets extremely hot up in the loft at night.  I can't even imagine what it was like for people to sleep up there with this thing open!

Here you can see just how exposed the loft is to the downstairs.  After our first few overnight guests, we knew we needed to figure out a way to make it a little more private and comfortable up there.  The Treehouse is not very big, so any way we can streeetch the square footage, we're happy to try it!

And finally, just a couple quick shots of some fun "personalization" projects we've completed in the kitchen...

That sign on the wall says "Marc and Nicole's Treehouse" - a gift from Marc's parents!

Coca Cola and Heinz signs - little pieces of Atlanta and Pittsburgh =)  I love the Coke box - a gift from Annie!

And a fun project I completed (with the help of my artsy friend!) for our bedroom.  We bought a vintage "Arapahoe Basin" poster at an antique mall, and I was on a quest to get it framed in the cheapest way possible.  When I found out the framing and matting would be gulp over $700 (for a $20 poster?!  No way!!!), I was on a quest to get it framed on the mega cheap.

So...I went to TJ Maxx and bought a weird framed picture of  boat, took out the stock photo, and put in my poster!  Voila!  Looks like it was always meant for that frame =)

I love it!

Master bedroom - new blinds and the poster.

It's kind of difficult to make a picture of a wall look good...but you get the idea =)

And there you have it!  The fruits of our labor over the summer.  We've tried to find a balance between enjoying the space and finishing projects here and there, since we don't want our weekend trips to be all work and no play.

I've learned that being a homeowner warrants a never-ending wish-list, so I'm thankful that we've been able to hold ourselves to realistic expectations - we know that there will always be work to do, so we're taking each project piece by piece and making sure to enjoy our time up there.

Now who's up for a visit?  The next thing I need to buy is a guestbook =)

Future Soundtrack of my Life

...I didn't want to post this.  I'm trying really hard to get this out of my head.

"Yooour backyard friends, the Backyaaaaard-igans!  Toooogether in the backyaaaard, again!"

You do really need to appreciate how diverse their names are:  Pablo, Tyrone, Uniqua, Tasha, Austin...

The future soundtrack of my life.  Kill me.  Kill me now.

...wait...let me sing the song one more time and then you can kill me =)

Furry Friends

Marc and I had a close encounter with a furry friend while we were at the Treehouse a few weeks ago. 

This is Foxxy.  Foxxy hangs out around the Treehouse quite frequently, but usually you just see him wandering across the parking lot or the grounds and he's not really that close.  This time, Foxxy didn't seem phased by how insanely close we got to him, and it was pretty exciting!

Foxes don't really scare or bother me at all, but when I first saw Foxxy, I got a little freaked out.  There have been mountain lion sightings on our grounds over the past few weeks (yes...actual mountain lions as in cougars as in SCARY!) and I can't explain it...but I walked outside, saw wildlife, and my brain didn't process that it was a just a harmless fox.  My brain thought AHH!  MOUNTAIN LION!

Thankfully, though, you can see from these pictures it was just Foxxy, and he was just stopping by say hello =)

 I can't wait to see more wildlife up at the Treehouse!  When I see my first moose, it will be a very exciting day.  I think I would be fine with never ever encountering a mountain lion...

Weekend Recap

Hello there!  As I mentioned before, we headed to Leesburg, Virginia, to visit Marc's cousins this past weekend, and had such a wonderful and fabulous time =)  Here are a few highlights:

On Friday, Sean had his 10th birthday party at a place called Rebounderz , which is one of those trampoline-park things that seem to be gaining much popularity.  There were 15 boys under the age of 11 at the party, several parents observing...and 2 old fogies pretending to be hip and cool.  Marc and I were the only grown-ups to participate in the trampoline-ing, and even though our bodies were seriously aching the next day, I'm so glad we did - we had a TON of fun!  I grew up with a trampoline in my backyard, so Sean (and Marc!) were very impressed with my front-tuck, back-tuck and twisting salto skills...I'm sure there will be some incriminating photos floating around the Book sometime soon =)

Sean getting his birthday cake - note how happy he's looking =)

On Saturday, the boys and girls separated - Marc accompanied Erik to Sean's baseball tryouts, and I went "wine-ing" with Kathy =)  Apparently Virginia vineyards are really starting to take-off and we were able to hit a few spots for some fabulous tastings.  I absolutely loved the last place we went to, Bluemont Vineyards, and the scenery was beautiful!

Me and Kathy, post wine tasting.

I thought this was cute - this winery boasts their altitude on their glasses - 951 feet above sea-level!  It made me realize how high we are in Colorado on a daily basis since Denver is at 5,280 feet above sea-level.  We are seriously high up, folks!

We also got to spend some fun time with little Justin, who was celebrating his half birthday (he was running around on Friday saying "I'm so glad you're here for my HALF BIRTHDAY!" - so cute!).  I have some premonitions that Justin is going to be super artsy and way in to music - he would literally sing along with whatever he heard.  On the radio, he sang along with Usher, Flo-Rida and Rihanna, just to name a few (it was absolutely hilarious!).  He sang along to the "Backyardigans" theme song (which, in turn, caused Marc and I to have the theme song stuck in our heads).

But the highlight was him randomly busting out the Olympic Fanfare and Theme composed by John Williams (which also happens to be one of my favorite John Williams pieces).  I was able to catch a little of this on video, but I promise that this is not the best example of how adorable it was.

Can I just say how much I loathe hearing my voice on video?  Yuck.

It was a great trip and we had a wonderful time seeing family.  We've been laying the groundwork for them to come out and ski, so hopefully we make some plans for this winter!

Kathy and Erik - thank you so much for having us!!

Hope you had a great weekend =)

Happy Birthday Jilly!

Today (it's still Wednesday in Colorado!) is my bestest and oldest friend in the world's birthday!

Hah - incriminating childhood pictures =)

High-school...sophomore year?

Junior Prom - we are cute =)

My 21st birthday

The same threesome in the pool at Jill's wedding!

Class of 2002!

I love =)  Happy Burfday, Girlfwend!!!

D.C. for the Weekend!

So excited!  We've had this trip planned for months but it literally snuck up on us!  We've been busy bees the past few weeks (hmmm...I wonder why?  Perhaps I will share in a future post? *wink) so I am definitely looking forward to the time off work and the time with family.

Just a sneak preview - we're heading to Leesburg, Virginia (btw...can I just say how much I love the VA?  It's just the quintessential "America" - so beautiful!) to visit Marc's cousins, Sean and Justin.  Sean-man is having his 10th birthday party (holy cow!) and I seriously cannot WAIT to see Justin - he is the only child on the planet that likes me...for serious (did you see my previous post on the subject?).  I love those kids.

Me and Sean at Christmas - I have a feeling he may be taller than me now!

Seriously - how adorable is this kid?

I do promise - he actually really likes me!!

Rumor has it we're heading to a trampoline center thingy for Sean's party and I cannot tell you how excited this 28 year old is to play on some trampolines!  Hopefully I don't scare the kids and don't fall and break anything =)

Hope you have a great weekend!  I'll share pictures when we get back - it's sure to be a super fun time with my favorite boys under the age of 20 =)

Ramblings from the Hubs

So...this rambling happened this past winter, but I will explain why it's appropriate in just a minute:

While I'm getting out of the car, after driving home from work.

•  Marc:  smiling excitedly Guess what I found in the backyard today?!
• Me:  ...hmmm...a dead mouse?!?!?
• Marc:  YES!
• Me:  YAY!!!!!

Anyone who didn't understand the circumstances would probably be, like, um....what the heck is wrong with this couple?  But to give you some context, we had a furry little friend living with us for a few weeks this past January.  It absolutely drove me batty...this little guy would actually hop OVER mouse traps and sticky traps and the DOG...then it would turn to me, give a mean little mouse laugh, and run off into the kitchen.

I swear.

This was the most clever, and most annoying, mouse on earth.  We actually considered "borrowing" someones cat for a few days, in hopes that would get rid of it.

Well, thankfully, the neighbors cat started  hanging around our yard, and I'm guessing she (maybe he?) is the one to thank for our happy little discovery =)

But...now it's almost 6 months later and we seem to have a similar issue.  I have had no real proof, other than suspicious gifts being left around our back door.  I'm keeping fingers crossed that this merely the work of a very skilled squirrel, but I've got traps all over, just in case.

I swear, we are not disgusting people.  This house is just old!!

Beauty

My beautiful friend got married two weeks ago, and the whole thing was an incredible showcase of her artistic talents and attention to detail.

Some highlights:

Cute gifts for the bridal party!

She wanted to make sure we had enough nourishment to get through the night =)

I was basically obsessed with all the little details.  Check out her amazing hairpiece!

I loved the birdcage veil!

The dress - stunning and so "her".  It was whimsical and classic and contemporary all at the same time.

Wish I had a better picture of this, but I love this one of Annie and her dad - I love how he's looking at her =)

Since I was in the wedding party, I, unfortunately, don't have pictures of the ceremony.  But here are a few shots of the details from reception - I wish I had captured more!!

Annie had Nothing Bundt Cakes do her wedding cake, and I thought it was so cute!

Centerpieces were trophies with vintage boxes and cotton and hydrangeas.  I adore!

Not sure you noticed that little gem hanging out behind the trophy...but each table had a bundt cake (all different flavors) that you could serve yourself, family style!  I was VERY thankful to be at a table with the double chocolate fudge cake =)

Yummy!

Overall, this was one of the most beautiful weddings I've ever been to.  I was so thankful to be a part of it, and I'm so looking forward to celebrating many anniversaries with these two.

Happy wedding!