FALL GIVEAWAY ALERT!!!!

Two posts in one day? I know. I am back. And back to my favorite...GIVEAWAYS! WOO! And this one is scary good.

Too much? I can't help it...I am so excited!

Our lovely friends over at TenCentOrange on Etsy rolled out this Halloween burlap runner about a month ago, and of course we snapped one up immediately. It is perfection. Rustic yet refined. Just enough, but not too much. Need I go on? 

You, too, can have one of these runners just in time for your fall decorating! Enter below, and follow our blog (or make sure you already are)...yep, it really is that easy.  **UPDATE: Don't forget to follow the blog using the button on the right hand side of the page to be eligible to win!!**

Spread the word, though, because we need at least 50 entrants for the giveaway. **UPDATE: You can now earn extra entries!!!** 
a Rafflecopter giveaway


And don't forget to check out the other goodies over at TenCentOrange. I hear there are some Christmas must-haves arriving soon...

Good luck to everyone...the winner will be announced on Friday!

Weekend Recap

It must have been the knowledge that October was just around the corner...or that we had the Breaking Bad finale to look forward to...or that rain was in the forecast which meant another chance to wear my new Hunters...but whatever it was, something just made this weekend more magical than most. We didn't do anything particularly special...but it just seemed happier, easier, longer, more relaxing....just better than your average bear weekend. If you follow me on Instagram, sorry for the overload. 

Our original plans fell through with the threat of a storm, so we did some reshuffling and decided to just wing it.  We ventured over to the square on Saturday morning and discovered that the Farmer's Market was still going on, so we browsed there for a while and ate the most amazing croissants. You can bet your butt I will be back next week to stock up. 

The weather looked like it would hold off a little while longer, so we took Trent to one of our favorite spots - Hope Park - for a little playground fun. It has been a long time since we have been there, and it was crazy to see how different he was. He was able to crawl around, play and interact so much more than the last few times. I am getting emotional thinking about his birthday coming up and how fast time is moving, but it is also so exciting to see him grow and learn new things every day.

And then...boom. I didn't even get any pictures of the rain because we were soaked from head to toe. Well...not my toes, thanks to my killer boots :) 

We dried out a bit while Trent took a nap in the car and then ran a few errands, grabbed a bite and headed home for another attempt at bath time. Like I said...there was something magic in the air this weekend (or maybe it was the small fortune we spent on a new bath toy bribe), because on day #6, Trent finally took a bath in his new tub. Yep, you heard that right! It wasn't pretty, but he got through it with only a few minor meltdowns. Major improvement.

Then....the REAL magic happened. Matt finally got the Halloween decorations out of the attic! Fall is officially here at the Denny household. More on that later this week.

Yesterday we got out early while it was still cool and fed the ducks. That was followed by a few more errands, working on the house and yard and putting out the last of the decorations before it was time for Matt to head to work. I took Trent to visit my parents for a little while in the evening, and then the two of us surprised Matt at the game. Trent did surprisingly well staying up so far past his bedtime, and thankfully he was exhausted and went down great when we got home. 

With those few moments to myself, I was feeling super festive so I decided to make some fall cookies. TOTAL FAIL. I don't know what happened. I followed the recipe exactly. I swear. Oh well. Clearly we still ate most of them.

Then it was time for the Breaking Bad finale, a little bit of an overnight cool front and bed. What a wonderful weekend to kick off fall. Now I can start counting down to next weekend which brings our semi-annual garage sale and an early anniversary celebration! 

Wednesday Wish List

Everyone that knows me knows that I am a list maker. An obsessive list maker. (*Not to be confused with the infamous List Eater of TAMU, circa 2004...and yes, even as a Longhorn I did own that shirt*) 

                    shirt, meme

There is no telling how many notepads, spirals and cocktail napkins I have gone through making countless lists over the years. Try as I might, I can never seem to transition to the digital list. Good old fashioned pencil and paper is where it is at. Which is why every year for as long as I can remember, spiral notebooks and highlighters have been on my Christmas list. A Christmas list for list-making supplies? I know. Like I said...obsessed! 

While the majority of my lists are to-do, Honey-Do, grocery lists, etc...one of my favorite kinds of lists to make is a wish list.  Who doesn't love day-dreaming, window shopping and online browsing for a collection of things you just HAVE to have for your birthday or Christmas? Or for a future decorating project. Whenever I begin a room makeover or something similar, I always start with a list of my wishes...items I want (even if I can't afford them), tasks to be completed, things to purchase...you get the idea. 

I recently started putting together a small registry for Baby Girl. We are not having a shower this time around, so it is more of a wish list and reminder for myself of things I hope to pick up along the way and some inspirations to keep in mind. And with Trent's birthday, our anniversary and Christmas coming up SO soon, I have also been putting together a few wish lists for those occasions..and not so subtly sneaking them into my husband's inbox. :)

So I decided to start a regular Wednesday Wish List...a weekly collection of inspiration, wants, needs, must haves, amazing new product discoveries and more. What better way to get through the mid week slump than a little day-dreaming, right? Hope you enjoy...and feel free to request a wish list theme of your own!

Fox Beanie 
Puffer Vest
Jeans
Moccasins 
Fox Stocking
Christmas PJs
Fox Slippers
Play Tent
Snack Cups
Red Hunter Wellies
Fox Puzzle
Mower
Anywhere Chair
Grill Set
Fox Sleeping Bag


I have been listing lusting after these for so long now, and finally having them all in one place is making me crazy!! Cuteness overload! I may have to start shopping early this year, as long as I can resist giving everything to him right.freaking.now.

Enjoy your Wednesday, everyone! What is on your wish list this week??

One Room Down!

This weekend we finally finished ONE of the rooms in the Great House Switcheroo (Trent's new bathroom), and now I just want to sit in there and stare at it ALL.DAY.LONG. Especially because it is currently the ONLY room in the house not in complete shambles. But mostly just because I absolutely love it! 

As I mentioned, we didn't take a before picture...yet again. But it is easy to visualize the before...just picture...nothing! It was a totally blank canvas. White walls, white cabinets/vanity, etc. No decoration whatsoever. Here are the only pictures I could find... before we moved in. They will have to do.

I found some inspiration from fellow bloggers and then went on a rampage at IKEA, getting a few odds and ends to add my own personal flare. The result was exactly my vision, and I could not be happier! The bathroom is a tad on the "boy" side, but I think it will work just fine once Baby Girl comes along. I am planning to add a few touches specifically for her after she arrives and graduates from the kitchen counter bath. I also wanted to stay away from making it too "baby" so that it could grow with the kids. Warning: The light in these pictures is not great....the walls are just a regular old tan/beige....not whatever weird green/yellow color they are coming out as.

Rubber Duck Shelf- IKEA

Frames - IKEA

So Fresh Free Printable - Two Twenty One

Linens - Target

Shower Curtain - Target

 Dog Towel/Robe Hooks - IKEA

BATH letters - Michael's (spray painted)

Faux Houseplants - IKEA

Shelf - IKEA

Frames - IKEA

Bathroom Free Printables - Over the Moon

 Circo Rug - Target

Whale Knee Saver - Skip Hop "Moby" (Babies R Us)

Tub Treads by Munchkin - BuyBuyBaby

Rod, hooks, basket - Target

Faucet cover - BuyBuyBaby 

 Cabinet/Vanity Color - "Turkish Coffee" by Sherwin Williams

Hardware - Home Depot

 There are a few very small things left to do including putting the last pull on the left cabinet (thanks Home Depot for giving us a defective one), getting the new night light I've ordered and adding a third frame above the duck shelf for Baby Girl's picture some time down the line, but for now I would consider it done, done and DONE. 

After the finishing touches were all complete, I could NOT WAIT to finally have Trent try it out for the first time last night. Result: complete, epic meltdown. Seriously. Screaming and crying so hard he couldn't even catch his breath. I tried sitting on the edge with my feet in the tub with him to show him it was okay, but that didn't work. So we ended up sitting in the bathroom floor playing with the rubber duckies and bath toys for a while until he got used to it....and then we made the mistake of trying again. Bad idea. Wouldn't you know it, after all that work he hates it! I have not lost all hope yet though...tonight is a new night! And if it is just a repeat of last night, we will at least capture it on camera this time which will totally be worth it. 

Now that one room is done, I am even more motivated to get the rest of the house straightened out. Especially because it means I can finally pull out the fall decorations and go to town!

The rest of the weekend was spent working working working, as usual, with a quick break to watch FC Dallas (lose). Sigh. Next week! Oh....and Trent took his FIRST STEPS!!!! It literally brought tears to my eyes. All in all...a great weekend! Hope everyone else had a blast on this first official weekend of fall!

We Need to Move..and other news

Okay, so we don't need to move. Not yet anyway. But...we need to get this house SORTED OUT. For the past month, we have been living in a complete war zone as we make a ton of changes in preparation for Baby Denny #2. I think along with my belly popping out much earlier than last time, my nesting instinct also kicked in much earlier. Since my last post, we have done a complete house shuffle including:

- Media room becoming office/playroom
- Office becoming gym
- Gym becoming guest room
- Guest room #1 becoming new baby's nursery
- Guest room #2 becoming media room
- Guest bathroom becoming kids' bathroom
- Kids' bathroom becoming guest bathroom

Is your mind blown? I know mine is. Just reading that makes me wonder how we have managed to fit ALL of that in between work, Trent, Trent teething, a pregnancy, two root canals, our busy social life and everything else. Oh wait, one of those is completely non-existent. I'll let you guess which.

Anyway...we are still not done! Do you remember back in the good old days when I was blogging regularly and was going to start a "project of the month"? Well...I guess I am making up for lost time..and more! Somehow, no matter how hard I try to focus on ONE thing at a time, I always seem to end up going way overboard and trying to tackle it all at once. But I think sometimes that is just the way to go! It is definitely going to get worse before it gets better, but it will all be worth it! And the good news is, I took before pictures of all of the rooms! Oh wait, no I didn't :(  Mother of God. EVERY. TIME. 

Despite the lack of before pictures, I still can't wait to share all of the exciting new developments once things get put back together!

One major development I can go ahead and share is...drum roll please....we are having a GIRL! Admittedly, I was slightly terrified when we first found out, but with each passing day (and trip to Target), I get more and more excited about being team pink. We will have one of each! And let's face it...there is just an endless amount of ADORABLE CUTENESS out there for girls. I have been so good and have only bought very few things so far, but once the house tornado settles, it is on! The nursery is going to be pinks, whites and grays with different patterns (polka dots, chevron, etc), and just like Trent has fox and monkey things in honor of his name and nickname, she will have fox and bunny things in honor of her name and nickname. For now, here are a few things we have been collecting along the way and a couple of things I am chomping at the bit to buy.

After the paint goes on the walls, we are planning to get things in asap. Preparing for a baby is so much different the second time around when you already have a little one to wrangle. I plan to get as much done as soon as I possibly can!

Speaking of, I had better run and get back to work on...umm...ONE of those projects! 

Next up...Fall is HERE!!!! Sort of.