Sunday Southern Days

So when we bought our house eight years ago, we figured *someday* we'd get around to updating the kitchen. Well it finally happened. To let you know what we started with, here is a shot of the hunter green "marble" formica countertops. They make you shudder just like I did, right? Budget was lean for this DIY project, but we had some objectives we really wanted to hit: Update countertops Add backsplash Paint cabinets Add crown moulding Paint Walls So pretty much this could be a few hundred dollars to get into the thousands. This is where I started doing my homework on alternatives to the pricey upgrades of glass tile back splashes and granite countertops. I came across this great blog post from Kara Paslay Designs . She explains how they took a wet bar area of her home and added an applied concrete right onto the existing laminate countertop. We changed up how we used it a bit, but here is what we did to get a pretty cool final product: Gath...

We had the incredibly talented Amy Aiello from Amy Aiello Photography come to our home Monday to take our Maternity Photos -- and of course they turned out fabulously! One of Chicago's finest, Amy came to our home and shot both outdoor photos and nursery photos at my request. She really captured our excitement about our new arrival. Enjoy! These tiny shoes say "Sleeping Beauty" on them. My mother gifted them to us at our baby shower. She purchased them 10 years ago, long before I ever even met my husband, in hopes that some day we'd have a little girl. Sleeping Beauty is my favorite Disney movie. I'd say she hit a home run with this little gift. The blanket is a new gift from our cousins in Texas and the icon was originally my great-grandmother's. The nursery was Kate Spade-inspired. My friend Allison created the gold dot decals for us to place on this wall of the nursery. The newest Chicago Blackhawks fan needed a little shoutout...

This past Saturday, my mother-in-law and sisters-in-law threw us a beautiful baby shower! Every detail was perfect, from the popcorn "Ready to Pop" favors, to the uniquely decorated diaper cakes as the centerpieces.  The cake was from The Cakery in North Aurora and the shower was held at Maggiano's Naperville. We are so blessed to have had so many friends and family with us to celebrate! Here are a few photos:   My beautiful nieces, Leah and Gia

We have received some of the most beautiful messages and advice in the baby shower cards given to us recently. I hated the idea of just storing them in a box, so I sought out an organized way to keep them together and display them. Two 1 1/2" binding rings from the scrapbooking section of your local craft store and a two-hole punch. Three minutes and done!

May 18, I had the honor of being in Norfolk for my "at home" Baby Shower, hosted by my sister and cousins. They did a beautiful job! Details were just perfect. The first photo shows one of the centerpieces -- Tiffany & Co.-inspired bags that said "Poulos & Co." with attached pearl beading and fresh peonies. Our menu was delicious BBQ buffet, and favors were precious S'mores Kits for the guests to take home. As guests arrived, they wrote a well-wish on a paper onesie cutout, later to be hung on a "clothesline" made from tiny pearl strands strung within a photo frame. We'll plan to hand that in the baby's nursery once it's decorated. Here are some photos from the day: My JMU girls! Wonderful friends from home The Kira/Kyras and their baby bumps! Tiny pineapples. Kind of my thing. Beautiful "mom" gift from my parents -- Gold and turquoise necklace SisterCousins We...