It's been a few months since I gave any updates on the house, I think the last status was right after we moved in so we've made a bit of progress. Not a ton, but some. Baby steps.

The family room is probably the room with the fewest changes. I did get new slipcovers for our couch and loveseat (Ektorp, Nordvalla dark gray) and a new mirror for the fireplace mantel. I love the new slipcovers! They make our boring ol' furniture seem new again plus we got the deal of a lifetime on them which always makes me like things more.

I'm working on painting the room and hope to have that done soon. Next update. Also on the lookout for end tables and curtains. Long term we'd like to have built-ins on the sides of the fireplace so I'm trying to decide how much effort I want to put into decorating that area.

Things are moving forward in the living room as well. I picked up some furniture from a Facebook sale group, while it's not perfect the price was right for a room that's barely used. The rug is from Target that I managed to snag during a rug sale a few weeks ago and the tables are from Wayfair. The tables were such a pleasant surprise, much higher quality than I expected and I'm thrilled with them. The rug is good too.

I'm working on the curtain situation. I picked them up from Homegoods but they still need to be hemmed and hung properly. I like to use thumb tacks to test the waters! Painting the living room is also on the horizon. And lamps. As pretty as the bare bulb lamp with chipped paint is, I think actual lamps meant for the space would be a good idea.

The dining room has been painted and we have chairs! I painted the wall about the chair rail Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore (color matched at Ace Hardware with Clark & Kensington paint) and the lower portion of the wall is Simply White also by Benjamin Moore (also color matched at Ace). Loren and I also made a magnetic frame for our magnet collection.

The trim still needs to be painted and I need to get the curtains hung up but having chairs was a huge improvement. Oh, and I picked up the rug from Ikea. It's the DYNT rug and our store also had it in gray but I'm not seeing it on the website. I liked that it was low pile since chairs need to move easily but still had some movement to it. Plus, the price couldn't be beat for such a large sized rug. We're still looking for two more chairs, a new light fixture, and some additional wall decor.

I did get the entryway painted and a gallery wall added to the space. The paint color is Anew Gray by Sherwin Williams and it's the same color that I'm painting the family room and other areas on the first floor of the house.

As you can see, I picked up a table from HomeGoods but haven't decorated it yet. We plan to replace all of the white tile but we're still trying to figure out what the replacement is going to be.

Okay, I think that's all for now. Upstairs is still sort of a hot mess, but we do have a bed! No more mattress on the floor. :) Some progress is better than nothing, and little updates make it feel more like our house which is good for my emotional state. As always, thanks for reading!

Love,
K

Wine Tasting on Old Mission Peninsula

While we were in Traverse City last month we were able to get out and do some wine tasting. Is there anything better than time with family and wine?! The wineries on Old Mission Peninsula are gorgeous and so fun to spend time at. Not the best picture, but you can sense our excitement! 

The first winery we visited, and I believe the newest winery on the Peninsula was Mari Vineyards. Mari Vineyards is a beautiful place and the views of East Bay are incredible. You can do a wine tasting flight or grab a glass of wine to sit outside and enjoy the scenery. They have nibbles available too if you need a little snack after all the wine! :) 

We hung out for a bit (and then of course had a little photo shoot) before ending out to the next stop. 

Next up is Bonobo Winery. Bonobo is owned by Todd & Carter Oosterhouse and you might recognize Carter's name from Trading Spaces or other shows he was involved with on HGTV. My cousin and I may or may not have been hoping to meet him and this visit our wish came true!

We got to chat with Carter and his wife Amy Smart, they were so kind and it was really cool. I was totally star struck and didn't contribute much to the conversation but still! :) Bonobo also has gorgeous views and all of the staff are so friendly and knowledge about the wine too. The tasting room is beautiful, has a Restoration Hardware look to it. The staff will also encourage you to bring a game and hang out for awhile, it's a great atmosphere.

2 Lads was the last winery we went to this particular day. The tasting room has a really modern feel to it and is located at the top of a hill that is perfect for rolling down! :) I would not recommend doing this in a dress unless you want the tasting room to see your undies...not that I would know. The wine at 2 Lads was great but the sangria they were serving was AMAZING! They used some Vernors Ginger Ale in their mix and I feel like that was what set it apart.

That was all the wine tasting we could handle for the day but before I left town my cousin and I went to Brys Estate. The first thing we did at Brys was check out the newly opened Secret Garden. The Secret Garden is the CUTEST shop filled with handmade lavender goodies made with the lavender grown on site. The grounds surrounding the shop were beautiful. We were giddy to have found this little gem and ran around admiring everything!

The actual tasting room at Brys was equally gorgeous. The wine was great and then they have a great patio area where you can grab a glass of wine and a snack while enjoying the views.

That concludes our wine tasting adventures on Old Mission Peninsula. It's such a good time and if you find yourself in the area definitely try to check out one or two. Cheers!

Love,
K

*Some of these photos were shamelessly stolen from my cousins. :)