Power-Washin'...Deck Stainin'.... Kinda Weekend

Hey Everyone!!

Hope you all have had a great Monday!

I wanted to drop in & just share a little bit of what we worked on this past weekend!

The weather was beautiful here & we spent all day Saturday & Sunday working in our backyard!! Just like last year, the back flowerbed needed some work! I spent a lot of my time raking out all the dead leaves & pulling lots & lots of WEEDS!! 

When I was finished it looked a little something like this....

Ahhh!  A blank slate!!

All of the new bushes we planted last year are still alive & I'm loving all the color they add to the landscaping!! My knock-out rose bushes are getting ginormous & are also in full bloom!! Can't wait to get some flowers planted in the ground, some beautiful hanging baskets to hang on the fence, & to lay some fresh mulch!!

p.s. pay no attention to the plastic pool....it was hot here this weekend & it served its purpose in keeping the kids cool & entertained while the hubs & I worked our butts off!! I know it ain't pretty, but its real life people!! 


In addition to the flower beds, the deck also needed some major attention this year! I had stained it a couple years back with a solid deck stain & the stain was starting come off!

It was also FILTHY....

So, I had my hubby take the power washer to it to clean it & prep it for staining!

You can see where the stain was coming off the deck much better in this pic, but this is what it looked like after being power washed & before the new stain went down.

We wanted to go with a different color stain this year & something a bit darker to hide the dirt a little better, so off to Lowes we went! After looking thru the gazillion color options that they had available, we finally decided to go with the color "pewter" and used the Olympic Maximum brand stain. It is a stain & sealant in one.

We wanted a painted look, so again, we went with a solid stain, but they also have semi-transparent stain as well if you are wanting more of a traditional stained look with some of the wood grain showing through. The stain went down really easy with roller & then I used a brush to paint around the outside edge of the deck.

I'm pretty much LOVING this color & can't wait to get all my patio furniture out & start prettying up this space! Here is a peek at the back of our home and what the deck looks like right now...

 I am really wanting to add shutters to the those back two windows & also dress them up a bit more by adding some inexpensive window boxes & of course some beautiful flowers! I would love to do the same with that small window above the air conditioning unit, but given the placement of our electric box, that isn't going to happen!

We also have plans to add a pergola to the deck this year & I seriously CAN.NOT.WAIT!!!

My brain is picturing something like this......

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GAH!!! 
I LOVE IT!!!

Are you picturing it too?!

I'm looking forward to hanging out on the deck a lot this summer & hopefully doing some entertaining!! We are hoping to get started on the pergola real soon!!!
I will keep you posted!!

Did you all have beautiful weather this weekend? 


Get any outdoor projects started or completed?!

I would LOVE to hear what you've been working on!!

p.s. we are going to be taking a little trip this next week & I would like to get a few guest bloggers lined up so that I can enjoy the trip rather than worry about the blog!! If you would be interested in guest posting, please email me: tdiehl2005 (at) yahoo (dot) com.


Don't Miss Out-DIY projects, home decorating, crafts & more by checking out my subscribe page

An Interview with Mister Parker....

Hey Guys!!

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend!!

 I'm so excited to be participating in the kid interview series that Kara, from June & Bear has been doing on her blog! She asked me a few weeks back if I would like to interview Parker for her series & I immediately knew I wanted to!! Because isn't interviewing kids such a fun thing anyway?! Just to hear Parker's answers to some of the questions made me smile!

I actually learned a few new things about my soon-to-be 5 year old! :)

Kara has an adorable blog and two adorable children, June & Bear (hints the name of her blog!) She is an amazing photographer & also shares a fair amount of DIY & decorating projects as well! 

I just LOVE Kara's new living room!! 

 SWOON!!
You must check it out while you are there!!!!

So, head on over to June & Bear to see my interview with Parker & to check out Kara's awesome blog!!

I'll be back later tonight or early tomorrow morning to share a few projects we worked on over the weekend!

Stop & Smell The Roses...Week 9

Happy Wednesday Everyone!!

I'm back today with another edition of Stop & Smell The Roses!!

This is actually week 9 of the link-up!! Can you believe we started vlogging 9 weeks ago?!

 Seems CRAZY, right?!

This week I had to film my vlog from my iPhone (which means no editing) and I have to forewarn you all...my hubby did not do a great job holding the phone still, so there is a little bit of camera shake going on!! My apologies! I didn't realize how much shaking there was until the video had already uploaded to YouTube & I just couldn't see re-shooting the whole thing! Too much work, ya know?!

So here I am, keepin' it real.....

 Products mention: Ecotools The Everyday Collection 1256 Brushes & Case, 6ct.

Do you guys use brushes to put on your eye make-up?!

Please tell me I am not the ONLY ONE who was still using that little sponge applicator to put their eyeshadow on!!!  Ridiculous, I know!

If you want to check out Emily's channel, Beauty Broadcast

 
you can do so by clicking HERE.

If you wanna subscribe to my channel you can do that here....    For other ways you can follow ME & my blog check out my Subscribe Page!   I would LOVE to connect with you!!!

What I Wore....Mint/Aqua Denim

Okay, so I've totally jumped on the colored denim bandwagon....

After I purchased the coral denim pants a couple weeks ago, my next task was to find a pair of mint/aqua pants! I had seen multiple outfits pinned to Pinterest & I was smitten with the color!

So again, I looked & looked for a pair that fit!! (p.s. this color is not as easy to come by as the coral) I did ended up finding a pair at Wet Seal for just $24.99 and I LOVE them!! I put a few different looks together for this post to hopefully give you some ideas as to what you can wear with this beautiful shade of denim!!!

White T-Shirt - My Closet

Scarf - TJ Maxx $9.99

Nude Striped Shirt - Old Navy Clearance $6.49

Cream Infinity Scarf - Rue 21 $8.99

 

White Tank - Wet Seal (Price ?)

Peach Cardigan - TJ Maxx $12.98

 White T-Shirt/Gray Cardigan Vest - Kohl's (a couple yrs back)

I wore my nude wedges with all of these outfits because they are cute & comfy and seriously, go with EVERTHING!! I bought them at Payless & you can buy them too by clicking HERE. 

I hope this helps you to see all the possibilities with mint/aqua denim!! Pinterest has definitely helped me to visualize what looks good & what doesn't!

If you stay neutral on top, you pretty much can't go wrong!! 

Another option would be to look at the color wheel....

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Colors that are across from one another are called complimentary colors. So you can see by looking at the wheel where the mint/aqua also would look great paired pinks/corals or even peach, similar to the outfit I posted above!!

The color wheel is helpful when you are trying to put together outfits for any shade of denim!! You can also use it in terms of decorating as well to help you decide what colors look good together in a room!! 

Super helpful tool!!

What Have You Been Wearing This Week?!

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Instagram....Oh How I Adore Thee

Hey Everyone!!

I hope you all have had a fabulous weekend!!

Our weekend was pretty uneventful, which was OK with me! Every now & then you just need a weekend without any set plans, ya know?! I DID manage to finish a few odd & end jobs that have been on my to-do list for a while, so that felt good! I'm hoping to get a few more of those things finished today!! 

This post is gonna be somewhat random....but, I have a couple things to tell you
about so just bare with me!! 

First of all, I am FINALLY on Instagram!!!! 

 I know, I know....you all have probably been on Instagram forever & are all like  

"What's the big deal Tonya?!"

Well the deal is....it is NEW to me & I am officially ADDICTED!!

My husband surprised me with an iPhone just a couple weeks after Blissdom & I downloaded the famous Instagram app right away!  However, I really didn't experiment with it too much! It wasn't until the week of Easter, that I got an Instagram notification to my phone & I was like.... 

"What the?!"

I don't know what rock I was living under, but I had no idea that Instagram was just like any other form of social media!! I had no idea that I could follow people & that they could follow me back!

Now that I have somewhat figured the whole thing out.....I'm kind of an Instagramming fool!!!

 

It's fun to take photos & share them with all of my friends & blog followers! I love having another form of social media to be able to chat with all of you!! On top of that, it's just another way for me to get to know all of you & get a small glimpse into your worlds!!

So....just in case you are wondering what I might be doing on a day to day basis.....(i.e. what I'm eating/drinking, what I'm wearing, or what kid I might be cuddling with that particular moment) then you can STALK  FOLLOW ME on Instagram!!

You can find me at loveoffamilyandhome!!

Leave a comment on one of my pictures telling me that you saw this post on my blog or leave me your Instagram info in the comments section of this post & I will be sure to follow you back!!

The next thing that I wanted to tell you about is this.....

These GORGEOUS Rosette Necklaces are available again through GiGisPetals!!!

I got the navy blue one the last time they were featured & seriously LOVE it!!  I wear it ALL THE TIME!! (you can see me wearing it in some of the pictures above) They are just $10.00 a piece (regularly $18.00) & I wanted to make sure that all of you were able to take advantage of this deal!!!I purchased two more last night!! It took me forever to decide on color, but I finally decided on the cream & gray!! 

What color do you like?!

The other deal I wanted to tell you all about is this ADORABLE Initial Necklace with Vintage Key also available through GiGisPetals! These sweet necklaces are just $11.50 a piece (regularly $21.00) and would make the perfect gift for a mom, teacher, or friend!! And at such a sweet price, you might as well snag one for yourself while you're at it!!! And just in case you aren't a big fan of pink, they are available in other colors as well!! 

There are only a few hours left for each of these deals....so you better HURRY!!!!

Make your Monday a little sweeter with one (or both) of these fabulous deals!!!

CLICK HERE!!

Coral Meets Navy.....Home Decor

 Hey Everyone!!

I hope you all are having a great week!!

Last week, I talked about mixing navy & coral in my wardrobe, so today I thought I would take that color combination & talk about incorporating it into your home!!

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When you see this color combination is it something you only envision wearing,  OR could you see yourself working this bold & bright color combo into design style?!

Would you be daring enough to paint an entire wall navy........in your living room?! 

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My personal taste in home decor tends to be on the "light & airy" side of things, so painting an entire wall navy is not necessarily something I hate, but definitely not something I could see myself doing in my own home. I do like how the dark wall in this room is offset with the bright white curtain panels, the white couches, & the white fireplace. Then the pops of coral come into play in all of the accessories....throw pillows, flowers, etc.
  

This room however, does appeal to me quite a bit more......

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What's the difference?!

 In this room, the walls are primarily painted white, with the exception of the wall behind the bed. Even though it has be stenciled with a navy pattern, the white still shows through quite a bit & the rest of the walls in the room are solid white. In this room the curtains & accessories are navy and coral! The white walls & white bedding make my "light & airy" heart go pitter patter!

And don't even get me started on that upholstered headboard.....GORGEOUS!!!

When it comes to painting the walls coral.....

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Well, I'm not sure about that either....

But, I have to admit, I AM kinda digging this office/studio! Again, I'm not sure it would be something I would do in my own home, but this room is cute! I'm definitely loving that little sofa, the adorable white desk & office chair, & for sure that perfectly put together gallery wall!! It totally speaks to my Type A personality with its coordinating frames & mattes....not mention its beautiful clean (perfectly straight) lines!!

In exploring this color combination, I have found that I am definitely more drawn to the primarily white rooms with the pops of navy & coral in the means of throw pillows and other accessories as seen in these pictures....

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BUT.....

Because I am so partial to blue....
(what?! you didn't know this about me?! where have you been?!)

These rooms are MUCH MORE appealing to me and definitely rooms I could see in my own home.

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Okay....I'm totally LOVING this bedroom!!!
The blue walls, the coral upholstered headboard, the white bedding, and
those adorable little stools at the end of the bed....DREAMY!! 

Just by switching from a dark navy to a light blue changes the entire feel & look of the space....

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Yeah, I'm totally diggin' the BLUE & coral color combo!!

This last room is my absolute FAVORITE!!!

 (Source)

I first saw this space on Shaunna's blog a week or so ago....she is taking part in the Color My World Challenge & starting to incorporate some coral into her own home. If you haven't ever check out Shaunna's blog....you should totally check it out!!
She is AMAZING!! 

Anyway, this room, (again in my opinion) is perfect in every way! I especially LOVE the light blue, paneled walls and that amazing chandelier! This room has that cool feel, but also brings in warmth with the rug & all of the wood tones in the furniture pieces.

So in terms of NAVY & coral....
Yeah, I'm all about rockin' it in my wardrobe....

But when it comes to my home....
I am much more likely to keep my BLUE & just add in the pops of coral!

So what about you?!

What color combo do you prefer?!
 
I would LOVE to hear your opinion!!

Stop & Smell The Roses......The Outtakes

Happy Wednesday Ya'll!!

It's time for another edition of Stop & Smell The Roses!!

This week, Mandy & I decided to do something a little different & shoot our vlogs together!

I have had sooo many questions & emails regarding my hair that I decided to just go ahead & do a whole post on it! Since Mandy convinced me that it would be a good idea to do a video as opposed to a written post, I enlisted her help with the video and since we were already together, we decided that we might as well shoot our Stop & Smell the Roses vlogs as well!! 

Now, if you want to watch the actual SASTR vlog, you will have to head on over to House of Rose Blog to check it out! We decided that we better give you all two different videos to watch, so I am lucky enough to be able to share all of our outtakes here on my site! 

So, here's a little behind the scenes look at our joint vlogging experience!

YES, we are wearing matching cardigans....NO, we TOTALLY didn't plan it!!!

LOL! 

We had a ball filming together and I hope we provided you with a laugh or two!

Stay tuned for a vlog all about my HAIR coming soon!!

I am hoping to answer your all of your questions about the cut & how I style it!!

Sweet Shot Tuesday.....Mills/Maze Wedding

I'm back this week with another Sweet Shot Tuesday post!!!

The weather is getting warmer & wedding season is upon us!!

I had the opportunity to shoot my second wedding this past weekend for an old friend/co-worker. I did her & her fiance's engagement photos several months back, so it was awesome to be able to shoot their wedding as well!! 

I took over 1,000 photos between the wedding & the reception & still trying to make my way through all of them, but right now......these are the shots I am LOVING the most!

There are PLENTY more where those came from.....
but finding the time to sit & edit proves to be challenging!!!

I hope to be able to post more next week!!!

Hope you all have a fabulous Tuesday!!!

Linking up here....