Our Kitchen Reveal {& Giveaway}

Well, we've been in our new apartment for just over a month and we are finally starting to see the floor.  Yes, we still have The Chaos in many rooms in our home, but one room is finally done: the kitchen.  I would have to say that the kitchen was probably one of my biggest sources of stress because we had to fit everything from this, this, this into a galley kitchen. 
We decided to keep the green, orange, and teal theme going from our kitchen in Connecticut 1. for simplicity and 2. because we have so many fun things we've collected to match like this embroidery hoop I won in a giveaway from Alyssa and this mug from a mug swap with Kerry.   Well, here it is!

Yeah, you know you like my princess stool.  This thing has been with me since freshman year of college when this little 5' tall girl freaked out when she had 9' tall built in closets and had to run out to Target and find something to help.  Now we have 9' ceilings again, and it has a permanent place in our kitchen!

Making it extra special are those new prints you see on the wall from 7-Wonders Design.  Yes, I know I jumped the gun a little bit with The Taylors' Kitchen, but I just couldn't wait to get them up!  

7-Wonders Design is a fantastic Etsy shop run by Leslie.  She creates original, modern, fine art prints, which specialize in inspirational, personalized, family and children's home decor.  She was also featured on MSN Living in their post: "21 Adorable Finds For Your Little One;" how cool is that?!
Leslie has been kind enough to give away a $25 shop credit to 7-Wonders Design.  Enter below with the Rafflecopter widget - good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Connecticut Weekend Snapshots

Phew, what a weekend!  Mike and I were in CT from Thursday until yesterday doing everything wedding related: marriage license, meetings with our presiding priest and wedding coordinator, trial hair and makeup, two dress fittings, organizing and stuffing favors, and, of course, my bridal shower - more about that soon!  We even had time to sneak in a few drinks with my bridesmaids :)  Now, we're knee deep in unpacking 5 suitcases of shower presents [thanks for free bags, Southwest!!] - seriously, I have some amazing friends and family.  

We're good to go!

REO Speedwagon and Chicago concert on Friday

One last house clean up

My future father-in-law is the best for letting me take over his basement...

My mom outdid herself... she made everything but the cake!

WE DID IT!!

So, we're finally back in SC now and we are so excited to have a full month here without any trips to really get into the groove.  [AKA I will be blogging on a normal schedule starting this week :) ]  Did you see my giveaway last week?  There are only a couple more days to enter!  It's open to any reader [you don't have to be a blogger!].  Check it out here!

Our Home (and a giveaway)

I think I made it pretty clear yesterday that Mike and I are living in the midst of chaos.  I have to admit, at first, it didn't feel quite like home.  When we moved in on Thursday, the whole place smelled like rug steaming, everything was bare, boxes stacked higher than I could reach, and our kitty girls were still at my temporary place a half hour away.

Well, since then, Mike made sure that we hung our photos on the wall, our bed was the first thing put together, and, of course, we picked up our girls.  And, this helped:

I hung it from our television as soon as it was set up, and it's just such a beautiful little reminder of where we are now.

Yes, it may be in the middle of a million boxes, but it's perfect and makes me smile whenever I see it.

I started talking to Kelly at Wedding Banner Love about a month ago about wedding ideas.  I told her that I was moving and she sent me this custom-made banner.  She is such a talented lady and it's been a pleasure to work with her.  

Yes, there are two there... more about that other one another time!

Now here's the fun part: A GIVEAWAY!!  Kelly is giving away a $25 shop credit to Wedding Banner Love.  She has such an array of themes that you can choose from: Nautical Bachelorette, Christmas, Halloween, Just Married, Pregnancy Announcement, First Birthdays, and tons of other holiday themes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received these banners complimentary from Kelly at Wedding Banner Love for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.

Chaos

Just continuing the Full House theme for this move... this is what each of our rooms currently look like...

Well, it's been a week since Mike got down here with that 27 foot moving truck.  He got the biggest truck he could and let me tell you, he filled that thing to the roof.  Apparently we have a lot of shit.  And where does that shit go, you ask?  Into the middle of our living room, bathrooms, office, bedroom... anywhere it can.  There's a microwave in one bathroom and golf clubs in the other.  I swear, we've spent more time moving boxes from place to place than actually unpacking them.  I am SO grateful for the HUGE closets this place has.  Not only does mine fit all of my clothes from my two Connecticut closets, I'm also keeping all of our Christmas decorations, tons of wedding stuff, and basically everything else that's currently homeless.

sleeping on the floor our first night...

taking a break from unpacking to sit on the porch and split a bottle of Asti on our engagiversary

the current state of chaos

yup

Also, I apologize for all of the scheduled posts and lack of actual blog interaction.  I have tons and tons of ideas floating around in my head and tons of photos taken, I just haven't had to time to put my thoughts into words.  Plus: good news - we have internet now in our apartment, so I'll be lurking around the blogosphere very soon!
So, what I'm trying to say, well, ask, is for you to bear with me during the next couple weeks while I attempt to unpack my life and find a routine.  Seriously, it'll be worth it, I promise!  In the meantime, make sure you check back tomorrow for something especially fun to start your weekend :)  Oh, and did I mention when this goes live I'll be on a plane back to CT for my bridal shower and about a million wedding appointments this weekend?  See?  CHAOS.

It's Moving Day, It's Moving Day

Oh man, I'm just loving the Full House memes this month.

And yes, I already moved once, well, twice if you count the trip down with the cats.

Well, today is the big one.  Mike gets here with the moving truck in a couple of hours and we move into our permanent apartment!!! I've been waiting for this day for 6 weeks and am sooooo excited to have him back!

Another night alone in Charleston

It hasn't been Music Monday in a long while, so here you go:
 

I can't believe I've been in Charleston for 6 weeks.  I promise, everything is looking up since that last rant-y post a few weeks ago :)  And we did it!  Mike will FINALLY be here on Thursday [hence the "3 more days till I see your face"] PERMANENTLY with our moving truck and we will be moving into our permanent place!!  In the mean time, I have my kitten girls [aka I'm turning into a crazy cat lady] to keep me company for another couple of days.  Over the past couple weeks, I've been trying to live in the moment while listening to the songs above... NOW GET ME TO THURSDAY!!

Surprisingly, they did really well in a car for 15 hours straight!

Yes, this is the current state of the camera on my phone... Don't think you see a cat in that first photo? Oh yes - went for a walk and saw a cute little cat on the front step!

 

Wise words from Stephanie Tanner...

Anyone remember that episode of Full House?  DJ starts junior high, gets teased, and wants to fix it by dressing all grown up with makeup and skimpy clothes.  As Danny catches her trying to walk out the door with Kimmy, Stephanie pipes up with the above comment.

Well, Stephanie, even a 25 year old can relate to those words.  I've been in South Carolina for a week now and here comes the honesty: it turns out I'm not as strong as I thought I would be.  The day after I started work, I was texting Mike about how sad I was for my mom to leave [she drove down with me on Monday and was planning to stay until Friday], so he called her and she arranged to stay a few extra days until today when I leave for Sacramento today.  Aren't fiancees the best?

I guess I've never really lived completely on my own.  Yes, I went away to college for 4 years, but I always had a roommate.  After college, I immediately moved into the frat house and had a revolving door of roommates to keep me laughing.  Even after they moved out last summer, Mike and I had each other and our kitties to keep us company.

To be honest, I guess it's not just that, but the fact that I know zero people in this city.  Don't get me wrong, I am so excited for this new adventure, this is what I've always wanted, but I guess I'm really still in that holding, waiting period.  I'm in a temporary place until our apartment is available August 7 and tons of my stuff is just sitting in boxes because I don't see the point of unpacking just to pack back up in a month.  Even if I had my kitten girls I feel like it'd be better; I love talking to them.  I'm hoping this mini Sacramento vacation with Mike, his dad, and sister will help relax me and when I come back I can start really living the Charleston life: meeting more people, looking for spots for Mike and I to frequent, and really immersing myself into my work.  I promise, this will be my last ranting post for a while.  Blogging it out just makes everything feel better.  

Splendid Swap Party Reveal: Summertime Favorites

Today's the day of the first Splendid Swap Party reveal!  If you participated in this swap, make sure you add a blog post or Instagram photo to share everything you received from your new bloggy friend! In case you missed it earlier this month, Dannielle, Patty, and I started the Splendid Swap Party for bloggers to meet new friends and swap packages filled with their favorite things.  If you'd like to get involved, our next swap will be this December, around the holiday season.

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<a href="http://myborrowedheaven.blogspot.com/search/label/splendid%20swap%20party" title="Borrowed Heaven" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz0G0P5x6nfl52w3XPjY3hPemBe1Lnn2_u8TVMGHhm4O1utZN7eoRXOh3tB6PmLMguemEgXCeazI8TUtwiPQmKTM4Maw8TWJE64PRa5L8Uwl67FHdoc_ed_SQRpiKQZ4ks7RK365FZgE0/s224-p-no/" alt="Borrowed Heaven" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

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<a href="http://myborrowedheaven.blogspot.com/search/label/splended%20swap%20party" title="Borrowed Heaven"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEGN69O_hQLm9iszLLPakXKGe88fpJyqdm1G211Z-Ro0lCJumWxwGKojFDJ9-i24LFzZVgpotXsYehJwg6CZhYIoAtlK2rPPhKidkzNG0I4u3lUpu9ksrrkb3Itm4fTxlf-5bpucAvpHg/s204-p-no/" alt="Borrowed Heaven" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

I was paired with Kate at Daffodils.  She is a fantastic lady with a wonderful family, and I had so much fun shopping for all of them because I had a chance to include both childhood and adult summertime favorites!  In return, Kate sent me an amazing package full of her favorites.  I was so thrilled with everything [especially for the move]: the candy was eaten within the first 3 hours of the drive, the Burt's Bees was perfectly travel-sized to use without unpacking everything I owned, I enjoyed a wonderful margarita after my first day of work, and the Essie "Rooarrrrrrange" polish matched my second day of work outfit perfectly!  Thanks, Kate!

Here's a sneak preview of what I sent Kate; head to her blog to check everything out!

And don't forget to link up here!