Aides of March

There's nothing Paul and I want more than a screen porch on the backside of our house. Until then, we found the next best thing a few weeks ago: an old screen from one of our windows that fits perfectly in the opening of our french doors.

We are all in heaven, especially KT. The cat used to do very well outside by herself, but then she started bolting and we had to put an end to it. This is our great compromise.

With warm temperatures sliding their way in, spring is certainly on it's way. Tips of trees are turning green and it's about time for us to trim before it all begins. There was a horrible drought in late summer/fall and a lot of plant life died. There's a lot to cut away this year!

We started last weekend with our crepe myrtles. Trust me, there was no crepe murder here. 

I also went with MG and Ryan to the Gem and Mineral Show at the Trademart last Sunday after lunch. There were all kinds of rocks and stones, but Ryan was the only one to walk away with anything. My favorite part were the dinner table displays, made completely out of rock.

It's hard to tell what is real and what isn't!

A month or so ago a frozen yogurt shop opened up in the business district. Yes, we're big fans. It felt so good the other day, I told Paul, "Let's walk after work. We can walk the mile to the yogurt shop and that can be our mid-way treat."

The California tart was worth the two miles.

Laurel + Hattiesburg

Inspired by the HGTV show Home Town (filmed in Laurel - they just got the green light to film their first season after a pilot aired!), we decided to take a day trip to Laurel.

After breakfast with our friends, we headed south.

One of the things the Main Street Association (and Erin from Home Town) has done is the creation of vibrancy in their downtown through murals all around vacant buildings. And, to be honest, they have a ton of them. Paul and I kept saying, "This is the town that time forgot." There is so much opportunity and promise there. 

We kept lamenting that we should open a restaurant downtown that was open on the weekends because we walked and walked, only to find that a coffee shop and a butcher shop (with only raw meat) open. We did stop into a quaint antiques store called Southern Antiques, very reminiscent of Antique Mall of the South or Interiors Market in Fondren.

After walking around and driving through their beautiful homes, a late lunch was in order.

Phillips Drive-In popped up on the list. We didn't want to eat at a national fast food joint, so this seemed intriguing. Split between us was a chili cheese dog, Philly cheesesteak, potato wedges and corn nuggets in all their golden glory. The perfect greasy spoon. It's easy to see why people flock here.

Afterwards we headed to Hattiesburg. We had ordered Paul's new computer to be picked up at Best Buy there (they were out in the Jackson), then we made our way around the area, reminiscing of college days. It was a great little trip!

Early Spring

Has it been as lovely and mild where you are as it has been for us this week? I really think we are going to have an early spring this year.

This warm snap has made for patio lunches and new blooms around the yard.

Walker's, of course, is on the top of the patio list.

Morning light.

These are popping up everywhere in the yard!

Friday evening we had Natasha Trethewey on campus. She is the most eloquent and beautiful person (not to mention, writer).

Saturday mornings are the best.

Real Life

I got really excited last week when I found a clean eating lemon poppyseed scone recipe on Pinterest. I'm always hesitant that they might not be any good, but how do you know until you try? I took pictures and thought it might even be something fun to write about on the blog. 

Suffice to say, they weren't my favorite. Paul said he liked them, but I can't recommend making them, unless adding more sweetness to them. They tasted like paste. What a bummer!

Mamaw, this one is for you. We snipped roses from my yard last Sunday and used your milk glass vase. It's one of my favorite things!

I feel like I say this all the time, but our guest bathroom is finally, FINALLY, nearing completion. Our handyman fixed our shower so we can actually use it. Yesterday I painted the trim around the window and today we'll hang the blinds in the window.

Our friend Chris turned 38 this weekend, so we all got together for crawfish at Crawdad Hole. The admiration society for Eli, their son, was hilarious. (Here's our friend Garrad with him below)

Our friend Greg is from Louisiana and is the master of peeling crawfish. While Paul and I ate our shrimp, Greg went to town peeling pounds of them!

Hope you guys had a great week!

Crawfish Season

There is nothing more beautiful than the sight of bright red crawfish as soon as the season starts.

No one loves crawfish more than my sister and brother-in-law. No. one. 

To celebrate my brother-in-law's birthday this past weekend, we did just that - a crawfish boil. We had this early spring day and it couldn't have been more perfect.

It was so beautiful, we couldn't just go home afterwards. There's nothing like cruising around the Reservoir.

This weather has also made for some beautiful sunsets.

With warm days and a cold front coming through, we've been through it today with strong storms. I ready for a few days of calm again!

Happy Dance

Who is doing a happy dance for the weekend like I am? It's been a full week! 

Last Saturday we had a few of our closest friends over for a party celebrating Paul's birthday. In true PW fashion, we had BBQ and all the trimmings.

We had to laugh when our friends Todd and Morgan discovered that the front couch was long enough for them both to fit comfortably fit - a feat for two really tall people! Our friend Chris was able to snap their surprise.

A funny story from party prep: Paul had run to the grocery store down the street for ice and to fill up these gold balloons that I had ordered on Amazon (this and this). They were a huge 4-0! While blowing them up, the manager let go and the balloon went to the ceiling... MANY feet up. I was at home getting everything ready when I was sent this picture.

The guys had put tape on the end of balloons, trying to stick it to the gold balloon to bring it down. Surprisingly, they did get it down!

Over the Christmas break, we (along with much appreciated help from MG and Ryan) tackled the last bedroom in our house to get painted. It is on the same of the house as our master, so I used it as the room where I get ready. Once it was painted, I envisioned it becoming my "lady cave" - part office, part lounge, part beauty station. Last weekend we moved my desk into the room and things are starting to come together. 

Tuesday night I taught my Community Enrichment class for winter, a social media for business 101 course, with the largest class I've had yet at 19! They all were so engaged. I usually do a photography session outside, but because it was cold and dark, I needed something different. Paul suggested that I take random items for them to photograph and "market." This worked out perfectly. I was surprised at their ingenuity!

Wednesday night we had two ABC News correspondents at the college for a book they have just released on the history of autism. As fate would have it, the first ever diagnosed case of autism was a man from Mississippi who went on to attend Millsaps. It was a very special night.

This weekend, we celebrate more birthdays! Today MG his hosting a crawfish boil for Ryan and tomorrow all of the family will be at our house for Mamaw's 89th!

#guestbathorbust2015: Sewing Cabinet Sink Transformation

This photo is what started it all. 

The wheels had started to turn in our minds about renovating our guest bathroom and one of the big things I wanted to change was our sink. Only problem - the bathroom, as small as it is, had a pedestal sink and couldn't hold much more than that.

Researching all over the internet, I couldn't find anything ready-made that I liked. Even remotely. 

This vanity from Home Depot was the only thing I found that I liked:

But, I have to admit, I'm a square kind of girl. The round bowl bothered me. On top of that, the $329 price tag bothered me. I knew I could do better.

Then, I saw the sewing cabinet on Craigslist and a light bulb went off. I texted the seller and after a few days back and forth, things withered on the vine. The situation seemed sketchy and they stopped responding when I asked if I could pick it up.

I wasn't going to give up that easy. I then started searching the whole city for sewing cabinets. Couldn't be that hard, right? Apparently there was a horror film shooting in town and they had bought up all the cabinet as props for a scene. Posting my plight on our neighborhood message board, a neighbor confirmed, "Hey! I met an actor from the movie at a bar last night and asked her about the sewing cabinets. She said that they had bought them all and showed me a picture of the scene where they are being used!"

Waamp waamp...

I collected myself and decided to try the salvage market. Guess what I found in the back corner under dust and piles of old wood? A beautiful sewing cabinet. 

After a little haggling, I get it home for $60. Not too shabby, considering I was ready to shell out $329.

Now knowing my dimensions, I began doing research on square vessel sinks. I realized I couldn't have the type of sink where the faucet was behind the sink, but integrated into the vessel because of space. I chose this sink (similar) - great price and included the faucet.

One afternoon I sanded and stained the piece. Immediately the cabinet looked better. The wood was just thirsty! The next morning I used Minwax Polycrylic Protective Finish in satin - layered every two hours, doing four coats in total.

We dry fit the sink and the hallelujah chorus rang out!

We showed our contractor where we wanted the sink positioned on the cabinet (toward the back so the water lines would not show out the back) and he took it home and cut the lines for the drain and supply lines.

Getting it into the bathroom a few days later, I couldn't have been more excited. A little adhesive caulk on the desk and a little finagling with fittings, the sink was close to being installed.

You won't see it here, but we had another big, "What are we going to do?" moment. You see, the sink didn't come with water supply lines and being naive, we thought we could walk into a big box store and buy them. Big mistake! When you buy a vessel sink, the fittings are European (read: metric). We needed an M10 line, so I scrambled back to Amazon. Prime, for the win! This is what I purchased. We also learned while installing that we would have to cut a small section out of the back for the cut off valves. A little work with a saw later, we were in business.

The sink area is my favorite feature of the guest bath reno. Truly, no one else has what we have! There's something special about that. (Can we also have a moment of silence for my excitement to have a dual flush toilet?)

Lighting, mirror and other small details have gone up and we can't be any happier with the space!