papa's birthday.

Last weekend we went to Nana and Papa's house on Lay Lake to celebrate Papa's Birthday and enjoy an afternoon of fun in the sun and water. 

Brooks caught his first "real" fish, meaning he was actually holding the fishing pole by himself when he hooked one, and his reaction was priceless. He threw both hands up, in shock, and dropped the rod. Bless him. 

B-Man had so much fun swimming with Daddy, Uncle Dave, Nana, Bennett, and William. He loved it when Pops would throw him in the lake, but had the most fun running and jumping in on his own.

Ann Bennett had fun splashing around in her baby pool and eating. Can't forget eating. It's what she does best.

We had the best time with our cousins and are hoping to make one more trip out there before summer's end. 

But, most of all, we are so thankful to have celebrated another great year with Papa. Happy Birthday, Papa! We love you!

chi-town.

We had the honor of going to Chicago a few weekends ago, on an all expenses paid trip with Ferguson.

Our flight left at 6:00 Friday morning. John and I woke up at 4:45. It was a hectic start to our weekend, but we made it to the airport, with wet hair, just in time. 

Upon arrival we took a taxi to the hotel, The Conrad, for an early check-in, spruced up a bit and walked to breakfast at Yolk. Not a bad way to start the trip…

We had lunch plans at 12:30 so decided to explore the city for a bit by foot and walk to the Navy Pier. I am so glad that we did this. It was a lively spot with beautiful views of the harbor and city, and Lake Michigan was breathtaking! 

Still wanting to burn off calories consumed at breakfast, we trekked it to our "welcome lunch" destination, Gibson's. We were able to walk past Oak Street Beach, down East Lakeshore Drive, and up the prestigious Oak Street. The famed stores had me wanting and wishing. Lunch was absolutely amazing and we enjoyed the company, too. 

With a couple of hours to spare before heading back to the hotel to get ready for dinner (and more calories to burn), we did some more exploring and ended up going up to the Signature Lounge in the John Hancock building for a drink. The views were stunning. I think that this is a must-do—we wanted to go back for round two, but unfortunately, we didn't have time. 

Before dinner, we had a tour and presentation at the World Whirlpool, located in the penthouse of the historic Reid-Murdoch Building. We really enjoyed it! 

We walked to Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab for dinner with the group and it. was. mouth-watering. amazing. We had a private room, the service was on point, and the food was unbeatable. Everyone was pretty tired from a long day of traveling, so a few of us went to the rooftop bar at our hotel for drinks, then called it a night. 

On Saturday morning we did the Wendella River and Lake Tour. It was so much fun. We got to see the city from the water and learned so much about Chicago's history. Another must-do!

After a quick refresh at the hotel, we boarded the subway and headed to Wrigley Field for the Cubs vs. Whitesox game! We had a few drinks at Murphy's Bleachers before the first pitch, then headed into the stadium to watch the game. Unfortunately, the Cubs lost, but it was still a good time.

We went to dinner afterwards with some of the group to Lou Malnati's Pizzeria. Their pizza was unreal. UNREAL.  We were really exhausted Saturday night so opted to order room service dessert and watch a movie back at the hotel. 

We woke up early Sunday morning to make the most of our last day in the city. The rest of the crew flew out early, but our flight didn't leave until 3:50. We decided as a group to go to the Field Museum. We were able to see Grant and Millennium Parks in passing to and from. The Field Museum, home to "Sue," the largest, most complete, and best-preserved tyrannasaurus rex, was something to be seen. We spent a couple of hours walking around, looking at different exhibits. As much as we would have loved to do the Art Institute of Chicago, given the amount of time we had, I am glad we chose to do this.

We were so excited to get home to our babies, but had an amazing time in beautiful Chicago. I sure hope we can make it back one day. 

the kitchen.

I have gotten a few requests, as of late, to continue the home tour. I'm usually not one to start something and not finish it, but yeeps, life gets in the way sometimes! With that being said, thanks for the gentle shove, y'all.

The next room is, by far, one of my favorite rooms in the house.

Meet, the kitchen.

We lived a month-ish without a kitchen while undergoing renovations, so when I was reunited with a dishwasher, garbage disposal, oven, and cooktop, all was right with the world again. 

The kitchen is definitely where I spend the majority of my time. You can always find me in there cooking or washing dishes and sippy cups. It is also where most of our family dance parties occur. So, yeah, it's a pretty great room.

The countertops are Calcutta Gold marble and the walls and cabinets are painted Swiss Coffee, by Benjamin Moore. My mom and I sewed the linen sink skirt and pantry panels. John and I designed the hood and he built the open shelving. The light fixture above the island is from Scott Antique Market in Atlanta. It was a labor of love, but I am so happy with how it turned out! Comment below if you want any more resources.