Summer Vaca 2017: Anna Maria Island

We had the BEST lil summer getaway in early June. We knew it was going to be our last chance to get away, with baby coming soon and a move pending... so we scheduled an early summer vaca around a conference the hubs was attending.

We engaged some of our great friends who also have a daughter Annalee's age to join us on the trip, and it was the best idea yet! Built in play-dates and lots of fun 'afternoon adulting' to be had during nap time. Tim also happened to be at the same conference as Jesse, so it was a perfect reason to all go!

My mom also changed her flight last minute and joined us for the 5 day getaway to Anna Maria Island. I think she had a great time and an extra set of hands for the girls was a huge bonus!!

The weather was iffy at best, but we managed to grab a little beach time, lots of pool time, a trip to the playground, one long walk/run {in the rain} to do some island exploring and even a dinner out.

First of all, Anna Maria Island is very quaint. It's old Florida for sure. Small beach cottages, no high-rises, lots of beach, public parks, walking, trolley's and good seafood.

We rented a fabulous house, called Starfish Cove. Bonus points for the outdoor set-up that was AMAZING with babies. {and did I mention even better for adulting during nap time}.

We cooked three of the four nights we were there and grabbed dinner out one evening at The Ugly Grouper, which I would highly recommend for kiddos. They had a 'one-man band' that the girls loved, giant Jenga, corn hole boards and lots of sand to play in. The food was also pretty tasty!

Thanks for such a great trip Braddick fam. We can't wait for our next family getaway!! 

Junkin Reno: Hiccups along the way

It's been so fun renovating... opening up walls, picking out appliances, cabinets, fixtures, lights, etc.

All fun and so worth it. But it hasn't come without it's fare share of hiccups along the way. We knew we were walking into some large renovations, and a laundry list of items that had to be completed before we moved in...

   Asbestos tile in the basement and master bath closet.

   Termites on the screened porch.

   Two non-working chimneys.

   A {very tall and big} porch that is not up to code.

   Heat pump listed. No heat pump in the house {but we have a radiator that's is excellent condition}.

   AC units {yes, two} are working, but on their last leg.

   Great attic - with a pull down access that needs replacing.

   Single pain windows. That are beautiful by the way. But also, all custom.

   Two-prong electical outlets throughout the house.

   Wallpaper covering {the ceiling as well} in six rooms in the house.

   All new bathrooms.

   A whole new kitchen.

   Did I mention that the basement is covered in barn wood?

But... we forged ahead. Nothing too scary on the list, right?

Then the reno started... and we've added to the list.

   More asbestos tile in the kichen.

   Having to close in a kitchen window - sigh - in order to open up a wall.

   More asbestos tile in the den.

   Crazy cement-plaster walls that are SO hard to tear down.

   A broken window in the upstairs foyer.

   Standing water in the front yard.

   Oaks that are in desperate need of trimming.

   Flower beds that haven't been touched in well over 5 years. Maybe 10.

   Poison Ivy/Oak/Sumac covering the beds... the hubs learned this the hard way.

   Flys swarming the attic.

I am sure the I missed a few things that we have yet to discover... but I am happy to say that all of things on the above list have been addressed and we are making progress on the reno. We are not going to meet our target move-in date of July 1. But we are hopeful that we aren't far-off. Maybe July 15/20?

All this to say, the house is looking beautiful!

Everyone in town that we talk with has so many great stories to tell us about the house and it's previous owners. It was certainly 'a house of its day' for many many years, and we hope to bring it back to its {updated and renovated} glory very soon!

Stay tuned for more updates!

 

Junkin Reno: Master Bath

The master bath is actually starting to come together really quickly! We now have a large bathroom, with two windows - yay - and a large walk-in closet. It's amazing to see the progress.

I wanted to share our new layout:

Just a couple pictures of the before space:

Looking into master bath from master bedroom.

This was a little bonus room/study that was on the front of the house and connected the master bath to the upstairs landing. It was a bog room of unused space. So we got rid of it and added it to the master bath and walk-in closet. 

Now for some updates. But first, a quick in-progress pic of the space.

June 8, 2017

Thanks for your input on the master bath vanity, we decided on option #2 Bella. The countertops are carrara marble and we selected the same faucets in the picture.

Selecting a tub may have been the hardest decision. We went with a a traditional claw foot tub with chrome feet and fixtures. I really liked the look of the white feet, but the tub we found didn't have that option - so chrome it was. I think either way, it's going to be so beautiful! We originally were planning on a high back tub, but changed our mind. I liked the symmetry of a balanced claw foot vs. the high back. Plus, bathing kiddos - let's be practical - a high back would have been impossible.

This is an unclose picture of the tile for our shower. It's subway tile in size, but marble and has gray throughout. It also has some neat imperfections to it, which actually has ended up tying the darker wood tile floors in very nicely.

Paint colors, vanity cabinet, shower tile and flooring. 

We picked out faucets for the tub, shower, and sinks. The shower faucet may be may favorite, it's so fun.

Flooring was really hard to pick, and ultimately we went with something totally different than what I was planning. Our contractor suggested the look, and it's really cool. We stopped by yesterday and they were laying the floor tiles. Check it out:

June 20, 2017

The tile is also being installed in the shower. Eeek!! 

June 20, 2017

I hope you're enjoying the progress updates. We certainly have loved watching the transformatin!

Father's Day 2K17

It's sorta become a tradition that we spend Father's Day with the Hollomania fam. This year, we don't have a newborn in the mix - just one very hot {as in, it's 96 degrees outside} momma. The morning was well spent - with cinnamon rolls and bacon on the porch, a trip to Lowe's to pick up Dad's Father's Day gift {a new grill} and some other new house necessities... including the cutest lil mailbox.

After naps {and lots of yard work by the hubs} we headed over the mountain to DBB Basecamp to meet the Hollomons.

We grabbed a picnic table under the outdoor bar, pulled out some toys for the kiddos and made ourselves at home. It was such a fun little afternoon.

Henry and Jesse matched too!

They have a new addition the compound, The Shanty. Where the gents had a Father's Day Bourbon tasting complete with cigars {that were saved for later, so the girls could join} and cards. The gals has the best time hanging out with their Dad's playing cards, and we got some pretty precious pics to boot.

I hope every Dad out there had a wonderful day, shared with loved ones! 

My oldest brother took his fam to visit my Paw-Paw, it was the sweetest. 

My middle brother spent the day taking care of my mom... who fell Saturday night and shattered her elbow. :(  Keep her in your prayers, she's having sugary this Thursday. Ugh. Dang wet floors.

Happy Father's Day to my best guy - I love you so much and can't wait to watch you tackle TWO!

Cheers to a great week ahead, friends!

Father's Day 2015 | Sorta...Father's Day 2016

Baby Lyons #2 | 33 Weeks

Annalee at 33 weeks

How Far Along?  30 weeks

Size of Baby: A butternut squash (3.1lbs, 17 inches long)

Gender: Praying for a healthy lil cub.

Weight Gain: Up 24 pounds 

Maternity Clothes: Living in dresses, maternity capris and tanks these days. 

Nursery: In progress. The house is coming along and the finally started work on the jack-n-jill bath attached to the nursery. Other than paint, the nursery won't get much reno. 

Movement: You bet cha! This baby is moving like crazy. 

Symptoms: Feeling great. Just tired. 

Sleep: Up a couple times a night to pee. The snoogle is still coming in handy!

Workouts: Made it to the Y on Wednesday!! 

Cravings: Well... at my 30 week check-up this week the doc found that my sugar was a little high. I guess through my urine test. I passed my sugar test at 28 weeks. However, sometimes late in the pregnancy you can develop "the sugars" I'll call it. So... doc wants me to watch my food over the next couple weeks and see if I come back normal. The baby is measuring a little on the bigger side, so they just want to be sure that's not gestational diabetes. Basically it's back to eating super healthy over the next couple weeks and we'll see if it's my food intake or just my body. 

What I Miss: Wine! 

Best Moment This Week: Hearing your sweet lil heartbeat is always a highlight of our day! Heartbeat was higher this time.. 150, but still pretty normal. Girl or Boy?

Looking Forward To: Celebrating Miss Annalee's 2nd birthday on Saturday!

Annalee at 30 weeks

___________

How Far Along?  32 weeks

Size of Baby: A head of lettuce (3.9 lbs, 19 inches long)

Gender: Praying for a healthy lil cub.

Weight Gain: Up 26 pounds 

Maternity Clothes: You bet! My selection of work clothes has dwindled to a handful of dresses on constant repeat. After work it's shorts or maternity capris and casual tank tops.

Nursery: We are trying to decide when Miss Annalee can transition to a big girl bed, so we can gift the crib to the new little cub. Not sure how a house move and big girl bed transition is going to work out all at once. We may have a nursery with no crib for a couple months while Miss Annalee gets settled. 

Movement: You bet cha! This baby is moving like crazy. 

Symptoms: Out of breath easily, having a hard time sleeping through the night - turning over is a chore. Baby seems to be running out of room in the belly and is certainly enjoying kicks to my ribs at all hours of the day. Linea Nigra is preset, but not as dark as I recall with Annalee. Belly button is still in... for now. 

Sleep: Hit or miss these days. Some nights I'm out and others I just toss and turn all night. 

Workouts: A couple walks on our beach trip - but that's about it. Twisted by ankle stepping off a bottom step onto some uneven ground and that grounded me for a few days. But I'm back on it and feeling good. Trying to get in as much walking as possible. 

Cravings: Chipped Ice!! Good news on my sugar - all is back to normal. I guess I enjoyed a few too many sweets prepping for Miss Annalee's Two-tii Fruitii birthday party. We are back to eating super healthy and baby seems to be growing just fine.

What I Miss: A good nights sleep. 

Best Moment This Week: Another great check-up at the doc - heartbeat was 130 this time, slower than last. I have no idea... what does that even mean? 

Looking Forward To: Our big move coming in just a few weeks!

Annalee at 32 Weeks

Lex Lyons Cub #2  Announcement | Weeks 10-16 | Weeks 19 & 20 | Weeks 22-24 | Weeks 25-27

Junkin Reno: Pendant Lighting

Who knew picking out two of the smallest lights in our house could take so much time??  I've searched through pages and pages of pendant lighting sites and came up empty. I finally asked our contractor to help me narrow it down, and he did! Thank the lord!!

We are down to 4 options. Help me pick!

Natural Brass Silberne

Legacy Brass

Natural Brass Penn

Satin Brass Piltz

These will go over our bar, and other than recessed lighting it'll be the only lights in the kitchen. There will be a large chandelier light of sorts over the kitchen table in the dining area... that is still on the "to-do" list to pick out.

In other house updates, we changed our minds on paint color. After seeing a single wall painted, it was WAY too dark. We decided on Sherwin Williams Snowfall this time. We'll see how it turns out.

A few house pics from earlier this week. Things are shaping up... but we still have a long way to go!

Dining room looking over bar into kitchen. 

Foyer looking into dining room now.

Foyer looking into living room. So open and bright! I love it!! 

More updates to come. Stay tuned!