The Chronicles of House Hunting

It's been a few weeks on the house hunt. After viewing just a few houses we found one we completely fell in love with. It was a tad over our budget but our mortgage lender assured we could afford it. As we put in our counter offer, he called. He made a huge mistake, it was not in our budget.  He didn't account for the taxes which I had sent him not once but twice. He was from a reputable mortgage company, and we were heart broken.  We quickly called another mortgage lender to see if we could make it work, but unfortunately the monthly payment was far to much so we had to walk away.

From then on every house hasn't compared. I still take a browse everyday and receive updates from our realtor, but we've decided to take a break on actively searching and seeing every house imaginable. We know there will be a perfect house out there for us, it's just a matter of when.

With that heart break I splurged on some items I've wanted for the apartment for awhile. Nothing fancy but this bar cabinet, a similar headboard to this, and this bedding.  I've been extremely happy with my purchases so far.  Now it's time to take on our spare bedroom.

Fall Layers Meets Motorcycle Chic

Madewell sweatshirt / Madewell blue checked shirt / Trouvé collarless leather jacket / J.Crew pants / Steve Madden ankle booties / Tory Burch black crossbody handbag / Michael Kors pave bracelet / Warby Parker eyeglass

I've never been one to want to jump behind the wheel of a motorcycle with my hair blowing in the wind - in fact it terrifies me. But, I do love the inspired looks for those that do dare and the change in texture that leather accents bring to any outfit giving you a polished look ready to see where the night takes you.  Perhaps I'm channeling my inner Sandy from Grease - but this look has been a favorite for sometime and I don't think it's going anywhere anytime soon.

House Hunting

I have some extremely exciting NEWS to share! After seven-years of monthly credit checks, my identity being stolen not once but three times (by the same person), and down sizing and getting rid the debt of 12 credit cards I finally got through the pre-approval process to own my first home!

I was so excited that I couldn't sleep and just spent hours looking at houses online last night.

While you are probably shaking your head saying 12 credit cards? Monthly credit checks?  To sum it up turning 18 came with an emotional shopping problem and a heaping amount of debt.

But now that is well gone and over with and lessons have been learned, Andy and I couldn't be happier.  I can't tell you how many countless hours I've spent watching HGTV- scouring every real estate site available browsing future houses. Now it is finally here!

Our official hunt starts tomorrow starting with a small home in a downtown we absolutely love.

Can't wait to share our house hunting journey with all of you!

Photo Credit

Happy Birthday Lincoln!

Our precious pup turns 3 today! I can't believe how time has flown, but am I ever so glad he no longer wets in the house or chews my shoes. Each birthday we make a big deal out of the day for him, and he gets plenty of new treats and toys to celebrate. I'm sure he doesn't get why we are spoiling him so much, but he always gets a cupcake with a birthday candle (this ones a little girlier then normal) and we sing to him.  

The Strawberry Cupcake I made yesterday. Yum! 

Lincoln devouring his Strawberry Cupcake.  He made a little mess but he made sure to eat up every crumb. 

Are you as crazy about celebrating your pets birthday as I am? If so what do you do to celebrate? 

Strawberry Cupcakes

This weekend at the grocery store Andy and I found some monster strawberries that we couldn't pass up - and what better to make they Strawberry Cupcakes with them. I've used a few different Strawberry Cupcake recipes in the past and would say this is one my favorites because it is not overpowering in flavor and not too sweet. Here's what you'll need: 

Ingredients - Cupcakes: 

1 Box French Vanilla Cake Mix

1 Cup Water

1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil

3 Egg Whites

1/2 Cup Pureed Strawberries blended in blender

Mix and Bake for 18 Minutes at 350 Degrees

Ingredients - Strawberry Frosting: 

5 Cups Powdered Sugar

2 Tsp Lemon Juice

1/4 Cup Pureed Strawberries

1 Stick of Butter

For the icing - First beat the butter until creamy, then add the lemon and already pureed strawberries. After they have blended, add the powered sugar slowly giving the icing time to fluff and then get stiff. 

Voila! Nothing fancy but the perfect cupcake for those who want a little something light for those upcoming warmer days.  Enjoy! 

Wedding Preview: Invitations

This past weekend, we finally began to stuff our wedding invitations from Shine Invitations. Our wedding is still 5 months away, but being that it is during a popular holiday weekend and it's 4 1/2 hours away from home we wanted to make sure our guests have enough time to set up hotel accommodations. 

We went with a simple and elegant invitation in just black and white. Although colors of pink, coral and mint will make appearances at our wedding. We wanted to keep everything simple and felt black and white was the easiest.  

While most people complain about stuffing their wedding invites - we had fun. Everything was super simple to put together, and Shine Invitations did a great job getting proofs and changes made within minutes. It took less then a week to receive them and I would highly recommend them if you are looking for someone to do your wedding invites, save the dates, or any other stationary for your day. 

*Note: This post was not sponsored by Shine Invitations and is strictly opinion.

Black & White Stripes Round 2

Jeans: 7FAM | Shirt: Loft | Jacket: Lauren Conrad | Shoes: Steve Madden | Bracelet: Francescas | Watch: Michael Kors | Necklace: Etsy | Sunglasses: Target

Was it me or did this past weekend just fly by? As mentioned yesterday, my Dad came over with his new pup George. Andy and I both went out with our friends, it was nice to see everyone and better yet spend a night away from each other. Saturday night I went out with the girls and he went out with the guys. His ended a little rougher then mine did, but It was nice to have Lincoln to myself and snuggle up with him alone. Sometimes it's just great to have space, and do our own things. 

I wore this outfit Saturday just relaxing at home and quickly turned it into something to wear out with the girls by adding some heels.