Living Room Inspiration

So I have totally been MIA this summer but I promise it has been for a good cause! If you haven't figured it out yet (from my kitchen post a few weeks ago), we are under contract on a house! We are supposed to close on Wednesday and we are so excited! The whole process has been a dream and we couldn't have asked for anything better.

Our house hunt started off very rocky. I was being very picky particular about where I wanted us to live in Ty's hometown and it did finally pay off. Houses in this area were selling before they went on the market which made it even more difficult! Then we got in a bidding war in May on a house and some things were done on the agent's end (the seller's agent, not ours - we don't have one) that were umm, well - illegal. Yes, you heard that right. But we won't go there because God's plan was so much better for us. Our house is much better than the one we got in a bidding war on so I think we came out alright.

This verse has always been my favorite & I have gone back to it time and time again throughout my life. It has been so fitting throughout the last few months of our life as we were house hunting!

The sellers are just the sweetest and since the house was empty (they had renters in it that had moved out) they let us go ahead and paint and rip up the carpet. I was starting to stress big time about us moving in right around when school was starting back and I am so thankful they let us go in and do stuff before closing because if they hadn't, I would have been trying to start school and do house projects all at the same time and it wouldn't have been too fun.

Our family and friends have so graciously helped us paint, rip up carpet, pull nails out of the hardwood, paint, and paint some more. We couldn't have completed all that we did in a week without their help!

When we ripped up the carpet we knew there would be 80 year old hardwoods underneath but I wasn't expecting them to be so gorgeous.

Just look at these beauties...

I just can't help but think of all the history in these floors. The sellers said that they have been covered up with carpet for a long time (why would you EVER cover these babies up??), but the creeks and marks on them just make my heart happy. I can't wait til we make more memories on them.

The floor guys came this morning and started to bring them back to life. I can't wait to show yall how they turn out!

Ok, back to the purpose of this post...

Living Room Inspiration!

We wanted to paint before the carpet was pulled up & the floors were redone so I had to hurry and make paint choices last Sunday. Sherwin Williams was having a huge 40% off sale so we went ahead and bought paint for the living room, kitchen, kitchen cabinets, and the master bedroom. We decided to leave the guest rooms, bathroom, and hallway as is for now and I will tend to those as time goes on. I cannot say enough wonderful things about the guys at our local Sherwin Williams. I was in there about 7 times last week and each time they were so helpful and knowledgeable.

I knew I wanted a shade of gray for the living room based on what I was pinning on Pinterest. What did we do before pinterest, I mean seriously??

I really want our living room to be warm, cozy, and inviting.

Here are some of my inspirations (all taken from my pinterest board)...

This is probably more pillows than I would like on my couch but I love the neutral colors.

This one is just perfect. Grab a cup of cocoa and come join me. 

Ty is not on board with one of these oversized couches but I am totally in love. I mean, why would you ever want to leave your living room if your couch was this comfy?

Again with the oversized couch. Heavenly.

We ended up going with Sherwin Williams Unique Gray as the paint color. Some people have said it has a hint of lavender in it but I am hoping once we get some furniture in there and some light blue accent pieces, it will look more gray. I fell in love with the color as soon as I saw it on the walls. 

Here is a picture of it before & after the carpet was ripped up. 

Before:

(hey mom!)

And After...

It's a small space so we will not have a coffee table but I am picturing a nice cozy couch, an end table or two, a bench right when you walk in the front door (on the wall leading to the hallway doorway), and a basket of blankets. I am one of those people who loves blankets (even in the hot Alabama summer), so a basket of blankets is a must, right? 

I can't wait until it all comes together! I am looking forward to doing some before and after posts of every room in the house as they evolve so stay tuned!

Our 4th of July Weekend

Whew! I think I'm still catching up from the busy weekend we had! Every year we go to my Uncle's big red barn for lots of yummy food & fellowship! We play games, take a group picture, eat all day, and then eat some more. ;) 

We had a wonderful day even though it rained for a little bit during the afternoon! 

Mom & I went to get our nails done on Thursday so my nails were very patriotic for Saturday. :)

I saw this adorable fireworks craft from Andrea at Momfessionals and I thought it would be perfect to try with the kids on Saturday! It was super easy and the kids loved it. I am totally a crafty teacher and love doing any type of craft with my kids at school but never get to do any summer craft so I was in heaven! 

Uncle Ty and Ryce watching cornhole!

Cousins with their papa!

This little stinker is at such a fun age! She is so expressive and so sassy. 

Hagen sure does love his nana!!!

I am so glad all my sisters were there and we got to spend time together! 

(Me and my sister Christen {we are on the outside} are both wearing new ALB shirts!!) 

Speaking of ALB, my niece Aubrey is also wearing her new American Collection tank! Her and my sister were matchy matchy and she ended up ordering Kate one too!! We love us some Amanda Lee Boutique! 

After we left my uncles house, we went back to Ty's parents house & hung out for a little bit before it was time to go see fireworks! Ty asked if anyone wanted to go on a golf cart ride and as you can see, it was a popular idea. ;) 

#howmanypeoplecanyoufit

We got some stares driving down the road! I am happy to report everyone stayed on the golfcart the whole time!

Then it was time to walk to the fireworks! I am so in love with this little town. Especially on days like the 4th. I love that we can walk to the little "mall" area (it's a big grassy area - if you remember, that is where Ty proposed!) and they have food trucks, bouncy houses, games for kids, a band, and more! We found a spot to lay our towels down and let the kids have some fun before the fireworks started! 

I'm sad to report I have no pictures of the fireworks but I loved watching the kids get so excited over them! 

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th! I am always so thankful for the men & women who fight for our freedom but weekends like this where we celebrate our country always make me appreciate them more. They are true heroes!!

Dreaming. <insert heart eyes here>

So for the last week I've been glued to Pinterest. Dreaming of this...

(Please excuse my screenshot pictures, I blog from my phone...ha!)

And this...

And this too..

And this..

Give me all the white kitchens. And all the subway tile (colored is my favorite but the white is dreamy too). And give me all the farmhouse sinks. ALL OF THEM.

There's something about those farmhouse sinks. They're homey. And gorgeous. And make me want to be a farm girl.

And even though I don't think I'd be brave enough to put a turquoise sink in my home, this is just perfect....

I know, a little bold. But if you know me, it kinda makes sense doesn't it? :)

So why have I been pinning and dreaming and researching all the kitchen things for the past week? 

{stay tuned} 

:)

Summer fun!

I can't believe it's almost July already! The summer fun has gotten in the way of blogging lately so here's a quick update of what the Latham's have been up to...

I went to South Florida to see this angel and her mama...

Molly and I have been friends since 5th grade! We've been through it all together and have had a long distance friendship on and off since 8th grade when her family moved to Florida. She transferred from Auburn to Alabama (Roll Tide!) our sophomore year of college and we lived together our last 2 years. We've been apart again since college which is so hard, but we've become accustomed to it. Thank goodness for FaceTime!!! 

I had a blast catching up with Molly & Brain (Molly's husband) in their new home in South Florida! We got to go to the beach 2 days & eat at Brian's restaurant, which was amazing!!! And the view wasn't terrible either...

 

Can you imagine going to work here every day?? :)

I loved getting to play with Charlie Grace! She has changed so much since I last saw her at my wedding!!! 

Sister loves PB (just like me!)

Can't wait to see the Doyle's again!!!

After my South Florida trip, we went to Pensacola for a week with Ty's family and had a blast! We had GORGEOUS weather every day! 

Even though we had the best time, we missed this girl...

We are so glad to be back with her! 

Since we've been back, we've had lunch dates..

We've laid around enjoying summer...

And we went to the lake for Ty's friend Jake's birthday! 

 

We've had a great (but busy) June but I am so ready to RELAX in July before *dare I say it* school starts back {gasp}!  

June 10th?!?

Oh my we are almost halfway through June!!!! 

Am I right?!?

I have no clue what day it is most of the time in the summer.

And that's perfectly ok with me!!

I have been super busy since I last posted!!!! After my trip to New Orleans/Baton Rouge with my cousin Karlie, I had lots of slow mornings waking up late and enjoying laying around the apartment! It was cloudy/rainy the first week of summer and then as soon as it got sunny our apartment decided to CLOSE THE POOL to resurface it - ummm, I'm sorry - didn't you have 4 months to do that during the winter? And of course it has been sunny EVERY DAY since then. Boo. I'm missing my pool days.

Last Wednesday - Sunday I made the trek to Pigeon Forge with my sister, brother in law, and nieces and nephews for a few days of fun at Dollywood's Splash Country water park! We had a ball! 

I didn't take many pictures while we were there because we were in the water most of the time! 

We also rode lots of golf carts!!! 

I got home Sunday and started packing up our apartment because we are moving out next week!!! We will go to the beach for a week and then live with Ty's  parents for a bit until we hopefully have a house soon. 

And now I am sitting in the airport about to head to Fort Lauderdale to see these people..

And I cannot wait!!!! I haven't seen them since my wedding last July and I couldn't be more excited!!!! 

Bring it on South Florida, I'm ready for you!