The Girls take on Lahaina Town

So, as you may already know, a few weekends ago, we took off on our annual girls weekend getaway. It's pretty much a "have-to" in my book. I mean, when another tropical island is just 20 minutes away, then I don't think there's much reason NOT to have a girls trip. :) I'm not tryin' to sound spoiled here; (although I know I am, sheerly based off of my state of residence) it's just that I certainly can't hop over to Maui for a quick ladies vay-cay from any other US state that may become my future home. So, there was not much hesitation. Lahaina it was!

Well, actually, if I'm being honest... There was an itsy bitsy moment of doubt. Only because it would require me to leave my little blake potato for the weekend. But, BUT, I knew the benefit of a daddy-daughter weekend would far outweigh any discomfort I felt about leaving her. AND, I knew she was in very capable and loving hands with Timmy. So, Tim, if you read this (I think he may just skim my posts), thank you for being so awesome and rockin' the weekend with Blakely. Oh, and I must mention that not only did he care for our little one, but he also finished the bathroom redo and cleaned the whole house. I'm one lucky mama. I wonder if that'll happen every time I leave with the girls ;). Should I try to find out?!

Anyway, I do have a few group shots to share. I'm not sure where my mind is these days. I thought I regained it after pregnancy, but maybe not all of it came back. I took some darling photos of my girls, but I accidentally deleted them all yesterday! Sheesh. These quick pics are compliments of Rachel Kuchar (my amazingly talented photography friend) and she just used her point and shoot. She's good!



Lavender scones and tea, anyone?!




Cruisin' the lavender fields....that's what girls do. :)




Just a Lahaina sunset. It was a rough weekend. ;)




Bra-cation. Word.



Bed Bath & Beyond: The one stop shop for a new shower curtain

Allllooooohhha!!

So....I meant to do this post a few weeks back when I first got home from my Bed Bath & Beyond shopping excursion with the girls. A few Tuesdays ago, we checked out our brand spankin' new double-decker Bed Bath & Beyond. The first one on the island and it happens to be on our side!

It was perfect timing as I was on the hunt for "the one." My options were already limited because my hubby picked out some busy (beautiful) granite. So, I couldn't go over the top with a shower curtain. However, in my next home, perhaps I'll find my perfect shower curtain and plan the bathroom around that. I'm sure that's what most people do, but we often get impulsive and work  backwards. Oh well, more fun that way!

Before I show the curtain I purchased, let me show you a few of my first loves from that day (the first two pics are taken from Amazon.com and the last pics are from the Bed Bath & Beyond website. B B & B carries all of the below curtains):

I didn't realize that B B & B sold Amy Butler shower curtains. I fell in love with her fabric at Bolt, a fabric boutique in Northeast Portland, and have had her designs on my mind ever since. I love how cheery this curtain is. Maybe I'll buy it for my next bathroom...when I have a clawfoot tub!

I was instantly drawn to the colors in this Amy Butler curtain. I love the greens and blues for a Hawaii bathroom!



 I thought this was a simple, smart choice for our guest bathroom because it would draw in the aqua and brown from our main living space. I still like this curtain; it just wasn't the one to win my heart this time.

This sweet shower curtain made me smile. Abby and I texted a picture to Yasi. It's called Chirp by Lenox. It matches Yasi's china from her wedding registry. I think I might like it more on plates rather than a shower curtain. :)

Yeah, so this is image is a little fuzzy, but this curtain makes me smile. It's called Text Talk. I actually bought it as a joke and told Tim this would be the one. Of course, my joke wasn't so funny because he politely told me it's nice. Tim's too nice. ;)

And this is the one I purchased! Ta da! I don't love it the most as a stand-alone, but I do love it in our bathroom. Just as soon as I clean up our guest bathroom, I'll show you a pic of how it looks.

Have a great weekend my friends and family! xoxo Happy cleaning, shopping, project-ing, or whatever you're up to this weekend.



White Plains & Blakely

Last week, Tim taught Brittany's three friends how to surf at While Plains. While he was doing that, Britt and I hung on the beach and snapped some shots of B. Tim's Aunt (Brittany's mom) sent some darling little outfits for Blakely. Check out the tutu inspired baby skirt she's wearing. <3

RG--Part Three

Geez...I've slacked on my blog lately... :)

Last weekend I was in Maui with the girls and this past week we had four lovely college girls staying with us. More on all that fun girl action later...

I'm in between University of Phoenix courses so today, Tuesday, I'm enjoying an easy peasy day at home. I just finished reading up on how to prepare sweet potatoes and bananas for Blakely. We'll see what she thinks. I'll share more later!

So, back to the guest bathroom and our rag-tag project... well, it's not really rag-tag, it actually looks pretty darn good, but we are all about trial and error. We're not finished yet!

The time honored self taken photo ;). Our yellow backdrop is no more...

The counter, sink, yellow walls...it's all been so good to us...

The counter pretty much lifted off, sink and everything. This was the easy part.

So far so good...just placed the granite slab where the old counter used to be. Only modification was adding some already cut 2x4 pieces of wood for extra support (since the granite is much heavier).

Now it gets a bit trickier. Tim has to cut a hole for the sink and a hole for the faucet.

That's all I have for now. We did return our $230 faucet to Lowes and ordered a $40 look-a-like from Amazon.com (free shipping!). It came and looks great. The vessel sink and faucet are all hooked up. Tim is just adjusting the plumbing pieces. More pics later... :)

Rockin' the Granite Part Two

OFF TO LOWE'S

Hey Cyber-Ohana,

I'm only giving myself ten minutes to update my blog right now. But, I wanted to show you day two with granite. It's actually kind of a fun project and so far it's working out, thanks to my dedicated hubby!

Tim's favorite kind of shopping!

Eeny meeny miny mo... so many sinks to choose from. We went with a vessel sink--the bottom right to be exact. It's easier for Tim to cut a jagged hole in the granite and then cover it up with the base of a vessel sink. And the modern look is kinda fun and different! If we had the right tools, we would have opted for an undermount sink. Mostly because they are easiest to clean and look so fresh (if a sink can look fresh)!

Looking for the right diamond tipped drill bit. Gotta figure out how to drill a hole for the faucet. More on that later...

Would it be easier to just buy a pre-cut counter top with the sink included? Nah.... :)

Someday...I do love clawfoot bathtubs. My dream house includes a bathroom with a clawfoot bathtub and a sunroom with a library! :)

Blue Nalu Blessings

So...Tim's painting our guest bathroom and I'm supposed to be doing my University of Phoenix grading while Blakely naps. Don't tell Tim, but I just had to jump on my blog and share these amazing photos that Rachel and Nick took a few days ago.

I've shared pics taken by Rachel and Nick before, but if you don't know them or know their work, I encourage you to check them out: Blue Nalu Photography or check out their blog. They rock! They shoot locally and they travel. Not only is their wedding photography stunning, but you should see what they do with fashion! It's amazing!

Rachel and Nick have the biggest hearts and bless many with their gift. From taking gorgeous family photos for the walls of our church to surprise baby photos while mamas are away, these two don't stop giving.

In fact, this past Friday, I asked them to do me a huge favor and kick it with Blakely for a few hours so I could go into work at the high school. I came home to these beautiful pictures of my baby. I couldn't be more excited to have B's many faces captured forever. Thank you, Rachel and Nick! We love you guys!

Uncle Nick's Vee Dub

Eventhough she's losing her hair (sad), she still may need a lil' trim! :)

Mod Keiki, anyone?!

Rachel and Blakers

Rockin' the Granite...Part One

So...I love my husband because he's willing to try anything...once. This is our first (and possibly only) attempt at DIY granite countertops. We are starting with our bathrooms....and most likely ending with our bathrooms ;). While it'd be nice to do the kitchen, that may be a little out of our league. We'll see what happens.

In another post, I'll show you the before and after photos (when we get that far!).

Today, Tim and his co-worker turned buddy, Curtis, headed to Honolulu to visit a place called Selective Stone. Apparently, Selective Stone has three locatoins: Honolulu, Los Angeles, and Bejing (I know, random!). Anyway, they'll sell a larger slab of granite than Home Depot or Lowes. Tim was also able to buy a slab with rounded edges. I think there is a fancier term, but no need. :)

The trick was getting the granite home. Who knew that it's not best to lay granite down flat? Forunately an Ewa side granite guy was in the shop. He gave Tim a "good" deal on delivery.

Tim immediately set up shop on our lanai and used a skill saw to cut down the granite. I hung out on the lanai for moral support and took some photos.

Hopefully I'll get to write a Part Two to this post and share the next steps...

For now I'm off to a bbq with my friends!
Happy Labor Day Weekend!!

The granite slab that Tim picked out.

We forgot a dust mask, so we had to improvise. :)

Adjusting the width (a little too much on accident!).

Using a skill saw to divide it into two parts--for two different bathrooms.