Noteworthy

Noteworthy : Inspiration, Renovation Updates & More! roomfortuesday.comIt’s kind of odd that I’m beginning the week with a new ‘Noteworthy‘ post because I typically try to post these at the end of a week… but it’s been a lonnnng time and I thought you guys might like an overdue update on what has been going on, things that have caught my attention, and links I’ve found inspiring as of lately. Click through for lots of tidbits (and secrets about upcoming projects)!

If you’re wondering about the intro image, Emmett snapped this photo on his phone of me wrangling Johnny Cash in our backyard. That’s my part time job… dog wrangling. As you can see, I’m not awesome at it.

First of all, let’s start with a kitchen update… I don’t think I’ll draft another progress recap post because you guys already watch the behind-the-scenes on Instagram and I want to make sure the final reveal is somewhat of a surprise. Since my last blog post update, we’ve finished the millwork, toe kick, and countertops are in! I’ve also put everything back into the cabinetry where it belongs (that felt like a BIG victory). Best of all- I cooked my first dinner in 5(!) months in the space and it has never tasted so good (homemade fancy quesadillas, if you were wondering). Ha! That said… we still have a lot to do before it’s ready to share: tile & grout the backsplash, add the pot fillers, select dining furniture, design the custom banquette upholstery, and install light fixtures. As soon as the One Room Challenge wraps up next week, we’ll begin focusing on the kitchen once again, so it shouldn’t be long. I’m hoping for a May reveal if all goes as planned!

Guys, I did something I NEVER do… I went to get a manicure with two of my girlfriends. The manicurist told me I had the worst cuticles she’d ever seen (hahah!!)– I wasn’t surprised. I’m always doing projects and my hands kind of pay the price. Well, now I’m back on the fast track to having decent cuticles again, and I wanted to share this hand balm with you. If anyone else has dry cracky hands or terrible cuticles (like me), this stuff is amazing. And let’s get real- the package is truly beautiful. The only problem? How and where do I buy this again when it runs out? Does anyone else use it and know the answer?

In other news, I was on the news last Friday. Fox13 Salt Lake City invited me to come chat about our backyard renovation (still our most rewarding renovation to-date), and I was SO nervous. It actually ended up being a lot of fun and I put my fear of live television to rest. I once had a traumatic experience on the air… back in the day, I thought I wanted to be a meteorologist and convinced the Louisville weather man to let me give the weather one morning while I was job shadowing. Let’s just say I ended up choking (literally) and they had to cut to the news. I’m sure all of Kentuckiana was mad because the weather didn’t happen. I didn’t even have gum!! I just choked on my own saliva, I guess? Gross, I know. Anyway, I was thankful I made it through the Fox segment chatting about my outdoor living space without choking or passing out. Haha! You can watch the segment right here.

Speaking of our outdoor area, I have an upcoming project that I’m really excited about! I decided to transform our covered carport into an outdoor dining space (that I mentioned in the Fox segment linked above). It’s a temporary solution until we demo it and build a garage in it’s place someday, but I’m excited to make it better- even if it’s only for a couple seasons. Stay tuned for that- the reveal is going to be in mid May so I need to get moving. First I have to convince Emmett to move all of his tools.

Can I make a request? If you aren’t already, you should follow along on Pinterest. I decided at the beginning of 2018 to start devoting more time to Pinterest, rather than Instagram, mostly because I honestly enjoy it more. Hey- ya gotta do what makes you happy. I’ve been pinning SO many fun things and ideas, and it’s been making me genuinely happy to set aside that time and do something for me- I feel like I’ve finally found my creative mojo again.

Bedroom - roomfortuesday.comOn another note, we already have lots of house guests on the calendar for summer and Finn pretty much ruined the guest room bedding during the kitchen renovation. We had to put his crate away, so we were temporarily shutting him in the guest room instead. Needless to say, he enjoyed it, took up residency on the bed, and scratched off the embroidery on the comforter (like I said, I’m not a good dog wrangler). Not to mention, there’s lots of nice dirt stains. Luckily, it was just a cheap one from Target that I bought on the fly, so I’m actually glad I have an excuse to replace it with something more fun or luxurious. I know our guests will be happier! Sooo, all of that to say- I’ll be reshooting that space soon. It’s been over a year and a refresh / blog update is in order!

Onto the fun stuff, inspiration, and links! This article really hit home for me. Last week, Emmett and I were walking out the door to go grab food at our favorite dive bar (it’s walking distance from our house, so we’re regulars) and I forgot my phone. Instead of running back into the house for it, I shouted, “Hey- do you have your phone, I’m just going to leave mine here.” Apparently he was into the idea and said… “You know what? I’m leaving mine too; we should unplug!” It ended up being one of the nicest dinners we’ve had in awhile- even in the middle of a grungy dive bar! We chatted, had great conversations, good beer, delicious food, and didn’t think twice about checking our phones. It was honestly really refreshing. We’re planning to do dinner nights like that more often. Do you guys have “unplugged” time? If so, is it a certain time of day / night? Date rules for no phones? I’d love to hear how you do it!

I’ve mentioned that I’m ready to start using / seeing more color in interior spaces. This article was spot on. Can you guess which 3 bold colors saw a 565% jump in Pinterest searches this year? I’m honestly digging all of them.

Have you guys read anything good lately? One of my best friends gifted me this book as a thank you and it’s really deep (in such a good way). It’s a collection of poems and wise words… and was #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list. It’s something I’ve been reading everyday and meditating on.

I made one of these salads over the weekend and wondered HOW I forgot about it. It’s one of my favorites for spring and summer!

Last time, I shared my three most recent purchase… so let’s do that again: one (these are the pants I have on in the Fox news segment- they run small… I’m wearing a 10) // two (hooks for the laundry room… you’ll have to guess which ones!) // three (for the backyard…. but you can find a giant outdoor pillow roundup here)

Outdoor Pillows - roomfortuesday.comAND- did you guys notice the new tab on the home page? The rectangular box in the center? Find allllll of my outdoor living, backyard, and exterior posts there. There’s a bunch of good content and all things spring / summer related (including my famous pitcher margaritas).

Well, this one is getting lengthy, so I’ll wrap things up. I hope you guys have a fantastic week. I have lots of great things coming to the blog- including a roundup of my favorite firepits and a big One Room Challenge update! Stay tuned… xox

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8 Comments

    1. Yes, thank you Jen!! That stuff is seriously amazing. Between all the projects, it works wonders on my hands.

  1. Just a heads up that “Exteriors” on the homepage link is missing the i :]

    1. Whoops! Thank you so much for pointing that out- I appreciate it. All fixed now :)

  2. I think I need that hand cream! I’ve sanded off my fingerprints and can’t easily get into my iPhone (#firstworldproblems)!

    P.S. I choke on my own saliva all the time!

    1. Haha!! It’s magic in a tube, I swear. Thanks for making me feel better about choking. lol!

  3. Hi Sarah
    Is this product greasy? I’m right there with you on the raggy cuticles.

    1. I don’t think so! That’s my pet peeve and one of the reasons I never lotion my hands… I feel like I can’t touch or do anything if they’re greasy- it’s just messy. I like that this absorbs in and feels soft, rather than sitting on top of my skin.