Top favorite Reno's - #3 Lakehouse Living Room

Living rooms - some would argue this space is the heart of the home. For Tommy Thompson and I the heart of our home is the dining room. We don't have cable, we rarely have time to sit on a couch - and we love our large dining room with space to entertain. Nevertheless one of my biggest gripes after moving into the Lakehouse was the lack of a living room upstairs.

When you walk through the front door you're greeted by a beautiful picture window looking out at the lake, a rustic fireplace to the right and a large dining room space that most likely people before us used as the living room. To the left of all this was a funky little 'bar' with seating for two. I say 'bar' loosely as this space lacked some major elements to function properly:

1. The bar top overhang was only 6", not sufficient for sitting at and dining

2. It lacked electricity and water

3. While sitting at the bar you faced the hallway to the left of the kitchen therefore not making it a viable part of the kitchen

Before picture literally moments before the demo began. 

When I moved in, Tommy Thompson's four person table was swapped for my 10 persons set - it fit the space better and suited our frequent dinner parties. When the kitchen re-model planning began we tossed around a few ideas on how to make this a more functional eating area until one night it dawned on me... The one thing in the room we were missing was a living room area - the one thing we had going was ample dining space - why not close off the 'bar'? It seemed crazy at first to close in a wall but the more we played with the idea we couldn't come up with a single reason not to. 

I drew Tommy Thompson a sketch of what I wanted and within hours he had framed in the wall to close it off. What baby wants bay gets. (Have I mentioned how much I love living with a man who is handy AND would do anything for me???)

We removed the old tile counters and did come wiring to add a counter top outlet and under mount lighting. 

On the living room side, closing off the bar gave me a small corner to add a couch and some wall art. The wall art was easy but finding a couch was a challenge. I decided on a sectional to maximize the space - as is with most things - I have a great idea that is impossible to find. Luckily Pier 1 sells a 'build your own sectional', and surprisingly it was affordable! To define the space I dropped a cowhide rug I'd bought years before on Etsy, threw the four-piece Alton sectional in and added a Target clearance coffee table that also serves as a bench since it's cushioned. I enlarged some favorite family photos, threw them in some clearance Target frames (are you seeing a pattern? I have a Target clearance problem...) and the space was complete. As odd as it sounds closing in that wall made the space feel so much bigger and it truly feels like a cozy living room area now. 'Fixed the newel post!' (bonus if you know that movie!)

The added bonus was the new butler pantry/bar on the back side of the living room.  Having been so focused on the living room I hadn't expected to DOUBLE our storage space on the back side. Once the wall was up we flanked the upper area with IKEA wine racks and added 3 open shelves in the middle (more on these later). The shelves allowed me to move all the specialty bar ware to this space, thus freeing up precious cabinet space in the kitchen. It also gave me a space to display some of my ginormous China collection. A sacrifice I made moving in to the Lakehouse was not putting the hutch on top of my buffet. Neither of the two walls where the buffet could go had space above to accommodate it, one wall has a large picture window facing Longs Peak and the second houses Tommy Thompson's 'trophies'. 

Kitchen re-model in FULL effect here. Fridge n the living room, stove on the front porch.

To finish off the butlers pantry/bar we installed a new flush mount chandelier, added an outlet, under mount lighting and carried the same backslash/cabinet/paint/counter top/flooring finishes over from the kitchen. Both sides now function to their full potential and get used daily.

Before

After - Living Room

After - Bar Area

Renovation break... Wedding planning update

The wedding.is.planned. Yep, you read correct, our wedding plans are complete after just over a month. My goal was to plan the entire wedding before Memorial Day and we did it!! Of course there are some small things to finalize but the big stuff is done!

I think most couples would tell you that they're most excited for the honeymoon (don't get me wrong... we are) or for the wedding to just be over - but for us we cannot wait for the big day! We're so excited to see our friends and family that are graciously flying in from all over the US. It's seriously like Christmas morning when we get a text or an email from someone telling us they've booked their flight.

And the planning team? Stellar. Tommy Thompson has continued to impress me with his eagerness to help and desire to make this day special for us - I sure picked a winner. The little one has been fabulous as well. Our Saturday morning tradition is to hit up Goodwill in search of milk glass vases and brass candlesticks. I thought I was a good thrift store shopper - I have met my match. He has even given us a list of songs to dance to and has even started working on a special choreographed dance...

I thought I would keep the details private until the big day but I'm just too stinkin excited so here are some of the super fun people we've got helping us for the party of the century in just 101 days:

- Say Cheese!! My good friend Patrick, owner of PhoCo will be snapping photos and shooting video for us. If our wedding pics are anything like last fall's pics we're in for a treat!! We cheated a little and used a pic from that photo session for the save the date - it's hard to beat that American Gothic picture!

- My lady crush Vicky, owner of Taste Catering, will be providing all the food. I say she's my lady crush because she's beautiful, a single mama of four and started a business that makes the most amazing food in the world all on her own. Did I mention her food is amazing? My mouth is watering right now thinking about her salted caramel and her watermelon goat cheese bites...

- Another fabulous friend of mine, Linda - owner of Finishing Touches - will be making the Lakehouse even more beautiful with flowers galore. I think she was one of the very first vendors I met out of college as a new event planner and to say her style impressed me is an understatement. It's rare to find a vendor, especially a decor vendor, that you can show a few pictures to and let them loose - completely trusting them to make your vision come to life and Linda is exactly this.

- Even party planners need party planners, enter my dear friend Darci, owner of Silo Event Consulting. We've worked alongside each other a number of times so I completely trust her to pay attention to tiniest detail, oversee all the crazy things that come up and even jump in and get her hands dirty if need be.

- Every wedding needs something new... so I've met some pretty cool new vendors as well. We are beyond excited about A Photo Booth Bus. This little beauty is named Lucy and she'll be driving in from Utah for our special day to snap candid photos AND go-pro the in's and out's of the shenanigans that go with photo boothin' (it's a word).

- A party without cake is just a meeting... so we need cake. And a big cake at that. A few weeks ago Tommy Thompson, the Little One and I went cake tasting. There is an adorable little house turned cake shop in downtown Longmont right next door to our fave breakfast stop, surely that's a sign, right? Narrowing down flavors was hard but we settled on 4 cake flavors and 4 pie flavors, I'll just say peanut.butter. Cannot wait to see the cake La Momo Maes Bakery whips up for us!

- The hair. I have the most incredible hairstylist ever. I left her for a a year or so when I moved and came to the conclusion that some things are worth the drive and she is. Lauren at Studio Be Salon knows my hair better than anyone (and let's be honest, aside from my mother is the only one that knows my real hair color) so I cannot wait to see what we end up with on the big day!! 

Still on our to-do list is to shop shop shop for white milk glass vases and...lose 30 pounds among other things but we are pretty pleased so far. Here's to a super fun summer of relaxing and spending time together as a family before the big day! 

You can follow the wedding Pinterest board here to see all the ideas and plans going in to our big day!

Top 10 Favorite Reno's - #6 Furniture

Renovations don't just happen to rooms and houses they can happen to anything - including furniture. I've worked on some fun furniture projects that we not only use daily but things I hope to keep in our family for generations to come.

When Pinterest first came out the thing to pin were pallets. Pallet walls, pallet beds, pallet tables, you name it, Pinterest can tell you how to make it from a pallet. Not as easy and practical as the internet came make it seem... I wanted a patio table that was large and in charge. A table that was made of recycled items and looked rustic but would hold up to the elements - all things that a pallet table would not provide. (Despite my efforts) I stumbled upon Ana White's Fancy X Farmhouse Table and was in love. On my weekly trip to the Habitat Re-Store I found the perfect top for the table, an 8' x 4' solid wood door for $40.

Not having the time or the tools necessary to get this table done for an event I enlisted my step-father to build it. He bought a few 2 x 4's and in a day the table was built. It.Is.A.Beast. It seats 10 and if ever there were a tornado one could find shelter under it since it's not going anywhere. I paired it with an 8' bench my other father had made a few years ago and some bistro chairs from Target and voila... I had a brand new table for 10 for just under $300.

Probably my favorite Habitat Re-Store find is our TV console. I've even had girlfriends try to buy it out from under me - not a chance. I wanted a long beefy piece that had drawers on the sides to store games, DVD's and blankets with doors in the middle to hide all the TV boxes. For $40 (seems to be the magic number at Re-Store) this beauty was all mine. I removed the handles, filled and sanded the doors and spray painted it. I opted for spray paint since the center doors had such intricate carvings, I wanted a paint that would get in all the nooks and cranny's easily. My favorite spray primer for any project is Zinsser's Bulls Eye at Home Depot. The coverage is great and goes on anything and everything without peeling. When the paint was dry I threw on some new handles from IKEA and it was ready. What once was a masculine eyesore of a dresser is now a feminine, beautiful and functional piece for our family for less than $100.

The Lakehouse has an incredible back deck with an even more incredible view onto a lake. When I moved in Tommy Thompson had an old couch on the deck and a small glass table - not only was the couch gross from being outdoors but both were insufficient for our needs. Our backyard lends itself to outdoor entertaining, whether it be a dinner party, the three of us watching shooting stars or a small bonfire get together, we needed more seating. The farm had a lot of scrap wood so when I asked Tommy Thompson to build me a couch we shopped for wood in the scrap pile making this project super easy and inexpensive.

I wanted a long couch against the back wall with an equally large ottoman that could be across from the couch, pushed up next to it for an outdoor bed or on the side making it an L shape. Pops, Tommy Thompson's father, was in town for the week and those two knocked it out in a day. They had to build it in the shop since it was raining and when the time came to move it to the deck it took eight men to move each piece. Literally. This couch is going nowhere. I ordered thick foam from an auto upholsterer in town and stapled outdoor fabric to plywood on the underside of the foam to give the cushions weight. A year later this couch gets more use than the ones inside.

Top 10 Favorite Reno's - #8 Hardwood floors

It's hard to beat the timelessness of hardwood floors. No matter what shape they're in, a little TLC can go a long way for beautiful long lasting floors. I was super fortunate to have the classic red oak hardwoods at Mulberry Forest. It's one of the reasons I bought the house - despite all of it's flaws it had great bones, hardwoods being one of them. Years of neglect had left the flooring dull and covered in scratches, even stains in certain areas - but nothing that couldn't be repaired. I contracted a local hardwood re-finisher to do the work (power tools don't scare me, floor sanders do). I removed the trim to prep the floors, giving him a clean slate to work with. Just sanding alone livened the floors up instantly - I call this phase naked floors. I was going for a dark look so before sealing the floors I tested three stains, choosing a rich color that wouldn't be too dark or too red and also asked for two layers of top coat/sealant. The end result was beautiful. Talk about instant impact. With the exception of the kitchen and bathroom the whole house was transformed in a matter of two days. Fast forward two years and the addition of my sweet but ginormous, playful, clumsy English Mastiff Sweet Lucy - they floors were still in mint condition. For $2.85 a square foot this project transformed the entire home and was an investment I saw a HUGE return on when I sold.

Naked floors.

When touring my next house, 10th and Wash, I hoped and prayed for hardwoods under the carpets - not so lucky. When I created my list of to-do's, hardwoods were a must considering this house was 145 years old. Unfortunately given the massive project in the kitchen, installing solid hardwoods was not in my budget. It was important that the hardwoods help to create an increased sense of space within this small house, so after tearing down the wall between the kitchen and living room, I needed wider plank hardwoods going the length of the house including the hallway. Thus creating a seamless transition from the dining to the living to the kitchen. I settled on the Distressed Kinsley Hickory 4 3/4" wide floating floor. Admittedly I couldn't get the name out of my head, my first niece is Kinsleigh so it had to be - these planks just had so much character, just like her! The color, varied wood grain and hand scrape marks made it feel like the perfect balance between a house built in 1869 and a modern 2014 home. AND I got to use my brand new Kobalt Compound Miter Saw. Win. While the floors are floating, I ended up gluing each plank and nailing every third row to ensure these would last a long time. The hardwoods were the icing on the cake after updating the house and creating the open concept floor plan - they tied it all together.

Before the dining room was used as a living room. It made more sense to swap the living in dining to create an open concept floor plan. 

On our most recent remodel project, the kitchen at the Lakehouse, I suggested to Tommy Thompson that we re-finish the hardwoods in the dining room at the same time. Not wanting to add on to the budget we initially said no, however after seeing the kitchen looking so awesome, we couldn't help but re-do the floors. Not to mention it made sense since the house was already in re-model mode, just knock it out. So we did. Our fabulous contractor brought in his hardwood team and in one day, they sanded it, repaired an area that previously held a doorway and stained and sealed it with a water based sealant to keep the fumes down. We added the same tall trim with no reveal as we used on 10th and Wash to give the feel of taller walls, painting these bright white to contract the deep color of the floors. A minor inconvenience to clear the room of furniture and stay out of the house for a day in trade for beautiful long lasting hardwood floors that will hold up to our family for years to come.

Tommy Thompson and Sweet Lucy taking advantage of the large open room to wrestle. 

You have bewitched me body and soul - even though I ruined Christmas

Ok... I may not have ruined Christmas... but I certainly ruined altered Tommy Thompson's plan for  asking the biggest question of his life.

Long story short - I SAID YES.

Long story in Shannon terms...

We've been talking about marriage since the day we decided to be an 'us'. It was always our plan. The last few months conversations about this moment started happening frequently and we even went so far as to talk dates. In Shannon land that means Game.On. It's one thing to be a woman pining for her wedding day, add in that said woman plans events for a living - watch out. Poor Tommy Thompson has been the most patient man ever.

After many conversations about the wedding I began not sleeping worrying about not having enough time to find the perfect wedding dress. It is beyond insane that those pretty little things take six months to arrive! While driving to work in March I asked Tommy Thompson if he would be ok with me making an appointment to buy a dress - no pressure. Like most things he said if it made me happy he supported it. I set a date a month out for a day of dress shopping with my girlfriends and mama. A month came and went and the day before shopping day (coincidentally our birthday) I decided to cancel the much anticipated event. Weather was bad for friends to drive up , some could not longer make it - bottom line it just didn't feel right. Tommy Thompson had yet to propose and I was starting to think that it would never happen (can I get some cheese with this whine???). When I told him I canceled he emailed back 'WTF!'. (Seriously??? What on earth does that mean?)

We had a nice quiet birthday evening at home that night, however I couldn't help but think I had ruined his moment by setting up dress shopping. And to my defense Tommy Thompson certainly added to that thought. The next day I had brunch with some girlfriends, after which Tommy Thompson and I planned to have a picnic on Castle Gray-skull (our 'fort' on the front of our property - this is one of our favorite past times). I came home from brunch resolved to not mention the word wedding ever again.

Tommy Thompson was running errands so I relaxed on the back patio until a young boy came running through our yard. If you know our house you know that this is not normal - you don't 'accidentally' come onto our property. An argument ensued with this boy and I called the police. Tommy Thompson pulled up as the officer was meeting with us. Shaking like a leaf I went inside thinking the whole weekend was a bust. Tommy Thompson suggested I pack a picnic and we go ahead with our plans and make the best of the day. I thought it was odd that he was pacing outside while I was making lunch but chalked it up to frustration over the trespasser. We loaded up in to Bessie (our farm vehicle) and instead of driving to Castle Gray-skull he headed down to the lake.

About five minutes after arriving there I asked Tommy Thompson to hand me something (I can't remember what) and in his hand was a beautiful ring shimmering in the sun. I must have stared at it for five minutes before I looked up - in an emotional voice he asked me by my full name to marry him. Best moment ever. After all the feelings that I had ruined it and that it would never happen he managed to completely surprise me in the most perfect way possible. He popped a bottle of champagne that he had hidden in a box of tools and told me about the moments he asked my parents permission to marry me, about asking The Little One before anyone else, about the ring he picked and all the excited friends he had told. My face hurt from smiling so much. We are getting married!!!

I later learned that this was his Plan D to propose, I had interfered/changed plans (unknowingly) for his multiple plans to propose leading up to this day - and while I regret that to an extent our perfect moment happened just the way it was always meant to be. (Previous plans included our birthdays, even the morning I was to go dress shopping - hence the 'WTF!' email.)

I knew the moment I met Tommy Thompson that he would be in my life forever - him being my husband forever is a dream come true.

As it turns out we were able to spend the day together - just us two, there's no other way I would've wanted it. The next morning my three amazing parents came over for brunch (served on my Grandmother's china!) and a 13 year old bottle of Dom Perignon mama has been waiting many years to pop. We drank more champagne over the weekend than I ever have. Just as it should be.

I never thought I'd be wearing muck boots the day I got engaged but nothing could be more us. 

I hadn't even combed my hair!!

YES!!!

Brunch celebration Bocce Ball. 

Happy Birthday to US!

If I could have created a person to spend my life with it would be Tommy Thompson. When I think back about the guy I dreamed up I nearly nailed it. I wanted a tall guy that had character and attitude. Someone that took charge and who's presence made people turn when they walked into a room. Someone who was fiercely protective of me and challenged me. Someone that made me laugh yet could also sit in silence and 'just be' near me. Soft yet strong. When I painted a picture of this man to friends it was guy on a Harley holding a puppy. Hard exterior yet soft inside. Enter Tommy Thompson. While he prefers street bikes to Harley's - it still counts. And as far as the dog goes, the man that once hated dogs can be found baby talking, snuggling and loving on our Sweet Lucy daily. Nearly nailed it.

Today I turn 27 for the sixth time. And as if that weren't rad enough I get to share my special day with my most favorite person in the world. My best friend, my soul mate, my love. It's not too often that you meet someone you share a birthday with let alone the person you would do life with but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Best.Birthday.Gift.Ever.

We decided in lieu of gifts each year we would take a trip. Last year we celebrated with close friends at George Straight's last and final concert in Dallas and I can't wait to see what we decide on this year and years to come.

Happy birthday to us!

(And for the record, Tommy Thompson is six whole entire years older than I am. For the record.)

Also for the record I will not be making birthday cakes this year thanks to an upcoming trip to Miami but if I were... I'd be making my favorite, Grapefruit Poppyseed Torte with White Chocolate Mousse 

George Straight's last and final concert, Dallas, summer 2014

We both have the same favorite bar in Las Vegas... coincidence??

Easter in Knoxville, TN

Easter was extra special this year as we had a chance to take a vacation to East Tennessee to visit Grandpa Bob (GB). GB is Tommy Thompson's grandfather and he had never met the Little One so it was great timing that Easter and Spring Break coincided.

We spent the first morning dyeing Easter eggs after the biggest breakfast I have ever eaten thanks to Auntie Dawn while Tommy Thompson was able to help GB around the house with a few projects. GB is very particular about his Easter eggs - everyone needs an egg with their name on it... we found out why the next day. That afternoon the three of us toured downtown Nashville and World Fair Park. Downtown reminded us a lot of Boulder, kinda hippie, kinda hipster with lots of great people watching and shops to peruse. GB's house smelled incredible when we got home thanks to his famous super secret shack sauce slow cooking. We relaxed and threw the football (the Little One's favorite birthday gift) before our shack sauce dinner. This shack sauce is no joke, and after several failed attempts to get the recipe from him I found one online that seems close, although I never did get to see the recipe at GB's. He did admit though that the key is black pepper and slow cooking. When the table was set GB gave us all a tutorial on how to make a proper BBQ sandwich - it is not to be messed with.

1. Take a plain bun and add smoked pulled pork
2. Add coleslaw (and by coleslaw I mean just the cabbage, no sauce)
3. Drench in shack sauce

It. was. awesome. Not to mention we were eating a dinner prepared by Tommy Thompson's 87 year old grandpa but to see his face light up when he taught us how to assemble the proper sandwich - that may have been better than the sandwich itself. (maybe). After dinner GB took his very first selfie  - I'm glad we could teach him something too. We even taught him a new use for shack sauce the next morning when I fried eggs and topped them with pulled pork and shack sauce - excellent.

Sunday was Easter and the Little One woke to an Easter basket and no hidden eggs - parent fail. 15 minutes of him walking the property looking for eggs to no avail - I was heartbroken. I promise every Easter from this year forward regardless your age or where we are I will have Easter eggs hidden.

After a fabulous Easter service at GB's church we headed to the hills. Tommy Thompson has fond memories of the Smokey Mountains as a kid so I was anxious to see them. The drive was gorgeous, spring time in Tennessee is so much greener and lush than Colorado. We got to the top and I was surprised to see there were no mountains around us... you can take the girl out of Colorado but you can't take Colorado out of the girl. We stopped for lunch at Dick's Last Resort in Pigeon Forge - the Little One was shocked when the waiter threw silverware on the table and said 'Kid set the table'. When we told him that he was joking and even let him play back with the waiter he had a blast. (If you're not familiar with this restaurant, wait staff are rude and makes fun of you). It was one of his favorite parts of the trip. Oh to be 11...

We got home late in the afternoon and Auntie Dawn was hard at work on Easter dinner and wouldn't let us lift a finger. We enjoyed our daily 5:00 Old Fashioned and cigar on the porch with GB and his lady friend before the big meal. The Little One and I set the table - enter the personalized eggs. A man after my own heart, GB likes an Easter table set with Easter egg name cards.

Monday we woke early to make our way to Dollywood in Gatlinburg. Known as ' The Disney of the South' this place was amazing. The rides were fabulous, the shows were incredible and the park was perfect. We lucked out with the weather AND crowds, in fact we were able to ride some roller coasters back to back without waiting in line. This months' theme for the park is Festival of Nations, so the shows we saw were from all over the world. Our favorite by far was a Canadian act with lumberjacks that perform cirque du soleil acrobatics with live music and ax throwing. Sounds like a crazy combo but it was fabulous.

Tuesday morning came too soon - we woke up super early and checked the Little One in for his very first solo flight before heading to Nashville for work. I had the most incredible time meeting GB and Auntie Dawn and cannot wait to visit again!

 

This kid can find a candy store anywhere. 1 pound jawbreaker - endless entertainment.