I Heart Michael Kors

My crush on Mr. Kors is pretty obvious and his summery collection of tan leather heels and wedges are perfection- he really nailed the color. I've been looking for a two-tone watch for awhile now and this one is simple and pretty.  May have to indulge- after Father's Day, of course.  Hope all the Dads have a great Father's Day this weekend! 

1 // Josephine Sandal

2 // Giovanna Wedge

3 // Brayson Sandal

4 // Jet Set - Medium Travel Tote

5 // Slim Runway Watch

The Brayson Sandal makes me so tall (and I need all the help I can get)- but they are actually really comfy and easy to walk in. 

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Quick & Fresh Summer Dinner

Are you getting into the summer groove yet?  Our temperatures are rising and we're seeing longer days and lazier weekends.  Cooking feels lighter and I'm craving all things fresh right now.

I'm loving this easy summer dinner so much that I've had it twice in the last week!  The recipe for the chicken marinade and tomato/avocado salad is at Honey We're Healthy if you're interested.

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Keeping Bathroom Towels Fresh

Last week, I finally tackled a simple project that had been nagging at me for months.  We switched our towel hooks for towel bars so that the towels could dry better between uses and stay fresher longer.  I like the look of towels hanging from hooks, but it seems that they go "sour" or mildewy because they don't air dry as well if they aren't laying flat.

I chose an inexpensive, modern looking towel bar from Target.

I like how they include a template so that you are sure to hang the bar straight.  Taping the paper template up with wash tape makes sure no damage is done to your cabinet/wall when the tape comes off. 

The towels still have a bit of bunching at the top, but it's better than before.  What is your tip for keeping towels fresh?  How many times do you use your towel before you wash it?  I think I probably use mine 3 times.   James' little towels probably get washed once a week.  

Dr. Oz said that you should clean towels two times per week or after every 3 uses.  Bacteria loves to hide in dark, wet places like a towel.  When your towel gets smelly, it is because of the bacteria growing on it that lives off of dead skin cells. Yuk!  I have heard that adding about a 1/2 cup of vinegar to the detergent dispenser keeps towels fresh and soft too. 

I picked up a couple new towels and hand towels when I was shopping for the towel bar.  I dig the color and pattern.  They are from the Threshhold collection, but only available in store. 

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Outfit Planning for the Week

Hope you are relaxed from a great weekend!  I spend the better part of mine getting James' book nook ready and photographing it for the Pottery Barn Kids & PBS Kids challenge that goes live on June 17.  The blogger who creates the winning space gets to giveaway a $500 gift card to one of her readers, so I hope that's one of YOU! :)

Here's a sneak peek I posted on Instagram and Twitter (@honeywerehome) on Saturday.  James is really enjoying it!  You can check out my Pinterest book nook inspiration board HERE.

Last night when I was picking out my clothes for the week, I realized I'd never shared that organizing tidbit with you and wondered if part of your Sunday night routine includes this too.  I only take about 15 minutes to choose the outfits and if I'm ambitious, I'll include some accessories too.  I put everything together on a rack at the back of my closet.  This saves so much time in the morning where I could be standing in a closetful of clothes with "nothing to wear."

I put the outfits in order from Monday to Friday, but may not necessarily end up wearing them that way.  I try to plan for business meetings or days when I need to be extra dressy or really comfortable.

I do this with my son's clothes too.  He's dressing himself these days though!

Sunday evenings are full of weekly preparations around here, including folding and putting away laundry while watching cooking shows (quirky habit), laying out clothes like above, getting James' snacks ready for the week (chopping fruit and portioning out), and mapping out the week in general on my calendar.  

Are you doing this on Sunday evening too or are you relaxing by the time Sunday night comes around? 

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Creating a Book Nook in My Son's Room

I told y'all on Monday that I was lucky enough to be part of the Pottery Barn Kids & PBS Kids Book Nook Challenge where six bloggers were given goodies from Pottery Barn Kids to create a reading nook in their homes.  Y'all will get to vote on which nook you like best and the blogger who wins will get to give one of her readers a $500 gift card to Pottery Barn.  Cool, huh?!



The space I'm working with is my son's room, but first I had to clean out the toys and stuffed animals!

The reading nook will be in the corner of the room where the rocking chair was.  The chair has been moved to my bedroom, can't give it up yet- still lots of rocking and snuggles to be had with my favorite 3 year-old!

The nook will be so cool for James with the rugby play tent canopy in a bold blue and white stripe and the red madras anywhere beanbag chair.  He is going to totally dig getting in there to read!

I'll add the Cameron 2-shelf bookshelf to the wall where the toy storage bin used to be. 

The red task lamp was also chosen.

Along with this adorable Dalmation bookend.

I showed you last week how the room looks now with the walls painted dark blue and the ceiling light blue.   

And now we also have a Gallery Wall.

I can't wait to get everything finished so we can start enjoying our books and I can share it with you.  Friendly challenges like this are very nice opportunities, but I can't help but hope that the nook I create is special enough for the challenge.  :/ What matters most is that James likes it right?! 

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Kid Gallery Wall

I've wanted to add a gallery wall to our home for a long time, but have gotten totally intimidated and overwhelmed because they seem like a lot of work and I don't feel like I really know how to put them together.  When we changed up my son's nursery and put the bed where the changing table used to be, I had a huge blank wall that I knew would be perfect for a gallery wall.  And something about it being in a kid's room seemed to take the pressure off.  It's not perfect, and it's not necessarily supposed to be, but since taking these pictures, I can already tell I'll be messing with it and changing it up.  

Here's how the wall looked with four symmetrical frames in the nursery.

And here's the new gallery wall.  I started with frames I already had around the house, then searched my computer for photos we'd like to have on the walls (no small task narrowing photos down when you have a million cute ones to choose from), then ran to Target to buy about 8 more frames in the sizes and colors (silver, black, and white) they had at my store.  Sort of random, I know.  

I've read many wise words about laying your frames out on your floor and arranging them how you like BEFORE you start nailing into the wall, and I do sorta wish I did that now, but at the time, I just wanted to get it up (twss Cass) and there wasn't that much room on my son's floor with all the toys everywhere.   So we did end up with a little bit of a funky gallery wall.  I wanted it asymetrical and loose, but the left side is kinda driving me crazy so I'm sure you'll see it revised soon. 

But I love the pictures we I chose!  After the wall was complete I lay in bed with my son and we talked about all the photos and what was happening in each one.  We've got almost all of our close family represented and his best friend from school too.  Every single day when I pick up James from school, his little girlfriend comes up to me and says, "James is my friend." His teachers tell me they are inseparable. 

I asked James which picture was his favorite and he said, "The white one with Mickey Mouse."  Glad I tore that page from the book! 

He asked me which one was my favorite and I said, "The one of you and me with the words, 'I love you so much.'" 

On his dresser are a few more photos and pops of red.  

He's really into the old-time Donald Duck and Chip-n-Dale cartoons so I found these pictures in an old book at Half Priced Books and framed them.  I love watching these with him- they're the ones where Donald is all grouchy, so fun. 

And the little birdie my friend gave me has moved into James' room for now. 

The glossy red tray is from West Elm. 

Do you have a gallery wall in your house?  Did you carefully plan out the positioning of every frame and object or just kind of eyeball it (like me)?

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Big Boy Bed (Pottery Barn Hampton Classic)

The transition from nursery to "big boy" room continues and our bed arrived last week.  It's the Pottery Barn Hampton Classic from Pottery Barn Teen, on sale for $399 plus delivery.  Our deliverymen assembled the twin bed in about 20 minutes and said it's one of the most popular beds they deliver.  To make the room feel truly different from the nursery, we switched up the furniture placement too.

Side rails were added to the bed since our little guy is a super squirmy sleeper.  These are from Overstock and $32.99 each.  So far they are working perfectly, very sturdy and secure. 

To dress up the large blank wall over the bed, I chose a paper macho deer from West Elm- this one is the large.  When my son first saw it he said, "I don't like it!" But, he's since come around. 

The pouf is awesome for adding another pop of blue and also acts as a ladder for James to climb into the bed.  It was a sale item from Joss & Main. 

As you can see, instead of a "car" bed, we compromised with "Cars" bedding from Target.  My son loves them.  I toned the comforter down with a reversible light and dark blue blanket also from Target. A fun guitar shaped pillow was a Homegoods find. 

It didn't take James long to figure out that he can climb in and out of the bed now, so we are dealing with lots of nighttime requests for, "one more hug and kiss" and "another drink of water" and on and on.  I know you all with little ones have encountered that too!

For you eagle eye readers, I have started a gallery wall on the wall adjacent the bed.  It's not perfect, but I hope to show you tomorrow.  :)

Sure is cozy in the big boy bed!

The timing of creating a new room for James is perfect because I am also participating in a "Book Nook Challenge" with Pottery Barn Kid and PBS Kids, who have teamed up to promote reading in conjunction with Pottery Barn Kids' annual summer reading program.  The cool thing is they have asked six bloggers to create a kid-focused book nook and gave us items from the Pottery Barn Kids collection to work with.  I was lucky enough to get to participate and got my goodies last week!  It's been really fun creating a special reading nook for James - I'm not done yet, but will be sharing soon!  There will be a contest to see which bloggers' book nook the readers like best, so you can vote if you want to.  The winner will get to give one of their readers a $500 gift card to Pottery Barn! 

Details to follow . . . 

I also created a Pinterest board with Book Nook inspiration if you'd like to check it out.  

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